Excitement is in the air. . .

Okay, you’re probably thinking I’m talking about a something profound like I just signed a three book contract (okay, so that would be great too) but no, I’m talking about excitement over a new grocery store. Or at least a new improved one.

You have to understand when we left Joburg last year to move to Duiwelskloof I went through a bit of culture shock. Gone were the big grocery stores, movie theaters, and McDonalds, and in their place was a small town with little amenities to offer. For the most part, I’ve had little to complain about. The people are friendly, and I never tire of the mountain views and tropical setting.

But then there was the day I want to look for a bag of apples.

I stopped first at the main grocery store in town, but all I found were a few bags of bruised fruit. So I trudged on to another small store I’d never stopped by before. Again, it was the same thing, but worse. I found a broken down cardboard box, with a few very rotten apples. There was one last store to check. I stepped inside and scanned the small room. Canned goods, milk, chips, and a row of open deep freezers. . .but no fruit. Something did catch my eye though as I started to turn toward the door. In the freezer was. . .a cow’s head. No kidding here. Someone had shoved a cow’s head, horns, blood everywhere, and all, into the open freezer.

I remember flooring it home and wondered why in the world we’d left behind the ease of city life.

Needless to say, I don’t do a lot of shopping in our small town. Instead I drive into the town of Tzeneen about twenty minutes away where I can find most everything we need. Until now that is. Our Spar, a chain store in South Africa, is totally renovating inside and expanding, and I have to say I’m quite excited. We’ll see in a few weeks if what they offer is really an improvement, but being the optimist that I am, I’m saying it will!

Until then, enjoy a few pictures of our town.

Coming soon. . .The price of gasoline and other such commodities.

Be blessed,

Lisa

Our new Spar grocery store














A local clothing store














One of two gas stations














The butcher shop

A baby who doesn’t cry, doesn’t get any milk. . .

I recently spent time doing extensive research for a historical novel I'm writing that’s set in southern Africa, and in the process, discovered a gold mine of African sayings and Proverbs. From stories like ‘Why the Zebra has no horns’, to sayings such as ‘Even a wise man can’t catch hold of a shadow.’

The one in my title came from one of our new Christians who was asking me a number of questions after church. He told me that some people had criticized him for asking too many questions, but I assured him that asking questions were the way to learn.

So, if you’re ever afraid to ask a question, remember this:

Ngoana ea salleng o shoela tharing. . .or a baby who doesn’t cry, doesn’t get any milk!

Blessings,

Lisa

Hope from the heart of Africa

(Our internet has been down for four days, so I’m posting last Friday’s a bit late)

I hadn’t planned to add commentary to my slide shows, but tonight I wept openly and felt the need to share. I brought in Gabriel, my nine year old son, to sit in my lap and together we watched the story of Alone through a slide presentation from the New York Times. His story ripped my heart into pieces.

Alone is nine years old, the same age as Gabriel, and lives in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. It’s a place we’ve been to many times. His mother died in 2001, and he hasn’t seen his father for years. He lives with his grandmother in a one room, cinderblock house. At night he sleeps on the cement floor. During the day, he rises at six thirty in the morning to go work in the query crushing rocks. He works for two hours, with no breakfast then goes to school. At school, he has a hard time concentrating. He’s hungry and tired. At one o’clock, he returns to the query and works for another five hours until it’s time to walk home. Supper is his only meal of the day.

Nine years old, small, undernourished. . .and truly, alone.

There are three hundred children from Alone’s school who also work in the query. Barely making enough money to help their family with a place to sleep, one meal a day, and enough water to survive.

I first thought I’d entitle today’s slideshow Tears from the Heart of Africa, but instead of tears, I’ve entitled it Hope. Hope from the Heart of Africa. As much as I don’t want to admit it, I realize that I can’t change the whole world. I can’t take away poverty. I can never insure that each child has three meals and a warm bed at night. I can’t give a loving home to every child who’s taken into child labor to work as a prostitute, a miner, a street vendor, or a full-time servant. But I can still make a difference. Each one of us can, one person, or one child at a time.

I doubt that anyone reading this post will go to bed tonight with no supper. We have shoes on our feet, and warm beds to sleep in. We are blessed. Because of this, go out and make a difference in one person’s life today. . .and tomorrow. . .and the next day. A neighbor, a friend, someone who’s lonely and needs a phone call, someone you see on the street, someone who needs a friend, a hot meal, a shoulder to cry on. . .and start changing the world, one person at a time.

Be blessed,

Lisa

Link to the New York Times slide presentation on child labor: http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/world/20060814_ZAMBIA_FEATURE/blocker.html?th&emc=th

A BRIEF LOOK BACK

Memories from the Heart of Africa

Flying over Victoria Falls

Photos from the heart of Africa

Sunrise over Mozambique

Photos from the heart of Africa

Driving through the Bush

Photos from the heart of Africa

IYKDWYBDYKGWYBG. . .

Okay, no, my title is not a typo, but can you pronounce it?

Scott just returned from a very productive ministry trip to Zimbabwe where he and Allen met with about thirty church leaders for a three day, intense conference. “Can you pronounce it?” was one of the first questions he asked the group.

Why? Because this ‘word’ describes the problem he wanted to address.

“If You Keep Doing What You’ve Been Doing, You’ll Keep Getting What You’ve Been Getting.”

Scott’s focus for the weekend was the importance changing our way of thinking from survival mode to intentional evangelism and church planting--and becoming fishers of men. He shared on the importance of finding a person of peace, like Lydia and Cornelius, and how from the very beginning, we want our house churches to be groups that are evangelistic. We want our cells to have a group DNA that includes the urgent mission to reach out to “ALL.”

I won’t go into all the details of his talks in my post, but the power point he put together was absolutely fantastic, and I’m excited to see how God will use this information to motivate the churches here throughout southern Africa for His glory.

As for happenings at home, life is never dull. Our internet is finally up after being down for two days, we have limited water for the next two weeks (complete water outages from time to time), and some nasty pluming problem. All of that and another snake! But spring is in the air and we are all healthy, so there are no complaints from me!

Next week I plan to post a slideshow of photos each day. . .from the heart of Africa. So stay tuned!

Blessings,

Lisa

Playing catch up. . .

I thought it was time I took a breath and sent a post. I've discovered that with Scott out of town, life gets very hectic for me. I temporarily become the parent, chef, chauffer, mentor, disciplinarian, tutor, pal. . .the list goes on and on. These last few days have been no exception. With school in full swing, life is good, but full.

Today, Gabriel played his first field hockey game, and wouldn't you know I forgot to bring the camera. I'm hoping he will have more so I can take a few pictures. He certainly loves his sports and does very well. He's concentrating on swimming right now as he's recently joined a swim club, something we feel will be good for him. Mariah continues with her ballet, loves spelling and reading, and Jayden just loves to play and be around people.

I have a bit of good news; I just sold my tenth book! This latest sale is the second book in my cozy mystery series. I can hardly believe it, and feel so blessed to have the opportunity to write as part of my ministry. I still feel like a newbie in the business, though, and know I still have so much to learn!

In the next day or two, I'll share about Scott's trip into Zimbabwe. They've crossed the boarder back into South Africa, so I'm praising God that not only did their trip go well, but they are safe.

Blessings,

Lisa

If you died tonight. . .

I continue to be excited about the growth God is bringing us through our cell group. We are specifically reaching out to the domestic workers in our area, a group of people often overlooked. I’m constantly amazed at their excitement as they learn stories from the Bible that they have never heard before. Often David, who translates for those who don’t speak English, gets so drawn into the lessons that he forgets to translate. His enthusiasm is refreshing.

In the African cultures, it’s considered polite to receive gifts with both hands as a sign of thankfulness and honor. One of the questions we often ask people is if you were to die tonight, would God receive you with both hands. We asked the question on Wednesday night to our group. Two of the new Christians said yes, but the other three said no, they didn’t believe that God would receive them.

This led to a time of David sharing why he could confidently say yes, God would receive him. Our goal is not to simply make converts, but to train disciples. Disciples that will develop a deep relationship with God, an understanding of God’s word, and who will in turn express the joy of their faith with others. What a wonderful experience it was to watch as David shared why he was confident that God would accept him with two hands. Their conversations continued after our own study and onto the next evening as David continued to share with them.

On another note, please pray for Scott and Allen as they are now in Bulawayo teaching a number of our leaders. The situation in Zimbabwe continues to worsen by the day, so we ask for your fervent prayers for their safety during this time.

Blessings,

Lisa

TWELVE DAYS IN AFRICA

(To be sung to the tune of the Twelve Days of Christmas)

On our recent trip through Africa we saw the strangest things. . .

Twelve lazy hippos

















Eleven elephant crossings
















Ten armed police checks
(no photos allowed)




Nine million kwacha
















Eight border crossings
















Seven plates of Nshima

















Six shopping malls
















Five. . .malaria infested mosquitoes.
















Four-wheel driving

















Three thousand miles

















Two weeks of cold showers






















And a troop of monkeys in a baobab.

Prayer update and a BIG thanks!

GRACE AND MARTIN

Grace is now home from the hospital after delivering the baby. We found out that the reason the baby died was that it was severely deformed. Please pray for this family as they work through the loss of their child.

INTO ZIMBABWE

Scott and Allen leave on Friday for a week of teaching and training of a number of our church leaders from Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia. We ask for your prayers as they go into Zimbabwe as the country continues to fall apart. Most services are at a stand still and gas prices have doubled the past week. People can hardly afford a loaf of bread. The list could go on and on.



These two pictures I’ve posted are of our first visit to Zimbabwe four years ago. Plans at that time were to move to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, but because the government offices were shutting down, we were unable to get any visas. Four years later the situation is only worse. Please pray for the people of this country who are facing enormous difficulties right now. Please pray also for Scott and Allen’s safety, and that the leaders of the churches will be encouraged and will take to heart the things that they learn.


THANK YOU!!!

I think I mentioned earlier that we are in the process of selling our house in Dallas. We’ve had renters in the house since our arrival in South Africa, but are needing to sell now. Scott’s dad graciously drove down to Dallas last week and has been fixing up the house and getting it ready to sell. We appreciate his help so much. I also want to give a big thanks to Lynne, Jane, Meredith, Matt, Amy, Tory, Duane, Diana, Rick and Jackie from our home church in Dallas who spent time cleaning and repairing the house as much.

You all are a big blessing to us and we are humbled by your generosity!

Thank you so much!

Lisa

Prayer Update

We just recieved word that the baby has died. Martin and Grace are a big part of our ministry as missionaries to the Lozi people in western Zambia. We ask for your prayers as Grace waits to deliver the child and as the family goes through this difficult time.

Blessings,

Lisa

Urgent Prayer Request

We just received word that Grace Mulyata, the wife of one of our church leaders and the coordinator of our orphan program in Zambia, has just returned from the hospital with possible problems with her unborn baby. Grace is nine months pregnant and they could not find the baby's heartbeat. Her husband said that they are planning to induce this afternoon.

We are concerned not only about Grace and the baby, but the medical care she is receiving as well. Please pray for these dedicated servants of the Lord.

Lisa

INTO MOZAMBIQUE. . .

Scott recently traveled with Allen and part of the team that helped us at the medical clinic to Mozambique where we are starting a work among the Tonga. The Tonga are one of the unreached people groups in Mozambique with less than one percent claiming to be Christian of any kind.



In our recent survey of the tribe, with the help of a local Christian, we learned that the most common reason stopping the Tonga’s from become a Christian is that they are happy to serve the witchdoctors and continue with their ancestral worship. They have not been receptive in the past to the Gospel of Jesus Christ because they are content to keep their relationships with the ancestors and witchdoctors. We have discovered the tremendous need the Tongas have for a living Savior who will deliver them from the bondages of witchcraft and syncretistic Christianity.






Inhambane is located on the coast of Mozambique and we can get there in one day’s drive. Much of the group’s time was spent meeting government officials to get permission for us to start working in the area, a very important step in the process. Time was also spent talking to many of the local people.


















One man, Eduardo, gave his life to Christ during this time. He is planning to go back to his family’s village and share with them his new faith. This is exciting for us as we prayed for a ‘man of peace’ who would help to open the way for us into the country and give us a place to start our first home church. Scott and Allen will be returning next month for follow up and more teaching for Eduardo and his family.





Some of the people they met.



















African Outreach Ministries is a non-denominational ministry whose goal is to reach unreached people groups with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are currently needing people who will partner with us both financially and prayerfully. Please contact me for more information if you are interested in being a part of this ministry.

I'll share more in my next post.

Blessings,

Lisa

FRENCH TOAST, HOT BUTTER, AND . . .KETCHUP?

I like to think that I'm doing a pretty good job adjusting to life in South Africa. For the most part, I know my way around. I've learned a ton of new words in English, like bonnet, braii, and drimac. I've learned to drive on the left hand side of the road, celebrate Christmas in the middle of a heat wave, and eat fruit chutney, biltong, mealie-meal, and bobotie.

Perhaps because of this, I noticed that I haven't had any culturally profound things to write about lately.

Until Sunday.

Gabriel had a friend spend Saturday night with us, so I decided to get up early and fix French toast, a special treat for our family. We all sat down to eat and after I'd passed out the food to everyone, our South African guest asked for a bottle of tomato sauce (Ketchup).

I cocked my head. Tomato sauce. . .on French toast. Obviously, he'd never had French toast. Especially French toast dipped in a batter with cinnamon and vanilla!

I started to explain that this was French toast and we put butter and hot maple syrup on it. He wasn't impressed and insisted he wanted the Ketchup. This of course was fine with me, as long as I didn’t have to eat it. I did finally convince him to try and my homemade syrup which he (thankfully) said he liked.

I talked to his parents after church because I thought the idea of ketchup and French toast was so humorous. They then explained that to a South African, French toast is a savory dish so adding ketchup, cheese and other such items is the norm.

I explained that most Americans that I knew would roll over and die before putting Ketchup on their French toast!

Coming next: Into Mozambique

Be blessed!

Lisa

ZAMBIA PART FIVE: GAME DRIVE

Before I jump into sharing a few photos from our game drive and a river boat safari along the Chobe River, I have to pass one some really neat news.

Yesterday I mentioned David Livingstone in my post. Livingston was a famous Scottish explorer and missionary across Africa who lived back in the 1800’s. I was captivated by his life after doing a bit of research for a fictional book I’m writing set in Africa. After I finish my current deadline (August 1st!!) I was planning to read his biography. Today I heard from a cousin of mine who is doing an extensive genealogy that includes my family, and she told me that David Livingston was the great, great, grandfather of my mother’s first cousins. As a missionary to Africa who’s heart has been captured by the people of this continent, this was REALLY cool news! Thank you, Alene!

Okay, onto the photos. Seeing the animals up close is always such an awesome experience for me. I love going on the game drives and could spend hours just watching the animals. We saw a family of monkeys, hippos, crocs, birds, elephants, giraffe, wild dogs, hyenas, lots of buck, buffalo, and I’m sure I’ve missed a few. We were also able to go down the Chobe River in a boat where we saw these elephants crossing the river (these are for you, Ronie!) and the hippos. The picture of the wart hog wasn’t a kill, the animal is just sleeping. LOL

Enjoy,

Lisa

ZAMBIA TRIP: PART FOUR

For those of you following my posts on our time in Zambia, after ten days of travel and ministry, we wanted to treat our hardworking team from the States (and us as well) to a couple days of tourist stuff. So, after leaving Mongu, we headed for Chobe National Park in Botswana.

Instead of taking the grueling twelve hour route on an unpaved (very bumpy) road, across one border, and over one ferry like most of the group, I was blessed to be able to fly on one of Missionary Aviation Fellowship's (MAF) planes with the kids. While I’m not fond of flying, I have to say, I loved going up in the small plane. You could look out and see miles and miles of Africa. The highlight, without a doubt, was a once in a lifetime experience--a chance to circle Victoria Falls by air. I first saw the falls four years ago when we took a survey trip across southern Africa. I’d seen photos of the natural wonder, but NOTHING comes close to actually being there. It’s indescribable. Seeing it from the air, gave me an entirely different perspective. One I’ll never forget.

























We later drove about an hour from our hotel in Botswana, through another boarder and into Zimbabwe to view the falls up close. The Victoria Falls are said to be one of the world's most spectacular waterfalls. They are situated on the Zambezi River, between Zambia and Zimbabwe, and are about one mile wide and 420 feet high. David Livingstone discovered the falls in 1855. While at the time they were known as Mosi-oa-Tunya, meaning the "smoke that thunders" Livingston renamed them after Queen Victoria.






























After seeing the falls, we enjoyed high tea at the Victorian Falls hotel.













Tomorrow: The game park

Blessings!

Lisa

PRAISES AND PRAYER REQUEST!

Zambia Trip Update:

We just received some fantastic news! If you’ve been following my reports on our Zambia trip, you will remember the four month old baby that we sent to Lusaka. (Check out Zambia Trip: part three). The surgery was successful and the baby has returned home and is doing fine! I’m so excited to hear how one life was dramatically changed through God’s mercy and healing hand. The family went to church on Sunday to share what had happened and to thank the congregation for their help. Please pray that this family will come to know God fully.

Prayers:

We still have a house in Dallas that we were unable to sell before moving to Africa. Thankfully, we have had renters in the house since we left. The time has come, though, that we have to sell. The renters moved out in June and now the house is up on the market. Houses are moving very slowly in the area the house is located, so we ask for your prayer that God will work a miracle and the house will move quickly.

Coming soon:

Flight over Victoria Falls
Report on Mozambique trip

Blessings!

Lisa

Map of Africa

Because I always refer to several countries, I thought I'd post a map to show exactly where we are working. Right now, our work extends from South Africa to Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, and into Mozambique. I recently mentioned our flying over Victoria Falls. It is on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia. And to answer another comment, the Sahara desert is across northern Africa, so we aren't actually near it.

Facts:

1. Mongu, Zambia is 70 kilometer’s from Angola.

2. We have orphan programs in both Mongu and Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

3. Our new church planting work is among the Tonga people in Mozambique.

4. We work with about 80 churches throughout Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi

5. We are focusing on leadership training in South Africa

Blessings,

Lisa