I’ve finally begun posting some pictures of our experiences in Zambia. It is by no means the full album, since we have over 4,000 pictures to filter through. I’ve started out by picking a few hundred highlight shots from the first half of my album, with more to come later from my set as well as the pictures that our other team members took. Please enjoy:

http://www.wellsofjoy.com/images/Zambia2009/

Chris

Well, we are home in Sparta, MO and reflecting on all that has happened in our lives since we boarded the plane on July 18, 2009.

God is an awesome God and we were blessed to worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ in the far away country of Zambia. Wes & Laurie Wilcox are wonderful missionaries and they love the BaTonga people of Zambia.

When asked what meant the most to us I would have to say it was how we all worshiped the same God.  They get excited in worship and show how much they love God.

There were challenges and some unsafe moments but God took care of us and gave us peace. That peace came because of all the prayers of our people here at home. Jim & I have a new appreciation for our missionaries and the work they are involved in. 

The conference was such a blessing to me because we were able to visit with the wives and learn some of their concerns and how we can pray for them on a daily basis.  They are just like wives and mothers here in our home town when it comes to loving God and wanting to live for Him and be a “Light” in our communities.

We saw the Holy Spirit at work when three of the ladies gave their life to Christ.  These ladies are either wives of pastors or workers in the church and yet they did not have Jesus in their hearts. 

We continue to pray for the people of Zambia and now we have faces to put with our prayers. 

Troy and Tracy Lewis are working with the children of Africa who have Aids and helping to keep them with their extended families.  We were able to see the work firsthand, the schools the children and the progress that is being made.  We saw how Pastor Troy interacts with the children in several different schools and how they love to see him when he comes to visit.  They have a challenge but God is blessing their work.

We thank you for your prayers for safe travels but we want to challenge you to pray for the missionaries everywhere on a daily basis because the power of prayer is felt in a very real sense.

We all are missionaries in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria.  Just find where you are to be a missionary and let God lead you in work for His glory and to win the lost to Christ. 

God bless you all.

To say our trip was amazing does not even begin to express all that God did! For today – I will post an entry from my journal. It won’t express everything I’m feeling – but maybe it will be a good start.

Some earlier info – Chris & I shared our testimony on Saturday evening 7-25 at the Pastor’s (& wives) conference in Choma, Zambia. Chris shared about when he was diagnosed with AIDS and about how he has learned how God’s grace is sufficient. I shared about how God continues to teach me that even though bad things happened to us that we can still know that God loves us, and that we can thank Him for today and trust Him with tomorrow.

I had experienced some anxiety about sharing our story. I knew that the general reaction in Africa to HIV+ individuals was fear. We were still lead to share our story on the last night of the conference.

Journal Entry – 7-26-09 Choma, Zambia – Closing Sunday Morning Service

Pasmore (Dad’s translator) shared this morning through a translator. He started by thanking our team for coming. He shared that through our team they had learned something. Through our team they had learned to still love those who are HIV+. He said that many times in their churches, when they learn someone is HIV+, no one except the pastor and maybe the deacon will sit next to them. Many times no one else will have anything to do with the positive individual. He said that our team had shown them that it is good to love the positive.

Wow! Again I go back to the verse that God gave me in the Chicago Airport at the beginning of our trip. Philippians 1:12 “But I want you to know, brethren, that these thing that happened to me, have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel.”

This gospel that Chris and our team showed…was the gospel of love, Jesus’ love. Jesus loved us and we should love others, all others. Those who are HIV+ as well as those who are HIV-. (end of entry)

It was beyond reassuring to me to see God work directly through or situation. It would not have been the same trip if Chris hadn’t gone. It wouldn’t have been the same trip if they hadn’t had grown to love him before they found out he was HIV+. Many of you know some of the struggle we faced as this trip neared. Chris had some significant health issues. Our last payment was made without knowing if we were really going to get on the plane. I see now at least one of the reasons that Satan didn’t want us to go. Chris and his testimony was used in a powerful way to effect change within the churches in Southern Zambia. We trust and pray that God will continue to use Chris’ story to change how the church in Zambia treat those who have “the disease” as they call it.

Thank you for all of your prayers and encouragement. God did some mighty work through Chris on this trip.

God is AMAZING! (I fail to capture ALL that He is, so amazing will have to do). We are home! I am completely overwhelmed! Rex is in bed trying to revive after being up over 46 hours. I have tried to decompress and comprehend all that God did in us, through us and about us as we walked hand in hand with Him throughout our journey. IF you could capture on film a perfect trip, you would see OUR trip in it’s entireity; thanks to our Heavenly Father and your prayers. I asked a few of our team members the most memorable part of their journey, many said the joint worship with the Zambian pastors and their wives … American worship and Zambian worship. For me, I think God is still working in my heart on the visit we paid to Freedom Compound. That name in itself would by all accounts appear to be an oxymoron if you had seen “Freedom”. This compound is where we visited two women who suffered from AIDs. Martha; who had been savagely beaten; suffered a stroke, had a shunt from her brain into her abdomen and Florence who the disease has nearly paralyzed her legs. While we visited them, they were sitting on the ground outside their one-room mud brick homes in the red, clay dirt and I felt the Spirit drawing me to them. I knealt down took Martha by the hand and visited with her through the interpreter. We had a wonderful visit and I was blessed to pray with her. Then I turned and sat on the ground and visited with Florence. Florence speaks English very well. I learned that she doesn’t get to go to church because her legs don’t bend due to the disease. But Florence has a Bible in her language, Nyanja. I told her I too had a Nyanja Bible; it had been given to me by a Zambian pastor. Due to her failing eyesight, she can’t read her Bible very well. I was able to communicate to Diana (ECR Ministries) and Troy (IMB missionary) who have committed to getting reading glasses to Florence. I prayed with Florence too; she held on tight as we prayed. Pastor Hosea, Debbie and Robin led us in singing Amazing Grace. … Florence sang with us! I share this with you, thanking you for your prayers. As I stood there looking on these women who are suffering, I am ashamed to say I felt pity on them. I felt a deep conviction to LOVE them. I wish each of you could experience this blessed relationship that I have with them. PLEASE continue to pray, we are safely home, but God is STILL working in Zambia! Continue to pray for Martha and Florence. (perhaps Geoff can post a photo of them so you can see them as you pray. Continue to pray for our dear friend Andrew…in the coming days I will share more about our last evening with him in Lusaka (very precious moments … God is working, drawing him). Please realize that YOU continue to be a VITAL part of this mission work through your praying. May you be blessed! ~ Sheila

The team just had our breakfast, and we prepare to leave for a whirlwind of activity today with Troy Lewis and orphanage visitation, touring around Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, and much more.
There will be many more updates and posts in the next couple of weeks as team members process what has been experienced, thousands of pictures are sorted and some chosen for posting, and clarity of vision is provided through the Holy Spirit.
This would be an easy time to allow ourselves to slip back into USA mode – but today’s visitation may be the most sobering of the tour, and traveling mercies are still desperately needed as we navigate our way back through South Africa and into the USA. We will be stepping BACK in time, getting back our seven hours that we moved forward as we entered the journey. This means a LOT of time on the planes, AND all of it at our fatigue point.
What does that mean to you?
PRAY.
Pray that God will continue to cover us with His good hand. Pray that lives will be touched as we visit the various locations today. Pray that the team will have the strength to minister in these activities effectively. Pray that God will break our hearts with the things that break His heart.
This trip has been a God-sized endeavor – stretching many on the team. God has been faithful. Your continued prayers are coveted as we make our way home to family and friends.
Thank you all for sharing this with us – there is MUCH more to come…God is moving, and we are working diligently to listen…oh, and you might want to make an appointment to be at Ridgecrest on Sunday – because I believe Hosea has something to say to all of us that God has given him.
As we enter our last full day in Africa – my prayer for all of us is that the Lord will bless and keep us – that He will make His face to shine upon us and give us peace.
We’ll be sharing more tonight from the Guest House before we leave for the airport!
Peace!

We have had some incredible experiences since we last got to post! Yesterday morning we left Choma and drove about 3 hours to Gwembe where IMB Missionaries, Wes & Lori Wilcox serve. To say they live in a remote area, at least to us, is an understatement. The road to their house was very rough. I thought big blue was going to tip at one point – I’m sure it was just me..but…mercy! We also had a very low wire that had to be navigated. Taps (one of the ACTS guys) climbed ON TOP of big blue, while it was running, and stood on the top to hold the wire up while we drove underneath!

Wes & Lori’s house was beautiful! Lemon trees, orange trees, mango trees, a big garden. After lunch we took a walk in the bush…yep you read it right…the bush! We walked past probably 10 small, hut villages. It was amazing. Many waves and smiles were exchanged!

Today was another great day. We said our goodbyes to Wes and Lori Wilcox early this morning and traveled about 5 hours to the capital of Zambia, Lusaka. Today we met up with Troy Lewis and received a briefing of ECR (Expanded Church Response). ECR is an incredible organization that is mobilizing the Christian churches in Zambia to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic in this region.

Tomorrow (Wed.) we will visit some of the orphanages. Pray for us. We are tired already and I know this may be an emotional part of our journey. Thank you for your prayers and your posts! Tomorrow night we will pack up big blue and then head for the airport at 4:30 am Thursday morning. We love you all!!!

Love you Alli & Molly!!!! Mommy will see you soon!!!!

As we finish the conference in Choma, it is a season of celebration and reflection. The people here are a beautiful, passionate, regal people. Their culture is rich, and we have seen God moving here in a powerful way. Though a leadership conference, we still were blessed with new sisters in the Kingdom. Salvations are amazing – but even believers have strongholds in their lives, and this conference has seen those strongholds torn down and lives relenting to the call in the way God calls us; COMPLETELY! There are literally hundreds of images, but these are a few to at least give you some sense of our endeavor.
Please pray – our conference may be through, but there is still work to do in Lusaka on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tonight and tomorrow will be re-grouping and traveling, this time over road in Big Blue, our truck.
Pray for continued safety and health, and continue to pray for Andrew, our driver that we want to see in the Kingdom! Blessings to you all!

Big Blue... It's NOT a bus!

The Choma Baptist Leadership Conference

Sheila loving on the children

We are in the midst of our final worship service with the Zambian pastors and their wives. Four of our pastors are now sharing testimonies of what they have learned this week. It is a true honor to hear that we have been a blessing to them during our stay. I can honestly say that I have been thoroughly blessed, just as they have. I might even say that I’ve been blessed more.

To see our new friends share their hearts this morning is beyond what I could have imagined. God has opened up his wells of joy in Zambia this week!

Chris

This has been an amazing past 48 hours! We now have two who have received Christ as their savior! The second was one of the pastor’s wives. Pray for her as she begins her journey with Christ! I also ask you to pray for an individual who we believe to be demon possessed. Needless to say, this is new ground for me and for most of our team. Pray that the wrestling that we are seeing between the Holy Spirit and Satan will end soon and that Christ will win!!!

Thank you all for your prayers and your comments. It keeps us strong to remember that you are lifting us up daily in your prayers.

I love you Alli! Thank you for your note! I have great stories and pictures to share with you! I can’t wait to see you Friday!
I love you Molly too! I’ve been learning how to tie a baby on my back so we will practice when I get home!

Thank you Martha! You have allowed me to go on an awesome journey! Carl sends his love to all and says he misses you! He is getting ready to preach or he would blog too.

Love you all!!!! Keep praying!!! Keep posting!!!

What a wonderful experience we are having. The leadership conf. has been a wonderful and eye opening experience. Also, the Zambian worship services are very enjoyable, watching them sing and worship. There willingnes to share is also amazing, they are truly seek Christ.