The Adairs

Don't eat the goat meat!

2012-01-30T23:27:00.000-08:00

We had a great visit from some of our fellow missionaries here in Zambia, the Kimbroughs, last week. Their family includes Blake and Dawnya and their four children Isabelle, Abigail, Isaac, and Amos. Part of their visit included a survey trip of the north-east corner of Zambia where Blake and I met up with three other men from Lusaka. One of these men was our Strategy Leader for Zambia in our mission, the other was the Executive Secretary for the Baptist Fellowship of Zambia and the third was the pilot who works with the Flying Mission of Zambia. We had a great survey trip up and down the beautiful Lake Mweru. We stopped in a small down called Munuga for lunch and had some goat meat that was room temperature. One of the first things you learn as a missionary is to only eat hot food, but we all "rolled the dice" on this one. We lost the bet the following morning, but where able to get back on the road again after it was out of our system. We ask for your prayer as we consider whether or not to put a missionary in this area of Zambia.

Our kids had a great time with the Kimbrough children. Their are four red-heads in the group!

Amos(3) and Hutch(4) got a little tired after Bible study in the village and took a little nap on the way home.

Grocery Shopping

2012-01-21T04:34:00.000-08:00

Sometimes your wife may ask you to run to the grocery store and pick up a few items. It may seem like a hassle, but you know that it is worth it to show a little love and to keep the peace. One of the hardest things about where we live is supply trips. I have to drive 400kms on horrible dirt roads to get to the small town where supplies can be found. I load up my 4x4 with empty barrels to buy diesel and empty ice boxes for groceries. The road looks similar to this for the most part:

But along the way you may come across places like this:

...and sometimes your vehicle can even get stuck in those places.

All around it was a 21hour round trip drive to the grocery store and fuel station. It may seem kind of crazy, but I get to check off grocery store run from my "honey do list" for at least 2 more months. I guess maybe when you total up your time spent driving to the fuel station and grocery store for two months you might reach around 21hours too. Then again, maybe not.

Hutch's Farm

2012-01-11T04:53:00.000-08:00

Hutch got his first egg this morning! He went in to look and there it was! I am soooooo happy to have fresh eggs! Let's hope there are many more to come!

Perhaps even more exciting than that is the two-headed snake we killed in our yard! Well to be honest it is not a true "snake" but in the snake family. It has a fake head as a tail as part of a defense mechanism. Just another day on Hutch's farm.

Another Year!

2012-01-05T01:54:00.000-08:00

The rainy season here is so beautiful. We don't realize it until the end of the dry season when everything is dead. Since it's always around the same temp, it doesn't feel like the seasons are changing, but we realize it when the heavy rains have transformed the world around us. Our yard has changed a lot too, when we first came there were no trees, no grass, hardly any bushes and we've waited and planted things all around our yard to make it green and shaded! Most of the things we've planted came from the villages in Kaputa. We pray that the Lord's words would be soaked up by the hearts of the people like the ground soaks up the rain!

Christmas in Kaputa

2011-12-26T21:38:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas in Kaputa went very well this year. We had lots of toys for the kids because of our recent trip to South Africa and because of family and friends. We even had some of our Mission Family come and be with us. Dwayne and Betty Mitchell drove up to help repair my leaking porch and spend Christmas with us. Betty brought lots of good food, including a turkey! We opened presents on Christmas morning and then went to church for a Christmas service.

Lulie got a tea set and Hutch got some Transformers (which I am still trying to figure out how to transform properly).

Lulie loves to give the offering at church.

This is our hand shaking line which we do after every service.

Hutch and the boys.

Look at this grin. It says "I am well fed and happy" or maybe "I am in complete control of these people"

Chansa Baptist Church

2011-12-19T20:58:00.000-08:00

We were so very excited when we went to teach Bible study at Chansa Baptist Church. They had taken their own initiative and put up a small structure for us to meet under during this rainy season. We have bee meeting under a mango tree for the past year and a half. Now we have a place to call our own. It is so great to see nationals taking charge of their church and getting things done. (Can you spot Hutch and Lulie in this picture?)

Farmer Hutch

2011-12-05T03:39:00.000-08:00

He loves these chickens. I would not ever be brave enough to grab them like he does. It helps that James keeps working on the boxes and spends a lot of time with Hutch inside with the chickens. They haven't gotten used to the boxes yet so Hutch is helping the chickens get inside to acclimate them so they'll start laying eggs.

Update

2011-12-02T03:46:00.000-08:00

We are back home, trying to get back into our routine! It's been so nice to be off the roads, Charlie did not like her initiation into the family, the 18 hour ride in the car. But she's officially member. Now that I can catch my breath, and type with two hands, I can update the blog. We got the house decorated for the Christmas season! I love a warm Christmas, it's starting to feel normal. Hutch, Lulie, and Charlie are going to think a cold Christmas is unusual! James is busy fixing the little kinks around the house and the new chicken pin. That's right, we have 10 laying hens. Eggs were just getting too expensive, so we decided to buy the hens. Hutch can't wait to get the eggs every morning. So far, so good. I'll try not wait so long again posting!

Home from the hospital

2011-10-28T23:11:00.000-07:00

Everyone is home (well at least at the guest house) and doing very well. Hutch and Lulie both love their new sister and always want to hold and kiss her. Charlie has been sleeping most of the time and has even allowed us to get some sleep. Praise God.

Baby Adair #3

2011-10-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

Well, It's a GIRL! Our beautiful daughter was born @ 4:38pm in Johannesburg, South Africa. Mom and baby are doing very well. She weighed 7.44 lbs and was 19.2 inches long. We have given her the name Charlotte Marie (Charlie) Adair. We are so blessed!

Daddy, enough with the flash!

Thanks for all the prayers. Stay tuned for more pictures....

Beautiful Children

2011-10-09T09:05:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it is because I have been away for two weeks or what, but I got some of the most beautiful children I have ever seen. We went to a theme park here in South Africa and the kids had a great time. They are so big and Lulie is fearless. She would ride anything! Hutch is a little more timid, but he still found some rides that suited him fine.

We went with some new missionary friends from Reunion Island. I tried a strong-man game to try and make a bell ring by slamming the hammer, but luckily they gave away consolation prizes.

Doctor's visit

2011-09-27T23:11:00.000-07:00

The first thing we did when we got here was go see mommy's doctor. The baby weighs just over 5 pounds right now and is totally great, kicking around in my tummy! The kids had so much fun listening to the heartbeat, seeing the baby, and when our doctor asked them if it was a boy or a girl, Hutch said a girl and Lulie said a boy. It was too cute. Of course they walked by the balloons and Happy couldn't resist buying them each one. Lulie passed over the Minnie mouse ones in favor of a Get Well Soon balloon covered in band-aids! Hutch is pretty committed to blue dolphins so he had no delimma. They were showing them off to everyone in the hospital!

Having Fun!

2011-09-27T23:03:00.000-07:00

While we wait, we've been enjoying good food, good playgrounds, and fun pre-school activities. Even a tiny bit of shopping....

Off They Go!

2011-09-23T04:34:00.000-07:00

Well, I said goodbye to Mary Margaret ad the kids as they loaded into this small plane to fly down for the delivery of our third child. I miss them, but only have two more weeks before I drive down and join them. It was a great blessing to have Flying Mission of Zambia help us get her down and not have to travel on these hard roads. They reached Joburg safely on the 22nd.

After they got on board I stopped over at our local Game Management Area and got me something to eat for the next two weeks. I love the pose of the scout in the blue tank top holding my buck knife.

Lulie Grasps the Word of God

2011-09-17T05:32:00.000-07:00

I guess we are glad our 2 year old is taking an interest in the Word of God, but apparently she has some disagreements with the Gospel of Matthew. Anyway, daddy needs to be more careful where he leaves his Bible.

Mweru Wantipa elyo Isabi Ilibishi

2011-09-14T05:44:00.000-07:00

Muddy Mweru and fresh fish. We got a boat from Kevin and James has been wanting to try it out. So we took it down to the lake near our home. The lake's name is Mweru Wantipa, which means muddy Mweru, there is another beautiful lake, lake Mweru that is about 180km from us. This one, is only 15km away. Its water looks like Coca Cola Classic. We had about 100 people come to watch us unload and get in the boat. The mud and sludge James and Bupe had to wade through is unbelievable, but I didn't get a picture of it. We rode out as far as some fishing boats and Bupe got so many fish for a really good price. He was going to take them home to his wife to eat and to sell some. Hutch and Lulie had so much fun playing with the fish in the bottom of the boat. Lulie, the fearless one, picked them up without batting and eye, but Hutch was more reluctant. He had to wait until they stopped jumping. By the time we got home, Lulie had little fish scales on her hands. She cracks us up. We saw all kinds of birds, some of which looked like pelicans. It was a lot of fun, but we are all worn out!

More School and Visitors

2011-09-06T08:08:00.000-07:00

We had our Bible School here in Kaputa this past week and it was a great time of learning and fellowship. I taught Principles of Preaching, Principles of Teaching, and Old Testament 2 (History and Poetry). We had nine students and several ladies from the church helped with meals.

Our Strategy Leader for Zambia and his family came to visit us for the past three days (Kevin, Suzie, and Hannah). Our well pump broke and we had very limited water, but it was a great time together. We spent a lot of time working on the well and by the grace of God began pumping water again yesterday evening. Just in time to give Kevin a much needed shower before his return home.

BIBLE SCHOOL

2011-08-24T08:47:00.000-07:00

Last week I traveled to Luwingu, town about 400kilometers from Kaputa to teach Bible School. Some friends of ours used to live and work in Luwingu with the churches there. Bible School is how we bring more in depth theological training to local church members who otherwise would not be able to have such training. I taught The Exposition of Acts and Old Testament 3 (Books of Prophecy). It was a great time of fellowship and a challenging time for me as well to try and teach theology in the Bemba language.
It was difficult to be away from the family for a week, especially since they all came down with a stomach bug, but God watched over us all and we are back together again.

30 Weeks

2011-08-16T02:17:00.001-07:00

He's Almost 4!

2011-08-12T04:30:00.000-07:00

We celebrated early because James is going to Luwingu to teach Bible School next week. Can't believe he's four!

Arts and Crafts

2011-07-23T02:32:00.000-07:00

Even though we haven't started school yet, we have been doing some arts and crafts. One day while Lulie was sleeping, we made bear nails for Hutch. He wore them all afternoon! Then today after Aunt Betty and Uncle Dwayne left, to lift their spirits I made homemade finger paint! They had such a blast playing with this gooey stuff! I messed up, well it was perfect when i cooked it but when it cooled it became this jelly-like substance. I have to work on the consistency! Such is life without Target to run to and buy finger paint!

Trailer

2011-07-20T09:12:00.000-07:00

Seven months ago we started a process to get a new trailer. One that can handle our difficult roads and be strong enough to carry heavy loads. We don't a filling station in our town so I often carry lots of fuel, we carry propane to run our freezer and oven, and we have to bring groceries to last 3 months including milk and juice for two very thirsty children. I found the perfect trailer, but the problem was that it was in South Africa, three countries away. I will not go into detail about how much of a headache it was to finally get it to Kaputa, but let's just say I am glad we got a good one because I will not do it again.
Thanks to a lot of help from a lot of people it finally arrived here yesterday. I am so happy and we are so blessed to have such good support from all of you and our co-workers. I almost can't wait to take the next two day journey on poor roads just to see what this bad-boy can do!
Special thanks to Dwayne and Betty Mitchell to did the last part of the red tape and delivered the trailer to us in Kaputa!

Making Bricks

2011-07-03T04:36:00.000-07:00

The church here in town has been spending Saturday mornings making bricks to be used in the construction of a church building. It is pretty rough work digging up clay dirt from the river bank and molding it into bricks. We made just over 200 bricks last saturday which would sell for about five dollars u.s.d total. It seems crazy for 9 men to work all morning for the equivalent of five dollars, but there is reason to the madness. The church is learning to be self-sustaining and each brick is being built on the foundation of Jesus and not simply money. For the past 2 years the church has been gathering in a building made of grass. If you looked at it you might be filled with pity for the church, but which is more pitiful a cathedral full of nominal believers, or a grass hut filled with believers sustained with the power of God? When is the last time you really got muddy for Christ?

Football

2011-06-09T04:41:00.000-07:00

The kids at North Cobb Christian school, in Mrs. Cash's class blessed us so much! They sent us some balls and a pump and some cones, everything you need to have a great football game! We couldn't decide who to give them to, and all the schools here could use some new ones. We decided to give them to Kapisha basic school, where one of the members of the boma church is a teacher. It is about 8km down a horrible dirt road. We drove out there this morning and presented them with the new equipment! They were thrilled to say the least. Hutch and Lulie wanted to stay and play with them, but we had interrupted their school work, so we had to say next time! It was great to be able to help this precious little school. Up until a few months ago, it was a community school. It has now been upgraded to a government school, which means, a new building and more teachers. We reminded them of how much God loves each one of them and that the children in America were thinking about them and praying for them. They will have so much fun playing after school now!

Rabbits!

2011-06-05T09:09:00.001-07:00

Hutch and Lulie have started a rabbit farm! They are fearless and love chasing them around, feeding them grass, and petting them! These will bring much entertainment and adorable pictures for the future!

Lulie looks like a little rabbit when she is in the cage with them.

The rabbits will be used to introduce some of the locals to rabbit farming and hopefully give them a new protein source (As I am fully aware that Mary Margaret will never consider them a viable protein source).

We're Home

2011-06-04T00:14:00.000-07:00

After two long months of being gone from Kaputa, we arrived back on Sunday. It was a long journey and we were happy to be back here. Immediately, Hutch and Lulie, ran into the house and got every toy out they could find. It was like a bomb went off inside the house before we could even unpack! They were so happy to be back here. We all relaxed until we realized that our internet was not working. For the next five days, James stayed on the phone with our internet company in Lusaka trying to figure out the problem. Friday morning we realized that when the wind would blow, the signal strength would go up. So after James went around the fence with a machete chopping anything that was in the line of the satellite. Then after some thought and a lot of frustration, he realized it was the tree right next to the satellite. What was funny was that the tree was not anywhere near the line of the satellite. Or so we thought. We never imagined that this tree would mess up the signal, it was ten feet to the right of the dish! Anyway, the Lord gave us answer! We are so happy to be able to skype! What a blessing it is to be able to have this! We are excited about the next four months. Also about the new addition we'll be having in October!

Our garden is doing good and hopefully will be doing much better soon, more about that later!

We're Going Home Tomorrow!

2011-05-12T09:48:00.000-07:00

We have been here for a month. It started as vacation and ended up being James' crazy medical issue. But we talked to the doctor this week and she said that platelets at 70,000 sounded good. Not excellent, but good. So as long as James has his blood checked regularly, and keeps emailing the doctor with updates, we can go back! We're leaving tomorrow and spending the night in Botswana, then getting to Zambia on Saturday! We are so excited! We'll be back in Kaputa hopefully at the end of next week, after we get our list done in Lusaka! Pray for us as we travel that we would travel well and have no problems! Thank you for all your prayers during this time!

The Latest on James

2011-04-27T22:23:00.000-07:00

We received the results from the last platelet count and James' platelets where up to 87,000 form 48,000. This is good news, but normal count would be at least 150,000. The doctor said it was unusual for platelets to rise while weaning off medication, but we of course live in the unusual or miraculous, however you choose to see it. James has been off the medication for almost a week now and we will go for another blood count next thursday to see if the platelets are holding, increasing, or falling. Holding or increasing would both be good news so please pray for that. If it shows they are falling, then it would mean staying here and receiving more treatment.

Update on James

2011-04-22T10:18:00.000-07:00

Well, just to let everyone know. James is still being treated for ITP. He will have a new blood count done next week to determine if he will need more medication. Please continue to pray for his body to rectify this problem and doctors the wisdom to treat it well. We are trusting that God is working through this situation and hope to be back to normal soon.

Above is a picture of our team in the Northern Province of Zambia. We hardly ever get to be together so this is a rare picture. On the left is the Schwarz family that live in Mbala and on the right is the Kimbrough family that live in Isoka. We are all with the IMB and work together in strategy to plant churches throughout the Northern Province. We all live a long way from each other, but our people and ministry are very similar. Praise God for a good team on the field.

Prayer Request

2011-04-15T04:11:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to ask everyone to be in prayer for us as we are in Johannesburg, South Africa right now and I am having some medical issues. I have been diagnosed with a condition called ITP that affects my body's ability to make platelets in my blood. We are trying to get it all sorted out, but it could take time. So please pray that I will be able to recover and get back to Kaputa as soon as possible.

Meanwhile Hutch and Lulie are taking the opportunity to get up close and personal with some of Africa's wildlife

Long Drive

2011-04-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

Well we left Kaputa about 3 weeks ago and have drove all the way to South Africa via a short trip to Malawi. We picked up Mary Margaret's parents in Lusaka and they have braved the African roads with us. The journey is part vacation, part medical, and part to pick up a new trailer that will assist us greatly in our ministry. It has been a great time so far and Hutch and Lulie have been doing lots of swimming.

We also have seen lots of African animals which is always fun!

Ans of course the beautiful Victoria Falls which is one of the 7 wonders of the world.

We are in Joburg, South Africa now and will hit the road again in a few days. We are filling up with lots of good food while here!

2011-03-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

We went to Chansa Village this morning and arrived in the rain. The rain has been really coming down the last few days and I even had to help a large truck get out of a washed hole in the road on our way to church. Mary Margaret and the kids are trying to stay dry.

We had a baptism service after the church service and we baptized the village Headman who came to trust in Christ a few weeks back. His wife believed and was baptized about a month ago and now he came also. Just another example of a faithful wife who won over her husband.

Beautiful

2011-03-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Aunt Nay-Nay who gave Lulie this pillow case dress almost a year ago and now it finally fits. Isn't she beautiful! This is what she wore to village church this morning, and maybe it was a little over the top for that setting, but she looked too cute to change.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LULIE

2011-03-08T09:10:00.000-08:00

"I'm not two I'm three" was the resounding message Lulie wanted us to know on what we were sure was her 2 year old birthday. She knows her big brother is three and so she just can't accept that she is a year behind. Sorry Lulie but we are just not ready for you to grow up that fast. What a blessing she is to our lives and every day MM and I stare at her and cannot believe how beautiful she is in every way.

Enjoying a little cake batter

She can finally open presents by herself

One of her presents was a Mrs. Potato Head

Bible School

2011-02-25T23:56:00.000-08:00

We had a great week last week. In fact, it was so good, that we had to rest this whole week to recover from all the greatness! James did a really good job teaching Old Testament, Spiritual Formation, and Church Planting. The way this works is, James will teach three classes each time he has a Bible School session. This will happen 3 to 4 times a year for the next 3 years. After all the classes have been taught, they'll have a certificate ceremony and present those who have passed all the classes with a certificate. This is like rural theological training, so it's not quite the same as getting a masters from a seminary in the US. It is good because it helps the church leaders to feel confident and have the tools in continuing to plant churches and train new leaders in the future. Some of the students did excellent, while others just haven't been in a classroom in a long time. James is really encouraging those who didn't do well to keep coming to the next sessions in hopes that they'll grow and learn.

The schedule was from 8-4:30pm. Monday thru Friday, they were in the church all day sitting, learning, discussing, and trying to absorb the material. While that was going on, we were outside with the ladies cooking and playing. Hutch and Lulie didn't really love being up at the church that much, but we made it fun. We helped cook fish, chicken, beans, greens, and nshima. It was a learning experience cooking in these huge pots! We were all wiped out by the time class was over every day, and can you believe we didn't take one picture!?! James brought that to my attention late Saturday night, after we had finished breaking down the tents at the church and taking all those, who lived far out, home.

Hopefully we'll remember to take more pictures next time. The next one will be in August!

Hutch and Lulie lovin on each other.

New Family Picture

2011-02-11T08:57:00.000-08:00

I have been bad about taking pictures recently. However, we did take a new family picture for an upcoming mission meeting so I figured I would post it since the kids grow so fast and we are starting to look old.

I better rephrase that, I am starting to look old.

Also I wanted to ask for prayer for an upcoming Bible School that we will be starting in Kaputa. This is how we teach solid theology to church leaders. We bring a scaled down version of seminary to them. I have about 15 signed up right now and we will I will be teaching from 8:00am until 4:30pm Monday through Friday next week. So please keep us in your prayers. Theology is a difficult thing to teach well and even more difficult in a foreign language. Please pray for the students as this will be a bit overwhelming for some and very challenging.

New Church in Chansa Village

2011-01-21T21:52:00.000-08:00

We finally had the baptism we have been trying to do for some time in Chansa Village. About 2 months ago we had many people confess that they wanted to trust in Christ. Since then we have been searching for a place to have baptism. The village has no water source and I have been working with the local government trying to get them a new well (borehole) dug. Now that the rains are here there are some puddles of water near the village, but none are deep enough for baptism. We dug a hole and tried to put one of my tarps down to hold water, but the tarp had some small holes and the water quickly ran out. SO, this week I was able to get two large pieces of plastic and had a local tailor sew them together. We put it in the hole they had dug, which looked exactly like a shallow grave, and it worked perfect. It was a beautiful symbol of death to sin and alive to Christ. These 8 men and women where baptized to mark the official beginning of the church in Chansa.

2011

2011-01-19T22:58:00.000-08:00

This is our first post from 2011! We've been in our Christmas holidays! Celebrating and giving thanks to the Lord everything He has done in 2010.

We are having some baptisms in Chansa this week. We are praising God that people are committing their lives to Him and desire to show their commitment through baptism. God is calling people to himself here and we are so happy to be part of it.

It seems like January is flying by and we are enjoying every day we get to spend here! We got our crate on New Years Eve! It was so much fun unpacking, and we were so excited that we forgot to take a picture of it! Oops! We had our neighbor bring it to us, since he has a big truck. When they arrived, James got the tools to bust it open, and we proceeded to unload the whole thing with about 10 people helping/watching. Our screen porch was PACKED! It smelled like America. I know it's difficult to bottle the smell of America, but our crate managed to do it. We worked for the entire weekend getting everything unpacked and put away. So many good things we are really enjoying the finer things in life from America. Our house still smells like America and it is such a nice feeling.

Best things are the Hershey's syrup, scented candles, flavored syrup for coffee, hutch's giant shark pillow from bass pro, salsa, toilet paper, my new pots and pans, the kids swings. I could go on forever. I'm just so thankful for all the great things we were able to bring and for all the help getting everything!

We'll do an update after the baptisms tomorrow!

hutch loves to push lulie

trying out the swings!

hutch the comedian. he said "look daddy, i'm pappaw"

CHRISTMAS

2010-12-26T08:56:00.001-08:00

Well our first Christmas in Kaputa went great. We sure missed our families but we had a wonderful time with our Zambian friends. We woke up early and the kids got their presents. Hutch requested a blue dolphin when he was asked about a month ago "What do you want for Christmas?" It seemed strange at first, but he was persistent and so we were excited to be able fulfill his desire on Christmas morning.

Lulie got a baby doll. She was wearing the same color as the doll on Christmas morning and the two look strikingly similar. Except Lulie is the real deal and much cuter.
We headed to church around 8:00am. The church building blew down about a week ago in some strong winds that we had, so we met at a local school. We ordained the first deacons in the church and it was a great time. MM was especially excited about the goat we had for lunch. She just can't get enough goat!

Hutch was just happy to be one of the kids and probably ate more than me and Mary Margaret combined.

We had a good group as some of the members of the other churches made the trip to town to celebrate with us.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of you and thanks to all who gave to the Lottie Moon Christmas offering this year. You made our Christmas in Kaputa possible.

It's Almost Christmas!

2010-12-23T00:44:00.000-08:00

We are spending our first Christmas here in Kaputa. We've been here for 4 years and have never spent a Christmas here? Ok. But this year is different. The churches in Zambia have a tradition of having a celebration service at church on Christmas day. I don't know about the churches around the rest of the country, but in Kaputa they all have a meal afterward. So yesterday we finish the Bible study at the Mumba's house and drive almost 15 miles down the "worst" roads i've ever been on. I'm serious, this was more like a dried up river bed than a road. It was comical how much the kids were bouncing around. We reach the end of the road, literally, any further and you'd be in Lake Mweru Wantipa, in a village called Kawama. We came to buy a sheep, but it was as if the circus was in town. There were at least 100 kids trying to get a close up of Hutch and Lulie. What's the big deal? Kids are kids right? No, I'm pretty sure these kids of Kawama have never, I mean NEVER, seen white children before. Hutch loved the spotlight. Surprised? Me neither. Bupe Chomba, his two sons, and their friend were highly amused. The man who sells the sheep was not there. So we could not buy one. Which means another trip tomorrow down to the same village. Another circus show. It really doesn't bother us anymore, it's funny and it gives these kids something to talk about/look at.

There will be 4 churches participating in the event. It should be fun. The weather has been perfect this week, no sun! It's been cloudy! We love the clouds! Merry Christmas everyone! We'll post pics of the celebration later!

Duck Hunting

2010-12-12T08:09:00.001-08:00

I got a chance to do a little duck hunting Africa style this past Saturday. It consisted of these three Zambian friends of mine paddling me around in a small boat on this river while I shot ducks. It was a lot of fun and we killed several birds. One of my friends saw a fish in the shallow water and jumped out of the boat and caught it with his hands! It was great fellowship and I even convinced Mary Margaret to eat a little of my roasted duck recipe.

Home Again Home Again

2010-12-08T00:14:00.000-08:00

We made it back from the big city, and when we arrived God gave us the best gift ever. Cool weather in Kaputa! We were pleasantly surprised to have clouds and a nice cool breeze at home. After unloading, and unpacking, yuck, we got out the Christmas tree and starting playing Christmas music. We even got a tree scented candle in the mail from the Kimbroughs!! Thank you! Hutch and Lulie LOVED setting up our little tree, they go over and stand in front of it every few minutes. It's so funny. It's a good thing we have all plastic ornaments too.

We are excited to celebrate our first Christmas in Kaputa. In years past, we've been in Luwingu for Christmas so this will be something new.

We even bought fireworks in Lusaka to have a fireworks show here on Christmas! We'll have an update about that no doubt!

Now that the rains have started, we are praying that numbers at the various Bible studies will not fall. This time of year people are so busy preparing their fields and we are just praying that they would commit to Christ like they are committed to growing their crops!

Update from Lusaka

2010-12-03T09:02:00.000-08:00

Sorry i've been out of the blogging world. We've been enjoying the big city life. We're in Lusaka until Sunday. We had a great Thanksgiving with the mission family and have been eating really well!

We'll be back in Kaputa on Monday with more updates!

Funeral

2010-11-04T21:32:00.000-07:00

About two years ago I met a man at one of our Bible studies named Joseph Monde. He was about 68 years old and he was very inquisitive about what I believed about God. He became faithful to that Bible study and a few weeks later he announced that he was ready to trust fully in Jesus Christ and be saved. I baptized Mr Monde and he immediately wanted to start helping me in my ministry because he could speak English pretty well and saw I was struggling with my Bemba. We started going together to a new village and he was instrumental in planting a church there. He was always willing to go with me wherever I went. He would go camping with me and sometimes we would be working together 3-4 days out of a week. I never paid Mr. Monde anything for his work. When we would finish teaching a study he would ask "where are we going tomorrow" and I would insist that he rest because he was older man. He would then explain to me that he doesn't have many years left and would rather spend them working for the Lord.

Mr. Monde became severely anemic about 2 months ago. The local clinic could not determine the cause but we encouraged him to eat healthier and bought some vitamin B12 for him. He got a little better and started walking around again. I took him to one last Bible study about 3 weeks ago and he was so week he could hardly talk, and when he did speak his words did not make sense. After that he just stayed at home slowly lost more of his strength. This past Tuesday night after I received a message from his daughter and I took him to the local clinic again. Mr. Monde passed away on Wednesday morning.

Yesterday we had a funeral for Mr. Monde and I was able to preach a message of Hope and Victory from the life of Mr. Monde through the work of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Most people in this culture knew him a BaShikulu Bwaliya (the grandfather of Bwaliya). Please pray that God will work through this event and praise God for His victory in the life of BaShikulu Bwaliya.

Joseph Monde (BaShikulu Bwaliya) 1941-2010

Heating Up!

2010-11-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

Well with temperatures rising to 104.5 outside and 90 degrees inside we are trying to find ways to beat the heat. I was out on the river and saw these boys fishing naked. They begged me to take a picture and gave me their best karate pose.

Despite the high temps Hutch has mastered potty training. You can see he just polished off some chocolate after another successful trip to the toilet.

Back Online

2010-10-28T22:33:00.000-07:00

After a "brief" 1 and 1/2 months of no internet, we are back online. I will not describe to you how difficult it was to get it back up and running, but praise God it is now working. There has been a lot of good things happening here. We had a baptism in the church in Kabwe and the MM is getting the women of the church in Kaputa to start meeting for a Bible study on Thursdays. The church plant in Chansa village is going really well. In Chansa they have no well for water and so I have been working with the government here in Kaputa to try and get one dug for them. The women are currently carrying water from a well that is 2 kilometers from the village. So pray that this works out for them.

Hutch and Lulie are doing great. They have about 30 children come by everyday wanting to come in our yard and play. It is difficult because some are much older and some are very bad behaved. We have to tell many that they cannot come in, and it is hard. We have to constantly teach these other children proper behavior, and meanwhile we are trying to discipline Hutch and Lulie so the job can get big.

It's Been Way Too Long

2010-10-19T23:20:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a really long time since we've posted. We had a terrible tragedy up here, our internet modem went down. It's a shame because it was only 3 years old. I'm not sure exactly how it happened, but I think because of the electricity instability, it may have just had a shorter life span than normal. However, thanks to many wonderful people, we were able to get a new one and are waiting on it's arrival. Our friend from the electric company is bringing it, hopefully, at the end of this week.

An update on the last month. James showed the Jesus film twice, we've had another baptism, and the women have started meeting again. It's been a really productive month. God continues to surprise us with the amazing things He's doing here! We have really relaxed back into our routine of living. The Jesus film was shown in Chansa village, and in Katenshi village. The baptism was in Kabwe, and the women are meeting once a week to share, encourage and practice singing! I love hearing them sing, they are so talented, they harmonize and sound so good together! It's so neat that we get to be here and be with the people here. They are so wonderful. We love them.

We've had many children coming over to play with Hutch and Lulie. It seems like before we left, they were too young to really play, but now that they are getting bigger, the kids are realizing that they can play with our children! It's fun letting the kids come over in the late afternoon to help Hutch burn off some energy! They love our basketball court, our small slide, and the numerous cars Hutch brings out for them!

Also, James got to go hunting, killed two puku and a warthog. Then he bought a bird license and is now getting to know the different species of birds here. I'm a little squeamish when it comes to fresh meat, especially the type that DOESN'T come in already processed and in plastic wrap, but I'm learning. Maybe one day I'll get used to it.

So we are all well, and are waiting for the new modem so that we can hopefully be back online, for real. You don't realize how valuable the internet is until it's gone! Well, not completely, the cell phone companies do offer small modems, but they can't do everything and it's a little slow. We're not complaining at all, we'll take it! We'll post pictures of everything I've talked about when we get our modem up and running!

These Two...

2010-09-14T01:00:00.000-07:00

Are so cute.

A pic of our picnic on the side of the road on the way home back in august.

A pic of them up close in front of the screen porch. May I mention the Bailey Boys outfits. So cute.

Screen Porch

2010-09-09T13:06:00.000-07:00

We have a great play room. Our screen porch. Every morning we put the basket of toys out there and the kids have this great room, free from the dogs, to play. It's always cool out there and because we have a great connection to Phifer screen wire, we were able to build this beautiful porch!

It's hot here.

2010-09-09T06:15:00.000-07:00

Well, the cool season is over, if you could call it that, and now the temperature is rising. We didn't think it was so hot that the ground would burst into flames! Just kidding, our neighbor is building his house behind ours and burned his plot one evening. We had a nice show at sunset, Hutch kept running around the yard shouting, "yay, fire!" It was fun.

Baptism

2010-08-30T03:25:00.000-07:00

This Sunday at the Boma church, we had three baptisms. There were three boys who came to be baptized. It was really special because one of them was the son to Mr. Bupe Chomba, who was the first person to be baptized in the church. What is special is that we see one generation leading another to follow Jesus. It is really amazing to see this father teaching his children about Christ and the importance of a relationship with Him. We are praising the Lord for these young believers and pray that their walks with Jesus would be strong!

Hutch is 3!!!

2010-08-16T05:47:00.000-07:00

We can't believe that it's been three years since Hutch came into this world! It doesn't sound like a long time, but it has flown by! We had a little party at lunch and it was extra special because we had visitors with us, David and Janet Hooten. We made a funfetti cake with rainbow chip icing from the USA and Hutch opened presents. It was a Cars themed party. He loves Lightening McQueen, but what little boy doesn't? Here are a few pics from the occasion!

We Made it Back to Zambia!

2010-07-31T07:40:00.001-07:00

We are happy to be back, but sad to leave all our wonderful family and friends. It is so cold here, so we are enjoying the change from the blazing heat of the South! We are in Lusaka getting all we need to go home, and will leave on Wednesday to go back to our house! Everyone we've talked to in Kaputa is so excited that we are coming back. It's nice to feel missed and can't wait to be a part of what the churches have been doing these last seven months.

Here are a few pictures of the kids at the Aquarium and the flight back. Sleeping on the plane is easier the smaller you are!

Another Month

2010-05-26T18:02:00.000-07:00

Another Month has come and gone. We are still having so much fun here in America. Here are a few pictures of our recent photo shoot with our wonderful photographer Aunt Nay Nay!

Hey Everyone

2010-04-30T18:38:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry that we haven't been good at updating the blog while we've been in the USA. It is just hard with all the distractions! Here are a few pictures of the last few months. Our time is flying by and the kids are having sooo much fun!

Easter Pic, the kids were tired

Lulie at her Mississippi birthday party

Easter egg hunting together!

Kennesaw's Touch a Truck Day

Lulie's AWESOME cake made by Casey!

Lulie Walking

2010-03-29T07:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a video, I'm experimenting with videos. Thanks to Angela, for videoing this!

Pine Summit Mission Conference

2010-03-17T15:15:00.000-07:00

We are so thankful to Pine Summit Baptist Church for their wonderful hospitality to us! We were invited to come to their mission conference from Sunday through Tuesday of this week. It was in Pensacola, Fl so we were very excited to get to go to the beach! Unfortunately the only pictures we took were of Hutch and Lulie at the beach and the Naval Aviation Museum. What a great town and a great church! Thank you so much Pine Summit!

Lulie may be the pilot.
Hutch wants to start the engine.
Giving us the "cool" pose.
Hutch and Daddy
Another "cool"

Lulie's One!

2010-03-08T06:57:00.001-08:00

Lulie turns ONE
She was born a year ago in South Africa and has traveled to Zambia, England, and now the U.S. She celebrates this birthday with her grandparents (Happy and Grumpy) in Marietta, GA. What a blessing she has been!

4 generations gather with the families' only great granddaughter.

Happy 1st Birthday Lulie Frances, we love you!

More Pictures

2010-02-07T07:44:00.000-08:00

Had to put these two up here, because Hutch was deathly afraid of this horse for the first few weeks! He's in control now! He gets on and off all by himself!

Updating in America is Hard to Do!

2010-02-07T07:16:00.000-08:00

As you can see the children are having fun! Lulie has been fighting an ear infection, but that hasn't stopped her from playing!

Time Flies!

2010-01-11T04:56:00.000-08:00

We have been on a whirl wind adventure here in the States. We haven't spent more than a week in one place yet! We had a great Christmas with James' family, spent New Year's with MM's friends, went skiing with MM's family, and today we are flying to Richmond to attend the Stateside Conference! The children have adjusted fairly well, it's difficult for them to know where they are sleeping, so they've been a bit nervous, being in so many unfamiliar places. The are troopers for sure! It is so much fun being here, when we got home from Colorado, there was snow on the ground in Marietta!

This time of year reminds me how thankful I am to be able to do what we do! Also, I am so thankful for Lottie Moon, for her sacrfice for the Gospel and impact she had on the world, and now for the awesome opportunity the churches have to support what God is doing around the world. Thank you for you support and love for us and the rest of the IMB people around the world!

These two love to be pulled around!

This is my first attempt at a video! Let's see how it turns out!

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

2009-12-21T14:31:00.001-08:00

We are having so much fun in America! Here is our great family picture in the children's new Christmas clothes!

Graduation Day

2009-11-28T20:57:00.001-08:00

James graduated from seminary in Zambia through Southwesterns 2+3 Program. This allows students to go 2 years to seminary in Ft. Worth and then continue their education on the mission field. We held the ceremony at the seminary in Lusaka along with the Zambians who where graduating.

We cant wait to be in the U.S.A in less the a month and show off these beautiful kids!

Last Pics of The Kids in Kaputa

2009-11-20T00:43:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of our last few days at home. It seems that the pictures we take are always in the same place, but I'm not much of a photographer, so when I take pictures it's because I see the camera right here, turn around and snap some of the babies. Sorry for the lame background!
Lulie is a speed crawler, she goes so fast and wants to follow me all over the house, or follow Hutch to get whatever toy he has!

Hutch loves to explore, so whenever Lulie is sleeping, we go on walks around the neighborhood and see fun things. Usually we find kids playing soccer and Hutch has to steal the show, but they love it, so I don't mind. Hutch is also a pretzel junkie, he loves the eat them and even says, pwesel, which we know is pretzel. He's just so adorable, I don't even know what to do!

Our Last Week in Kaputa for 8 Months!

2009-11-20T00:11:00.000-08:00

This is our last week. We are so excited to get to go on this long exciting trip to America, but we are sad to leave our home for so long. It's hard to say goodbye to our friends, even though we'll see them again in a few months, it is still sad. This Monday, James went to Nsumbu, a town right on Lake Tangenika, to visit a teacher from Ndola, who wants to start a church there. They rented a boat and went to the village. *Pray for George Mugala, the teacher, and the village he's been called to teach, Munshi village. It was an adventure for Mr. Mumba, Mr. Chomba, and Mr. Mkungu! The lake is so clear that it looks like the ocean! Hopefully next term we'll be making many trips there!

Then on Wednesday, they had a four come to be baptized from Kamuchanga village! God is good!

Then Thursday, he had his last study at Chenchilebwe village. These kids are too cute on the bench!

Going to the Bible Study in Kamuchanga

2009-11-12T04:05:00.000-08:00

We love going to the village with James to hear him teach and see all those coming to the Bible studies, but it's hard because we attract sooo many children that we are usually more of a distraction than help! We always enjoy seeing everyone, so we don't mind the audience!

So this day the audience wasn't too bad and as you can see, Hutch is totally comfortable!
*Pray for these in Kamuchanga, that there would be a strong leader that would feel the burden to keep these believers encouraged and doing the work by spreading the Good News!

The Rain

2009-11-12T03:58:00.000-08:00

The rain is here! For the past week, it has been overcast, and raining at some point every day. The temp has gone from the 100+ to the mid 80's! Whew! We are really glad to have these clouds, because it makes it easier for us to live! Here is a picture of Hutch playing, he really enjoys jumping in the puddles!

In the Pool, Again...

2009-11-03T02:21:00.000-08:00

Another day, another pool time!

Marriage Conference

2009-11-03T02:00:00.000-08:00

This Saturday, James taught the first every Marriage Conference. He'd been really wanting to do this, and since we're going stateside soon, we thought this was the perfect weekend. There were about 50 people there and they all had a really great time. They studied what the Bible says a strong marriage should look like, what went wrong from the beginning and how marriages have been under attack from the beginning, and what major problems can hurt marriages. They were encouraged to see that God wants every marriage to succeed, and gives us the tools in His word to do that! It was a blessing to see so many Zambians come to hear and learn about having a strong, Christ-based marriage!

I came and went all day, having to take care of the babies, but I was able to get some quick pics during lunch.

More Pool Pics

2009-11-01T21:48:00.000-08:00

Love that smile!
Lulie is sooo close to crawling!

Hutch and Lulie love the pool, Lulie mostly tries to eat the grass that Hutch brings in, but they do have fun together. She doesn't even mind getting splashed a little. We are enjoying rain at night, which helps to calm down the heat at night! Thank you, Lord, for the rain here!

Kabwe

2009-11-01T10:07:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of the church in Kabwe. Pray for the members that they would continue to encourage each other, as well as reach out to those in their community! Pray that they would be strong while we are away, and that God would bless them!

BGR

2009-10-26T00:46:00.000-07:00

I can't say enough good things about the BGR. The ability to help those around us, by meeting physical needs is such a blessing! Here is another woman who is home-bound because of her disabilities, enjoying a few comforts to make life easier. She lives in Kamchanga, near the lake. God provides!

Week in Review

2009-10-26T00:13:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I haven't updated the blog this week. I just forget as the days fly by! Ooops! We had a nice visit with the Bowmans from Luwingu, Amy put cute pics on their blog of our time! I never have my camera when I should, so I have no pictures of our time together! It is so nice to be with them, they are a lot of fun. Of course, the kids had a blast playing with them. We are very thankful for their friendship! They really encouraged the church here!

James is baptizing Bana Chileshe on Tuesday in Kabwe, pray for her! The church there is still small, pray that more people would come to join and follow Jesus!

Our women's group is going great. Each week, I am encouraged by their desire to study God's word! At the end of last weeks meeting, we were visiting, and the women started talking about how so many people here put different kinds of lotions on their skin to lighten it. They said they wanted to look like me! I thought about how many times in my life I wished I could change something about myself. It just goes to show that no matter what culture/country you live in, there is still the desire to be different! I told them how beautiful I think their dark skin is, but they just laughed! We all want to change and be different in some way, but one way we can change is by letting the Lord mold us into the people He wants us to be. Then we can be happy just the way He made us!

Hutch and Lulie can't wait to come see everyone! Here are some ways we are keeping busy as we count down the days! Less than two months now!

Pool buddies

My Bailey Babies

I wish this one wasn't blurry, but he loves his sister!

More Home Care Kits

2009-10-16T23:34:00.000-07:00

James was able to give another home care kit to a woman who lives down at the salt mines. She's Congolese and is blind. She and her husband came here a few years ago to live and work because of what was happening in their home country. She speaks little Bemba, so everything James said had to be translated from English, to Bemba, to Swahili! Try explaining how to use a thermometer to take your temperature going through all those languages! James said it was very interesting. They are really suffering and it is such a blessing to get to share these things with her!

This is their house, only for a few months each year, because they can't stay here when the rains come. The river bank floods, so they go to the nearby village to live and find work until they can go back to mining salt.

The Flight

2009-10-16T23:32:00.001-07:00

I forgot a picture of Hutch and the plane. He had a bit of a bumpy ride on the way to Lusaka, but coming back was a piece of cake!
This is his cheese face.

Update

2009-10-16T09:05:00.000-07:00

We had a whirlwind trip to Lusaka on Sunday. Our inverter (which charges our batteries, enabling us to have fans at night) burned up Saturday night! So after not sleeping that night, we called around on Sunday and got the opportunity to fly to Lusaka on Monday. We drove to Kasama on Sunday, then Monday after lunch we flew to Lusaka. After getting a new inverter and a few items from the grocery store on Tuesday, we flew back to Kasama on Wednesday morning. From there, we got in the car and drove the rest of the way to be home Wednesday night! Whew!! We are thankful for the means and opportunity to do this!

Today we had our women's Bible study and 5 women came! We have started on the book of Romans and all the women are very interested in learning! We are praising the Lord for this good group of women, *pray with us that it continues to grow!

Hutch and Lulie playing in some boxes together. They sure do like to have fun!

Hammers and Bows

2009-10-04T23:56:00.000-07:00

It has been very hot here these days. That's nothing new, it's always hot here in October. However, James and I haven't been sleeping well because of the heat. Two years ago, we bought some air conditioners in South Africa. They are supposed to be "portable" but you have to open a window to stick a big hose out in order to let out the hot air. I hated these things, so I put them away. We got one out and James cleverly put a hole in the wall to let the hose release the hot air. Ok, Hutch loves to do whatever James is doing, what 2 year old doesn't? So while James is hammering away on the wall, Hutch brings his hammer to help. James couldn't resist a good picture. We were thinking of saying, Hutch got carried away with his hammer playing (that's Pat from Handy Manny), but I chickened out.

Lulie finally has enough hair for a bow. But I'm not crazy about the Pebbles look, so I think I'll keep waiting until I can put it slightly on the side. This red hair is so pretty, everyone comments on it where ever we go!
Also, Lulie has two teeth now. They've come in during the past week or so. I didn't really notice a change, one morning the first one just appeared! This picture, you can see them really good, even though Hutch is making a funny face. I don't know why he closes his eyes! He's such a little comedian!

Last Jesus Film of the Year

2009-09-30T23:56:00.000-07:00

We showed the Jesus Film for the last time this year in a village called Cocha. The rains will be coming soon (we hope) so it makes it difficult to show the film.

Hutch and Lulie enjoy the luxury of being able to watch Mickey Mouse in their own home. They are in training to help daddy show the Jesus Film in the future.

Ministry Update

2009-09-18T04:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I lost track of time, and forgot how long it's been since we've updated the blog! Apologies! We are doing good. The churches are doing great, going strong. We have been rotating among the three churches in Kaputa and are encouraged by their commitment. In Kabwe, Mrs. Chileshi has asked to be baptized and wants to join the church! The first woman to join there! Praise God for His answering of our prayers! We are excited and hope that she is able to influence the other women of Kabwe.

James and 4 church members are going to Katai tomorrow to teach, show the Jesus film, and have a church service there on Sunday morning. They'll be doing evangelism once they arrive tomorrow morning, then have a Bible study in the afternoon, show the Jesus film tomorrow night, and then have a church service on Sunday morning before coming back. *Pray with us, that they would be effective and an encouragement to those there.

The women are hard a work preparing the fields for the rainy season. *Please pray with us that they would continue to come to the women's Bible study on Wednesdays. We are slightly discouraged that they haven't been coming. We know they desire to hear God's word, but it's hard for them to come because they are busy.

Hutch and Lulie are doing great. It has rained here the last two nights, which is a surprise because the rains aren't supposed to come until the end of October! It has cooled things off a little, but the noise of the rain wakes them up at night! They have to get used to the sound of it! Otherwise, we are all great and are focusing strong on our last few months up here before a nice break!

Six Months Old!!!

2009-09-07T02:06:00.000-07:00

Our baby girl is six months old! We love you Lulie Frances!

Baptist Global Response

2009-09-07T01:40:00.000-07:00

There is a great organization called Baptist Global Response. We had the great advantage of using one of the resources they provide called In-Home Care Kits. They are buckets, prepared by the churches in America, and sent here for people who are extremely ill. They provide hygienic things to help take care of these patients. Most of the patients they are given to are suffering from HIV/AIDS, but we were able to help out a dear woman, Mrs. Monde, suffering from spinal TB. She is a church member that has had to stop coming to worship on Sundays because she's in a lot of pain. We were able to deliver to her the kit yesterday! It was such a blessing to be able to connect the churches in the States to this wonderful woman!

We want to keep encouraging the churches to be involved in the BGR, becuase they can meet some of the physical needs of those all over the world!

Here she is with two of her grandchildren.

Back to Normal

2009-09-02T23:00:00.000-07:00

Lake Mweru Wantipa, about 20k from our home.

Lounging Lulie

Hutch and Regina during church.

We have had a great two weeks in Lusaka. We left three days after Hutch's birthday and arrived back home yesterday. Unfortunately the internet was down in Lusaka, so we weren't able to do much. We had a nice time being with all our team members. All the Baptist churches in Zambia met for three days this past week. So all the missionaries from the Northern Province were in Lusaka! Hutch and Lulie loved seeing all their missionary cousins and playing with them. Lulie was taken great care of by all the little mothers in the group! We are totally recharged and encouraged to be up here for three more months before coming home!!! We are trying not to get too excited thinking about seeing everyone and all the wonderful restaurants! But we are so looking forward to the time we'll have in the USA!

Pray for us as we finish these few months and pray for the leaders here that they would be strong in the Lord while we are away.

Pray for the women here, that they will continue to meet together and be a light in their community.

Birthday Boy!

2009-08-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

Hutch is now 2 years old!!! We had a fun day with him. We started by going to church to church, and after church, 7 people were baptized! Praise the Lord! He had some friends over to play for a few hours, then took a 3 hour nap! He woke up to pizza and chocolate cake! He opened some small presents from us and ate a huge piece of cake, then didn't go to sleep until 9:45pm! He was so excited! Lulie missed the party, she went to sleep about 7pm, so he had ALL the attention! Here are some pictures of the birthday boy.

The Pictures of the Women!

2009-08-12T05:38:00.000-07:00

These Women are Awesome

2009-08-12T04:48:00.000-07:00

I know I've said this so many times, but these women are really awesome. These women work so hard all day and always do so with a smile on their face! They are such a joy to be around. During their work, whether it's cooking, cutting grass for the roof of their house, or making the floor for the church (the pictures won't upload, I'll try again later) they are having a good time. I love being around them, even if most of the time they are talking about me (I've learned enough to know when they are talking about me and what I eat, how I dress, carry my children, etc.). They are never making fun of me, just talking in general about how I am different. But they always love to teach me. I have made myself the student so many times, even when I already have an idea of the activity, I still let them teach. They are good teachers and they love to show me their culture.

So the past two weeks, they have been making the floor for the church building. The start with this root called kasava, after they have dried and pounded it, they mix it with water. It's like the plaster. Then, they mix it with the clay from the river and make this mud/clay type thing. Then, they get on their knees and spread it all around the floor. When left to dry for a few days, it becomes this hard floor! It was such a joy being part of this simple process. This is what the floors are made of in their houses, which is done by women, so needless to say, they are good at it! I asked over and over to help, but they just told me to watch, they didn't want me to get dirty! I probably would have ended up falling into the mud or something.

I'm just blessed to be a part of their lives, and today when we have Bible study, I pray that they would continue to grow in the Lord and be strong women of Faith!

Life's a Beach

2009-08-10T04:37:00.000-07:00

I decided the blog needed a face lift. On the website this template was called Life's a Beach. I liked the sound of that so I made it the background of our blog! We enjoy beach weather all year, and today we just received a new generator for our town, so today feels like a beach day!!!

Here are some pics of the children. Sorry we haven't had too many posts lately, but our power has been bad for 2 months! Now hopefully we are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel!

Ministry is great, James will be going to Katai this week to encourage the teachers and hopefully start a group there. He has also started a study at the area by the river where the people mine for salt! We are praying that these people would respond to the Good News and just like taking the impurities out of the salt, that Jesus would come into their lives and take the sin out!

She loves her big brother!

2009-07-26T23:42:00.001-07:00

They do have a lot of fun together. Hutch entertains Lulie, she just laughs and watches his every move!

Lulie's cup of coffee

2009-07-26T23:25:00.000-07:00

It is so hard being 5 months. It is so hard that Lulie has to wake up and have a cup of coffee in the morning. She takes after her mother, father, grandparents, and great grandparents who all share this love for coffee! James said we should even drop one of her feedings and just give her coffee! No, this morning, I was holding her and she grabbed my cup and was trying to drink it! James immediately ran for the camera to document this. We have similar pictures of Hutch doing the same thing, but I can't find them to post both!

Jesus Film

2009-07-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

James and Justin showed the Jesus film in 2 places before Justin left. Before they start James has been playing a Zambian christian singer, Ephraim. The children LOVE to dance, even if you can't capture it through a photo, I had to try.

The teachers in Zambia work so hard. They get paid every month from the banks in the largest town in the district. If they live out far, they travel to which ever town will have their money each month. We had the blessed chance to host two teachers, who are from Ndola, at our house. They had come in to get their money and didn't have a place to stay. They are members of a Baptist church in Ndola, and have been up here teaching at a school 1 hour from Kaputa! They are really living "out!" They have a son, Lloyd, with whom Hutch became fast friends! They were chasing each other up and down the hall all night! Hutch has never bonded with a boy like this yet! It makes me excited that he's getting to the age where he'll start really playing with other children, instead of playing near them! This picture was taken in the morning, after breakfast, when they were watching Bob the Builder together! Such fun we had! This couple are wonderful and we are praying for them and their influence on the children they teach! Pray with us, that they would encourage the children of Katai to finish their education, dream big, and most importantly have a relationship with Jesus!

Thank you Justin

2009-07-21T23:51:00.000-07:00

Since October 2007, we've had Justin with us. Monday he offically left Kaputa and will fly to the US in a week. We are so thankful for him and what he's done here in Kaputa. On Sunday, the church decided we should have a celebration for him. They prepared a goat for him! Everyone ate at the church and we had a small service to say goodbye. People talked about how much they appreciated him and people sang songs, all saying goodbye. They were so sad to see him go! Thank you Justin for being here with us, it was so fun and encouraging having another "mzungu" here in Kaputa! We wish you the best in the future!

Bupe bwa kwa Lesa (Gifts from God)

2009-07-12T03:58:00.000-07:00

Thank you for praying for the women's group! For two weeks in a row we had 4 women! This past week it was just two, but they were able to discuss the choir situation in the church and have taken it upon themselves to become the choir leaders! This church is still so new, and we are still praying for the right leadership to come forward to help lead the church and a choir leader is definitely needed!

Help us pray for the church, that the people would recognize their gifts and use them to glorify the Lord. James taught this morning on that very subject, using the spiritual gifts God gives us to glorify and build up the church. We use our gifts for Christ's glory and honor, and we do it because of what He has done for us on the cross!

Hutch and Lulie: Funny story about Hutch. We just caught him eating the soap in the bathtub, our soap bar! He didn't even think anything about it until we caught him! Gross. He loves the puppies we have, yes our dog has had her 4th litter of puppies. He wants to be one as you can tell from the picture.

Lulie is the best baby, she really makes it easy to have two. She sleeps good, eats good, and watches Hutch. She is standing so good when we hold her. She's started looking at her hand, and is even trying to grab things. She's a champ at grabbing my hair, and even pulling it out sometimes! Ouch!

Our town generator is dead again, they're bringing up another one again. We are thankful they keep sending up generators! Hopefully sometime this week we'll get power from Zesco!!!!! Other than that we are great!

Mporokoso Baptist Church

2009-06-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

This is Mporokoso Baptist Church where I have been teaching for the last 4 days. The church started in 2002 and we were teaching them evangelism, church planting, & discipleship.

These people are Baptist from the D.R.C. (Congo) who have been living in a refugee camp in Zambia for the last 10 years! We were able to get them a temporary pass to come and study with us in Mporokoso. Their story is captivating and they will soon be taken back to the town they fled from 10 years ago. Please pray for these people as they struggle to live out their faith in Jesus through such difficult circumstances.

Work Work Work!

2009-06-20T00:58:00.000-07:00

This past week I started a women's group that is meeting on Wednesdays. So many women have committed to coming, but when Wednesday comes, there is no one there! We are meeting at the home of Bana Marjory (mother of marjory). So far it's just been me and her. We are going through selected women from the Bible. It's been great studying and praying with her, but we are praying for the other women in Kaputa. They just don't seem to want to learn with us! It is my prayer that they would be led by the Holy Spirit to come and hear the Good News! Pray with me for this!

Hutch had a great play group yesterday, three kids came to play with him. He's learning to share and not be the boss! Even with the communication barrier, he still communicates that he's the boss! Oops, he's learning, but it's very slow. He's also offically sleeping in a big boy bed and completely potty trained! Yay! Except for the accidents, he's doing really really well. We're all learning!

Lulie is growing so fast, she is rolling over, standing up, and talking her head off. She watches Hutch, watches Mickey Mouse, and watches Mommy in the kitchen. It is so fun having her in the mix. Seeing Hutch want to hold her, kiss her, then give her back to me! It's hilarious!

We are still in the heat, I think the cool season is going to just skip us this year, but we look forward to winter in the US!

Kaputa Ministry

2009-06-10T08:26:00.000-07:00

THESE ARE SOME MEMBERS OF TWO OF THE BAPTIST CHURCHES IN KAPUTA. THEY ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO HELP EACH CHURCH PUT UP A BUILDING. THESE BUILDINGS WILL BE COMPLETELY AT THE EXPENSE OF THE NATIONALS.

SYNCRETISM IS A MAJOR PROBLEM IN KAPUTA. THE BLENDING OF TRADITIONAL BELIEFS WITH CHRISTIANITY. THIS IS A SIGN FOR A WITCHDOCTOR. SOME OF THE THINGS HE IS ADVERTISING IS INVISIBILITY AND THE POWER TO DRAW PEOPLE TO YOU. HOWEVER, IF YOU ALSO NOTICE HE HAS TWO CROSSES AT THE TOP OF HIS SIGN. I WONDER WHERE HE GETS THAT FROM?

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HUTCH WARMS UP THE CROWD BEFORE DADDY TEACHES THE LESSON. HE IS THE DRAW. IF HUTCH COMES YOU CAN EXPECT BIG NUMBERS.

Wii are in Kaputa

2009-06-01T04:00:00.000-07:00

Hutch and Mary Margaret are enjoying a game on Wii. Hutch has his own pad made from a Strong Bible Concordance.

This is a sign on the road to our house. This "Bedroom Doctor" claims to have the cure for HIV/AIDS.

Hutch and Lulie Frances

2009-05-18T23:30:00.000-07:00

Since we're in Lusaka, I don't have any stories so I thought I'd put up some pictures of the children instead.

In The City

2009-05-14T08:15:00.000-07:00

We are in Lusaka. James is taking seminary classes all day and I am staying home with Hutch and Lulie! It has been fun eating out, going to the grocery store whenever I need to, and especially potty training Hutch! He is doing so good and is such a big boy! We're starting slowly, still in diapers at night, but he's done better every day since we started!

James is almost finished with week one of his classes and by the end of next week, he will offically be GRADUATED from seminary!! We are so proud of him and all his hard work! We know it was not easy to write papers and read when there is so much work going on in Kaputa. This is such a milestone for him and we love him so much and are so happy for him. It was at Southwestern that we felt the precise call to come to Zambia! Now he is finishing school and can concentrate solely on the ministry around us!

We are praising God for his unending love for us and that He is allowing us to be apart of what He is doing among the Tabwa. Thank you Lord of Heaven and Earth for this wonderful task you have set before us, bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the people of this world!

Hutch loves the stairs

2009-05-06T10:41:00.000-07:00

Lulie turned 2 months old today!

This is a picture of Mary Margaret at 2 months

As They Grow!

2009-04-30T07:06:00.000-07:00

These are two fun kids!

Another Week.

2009-04-30T06:45:00.001-07:00

This past week was goood. James' studies continue to go well. Continue to pray for the people of Kabwe, Chenchelebwe, and Kaputa Boma. Every week the groups are growing so we continue to praise the Lord! I am also praying about someone to help me with a women's Bible study at the church. I think I have found someone, so pray for the women of Kaputa. Pray that they would become committed to the ministry here!

Hutch and Lulie are doing great. Lulie is sleeping and eating good. Hutch is growing and talking more and more. He is really trying to say things and repeats what we say as best as he can. He's so cute. Having two this close together is so fun and we are thankful for good health!

This shirt is made from the material of the Baptist Fellowship in Zambia. This headman had it made to promote the Baptist Church in Kaputa! Praise the Lord!