Truth & Light of Christ Ministries, Inc.

During our Journey there were certain people and certain experiences that stood out and will remain in our hearts always.  This particular little girl will always hold a special place in our hearts always.  I wanted to share her story with you all and the only way to share her story properly was to devote a newsletter to her.

When we first arrived to Sinafala Alice and her friends were one of the first to come to greet us as we got off the truck.  Her smile is unforgettable.  Those first few minutes in Sinafala I never could have imagined how much impact this one little girl would have on all of us.

On our first day of our expedition we started our Hut to Hut Ministry.  The first Hut we had gone to we got to pray for a family.  While there the Grandma (Selah) at the Hut had asked us to pray for her Abusive Drunk son Vivious.  After we prayed with Selah for Vivious we moved on to the second Hut.  This Hut belonged to Monica, which was one of the teenage girls we connected with in Sinafala from the moment we arrived.  While visiting Monica’s Hut and sharing the Gospel Alice and her sister prayed to accept Jesus as their Savior.  After we prayed for the girls Alice had asked if we could also pray for her Alcoholic Abusive Dad Vivious.  Alice was Selah’s Granddaughter.

Every day during the expedition Alice would come spend time with our team.  Listen to what we were sharing from the Bible and would pray with us.  Alice was always quiet and sweet and would always have the most amazing smile when we shared the Bible with her.  Hearing Alice speak of her Dad and her longing for him to stop drinking.  Not only did he drink all day long, but in order to support his drinking he would use Alice and her sister’s school tuition money to pay for his alcohol.

Every day we were in Sinafala for our Expedition we would ask Alice how things have been going with her Dad, she would say ever so sweetly – he left right before she did to go and buy beer.  Your heart would ache for her, but Alice always had this amazing light in her eyes and she had such faith that God was going to move in her Dad’s heart and he will stop drinking.  When our expedition ended we said our goodbye’s but promised Alice we would be back the following week to check in on her and to continue to pray with her.

When we returned back to Chipepo we returned back to Sinafala the following Thursday we had a goal to follow-up with some of the people we had connected with on the expedition.  One of the people on this list was Alice!

Prior to heading to Sinafala while at the Chipepo base Dominic and I were walking on the path and a Chameleon was randomly walking across the path.  This was definitely a key item to things to come in Sinafala.

When we first arrived in Sinafala we spent some time visiting some Pastors and the school and a few huts.  We then headed to the marketplace to see who would be coming to participate in the weekly Revival Meeting.  This particular Thursday there was a great turnout for the weekly Revival meeting.  Including the children and adults the numbers exceeded 30 attendees throughout the meeting.  It was great seeing the turnout of the people of Sinafala coming to the meeting.  It was the fruit of the time spent sharing and the building of relationships while we were in Sinafala for our expedition.

Alice was one of the children that had attended the Revival Meeting that week.  Dominic and I had broken off with the children that day to hold  a separate Children’s Meeting.

Remember that Chameleon I said I saw before heading out.  Well Holy Spirit told me to share about our Chameleon experiences with the children.  You see in Zambia there is a Superstition belief that if they touch a Chameleon the Chameleon will steal their color and turn them white and bring them harm.  The week earlier while on our expedition we had come across a Chameleon and we had had Loyd and Elisha both hold the Chameleon and we had taken pictures of them.  Sinafala is Loyd’s territory and he is present each week at the Revival Meetings.  We used this to our advantage.  We were breaking Superstition Strongholds today!!

So we started asking the kids how they felt about Chameleons.  They all were freaking out saying Chameleons are bad and Chameleons will hurt them!!  Dominic started telling them that the Chameleon is harmless and started telling them about his pet Chameleon he had back in America.  The children started listening a little bit more.

Then I said to them, what if I told you I know 2 Zambians that held a Chameleon over a week ago – And NOTHING happened to them!!!  They just conquered their fear of Superstition.  The kids were all going No Way!!  I don’t believe it!!  You are just saying that.  I asked if they wanted me to prove it to them.  They all excitedly said YES!!!

I pointed over to the Marketplace where Loyd was translating for Jesse at the Revival Meeting with the adults.  I asked if they all knew Loyd and if they saw him that morning.  They all said Yes!  I asked if he looked different or harmed in any way.  They all said NO!!  I then pulled up the picture of Loyd holding a Chameleon from the week earlier.  All of the children had the most amazing reaction to the photo.  I do not know how to put in words how amazing it was.  You can just tell chains were breaking, strongholds were releasing and the hunger for truth was strong.  Their eyes were a bit brighter and their hearts were eager to learn.

We took this opportunity to teach them about Noah.  Noah’s  story is solely based on him Loving the Father unconditionally and having complete Faith in God’s promises.  Alice was right up front eager to learn.

As we got into the story we were explaining that Noah had built the Arc to protect him and the animals.  The reason Noah had to build the Arc was due to all of the Bad and Evil things that were being done by the people on Earth.  We explained that it rained continuously for 40 days and there was nothing left on earth that was no submerged under water.

Alice kept asking – so God sent the rain to wash away all of the bad on the earth.  She asked this repeatedly.  Remember, Alice has an Abusive Alcoholic Father.

The kids had questions, all of them prayed to receive salvation.  They also asked for us to pray for various things. Alice left with a bigger smile and more confidence.

Once we left I kept thinking about how Alice kept pressing in about God sending the rains to cleanse the earth of all of the evil in the world.  We returned back to base, went on with our regular routines.  Then it happened.  While we were sitting eating dinner the heavens opened up and it started to RAIN!!  I know some of you are gonna say big deal it is just rain.  But it does not rain in Chipepo in July.  This is in the heart of dry season.  We looked it up and since they started recording the weather for Chipepo in 1901 there has been 0 precipitation recorded for the month of July.  This was such a move of God.

That little girl was praying for a miracle to help her Dad to be freed from the strongholds over him.  She prayed for rain.  And God made it Rain!!  It was such an amazing experience.  Dominic was so grateful, he danced in the rain that night and worshiped God saying only God could have done this and brought the rains that night.

 

While in Livingstone we had a day of down time to reflect on our time in Sinafala and to marvel in one of God’s amazing creations.  We got to visit Victoria Falls.

This newsletter will be mainly photos giving you an opportunity to see the amazing beauty of Victoria Falls.

We were greeted by the Baboons.  There were plenty Baboons hanging around the falls.  They had no fear of humans and if you come across them be sure to hang on to your belongings – especially chips or food – they will take them from you.

These were our first views of Victoria Falls.  There are no words to describe the overwhelming beauty of these falls.

As we walked along the trail, attempts to stay somewhat dry were made with wearing a poncho.  Very grateful for a waterproof phone so that I was able to capture some photos of our time on this adventure.

The views of the rapids that the falls flows into were also breathtaking.  Our Gad is an Amazing God to create such a magnificent place.

I was impossible to stay dry at this point, but we did not mind as we took in the beauty of the falls.

The rainbows were so vivid. These photos are not doing justice to the beauty of these rainbows.

Statue of Dr. David Livingstone in the park at Victoria Falls.

More Baboons!!!  The babies are almost cute.

Our final views of the falls.

After leaving Victoria Falls we had a chance to go shop in the curio shops and then we had a chance to to try to track down some African wildlife.

We stopped by their watering hole and missed them.  So we drop up the road and out of the corner of our eyes we saw them.

Elephants!!  For as big as these creatures are they blend in so well with their surroundings and these were the best photos I could get.

The next day we drove back to Chipepo to start our month of volunteering.

Stay tuned, updates will be coming.

This morning as we woke up we were able to reflect on our time in Sinafala as a team on our expedition of Sinafala.  This was our last day of ministry in Sinafala for our expedition team.  We spent the morning packing and organizing camp and preparing for our ministry at the Sinafala Primary School.

The team prepared for our ministry time at the school and split into groups.  There was a team preparing for the skit, a worship team, Prayer teams and a team to play games with the students.  Dominic was playing the role of David in David and Goliath.

When we arrived at the Sinafala Primary School I am not sure who was more excited – The Students – The Teachers – or – our Team!

It is such a Blessing that the schools in Zambia are so open and willing to allow the Gospel to be shared in their schools that they will shut down a school for a whole afternoon so we can come in and share the Bible with their students.  I pray for the day that we are able to do that in every school around the globe!!

Sinafala Primary has between 800 and 900 enrolled students that come to school during 3 sessions throughout the day.  There are about 24 teachers that teach all of these students.  When we arrived at the school the kids came pouring out of the school and from various locations.  Some that were in the morning sessions came back to school to join us and participate in what we were going to share.

The school allowed us to set up in a large area by the school under a tree.  The students quickly gathered and we were able to start with a few songs.  Hearing all of the students singing Jesu Number Shani (Jesus is Number One) was enough to melt your heart.  The team had just as good a time as the students did sharing in singing and praising in worship.

The team then moved on to their Skit of David and Goliath.  The students really enjoyed our teams rendition of the story.  Dominic did really awesome with his role of being David.  Everyone did an amazing job.  The kids really enjoyed the story.

The team then started sharing the Road to Salvation using the Colors of the Wordless Book or Salvation Bracelets. They were able to break down the road to salvation so that it was understandable by the children.

Most of the children were from SDA, Apostolic, and Catholic Churches.  They had a love of Jesus and an understanding of the Bible.  They even attended Church regularly.  What they didn’t understand was Salvation or how to have a relationship with their Heavenly Father.

After all of our sessions were complete we got to pray for all of the students that wanted to receive Salvation and the students that wanted us to pray for healings. The students then joined some of the team for some games.  At this point I turned around to see what Dominic was up to.  He had grabbed a translator and started a small group to continue sharing with the kids.  He was sharing various Bible stories and the students were like sponges absorbing every thing he was teaching them.  It was all around a great experience.

Monica was sure to stop and say hello before we left the school and headed out for our last opportunity of the Expedition for some Hut to Hut ministry.

We were able to visit two huts today.  The first hut we came to we got to minister to two women and two children.  The women were anxious to hear what we had to share and were asking for a better understanding of the Gospel.  We were able to share with them the story of creation and the Road to Salvation with them in a way that they could understand more easily.  The women both prayed to receive salvation.  One of the women has asked us to pray for her marriage.  Her husband did not attend Church and was not a believer.  I was able to share with her a bit about my marriage and how it was not a Christ filled marriage and the struggles that came along with not having Christ in our marriage.  We prayed with her and shared some Bible verses with her that she can share with her husband.  We prayed for God to soften her husband’s heart and to open his eyes and ears to start hearing from God.

As we came up to the next hut Livias realized it was the home of his cousin.  It was the homestead of a fisherman and his family.  He was mending his fishing nets and preparing them for the upcoming season.  At the home was Livias’ cousin, his Dad and Grandfather, Younger Brother, Mother in Law, Wife, Sister in Law along with 7 children.

Before we could sit down the man pulled out his Bible and Notebook.  Dominic wanted to share right away and started with them Matthew 4:18-22.

The whole family attends the SDA Church.  We got to share with them about ways to strengthen their relationship with God and about increasing prayer in their daily lives.  The Grandfather told us that he wanted us to stay their full time to hold small groups so we can continue to educate the people within Sinafala on how to build a stronger relationship with Christ.  What we were able to do was give them tips and different ways they can hold small groups themselves with their neighbors and have fellowship gatherings to build each other up and help strengthen each other in Christ.  This was a such a great time where not only was our team building up the family but the family was sharing with us.  This was definitely a great experience.

As we made it back to camp to prepare for our evening meeting and we got to watch out last sunset in Sinafala during our expedition.  This was our last night meeting of the expedition.  It was also my night to share with the group.  With the high number of children attending the meetings I shared Dominic’s testimorny and our journey to Zambia.  I believed it was important for the children to hear how God spoke to Dominic at the age of 6, before he was even saved, and told Dominic that he was going to Zambia to pray with the children.  I was also able to share about the attacks we faced along the way, but God always makes a path for you to fulfill the plans He has for you.

After the night meeting we debriefed a little and proceeded to start packing up camp for our departure the next morning.

We were all up early.  3 am start to get truck packed up and on the road.  It was a bittersweet day.  There was excitement to start our next adventure but sad to leave all of the people of Sinafala.  Luckily for Dominic and I we would be able to return and continue to minister in Sinafala.

12 1/2 hours on the truck back to Rapids 14, but we managed to smile on the way!!

Before I get into telling you about our Hut to Hut Ministry – I need to celebrate Dominic a little bit.  Today is not only Dominic’s 9th Birthday but it is also his 2nd Birthday in Christ.  You see Dominic’s journey to Zambia started in January 2016.  It was our first Overland conference.  At the end of the conference this little six-year-old came to me and said – Mom we need to go to Zambia and minister to the children.  This was the beginning to his journey.  I made a commitment to him that if he stayed committed to this journey we would go to Zambia.  Dominic stayed true to his commitment.

On his 7th Birthday he made the walk to the front of the Church and gave his life to Jesus.  He stayed committed to his classes walking him through his new commitment to his walk with Jesus.  He walked through these classes on his own with his new-found mentor, John.  Immediately following the completion of his classes he could not wait to be Baptized he was so excited to be Baptized by Pastor Tim.  Dominic continued to collect supplies and come up with some fund-raising efforts to support a children’s ministry within Overland Missions.  After his 8th Birthday we made the decision to move forward with planning our journey to Zambia in 2018.  The expedition we decided on would mean he would celebrate his 9th Birthday while in the bush of Africa on our expedition. (the selection of this particular expedition was such a God thing – this will be explained at a later date)

I learned so much during this journey.  There were times he just blew our minds as he would share verses from the bible or when he would start using sticks and dirt to provide visuals as he explained the Gospel.  Then there were times he was an 8/9-year-old kid being a kid.  And I had to learn that it was ok for him to be a kid and him being a kid is a big reason to why he was able to connect with so many in the villages.

We were so Blessed to be right where we were supposed to be for Dominic to celebrate his Birthday!!!!

Ministry time –

As we came to our first hut we had the opportunity to minister to 4 women and 15 children.  We were able to share some Bible stories and we got to teach them about salvation.  2 women and 8 children had given their lives to Christ.  Two of the women had asked us to pray for them.  One asked us to pray for her marriage.  We prayed for a renewal of overflowing love to fill her marriage and for strength to walk through the tough times and embrace every day.  The other woman was suffering from chest and back pains.  The woman was completely healed!!

We walked up the small hut right next to the hut we were just ministering at.  It was the hut of the brother of one of the women we had prayed for.  He had had a stroke and his family moved him to Sinafala from his home in Lusaka so that his sister could look after him.  He owned a home and business in Lusaka and after the stroke his wife left him and remains in Lusaka and he no longer has his business or home.  Some of the children from the previous hut came to join us and listen to the stories we were sharing.  We shared healing scriptures and salvation stories.  He allowed us to pray for him.  As we prayed he was starting to be able to speak more clearly and a lot easier.  As he prayed to give his life to Jesus his speech continued to become more and more clear.  We then proceeded to pray for healing.  While we were praying he was able to stand on his own and was feeling warmness on his arm.

As we walked down the path we came up on the 3rd hut.  At this hut we came up on a Husband and Wife and 3 young children and a baby.  The husband was separated from his 1st wife.  He had 3 children with his 1st wife and 1 child with his 2nd wife.   The Wife had given her life to Christ earlier in the week.  The husband had never heard the story of salvation or creation before. Dominic shared Romans with him.  After reading the Bible verses Dominic proceeded to do a demonstration in the dirt with sticks demonstrating Jesus dying on the cross and when he was buried he was buried with our sins and when He rose again He rose to give us a life free from sin.  We continued to share the creation story and we talked about Faith with him and the children.  The husband and his 3 children all prayed to give their lives to Jesus.  We then brought the husband and wife together and we were able to pray over their marriage.

Tonight we shared our testimonies around the fire.  It was the first time I had actually shared my testimony to a group of people.  After we all shared Michelle surprised Dominic and had made him Rice Krispy Treats to celebrate his birthday.

This was such a Blessed Birthday for Dominic.  He said it was the best ever.  He said it was the best birthday because he got to share the Gospel with people and pray for healings and got to witness several people praying for salvation.

God is Amazing in what he does through us, I cannot wait to see what else he does through Dominic.

We started our 4th day of Hut to Hut ministry in Sinafala by stopping by the school to set up a time that our whole expedition could come and share at the school.  The Head Master (Principle) invited Dominic to join him and John to discuss the plans.  The rest of our group – we were able to speak with one of the teachers regarding the school.  There are over 900 students enrolled in the Sinafala Primary school.  There are 3 shifts that attend – Morning, Mid-Day and Afternoon.  They have a total of 26 teachers – but they only have housing for 10.  The remaining 16 teachers are being hosted in huts by families throughout the village.  John and Dominic returned after making the final arrangements for the school and we were ready to start heading out.

The first hut we had come up to this day there was a woman and son cleaning fish.  The woman’s husband had come out to sit with us as his wife and son continued to clean the fish.  The man shared with us that part of how they make money is to buy fish at market and they would clean and prep the fish for resale within the village.  He also shared with us that he had a 2nd wife and a total of 6 children.  They were all believers and attended 7th Day Evangelists Church.He also shared with us that he believed that if he attended Church each week that he would be saved and make it to heaven.  This gave us an opportunity to share with him and his family about having a relationship with Jesus.  Dominic dug into Romans 10: 9-13.

Another member of our team shared Ephesians.  After sharing the Gospel and how to receive salvation.  The Husband, Wife, Son and 2 additional children all prayed to receive Salvation and committed their lives to Jesus.  His wife requested that we pray for her chest pains and their son (Brian) requested that we pray for him to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and that he gets released from the stronghold of alcoholism.

 

While walking to our next hut, along the road the team came across a chameleon.  None of us could ever imagine the impact this few minutes on the road holding a lizard would impact our ability to minister and lift superstition beliefs. (the impact of this moment will be shared more during Alice’s story)

Chameleons are feared throughout Zambia.  The Zambian people believe that the Chameleon will steal your color if the Chameleon touches you.  While on the road we convinced Loyd and Elisha to face their fears and hold this Chameleon.  We made sure we photographed this opportunity.  Dominic was really excited that everyone had an opportunity to hold the Chameleon and he was able to share with the team that he had a Chameleon back home as a pet.

After we headed down the road the first hut we had come up to was the home of a Sr. Headman.  We spent a bit of time at this hut.  We had the opportunity to minister to 15 people at this home.  We had a chance to discuss rules of religion, the law ans the sabbath.  One of the men was asking lots of questions regarding what is the right Church and the right day for the sabbath.

We were able to share that when Jesus came he freed us from the law and gave us two laws to follow – Love the Father with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.  I was also able to share the relationship with God and we should pray and speak to Him and listen to Him daily.  He continued with asking about what day we should attend Church.  I was also able to share that we attend Church two days per week plus there are small groups we participate in.  So we hone the Church several times a week and enjoy fellowship various times of the week.

The next hut we went to was across the road.  There we were able to minister to 3 women and the man from across the road that kept asking about the sabbath joined us.  We were able to share with all of them.  One of the older women was suffering from chest pains.  We were able to pray over her for healing and she was completely healed of the chest pains.  A 2nd woman asked us to pray for strength and to grow in her marriage.  Her husband had just married a 2nd wife and she was struggling with accepting this.  While we were praying a drunk guy walked up.  We went to speak with him.  He asked for us to lead him in prayer to accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior.  He also requested to be Baptized in the Holy Spirit and to be released of his drunkenness.  The man was grateful for us praying with him and sharing with him.  His whole appearance and demeanor had changed.  After we prayed for him we had to head back to camp to prepare for our night meeting.

At the night meeting we got to sing and dance with people from the village.  Tonight Tish was sharing her testimony and brought Dominic up with her to share some of his testimony.  He did pretty awesome. While we were gathered around the fire we ran into the drunk guy we prayed for earlier in the day.  He was so happy to be at the fire with all of us.  We continued to pray for him that he remains sober.

Today was such a blessing to have been able to reach so many and to be led to various releases of strongholds.  Next Newsletter Day 5 of Hut to Hut Ministry and Dominic’s 9th Birthday!!!

 

Our third day in Sinafala was Sunday.  It was a day to join the villagers at their Churches and then enjoy an afternoon of soccer – Zambians vs. Americans!  We were setting out to a great day of fellowship.

Today was the first day our ministering groups were switched up.  Solomon had been invited to preach at Pastor Arthur’s Church so his group went to Pastor Arthur’s Church.   Dominic and I and our group went to Pastor Friday’s Church.  We were very well received at Pastor Friday’s Church.  Everyone had made room for us to sit and join them.

When Pastor Friday started sharing it was very surprising that he was sharing with his Church everything we had shared with him the day before.  It was pretty amazing hearing him share the Bible verses we all shared the day before and hearing his heart about these verses.  It also came as a welcome surprise to hear him ignore protocol of his Apostolic Church.  In the Apostolic Church they all share the same verses and sermon (script is an easy way to understand it). Every Apostolic Church in the area is teaching the same between all of the Churches.  They are also only supposed to run the Church Service for only an hour, that day Pastor Arthur apologized for running long and then he proceeded to speak about our visit to him the day before.  He shared what our hearts were for unity in the Churches and to share the Gospel.  He then invited Dominic and I and John up to share with the congregation.

After the Church Service we were able to pray for 2 women for healings.

After Church we headed back to camp to prepare for the soccer game.

Over 200 people showed up to either participate or watch the soccer game.  The Zambians took it very easy on the Americans during the game.  While the game was going on it gave us an opportunity to connect with the people from the village.  There were a group of women that started a cheering session.  They were dancing and singing and everyone was coming together.

Dominic also found a stick bug while we were watching the game.  He was excited to have found one on the trip.

After the game we had time to speak with the people of Sinafala. We saw Pastor Arthur.  He had a great time playing soccer with our team.  He spoke with me a bit more about the impact Dominic was having on the village.  He also shared a bit of his heart.  God has placed Israel and the Middle East on his heart as an area to minister to.  He has intentions to continue to go to the market place for Shane and Chelsea’s meetings and to continue to build a relationship with Overland.

At the end of the game we were able to share testamonies and pray with the people of Sinafala.  The day was such a Blessing for all of us!!

Our 2nd Day of Hut to Hut Ministry we started at a Hut and it was Matimba’s Hut.  She was there with her baby.  Monica came and joined us again and she brought with her 4 more young girls.  We were able to share the Word with all of the girls and all 6 girls asked to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  Matimba also requested that we pray to release her from fear.

The 2nd Hut we came to today we came up to an elderly woman with a very established homestead.  They had a flourishing farm and many animals – goats, cows, chickens, guinea hens, and doves.  The elderly woman’s name  was Jessica and her husband was Matuba.  Matuba joined us shortly after arriving to the homestead.  The couple explained to us that they had both given their lives to Jesus in the 1970s.  We were able to share the Word with the couple.  There was another woman that remained in the kitchen but continued to listen to what we were sharing.  8 of Jessica and Matuba’s grandchildren joined us and we were able to share with them also.  We had asked them if they attended a Church.  Matuba said that if he took time to go to Church he would not be rich.  This gave us an opportunity to share various Bible stories about God providing for us and how we are supposed to put our Trust in God to provide.

We dug into Malachi 3:8-12

Do Not Rob God

While passing the Sinafala Primary school we took advantage of the water pump to refill and stay hydrated.  Dominic had the opportunity to pump for water for the first time.  It always helps to have a someone to assist in gathering the water as you pump.  Thank you Solomon.

After leaving the school we had to stop to see the ladies at the crossroads selling the fritters and scones.  While we were there Lilian from the day before comes walking down the road.  She was smiling and dancing and so excited to see us.  She proceeded to tell us that before she saw us the day before another one of our teams had prayed for her.  They prayed to relieve anxiety to help her sleep at night and for her blind eye.  When she came up on us the day before she was really happy because her eye had opened up a little and she was able to see a bit.  When she saw us this day she was so thankful that she had a great nights sleep.  She said she had not slept so well in years.  And her eye had opened a little more.  She had asked us to pray for her eye again.  She was so excited to join us this evening at our night meeting so she can teach us how to dance.  Now I will jump ahead a few days just briefly.  When we spoke to the team that did pray over Lilian the first time and we told them what a bundle of joy she was and how fun and sweet she was, they all thought we were a little nuts.  Turns out, Lilian wasn’t as fun and bubbly when they were at the hut and met Lilian.  She was kind of abrupt and not very receptive to what the team was sharing, but, she did let them pray for her.  What the team didn’t know was after they left she continued to be filled with the Joy of the Lord and she was sharing her praise throughout the village.  The team was so grateful to hear the impact of their prayers over Lilian.

As we continued down the road we came to Modesta’s home.  Modesta is the head schoolmaster for the Primary School.  Modesta was really sweet. She is a follower of Jesus.  Her 8 year old niece was there also.  She was amazed that her and Dominic were the same age and both of them were going into 4th grade.  Here at this home our group split.  3 members of our team continued speaking with Modesta.  Dominic and I split off with Solomon and remained with the children.  We shared Bible Stories and the Wordless Book (story of salvation) with the children.  As we shared all 7 children gave their lives to Jesus.  The children were also a little fascinated with the texture of Solomon’s hair.  Modesta received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

As we continued down the road we stopped at the home of a nurse from the clinic – Her name was Christian.  She had moved to Sinafala from Lusaka and brought her sister.  Alice with her.  Alice was having a hard time adjusting to the move to the village.  She is missing her friends and home.  She felt that God had placed it on her heart to follow her sister to Sinafala.  We were able to encourage Alice with the story of Ruth and how she was greatly rewarded for following her Mother in Law and staying faithful.

Christian shared testimonies with us about the healings of her patients.  When there is an emergency at the clinic it could take up to 2 hours before an ambulance even arrived at the clinic for assistance.  She said there were several instances where she turned to prayer and God came through with miraculous healings.  She explained that since she has arrived in Sinafala she had not had an opportunity to connect with a Church yet, but she was definitely looking forward to connect with a Church.

Before we left we prayed for Alice to embrace her sacrifice to follow her sister to an unknown place completely out of her comfort zone – we prayed for strength that she will prosper and grow in faith.  We prayed for Christian to continue to pray for miracles and to embrace her calling.

The house next door belonged to Pastor Friday.  When we first arrived at his home he asked if we could speak inside his home since he had company.  The guest inside his home surprised us since it was Pastor Arthur.  Pastor Arthur quickly informed us that Friday was indeed a Pastor.  They were at Pastor Friday’s home to watch to the World Cup.  Pastor Friday was so eager to hear what was on our hearts to share.  We shared scriptures, stories and words of encouragement.  Pastor Friday shared with us how he had become a Pastor.  We then prayed over him.  As we prayed for him he received a text from the District Leader o his Church.  All the text read was Luke 15:6-7:

Receiving this text really took Pastor Friday by surprise.  He said that this was not a common practice for the district leader of his Church.  We shared a little bit on this verse then Pastor Friday shared that his heart was to travel and share the Gospel with the unreached.  He was an evangelist at heart.

It was getting late in the afternoon and we needed to head back to camp to have dinner and prepare for our first night meeting within Sinafala.  The children were already gathered waiting for Dominic back at camp.  All the teams came together, shared a bit, had dinner then we prepared for the night meeting.

The night meeting was very encouraging seeing how many people from the village had come to join us.  It didn’t take long for the children to find Dominic.  It was pretty amazing seeing him connecting with these children so quickly and easily.  I was able to speak with Pastor Arthur a little more and he shared with me what an impact Dominic will have with these children.

At the night meeting we have a big fire we sing songs about Jesus, different members of the teams shared testimonies and we prayed with the people from the village that joined us.  We had salvations and healings that evening.  It was a great experience for both the people of Sinafala and our expedition team.

Day 2 was such a Blessing.  We were encouraged more with every hut we went to.  We were so excited to see what God was going to do during Day 3.

Day 1

The first hut we came up on we met a woman, her name was Dorika and her husband, Akila.  Dorika was running a high fever, cough and had pain in her chest.  As we began to share with Dorika and Akila, Monica came up to join us.  Monica was one of the first girls we met when we arrived in Sinafala the day before.  We continued to share with the group and we were then joined by Selah (Momma Akila).

All 3 had already had a relationship with Christ.  Selah had asked us to help her understand what day we are meant to pray.  The family had all known Jesus but had a hard time building an unrestricted relationship with Jesus when the rules of Religion kept pressing in.  We were able to share with them that there is no restriction on how often we can pray to Jesus.  We encouraged them that the more we share and pray with God and Jesus the happier they are with us.  Once we were able to share some Bible Verses with them and they had a better understanding of how to communicate with Jesus Dorika allowed us to pray for her fever, cough and chest pains.

After praying her fever was gone and she no longer had any chest pains.  Praise God!

After Dorika was feeling better we were able to share with them about the Holy Spirit.  All 3 of them requested to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  All 3 were Baptized and Filled with the Holy Spirit.  Dorika received her prayer language really quickly!!

Before we left Selah asked us to pray for her Abusive Drunkard son Vivious.

The 2nd Hut we went to was Monica’s.  Monica was watching over the village children while the parents were at a school meeting.  We got to share with 9 children at this hut.  We also met Matimba at Monica’s hut.  Matimba was suffering from a lame arm that was a result of a family cursing.  She explained that her sister had died due to the cursings placed on her family.  We prayed for her arm and for her to be released of any strongholds that were holding her back.  We showed her and Monica how to continue to pray for healing for her arm.  Matimba’s  arm started  loosening up and the arm was able to be extended.  (Matimba, continued to come for prayer and her arm progressively improved throughout June and July)

Two children that were a little older came to speak with us,  Alice and Dala. (Alice was with Monica as we first arrived in Sinafala to greet us – I will have one newsletter telling Alice’s testimony) We were able to share the Gospel with the girls.  Both Alice and Dala asked to receive Jesus into their lives.  After they prayed for salvation they requested that we pray for their Abusive Drunkard Father, Vivious.  Alice and Dala were Selah’s grandchildren.

Our 3rd hut of the day was the home of Pastor Arthur and his family.  Pastor Arthur had graduated from Bible college in January and was assigned to the Village of Sinafala.  Pastor Arthur and his wife met while attending Bible College.  His wife was preparing lunch for their family.  As Pastor Arthur shared his testimony with us his wife had prepared lunch for us too.  We had our first sampling of nshima and soya.  Nshima is their staple starch with every meal.  It is kind of like really thick grits you eat with your hands.  You roll the nshima in your hand and use it to pick up the relish that is served with it.

While sharing a meal and sharing testimonies with Pastor Arthur we learned he is an Evangelist at heart.  He was a great connection that we made that day by just sharing and building a relationship with this family.  Pastor Arthur will continue to play a role in meetings and trying to bring unity within Sinafala.

After leaving Pastor Arthur’s house we started walking towards the school.  On the corner of the connecting roads at the school under a big tree is where the women come to sell Fritters and Scones each day.  Here is where we met Freda, Matimba and Lamba.  All three of the women have a relationship with Jesus.  They attend Shane and Chelsea’s Revival Meetings when they can.  While sharing with the women 32 children joined us while they were on break at school.  We were able to share stories with them and share the love of Jesus.  It was overwhelming to see how much love these children have for Jesus.  This group of children got called back into class.  It did not take long for another group of 23 kids to join us.  We got to share more Bible stories before they had to move on.

When the children left us we got a chance to pray for Freda, Matimba and Lamba.  Matimba was healed from here migraine headache.  Freda asked us to pray for her bareness. Lamba asked us to pray for strength and knowledge.  We are believing we will get a pregnancy report from Shane and Chelsea for Freda!

While we were getting ready to head back to camp this Vibrant Woman Lillian came down the road and saw us.  She was smiling and made sure she shook all of our hands and spent a few minutes with each of us. (More on Lillian on our Day 2 report)

As Day 1 of Hut to Hut ministry was winding down we had a moment to reflect on everything that had occurred today.  Dominic got to play with the children.  We had so many children coming to us that we were able to minister to because of their curiosity of the Little Makua named Dominic.  Today was a Blessing.  Our Team had the opportunity to Minister to 74 people,  we had 2 Salvations, 3 Baptisms of the Holy Spirit, and 2 Healings.  God was Amazing today.  Cannot wait to share what God did on Day 2 of Hut to Hut Ministry within Sinafala!!

 

Arrival to Zambia!!

June 19 we arrived in Zambia!!  This was the start of the Journey God had set before us.  We landed in the Livingstone Airport and it was the first time we met our Expedition Team and Expedition Leaders in person.

The first picture above was the First African Sunrise we saw on the trip.  This was as we flew toward Johannesburg, South Africa. Just one more quick flight to Livingstone!!

The 2nd Photo was as we arrived in Livingstone and started loading up our Expedition Truck and our transportation for the duration of the Expedition.  Once loaded we started our journey to Rapid 14.  Dominic was super excited, not only was it the start of our Journey he also got to see his friend from Church.  Once we got settled into our tents, freshened up and had dinner – Phil invited the expedition team to his house for a fire and tea.  Here we were able to hear Phil’s Heart and Vision for Overland Missions.

The next day was our orientation day to go over the details of our Expedition to Chipepo.  When we finished going over details and preparing for the Expedition the team decided to hike the gorge at Rapid 14.  Some people on the team were a little concerned Dominic wouldn’t be able to make it down and back up the gorge on his own.  Dominic told them that “Nothing is Impossible with Jesus” .  The next 2 pictures were taken at the bottom of the gorge.  Not only did Dominic make it down the gorge he hiked all the way to the top all on his own saying with God he cannot fail!!  I was so proud of him.

4 AM came quickly!!!  4:00 was the time we planned to start our 12 hour drive from Rapid 14, Livingstone to Sinafala, Chipepo.

The ride was long, bumpy, uncomfortable, exciting and a Blessing.  The 12 hour ride was the start of our PB&J sandwiches for lunch our first exposure to the villages in Chipepo.

Once we arrived in Sinafala Dominic was one of the first off the truck.  By the time I was able to get off the truck Dominic had already connected with a group of the village kids and was already playing with them and introducing himself to them.

It did not take long to connect with Monica and Alice.  These two girls were such a Blessing throughout our expedition and our follow-up throughout the summer in Sinafala.

As we settled in and made new friends we set up camp and prepared to cook dinner and plan for the morning.  Dominic was so excited to tell me all about his new friends that he made in Sinafala.

While settling in God gave me Matthew 5:13-16

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampshade and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your father in Heaven” (I find the reason God gave me this verse later in the expedition.  Stay tuned for details)

This will be home for us for the duration of the expedition.

Next update will be – Hut to Hut Ministry in Sinafala!!

As we started our journey Dominic and I were super Blessed with a long layover in New York on our way to Africa – we had 2 days!  It was a welcomed layover.  It has been 9 years since either of us have been back to New York since we moved to Florida.  Dominic was so excited. So Blessed we were able to stay with family and Dominic got to experience a bunch of firsts:

First bite (and many others after) of New York Pizza!!  He was a fan.  It is also the only thing he wanted to eat while we were in New York.

Our 2nd day in New York I wanted to take him into the city so that he could see some sites.  Dominic got his first ride on the L.I.R.R and the Subway!  I wish I had video taped his reaction as the first train pulled up at the station.

 

First Stop was Central Park!!

We started our Central Park Adventure off in the Zoo. We needed to get a picture of the iconic clock and took a break from the New York Summer Heat in the Ice Age 3-D Adventure.  Dominic really enjoyed all of the animals and park areas throughout the zoo to enjoy.

After the zoo Dominic freshened up on his hiking skills while climbing on the Glacial Rocks throughout the park.  With enjoying the hiking, bridges, sites and Food Trucks there was one must do in the park that I had to let Dominic experience.  That was riding the carousel in the park.  He was so fascinated learning the history behind the carousel and being able to ride on it.

As we were leaving the park it started dawning on us that in less than 24 hours we would have already been a few hours into our flight to Zambia!!

We left the park and I started walking Dominic around the city to see various sites that were on his list.

As the sun started to set we ended out journey through New York City and prepared for our next step of our journey – New York City to Africa!!

We are forever grateful for the opportunity to spend time with family that we Love and Miss and to be able share a day in New York City with Dominic and show him all the places I used to go when I lived in New York.  We will never forget the memories from this adventure.

Next stop Africa!