New Website and Bible Study

New Website

 As this was a new year we also started with new things in the ministry. We have launched an new website so please go and visit it and give us your feed back. www.missionoflovezambia.org

New Bible Study

In the end of February a church in the community (that in often viewed as a cult by evangelicals) invited me to come and teach Bible study every Sunday afternoon. We were very excited about this invitation because this denomination believes that I can not be a believer because I am not a member of their church, so for them to ask me to do this is only a God thing. I have been there four times now and must admit that I am having the best time teaching the word of God. The attendance for the adults is between 40 and 60 people every Sunday afternoon.  Counting the young people and children that is there as well, they are close to and over a 100 in the afternoon.  Praise God for this it is only His doing and not ours. We are only obedient to what he has called us to do and it is not about the numbers because the angels in heaven rejoice when one person gets to be part of the Kingdom. Jeremiah ministered for 40 years and did not see one person repent and turn to God but still he wept for them on a hill. We are called to be a witness to what God did and is doing for us in our lives and so that people can be part of Jesus life if they desire and choose to be. 

Please keep the people of Chief Nyawa in your prayers; that God will keep on revealing Himself to them so that they can have the opportunity to follow Jesus and to start bearing the image of God.

Thank you

missionoflovezambia@hotmail.com

School holiday and Playground Preparation

So what do you do in Zambia when you have a month of school holiday?  How about build a preschool playground?

As nice as it might have been to have the option to purchase one and have it delivered to the preschool’s front door (and possibly even installed), that option isn’t much of a reality where God has placed us.  So…. when the need arose for a place to the preschool kids to play in safety while at the same time building and encouraging gross motor skills and physical development, the task to meet that need became a full time project of it’s own.

From designing the playground, figuring out the type and quantity of materials needed, how to transport them here, and the actual cutting, grinding and welding of it, this project has taken up most of Alyssa and Jako’s working hours for the past month.  Some times the days were long with only little progress and other times “interruptions” (broken vehicles, broken generators, tending to local visitors, needs from the orphanage, etc…) slowed progress to a grinding halt but with perseverance and God’s grace (and a bit of help from the children on sanding day), at last, there are structures now in our work area that resemble a playground!

The big hope is to have most of the structures up and ready for kid use by the time the preschool opens on May 7th.  Please pray that God will provide all the strength, energy, resources, wisdom, and motivation needed to see this process through to completion in order to see many smiling faces full of laughter dancing on it soon.  Thanks to those that have helped make this possible and to God who is the ultimate giver of all good things.

Ways to get involved and additional prayer need

As an additional note, due to location, timing of availability, and age difference we are still in need of an additional toddler/young child playground at the orphanage.  Since all of our babies are growing up, in four months time we are going to have 7 children between the ages of 1 and 2 and one five year old.  We would love to provide them an age appropriate safe place for them to play and develop themselves so if anyone feels interested in donating to this need please contact us via e-mail at missionoflovezambia@hotmail.com .

Please also pray for finances for a well to be drilled we have received funds for one well but we need to drill two wells this year to have enough water for all the projects, orphanage and the community.

April 2012 – Health updates

Thank you so much for your prayers for us this past month.  Many have written us wanting an update on how the kids and Charles are doing.  We truly appreciate everyone’s prayers and are happy to share some good reports with you this month.

Ruth - after being in the clinic almost a month Ruth is now finally back home with us and under the great care of the house mothers.  While she still has a long way to go to obtain the full healing that we are praying for (at almost 2 years of age, she weighs as much as our Jeremiah who is 4 months old) but her skin and hair are looking much better and she is finally starting to fill out a bit if you know where to look for it (her cheeks, bottom etc).  It seems that as the TB infection is being treated her body is finally being able to absorb some of the vitamins and minerals she so badly needs from the food she is eating.  We praise God for bringing this precious child to us, for sustaining her life this far, and we pray and trust that God will continue the healing that he has started her in.  Thanks for your continued prayers for her.

Charles -  God in his goodness has given us another reason to praise His name.  God has heard our prayers (and those of so many who have prayed with us) and Charles seems to be doing so much better. While he probably still has another month left of treatments at the TB clinic (they know that he works at an orphanage and want to make extra sure that he is not contagious before they let him go) the last time we saw him he was no longer coughing, his hands had stopped shaking, and he appears much better and stronger.  But keep him in your prayers for TB is very dangerous and it seems he might be struggling again.  We received word yesterday that it hurts when he breaths normal and that the sides of his chest is swollen. Thank you for your prayers of continued healing for him and for God to continue to provide people to “fill in the gap” of his absence and role here.

Emmanuel – The skin issue remains and now has spread to a most uncomfortable area between the legs.  We are wondering now it if it might be eczema.  Please pray for wisdom in how to address this issue so that this little guy can be comfortable and free from itching and opportunistic infections. 

Thank you to those that have prayed along with us for and thank you Jesus for your hand of healing in these lives and for your guidance and provision for our every need!  To God be the glory forever and ever!