This is how we cook when there is no electricity

Friends goofing off

being a kid with the kids

I talked a driver into allowing me to drive the public minibus

A walk through the slums

Greetings from Zambia

More happy kids

Pencil bags from Mr. Bill in the states. They were beyond excited

July 18, 2011

I received this devotion via email some time back and it was very challenging to me and wanted to share it with those of you who take the time to read my blog.

John 15:5 - I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing."

“There are those who feel that they must be constantly laboring for the Lord in order to meet God's high standards. Jesus gave a clear picture of what our relationship to Him ought to be like. He is the vine, the source of our life. We are the branches, the place where fruit is produced. As we receive life from Christ, the natural, inevitable result is that fruit is produced in our lives.

In our zeal to produce "results" for our Lord, we sometimes become so intent on fruit production that we neglect abiding in Christ. We may feel that "abiding" is not as productive or that it takes too much time away from our fruit production. Yet Jesus said that it is not our activity that produces fruit, it is our relationship with Him.

Jesus gave an important warning to His disciples. He cautioned that if they ever attempted to live their Christian life apart from an intimate relationship with Him, they would discover that they ceased to produce any significant results. They might exert great effort for the kingdom of God, yet when they stopped to account for their lives, they would find only barrenness. One of the most dramatic acts Jesus ever performed was cursing a fig tree that had failed to produce fruit. Are you comfortable in abiding, or are you impatient to be engaged in activity? If you will remain steadfastly in fellowship with Jesus, a great harvest will be the natural by-product.”

In addition, it is important to remember that fruit takes time to be produced and to mature. Lets remember that when we are tempted to grow impatient with our children, our spouse and even ourselves. Why do we make something so “simple” so hard? All we need to do is abide in Christ!! Yet WE want to focus on fruit production. The works we do outside of what comes from abiding in Christ will not stand the test, they will be done in our own strength and thus burn up. Matthew 7:16-20 reads, “ By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” So what “fruit” are we producing? You can staple “good fruit” to your branches but very soon it will be clear that this fruit was manufactured and did not come from the fruit abiding in the vine. Stop focusing on the fruit and focus on abiding..the fruit will come. As is says in Galatians 5:22, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.” If your abiding in the vine you and others will see these in your life. And if your not seeing them, cry out to God and again..ABIDE in him!!

July 5, 2011

I was awake early into the morning just thinking about the situations a lot of the children and even adults go through here in Zambia and I was in tears over it and crying out to the Lord. The poverty, the suffering and injustice I see can sometimes be seemingly too much for me. Injustice is one of the things that grieves and angers me the most. I know that it is ok to be angry, even Jesus was angry but in his anger he did not sin. I spent time crying out to God asking him to give me the right perspective on it all. I began reading in Psalm and came across verses that I could not read without crying. It spoke so specifically to what was on my mind and to the situations of many in this country. .

The first was Psalm 10:8-18: “He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent, watching in secret for his victims. He lies in wait like a lion in cover; he lies in wait to catch the helpless, he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net. His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength. He says to himself, ‘God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees.’ Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, ‘He won’t call me to account’ But you, O God, do see troubles and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked and evil man; call him to account for his wickedness that would not be found out. The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed in order that man, who is of the earth may terrify no more.”

The second verse was Psalm 12:5, “Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise, says the Lord. I will protect them from those who malign them.”

God really used these verses to remind me that he has not forgotten them, that he is the helper to the fatherless and to the oppressed, he hears the cries of their heart and will encourage them and rise up to protect them. We live in an evil world full of sin and darkness. My prayer is that of verse 15, “break the arm of the wicked and evil man; call him to account for his wickedness that would not be found out.” I pray that God would use me to encourage those suffering and oppressed and that I would be able to point them to Christ. I pray that the seeds of bitterness would not take root and that all can be used redemptively in their own lives and to help others who have or are walking through the same things. May they not lose hope..may they find refuge and protection in the arms of their Heavenly Father.

June 13, 2011

June 13, 2011

Last week was one of the most difficult weeks I have had since I have been in Zambia. On Monday in the middle of teaching science there was a knock on my classroom door. When I went to open it I saw that one of the other teachers was there and she asked me to step into the hall. She then proceeded to say; “ I have some bad news…Susan has just passed” I was in a state of shock and disbelief. (Susan was our head teacher and the founding teacher of the school. She had been sick since January and unable to teach since that time) I began to cry in the dark corner of the hallway and then I was told that we now need to tell the children. Susan had taught 2^nd grade so most of my pupils had her last year. As I was attempting to compose myself the other teacher encouraged me to be strong for the children. I was thinking to myself, how will I tell them, what’s the best way? Before I “figured it out” she took me into the classroom and told them all for me. They were as shocked I was. I sat at the back of the room wiping the tears as they gently fell down my face but there was no hiding my sorrow. Most of the kids continued working on their class work but I didn’t want them to ignore what had just happened. I quietly went around the room collecting the science workbooks still unable to hide my tears. They were all studying my face very carefully as I passed by them. I then went to the front of the room and just talked about how I know how much each of them loved Aunt Susan and that we will all miss her. I talked about how she was so sick and suffering when she was still here with us. I told them that she is now in Heaven with God and has no more pain. I told them it’s hard for us that are still here but she is in a better place now. I told them its ok to be sad, its ok to cry because we loved her and we will miss her. It’s always a hard thing when someone we love passes.

I wasn’t prepared for what happened next but I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. One by one each of the children began to cry. Some softly without a sound, others a wailing that came from deep within them. The wailings grew louder and more and more of them began sobbing and morning. I have never seen children morning before and it was almost too much for me. I wanted to just embrace them all and hold them and comfort them all. That day I think I had about 26 or 27 in class and I think all but 2 were crying. I started with the ones that seemed the most affected and went up to them individually and just held them, rubbing their back. As I made my way around the room, my shirt and skirt became more and more soaked with their tears. I tried but I couldn’t hold back my tears any more. So we wept together and though it was a hard time we bonded on such a deeper level. The most touching moment for me was as I was comforting them they too began to comfort one another. Amongst their own tears they would rise from their seats and pick up a friend who had fallen to the ground weeping and would hold them, drying their tears..comforting each other so tenderly and sincerely. One of my boys was sobbing uncontrollably and as I was making myself over to him one of the other boys walked over to him and was using his own shirt to dry his tears. This day will be forever etched in my mind. I am reminded of the verse in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 which reads, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comforts, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comforts we ourselves have received from God.”