Greetings from Choma, Zambia! We are in our third quarters in our journey, and God continues to extend traveling mercies to our team. Where we are staying is more remote, we actually were without power and water for a while when we checked in, and internet is non-existent at our lodge. We just got access to this server, and I am working diligently to get word out to everyone. I think we are close to resolution on posting pictures. The conference is in full swing – the facility manager has accepted Christ, (that happened just hours before the first session!) and we are seeing such amazing worship and relational development. Please continue to pray for Andrew and all our team as we enter the second leg of our adventure. All is well with health and the team is focused on the task at hand – I am hopeful more will be on to post in the next day or so. Keep praying! God is working!

Thanks to everyone who has been praying for our endeavor – your prayers are truly being answered. We have seen traveling mercies extended beyond our comprehension; moving between borders and freely through so many activities. We are seeing God conversations coming at us – we are seeing God’s hand at work through other people that we meet…God is truly good ALL the time!
We celebrated my roomie Carlos Santana Rees’ birthday yesterday – and the 23rd is our driver Andrew’s! We had ice cream and a type of cookie to celebrate – I mention this because I want you to pray specifically for Andrew – he is NOT a believer, though he is open…Wes has been talking to him, and we have had moments of sharing as well – I am asking for STRONG intercession – I KNOW God wants Andrew in the Kingdom – and I am asking that God will allow us to witness His work before we leave – seem selfish? So be it – I’m asking…
We have had some issues with our internet connection here, so pictures have not successfully posted – my apologies. I do not know the status of our connectivity the next three or four days – we are going to a new location and there are doubts we will be able to connect. When we get to Monday, we should be back, God willing.
Keep praying! Keep posting – the team gathers around, and when the schedule does not permit that, they are asking about activity. YOU make a difference – culture shock is real, and connection to our world helps us focus on this season…keep up the good work! Pray we can have internet where we are going next – so we can stay in touch. Pray we can post photos so we can share them with you all – when you see this, it brings us to mind – when we are brought to mind; you pray (hopefully!) THUS: It matters!
We are off to Choma tomorrow – a 3.5-4 hour land trip. Pray for continued traveling mercies – and we will be back asap! GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

What a day! I know many on the team have commented about our safari today, so I’ll just comment about interacting with our team and Wes & Laurie and the ACTS team as well as the people of Botswana today. Watching our team experience for the first time the grandeur of God’s creation up close and personal was an experience to treasure. Who could view what we saw today and not acknowledge God, the Creator? What a joyous experience! We appreciate your continued prayers; we know God has incredible things in store for the pastors and their wives coming to this conference…we cannot wait, we are filled with GREAT anticipation.

Thank you for the birthday wishes and prayers. It has been an awesome day. I got to share my birthday with a few of my family (I missed the rest of you), some of my church family, friends, elephants, baboons, giraffes, hippos, cape buffalo, impalas, antelope, kudu, a sable, crocodiles, monitor lizards, etc. in Zambia and Botswana. Wow!!! God is so good!!!
The rest of the week looks great. Continue to pray. I’m sure w ewill be amazed at what our awesome God has in store.
I love you,
Carl

Wow oh wow what a day. We saw all kinds off beautiful animals. Elephants big and small, Impala (which is a small deer) and I couldn’t remember their name so I just said well there are more Chevy’s. We saw Hippos fighting over territory, giraffes eating and drinking and all so much more. Just an awesome day of enjoying God’s beautiful world and wonderful, sweet fellowship. Keep us in your prayers and we are feeling your prayers as we crossed several borders today and went back and forth without any surprises. Be sure to keep checking the blog because Geoff and Chris are adding pictures tonight and there are some awesome ones. Love to you all.

Yep! We at at the Funky Monkey in Zambia, Africa tonight! Now that’s a sentence I didn’t think I’d ever type! We enjoyed a wonderful meal of pizza at the Funky Monkey!

We also shopped today! For those of you who know me….you know I LOVE the markets! I’m definitely bringing some stuff home from Africa!

So far it has been an awesome trip and we had a great day today! The ACTS guys who will be our guides are wonderful and we already feel like they are part of our family. They will take us on a safari in Botswana tomorrow! Half of the day on a boat, the other half on land! We are all very excited!

Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We are just now beginning to see the needs and are praying for many opportunities to share Jesus’ love on this incredible journey!

Last but not least…hi Molly & Alli!!!! I love you so much and miss you greatly! I did some shopping for you today .

The team has successfully navigated Chicago, Washington D.C. and into Johannesburg tonight. We grab a brief sleep stop in the IMB Guest House before jumping on another flight up to Zambia in the morning. 8000+ miles and jumping ahead 7 hours in our timezones has everyone pretty goofy. Chris and I will post vid tomorrow – for now – praise God for travelling mercies and the sense of unity that the group has.
Peace!
g

I had talked to Sheila about team members sharing their thoughts about this trip in advance – then failed to provide my thoughts in writing at the last meeting.  Instead of giving Chris more work – here ya go – from Geoff to you…

One of my favorite television shows ever was a show called Eli Stone – in an episode this last season, Eli is having a talk with his counselor (who he will later find out is actually a messenger from God) The counselor warns Eli that the things he pursues to fill a void in his life will not – Eli asks why – here is the answer – straight from American television to you - 

“I think you’re missing the sense of having the Divine in your everyday life.  I think you’re less happy now then when your life was occasionally upended by the fantastic.  I think that Grace fulfilled you in a way you didn’t even realize you needed, and the only thing crazy about you is that you don’t seem to realize it.”

This trip is an ordained, appointed season in our lives to be upended by the fantastic.  That isn’t because the trip is so long.  It isn’t because the locale is so exotic.  It’s because we’ve agreed together to put everything else aside – for this time – for this place – and to turn ourselves over to be broken and spilled out if need be – for the fantastic.  To experience the fulfillment of Grace that only comes by passing on what has been so freely given.  (Freely given, but purchased at an extravagant price!)

I am working diligently to clear my head of any pre-conceived notions of what God has for us – and I am praying that perhaps this type of abandonment can be replicated in my life when I start my day in this adventure God is giving here.

While vacationing with our missionary friends, Wes & Laurie Wilcox, we had the opportunity to pray together for more workers to assist them with their work in Zambia. Wes & Laurie are the only IMB missionaries in the Southern Province of Zambia. We were excited to hear there were a few families interested in helping and continued to pray with Wes & Laurie.

We then asked what would benefit them in the field most. Their genuine concern about the pastors and their wives of the churches they have helped start was evident. They replied that one of their greatest hurdles is that the pastors have no training; the Southern province is so widespread that it would take months/years to reach and teach church leadership skills to their pastors.

Rex and I knew that one of our senior pastor’s greatest gifts is leadership… we began praying about a team from our church going to lead a Pastors Conference. In 2007, we hosted a dinner in our home with our senior pastor and his wife, our evangelism/missions pastor and his wife, Chris and Robin Rees along with Wes & Laurie to discuss what a “team and mission work” might look like. For well over a year now, we have prayed and believe that God has assembled this team of twelve to love and to share ministry with the people of Zambia.

The last of our mission trip will be in the capital city of Lusaka with IMB missionaries Troy & Tracey Lewis. Troy and Tracey are the coordinators of HIV/AIDS education and care in southern Africa. They help train people who deliver supplies to care for those with HIV/AIDS as well as teaching leaders of the True Love Waits curriculum. Their team has worked with the Zambian military chaplains in palliative care and counseling those infected as well as their families. We will be visiting orphanages where the majority of children have been orphaned due to AIDS.

We continue to pray as God leads us in this work and invite you to pray for the Zambian pastors and their wives that will be at the conference, for our missionary friends, Wes and Laurie, who just today report that 85 people prayed for salvation during the last outing.

Pray for the work of Troy & Tracey Lewis and the potential of future teams from Ridgecrest Baptist Church to join in the HIV/AIDS ministry in Zambia

After meeting Wes and Laurie at RBC’s global impact and them living with us for a couple weeks during this time 5 years ago, and then working with them in Zambia 3 years ago, we fell in love with Wes and Laurie, their work, and the people of Zambia. I have a calling to minister to the Zambians, Wes and Laurie, here in the US and for two weeks in Zambia. My heart is prepared to show the love of Jesus to all the people we will meet on our journey.