May 2008 Newsletter:
Greetings to you all from an increasingly colder Zambia. The cold season is rolling in and I think it is getting colder by the minute. It was just last week that I mistakenly claimed, "It doesn't seem that it is getting cold this year." Well, it is cold now. Of course, it does warm up at midday, but the house stays cool.
WOMEN'S BIBLE INSTITUTE
Proverbs 11:30 "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he that winneth souls is wise." I have started teaching the women in the Bible Institute how to witness to others. Most of the women were afraid to speak when we would go out on Visitation and Evangelism. They would always rely on me to do the speaking. That is when God led me to teach the women so that they will also be able to witness themselves.
At this time, there are 11 women in the Bible Institute. Four of these are youth girls. I decided to open the class up to the youth as they also had a desire to learn. The Bible Institute is not just a class, but the women also committed to be going out with me on Evangelism for "on the job training." In the last couple weeks, I have been going out with the women in groups of 2 or 3. We always make sure there is someone who can interpret in the group. This has also a couple of them other women a chance to interpret for me which has been a blessing.
With Daniel Kane at Bible Institute. Most of the women bring their youngest children to class with them.
In the last 2 weeks, we have gone out several times. Mostly, we have been concentrating on visiting the friends or neighbors of those in the Bible Institute. We praise God as 7 have come to the Lord in this time. The women are very excited as they see the fruit multiplying. Some of them have been telling me that they didn't know how simple it is to share the Word of God with their friends. They are finding it so joyful that they wished they have learned to witness a long time ago.
Pray for the women to continue being faithful. Each of the women have faced hindrances to continuing the class. Many have been sick. But I'm glad to report that even through their sickness, they have still been attending class.
One of the new women in the church has been very faithful to the class and has started interpreting for me. One day, I went to her house so that we could visit some of her neighbors. When we returned to her house, her husband sat down to talk with this. The husband had lost his first wife and had married this lady about 5 months ago. The husband started telling me that he didn't believe in God the way his wife kept telling him. I was shocked as he started telling me his opinion about the Bible. Pastor Frazer went to speak to the man a few days later, but the man would not listen. In the end, he told his wife that she could not attend church anymore. She came to tell me about it, and I told her she needed to obey her husband as we prayed about it. I was quite sad about it as I had been seeing her faithfulness and willingness to learn. Praise God, our prayers were answered within a day as he changed his mind and said she could continue going to church.
CHURCH BUILDING PROJECT
The men of the church have been working very hard to get the blocks made for the church building. They have been working 3 times a week making the blocks at my house. It is a very hard job as they mix the cement by hand and mold each block one at a time, but they are getting very efficient at the job. It is exciting to see the stacks of blocks grow. At this time, they have made about 2,000 blocks and still have about 2,000 to go.
Pastor Frazer working on the 8 inch blocks
While the men have been working on the blocks, the women have been faithfully taking turns to come help with cooking for the men. Each day a different women comes for her turn to help Clara prepare the meal. I have been providing the meat while the women bring the vegetables. The women are glad to do their part in helping the building project move forward.
SUNDAY SCHOOL
Everything with the Sunday School continues to go well. Just this last week, several of the children said their Memory Verses in church. They all became quite shy as they stood in front of all the adults, but they all managed to say their verses. The adults were pleased with the children and encouraged the children to keep learning.
A few of the children waiting for Sunday School to start
BEAMS BIBLES
I would like to thank BEAMS for sending us Bibles to give out to the people. We have been receiving a box of 8 Bibles about every 2 weeks. This has been a great blessing as people are not able to afford Bibles as they are quite expensive here. Most of the people were only able to get a paper New Testament. Now everyone is praising God for the full hard covered Bibles they are receiving.
LIFE IN ZAMBIA
I would like to ask you all to be praying for the people of Zambia at this time. The food prices continue to rise in most of the world and Zambia is no exception. In the last few months, the price of most types of foods has spiked drastically. Most of the people were barely getting by before, but now they are finding it to be almost impossible. As I look at people, I see things are getting harder and harder for them as they try to feed their families. Some foods are not even available anymore. I went to buy sugar today, but there has been a sugar shortage for a couple weeks now. People finally pointed me to a shop with sugar. I was surprised to find that the price was more than doubled. I couldn't afford to buy it so I guess I'll just have to get used to unsweetened tea. But sugar is a small thing. Most people don't have the money to buy basic foods such as tomatoes, beans, bread, or rice.
At the same time, there is an electrical crisis in most of Southern Africa. For several months, we have been experiencing power cuts. For weeks, our electricity would be off for an average of 6 hours a day. The power company is estimating that it will take between 4 to 7 years to resolve the problems. These power cuts affect the factories, mines, and other businesses which is having an adverse effect on the economy.
Pray for the people at this difficult time. The people know that they can trust God to provide for their needs.
Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.
Praise be to God,
Jennifer Townsend