Grateful

I have a confession to make. I get grumpy sometimes. I know, I know, that is conduct unbecoming of a missionary. But realistically I, as with most of us here, go through occasional times of getting down, frustrated, tired. We are absolutely surrounded by blessings here and usually have more than we need, if we are honest. We typically try to highlight the highlights from here in the field when we blog, but at times we feel a little burned out. I will admit that I even sometimes catch myself feeling sorry for myself.

But we are so blessed and every time I try to go down the wide but winding road of self pity I am knocked strait by some event or circumstance. Sometimes it comes from what I call a “Divine Thunk” (c)! Just when I begin to indulge in a good wallow, God reaches down with a stubbed toe, an open fly or a literal bump on the head to remind me not to take myself so seriously.

Other times he reveals my blessings or opens my eyes to the plight of others to remind me how good I really have it. Nothing slaps a person back into reality like a headline about another’s tragedy, news of the illness or death of a child, witnessing a nobler man courageously overcoming a true barrier in his own life.

We are also uplifted daily by the obedience of others who make sacrifices to follow God’s call to bless others. Selfless servanthood is God’s gameplan for His Kingdom and no believer is exempt from its call. I can no longer stand bound in my own baseless commiseration in the light of some selfless gesture from another. Just this week we have seen bags of precious maize dropped off by neighbors, had a father tearfully share his gratitude for the changes he has seen in his Preschool daughter and had other local missionaries bless us with their time and support. We also have had families who are required to work 16 hours a month to pay for school working up to 100 hours each so far in April.

We are also so indebted to the many churches and families that support us with financial assistance and prayer support. Finally, I want to personally thank two special groups of people who don’t get enough recognition but whose small contributions go so far to keep our chins up: those who offer words of encouragement and those who have sent items with visitors.

We made a decision early on not to try to respond to every comment made on our blog (it’s obviously hard enough to keep up with the blog itself), but we are so energized by these kind words as well as other emails, cards and letters sent by so many of you. From family to friends to relative strangers, it is so encouraging to know that we are being thought of and prayed for when we may otherwise feel somewhat isolated here. We have also learned to appreciate simple pleasures and have been so blessed by the small luxury items that so many of you have bothered to procure and expedite. After one too many cockroaches in the kitchen, mice or scorpions in the bathtub (both this week), long sweaty days (i know – I’m getting no sympathy from our friends in Michigan and Canada) and frustrated attempts at progress – it’s amazing how good a cup of Starbucks, some Skittles or some real parmesan cheese can taste!

Thanks to all of you for all you do. With your support and God’s grace we will carry on!

Travel Plans

I thought I would put our travel plans in a little more readable format for those of you who are interested.

– Tina’s father, Mack, arrived this morning for about 3 weeks.
– We all leave May 11 for Israel to visit with Tina’s brother and family who are stationed at the embassy in Tel Aviv.
– Kevin leaves Israel and returns to Zambia on May 19
– Tina, Mack, Lindsey and the kids leave May 26 for the US, arriving in Chicago on the 27th
– Last day of the Esther School May 31
– Kevin leaves for US on June 3, arriving in Chicago on June 4
– Kevin leaves for Zambia on July 13, arriving in Lusaka July 15
– Tina, Lindsey and the boys return sometime in August

thanks for all of your prayer support as we enter this season of travel!

Latest Prayer Requests…

We can hardly believe that we are nearing the end of the first year of the Esther School!  Our last day of school is scheduled for May 31^st and we are already actively preparing for next year’s Preschool class.  We have faced many challenges – some expected and some unexpected – but God has been so good to us and we are overwhelmed with our many blessings as those difficulties become minor distractions. 

 

We are working hard with our paid employees and parent volunteers to clear, develop and maintain the campus, as well as to run the school, community programs and sustainability components of the school.  While difficult at times, it only takes a few minutes of seeing our students’ faces, hearing their laughter and, especially, hearing them sing praises to God to remember why we are here. 

 

We humbly request your continued prayer support with these few new areas of need:

 

– That God would have his hand in the recruitment, selection and preparation of the next 25 students and their families who will constitute the next Preschool Class.  We have a Pre-Registration Community Meeting on Friday April 19^th and will be holding an Assessment Day on Friday April 26 to determine which children are most ready for school.

 

– That God would raise up and work in the hearts of a few local people who could serve in key leadership roles among our work and volunteer forces.  That he would identify them to us and set them apart as disciples and servant leaders.

 

– That God would also identify and prepare the 2 new 1^st Grade teachers needed for next year (one from Zambia and one from North America) as well as begin to cultivate those needed to replace those whose terms are up in 2014.  We also pray for God’s Spirit of peace and unity as we all become acquainted and adjusted to each other and to life in rural Zambia.

 

– For blessings as we prepare to travel.  Tina’s father will be arriving here on the 22^nd for a few weeks, then we will all travel together on May 11 to visit with Tina’s brother and family who are serving in Tel Aviv.  Kevin will then return here for the last few weeks of school while the rest return to the US for the summer.  Kevin will be in the US from June 4 to July 13.  Needless to say, that is a significant amount of travel and we pray for safety and blessings on our time with family.