Elizabeth Mulelekwa

To all of you who have prayed so quickly and faithfully for Gift Mulelekwa's daughter:

Praise the Lord Jesus for His mighty power. The day we left Gift and his children, two days ago now (Monday), Elizabeth's hand was looking much better. I can't help but think that this 'crisis' seems so small in comparison to my friends Todd and Amy Damotte and their daughter Gretchen who is still fighting for her life. Nonetheless, to Elizabeth, her father Gift, and the rest of the community there, this was and continues to be a big deal. So thank you for praying for us and for her. I am including pics and details for those medical people who will want to know. For the queasy people, just disregard!

On the day we arrived, Gift told us that his daughter Elizabeth (Lizzie, as we call her now) had suffered a pretty bad puncture wound about a week previously. She had been away at school staying with some relatives who had forced her to pound corn into cornmeal for making beer! That’s when the accident happened. Needless to say, Gift was NOT happy about that. When I first examined Lizzie’s hand it was swollen about one and a half times normal size. It was extremely painful, hot, and oozing pus. Thankfully it did not stink. And she had no red streaks up her arm (it is possible to see veins on her dark skin) and no fever.

Gift’s mother is a practicing witchdoctor. She had insisted on treating the girl’s hand using her own traditional methods (witchcraft / magic charms). Gift vehemently resisted and said, “Absolutely not.” He told me later that the people worship an infected body part as if it were some kind of god. They believe that a ‘special’ spirit has taken up residence in the infected part and that the spirit had to be worshiped and appeased so that it would heal the infected part. Gift said that if the person survived at all, the appendage was most often rendered useless and lame.

I told Gift that the most important thing to do for her was to soak the hand in clean, pre-boiled water. His mother was appalled and told Gift, “You can’t treat that sacred thing (the hand) like that! You’ll see; she will lose her hand.” Gift’s wife, the mother of Lizzie was away in Lusaka to care for her father so the grandmother was the only other person around who could help Gift in caring for Lizzie’s hand. And she refused. So it was up to Gift (and to me) to soak her hand and wrap it.

So that first night, we soaked it for about 30 minutes. I cleaned it with peroxide and scrubbed it (which was quite painful), applied some triple antibiotic ointment, bandaged it all up, wrapped it to keep it clean, then gave her some children’s Tylenol for the pain. Then we both prayed for Lizzie that God might work on our behalf for this little girl and show that He is mighty and powerful and will prove that He is to be trusted over witchdoctors and Satan. That night I talked to Steph on the phone and asked her to consult some doctor friends / brothers of mine, which she did. Both said to continue the soaking up to five times a day for 30 minutes each time and try to squeeze the pus out. Wow. That was gross and painful for poor Lizzie. But Gift was an attentive father and did exactly what I told him to do while the grumpy grandmother sat back and watched (and stewed).

After the first full day, Lizzie was all smiles and said that that the pain had gone away. The next morning I cut away much of the dead skin around the wound and I got the first good look at the wound. Between her second and third finger there was just a black hole going deep into her hand. It was too late for stitches and nowhere to go anyway. (the nearest clinic is Sesheke). I stuffed gauze as gently as possible down into and on top of the hole hoping it would draw out pus. Gift was busy with us during the day so unfortunately Lizzie only soaked her hand in the morning and at night (because the grandmother refused to help us). But over the next two days the swelling went down, the hole began to close up and the skin looked pink and healthy (like raw chicken). I am just amazed at how God has designed our bodies to heal themselves.

By day four (Sunday), the grandmother finally gave in. She could see that God was healing Lizzie’s hand and so she agreedto soak it. I think she soaked it all five times that day! I am disappointed with the close-up photos of Lizzie’s hand because they’re blurry. But anyway, those pics were taken Monday morning just before we left them. Please continue to pray for the grandmother that God will bring her to her knees in surrender; in repentance and faith, and that she will bow her knee now before it’s too late.

Healthcare in rural Western Province, Zambia is appalling. But I am seeing that God is using this lack to display His mighty power to save. Gift’s faith is being strengthened as it is tested before the rest of the village and he chooses to remain steadfast in the Lord rather than giving in to the pressure from everyone to go to the witchdoctors. On a final note, Gift was fascinated by what I was doing with Lizzie. He asked me for a copy of “Where There Is no Doctor – a village healthcare handbook” and I told him I would get him one. The more the Lord raises this man up to be a leader among his people, the more they will be coming to him for help of every kind, including medical help. He told me that he sees healthcare in the same way as farming – God has given us all the resources. Now we must be faithful to use them according to what God says in the Bible. I couldn’t agree more.

Bio-Sand Filter Project

After a refreshing but exhausting trip to the states (is it possible for it to be both?) we returned to Zambia with greater motivation. Our wonderful friends, the Johnson family, recently returned from South Africa. We enjoyed a great weekend together sharing in a renewed sense of purpose.

The river is approaching its highest level for the year. Mutemwa Lodge was completely surrounded by water. We had to park our trucks at a local village and hike along trails, paddle canoes across a deep channel, and then hike some more through knee-deep water to get to the lodge (total distance maybe two kilometers or so). What an adventure for the families! Our wives and kids did great. I was proud of them. We laughed at the thought that some people pay lots of money for that kind of experience and here we were just trying to go see our friends! (The Johnson's go through this every Sunday morning on their way to and from church and any time they need to go to Katima for supplies).















While we were there, we men were able to serve our brother Anton, the pastor of Mount of Light Church near the village of Kalobolelwa (of which the Johnson family is a part). We spent the day preparing and setting a bio-sand filter for his home so that he and his family can enjoy purified water to drink. The filter container and the technology were donated and taught to us by Convoy of Hope, Springfield, Missouri. We are so very grateful for them and for this practical blessing from the Lord.










Our hope is to set up about a dozen more filters in the area, in the homes of the people with whom we have established relationships. One conviction that has increased lately is that Jesus ministry was consistently two-fold: proclaiming the gospel (which is salvation for all people by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ alone) and extending his hands in mercy ministry to the needy. With that goal in mind, we are researching a number of appropriate and sustainable methods that will make life easier for our Lozi brothers and sisters including: square foot gardening for family veggies and salad production, Foundations for Farming methods for growing maize and beans, aquaculture (fish farming), rope and washer pumps for wells, rocket stoves and/or solar cookers for cooking, adobe ovens (made of termite mud and sand) for baking, gray water recycling, and passive solar toilets for better waste management.

It's a big list and a big dream and it's only by the grace of God that we could see community development accomplished to this level. But, hey, you gotta' start somewhere and this bio-sand filter was just the beginning of practical mercy ministry. And how satisfying to actually accomplish a project in one day!

February Visit to Salamanu

It was a whirlwind of a trip during this month of February, 2011. Like the Catechism Team back in August, this was another children's teaching team, not a building team. Our friend Melissa arrived a few days earlier than Cheryl and her grandson Noah. The four days we spent out in the village were action packed! They were eager to do some children's ministry and we knew just the village for some children's catechism lessons - Salamanu.

Shannon and Enoch had gone to visit Salamanu village just the week before. This village is an hour's walk south of us, and we visited it a few times eighteen months ago with Dominic. After a few visits we stopped going temporarily because the people kept asking for "stuff" and didn't seem interested in bible teaching and the gospel. We had to cancel our last visit because most of the village was drunk. We had decided to wait a while before going back. Then we got busy with building the bush camp and teaching in the villages closer to camp. Thankfully, despite our long absence, Shannon and Enoch were warmly received. The people quickly gathered and stayed to listen to the gospel even when it started raining (they produced an umbrella for Shannon and Enoch). Shannon strongly emphasized that we were not coming to bring them "stuff" like shoes and cement, but that we came first and foremost to give them the gospel. The village took the rebuke well and begged the guys to come back.








































We spent three - and - a - half days doing a short, intense version of the catechism teaching from back in August. There were morning and afternoon sessions each day. By the third day, we counted almost 70 children and perhaps 20 men and women attending. Of course the children loved it, and the village could not get enough of Enoch's original Lozi songs. But what surprised us most were the men. Although it was a program primarily for children, and often taught by women, the men in Salamanu defied their cultural norms and came to every session. They even brought notebooks and pens and took notes! One young man brought out a stereo, powered by solar panel and battery, and recorded Enoch's songs and some of the lessons!

After one session, while we were still working with the kids, the men of the village called Enoch and Vincent over. They said to Enoch, "Please, you must try to start a church in our village. Don't worry that you must go back to Livingstone and cannot always be here. If you will teach us, we will continue meeting." Remember that promise from God - "I will teach you in the way you should go"?

We could not help contrasting Salamanu with Ilwendo. During the catechism lessons in Ilwendo in August, almost none of the men came (except our workers). Some in Ilwendo have asked us when we will build a church building, but none have asked us to come teach them (except Vincent and Robert). There is an interest, almost a pleading, in Salamanu that we have never seen in Ilwendo.







After eighteen months of struggle and very little progress (even God resisting our building efforts) and, more specifically, eight months of discouragement and uncertainty, (questioning if God even wanted us here), it is such a joy to actually see fruit. In fact, there is enough happening right now that, in some ways, I regret leaving the work here in order to visit the states. Wow. I marvel at the grace of God.

Ben and Chuck Come to Visit

Sometimes it's the little things as well as the big things that make such a difference in the field. Not only did Chuck and Ben lay new cement floors and tile counter tops in the kitchen at the camp, but they helped me figure out how to keep the canvas closed on the back of my truck! (The zippers failed long ago).

Amidst all of the building the Lord enabled Chuck to teach in the village as well. We spent time in prayer together at the camp, and had a visit and time of encouragement with our good friends, the Johnson's and at Mutemwa Lodge. Chuck was able to stay in one of the tent sites with Enoch getting to know him. And Ben really enjoyed playing guitar with Enoch. It's hard to explain how much cement floors meant to our wives at the camp. The nuisance of constant dust, dirt, and mud in the kitchen was suddenly gone. Praise the Lord!

Using a grommet kit and new bungee cords for the canvas cover over the bed of Shannon's truck.






















The finished product.









Sifting gravel to put in the concrete mix.









The cement floor for our dining room.... one our biggest accomplishments yet!









And more cement for our kitchens!!









A little go-cart type thing that Chuck helped our girls build (Morgan, Emily and the Johnson girls, Shan and Cayla).

Marc and Matt Come to Visit

In mid-September of this last year, Marc and Matt, our friends / brothers from HeartCry came to visit (Yes, they are twins but I won't tell you who's older). They were able to share in our fun, joys and hardships firsthand. And we were genuinely strengthened in the Lord as a result of their encouragement. Praise the Lord for the gift of family and friends who hold the rope and intercede for us on the other side of the globe.

A broken tie-rod on Shannon's truck. We wired it together til we could get back to Livingstone a few days later.

















And the other one is stuck.

















Almost out!








Marc having fun with our drum.








The guys at the Falls.









Moving the pump in the Zambezi again!!








Playing cards by headlamp light.

There is a True and Living God

Last August Bette Jean and Shaye came to work with the children in the surrounding villages and introduced a whole new facet of ministry for us. Praise God for New Covenant Christian Fellowship in Greenville, South Carolina! They took it upon themselves to write and produce, and (with Enoch's help) translate into Lozi, a twenty-nine page soft-cover book for children, complete with beautiful, full-color hand-painted illustrations. The title is, "There is a True and Living God" and it covers twelve foundational questions and answers about the reality of God from scripture. It's really a catechism. Catechism is an old-fashioned word used to refer to a teaching tool (usually a booklet) for children that helps in memorizing biblical truths by putting the information in a Q&A format. Catechisms were widely used in evangelical churches even up until the early 1900s.

Twice a day for a week the girls, Enoch, and alternating members of our families went to the small villages around our camp. Enoch wrote a Lozi song for each of the twelve truths which he introduced each day. Shaye and Bette Jean alternated with teaching the lessons. When each lesson was over we played a game with the kids. At the end of the week each child received a coloring book copy of the catechism and a small pack of crayons and we gave each family an actual book. Mildred, Joseph's wife, commented to me, "Now we have another book to put beside our bible in our home." She was genuinely happy and proud to have it. We are grateful to NCCF and Enoch for their generosity and hard work in producing the book. We are still reaping the benefits of it even six months later. Children are still coming to our camp site to greet us instead of us always going to them and we even hear them occasionally in the distance singing the theme song Enoch taught them. This may be the beginning of a long-lasting relationship. Visit this website to see the catechism! http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/there-is-a-true-and-living-god/11904312?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/1

Bette Jean showing the kids
some of the pictures.

Christmas Greetings

We're in Livingstone this Christmas and it's a balmy, breezy, sunny, 90 degree F. day outside. Though it was extremely hot yesterday, I still think everyone is enjoying being in the apartments this year as opposed to camping out in the bush.

We still have a lot of news from the past couple of months to deliver to you. In fact, three teams have come and gone since our last update. We will post those pics and tell you about those trips. But for now, it seems right to put all other things aside and just talk about Jesus.

We've been reading some excerpts from "God's Gift of Christmas," a little book written by MacArthur, with the kids over the last few weeks. One of the excerpts was on Luke 2:11 which reads - "For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." In the Greek the title Christos means "the anointed one." That title signified that an ultimate authority was anointing someone and placing him in a very high office. In Jesus' case, the ultimate authority who anointed Him was none other than His own Father, the Sovereign of the universe. God Himself declared Jesus to be The King of kings and The Lord of lords.

In light of what is happening in the Western Province these days this truth is very reassuring. The Lozi royal establishment and the senior chief continue to drag their feet. It has been confirmed from a few sources that our speculation appears to be correct - the Kuta is stalling on purpose to see if we will resort to bribery. In their minds we will be willing to pay "under the table" in order to move the process along. So we are still in a bit of a standoff. We also read recently that the president for the Barotse Patriotic Front, Mutangelwa Imasiku, confirmed in an interview that a group of people from Western Province would soon announce the Limulunga Declaration which states that the Lozi people of Western Province want to declare Barotseland its own country and separate from the rest of Zambia. In response the government warned those trying to cause anarchy in the country that they would not be tolerated.

Interesting, isn't it? So as we sit in our home in Livingstone with all of these little "kings" and "lords" shaking their fists, insisting that they be recognized, Jesus Christ the Lord, "the anointed one," sits on his throne in Heaven and laughs (Psalm 1:4).

May Christ be praised and may all of you enjoy a very, merry Christmas in the Annointed One.