This is just a quick note to let you know that we have safely arrived in South Africa and will be leaving tonight around 11:00 pm for Amsterdam. All of our luggage is also safely with us as of right now, so please continue to pray that it stays that way! A friend of David Jordaan’s, Darvie, picked us up from the Jo-burg airport and brought us to his home to help him celebrate Father’s Day. We are leaving in a few minutes to go to a lion park, Monte Casino shopping mall, and a few other classic South African sites. He is a true blessing to give up his day to spend with us! We are thrilled!!!! We are also eagerly looking forward to being home with you soon.
God bless!
~ Elizabeth
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Last Blog ~ From Dan
So this is it, the last blog of the trip. We leave this wonderful house and man (Dr. Thinus) at 6am for the airport. In some ways, it feels like we are leaving home for another home... its a strange feeling. But before I reflect on the trip as a whole, I want to catch everyone up on our last couple days here.
Our remaining time at Vineyard Christian School was a blessing. It continued to be clear that the Spirit of God is dwelling in that school. We spent Thursday ministering about "What if you've made a mistake" and it just seems like the situation that these students were struggling with did not have the heaviness of the other schools that we have worked in. I think a lot of our time this year has been a ministry of restoration rather than prevention, but it seemed that Vineyard was more prevention... so praise the Lord.
We spent Thursday afternoon at a massive rural high school called Butondo. The Zambians we have been working with (STSer's and Church Planters) pretty much ran the program. Our goal was to hand it over to them by the end of our time, and they did a wonderful job. One of the STS guys, named Terry, who is a very sweet and humble man, delivered the biology talk, which was amazing... I have never seen a group of students so quiet during a talk about the biology of HIV. Then one of the Church Planters named Chansa (the youngest and most shy of the group) talked about myths. He was so bold; we were all so proud of him. Then Joseph, a church planter, talked boldly about saving sex for marriage. It was an older crowd and there was a sense that many of them had already made a mistake. So Henry (the STS-Zambia coordinator) ended with one of the most poignant and engaging presentations of the gospel of grace that I have ever absorbed. You could feel it in the air... seriously. There is something about when the beauty of the gospel is really shared. The story of a God who sent his son to die for a world that didn't deserve it. The story of God's great love for his children. There was no condemnation, no guilt... only grace. It became clear that, for some of these, it was the first time they had heard the true gospel... not one heavy with judgment, not threatened with hell... but a gospel of love and restoration. There was a lightness in the room. He asked who would like to receive Christ and about half of the room raised their hands, and I really think they meant it. We prayed with them. Then we worshiped, we celebrated. We moved the tables back and just danced... African, American, we were all the same in that moment. We sang our lungs out. I have heard people say that music is a language in itself... I believe that now.
Friday morning was our last with Vineyard. The church planters took the lead and formulated their own skit and talk about stigma. It was encouraging like you couldn't believe; they did an amazing job! We ate our last traditional Zambian lunch and then took the Church Planters out for ice cream and said our sad goodbyes. We spent the rest of the afternoon sleeping. I always find it to be amazing how exhausted my body, mind, and spirit are at the end of our time. It is like the Spirit strengthens us, but when it is all over, we begin get a grasp of the real weight of what we have been doing.
On Friday evening we planned a bonfire (lovingly known as a Bushman's Television). As the Lord would have it, the water went out, and then the power shortly after. It was a classic African moment. So we enjoyed the fire under that massive African sky, next to the sprawling mango tree, breathing the brisk winter air, hearing the dogs howling in the distance, smelling the familiar scent of smoke, and sharing laughs and stories and sausages. It was as close to perfect as one could imagine.
Saturday morning was spent resting and enjoying one another. Max and I spent the afternoon taking pictures in the market... which blessed both of us greatly. Then we all met in town at this pizza place which is surprisingly delicious. And ended the evening in the living room worshipping, reflecting, sharing the Lord's Supper, and praying for one another... a family. Tomorrow we fly to Joburg early in the morning and one of Dr. T's friends is picking us up and taking us to his home to eat lunch with his family, and then to a lion park. We leave Joburg near midnight for Amsterdam, then to Washington, arriving in the early evening of Monday. Pray for us in transit, that we would enjoy our last days together and for safety. Pray for our reflection in the months to come, that the Lord would draw out the truths from our time in this wonderful place.
All in all, this has been an amazing month. The spiritual intensity has been more than ever before. God's presence has been evident. Much of that is due to each and every one of you. Your prayers have strengthened us when we were weary. They have given us joy when we carried sorrow. They bore our burdens and lifted our heads. They breathed spirit into our works. Thank you, each of you. Thank you for fighting with us. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for loving us and supporting us. Thank you.
With Love,
Dan
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Update from Casie
Hello Friends and Family!
Things are going well here in Zambia. We began our day at Vineyard Christian School where the kids are really sweet and humble. It’s really a joy to work with them because they have such sweet spirits. We talked about transmission and getting tested before we broke up into small groups. We have struggled with the small groups at this school because the kids are so quiet. We’ve had a hard time getting them to talk and open up but I have high hopes for the rest of the week. After Vineyard we headed over the church planting school for some YUMMY inshema! Oh how I LOVE inshema J Within about 30 minutes we all piled back into the van on our way to Chibote! We have been going there in the afternoons since last Monday so many of the team members have been able to build some good relationships with the girls there. We spent some time dancing, singing, and just having fun with them before Dan talked about relationships. We had several Zambians that are on our team get up and share from their heart with the kids as well. It’s really good to see the Zambians ministering to their own culture. They have an opportunity that us, Muzungus (white people), will never have. The heart of STS is to empower the Zambians that are here and know the culture to minister to the people around them. All in all, today was a good day. When we came back to town, Ida (the secretary for the Church Plant School… who is AWESOME) took the girls to get material to make Shetengays (African skirts). It was fun to walk around the market and look at all the different colored clothe. Max and I have discovered that we are an amazing team when it comes to making dinner! I can assure you that STS is eating WELL. Unfortunately, Jesse and Angie have not been feeling well today so I gave them some meds to help with fever and put them to bed early. Hopefully they will be able to sleep it off and begin feeling better in the morning. For some reason, illness has hit the team really hard this year.
As our time is coming to an end, I am sad to leave but looking forward to coming home. It will be really good to eat American food and sleep in my own room without four other roommates. It has been good to talk with different people about things that could happen in the future with STS.
So I must admit that I have learned A LOT of new things here in Zambia…. I learned the other day that if you try to catch a baby chicken… the mother chicken will attack you!! WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?!?! I ALSO learned that momma chickens don’t actually bite you… Dr. T has THOROUGHLY informed me that momma chickens don’t bite! They WILL, however, impale you with their talons and flap their wings fanatically until they achieve what they want! I ALSO have to admit that I have tried… many a time… the catch the stupid roosters that wander around our yard. The other day I was sitting on the step watching this bird awkwardly cluck around the yard (there were several roosters in the vicinity) so I JUMPED UP and ran as fast as I could. For some reason I had decided that I wanted to catch the rooster… What I DIDN’T think about was WHY I would want to do that and what I was going to do with it when I did catch up to it. Well I got really close to the thing and realized that #1 I am insane, #2 I have no idea what this thing is going to do to be when I pick it up, and #3 I have two other angry roosters chasing me now that I pissed off their friend. Needless to say, I did not catch that rooster… I ran far far away… into the house where I was safe. :-)
Well I love you all and hope you are well. I wish I could write more but I must go to bed!
Casie
Things are going well here in Zambia. We began our day at Vineyard Christian School where the kids are really sweet and humble. It’s really a joy to work with them because they have such sweet spirits. We talked about transmission and getting tested before we broke up into small groups. We have struggled with the small groups at this school because the kids are so quiet. We’ve had a hard time getting them to talk and open up but I have high hopes for the rest of the week. After Vineyard we headed over the church planting school for some YUMMY inshema! Oh how I LOVE inshema J Within about 30 minutes we all piled back into the van on our way to Chibote! We have been going there in the afternoons since last Monday so many of the team members have been able to build some good relationships with the girls there. We spent some time dancing, singing, and just having fun with them before Dan talked about relationships. We had several Zambians that are on our team get up and share from their heart with the kids as well. It’s really good to see the Zambians ministering to their own culture. They have an opportunity that us, Muzungus (white people), will never have. The heart of STS is to empower the Zambians that are here and know the culture to minister to the people around them. All in all, today was a good day. When we came back to town, Ida (the secretary for the Church Plant School… who is AWESOME) took the girls to get material to make Shetengays (African skirts). It was fun to walk around the market and look at all the different colored clothe. Max and I have discovered that we are an amazing team when it comes to making dinner! I can assure you that STS is eating WELL. Unfortunately, Jesse and Angie have not been feeling well today so I gave them some meds to help with fever and put them to bed early. Hopefully they will be able to sleep it off and begin feeling better in the morning. For some reason, illness has hit the team really hard this year.
As our time is coming to an end, I am sad to leave but looking forward to coming home. It will be really good to eat American food and sleep in my own room without four other roommates. It has been good to talk with different people about things that could happen in the future with STS.
So I must admit that I have learned A LOT of new things here in Zambia…. I learned the other day that if you try to catch a baby chicken… the mother chicken will attack you!! WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?!?! I ALSO learned that momma chickens don’t actually bite you… Dr. T has THOROUGHLY informed me that momma chickens don’t bite! They WILL, however, impale you with their talons and flap their wings fanatically until they achieve what they want! I ALSO have to admit that I have tried… many a time… the catch the stupid roosters that wander around our yard. The other day I was sitting on the step watching this bird awkwardly cluck around the yard (there were several roosters in the vicinity) so I JUMPED UP and ran as fast as I could. For some reason I had decided that I wanted to catch the rooster… What I DIDN’T think about was WHY I would want to do that and what I was going to do with it when I did catch up to it. Well I got really close to the thing and realized that #1 I am insane, #2 I have no idea what this thing is going to do to be when I pick it up, and #3 I have two other angry roosters chasing me now that I pissed off their friend. Needless to say, I did not catch that rooster… I ran far far away… into the house where I was safe. :-)
Well I love you all and hope you are well. I wish I could write more but I must go to bed!
Casie
Monday, June 9, 2008
Monday Monday
We started off the week going to a new school called vineyard. There were around fifty kids—all of whom were suspiciously angelic. When we broke into small groups Elizabeth and mine’s group practically whispered the whole time; the girls were so quiet and shy. Hopefully tomorrow they’ll warm up.
After vineyard we surprised the girls at Chibote and returned for week two. It was wonderful to see familiar faces and be able to build on relationships that were started last week. We did a skit (or sketch as they say)—actress of the day award goes to Elizabeth. She played a fantastic crazy woman at the first school, and an even better disgusting slob (mud smeared face and all) in the afternoon.
We broke into small group, which was lovely. Most of the girls in my group were ones I had talked to at various points during last week and our conversation as a group was very organic—nothing about it felt forced. We sat in the sun and talked about getting tested (almost half of the girls in my group had already been tested which is exciting), whether kissing is a sin or not, and so on. Leaving the school was emotionally light compared to Friday; being able to say “I’ll see you tomorrow” definitely brought some comfort.
After vineyard we surprised the girls at Chibote and returned for week two. It was wonderful to see familiar faces and be able to build on relationships that were started last week. We did a skit (or sketch as they say)—actress of the day award goes to Elizabeth. She played a fantastic crazy woman at the first school, and an even better disgusting slob (mud smeared face and all) in the afternoon.
We broke into small group, which was lovely. Most of the girls in my group were ones I had talked to at various points during last week and our conversation as a group was very organic—nothing about it felt forced. We sat in the sun and talked about getting tested (almost half of the girls in my group had already been tested which is exciting), whether kissing is a sin or not, and so on. Leaving the school was emotionally light compared to Friday; being able to say “I’ll see you tomorrow” definitely brought some comfort.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Update from Elizabeth - Sunday Worship in Kitwe!
Good evening, family and friends!
It is finally the close of a restful weekend here in Zambia, and the team is gradually trickling off to their various rooms to journal, read and sleep. We are starting our final week tomorrow, and that realization brings a mixture of joy and sorrow.
This morning, Dr. Thinus was invited to preach at one of my favorite churches, The Showers of Blessing Church in Kitwe. We all loaded into the “Say Yes to Jesus” van and took off for a beautiful worship service. Dr. Thinus has been friends with Pastor Seafus and his wife Sarah since the early 90s, and their friendship makes this church feel like home to me. The entire congregation welcomes us annually with wide open arms and treats us with amazing hospitality. Our team joined enthusiastically in the singing and dancing that accompanies Zambian praise and worship, which was followed by a time of “blessing”. Our team wasn’t quite sure what was happening, until Dr. T. explained that it was a time in which the pastor led the church members to encourage each other and stop looking only unto their own needs. Jesse and Dan boldly stood up to give “blessing” speeches for the church body! :-) Dr. T. introduced our entire team and then finished the service with a wonderful sermon on the life of David, which stirred our hearts. We exited the church in typical Zambian fashion – forming a receiving line to shake the entire congregations’ hands as they one-by-one exited the building. Everyone continues singing and dancing right out into the church yard! I love it! The various team members stood around the church yard, conversing with the new friends we’d made at Chibote Girls’ School this past week (also in Kitwe). It was really neat to see many of the same girls that we had prayed for plugged into the church community this morning. All too soon, Sarah started herding the girls into her personal car and shooing the men towards Dr. T.’s van.
As soon as we were packed like sardines into her vehicle, she began to laugh and said she wanted to “bless” us with shatangai skirts (no idea if I spelled that right!). These are traditional Zambian wrap skirts made out of the brightly colored local fabrics. We were stunned, but grateful. She and her sister Maggie took us to a street vendor and let us pick out fabric that we liked for our skirts! When we got back to her house, Sarah spirited the fabric away to a tailor friend of hers, who cut the fabric into appropriate lengths for our skirts. By the time we left Kitwe, all the team females were decked in Zambian shatangai skirts!!!! In the meantime, several of the other women from church had started a wonderful lunch! How Pastor Seafus and Sarah love to bless us with good cooking. They prepared massive quantities of green beans, squash, carrots, potatoes, rice, chicken, sausage, cole slaw, and of course, nshima (maize-meal…almost like grits!). We ate, and ate, and ate, until we could eat no more!!! It was delicious, and I am always struck by their willingness to bestow such goodness on us. They live in a very small house in a little village on the outskirts of town – that meal is not indicative of their “normal” living, I’m sure. And yet, they go “all out” to bless us when we come! Angie and I escaped the after-lunch economics conversation in favor of playing in the street with some neighborhood children until it was time to go.
We returned to Mufulira for a “quiet” night at the house. Everyone putters around in a semi-normal routine of showers, snacking, email-checking, guitar-playing, reading, playing soccer with the boys from next door, etc. But tonight was different. Tonight was Austin’s last night with our team. We gathered in the living room to share lows and highs of the week, followed by our overall feelings about the trip. This beautiful time of true sharing was closed with worship, led by Austin himself. He has been a tremendous asset to our team, and he will be missed this week as we finish up the ministry work God has for us in Zambia. Thanks, Austin, for being a true servant and a blessing to STS! The Lord has used your humility, quiet strength and knowledge of the Word to uplift our entire team. May the things the Lord did in and through you during your time in Africa settle into your heart!
Highs and lows, joys and sorrows. From dancing in the church yard to saying goodbye to a team-mate, today has been packed full of emotions. And hovering beneath everything is the thought that soon it will be our turn to say farewell to Africa. Please continue praying for all of us – Austin as he travels to meet his family and those of us that remain here. God still has much in store for the team this week, and I are praying for the team to embrace each new day with excitement and joy! Please pray for our hearts, that the emotions bubbling up within us will not overshadow the work that is still to be done. And pray for our ability to process these emotions fully, with Christ’s help. We are physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted. Yet, Jesus promises to bear our burdens and be our strength when we are weak! May He increase, even as we decrease, so that out of Him we can pour ourselves out to the students this week.
Thank you again for constantly joining with our team in prayer! We could not get through each day with your loving support and faithfulness. I also want to thank each one of you for your kind emails and phone calls. I hope you know how much each team member LOVES to hear from “home”! We miss you and appreciate you!!!
Elizabeth
It is finally the close of a restful weekend here in Zambia, and the team is gradually trickling off to their various rooms to journal, read and sleep. We are starting our final week tomorrow, and that realization brings a mixture of joy and sorrow.
This morning, Dr. Thinus was invited to preach at one of my favorite churches, The Showers of Blessing Church in Kitwe. We all loaded into the “Say Yes to Jesus” van and took off for a beautiful worship service. Dr. Thinus has been friends with Pastor Seafus and his wife Sarah since the early 90s, and their friendship makes this church feel like home to me. The entire congregation welcomes us annually with wide open arms and treats us with amazing hospitality. Our team joined enthusiastically in the singing and dancing that accompanies Zambian praise and worship, which was followed by a time of “blessing”. Our team wasn’t quite sure what was happening, until Dr. T. explained that it was a time in which the pastor led the church members to encourage each other and stop looking only unto their own needs. Jesse and Dan boldly stood up to give “blessing” speeches for the church body! :-) Dr. T. introduced our entire team and then finished the service with a wonderful sermon on the life of David, which stirred our hearts. We exited the church in typical Zambian fashion – forming a receiving line to shake the entire congregations’ hands as they one-by-one exited the building. Everyone continues singing and dancing right out into the church yard! I love it! The various team members stood around the church yard, conversing with the new friends we’d made at Chibote Girls’ School this past week (also in Kitwe). It was really neat to see many of the same girls that we had prayed for plugged into the church community this morning. All too soon, Sarah started herding the girls into her personal car and shooing the men towards Dr. T.’s van.
As soon as we were packed like sardines into her vehicle, she began to laugh and said she wanted to “bless” us with shatangai skirts (no idea if I spelled that right!). These are traditional Zambian wrap skirts made out of the brightly colored local fabrics. We were stunned, but grateful. She and her sister Maggie took us to a street vendor and let us pick out fabric that we liked for our skirts! When we got back to her house, Sarah spirited the fabric away to a tailor friend of hers, who cut the fabric into appropriate lengths for our skirts. By the time we left Kitwe, all the team females were decked in Zambian shatangai skirts!!!! In the meantime, several of the other women from church had started a wonderful lunch! How Pastor Seafus and Sarah love to bless us with good cooking. They prepared massive quantities of green beans, squash, carrots, potatoes, rice, chicken, sausage, cole slaw, and of course, nshima (maize-meal…almost like grits!). We ate, and ate, and ate, until we could eat no more!!! It was delicious, and I am always struck by their willingness to bestow such goodness on us. They live in a very small house in a little village on the outskirts of town – that meal is not indicative of their “normal” living, I’m sure. And yet, they go “all out” to bless us when we come! Angie and I escaped the after-lunch economics conversation in favor of playing in the street with some neighborhood children until it was time to go.
We returned to Mufulira for a “quiet” night at the house. Everyone putters around in a semi-normal routine of showers, snacking, email-checking, guitar-playing, reading, playing soccer with the boys from next door, etc. But tonight was different. Tonight was Austin’s last night with our team. We gathered in the living room to share lows and highs of the week, followed by our overall feelings about the trip. This beautiful time of true sharing was closed with worship, led by Austin himself. He has been a tremendous asset to our team, and he will be missed this week as we finish up the ministry work God has for us in Zambia. Thanks, Austin, for being a true servant and a blessing to STS! The Lord has used your humility, quiet strength and knowledge of the Word to uplift our entire team. May the things the Lord did in and through you during your time in Africa settle into your heart!
Highs and lows, joys and sorrows. From dancing in the church yard to saying goodbye to a team-mate, today has been packed full of emotions. And hovering beneath everything is the thought that soon it will be our turn to say farewell to Africa. Please continue praying for all of us – Austin as he travels to meet his family and those of us that remain here. God still has much in store for the team this week, and I are praying for the team to embrace each new day with excitement and joy! Please pray for our hearts, that the emotions bubbling up within us will not overshadow the work that is still to be done. And pray for our ability to process these emotions fully, with Christ’s help. We are physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted. Yet, Jesus promises to bear our burdens and be our strength when we are weak! May He increase, even as we decrease, so that out of Him we can pour ourselves out to the students this week.
Thank you again for constantly joining with our team in prayer! We could not get through each day with your loving support and faithfulness. I also want to thank each one of you for your kind emails and phone calls. I hope you know how much each team member LOVES to hear from “home”! We miss you and appreciate you!!!
Elizabeth
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Update from Jami
A much needed day of rest was used today. The pace of the day was much slower and we all got to sleep in till at least 9:00 hours! Dr. Thinus was up and going at full steam around 5:00 hours trying to fix the water pipes to the bathroom with the shower. By 9:30 hours we went to Murundu to attend to various tasks. A few went to visit Pastor Joseph, who is working with the Orphans in Murundu, to continue assessing that project and STS’s potential involvement. A couple of us went to visit students from Murundu Basic School, students who we’ve met through our time spent at their school doing HIV/AIDS education. Others, including the Church Plant Students, went to visit a student to check on her well being.
I was escorted to the girl (Naomi) from the school whose home I was to visit. I ended up meeting her, her brothers and sisters, all younger, and peeling sweet potatoes with them for their breakfast/lunch, I guess that’d be brunch! It was an amazing time seeing where the students who we’ve been with all week, where they eat and sleep. It’s interesting that I’ve always imagined them in houses like the ones I’ve seen in Mufulira and just assumed they all live in homes that are similar to the ones in town. But that isn’t the case. I found that most of them live in huts that are quite small. I found them all outside playing, washing, and making food. It was such a simple way and day there. The girl who I visited, I had met last year when she was in grade 8. Her mother had just passed away then due to child birth. So now it’s a year later and much has changed for her. She’s doing well in school though and will be moving on to grade 10 with no problems. It was great to see her again this year!
Around 13:00 hours we were all picked up by Dr. Thinus and taken to Kitwe for some fine dinning and shopping, a definite change from a typical day. We had swarmas for lunch and pizza for dinner! It was all delicious and great. We probably consumed more calories today than the trip as a whole! It was especially great for me to get to sit and talk with everyone getting to know each of them even better. Since arriving on Sunday and starting at the schools on Monday, it’s been fast paced, and not a lot of down time to just get to sit and talk with everyone. As an added bonus, the French Open was being shown on one of the TV’s in the pizza restaurant! You can’t beat that!! Between consuming the swarmas and pizza we did a little souvenir shopping at the Kitwe market. Getting a good deal was a lot tougher this year but I think everyone managed to get a lot of great things for a pretty good price. I think all the sales guys were glad to see us go though. After a purchase I had made I thanked the sales guy by saying thank you in Bemba (Twa totella). He then turned to me and said, “Twa totella ponono”, which means thank you just a little. Which I thought was pretty funny.
Our day concludes with emails and watching all the great videos that were generated throughout the week. The dance competition videos are the best! All-in-all it was a beautiful Zambian day which allotted us time for rest and renewal.
Jami W. Ward
I was escorted to the girl (Naomi) from the school whose home I was to visit. I ended up meeting her, her brothers and sisters, all younger, and peeling sweet potatoes with them for their breakfast/lunch, I guess that’d be brunch! It was an amazing time seeing where the students who we’ve been with all week, where they eat and sleep. It’s interesting that I’ve always imagined them in houses like the ones I’ve seen in Mufulira and just assumed they all live in homes that are similar to the ones in town. But that isn’t the case. I found that most of them live in huts that are quite small. I found them all outside playing, washing, and making food. It was such a simple way and day there. The girl who I visited, I had met last year when she was in grade 8. Her mother had just passed away then due to child birth. So now it’s a year later and much has changed for her. She’s doing well in school though and will be moving on to grade 10 with no problems. It was great to see her again this year!
Around 13:00 hours we were all picked up by Dr. Thinus and taken to Kitwe for some fine dinning and shopping, a definite change from a typical day. We had swarmas for lunch and pizza for dinner! It was all delicious and great. We probably consumed more calories today than the trip as a whole! It was especially great for me to get to sit and talk with everyone getting to know each of them even better. Since arriving on Sunday and starting at the schools on Monday, it’s been fast paced, and not a lot of down time to just get to sit and talk with everyone. As an added bonus, the French Open was being shown on one of the TV’s in the pizza restaurant! You can’t beat that!! Between consuming the swarmas and pizza we did a little souvenir shopping at the Kitwe market. Getting a good deal was a lot tougher this year but I think everyone managed to get a lot of great things for a pretty good price. I think all the sales guys were glad to see us go though. After a purchase I had made I thanked the sales guy by saying thank you in Bemba (Twa totella). He then turned to me and said, “Twa totella ponono”, which means thank you just a little. Which I thought was pretty funny.
Our day concludes with emails and watching all the great videos that were generated throughout the week. The dance competition videos are the best! All-in-all it was a beautiful Zambian day which allotted us time for rest and renewal.
Jami W. Ward
Friday, June 6, 2008
From Dan
This week has been incredible; one I will never forget for the rest of my life. It has been a week so rich with experience. It has been a week of the presence of the Spirit of a Living God, a God that sheds light in the darkest of places. This world is one of unspeakable darkness, a darkness that should cause any sane man to despair. Story upon story flooded the ears of our team this week. We bear stories of immense abuse, of heartache, of hopelessness, of death. But we bear witness not only to darkness, but to light, a light that is sufficient, a light that refuses to let darkness overcome. I want to share a few stories with you…
She is beautiful and very strong. She is smaller than most, humble, and intelligent like you wouldn’t believe. Her father passed on when she was very young. But her mother remained to raise her and married another man. This man was not a good one. He did things to her as a child that no man should ever do to a child. Tears well up and fall on the desk before her as she shares, quietly. The abuse stopped as she grew older, but her memory still haunts her. Her mother passed away a handful of years ago, which allowed her an escape from this man, but a loss of both of her parents. The man still comes and visits her and her siblings at her grandmother’s house; he thinks she has forgotten. She says every time he visits, a deep pain wells up in her; forgiveness is not something that comes easy. These things will take a lifetime to heal. I thought that this was my first time to know of this girl. But the Lord has been at work. She told me the following day that this is the second time that she has spoken of this. The first was two years ago with a girl named Haley. Haley is an incredible person who came with us a couple summers ago. Haley and I became good friends in the time leading up to that trip. She was at Chibote Girls School for the two weeks while I was at another school. Oftentimes, we would come home and share the joys and the sorrows of our days. Haley shared with me about this incredible girl that she had met, she shared with me her story, she wept for her. She told me that she was taking that girl to get tested and shared with me that the girl was HIV negative. I was praying for this girl over two years ago. And I got to spend this whole week with her, loving on her and encouraging her The Lord knows all things; he ordains all things. He makes good out of all things, despite the darkness of their inception. I will continue to pray for this girl, two years later. The Lord sees all her tears and He promises that one day they will cease, and they will.
This story was shared with me by Max on Wednesday, well most of it. Her mother was raped and she was born. But her ‘father’ did not disappear. He hated her. He wanted to commit her soul to Satan, seriously. Then he tried to kill her. He cut off some of her fingers. She lived though. She has another Father now, one that loves her, one who knows what it is like to be hated for nothing, one that has scars on His hands too. Today we were getting ready to start. We were playing some music, singing and keyboard. It lets the girls know that we are about to start. Groups began to walk over as the worship pours out over the schoolyard, echoing through classrooms, over the schools walls and out into the surrounding fields. It breathes life into the crowd and our team. I looked back to see one of the schoolgirls playing the keyboard. I did not know who she was or why she was playing. But as she worshipped and played, I glanced down at the keys and noticed the girl’s hands. They were marred and disfigured, only thumbs and a couple fingers remained. But she played beautifully and gracefully, her hands danced across the keys. This is a girl whose hands will forever be mangled because of the work of Satan himself. Her hands will always be to her a constant reminder of the darkness that resides on this earth. And those very hands are being used to spill light out into the darkness, into the bondage that sex has in these girl’s lives, into a country devastated by poverty and disease. What a picture of redemption, of the grace of a God that will not stop making all things new, all things beautiful again. We are scarred, but we are whole. We are broken, but we are beautiful. Glory be to God!
Thank you for your prayers, they cast light in darkness, they proclaim freedom for the captives, they loose the chains of the oppressed. Your prayers accomplish more than you could ever know. Thank you and continue.
Dan
Team Stop the Spread
She is beautiful and very strong. She is smaller than most, humble, and intelligent like you wouldn’t believe. Her father passed on when she was very young. But her mother remained to raise her and married another man. This man was not a good one. He did things to her as a child that no man should ever do to a child. Tears well up and fall on the desk before her as she shares, quietly. The abuse stopped as she grew older, but her memory still haunts her. Her mother passed away a handful of years ago, which allowed her an escape from this man, but a loss of both of her parents. The man still comes and visits her and her siblings at her grandmother’s house; he thinks she has forgotten. She says every time he visits, a deep pain wells up in her; forgiveness is not something that comes easy. These things will take a lifetime to heal. I thought that this was my first time to know of this girl. But the Lord has been at work. She told me the following day that this is the second time that she has spoken of this. The first was two years ago with a girl named Haley. Haley is an incredible person who came with us a couple summers ago. Haley and I became good friends in the time leading up to that trip. She was at Chibote Girls School for the two weeks while I was at another school. Oftentimes, we would come home and share the joys and the sorrows of our days. Haley shared with me about this incredible girl that she had met, she shared with me her story, she wept for her. She told me that she was taking that girl to get tested and shared with me that the girl was HIV negative. I was praying for this girl over two years ago. And I got to spend this whole week with her, loving on her and encouraging her The Lord knows all things; he ordains all things. He makes good out of all things, despite the darkness of their inception. I will continue to pray for this girl, two years later. The Lord sees all her tears and He promises that one day they will cease, and they will.
This story was shared with me by Max on Wednesday, well most of it. Her mother was raped and she was born. But her ‘father’ did not disappear. He hated her. He wanted to commit her soul to Satan, seriously. Then he tried to kill her. He cut off some of her fingers. She lived though. She has another Father now, one that loves her, one who knows what it is like to be hated for nothing, one that has scars on His hands too. Today we were getting ready to start. We were playing some music, singing and keyboard. It lets the girls know that we are about to start. Groups began to walk over as the worship pours out over the schoolyard, echoing through classrooms, over the schools walls and out into the surrounding fields. It breathes life into the crowd and our team. I looked back to see one of the schoolgirls playing the keyboard. I did not know who she was or why she was playing. But as she worshipped and played, I glanced down at the keys and noticed the girl’s hands. They were marred and disfigured, only thumbs and a couple fingers remained. But she played beautifully and gracefully, her hands danced across the keys. This is a girl whose hands will forever be mangled because of the work of Satan himself. Her hands will always be to her a constant reminder of the darkness that resides on this earth. And those very hands are being used to spill light out into the darkness, into the bondage that sex has in these girl’s lives, into a country devastated by poverty and disease. What a picture of redemption, of the grace of a God that will not stop making all things new, all things beautiful again. We are scarred, but we are whole. We are broken, but we are beautiful. Glory be to God!
Thank you for your prayers, they cast light in darkness, they proclaim freedom for the captives, they loose the chains of the oppressed. Your prayers accomplish more than you could ever know. Thank you and continue.
Dan
Team Stop the Spread
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Update from Austin
What a day. You all will have to forgive me if this is short in length, because I am no exception to the general exhaustion that is present in the house. Simply put, we encountered a lot of spiritual warfare today. I was talking with Henry tonight and these were his words: "We are working to change Zambia's next generation, the youth; to encourage them to make better decisions than their parents, to surrender their lives and their choices to the Lord. The devil does not want this to happen, so we should expect there to be a war waging over these lives."
As I'm sure has been previously written, we are at the village school of Murundu in the mornings and then we are driving to Chibote Girls School in Kitwe for the afternoons. Yesterday was a tough day for a lot of us in the morning, just feeling like there were no connections made with the students. Today we decided to break into guys and girls for Dan and Casie's talks on "what if you've made a mistake." I, naturally, was with Dan and I must say that I think today was his best yet. He encouraged them to be men of God that respect and care for women instead of preying on them, doing a great job of emphasizing the grace of God that can make us a new creation regardless of our past decisions. The guys seemed really responsive. After our separate talks, we came back together for a time of prayer for whomever wanted to come forward. We were able to pray for the majority of the students and God really ministered in a mighty and visible way.
Then we were off to Chibote. Yesterday was already a pretty intense time of prayer and sharing there, I know that I personally had girls share with me about an abortion, HIV+ parents, divorce and abuse. Thus, we felt that there was a need today for us just to be available after Casie's talk for the girls to share with us as they felt led. So we did the usual dancing and singing and then went straight into the talk. Casie did such a great job, I was so blessed by the tender way that she spoke the grace, love and forgiveness of Christ into these girls lives. Read John 8:1-12. We all spent the next hour or so talking and praying with different girls about the things they are dealing with. It really is such a humbling and exhausting experience just to listen to their stories. I still feel as if I am in total sensory overload from the day, and I'm trusting that the Lord will give me the grace and faith to trust him with the things that I cannot change. There are so many seemingly impossible situations. There are so many conversations that all we can do is listen, hug and pray. I was continually impressed today that there is nothing of my own strength or merit that could give these girls any form of rescue. But greater is He that is in us than he who is in this world and we know that God has given us the ministry of reconciliation for the hurting and the broken. We are compelled to share the hope that can be found in a relationship with Christ because it does not disappoint or fail. My prayer has been that God will break my heart with the things that break His and I'm pretty sure that has been answered in a big way in the last two days. At least I hope it has been.
As we rode home, it seemed we all were feeling the weight of the world. We all had an intense day in many ways. Like I said, the spiritual warfare was unprecedented, some of us were seeing, hearing and experiencing some things for the first time. I'm sure some of you who are reading this will get many more details from your beloved team member upon your reunion with them. We desperately need your prayers: pray for the hearts of these students, pray that the Lord will keep and protect and teach us as a team, pray that we can be faithful ministers of truth, pray for lives to be changed and protected from destruction. Thank you.
For team STS Zambia,
Austin Crane
As I'm sure has been previously written, we are at the village school of Murundu in the mornings and then we are driving to Chibote Girls School in Kitwe for the afternoons. Yesterday was a tough day for a lot of us in the morning, just feeling like there were no connections made with the students. Today we decided to break into guys and girls for Dan and Casie's talks on "what if you've made a mistake." I, naturally, was with Dan and I must say that I think today was his best yet. He encouraged them to be men of God that respect and care for women instead of preying on them, doing a great job of emphasizing the grace of God that can make us a new creation regardless of our past decisions. The guys seemed really responsive. After our separate talks, we came back together for a time of prayer for whomever wanted to come forward. We were able to pray for the majority of the students and God really ministered in a mighty and visible way.
Then we were off to Chibote. Yesterday was already a pretty intense time of prayer and sharing there, I know that I personally had girls share with me about an abortion, HIV+ parents, divorce and abuse. Thus, we felt that there was a need today for us just to be available after Casie's talk for the girls to share with us as they felt led. So we did the usual dancing and singing and then went straight into the talk. Casie did such a great job, I was so blessed by the tender way that she spoke the grace, love and forgiveness of Christ into these girls lives. Read John 8:1-12. We all spent the next hour or so talking and praying with different girls about the things they are dealing with. It really is such a humbling and exhausting experience just to listen to their stories. I still feel as if I am in total sensory overload from the day, and I'm trusting that the Lord will give me the grace and faith to trust him with the things that I cannot change. There are so many seemingly impossible situations. There are so many conversations that all we can do is listen, hug and pray. I was continually impressed today that there is nothing of my own strength or merit that could give these girls any form of rescue. But greater is He that is in us than he who is in this world and we know that God has given us the ministry of reconciliation for the hurting and the broken. We are compelled to share the hope that can be found in a relationship with Christ because it does not disappoint or fail. My prayer has been that God will break my heart with the things that break His and I'm pretty sure that has been answered in a big way in the last two days. At least I hope it has been.
As we rode home, it seemed we all were feeling the weight of the world. We all had an intense day in many ways. Like I said, the spiritual warfare was unprecedented, some of us were seeing, hearing and experiencing some things for the first time. I'm sure some of you who are reading this will get many more details from your beloved team member upon your reunion with them. We desperately need your prayers: pray for the hearts of these students, pray that the Lord will keep and protect and teach us as a team, pray that we can be faithful ministers of truth, pray for lives to be changed and protected from destruction. Thank you.
For team STS Zambia,
Austin Crane
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Update from Angie
Murundu Basic School: We started it off with a dance party—which means we danced and the Zambian kids laughed/gaped in horror at our lack of rhythm. While Austin gave his “waiting for marriage” talk, Max and I took the fifty thousand 1st through 5th graders away to try and minimize distraction. The wee girls and I played some half hearted rounds of “sheep sheep come on,” but luckily Casey saved the day and tired them out with the most physically strenuous “follow the leader” I’ve ever witnessed. I told them about Jonah, and eventually about Jesus and how he reached out to the untouchables. When I asked them if it was okay to point and laugh at someone with HIV they answered “yes, unless they’re bleeding”—hopefully I changed their little minds about that.We (the illegally over full van of people) ate PB&J on the road and rested until we arrived at Chibote Girls High School…where the ever dreaded and shameful dance competition was to be held. Jesse made us proud though and brought the Mazungus up to second place. After Austin gave his talk again and as we were getting up to ship off the planned small group, Henry got up and gave a really powerful message. He invited the girls to prayer and relatively everyone came up to be prayed for. The requests ranged from “I need prayer for exams” to “I’m pregnant.” The girls were really open and trusting and I think everyone on the team was given the opportunity to hear a little bit of the reality these girls are struggling with. It just went really well.
THE END.
Angie.
PS from Dan ~ We are going to be spending a lot of tommorrow (Thursday) talking about sin and redemption and there will be a lot of ministry time in the schools. So please pray for the Spirit of G'd to be on the team to preach the GOOD news. And that the Lord would minister through prayer and reconciliation. Thank you for your prayers!
THE END.
Angie.
PS from Dan ~ We are going to be spending a lot of tommorrow (Thursday) talking about sin and redemption and there will be a lot of ministry time in the schools. So please pray for the Spirit of G'd to be on the team to preach the GOOD news. And that the Lord would minister through prayer and reconciliation. Thank you for your prayers!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Update from Miss Malaria (aka, Elizabeth, Lizzie, Mama Duck, etc.)
Dearest prayer warriors,
I am finally out of bed long enough to personally write you a HUGE THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! A few folks at home have been keeping me posted with your thoughts, prayers and encouraging words. I cannot thank you enough for standing alongside me, our team, and my family as I have battled malaria! Your words and prayers have been so supportive and uplifting, and the Lord has answered! I am feeling better today (Tuesday), although my body is still weak and tired. I am working hard to regain my strength through plenty of fluids, rest, good food, sleep, oh and did I mention rest! :) It is slow going and I am quite ready to feel 100% again!
What an adventure! Dr. T. says that I now need a t-shirt labeling me a "true African missionary". The sights, sounds, smells and experiences of this past weekend will certainly go down in history. But, through it all, the Lord has been so close. He has reminded me that His community not only means "doing" the active ministry part of why we are here, but also means surrounding each other when we are down. That has included YOU, His global community, through the amazing ways everyone immediately mobilized to pray. I was astounded to learn from my wonderful mother how people all over the world were praying within hours and days of learning about what we were suffering here! It is a vivid reminder that we are not meant to walk this life alone and that we desparately need each other, the community of believers God has given us.
Okay, so much for my sermonizing. Dr. T. has returned and we are off for the afternoon to Kitwe. Continue to pray strength and healing for all of us as we continue to minister!
Love you all!
Elizabeth
I am finally out of bed long enough to personally write you a HUGE THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! A few folks at home have been keeping me posted with your thoughts, prayers and encouraging words. I cannot thank you enough for standing alongside me, our team, and my family as I have battled malaria! Your words and prayers have been so supportive and uplifting, and the Lord has answered! I am feeling better today (Tuesday), although my body is still weak and tired. I am working hard to regain my strength through plenty of fluids, rest, good food, sleep, oh and did I mention rest! :) It is slow going and I am quite ready to feel 100% again!
What an adventure! Dr. T. says that I now need a t-shirt labeling me a "true African missionary". The sights, sounds, smells and experiences of this past weekend will certainly go down in history. But, through it all, the Lord has been so close. He has reminded me that His community not only means "doing" the active ministry part of why we are here, but also means surrounding each other when we are down. That has included YOU, His global community, through the amazing ways everyone immediately mobilized to pray. I was astounded to learn from my wonderful mother how people all over the world were praying within hours and days of learning about what we were suffering here! It is a vivid reminder that we are not meant to walk this life alone and that we desparately need each other, the community of believers God has given us.
Okay, so much for my sermonizing. Dr. T. has returned and we are off for the afternoon to Kitwe. Continue to pray strength and healing for all of us as we continue to minister!
Love you all!
Elizabeth
Update - Good News from Zambia
Hello,
Things are better here today. Everyone is slowly getting back on their feet. Max is back with the team... they are leaving soon for Murundu and Elizabeth and I are probably going to join them in the afternoon at Chibote. It will be really good to get out of the house. We have been taking all necessary precautions to make sure the bug that I had does not spread anymore around the house. Elizabeth is sleeping but I think she is doing better today. I talked to her for a few minutes earlier. I guess we'll have to wait and see what today brings. She has finished all of her malaria pills so things should continue to get better. The team has been amazing. They started waiting on all of the sick people as soon as they got home last night. They brought us sprite and food and meds.... I am so very thankful for their generosity. well, I am going to lay down for alittle while... but we love you all and thank you so much for all the prayers.
Casie
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Update from Casie
Hello Friends and Family,
I am not sure when the last blog went out because the power has been down. Here in Africa the water and power come and go... It's a really good day when you have both at the same time!
Friday night, shortly after I wrote the blog, my dear friend Elizabeth began feeling very ill. Before long she began a long night of throwing up and stomach cramps. By morning, she was not any better so Dr.T and I took her to the African Hospital and she was treated for malaria. We brought her home yesterday afternoon and she was able to rest. The throwing up and everything stopped last night and today she is feeling much better. I have no doubts that she will be back to her old self in a few days.
While in the Africa hospital Elizabeth and I decided that we were NEVER going to have children in Africa. I must say that the hospital here was QUITE an experience! I did pretty well with the throwing up and stuff all night. It didn't bother me at all, but friends, I must admit that I almost passed out while they were poking my poor little Elizabeth with needles. (Yes they were sterilized!) When we got there, they had just opened so we were able to go right in. We found a bed and laid Elizabeth down until the Dr. (or Nurse... we're not sure) came. Dr. T told them that it was malaria (He's had it 10 times and knows what he's talking about) so they began the testing and treatment for the malaria. They had to poke her to get some blood for the tests... this was alittle painful for her but not too bad. They brought in a very large needle and stuck her in the butt with it... they said this was to stop the vomitting. THEN they brought in an IV to help replenish the fuilds that she had lost during the night! For some reason they could not find her viens and proceeded to poke her painfully until they found blood. They kept saying 'you have no blood in your viens!'. She had to actually help them find the place where they could get it in! All the while, I am holding her hand and telling her not to look. After the second or third try with this massive needle, I started feeling VERY woosy but managed to just not look and keep my cool!... Poor Elizabeth. She was frustrated with their incompetancy but the meds DID help and she was able to regain some of her strength.
They wanted to keep her for observation, but Dr. T talked them into letting us take her home. Their 'observing' consisted of her laying on a bed with a blanket (who KNOWS where it's been) behind a curtain all day. It was a really good thing that Dr. T made them let us take her home.
We got home around 1pm and she was able to sleep all afternoon. The meds started working and she was also able to sleep through the night! which was AMAZING! Today she is feeling MUCH better. The fever is completely gone and she has the color back in her face. She should be back to normal in a few days when the parasite is completely out of her system! So keep praying that she will feel better. There is no need to be really concerned... She is doing much better!
The rest of the team has gone to Ndola for the day. Dr. T was preaching at a church and took the whole crew with him. They will be spending time with some friends of Dr. T's down there and then will pick up our final member of the team (Jami) from the airport. Max made it Friday night but his personal bag didn't. We're hoping that it will show up at the airport when they are there for Jami tonight! Poor guy... he's been wearing the same outfit since Wed morning! This morning was very humorous, however. Max asked Dr. T if he could borrow a shirt for church and instead of giving him a normal shirt, he gave him a bright orange African shirt. Elizabeth and I found this to be very enterntaining because we could hear the guys laughing about it in the next room when Dan returned with the shirt for Max. AWESOME. What a way to be introduced to Africa! They should all be returning around 9/9:30pm tonight. Elizabeth and I are enjoying our day of rest and quiet! Tomorrow we will start ministering to two new schools. One out in the bush, Murundu, and one in Kitwe, Chibote. Well, that is all for now. I hope everyone is doing well... We will update you soon!
Casie
I am not sure when the last blog went out because the power has been down. Here in Africa the water and power come and go... It's a really good day when you have both at the same time!
Friday night, shortly after I wrote the blog, my dear friend Elizabeth began feeling very ill. Before long she began a long night of throwing up and stomach cramps. By morning, she was not any better so Dr.T and I took her to the African Hospital and she was treated for malaria. We brought her home yesterday afternoon and she was able to rest. The throwing up and everything stopped last night and today she is feeling much better. I have no doubts that she will be back to her old self in a few days.
While in the Africa hospital Elizabeth and I decided that we were NEVER going to have children in Africa. I must say that the hospital here was QUITE an experience! I did pretty well with the throwing up and stuff all night. It didn't bother me at all, but friends, I must admit that I almost passed out while they were poking my poor little Elizabeth with needles. (Yes they were sterilized!) When we got there, they had just opened so we were able to go right in. We found a bed and laid Elizabeth down until the Dr. (or Nurse... we're not sure) came. Dr. T told them that it was malaria (He's had it 10 times and knows what he's talking about) so they began the testing and treatment for the malaria. They had to poke her to get some blood for the tests... this was alittle painful for her but not too bad. They brought in a very large needle and stuck her in the butt with it... they said this was to stop the vomitting. THEN they brought in an IV to help replenish the fuilds that she had lost during the night! For some reason they could not find her viens and proceeded to poke her painfully until they found blood. They kept saying 'you have no blood in your viens!'. She had to actually help them find the place where they could get it in! All the while, I am holding her hand and telling her not to look. After the second or third try with this massive needle, I started feeling VERY woosy but managed to just not look and keep my cool!... Poor Elizabeth. She was frustrated with their incompetancy but the meds DID help and she was able to regain some of her strength.
They wanted to keep her for observation, but Dr. T talked them into letting us take her home. Their 'observing' consisted of her laying on a bed with a blanket (who KNOWS where it's been) behind a curtain all day. It was a really good thing that Dr. T made them let us take her home.
We got home around 1pm and she was able to sleep all afternoon. The meds started working and she was also able to sleep through the night! which was AMAZING! Today she is feeling MUCH better. The fever is completely gone and she has the color back in her face. She should be back to normal in a few days when the parasite is completely out of her system! So keep praying that she will feel better. There is no need to be really concerned... She is doing much better!
The rest of the team has gone to Ndola for the day. Dr. T was preaching at a church and took the whole crew with him. They will be spending time with some friends of Dr. T's down there and then will pick up our final member of the team (Jami) from the airport. Max made it Friday night but his personal bag didn't. We're hoping that it will show up at the airport when they are there for Jami tonight! Poor guy... he's been wearing the same outfit since Wed morning! This morning was very humorous, however. Max asked Dr. T if he could borrow a shirt for church and instead of giving him a normal shirt, he gave him a bright orange African shirt. Elizabeth and I found this to be very enterntaining because we could hear the guys laughing about it in the next room when Dan returned with the shirt for Max. AWESOME. What a way to be introduced to Africa! They should all be returning around 9/9:30pm tonight. Elizabeth and I are enjoying our day of rest and quiet! Tomorrow we will start ministering to two new schools. One out in the bush, Murundu, and one in Kitwe, Chibote. Well, that is all for now. I hope everyone is doing well... We will update you soon!
Casie
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