Well what can I (Jako) say….. we have not been in contact for a very long time. I could tell you all the great stories but the truth is time became a enemy. Has it ever happen to you that your day is too short and you tell yourself that tomorrow you will get to it and when you look it has been more than a year. I am not going to give you a update that will take a year to read. Jakob and Jeremiah are such a blessing to have in the mission field but they do tend to need a lot of attention. Amber has started home schooling with Jakob and most days he and she are loving it. Jeremiah is attending the younger class of the preschool that we have build while Jakob is attending the older class. We also have 9 active 3 – 5year olds from the children’s home that keep those classes hopping! Talking about the preschool, like any school there are challenges but the new teachers that have been trained are really doing good and taking the lead. Amber has also taken it upon herself to oversee the teachers and the preschool in the midst of everything else. To top that all off we are in the 3rd year of trying to build a grade school with the community. It is taking longer than we hoped because of tribal dynamics that I will not go in to but we are slowly making progress and hoping that the foundations we are laying (physically and mission wise) are going to be worth it.
The children's home, here by us in the village is doing good, and as you can imagine we have received a couple of new children – three babies in the last 13 months and two sisters age 5 and 11. Currently we have 17 children in that home and we are praying to build another house for the third house mother we have. If and when you think about it, please pray with us that our Father will make that possible.
For that don’t know we have been renting a house in Kalomo, the nearest town to us (a 2 hours drive), for our older kids (6 at the moment) that needs higher education, anywhere from grade 7 - 12. The house that we are renting is one of the better ones in town but almost everything in it does not work and the walls are cracking and falling apart. Amber and I have had a dream for a long time for the ministry to own it’s own land and house in town where our kids can live safely. Recently, Zambia has been under power cuts up to 8 hours a day, so if the ministry has it’s own house we can equip it with solar energy so that the kids can have light at night to study. In 2014, we were surprised by the the Underground Network Church in down town Tampa Florida who blessed us with the complete amount to build our house in town. Currently, we are basically at roof height and would have been done, but once again things in Africa do not go as planed, so we have been delayed more than two month of work from cement shortage, no water because no power and because of that no bricks most of the time. While we are building with our arms tied behind our back, I want to thank God for the wisdom to solve problems and for the house being built as far as it is. God willing we should be moved in by December,though the plan was to be moved in by October but God knows best.
The bible studies are going well. Since the starting point of their culture only focus’ on fear and power is it so important to teach trough the bible with the Old Testament revealing the power of God the Creator (which is Christ) so that their fear of Satan (as they see him as all powerful) begins to move over to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit to be set free from the fear that they live in. I have learned so much about God in teaching that I do not know who is learning the most. It is so rewarding to see someone starting to live his life without fear of witchcraft or what people say or think of him. To see the people that do not have anything start to give to those who have less than them and how God is blessing them physically (it is not to say that is how God always works but with this one guy He is blessing him by his sheep giving birth to twins most of the time).
We also want to say a word of thanks to the two teams that came to help us this year. A church from Virginia sent a team to us in March that helped with building roof trusses for the new grade school, erecting a new water tower for the children’s home, Bible Studies with the house mothers and miscellaneous maintenance and fixes all around.
A Church of Florida came in June and helped with repainting the preschool, playground, ceiling boards of the children’s home, varnishing, Bible Studies, and many other things.
A Church of Maine also blessed us by sending two former team mates to help with various projects around here in September such as painting, fixing furniture and maintenance of broken things at the Children’s home and they were such a blessing.
Please pray for:
The people of Zambia, that their fear would be for God the creator and that they will see His power and not Satan’s
For the school project, that God would send someone to come oversee the preschool and school project to free us to focus on the many other areas that God has called us to serve and take care of.
For the kids under out care here- that we can give them a good education and opportunity so that they, in return, can help their extended families one day
For Amber and Jakob with home schooling, that God would continue to lead them and that their good days will outnumber their bad days so they can keep on enjoying it.
For us as a family, that we would keep our focus on God and not on the everyday business out here of helping the community with medicine, building the school and the house in town, the children’s home and with the relationships with the people here.
For long term volunteers that would love to serve God out here with the Tonga tribe and for our health, safety, and mental and spiritual state for us to be able to persevere in this role until God calls more to help alongside of us.
Blessings to all and hope to post more and God willing add some pictures to picassa soon.
The Jouberts and all of the mothers and children here at Mission of Love Community Orphanage
