Monday, November 23, 2009

Update on our house

We had someone look at our house Saturday afternoon and our realtor said they are very interested in it. And we hope to hear something soon from them.
Please keep praying with us and thank the Lord for this good news.

It is a couple with a 6 month old, and then the husbands parents and his sister all are living with them right now. So they wanted a walk out lower level for the extended family to live in and have their privacy, so it sounds perfect for what they were looking for. They are living in an apartment right now so there is no house to sell. More good news!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Pray for Kabwe's wife

We got a note today, and Pastor Kabwe asked us to pray for his wife, as she has had malaria for the past 2 weeks, and has been in bed all this week.

Pictured below are Kabwe and his wife

Update on Pastor Hakanyaga

Pastor Hakanyaga is recovering slowly, and we are thankful that the Lord in his great mercy, allowed Dr. Zulu to oversee his medical care!

below is the letter from Pastor Kabwe



Dear Brethren,
I wrote to you a while ago that our brother Hakanyanga was taken ill to Luanshya Mine Hospital with the problem of the spleen and some of you have asked to find out how he is doing. He is recovering slowly from operation, he was dicharged from the hospital on Tuesday and I visited him on Wednesday, he is still weak recovering steadly from the operation wounds- the operation was successful -he had the spleen removed - which basically was damaged and malfunctioning. He was in the hospital for 10 days. We thank God for your your prayers and concern. He is scheduled to go back for review on wednesday next week.
May I aslo thank God for His providence, to have Dr Zulu, who is the Chief medical officer at Luanshya Mine hospitala serving aslo as fellow elder at central baptist where brother Hakanyanga is pastor-Dr Zulu literaly took it upon himself to have our brother operated on- despite the financial challenges of the same operation.Dr Zulu spoke to me in private from the professional point of view that the problem was actually fatal if there where any delays- he said our brother Hakanyanga had started losing blood through internal bleeding due to the malfunctioning of the spleen.
Continue praying for pastor Hakanyanga he will be on sick leave for some time before he starts work.
keep well and thank you
Kabwe

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Pure Religion

This goes along with the last post.

My friend Becky sent me the following quote that she read while reading the missionary John Paton's autobiography. I thought it was excellent and wanted to pass it along to you also.

He wrote this after visiting George Muller and the orphanages in Bristol:

"Often, as I have looked at the doings of men and Churches, and tried to bring all to the test as if in Christ's very presence, it has appeared to me that such work as Muller's...must be peculiarly dear to the heart of our blessed Lord. And were He to visit this world again, and see a place where His very Spirit had most fully wrought itself out into deeds, I fear that many of our so-called Churches would deserve to be passed by, and that His holy, tender, helpful, divinely-human love would find its most perfect reflex in these Orphan Homes. Still and for ever, amidst all changes of creed and of climate, this, this, is 'pure and undefiled Religion' before God and the Father!"

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Adopted for Life




I just finished reading this book, Adopted for Life
The priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches
by Russell Moore.
I highly recommend it! To everyone. Not just those who are thinking of adopting, but to everyone!

So many times as I have read the book, I have thought to myself and even mentioned to James, that I wish I had read this book 2 years ago.

I have read or skimmed at least 8-10 different books related to adopting and adoption, some with a christian theme, but mostly not. This is by far the best book on the subject. If you only ever read one book on adoption, or bought one book this would be the book.

Though Russell gives some practical advice and information on adopting, the book continually goes back to us, and our adoption in Christ by our Father God. It is not only used as one example of adoption, but as the model of how our Father has treated us and adopted us.

He writes in such a natural way, weaving throughout the book looking at our own adoption by God, and his family's story and experience with their 2 boys from Russia, and how the church of God is to be at the forefront of adoption, because we ourselves were adopted.

He explains that for some, this will mean supporting anothers adoption financially, and prayerfully, and for others it will mean actually seeking to adopt ourselves. But for everyone as christians to be promoting a climate of adoption in our churches.

Moore states, "The protection of children isn't charity. It isn't part of a political program fitting somewhere between tax cuts and gun rights or between carbon emission caps and a national service corps.
It's spiritual warfare." (emphasis mine)

Hopefully, you'll want to buy it and read it now.
There are 17 reviews on the book. I don't think I have ever seen that many in a book. But after reading it, it was so good and helpful, I wanted to write my own review too.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Preparations

The feelings of being overwhelmed seem to come and go these days.
There is so much to do that it is easy to feel overwhelmed. The verse, "Each day has enough trouble of its own" has been said so many times over the past couple of months, and weeks. I was even just rereading that section in Matthew recently and was encouraged by it.

Since we got back from our New England trip, I have been trying to schedule all the last doctor and dentists appointments, as well as the time to go down to the International Travel Clinic for the last round of shots. My calender is filling up and I am trying to stay ontop of those types of things. One thing that has been helpful is having the Outlook Express on my computer with the calender. So anytime on am on my email my calender is right there and it reminds me of the things to do.

We have been in the process of waiting to see if and how we are shipping some of our items over to Zambia. One of our deacons and another man in our church that works in logistics, have figured it out, and we went today and got alot of boxes for books.

We are shipping pallets that will get put into a container and be shipped by sea.The expected time in transit is 2 months. (so I am adding 2 or 3 months to that) The majority of the pallets we will ship will be of books. That is one thing lacking over there, so James is bringing his books for the men to use and we will probably have 2 pallets of household things.

One of the challenges is to determine what to pack on those and what to bring in the duffel bags. I don't want to pack essentials in case they don't show up for many months after we are there, but then I really don't want to wait and pack everything in a duffle bag at the last minute. So I think some basic kitchen items, kids toys and games, clothes that they will be growing into, linens ( sheets, towels, comforters) a small box of cooking items, such as big jars of spices from Sam's Club, medicines and some small home decorating items.

It has been a great blessing to have 3 different women over there now with children that I have emailed asking many of these questions. Especially in regards to what they brought, what they can't buy there, what is really expensive, or cheaply made, and what did you wish you brought but didn't. What do you stock up on when you come back to the states... All helpful things, but as James has reminded me, when I am stressed about what if I don't pack something or plan it exactly right,-- that if the people we are going over there to live among and minister to don't have something than we can do without it to.

So I currently have about 8 different groupings of things around the house now in various stages.

Items to ship
Items to pack and take on the plane
Items to take to my parents at Thanksgiving
Items to take to James parents at Christmas
Items to store here in KY (possibly to get later)
Items we are giving away
Items we are selling
Items to take to goodwill

No wonder why the house feels in a bit of a disarray.

We have someone coming to look at the house tomorrow so if you think of us, please pray for it to sell, and that we would hear of an offer.

So, back to the section in the book of Matthew. The context of the verse "each day has enough trouble of its own, is in the same section where Jesus talks about not worrying about what we should wear. About not laying up treasure on earth, about not loving money... The chapter ends with "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things."

Very good things to think about.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Pray for Pastor Hakanyaga

Pastor Mondesters Hakanyaga (pictured on the left with his children and wife)


The following is a letter written by Kabwe Kabwe (pastor in Ndola)

Dear Brethren,

I write to inform you that our brother and pastor Hakanyanga of Central
Baptist Church in Luanshya- has been diagonized with a problem on his
SPLEEN- I understand from the medical people that [The spleen is an organ in
the upper left side of the abdomen that filters the blood by removing old or
damaged blood cells and platelets and helps the immune system by destroying
bacteria and other foreign substances by opsonization
and producing antibodies].

Our brothers spleen is malfunctioning and is causing danger to his health,
the doctors, have recommended to operate on him and have the organ removed.
Right now he has low HB and will be undergoing blood transfussion on
thursday 5th Nov in preparation for the operation on Friday at Luanshya mine
Hospital.

He is currently on total bed rest- hence his absence during this week for
the November module- of the Copperbelt Ministerial College which started on
Monday. This time around we have our own men from Zambia as lecturers;
brother Lazarus Phiri lecturing on introduction to preaching and Conrad
Mbewe on Government and administration of the church - pray for the men
during this week - the wheather is not friendly it is just too hot
especially during the afternoon sessions, making it difficult for the men to
concetrate.

Until then

your fellow servant

Kabwe Kabwe