The Graduate

On November 28, 2009, Kendall received his diploma from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He graduated with a Masters of Divinity with an emphasis in International Church Planting. Kendall and James Adair are the first two graduates from SWBTS to graduate from the 2 + 3 International Church Planting program. It was a special day for our family!

By tradition, the wives receive their husbands after they receive their diploma!

Several missionaries came to join in the graduation celebration! Praise the Lord for our sweet mission family!

(Left to right) Fequiere Desir serving in Kasama, Wes Wilcox serving in Gwembe, Kendall, Mike Smith serving in Kaoma, and Blake Kimbrough serving in Isoka.

Kendall and Josh Bowman serving in Luwingu.

Kevin Rodgers, our former team leader and he helped Kendall fulfill his requirements for his mentorship on the field here in Zambia.

Kevin, Kendall, Joy, and Suzie.

Kevin and Suzie are more than our leaders, they are precious friends and great encouragers. It was so special that they were in attendance for this very special occasion.

Kendall Recieving His Diploma

Thanks to our friend, Suzie, who recorded this video of Kendall receiving his diploma from Southwestern Seminary!

Our Mission Family

God has blessed us with each of the people in this picture. It is awesome to see us all together and to see how God is using each one of us in unique and awesome ways to reach many of the 72 tribes of Zambia! As you look at this picture, pray for God to continue to use our mission family in amazing ways!

Fun Pictures from Prayer Retreat

We had a great time at our annual prayer retreat. We had a great time with our mission family and friends and loved the time we had together! We don't have a camera but our precious family has shared many pictures with us! Enjoy! Many more to come!

Easton and Micah feeding a bush baby that came up to the dining room at Protea, where we had prayer retreat.

Lily and Easton LOVE Uncle Kevin and Aunt Suzie!!!

Sweet girls on the playground. Hannah, Taylor, Emily, Hadassah, Zoe, and Evie

He Knows My Every Move

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you." 

 Psalm 139:14-18

Sunday morning at 4 a.m. I woke up with abdominal pain. I thought that it was just a bug and that I would be feeling better once I got up out of bed. The pain began to increase and my mobility decreased. Finally, I was in such immense pain that I began to weep. I told Kendall that I needed to get to the emergency room at a nearby hospital. Our fellow missionary, Cindy, came and picked me up and took me to the ER. When I arrived I was in such great pain that it was almost unbearable. 
Quickly, the sisters (nurses) began to draw my blood and give me medication for the pain. The doctors immediate diagnosis was food poisoning, but I knew that this pain was quite unique and more unbearable than food poisoning. He was not so sure about his diagnosis, so he called the surgeon to come to the hospital. 
Cindy went home and she and her husband, Truitt took care of our kids so that Kendall could be with me in the hospital. Robyn, another missionary friend, fed my kids and made sure that they were well taken care of as well. 
We waited, and finally, Dr. Robert Zulu arrived. He was not the surgeon on-call, but he was the doctor that God wanted to see me. After a few minutes of examination, he informed Kendall and I that I was going to have to have my appendix removed within the next hour to hour and a half. We began signing papers and prepping me for surgery.
As we sat waiting for the theater (operating room) to be prepared and the anesthesiologist to arrive we just began praising the Lord for the many blessings that He had already bestowed upon us in this situation. Just then, the phone rang, and another fellow missionary, Josh called and told Kendall that he came to sit with him during my surgery. Kendall and I were overwhelmed with the outpouring of love from our mission family. Later, I found out that Kevin had come and Suzie had emailed the whole mission and that the missionaries at the International Bible Study had prayed for me.
The surgery went so well, the surgeon was a Zambian man and the anesthesiologist was a Russian man. God had orchestrated these men to take care of me. The surgeon said after the surgery that if it had been another 3 hours my appendix would have ruptured. After my surgery, these missionaries came to see me and prayed over me, Paula, Betty, Franklin, Dwayne, John, David, and Janet. Then another Zambian man that did not even know me came and prayed over me. GOD BLESSED ME WITH AN AMAZING MISSION FAMILY! Our whole Zambia mission family came together to lift me up to the Father.
That night, David and Janet spent the night at the hospital with me. The next day and night, Betty spent the night with me. Mat and Janet from Malawi also came to pray with me in the hospital. 
I walked out of the hospital on Tuesday morning with Kendall and attended our annual mission prayer retreat. We have so much to be thankful for!!! Here is the list in no certain order: I was IN Lusaka near a hospital, our mission family was in town and helped with our kids, our mission family came together to minister to all of us, our mission family and many people in America prayed for my quick healing (which is a miracle!), the surgeon that I had took great care of me and was kind, the sisters (nurses) were a blessing, I was able to pray and share words of encouragement with those in the hospital with me, and that through ALL of this, GOD REMAINED FAITHFUL, LOVING, CARING, and HE NEVER LEFT ME!! I felt His presence in amazing ways that I will never forget. Please join me in PRAISING the Father for His AWESOME handiwork in keeping my life and protecting my every step! HALLELUJAH TO THE CREATOR!!

Three Men, One Mission...Preach Christ

"I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom: Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.They will reject the truth and chase after myths. But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you." 2 Timothy 4:1-5

God has truly blessed us with two men were called by God to be pastors of their churches. They have been obedient in God's calling to preach God's Word in their villages, in the town of Nyimba, and in Mozambique.

Several months ago, Samson traveled deep into Mozambique and found that there were two villages that had never heard the Gospel and were desperate to hear. At that time, he was unable to stay long enough to really teach them and encourage them. Samson promised them that he would return in November. He also said that he would bring Harrison and Benjamin with him to assist him in teaching and preaching.

Tomorrow, Friday, November 13, Samson and Benjamin will get on his motorbike and travel over 7 1/2 hours to the Zambezi area of Mozambique. They will meet up with a Baptist pastor, Harrison Phiri, and go to these villages to preach and teach for several days. We are SO BLESSED and THRILLED and EXCITED! The greatest part of being a missionary is seeing people that you have invested in, follow the Lord in obedience of sharing the Gospel of salvation with others!

As Kendall said today, they are going on an international mission trip to their brothers in Mozambique. This is not my work, but the work that the Lord has blessed them with! PRAISE THE LORD!

Pray for Samson, Benjamin, and Harrison as they travel tomorrow. Pray for their safety as the rains have started and the roads may be dangerous. Pray for the 120+ people that are anticipating their arrival. Pray that their hearts would be opened to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray for their families as they remain at home in Zambia that God would protect them and keep them in the shelter of His wings.

Far left in the green shirt: Benjamin Phiri and on Kendall's left in the back row: Samson Lungu

Resounding Words Within My Heart

On October 26th, the Lord led me to read Judges 13. As I read this passage and began to meditate upon the words within this passage, God began a work on my heart that has not stopped. Today is November 11th and it continues. I must share with you what the Lord has taught me and continues to teach me through this passage. 

Before being able to understand the things that the Lord has taught me, I must share the passage with you. I pray that the Lord speaks to you through His Word today.

¹Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, so that the LORD gave them into the hands of the Philistines forty years.

 ²There was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had borne no children.

 ³Then the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, "Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son.

 ⁴"Now therefore, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing.

 ⁵ ”For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines."

 ⁶Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, “A man of God came to me and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. And I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name.

 ⁷"But he said to me, 'Behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and now you shall not drink wine or strong drink nor eat any unclean thing, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.'"

 ⁸Then Manoah entreated the LORD and said, "O Lord, please let the man of God whom You have sent come to us again that he may teach us what to do for the boy who is to be born."

 ⁹God listened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again to the woman as she was sitting in the field, but Manoah her husband was not with her.

 ¹⁰So the woman ran quickly and told her husband, "Behold, the man who came the other day has appeared to me."

 ¹¹Then Manoah arose and followed his wife, and when he came to the man he said to him, "Are you the man who spoke to the woman?" And he said, "I am."

 ¹²Manoah said, "Now when your words come to pass, what shall be the boy's mode of life and his vocation?"

 ¹³So the angel of the LORD said to Manoah, "Let the woman pay attention to all that I said.

 ¹⁴"She should not eat anything that comes from the vine nor drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing; let her observe all that I commanded."

 ¹⁵Then Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, "Please let us detain you so that we may prepare a young goat for you."

 ¹⁶The angel of the LORD said to Manoah, "Though you detain me, I will not eat your food, but if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the LORD." For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the LORD.

 ¹⁷Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “What is your name, so that when your words come to pass, we may honor you?"

 ¹⁸But the angel of the LORD said to him, "Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?"

 ¹⁹So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering and offered it on the rock to the LORD, and He performed wonders while Manoah and his wife looked on.

 ²⁰For it came about when the flame went up from the altar toward heaven, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground.

 ²¹Now the angel of the LORD did not appear to Manoah or his wife again. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the LORD.

 ²²So Manoah said to his wife, "We will surely die, for we have seen God."

 ²³But his wife said to him, "If the LORD had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have let us hear things like this at this time."

 ²⁴Then the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson; and the child grew up and the LORD blessed him.

 The lessons that the Lord has taught me:

• verse 6- Manoah's wife told her husband that the man of God appeared to her and his appearance was like the angel of God, very awesome. Am I so amazed and fearful of the Lord that in my life I would revere Him as awesome, no matter the circumstances?
• verse 8- Manoah begged the Lord and said, "O Lord, please let the man of God whom you have sent come to us again that he may teach us what to do for the boy who is to be born." I had to meditate upon this verse for a while, because as a soon-to-be parent, Manoah was already begging the Lord to show him how to raise this boy. As a mother of three children, do I beg the Lord to teach me how to raise my kids? Honestly, I don't but the Lord really opened my eyes to the importance of daily surrendering my role as a mother to Him.
• verse 12- Manoah wanted so badly to know what his son would be like and what he would become. The angel of the Lord simply instructed his wife to continue to obey the commands that he had given her. I want to know what is going to happen before it happens many times. I am a planner and sometimes overplan. I need to just focus on what God has called me to do now and trust His hand and His guidance. There are so many things that I need work on and that should be my heart's desire and focus, to be like Jesus.
• verses 15-17- Manoah wanted to properly bless this man and give him a goat or to know his name so that he could give him proper recognition. He was indeed thankful for his time in teaching and guiding he and his wife in their preparation to be parents. Giving thanks to someone is important and respected. Manoah's heart was in the right place. But verses 18-20 were the  verses that really pierced my heart.
• verses 18-20- In verse 18 the angel of the Lord said, "Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?" Wonderful also can be translated as "incomprehensible". Then Manoah followed the angel's instruction and sacrificed the young goat and grain offering on the rock of the Lord. Reread verse 20 above. When the Lord speaks to me or appears to me through His Word, a person, or a circumstance, do I always recognize that it is Him? Or do I want to give praise and honor to a person, instead of the ONE who gives ALL things and desires to bless His children? The Lord really pierced my heart as I read this passage and compared myself to Manoah and his wife. They recognized fully that this person was the angel of the Lord, when he was already gone (verse 21). 

The Word of God is still alive and active in the hearts of those who allow themselves to be transformed by the power of their words. I pray that the Lord has taught you something through this amazing story of Manoah and his wife. Praise be to God for ALL that He has done and continues to do in and through our lives!

Seeds Produce Roots

“And He was saying, ‘The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows--how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.’”  Mark 4:26-29

It is amazing how God takes a small seed and it soon becomes a plant or tree that produces leaves and fruit. It is a mystery. The mystery of growth continues when one considers the seeds that God plants when the story of His son, Jesus Christ and the gift of salvation is planted in the heart of an individual.

You have heard me mention the name David Daka. In July, David and his wife prayed to receive Christ. (The awesome part of this “seed” is that David is the announcer for his village of Ukhose and the people in his village respect him because of his position.) A month after he came to Christ, Kendall and Jumbe,  went to Ukhose to revisit David and his wife and they began teaching them more about the Christian life. During their visit that day, an older woman approached Jumbe to tell him that she could not believe the difference in David’s life. BC (Before Christ) David was a drunk and very violent toward his neighbors and his own family but now that he had come to Christ he was a transformed man. The lady said that people in the village were amazed and wanted to know more about Jesus. The seed was planted in Ukhose.

David shared Christ with his drinking buddy, Peter. Peter came to Christ and together they are reading God’s Word and encouraging one another as brothers in Christ.

The “roots” of David’s salvation in Jesus Christ spread to his family in Chikumba Village. They could not believe how much he had changed and they were overjoyed and they wanted Jesus too!

And the “roots” of his growth continued to spread when an unplanned meeting with a stranger in the market led him to share Christ with Lemeck Tembo of Njalazi Village. Lemeck begged him to come with Kendall and members of Ukhose to share Christ in his village. During their first visit, five people prayed to receive Christ!

The “seed” of the Gospel in David’s life has been nothing short of fruitful. He has grown from a seedling to a blossoming plant that is yielding much fruit. This Sunday the members of Ukhose worshiped with the members of Nyimba Central Baptist Church in order to encourage one another and to be united in Jesus Christ. There were 76 people gathered together, men, women, and children. 

"And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty."  Matthew 13:23

Praise the Lord for the “good soil” of David’s heart. Who can take the heart of a violent drunk and turn it into a heart that thrives on the Good News of Jesus Christ and longs to share his testimony with all of those around him? Yesu Kristu CHABE (Jesus Christ ONLY!) David’s story never ceases to amaze and encourage Kendall and me. He has known Jesus for three months and Jesus has become his passion and the heartbeat of his family as well. PRAISE THE LORD!!! As I read through the book of Acts, it is awesome how this testimony is like many of Paul's missionary journeys. 

Would you please take a minute and pray this passage of Scripture for David, Peter, Lemeck, and Mwanza as they are seeking to share Christ with others and grow in their knowledge of Jesus Christ.                                      “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light." Colossians 1:9-12

My Prince's Heart

The heart of my little boy, Easton, is filled with: 

the desire to be big; 

to wear his daddy's shoes and to walk a mile in them; 

the yearning to cuddle with his mama at a moments notice; 

to be the best big and little brother to his sisters; 

to discover the excitement locked inside God's creation; 

to begin everyday as if it were the only day of his life; 

to jump in head first and face the consequences later; 

no fear of the injuries or damage that may come from his decisions; 

the amazing potential to be a man of God that has an intense love for people; 

and the deepest desire to live life to the fullest and embrace the blessings of God with arms wide open.

A truck, a father full of love, a friend, a canoe, and a big adventure. What more could a little boy ask for on his way to church? Several weeks ago, Kendall and Easton had a boy's outing to church. Jumbe, Campion, and Melvin joined them for an all boys church day. They left the house and began their journey to Kacholola and the Luangwa River. They journeyed one hour by truck, 10 minutes by canoe, then walked 1 mile up a rocky mountain to their place of worship.

I am so thankful that as a mother of an adventurous boy, that God has allowed Easton to grow up in a place that readily encourages and feeds his desire to be a boy. I am blessed to be the mother to such a boy and the wife to a man that enjoys experiencing these adventures with his son by his side. This event will be a milestone in the life and growth of my little boy as he becomes a man. We pray that these times will be monumental in his growth as a man of God.

Easton and Melvin riding in the front like big boys on the way to church at the Luangwa River.

Across the bank, Jumbe and Campion are boarding their canoe to cross the river.

Here they come!

Look how narrow these canoes are, Kendall said it was a tight squeeze!

One of the gifts that the church gave Kendall for coming was a hen! Lily was so excited that she named this hen, Pencil Box Lucy. Pencil Box has been laying one white egg a day (this is interesting because our other hens lay brown eggs).

"This Hunger"

As he arrived at the village, the members of Ukhose were so happy to be traveling with Kendall to a new place that wanted to hear more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Four young women and three young men from Ukhose got in the truck and traveled an hour from their village to see this place they had only heard about. The village was called Njalazi and is located only 5 kilometers from the Mozambique border. Kendall's assessment of the village was, "it is BUSH, I think they are more secluded than the people of Mozambique!" Njalazi means "this hunger". Kendall taught 1 John and the passage referring that teaches that darkness can have no fellowship with light. Five people accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior! Praise the Lord! As Kendall was leaving, one of the men said to him, "you must keep coming to teach us because you bring us spiritual food!" Kendall was encouraged and so happy after his time at Njalazi. Continue to pray for this village and their new found salvation and joy in the Lord!

Bondage

*This post is filled with some information that young children may not need to read, please read with discretion. *

Last week we learned that a good friend of ours, Samson Lungu, had a death in his family. Out of respect, we must attend the funeral to pass our condolences and even a small gift to assist the family with the costs that they incur for the funeral. Our entire family traveled to Samson's village to see him and pass our condolences. Kendall, Easton, and Lily sat with the men who were under a tree outside the home. Several of the men were making the coffin. Lauren and I were escorted inside the home where the body was in rest. I began speaking with Samson's mother to learn more about the woman who had died. She was Samson's mother's sister-in-law. They were related by marriage, not by blood. During our conversation an older lady came in and began weeping. I inquired as to who she was. I learned quickly that this was the deceased's mother. This was then the dialogue that I had with Amai Lungu (Samson' mother):

Joy: How many children and grandchildren did she have?

Amai: 2 children and 6 grandchildren

Joy: Is her husband alive?

Amai: Yes, he is outside building the coffin.

Joy: Where did she pray? (this is how we ask where they attended church)

Amai: She prayed at the Baptist Church.

Joy: Oh, that is good. Was she saved?

Amai: No. In 1999, she left the church. She began fitting (seizures) and so she visited the witchdoctor for medicine and help. The witchdoctor gave her medicine and soon after she began dancing Mashawe (ma-sha-way) and she never came again. 

Joy: OH...not good.

After the conversation, my heart was sad, I was frustrated, and hurt for the family because she had died without Christ.

Outside the house, Kendall was learning the same story. As we walked to the truck, Samson shed more light on the situation. He explained to us that the day before, the family was instructing members of the Baptist church to make a program for the funeral because she was Baptist. When Samson came to the meeting and he began to ask about her past and if she knew Christ, the family shared the story about her dancing Mashawe. Samson looked at the congregation and said, "no, there will be no church program. This woman was not a member of the church and was not following Jesus Christ. We cannot have a church funeral because that would be a lie." Samson then told us that he was going to conduct the program for the burial and he was going to share Christ with all of the people that were there. Kendall and I were so happy to hear that Samson was not happy that people were going to run over the name of the Lord that way and that they were going to make her look like a woman of God. (I think many times in America we do that at funerals so that they don't have a bad name, but not in Zambia. They either don't say anything at all, or very little about the persons morals.) The people of the village were mad at Samson because of the fact that he was not going to follow "tradition" and give her a good funeral. Kendall and I were so proud of Samson for standing up for the Lord when everyone around him was insulting him for rejecting tradition.

I want to shed light on a subject that we face daily. It may seem very foreign to those of us who have grown up in Western Civilization. Please read this with an open mind and a VERY prayerful heart (this is not an easy subject to discuss, but we feel it is important for you to know in order that your eyes may be enlightened).

Have you ever seen something like this on National Geographic??

I have and growing up watching National Geographic, the only thing that I knew of Africa was big animals and these dancing men. Yes, these men draw thousands of spectators each year and many of them are naive about the origination of these dances and what they really mean. 

After the Lungu funeral, I began to research and ask more questions about the Nyao and Mashawe dancers. I want to share these things with you so that you can pray more intensely for the people of Zambia who are trapped in bondage by this incredible evil.

Nyao dancers (seen above) are men and women who have decided that they would like to give their lives to the satanic rituals of the Nyao. They will live this life in secret, not telling anyone but their fellow dancers. When they decide that they would like to be a part of this "gang" they will approach the leader of the Nyao near their village. They then go through an initiation that includes the killing of family members, animals, and stealing from certain people in villages. They then are initiated with inheriting a demon. They will then design their uniform for their dance according to the demon inside of them. The Nyao believe that when they put on their mask they actually become that animal. Their dancing (from what we have heard) is very aggressive and violent. Nyao have been known to pretend to sleep in the road in order to attack the driver of the truck and then sleep in churches in order to threaten the people who attend them. They are very dangerous people that want nothing but harm and evil for the people of the Eastern Province of Zambia. You will see them on National Geographic and people hire them for entertainment, but they are deceived and unaware of their true meaning.

Mashawe dancers are also in the Eastern Province but are less dangerous and more prevalent in our area of Nyimba and Mozambique. Mashawe dancers do not live a life of secrecy, they are open about their dedication to dance Mashawe. When they preform for audiences, they do not wear masks but robes with red crosses upon the chest. Mashawe dance to drums and the demons inside of them manifest during these times. The spectators watching the dances are often times overcome with a pounding heart and tears of sadness. They then will fall to the ground and will be overcome with a demon themselves. They do not kill other people, but live a life of bondage and do not know how to be set free. Many times, they do not understand what is going on at these dances, but enjoy the entertainment and walk away with a heavy burden, seeking someone to help them be free again. 

The lady that died knew the way of Christ and salvation, but she denied Him and turned to Satan. In our time here, Kendall has prayed with one woman who had a Mashawe demon. She has been set free and calls Christ her Lord now! Praise HIM! But there are many people around us each day that are in great bondage. Pray that we can be a light to them and that we would be very sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading when we are among our brothers and sisters. May we never fail to give them an opportunity to know about the freedom that is found in Jesus Christ alone. 

"But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me."  Acts 26:16-18