"Wash Dishes MAMA!"

Look at my precious little boy! On Monday, Easton decided that he wanted to help out around the house. He got his chair and pulled it up to the kitchen sink and began to wash the dishes that were in the soapy water just waiting to be cleaned! He washed all the dishes in the sink over and over again. They were the cleanest dishes I have seen in a LONG time! He washed for about 30 minutes and his hands were so pruned at the end of his dishwashing but his fingernails were the cleanest they have been since we moved to Zambia 1 year and 7 months ago!

On another note, Kendall taught yesterday before our travels to Lusaka. After teaching, he offered a time of invitation for people to come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior and eight people came to Christ! 3 of the people were pastors in the churches that were unsure of their salvation and 1 of the women that I have been teaching at Mnyazi! PRAISE THE LORD! We are entering this time of Thanksgiving with MANY things to be thankful for this year! So far in the ministry in Zambia and Mozambique, 31 people have come to know Christ! Thank you all for your prayers and your support as we share Jesus among the Nsenga people!

Christina Tembo who came to Christ yesterday!

The Rain Has Arrived...Bringing Guests With It!

Afternoon of November 15th- The first day of HEAVY rain here in Nyimba...

Afternoon of November 16th- The second day of HEAVY rain...

Evening of November 16th- Inswa came to town and Zeria begins to collect them for 3 hours...why? Inswa is a flying insect that comes out from the ground after the first heavy rains.

Zambians LOVE inswa because after they remove the wings and fry them, they are like roasted peanuts are to those who live in America.

I was a little..okay...a LOT hesitant to even pick up a dead, fried, bug to eat it! Kevin was here visiting us and all he kept saying to me was ,"Come on, Joy, don't be so girly! Just eat it and don't think about what you are eating!" HA! Yeah right...needless to say, I ate ONE!

That was all for me! BUT...little did I know that Princess Preppy (a.k.a. Lily) would be so fond of them!

I love Lily's face when she eats them and Zeria laughs everytime Lily eats one! What a pair they are!

Lily ate this whole handful of inswa in about 20 minutes! Who would have ever guessed?
All of the brown you see on the mats are the inswa that Zeria collected in those 3 hours! Lily likes to go to Zeria's house to eat inswa snacks because they are in abundance!

Along with the inswa....
We had some beautiful surprises spring up in our yard that we did not plant!

I don't know the name of this flower, but Kendall has seen many of them in the bush near mountains around Nyimba.

Church in Mozambique

Bambo Nzunda and Kevin with the Kompo Baptist Church

On Sunday, Kendall, Kevin, Bambo Nzunda, Bambo Mwanza, and Pastor Lungu went to Mozambique with Kendall to worship with the churches in Kompo Village and Nachingwe.

Kendall, Kevin, and Bambo Nzunda went to the new church in Kompo Village. On that day, there was a meeting in the village because someone's cows had been stolen. Although there was a large meeting, 5 of the new Christians came to worship at the school. Bambo Nzunda led the worship service and explained to them each aspect of worship, why we the things we do and in what order. He did an amazing job and we praise the Lord for our friendship with him! Kevin (our team leader) preached and Kendall was just able to be with the people that he has been teaching and building relationships with.

Bambo Lungu and Bambo Mwanza went to lead the worship service in Nachingwe Village. There were 38 people in attendance there and the service was great!

God truly blessed the services and the people are thankful that the Word of God has come to them! Thank you for your prayers!

Open Doors

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me."
Revelation 3:20

Leonard Banda, Bambo, and Pastor Monday

Update on Kompo Village

Kendall and Pastor Monday met with Leonard Banda and began to disciple him and teach him more about the Bible. After teaching Leonard, he told Kendall and Pastor Monday that he wanted to go share Jesus with some other people at 4 different houses. During their time of evangelism 4 more people came to know JESUS! There were 2 people that were not ready to hear the Gospel, so continue to pray that one day they will come to salvation in Jesus Christ.

On Sunday, Kendall, Kevin (our team leader), Joseph and Mwanza will go with Kendall to lead the church service in Kompo Village.

Update on Nachingwe Village

Last Friday, the headman (the man in charge in the village) from Nachingwe asked Benjamin and Samson to lead a mini-crusade in the village this week. Benjamin and Samson both prepared a sermon and preached. Benjamin's sermon was entitled "The 3 Closed Doors". The sermon focused on doors within Scripture and the 3rd door was the door in Revelation 3:20, where Jesus was knocking at the door and we are the only ones that can open the door to our hearts to let Jesus in! During his sermon, a lady jumped up from the crowd and began to run away yelling "LEKANI!" meaning "STOP!". The woman was demon-possessed and the words that Benjamin was preaching brought out the demons within her and she became greatly disturbed. Demon-possession is very real and runs deep within Mozambique. Pray for this woman that was so greatly distressed. Pray that Benjamin and Samson will be able to share with her the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that she could be set free from the bondage of demon possession. Pray for Nachingwe, because they are very jealous of the way that God is moving in Kompo. Pray that they would not be jealous but rejoice with the work that God is doing in and among that village. Pray that God would convict their hearts and that they would begin sharing with all their friends and neighbors about Jesus, like Leonard has done in Kompo.

Thank you all again for your prayers. God never ceases to amaze us and draw us closer to Him. Continue to pray for the church service on Sunday! Your prayers are what keep us motivated, encouraged, and increase our faithfulness to serve Jesus Christ among the Nsenga.

Passover and Redemption

Kendall taught at Mwape Central Baptist Church today. Mwape is 125 kilometers (75 miles)from our home in Nyimba. The road to get to Mwape is a treacherous one during the rainy season and is almost impassable from Nyimba with our truck. The people at Mwape are some of the most faithful people to attend meetings in Nyimba. Kendall continued his teaching in the Book of Exodus today. The central focus of the lesson was Passover, found in Exodus 12:1-13. In Exodus 12:13 it reads, "The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt." Those who believed in God, sprinkled the blood upon their doorpost and trusted in it. Kendall explained to the learners today that this story is representative of Christ's blood that was shed for our sins. The blood of Jesus Christ saves us from eternal separation from Jesus Christ and nothing else will. John 1:29 says, "The next day he saw Jesus coming to Him and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!'' Revelation 12:11 says, "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to drink from death." These passages illustrate the magnificent power of the blood of Jesus Christ!
At the conclusion of this poignant lesson, Kendall asked if there was anyone who wanted to receive Christ. FOUR people stood and Kendall shared with them the plan of salvation and they prayed to receive Jesus! The four that accepted Christ have been coming to the Bible Study since it began over a month ago! Praise the Lord! Continue to pray for Kendall as he teaches at 2 more zones in Nyimba and visits Mozambique on Friday. Sunday will be a special day because Kendall is traveling back to Mozambique to visit the new church plant that Leonard has begun in Kompo Village! Thank you all for your prayers! May this be an encouragement to your faithfulness to lift our family up to the Father!

"Pigpen" and the Princesses Caught Dirty Handed!

Once upon a time in land far away lived a pudgy little prince named Pigpen. Pigpen had two sisters, Princess Preppy and Princess Pretty. The royal family lived in a mansion that was filled with luxurious brown dirt that massaged their feet as they walked outside. They loved to go outside and get dirt baths everyday! King Krispy and Queen Quirky finally realized that their prince and princesses not only loved outside time but bath time! Everyday in the land of Dirty Dusty People, Pigpen, Preppy, and Pretty took two baths a day, one in the morning and one at night! The royal press caught Prince Pigpen, Princess Preppy and Princess Pretty outside, dirty and clean!

Princess Pretty did not like the elegant pool bath! But Prince Pigpen and Princess Preppy LOVED the cool water and fresh air!

"I just can't believe it....thank you Jesus"- Kendall

"We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you. We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the Gospel of Christ. Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of our work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in another man's territory. But 'Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.' For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved but the one whom the Lord commends." 1 Corinthians 10:13-18

1 Corinthians 10:13-18 is one of the many verses that can summarize Kendall's mission to Mozambique today. In many of our blog posts and prayer letters we have asked for specific pray for the village of Kompo and for a man named Leonard Banda.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS! GOD ANSWERED THEM AND MORE!!!

Today, when Kendall, Benjamin, Pastor Monday, and Samson arrived in Kompo, Leonard met them with great joy and many people to hear God's Word taught and the Gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed. Kendall taught about salvation and how to read the Bible and interpret what it is saying using a simple tool called "SOT"...What do the verses Say, what should we Obey, and Who should we Tell.

After the teaching, Leonard began to share with Kendall that he had started a church in Kompo! The church met this past Sunday for the first time and 8 people attended! Leonard preached the plan of salvation and another lesson that Kendall had taught on a previous visit to Mozambique. Upon hearing this news, Kendall was ecstatic! He praised the Lord that God had led him to Leonard that first day in Mozambique. Leonard has led several people to Christ, he went to the headmaster of the school in Kompo to ask if the church could meet there, and he had a church service with some of the new believers! When the rains come to Mozambique, Kendall will baptize all the new converts! PRAY FOR RAIN!

Kendall then told Leonard that he should accompany him to evangelize more in Kompo. During the afternoon, they shared the gospel presentation with 3 large groups of people and 9 people accepted Jesus Christ. One of the people that came to Christ was a woman who had been stirring up strife and was a member of the Zionist church (witchcraft).

Pray that her decision was genuine and that she will desire to share Christ with those around her that are lost. Two people decided that they were not ready to accept Jesus, it is okay, we would rather them say that they were not ready than pretend to make a decision for Christ.

Pray for those 2 souls, they have heard the Gospel, pray that they would come to a saving knowledge of Jesus.

At the end of their time of evangelizing, Leonard was presenting the whole presentation with Kendall by his side guiding him. Praise the Lord that Leonard has come to Jesus...what an amazing addition to the Kingdom. He is a determined man and wants to see people know Jesus Christ!

Next Sunday, Kendall will go to Mozambique and encourage the church and teach Leonard a little more about what Scripture says about church.

God has blessed the ministry in Mozambique and it is because of thousands of prayers that have been lifted up for the Nsenga of Mozambique! Long before we arrived in Nyimba, you were praying, thank you. Continue to lift the Nsenga up to Christ! He is faithful!

Shades of Color

As I gathered my belongings, I began to pray.

Lord, prepare me to speak clearly and enjoy this time. May those that attend see Christ in me and may this time of fellowship be sweet and unique. Amen.

I kissed the children goodbye and told my husband that I loved him and was on my way.

This time was different, it was special, I was excited and happy to see friends.

The only thing I had in my possession besides my keys were 52 squares of construction paper.

Upon my arrival, three precious, young faces greeted me and all had a child on their hip.

"Mauwoka bwanji?!...Nauwoka bwino, kanamwe?"

(How is your morning? Mine is well, and you?")

Greetings were passed among smiles, hand shakes, and giant hugs.

Today was different, today was special.

We gathered underneath the shade tree, removed our flip flops to expose our dusty feet and sat on the handmade reed mat that I brought along.

"Lero, tizasewera Memory!"

(Today, we will play Memory!)

Smiles eased upon the faces of my sweet friends and laughter accompanied the happiness.

I gently placed the blue and red construction paper upon the beige, worn, reed mat.

At that moment, my world seemed to slow to a speed that was photographic in my memory.

The breeze was gentle, the voices of children speaking were soft, the wrinkles that were exposed around the eyes of my friends as they enjoyed their time together made me peaceful, the colors of the construction paper on the dry land was so vivid, and in this moment I knew that I had finally come to have a deep passion for the women that I have come to know and love.

Marcy, Zeria, Damares, Alaida, Elizabeth, and Tetamenje

We played a simple children's game...Memory...to help them learn their letters and phonetics a little better so that they can read the Bible on their own.

It brought joy to our worlds and once again reminded me that sweet time with friends is memorable and is what adds color to our lives.

More importantly as a missionary, I can honestly say that I love the Nsenga people.

I love them because God has called our family to minister to them,

I love them because Jesus Christ first loved me.

" Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all people."

Psalm 96:3

Genesis and Exodus

"All Scripture is inspired by God, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Last week was Kendall's teaching week in the Nyimba District. During his session, he completed the book of Genesis and has begun Exodus. Overall, there are approximately 80 people that come to learn more about the Bible every two weeks. Kendall is so encouraged that they desire to know more about the Word and how to understand what it is saying to them as a follower of Jesus Christ.

This past week, he really emphasized the importance of not adding to the Word of God and although the Bible was written a long time ago, it is STILL alive today and is applicable to our lives. Each week he has some interesting questions and comments that are asked and stated. One of the questions when he was teaching creation was "where did the water come from?" A statement that taught both of us a great deal about how the Zambians think was when someone said "Eve committed adultery in the Garden of Eden". There is a teaching/thinking in Zambia that disobeying God isn't a sin, but that sin is worse than just disobeying God. It has to be something else, like stealing, killing, lying, or adultery, so in the teaching of creation and the garden they were all saying that Eve committed adultery, that her disobedience to God was not the reason for Adam and Eve being kicked out of the Garden of Eden. Kendall was blown away by this thinking and immediately taught them that disobedience IS a SIN and that it is just as great as adultery and squelched the thinking that Eve committed adultery.

Please be in prayer for Kendall as he prepares his lessons to complete the teaching of Exodus and begins Leviticus next week.

Pray that the people that come to the Bible Study will truly grasp what they are being taught and apply it to their lives and that they would share what they are learning with their neighbors and friends.

Pray for Kendall that as he teaches that God would give him the words to say to answer the questions and comments that they have. We both desire that they know the TRUTH of the Word of God!