Longing for the Lozi on the Lumbe

If you read the names Bob and Corky, you may think these two volunteers from First Baptist, Amarillo, Texas were coming on a fishing trip! And, in a way, it was a fishing trip - They were fishing for Lozi men! Arriving in a tiny plane on a bush airstrip not far from our house, Bob and Corky came to Zambia to help us reach the Lozi! For 4 days and 3 nights we hiked up the Lumbe River (a tributary to the mighty Zambezi) and slept in tents as we shared our testimonies and the stories of Jesus with the Lozi people we met along the way. Our destination, a school named Mutwa, welcomed us sincerely. The chief came to meet us and he actually gave us our own plot of land. He said that when we come teach his people about Jesus, then this land will be our home! We were so honored and humbled! One morning in Mutwa, Bob, Corky, Daniel and Sky shared a set of stories called Creation to Christ. We drew a diagram in the sand showing how sin separates all men from God and only Jesus can bridge that gap. The group of about 25 Lozi listened intently to these shockingly new stories, ideas, and truths. Pray that the people in Mutwa will surrender to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall... Who needs 99 bottles of beer when you can have three drums full of home-made brew? Lozi life revolves around ceremony. In a world where there are no

i-pods, no TVs, no Wii, no cell phones, no internet, no computers, no video games and only an occasional radio - Lozi ceremonies are the entertainment people live for!

Here Precious, Monde, and I sit in front of Lozi beer, made especially for the initiation ceremony for Precious' daughter. Lozi have a kind of "coming out" party for their teenage girls... although the party seems to be dictated by beer and promiscuity. At this ceremony, the whole community recognizes that the Lozi girl is ready to be a woman...ie, ready to have children, though she may be no more than 14. We believe that Precious is a believer in Jesus, but replacing cultural traditions with Biblical ones, will prove to be a tedious and dirty job.

Tea Time!

"We can't leave until we pray." That's what my friend in the center here, Mrs. Gertrude, said. And with that she got on her knees in the middle of my living room. Monde and I joined her on our knees and I listened in humble awe as Mrs. Gertrude prayed a sincere pray for her own Lozi people. This was the afternoon when my Lozi friends, Monde and Mrs. Gertrude joined me for tea and lunch on my back porch. After lunch, we had a very special time talking about the Bible. I really believe that these two ladies know and love our Savior Jesus. We spent over two hours discussing the stories of Hagar, Hannah, and Sapphira. Next week, Mrs. Gertrude will be our interpreter when Cathy Young, a volunteer, and I teach the women living in the villages surrounding our house.

God Accomplishes ALL Things for Us!

This is Kawewe (Kah-way-way) and Eugene. On a cloudy dark night two weeks ago, they paddled their dugout canoe into our cove and stole 6 of our solar panels that run our water pump. The panels were on a float in the Zambezi River. Many of you prayed and Daniel and I begged the Lord FOR HIS NAME'S SAKE to defend our cause. And our Most High God answered our prayers. Although they ran, both Kawewe and Eugene were caught and they showed the authorities where they had hidden the panels in the bushes. Praise our God who accomplishes all things for us! Thank Him with us for this incredibly quick and complete answer to prayer! Thank you to all of you who prayed with us! And continue praying for Kawewe and Eugene. Pray they will take their punishment seriously. Pray they will hear and accept the story of the Man who died between two thieves. Pray they will come to know Jesus Christ.

The Road Less Traveled

Today, Wednesday, April 16th, we drove from our house down to the tiny dusty border town of Sesheke. We took out our empty boat trailer to have it repaired. However, the road was much too narrow for our wide boat trailer and we almost got stuck. Thank you IMB and Lottie Moon for a powerful truck and thank you Lord for a problem-solving husband! After our solar panels were stolen last week, we are having to use our generator to pump water. Our trip to town was to buy fuel for the water pump.

Just wanted to share a few pictures from the last few months. My morning glories didn't last long because of all the rain we received, but they were beautiful while they lasted! Here is Daniel standing with the largest teak tree we've ever seen! Amazing! And it's just 1/2 a mile from house! We love squeezing into the tiny Lozi huts with all the children and then crossing the river by teak canoe to get back home!

Dune Boarding in Namibia!

On our way home from South Africa, Daniel and I took the scenic route through Namibia! Namibia is a huge country with a landscape that resembles New Mexico and Southern Colorado. We spent a few days on the west coast in the quaint town of Swakopmund. The town was situated between the huge sand dunes of the Namib desert and the crashing cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Here are some pictures of our fun on the dunes. The last picture is in Rundu, Namibia. This is the Kavango River. Angola lies on the right side of the river. Thank you for your prayers for our safe travel. We are almost home and it's been a great road trip!