April 2007 Newsletter
I would first like to greet you all. Clara also sends her best greetings to everyone. It has been another busy month here in Zambia. It is exciting to see God working in the lives of myself and the people in Zambia. This month has been full of visitors. We enjoyed time with my family. Just after they left, we received Clara's sister (Yvonne) and niece (Mwitwa) for a couple of weeks. Clara and I got to be hostesses for a full month. We were not used to a house full of people, but now we are not used to all the silence.
My Family
My father, mother, sister (Bethany), and friend (Lindsey) all came to visit me at the end of March and beginning of April. We had a blessed time with them and were truly sad to see them leave. Their visit was full of adventures and good fellowship. I do not know how to thank them for all the help they gave me financially, physically, and spiritually.
Two different missionaries were so kind to give us a lift to Lusaka where the international airport is. We got to stay in a lovely guest house by the name of Zebra Guest House. We even managed to make friends with "The Zebra" himself. He was kind enough to pose with us in a picture.
Bethany, me, Mom, Dad, Lindsey, Clara We also got to visit Manda Hall which is one of two shopping malls in Zambia. Clara enjoyed trying her first milkshake so much that I took her back the next day to get another one. Clara and I enjoyed walking around the mall and seeing what all there was to buy. Of course, we didn't end up buying anything, but we made good window shoppers.
Liberty Baptist Preschool
Liberty Baptist Preschool is in full swing again. We had our regular month long break for this time of year, but now we are back to class. The children are excited to be back and we are excited to have them back. We definitely missed them in the month that they were not here. They have come back to school with new energy. Each of them seems to have matured in that one month. Concepts that they struggled with before are now a breeze. It is thrilling for me to see when they start to understand what we have been teaching them. They usually exclaim with joy every time they write a letter for the first time without any help, "Teacher, come and see. I made it!"
Liberty Baptist Church
Liberty Baptist Church has continued to grow in the Lord. We received the good news that the plot which was allocated to the church will not be changed. As a result, everyone has started work on clearing the plot. The grass had grown so tall during the rainy season. All the men are slashing the grass so that it can be burned and cleared. During the last few months, people have been giving money towards building. A building project is a huge expense in this country especially considering the poverty of many of the people. Already God has been blessing Liberty Baptist Church by laying it on the hearts of people to help with this building project. The churches plot is located in a new section of town which is just now in the planning stage. A few short years from now, the empty fields will be full of homes, full of people looking for a church to attend. We praise God for putting us in this location so that we can reach out to the people just as this new community starts to grow.
Church ServiceChickens
Our chicken population continues to grow. We currently have 15 little chicks running around. They are all black except for one which is brown. They sure do make a lot of noise considering how small they are. They wake me up every morning to let me know they want some food. At this time, we have 25 chickens at my house. As the flock grows, I know that I'll be able to share more with other people as well as having some for us. The price of meat continues to go up in Zambia. Most people could not afford meat before, but now it is even worse. I went to the butcher the other day to find that beef (more like fat and bones) cost about $3 a pound. The beef that actually included meat cost even more. Most families are living on a little over a dollar a day so it is difficult for people to afford meat.
I want to thank you all for your continued prayers and support. We truly need your prayers here in Zambia. Please pray for me at this time as I am once again down with malaria. I thank God for putting so many people around me to care for me. I've never faced a problem without God putting the right people in my path.
Please check out my website at zambianorphanage.com to see all the updates that have been made recently.
Praise Be To God,
Jennifer Townsend