Orphan Camp Update

If you haven't taken a few minutes to read about what is happening in Zimbabwe with the orphan camp, please take a few minutes to read the River Glen Blog. What a moving and challenging journal. I've included an excerpt from the blog below. I'm also planning to put together a short video once Allen and Janelle return.



Sunday, July 29th

"Lynn Nuzzo our children’s director and I bring you greetings on behalf of our Africa team from a Salvation Army camp far down a rutted dirt road near the heart of the Matopos National Park. Here the mountains are rugged and huge boulders balance magnificently on one another, on the top of the peak. On the wall of the building where we meet most it is stated that the mission of the camp is to support the psychosocial development of children. Here each of our 55 children here been wounded by the loss of one parent or more to AIDS.

First of all I want to thank you for your prayers. We have been safe in the midst of Zimbabwe’s deepening economic and political distress. Just 2 hours ago we finished our 3 day ZBS camp. We have felt God’s hand at work in many ways. Getting our supplies to camp after an unexpected delay, getting a flat tire not in the remote bush but in the city, seeing relationships form with the children and offering them spiritual encouragement from Isaiah 11 which pictures God’s new earth and from Psalm 23, the Lord is my Shepard.

We had a wonderful morning worship today where the children sang for us with rhythmic African movement. We gave the children a decorative cross, and I preached from Ephesians 1 reminding them that God knew their names even before the foundations of earth were laid. . ."

Click here to read more.

Thank you River Glen for all you've done to bless these sweet, sweet children!!!

Lisa

Zimbabwe Orphan Camp

I've shared several times this past year about the orphan situation in southern Africa and what God is doing to bring some relief to these children's lives. The River Glen Church, outside Chicago, supports 60 of our orphans in Zimbabwe. They have created a blotspot to keep us up to date with what is happening with the camp they are running for the children this weekend. Feel free to check it out when you have a moment.

Blessings,

Lisa

More on Zimbabwe. . .

Another update from Janelle.

"As many of you know, Zimbabwe has been in both political and economic turmoil for a number of years. It seems that the problems of all these years are now converging to bring on the population of this country great times of hardship. Those who have thrived in the past are now struggling to survive, those who have always struggled are now truly becoming desperate. Even the surrounding countries are concerned that they will be inundated with thousands of staving people.

And of course, the families of our children are those who are the most desperate.

Please pray for each family and caregiver as they look at inflation up to 20,000% per year and empty shelves and no food for their families. This is a time for totally depending on God for the next day's food."

Please Pray:
1. Thank God for all his provision up to this time.
2. Pray that God will give encouragement and lift the hearts of each caregiver and each child while the whole country cries in their desperation.
3. Pray that God will miraculously provide for these families.
4. Pray that God will give us, AOM, wisdom as we work to help each family.

A Light in Zimbabwe

If you have been following the news, you might have read about the continued collapse of Zimbabwe. The situation is incredibly bleak for a country that is literally starving. There is little food on the shelves, inflation is the highest in the world, and many have turned to prostitution in order to feed their children.

Allen and Janelle left yesterday for Bulawayo. Here's what she wrote in her orphan blog.

"This is going to be a very exciting time for our Themba children (this is our orphan program that helps support many of these children in hardship). From among the members of the River Glen Presbyterian Church of Naperville, Illinois, 60 children are sponsored and prayed for regularly! And next week, this church is sending out a group of 9 people to visit the homes of different children and to hold a weekend camp for 50 of our children. Lots of Bible lessons, stories, songs, and games are planned for the children. It promises to be an wonderful and exciting week for all of us!!

Thank God for this gracious church that has taken these children into their hearts and are working out that love in very tangible ways!"

PLEASE PRAY:

1. Thank God for the love within the River Glen church for the children of Zimbabwe.

2. Ask God for safety and to bless their trip over and all the travel that will be involved.

3. Pray for safety and protection as we travel within this troubled country.

4. Pray for JOY to fill the hearts of the children, and to fill our hearts as we minister and are ministered to by the Lord.

If you'd like to learn more about a tangible way to help the people in Zimbabwe, please check out our ministry website.

Blessings,

Lisa

Happy Seventeen years!

Yesterday Scott and I celebrated our seventeenth wedding anniversary! We enjoyed dinner at the Coach House, a lovely restaurant up in the mountains.

Love you, Scott. Looking forward to another seventeen plus years together!

Lisa

Table Mountain

Looking over Cape Town, high about the Atlantic Ocean, lies a sheer mountain rise called Table Mountain. The five minute ride by cable car takes you up the one kilometer precipitous, transporting you to a view over looking Cape Point to the south and beyond, the expansive ocean. The flat-topped crest can be seen 200 km out to sea, and white clouds billowing above the sandstone have been appropriately called a “tablecloth” at times. As you can see by the following photos, the view from this tabletop is incredible.

Enjoy!

Lisa

Ministry Update

As I mentioned a few days ago, we have some ministry news to share. And as I share with you, I’d also like to ask for your fervent prayers regarding our future. Both Scott and I consider it a blessing to live in South Africa and work across southern Africa. It’s a continent of beauty, but more importantly, a place filled with people who need to know the saving grace of their Creator.

For the past few months, I’ve posted photos of our work and dreams regarding Mozambique. Our hearts have been pulled with a desire to work there full time, while at the same time God’s hand has been clearly moving in the same direction. As the Fuentes continue to train and disciple new Christians, the workload continues to grow.


This prayerful process hasn’t been easy in many aspects. We enjoy living here with family close by. The kids are blessed to go to a good school and we have friends and the conveniences of living we wouldn’t have in Mozambique. But we also know that the decision has to be made by looking beyond the physical.


The final decision hasn’t yet been made, as there are still details to be worked out. We have sought the leadership and spiritual oversight of our board and will be meeting with them by phone this weekend. We also have to ensure that our oldest son is able to take the curative medicine for malaria as he’s highly allergic to the preventive medicine. Please continue praying for this work and possible transition for our family in the next few months. I’ll keep you updated as to our plans.

Blessings,

Lisa

Duiker Island

South of Cape Town lies Cape Peninsula, a stretch of land that splits the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Hout Bay is a quaint stop along the way, and for those interested, one can take a glass bottom boat out to Duiker Island to see Cape fur seals sunning themselves on a small rocky island southwest of Hout Bay. For many years, these Cape fur seals have been prized for their pelts, meat, and blubber, but are now more protected. We so much enjoyed the close encounter with the animals and their habitat. I've posted a slide show below with some of the photos from this part of our trip and short boat ride to the island.

Also, I recently sent out my first Yahoo! Newsletter From the Heart of Africa. What’s in it for you? Contests, recipes, and other book related news. With five books coming out in the next few months, there will be several contests, and if you’re signed up for my newsletter, you’ll be automatically entered! In this first July newsletter, three people won a free copy of Tara’s Gold. Feel free to sign up for this newsletter that I will send out every couple months, as well as the opportunity to win copies of Massachusetts Brides and Montana Mistletoe for my next drawing in September.



Blessings,

Lisa



Go to ImageShack® to Create your own Slideshow

I'm back!

After driving 16 hours across South Africa we're home! We had a wonderful time seeing Cape Town and the SA coast for the first time, and God blessed us with some needed quiet time and rest. This part of South Africa truly is a beautiful piece of God’s creation.

Unfortunately, my plans to post a photo journal along the way didn't work. The "always on" hot spot we planned to use wasn't on. So instead, I'll be posting several slide shows for the next week or so that I think you will enjoy. Many of the photos we took are simply stunning. The weather was perfect, allowing us a chance to take a boat ride to see some seals, view penguins along the coast, and even bogie board in the Indian Ocean. (The kids are hooked on this new sport!)

On another note, I’d like to ask continued prayer for our ministry. God is doing wonderful things in Mozambique, and we are excited to see what the future holds. I will also have some important ministry news to share soon, so stay tuned for that.

Blessings!

Lisa




Go to ImageShack® to Create your own Slideshow

Had to share. . .

Yesterday I received a 'hot off the press' copy of Tara's Gold from my editor. I didn't expect to be as excited as I was when I opened the package, but just because it's not my first book didn’t take away any of the thrill. My publisher did such a wonderful job on the cover and presentation. It simply looks beautiful. I even had to delve into the story last night and read over halfway through it.

I planned to share a photo, but it keeps coming out looking like a negetive, so I'll try later, but I did post my first newsletter today. Congradulations to Donna, Dawn, and Jeanie who each won copies of Tara's Gold. I'll be holding another drawing around August first for a free copy of Massachusetts Brides, so be sure and sign up here.

And if you missed the trailer, be sure and check it out here.

I'm hoping to journal our trip in the next few days through photos if we can manage the internet connection.

Blessings to each of you!

Lisa

It's official!

Yes, school is out! We've just finished our second term of the year and are looking foward to a couple weeks of holiday where we don't have to crawl out of bed at six in the morning into a cold, dark room.

We'll be taking some time as a family to visit Cape Town for the first time, so if I'm able to access the internet during that time, I'll share photos as we go. According to most people I've talked to, you haven't seen South Africa unless you've seen Cape Town, so it's about time we visited.

This is a photo of Scott, Mariah, and Jayden enjoying an afternoon of riding bikes at a nearby school (with an incredible view!)

Blessings!

Lisa

Tara's Gold

It's hard to believe that the year's halfway over. It's always strange for me to hear from friends in the states who are taking their kids to water parks and enjoying the warm weather. We're in the middle of a South African winter with warm sunny days and cold nights.

With July almost here, I'm happy to announce my upcoming release, Tara's Gold, from Heartsong Presents. You can call Barbour Publishing at 1-800-847-8270 or email me at contact.harris@gmail.com to order your copy today! It will also be available through your local bookstores soon.

Here's my latest book trailer for Tara's Gold.

Enjoy!

Lisa

Eyes on the prize

Okay, I have to admit that I’m not a runner or an athlete by any stretch of the imagination. I’m not even the best at remembering to exercise, though I’m trying to be more consistent. Yesterday was the 82nd annual Comrades marathon held here in South Africa. The course is 56 miles and spans from Pietermaritzburg to Durban with almost 12,000 runners participating this year.

One of my good friends here inspired me this past year by training for the race. To prepare, she ran consistently, worked out, and participated in smaller races. Her example has helped motivate me to persevere with my own exercise regiment.

It’s also made me think about why we are here.

Paul says in I Corinthians 9:25, “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

May we all keep our eyes on Him.

Lisa

Double Crit Editorial Services

My good friend and long-time crit partner, Ronie, has just opened an online editorial service with Sara Mills. If you're a writer looking for that something extra to help your manuscript catch an editor's eye, check them out!

PRESS RELEASE
Double Crit Editorial Services

~specializes in polishing fiction book proposals~

NOW OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Double Crit is a unique freelance editing service that offers high-level critiques of fiction book proposals from two experienced editors. Whether a writer is preparing for a conference or getting ready to submit their manuscript to editors and agents, Double Crit can help.

Double Crit is here to help with book proposal formatting, query letters, synopses and story structure as well as the first thirty pages of the manuscript. They can assist with the opening hook, back-cover copy, active and passive voice, showing vs. telling, character development, spiritual threads, and point of view.

Double Crit sharpens proposals to double your edge in the publishing world.

Double Crit Editorial Services is the brain-child of Ronie Kendig and Sara Mills. Ronie and Sara were brought together as friends and critique partners because they are both represented by the same agent.

Through networking with other writers, Sara & Ronie saw a gaping need for high-level editing services for writers who want to attend writers conferences with proposals that are polished and ready to impress. Thus, Double Crit was born.

A great book proposal can open publishing house doors for a writer, and Double Crit can to help you to tighten your proposal to sharpen your edge in the publishing world.

Contact Double Crit

Facing the Giants

I don't watch a lot of movies, but when I heard about a church who'd produced their own movie for a mere $100,000, I wondered about the quality of the film.

I was wrong.

Last night I finished watching Facing the Giants and I was blown away. Maybe it's because the message hit home so clearly and deeply personally, but I was moved to tears throughout the entire movie. It reminded me how God can take willing hearts and use them to change the world, because nothing is impossible for God. And the behind the scenes footage is just as riviting as the actual film.

It's even reaching people right here in South Africa. I was amazed to find out how many people had already bought the movie because they were so moved by the story.

Nothing is impossible for God. The resounding theme is one I'm holding onto.

Here's the synopsis from their website:

From the award-winning producers of FLYWHEEL comes a new, action-packed, family-friendly drama about a high school football coach who draws up a new game plan for his team … and himself.

In his six years of coaching, Grant Taylor has never had a winning season. Even the hope of a new season is squelched when the best player on his Shiloh Eagles decides to transfer schools. After losing their first three games of the season, the coach discovers a group of fathers are plotting to have him fired. Combined with pressures at home, Coach Taylor has lost hope in his battle against fear and failure.

However, an unexpected challenge helps him find a purpose bigger than just victories. Daring to trust God to do the impossible, Coach Taylor and the Eagles discover how faith plays out on the field … and off.

With God, all things are possible …

If you haven't see the movie, you can order it here
or where you normally purchase your DVD's.

Blessings,

Lisa

What's for dinner?

You might find this store a bit lacking compared to your local Walmart. It's pretty typical, though, of a lot of stores in rural Africa. I noticed a few other interesting things today as I drove the kids home from school. Security guards at the front gate, army personal in front of the hospital, and only a handful of uniformed students walking home from classes.

What does it all mean? A labor strike across the country including services like schools, hospitals, and even transportation. Thankfully, there were no marches today in our area that I heard of, nor any other serious problems nearby. There have been a number of difficulties in other areas though, so please pray that the problems will be resolved quickly.

So, back to what’s for dinner. I had to share a great dinner idea we had a couple weeks ago at a friends house. Pancakes. But I’m not talking your typical American pancake with syrup. No, because their pancakes are what we would call crepes. They would call our pancakes flapjacks.

Confused? I’ll make it simple. Whip yourself up a batch of crepes and lay out bowls of fillings including grated cheese, meats, sautéed vegetables and mushrooms,and your favorite sauces. . .the possibilities are endless. Add your own savory fillings as well.

Roll them up and you’re ready for dinner!

Blessings!

Lisa

Slideshow from Mozambique

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Blessings!

Lisa

Thank you!

I wanted to thank those of you who have been praying for last week's ministry trip into Mozambique. God showed us so clearly his faithfulness, love, and desire for all to come to know him. While nothing seemed to go as we had planned, God's power to bring good out of difficulties continues to amaze me.

I'm still waiting for Scott to get home so we can talk face to face about all that happened. The openness of the people, the over one hundred who showed up Friday night to watch the Jesus film in their language, the people who begged them to come share with their extended families, the bridges built at the hospital, the university, and within the government. I have no doubt that God will continue to bring good from this experience.

Please continue to pray for Bia and Gustavo as they follow up full time on the many lives who are being changed. Allen will be leaving in two weeks to spend some extended time there while Janelle is back in the states visiting her new grandbaby. Pray also for wisdom as we make decisions on how to best follow up in this work. The outcome far exceeded anything we ever imagined, but we firmly believe in the importance of solid discipleship for every new believer.

The group is currently enjoying a day of rest at Kruger Game park on their way to Joburg where they will fly out tomorrow. I've posted a short video of our last trip to Kruger that I thought you might enjoy.

Blessings,

Lisa

PS. Remember to sign up for my yahoo newsletter for a chance to win a copy of Tara's Gold on July 1st! Three people will win a free copy! You can sign up in the top, right hand corner of my blog.

God's Sovereignty

Some of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve seen have been here in Africa. The night sky can be just as compelling with the vast expanse of stars shining through a brilliant black night. To me, these are reminders that God is in control. That He created this world and it was good. That He wants to claim us as his creation. As as his children.

Paul said in Romans that God works for the good of those who have been called. And that’s exactly what we have seen this week. The clinic has been officially cancelled. They forgot to tell us yet another step in the process. A committee must meet and grant permission. They meet once a month. I’m sorry for all the work that was put into planning this clinic, but God had other things in mind.

Instead of focusing on the details of the clinic, the team has been focusing on people in the area. Ministering to them, praying with them, discipling them, and leading them to Christ. I asked Scott if the doctor who came from South Africa was disappointed because he was unable to practice. Scott said no. The week had been full of frustrations, yes, but the ministry side had been amazing and has left a lasting impression on each person involved.

God works for the good of those who have been called.

I want to close with an excerpt from an email report I received from one of the members of the team. Please continue to pray that God will work mightily among the Tonga of Mozambique.

Many of you know the Sugar Creek outreach to the Tonga of Mozambique has already realized the birthing of two house churches (seven have been baptized so far). Today (Sunday) our 13-person team separated into 4 groups and visited the two house churches and two other preaching points. In each setting our team members shared their testimony and presented an evangelistic message. A very simple Gospel message was preached to the “church under the Mango Tree”. We saw many potential leaders of the new house churches who are hungry and thirsty for knowledge of God’s love and a desire to share the Good News with others.

One woman walked to the “Mango Tree” church meeting, a distance that would be a two-hour car drive. She is a female witch doctor and asked to be prayed for to release a controlling demonic spirit. After they prayed the authority of Jesus over her life, she told them that she wants to bring her family for prayer, and remove all the icons of witchcraft from her home.

After the close of the day the team gathered together in the thatch roofed hut to share testimony of our experiences. The Holy Spirit was so evident in our passionate stories of God at work among the people. As Gustavo was sharing suddenly something fell from the ceiling and landed on the table. There in the middle of us, staring right at Gustavo was a poisonous Green Tree Snake. Most of us scrambled for cover, but Gustavo did not flinch. Soon the snake was dead from the broom and frying pan. What an unbelievable moment…The Spirit of God and the serpent…face to face…the serpent is crushed.

As I was running along the shores of the pristine beach of the Indian Ocean this morning, gazing at the spectacular sunrise of a new day…my heart was overwhelmed by the radiance of the Bright Morning Star – a new dawn is shining on the Tonga of Mozambique – new churches filled with the Spirit of God are emerging and this place will never be the same.

Win a copy of TARA'S GOLD!

Here's a photo from a hike we recently took up in the mountains. This area is known for its incredible beauty and as you can see, the view was stunning.

I’ve started a quarterly newsletter that will be just about Christian fiction and updates on my books. There will be drawings for free copies of books for those who are signed up so take a few minutes to sign up and you will automatically be entered in the first drawing. Three winners will receive a copy of Tara’s Gold on July 1st with more drawings to come! You can sign up through this link, or the permanent one on my blog’s front page.

Update from the clinic: With communication at a minimum, details are scarce. Janelle received a text message from Allen this morning. Both Scott and Allen are very tired after all the extra hours of work they have put into make this clinic work, but the good news is that the doctors are making rounds at the hospital today, so this is an answer to prayer. I’m not sure whether or not the official approval has come through enabling them to run the clinic the way they had planned. Please continue to pray for both their strength and energy, and for those they come in contact with this week.

Blessings,

Lisa