Prayer Retreat

Many things have happened since our 40/40 training. Right after 40/40 we had the opportunity to go to prayer retreat with all the missionaries here in Zambia. It was wonderful getting to know everyone. Some of the people were in the 40/40 training with us others were new faces. God sure has blessed us with our Zambian family.

While we were at the prayer retreat we were able to go on a safari and see several different types of animals. At this point I cannot tell you the names of all the animals we saw except for the zebras, bush bucks, and lions. Madylanne loved the zebras. She would point at them with a huge smile telling us to look. She also liked the lions we saw. At times we thought the lions were a little too close for comfort even though they were in a cage. We also saw some monkeys which prompt Madylanne to screech like one. It was wonderful watching her enjoy the animals.

We stayed in this room during prayer retreat


Madylanne during the safari

Lions on safari

Zebra Video

One BIG bug

Madylanne relaxing in her car set

Something big happened at prayer retreat. It was the first time all of the Upper Zambezi Team were together in one place. God really must love us because He put us on the best team in Zambia. I am sure other teams in Zambia would beg to differ but I would have to say that they are wrong.

Tomorrow is the day. We are heading to Sesheke for the first time. We are ready to be there. Our Team leaders will escort us there and make sure we are settled in before they head home. They sure have been a blessing to us. Please continue to pray for us as we transition to another location.

Thank you for your prayers and know God has been very good to us.

40/40 and Beyond

Last month we were at training called 40/40 orienting to life in Zambia. It was a wonderful time of learning for all of us. We learned how to share Jesus in a culturally relevant way using “Creation to Christ” which starts in Genesis with creation then sharing additional Bible stories from the Old and New Testaments and ending with why Christ came to the world and how He is the only way to a relationship with God the Father. We learned how to camp and how to live in a village in a hut! We learned about friendship and culture from our National helpers. We learned about the closeness of community through our home stay family while in the village. We learned the proper procedures to meet with government officials, chiefs, and headmen of tribes. Before 40/40 we were told good stories along with some that would suggest a mild suffering during training. I am here to say that 40/40 is not suffering, it’s not even survival; it’s an experience. Where else could Melynda learn how to defeather a chicken, cook traditional African food, shell peanuts, shuck maize, and practiced driving a stick shift. Mark learned a very important component in building relationships. It consists of sitting on a small stool for long periods of time while visiting with the village men. This act is not good for the back but it does work very well when telling them about Jesus. Madylanne learned lots of new songs, her favorite of which is “Mwamba Mwamba,” which is about how Jesus is the only way to heaven. She loves to sing it!

We would like to share some sights and sounds of our 40/40 experience.
Lusaka Phase:

Melynda, Amber, and their helper Rose eating nshina


Melynda and her helper Rose


Mark and his helper Tembo


Melynda, Rose, and Bridget at the market


Madylanne won the Happy Camper Award for listening to her teacher


This is the compound Mark worked in during the Lusaka phase


Our helpers sing a goodbye to us


Bush Camp Phase:

This is Thomas it was a blessing getting to know him


This is the tent we stayed in


Bush camp, there are many more tents which cannot been seen here


Amanda, Taylor, and Madylanne having fun


This is Richard our helper during the Bush Camp phase


Our helpers at Bush Camp singing a song to us


The Kitchen staff singing to us. Sorry about the video. It was fun watching them dance


Home Stay:

Madylanne is getting her toenails painted for the first time


Madylanne having fun with new friends


The hut we stayed in during our home stay


Melvin and Madylanne


Madylanne having fun while singing


Our home stay family


Melynda is learning how to make nshima


Melvin and Cynthia


The dinner table


Misc. Pictures:

Madylanne at our house at the resort


A wonderful pair


Roadside market selling fish


We got some really good news- in about a week we will head to Sesheke, which is where we will live to minister! The house we will live in has been refurbished and is ready to move into, thanks to a wonderful logistics coordinator and his wife. They have worked very hard to get things ready for us, thank you Dwayne and Betty! We are so excited to know we will be in the place God called us to over a year ago.

A happy Thanksgiving to everyone! It seems impossible that it is nearly here. We pray you are thankful for all the blessings the Lord has given, most especially life through His Son Jesus Christ.

Thanks for your prayers and support, we couldn’t be here without you. Please remember the Lottie Moon Christmas offering will be starting soon if not already. This is an offering through SBC churches that funds over half of the international mission board’s budget every year, and all the money received goes straight to the field to the missionaries and their work. We are so very grateful to be a part of the SBC, where we are determined to work together to reach the nations for Jesus.

Welcome to Zambia

Thank you so much for your prayers for us and for the Lozi people of Zambia!!

We have been acclimating to life in Zambia this past week and a half. It honestly feels as if we have been here about a month, in a good way! We really love it, the people are wonderful. We have national registration cards and Mark has his driver's license (he had to take a driving test to get it!) and I still need to take mine, but I am waiting to attempt this until I get a little more practice driving stick shift 4x4 trucks first.

We are off as of tomorrow to what is called 40/40- an incredible training that lasts 30 days (used to be 40, thus the name) and takes place in a variety of locations:
12 days in Lusaka, learning our way around a big city
12 days in the bush, learning how to live in a tent without amenities
3 days in a Zambian home with a Zambian family
3 days of R&R

and this brings us up to November 22nd, at which time we will return to the mission house in Lusaka for a few days before our next adventure, a country wide prayer retreat.

We will not be able to communicate by phone or email while we are at this training, so don't think we are ignoring you if you email us.

Please pray for:
learning attitudes as we encounter culture in a whole new way!
good health
and for the journeygal, Mary, who is watching the 2 yr olds- she will have her hands full with our bunch! :)

Training Time

It has been a while since our last blog but many things have been going on. First we are finished putting our belongings in the crate. This was not a fun ordeal but it is done and we no longer have to think of it until we receive our stuff (Lord willing) in Zambia.

Second we have traveled to Virginia for our 8 week training. We were able to visit our dear friends outside Atlanta along the way. Our classes started yesterday but we have been here for the last 4 days. It has been nice seeing our friends that we have made along the way. We can’t believe that this time has come. It has been a long process and now it is coming to an end and we will be on the field in 2 months.

Madylanne started school today. She was so excited to be able to go. She kept telling us she was going to ride the school bus to her class. The problem with that is we walk to her class since it is only a few buildings from where we are. The closest thing to a school bus she gets to ride is her stroller. She doesn’t seem to mind though because she is making many new friends. We think she is going to have a wonderful time here. One of her new friends is in the same quad we are and she is loving it. This is an answered prayer because this family will also be serving in Africa in our same cluster so the two girls will get to play together in the future.

We have been blessed by the outpouring of love and support from Woodland Baptist Church and Metro East Baptist Church. Though we have several wonderful churches praying and supporting us these two church families has been especially kind in helping us prepare for the mission field. We already miss our church family at Metro East.

In the middle of all this Madylanne turned the BIG 02 on June 4th and enjoyed a huge family birthday party which she still talks about. She is still working on holding up two fingers instead of five when you ask her how old she is.

Thank you for your prayers. We still are preparing for the field and we do covet your prayers so that we may be fully prepared spiritually for what lies ahead.

Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

APPOINTMENT

On May 20 in Denver We were appointed by imb to serve the Lozi people of Zambia. It was a wonderful experience that consisted of a week of informative meetings and fellowship with other appointees and imb personnel. It was great to see the friends we made during Candidate Conference in February and also build new friendships with appointees we met in Denver. The ceremony on the 20th was humbling. The church, Riverside Baptist Church, where the service was held was full of people that came out to support us appointees. Riverside was very supportive and helpful during this time as well. We had the opportunity to visit one of their Sunday School classes and were blessed by the people we met. God has brought many people into our lives that have been very supportive of our calling to the Lozi people of Zambia. Prayer partnerships, support of varying kinds, and friendships are examples of how God is taking care of us, supporting us, loving us. Although our lives are turned upside down and crazy, there is no better place to be then in the will of God.

A Trip to the Zoo

Time management has proven itself a challenge as we prepare for life overseas. However, there was time for a visit to the zoo. Madylanne just loves the zoo. During this trip Matt, my brother, and Jason, my friend since freshman year of high school, joined me, Melynda, and Madylanne for a fun filled afternoon of observing animals in their cages.



Well at least I was observing the animals. I think Madylanne was watching the monkey taking pictures. It was wonderful to spend time with family and friend. I wish I had pictures of Matt and Jason to share but they were the monkeys taking pictures.



As with every event that includes a child an accident was guaranteed to happen. This time around it had to deal with Madylanne eating her lunch. The eating part went just fine; however, the drinking milk portion didn’t go as planned. Madylanne decided the straw she was using wasn’t fast enough so she tipped the milk bottle all the way back to help speed up the process. To her surprise the milk came out too fast. She was soaked with milk for the rest of the visit.

Thank you Jason for sharing your pictures. We are still waiting on Matt to be as generous and share his pictures of the zoo with us.

Praise the Lord

we are so thankful….we got good news on April 20…we have officially been recommended to be appointed by imb to career service!!! We are praising the Lord and thanking Him for His faithfulness. Thank YOU for your prayers- we know we wouldn’t be here now without your prayers, love and support. The appointment service is in May and then in late July we will head to Richmond, VA, for 8 weeks for orientation and training. In early to mid October we will leave for Sesheke, Zambia.
We will be reaching the Lozi people with the good news of Jesus. We covet your prayers for them to have open hearts and ears to hear the good news and meet Jesus personally. We would also love your prayers in regards to US being open and ready to learn the Lozi language and a new culture, so that we can share Jesus’ love in ways the Lozi people can understand and receive.
THANK YOU for your partnership with us!! May God bless you as you have blessed us!

Answered prayers

We have been sick, but we are recovering, thanks to a very loving God and medicines, too. Proof to this can be seen below as Madylanne dances with her cousin Noah, poses with her cousins Logan and Kylie, and plays superstar with her cousin Rachel.

We have another answer to prayer, Mark has a job! He will be working for the 2010 United States Census Bureau, starting April 13th. Thank You Lord and also to all of you who have been praying for us!! Please let us know how we can pray for you too!

Have a blessed Easter! Our Savior is alive, that is why we have hope and joy in uncertain times. Nehemiah reminds us that God took care of the Israelites while they were wondering in the wilderness for 40 years- their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell. (Nehemiah 9:21) If God can do that for them, He can take care of all our needs, too. He is faithful!!! We are witnesses to His faithfulness and loving kindness.

Welcome Spring 2009!

Yes, here we are in the middle of a winter storm that forgot spring arrived last week. Madylanne has been too sick with fever everyday for the last week to play in the snow today, unfortunately, but Melynda got to tromp around in it and be reminded that in the stillness and the beauty of fresh fallen snow, the Lord is there.

We’ve all been watching lots of Elmo, as he is Madylanne’s favorite critter these days. We broke the cycle with watercolors this afternoon. Madylanne enjoyed painting with water the most!