Hope Children's Center

Sarah in Zambia

2011-12-26T16:06:00.009-06:00

From Sarah Day:
I went to the Hope Children’s Center for a few days last October and had a blast. I would start each morning with the pastors in their morning devotion time. Before devotions were done, however, I would start to see (and hear) the children as they arrived at the Hope Center. This drew my attention, of course, so I would soon slip out to go play.
I came up with something different to do with the kids as they gathered each morning…macramé bracelets, play with play dough, make and fly paper airplanes…whatever. They had fun with anything.When most of the kids had arrived, we went to the porch of the guesthouse for story time in the shade. After singing a few songs, we walked together through a small portion of God’s Big Story. I focused on the creation and fall of man and the promise of a redeemer, judgment of sin (and preservation of the promise) through Noah, God’s promise to Abraham that the whole world would be blessed through him, the substitutionary sacrifice of the ram for Isaac, and finally Christ as the fulfillment of all these promises. I was glad to see the kids had a pretty good base knowledge of many stories and Bible verses. Annie and Ketty translated for me.
After our story time, we ate lunch together, and I spent the rest of the day helping with dentistry. I truly enjoyed my time at the Hope Center, meeting the pastors and children and seeing first hand how God is at work in Zambia.

What's Happening Now

2011-10-29T19:42:00.014-05:00

If you're a regular follower of this blog, you probably noticed that there hasn't been much to follow. This isn't because nothing is happening at the Hope Children's Center, its because we haven't had to send as many Americans to do the work - which is a good thing!!

But many of you may be completely new to this blog. So this post it just to give you an idea of what Cornerstone (actually, what GOD) is doing in Zambia and how you can be praying.

First, a little history. Through a connection with Gospelink, a missions organization operating around the world and in Zambia, we met Pastor Navice Kalunga. Navice had a great vision to see a place that would help ease the burden of the local Zambian churches by caring for orphans. In Zambia, half the population is under 16 and over 1 million of these children are orphans! There is no government care for these children, they are simply taken in by whoever will have them. The problem is, most of the families can't afford to feed their own children, much less the kids they have taken in.

Through conversations and a growing relationship, God gave Cornerstone a heart to partner with this pastor and help the local churches and kids. In early 2008, God provided a wonderful plot of land in Serenje, Zambia - the future site for the Hope Children's Center. Later that year, Zack Ludwig and Randy Brekke moved to Zambia to oversee the building of the center.

In June 2009, the Hope Children's Center Officially opened and started serving meals to 50 elementary age children. HCC is not a live in orphanage. Instead, it supports the local families by provided a healthy meal 6 days a week to double orphans (both parents have died), single orphans (one parent has died), and vulnerable children.

(The multipurpose building that houses offices, an open air cafeteria, a kitchen, and 2 classrooms.)

And from HCC, bags of maize and beans are distributed 4 times a year to 130 orphans in the surrounding area.

(Maize being distributed to children in the bush areas.)

The Hope Children's Center is also a base for Pastor Training and Church Planting - which is the true heart and gifting of Pastor Navice. HCC hosts quarterly pastor's trainings, some lead by US teachers and some lead by Zambians.

(Pastor Jeff leading a Pastor's Training)

Under the direction of Marlin Rice, the agriculture program called Z-8 was formed. Z-8 comes from Zechariah 8:12-13 (The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew. I will give all these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people. As you have been an object of cursing among the nations, O Judah and Israel, so will I save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.) and is a prayer of hope, that the land would produce abundant food for the orphans (as Marlin put it).

The staple food for Zambians in Maize (white corn) which they grind and make into a mashed potato type substance. This is called Nshima. So at HCC, they are growing maize, fresh fruits and vegetables, and groundnuts (peanuts) for protein. Annually, the food grown has allowed HCC to add more children to the program without increasing the budget. The goal is to grow enough food to feed the children and generate money from sales of extra food to pay for the work itself.

(Marlin with the bags of maize from the HCC harvest.)

We can't forget to also mention a big partner in all this work - Brookside Church of Omaha. Not only did God moved in their hearts in a HUGE way when they took an offering and raised $130,000 to help build the Hope Center, but they have continued to work hand in hand with Cornerstone by helping the children with schooling through their "Back to School" program and sending teachers for Pastor's Trainings once a year.

(Some of the kids in their school uniforms.)

There are so many great stories of the miracles God has worked in and through HCC, and just as many wonderful pictures in the past blog posts. So explore for yourself and see what God has done.

Here are some ways you can pray for HCC:

1. Pray for the Z-8 program, that the gardens and crops would produce a bountiful harvest with which to feed the orphans. Planting season starts in November, so this is a very time appropriate request!

2. Pray for the children! Even with the regular food, there is still much sickness. In the past month, one of the children from the bush, who was receiving food quarterly, died from sickness. Pray for their physical strength, but just as urgently, pray for their spiritual growth and maturity.

3. Pray for the Pastors and Church leaders who attend the quarterly trainings. Pray for their faith to grow and be deepened. And pray for them, and Pastor Navice, as they are continually planting new churches in unreached areas.

4. Pray for the Zambian leaders of this project. For any work to last long term, it has to be "owned" by the locals. Much of Africa operates on a survival mentality, because life is harsh and the day to day needs are hard to meet. So planning ahead and working towards bigger goals has been a challenge. Pray for mature leadership and sound decisions as the project moves forward.

If Happy Is...

2011-01-26T11:04:00.007-06:00

December 28, 2010—January 9, 2011

If happy is the smile of a child…
if happy is a new friend…
if happy is planting fruit trees…
if happy is swinging high in the sky…
if happy is the beauty of a waterfall…
if happy is sharing a moment with your buddy…
if happy is the exuberance of children…
if happy is a new pink stocking cap…
if happy is a hug…
if happy is your first Bible…
happy is learning about Jesus…
then happy is the joy of experiencing the goodness of God.

During late December and early January, Cornerstone sent a new team to Hope Children’s Center (HCC). Our team of Eric, Jon, Micah, Gabe, Heidi, Jewels, Kay (shown at Victoria Circle in London) and me helped with food distribution to orphans, Bible study for the children, and agricultural development.
Shortly after we arrived in Lusaka, we went about the task of buying seedling fruit trees to plant at HCC so that someday the children will have nutritious fruit as part of their diet.
HCC has a large building with a dining hall, kitchen, classrooms, and office. In this building is where our team led the Bible studies.
Our team stayed in the guesthouse and ate our evening meals together. A well and water tower on the property provide a reliable source of water for the Center.

The Cornerstone junior high youth group—180—purchased Bibles for the orphans. We made book covers from construction paper to protect the Bibles.
On Sunday, we went to worship service at the church in Kamena. Our guys piled into the back of the truck for the 24-mile drive out into the bush.
After worship service, we helped the HCC staff distribute 110-pound sacks of maize, Bibles, and new shoes or flip-flops to the 130 orphans. The caregivers and children were excited with the Lord’s blessings.

Maize and bibles also were distributed to 23 orphans at Teta church.
As we were taking photographs, some of the women of the church asked that their picture also be taken. They were all dressed in their Sunday finest.
Carrying a 110-pound bag of maize requires ingenuity. A bicycle is a common method of carrying a heavy load.
Nearly 60 orphans, or children-at-risk, come to HCC, usually after morning school, for a noon-time meal and Bible study. Like all children, they are full of energy.
HCC has about 11 acres in agricultural production—both in row crops and a large garden. White maize is grown in two large fields at the Center. Joshua, the head gardener, is seen here inspecting one of the maize fields.
One of our major objectives was to plant an orchard. Some of the native trees were chopped out and the field was smoothed with hoes.

The children helped carry the young trees out to the orchard.
In three days, the team had planted 128 avocado, banana, guava, lemon, mango, papaya, and tangerine trees.

It rained nearly every day, which was great for the crops and the newly planted fruit trees. Then the rains would stop and the sky would be a beautiful blue.

In conclusion, the team had a great experience loving the children and serving our Lord in Zambia. A new orchard was planted with seven varieties of fruit, new Bibles were given to orphans that had none, and we were able to experience the joy of helping those in need with the distribution of food. The apostle Paul wrote, “Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Jesus Christ.” So here are a few more photos of joy (if happy is…).

Marlin Rice (for the team), January 23, 2011

A Heart-Opening Experience

2010-12-27T20:29:00.039-06:00

November, 2010
If it is the middle of November, then it is time to plant the crops in Zambia. Our team of Drew, Steve, Scott, and I traveled to Serenje, Zambia to work with the staff at Hope Children's Center (HCC) on agricultural development. A variety of crops are produced at HCC to feed the orphans, both at the Center, and at the villages of Kamena and Teta in the bush.

The drive from Lusaka to Serenje is always interesting. There are overloaded trucks on the highway, people selling mushrooms from the forest, and 18-foot tall termite mounds that are fun to climb.

On Saturday evening we arrived at HCC and were warmly greeted by Navice and his wife Kettie (shown below with Festus). Navice had prayed for many years that a center could be developed in Serenje to care for orphans.
On Sunday we worshiped at Kamena church - 22 miles out into the bush from Serenje. The congregation was packed to the walls of the mud brick church with the corrugated metal roof. The congregation sang beautiful songs to the rhythm of wood drums.
Not everyone could squeeze inside, so many children peered through the ventilation bricks in the walls.
Afterward, we gathered outside to meet the children and other church members.

Scott remarked, "Well, I haven't been to church like that before. They had nothing else to do but worship God." Drew noted, "James 5 says if anyone is happy, sing songs of praise. They are always singing and smiling." It was true - the Zambians always had a smile for us.

Monday through Friday we focused on agricultural development with the staff. Maize is a major crop and the fields are prepared with conservation tillage techniques. The old cornstalks are left on the soil surface and only the rows where the maize will be planted are tilled. The fields were almost completely ready to plant when we arrived.
We enlarged the maize field and additional ground needed to be tilled. We used a narrow hoe, called a chaka hoe, to till the soil, which was very hard because the seasonal rains had not yet started.
When all the hoeing was finished, lime was spread along the rows. And then we waited for the rains before we could plant.
HCC also has a large irrigated garden that produces sweet potatoes, tomatoes, onions, cabbage, eggplant, and rape (a leafy green vegetable, similar in taste to broccoli).
School ends before noon for most children, after which they come to HCC. Brookside Church (Omaha) has constructed swings and the children love playing on them.
The children sing Bible songs before lunch and recite the Lord's Prayer. Lunch often is a plate full of nshima (boiled white maize) mixed with soybean meal, and boiled rape.
Thursday is "kapenta day." Kapenta are the sun-dried minnows that are stir-fried and served to the children as an alternate source of protein. The children love kapenta, but we flinched hard while trying to swallow the greasy little fish with buggy eyes.
The Lord really blessed last season's maize harvest at HCC. In addition to the daily feeding of 60 orphans, HCC also provides supplemental food to the orphans at Teta and Kamena. One hundred and thirty orphans were each given a 110-pound bag of white maize.

The caregivers were very appreciative of the Lord's blessing. There was singing and high-pitched tongue trills. Some loaded the sacks onto their backs and disappeared into the bush. Others precariously strapped the sacks to bicycles.

The caregivers at Teta greatly appreciated the gift of maize and thanked us by giving Kettie a chicken.
On Saturday we took a day off and enjoyed the sites of the countryside. We drove 65 miles to Kundalila Falls - a spectacular 225-foot high falls that makes a hard right turn at the top, slices through three narrow slits of rock, and then cascades into a beautiful green pool below. Drew, Scott, and Festus even enjoyed a swim.

Then we drove to Kasanka National Park where we saw dozens of antelope, a small troop of baboons, a mother and baby hippo walking along the lakeshore, and a family of 12 warthogs that ran off into the woods with their tails held high. But the highlight was the 7 million straw-colored fruit bats leaving their tree roosts to fly out to feed. These squawking bats, with their 3-foot wingspans, filled the evening sky in all directions. In 20 minutes they were all gone. It was absolutely awesome.
Sunday morning we drove back to Serenje. From our camp, the way out of the park was 12 miles of dirt track. We saw more antelope and a single set of very large oval footprints crossing the track - a bull elephant! We got out of the van to look for the elephant, but we could not see very deep into the thick woodlands. We had just missed him.
On Sunday morning we worshiped again at Kamena church. Steve delivered a message from Philippians 2:3-11 regarding service being about demonstrating Christ's love to others, and Navice interpreted. This morning there were 191 children inside the church, along with about 40-50 adults and babies.
Pastor Saviourse thanked us for our visit and the maize, which was given to the 103 orphans in his church. The children seemed to be healthy, and they were happy. Navice later commented about the children, "They don't look so skinny." Two years ago many of them were emaciated.
It has become tradition that we climb the 440-foot high granite dome called Chinuma (meaning humpbacked) after church service at Kamena. On the walk through the bush, we spotted a slender green snake in a tree. I took photographs - the Zambians thought I was way too close. I asked Kettie if it was poisonous. She said, "It is not poisonous...maybe!" Turns out it was the highly venomous boomslang.

Navice and Steve stopped part way up Chinuma to catch their breath. The climb was a challenge up the smooth-faced granite mountain, but we were rewarded at the top with a spectacular view.
Our last night in Serenje, we sat on the front porch of the guesthouse, in the darkness of the African night, and prayed and thanked God. Steve said, "It was an eye-opening experience." Then he correct himself and said, "No, it was a real heart-opening experience." And so it was.

The seasonal rains started two days after we left Serenje. By the end of the week, all of the maize had been planted.
Be of good cheer,
Marlin Rice (for the team), December 26, 2010

A Week of Smiles

2010-07-30T14:29:00.027-05:00

June - June, 2010

A smile needs no translation! Our team went to Serenje, Zambia during late June and early July to love and serve at the Hope Children's Center. Although Zambia may be a poor country economically, it has a wealth of smiling faces.

However, we weren't exactly smiling when we arrived at Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C. fifteen minutes after our plane had left for Johannesburg, South Africa. Our flight from Chicago had been delayed for two hours because of bad weather. We then waited in line for nearly five hours to learn the outlook wasn't good for all 11 of us to find another flight to South Africa anytime soon. But God was good and our courteous and creative ticket agent "miraculously" got all of us re-routed on a flight to London the next day. We would have a 14-hour layover before we could continue on to Johannesburg and then on to Lusaka, Zambia, but the team did not seem too disappointed about an unexpected stay in London.
John, Amy, Stephanie, Allison, Susan, Becca, Michael, Jessica, (front) Stacey, and Kay at Tower Bridge, London.

Despite being almost two days late, we got off to a great start with the children on Monday morning. God answered our prayers and provided four translators to help us interact with the children on a more personal level. The Hope children attend the local school and are taught English, but their knowledge is still limited and they are reluctant to speak it. We studied the Holiness of God, Obedience, Prayer, and Evangelism (HOPE).
The children arrive at different times during the day at Hope, so our team was either teaching or playing with the children most of the day. The games always produced lots of smiles.

In the afternoons, we also taught the children gardening techniques. The children help care for the large community garden, which provides food for their noon meal each day. But we also helped each child prepare their own individual garden, which would be totally their responsibility. They loved the idea of having their own garden.

Near the end of the week and after the children finished planting their gardens, they were each given sunglasses. This, of course, brought many smiles and laughter, and occasionally an "attitude!"
Hope also has large fields for growing maize and peanuts. A bountiful crop was harvested in April consisting of 205 bags of maize - nearly 11 1/2 tons - and 600 pounds of peanuts. This will help feed the children at the Center during the coming year.
Pastor Navice Kalunga had been praying that the children at Hope, and the churches at Teta and Kamena, would get Bibles. His prayer was answered when the 180 youth group at Cornerstone helped provide the funds to purchase the Bibles. These were the first Bibles the children had ever received and most likely the first Bibles in their house. We came to Zambia with 165 children's Bibles and what a joy it was to place their first Bibles in the hands of these children.

Our week culminated with a trip on Sunday to the Teta church (about 7 miles outside of Serenje) where we distributed dry beans, fleece blankets and children's Bibles to 13 orphans. The fleece blankets were made by the 4th grade D-6 class at Cornerstone and the gifts brought many smiles.
Then we traveled to Kamena church (Pastor Navice's home church 22 miles from Serenje) where we worshiped and handed out Bibles to 87 orphans or children-at-risk, and gave each 15 pounds of dry beans to supplement their diet.

Almost as quickly as it started, our trip to Zambia was over. It did include some frustrating moments, but our firm conviction that we were where God wanted us to be never wavered - we had a wonderful opportunity "to look after orphans... in their distress" (James 1:27). The team of young men and women who accompanied us were faithful workers and smiling servants, and they were rewarded with the priceless smiles of precious children.

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' " Matthew 25:40

Kay & Marlin Rice

Juny 2010

2010-07-19T14:34:00.004-05:00

Just another beautiful Zambian child that we are privileged to serve through the Hope Center!

A team from Cornerstone Church (Ames) just returned from another fantastic trip to Serenje. There were flight delays, luggage was lost, and any number of other hurdles, but there is not a one that regrets the sacrifice. It is a privilege to serve alongside our Zambian friends.

One of the highlights was seeing the first ten students graduate from the Bible training. These men were ecstatic to receive a gift to commemorate their accomplishment: a bicycle, a backpack, and a new leather NIV Study Bible.
They were thrilled with all the gifts, but when the Bible came out things went crazy. All our Zambian friends started to dancing in joy - like a scene out of the Old Testament! Jeavers (pictured) graduated and already brought two more students into the next freshman class.

This is Martin (one of Jeaver's young leaders). We asked him to read a passage during a training session and realized that he stammered due to the fact that he only owned a King James Version Bible. It was treasured by Martin - but it was extremely difficult for him to read. Like many on our team, I was able to exchange Bibles with Martin, giving him an NIV. Oh, the things we take for granted!

These children are being cared for - and they care for one another! It is beautiful to see older siblings watch over their young ones, helping them eat and carrying them all over the place. It is a joy to help people who are already serving and helping one another!

The crops are doing great! And now the kids are helping with the task. Marlin Rice (our chief ag leader) plotted out a spot for each Hope child to have their own garden. Having fun and learning to take care of themselves - that's HOPE!

The team was fantastic and gave of themselves with joy. Continue to pray for the Hope Center and all the people being affected by the work of God - on both sides of the ocean!

The fence is in!

2010-02-03T15:35:00.012-06:00

An incredibly generous and hardworking group of people traveled all the way to Serenje to purchase and install a fence around the crops of the Hope Center. And let me tell you, these guys can WORK!

Many of these folks came from Bethel Reformed Church in Aplington, Iowa. Many had never traveled internationally before. Most had never been robbed before. None had ever eaten enshima before. And all of them made a huge and life-changing contribution to the Hope Center.

Here Bob Schipper helps offload some much needed food for the Hope orphans living in Kamena.

Here Jan gets the upscale transportation we offer at the Hope Center (convertible comes at no extra cost). Oh, and friends ride free.

Navice is crazy! He was convinced that the "young men" should not be climbing ladders to trim the tree near where the fence was to be installed. So he did it himself! There is nothing that man won't do for the Hope Center.

Here is Don mixing it up with our Zambian friends over a meal.

The fence project required a lot of hands. Each post hole was dug by hand and the cement was mixed on the spot, hauling all the rock, sand, etc. all around the 12 acre Hope Center. A fantastic team effort!

Of course, there was always time for a little fun with the kids!

The electric fence will provide protection from theft so that the crops will be used to feed the children. Without this fence, our food would "walk away" and the sustainability of the project would be jeopardized. We thank God for this team for their contribution to the project!

This team suffered flight delays, sickness, a robbery (passports, cash, medicines, etc.), rains, heat, hard work ... and they did it all with grace and joy and a Christ-centered attitude. They would not be discouraged or set back -- no matter what came their way. I have never seen such tenacity and joy from a team.

God has been gracious time and again. It is a reminder that this is HIS work and HE will raise up the workers for His harvest field. Thank you, Lord, for all You've done!

Fence Team to Zambia

2010-01-05T13:08:00.003-06:00

Jeff Dodge left this morning to work with a team putting a fence around the Hope Center. This fence will help keep crops from getting stollen so we can eventually feed even more children. Here's an email from Jeff as he was on his way out of town:

Just got word as I am getting on the plane that all the materials for the fence project have arrived at the Hope Center! Thank the Lord with me and ask Him to go before us. We hope to build a fence, distribute food to all the Hope kids, participate in Bible training for many leaders, and be mutually encouraged in our faith as American and Zambian Christ-followers, working together for Him and His church.

Jeff

A Hundred Thanks

2009-12-29T16:56:00.001-06:00

Submitted by Marlin Rice, Z8 Agricultural Director (HCC), Dec. 20th, 2009

On Sunday, December 22, we drove the mini-bus and the truck to the Kamena church—out in the bush 22 miles from Serenje. The road is not always easily passable and as Joshua said, it is “too much bad.” Somewhere along the way we hit something that gave the mini-bus a rattle so we made temporary repairs by crawling under the engine and tying on a wire.

The worship at Kamena opened with the men and women singing in beautiful, rhythmic a cappella hymns. The small, mud-brick building was packed with worshippers and 115 children were seated and kneeling on the broken cement floor at the front of the church. Navice introduced me to the congregation and then delivered an impassioned message in Bemba. After the service, it seemed that the entire congregation stayed around to observe the distribution of clothing. Navice, Freddie, and I handed out new dresses, shirts, pants, sweatshirts, and shoes to the 100 orphans sponsored by the Hope Center. It was a delight to see the surprise and joy on the faces of the children, many of whom were wearing only filthy rags for clothing. Afterward, the children waved their thanks for Cornerstone’s generosity.

To finish out our Sunday at Kamena, several of us climbed the granite “whaleback” just outside the village. The top of this 440-foot high granite outcropping gave us a beautiful view of the forests and fields around Kamena. Navice and I had spent a wonderful week laboring together planting crops and distributing clothing. It was the best of times in the Lord’s service.

Unwanted Guests at the Guesthouse

2009-12-27T16:51:00.002-06:00

Submitted by Marlin Rice, Z8 Agricultural Director (HCC), Dec. 20th, 2009

We have a wonderful, new guesthouse on the property with two bedrooms, two baths, and a kitchen. There is a porch with a couple of outside lights and after the rains, if the lights are left on at night the insects coming swarming in.
Some are beautiful, such as the moth.
Some are striking, such as the longhorned beetle.
Some are bizarre, such as the mole cricket.
And some are just plain unwanted. Thousands of winged termites buzzed around the lights looking for a mate, then fell to the floor where they shed their four wings and died and then I had to walk across them, which crushed hundreds. They created a mess and I swept up dead termite bodies and thousands of wings all week long.

Jesus Loves Who?

2009-12-25T16:42:00.001-06:00

Submitted by Marlin Rice, Z8 Agricultural Director (HCC), Dec. 20th, 2009

The children at the Hope Center love to draw and color with markers. They don’t get this opportunity in the public school, but three new packets of markers and a ream of paper gave them the materials to explore their artistic talents.

I wrote “JESUS LOVES” and each child’s name on a sheet of paper. A number 2 pencil is all they have in school, so when given 48 colored markers they had a blast decorating their papers. Here Linda and Promise share their artwork.

Chalwe was so excited to have his photograph taken that he forgot to turn his artwork right side up. Chalwe was having a rough week. He had spilled boiling water on the top of his foot, which had burned a golfball-sized hole into his skin. All week long Chalwe had hobbled to school, the Hope Center, and then back home with one shoe on his left foot and a shoe-less right foot with a nasty burn, but he usually had a smile on his face.

Would You Like Fried Caterpillars WIth That Meal?

2009-12-23T16:28:00.002-06:00

Submitted by Marlin Rice, Z8 Agricultural Director (HCC), Dec. 20th, 2009

Cornerstone Church has been given the privilege to partner with the Serenje church “to look after orphans…in their distress” (James 1:24). Approximately 50 children get one meal a day along with Bible teaching. When the children arrive after school, Navice would gather them around the tables and read a Bible story in Bemba. They loved this time with Navice.

Women from the church arrive mid morning to prepare the daily meal over a charcoal fire. The meal always consists of enshima (boiled white maize) and we have a supply of 74 bags of maize harvested from the crops we planted at the Center last year.

The enshima is given a side of rape (boiled greens) and beans or kapenta (dried minnows) reconstituted in an onion and tomato sauce. The children love the kapenta, but the overwhelming smell of dead fish kept me from eating it more than once.

Sometimes fresh vegetables are purchased in the Serenje market when the supply runs low at the Hope Center. One day Navice and I went to the market on a shopping trip. The sights, sounds, and aromas of the market are a sensory delight; they never fail to accentuate the African experience.

We found that dried caterpillars were the newest item in the market—big black caterpillars with spines or white caterpillars the size of my thumb. Navice assured me that they were a delicacy, and being an entomologist I knew I would have to eat some. Kettie sautéed them in the onion and tomato sauce, then presented them for lunch. They were chewy and after eating three of each kind, I decided that I had fully captured the experience. The children were given the rest of the sautéed caterpillars and they gobbled them down.

It Takes Two for Success

2009-12-21T16:06:00.017-06:00

Submitted by Marlin Rice, Z8 Agricultural Director (HCC), Dec. 20th, 2009

The spring rains begin to fall in November confirming that it was time to begin planting crops in Zambia. I returned to Serenje on November 14 after driving the 255 miles from Lusaka with Festus Kalunga - the son of Pastor Navice and Kettie. Festus is a delightful young man with an infectious smile and it was a blessing to have a traveling companion who spoke Bemba. We found some giant mushrooms along the roadside and he was excited to give them to his sister to cook.

November had brought considerable rainfall and the countryside was lush and green; it was just beautiful.

The rains also brought out the chameleons and we saw many crossing the road in their slow, stilted, hesitating walk.

The gardens at the Hope Center also benefited from the rains. Joshua and Shadrach had planted rows and rows of tomatoes, onions, rape, patches of pumpkin vines, and two large plots of maize, which would be roasted for the children when the ears were ready. The garden was lush, and with the coming of the rains, Joshua would no longer need to carry buckets of water to irrigate the garden.

But the rains also encouraged the weeds. Weeding the gardens and fields is a very difficult and time-consuming task with the traditional hoe. I brought three wheel hoes with me to the Hope Center—graciously provided by Gary Clem. Navice and Joshua quickly learned how the wheel hoes would increase their efficiency in weeding the gardens. Shadrach soon abandoned his traditional hoe after he observed that weeding a row of onions required only one minute with a wheel hoe, but 15 minutes with his traditional hoe! By the end of the week, most of the weeds in the garden had fallen victim to Shadrach and the wheel hoe.

A major objective of my trip was to work along side Navice, Freddie, and Joshua in the planning and planting of the crops. We were blessed with an additional 1.5 hectares (3.7 acres) to plant our crops this year. Navice and I bought the maize seed in Serenje at a store called Chinchi Wababili, which means “it takes two for success.” This became our motto for the week and Navice and I would use it to remind each other when we encountered an unexpected challenge.

To plant the maize, Navice and Joshua had the new ground plowed with a tractor to break up the clumps of elephant grass, then they coordinated a crew of 11 men with traditional hoes to level the ground, remove the clumps of grass, stretch a 490-foot rope across the field to mark straight rows, dig small divots along the rope for the seed, drop the seed one at a time into the hole, and then cover the seed with soil. Having grown up planting maize by this method, Joshua was experienced and extremely fast. I told him he was a machine, which brought a big smile to his face! The entire maize-planting process was a very labor-intensive process, but in between the rains, which fell almost daily, we planted 7.4 acres of maize in five days—all with hoes and by hand!

Marlin and Friends

2009-12-09T14:38:00.004-06:00

Check out the view that Marlin just experienced in Zambia (near Kamena where the Hope Center provides for about 100 children)...

Pray for Planting

2009-11-12T22:21:00.005-06:00

Right now, Marlin Rice is on his way to Zambia. Marlin is the leader of the Z8 Project at the Hope Center, which is the agriculture program designed to help grow food to feed the children. Marlin has done so much work studying, planning, teaching, and implementing this program. And right now he's on his way to teach and oversee the second planting season.
(Here's a picture of Marlin teaching planting methods last year)
The rainy season starts in November in Zambia and this is when the large crops, such as corn (maize), sweet potatoes, and beans are planted. (The gardens are kept year around growing tomatoes, sweet corn, onions, cabbage, spinach, and many more things.) So Marlin's task in the next week is HUGE! The Hope Center was laid out very intentionally to take advantage of the wonderfully furtile land. And now God has blessed the Hope Center with a NEW hector of land (about 2.5 acres) in addition to the 5 hectors we had before.

Here are some ways you can be praying for the Z8 part of the Hope Center Project:

Pray for Marlin - for safe travel, for energy and health, and for continued wisdom as he leads and teaches the Zambians new and more productive methods of farming
Pray that Marlin and Joshua (the full-time farmer at HCC) will be able to find all the supplies, seeds, fertilizer, etc. that they need
Pray for our Zambian friends - First, we need them to volunteer to make this happen! Second, pray that they would have a heart for all that is happening at the Hope Center and desire to be involved. Finally, pray that God would bless their efforts and give them understanding of the new things they will learn. They can then take these skills home and apply them to the food they grow for their own families.
Pray for good weather

I'll post more from Marlin as I get word about how the trip is going.

HCC Profile: Joseph Mwila

2009-11-08T13:12:00.005-06:00

It's hard not to fall in love with all of the children at the Hope Center. But last summer, I really connected with three little boys: Joseph, Kenny, and Andrew.
But last year we had two translators for 50 kids and no real opportunities to talk with them one on one. On our trip in early October, I had a chance to sit down with a couple kids and hear a little more of their stories. Joseph told me more about his life.
Joseph is about 12 years old (birthdays and ages aren't nearly as important there as here, and many people don't know how old they are). He is in grade 5 at the Boma Basic school in Serenje. Right now, he lives with his aunt who works in the market in town. His older brother and mom have both left to try to find work elsewhere, and his father died several years ag0. (Joseph said he died because the blood dried up in his body. Not sure what that means.)

Like most boys his age, Joseph loves to play soccer and basketball. And he also really loves school and takes it very seriously. He stays at school late each day to study because he wants to be a doctor when he grows up. He especially likes science and math.

Joseph use to get aid from the local government agency in Serenje, but because of the abundant number of orphans in town, they were past the limits and he was kicked out of the program. His aunt brought him to Pastor Navice. He was receiving help from Cornerstone with food distributions even before HCC was built , but now he gets a hot meal every day at the Hope Center. He said he really likes coming to HCC every day because he is being helped.
During my interview with Joseph, I could tell he was being quite shy because the other kids were listening, too. But later, he took me aside and tried very hard to tell me something in English. He couldn't come up with the right words, so I asked if he wanted me to get someone to translate. He said, No, he wanted to find the right words so he would tell me the next day.

I was curious what Joseph would say. And I was sad when he didn't come at his regular time the next day. But just as we were closing up the kitchen he arrived and I sat with him while he ate. He had thought very hard about what he wanted to say. And in very careful English, he told me, "When I go away and finish school, I pray God will bless this place because they gave me food." My heart melted to see the genuine gratitude in this young boy. He wasn't coached into saying this, it came from his heart.
Pray for Joseph and the other 49 children being fed daily at the Hope Center. They all come from very difficult backgrounds and yet they have hope. This hope is not just because we are feeding them, but because they have the chance to hear the gospel and come to know the God of Hope who has a plan for each of their lives.

HCC Profile: Joshua and Gift

2009-10-17T14:16:00.007-05:00

(The next few blogs will introduce you to some of our wonderful Zambian brothers and sisters in Christ.)

No matter what time of year you visit the Hope Children Center (and I do hope you can all visit and share in the labor there one day) you'll see gardens growing. Right now, even though its the end of the dry season, the gardens are flourishing with corn, tomatoes, onions, green beans, cabbage, spinach, pumpkins, and more.

God has blessed the Hope Center with a great care-taker of all this produce! His name is Joshua, and he lives in a small brick house on the Hope Center property with his wife Gift and their 4 children (Rachel, Ines, Webby, and Joshua), plus one nephew (Karen) who's mother died when he was 3 or 4. Both Joshua and Gift are very hard workers with quiet, humble spirits and great smiles!
Joshua has worked for HCC since September of 2008. Before that, he farmed in the Teta area, a remote area past Kamena which is where Pastor Navice is from and has started many churches.

Joshua's job is not only to plant, weed, and harvest the gardens year-round; he is also in charge of getting the fields ready before the rainy season. That's when the large plots of maize, kasava, sweet potatoes, and other vegetables will be planted. He lives right by the garden and often spends his nights on patrol making sure the crops aren't stolen (a future fence will help with this). The metal roof of his house has even been commissioned as the place to dry the groundnuts (peanuts) grown there. (Here is Joshua with some of the groundnuts).
Gift helps in the kitchen and in over-seeing the orphans. Some days you'll find her washing dishes late into the afternoon or corralling the kids and getting them to the bathhouse for a shower. She brings joy to those around her and an enthusiasm that is contagious.
We thank God that he's brought this couple to the Hope Center and ask that he would provide and protect them as they serve the orphans of Serenje.

Up and Running

2009-10-17T13:37:00.009-05:00

The Hope Center is up and running!

Starting July 1st, the Hope Center in Serenje, Zambia started feed orphans from the surrounding community. Right now, about 50 are in the program, and about 45 come each day for a mid-day meal. (Many more who live too far from the center are being helped with regular food distributions.)

While things are still in the beginning phases, and there is much to be figured out, the basics are in place. Volunteer ladies from the community (most of whom are care-takers for the kids) are taking turns coming to HCC each day and cooking for the children.

The facility is incredible, thanks to God's provision, your giving, and the sacrificial work of some Cornerstone & Zambian men. It truly is a light to the community, and the kids are so excited to spend time there each day. (More posts in the next couple weeks will tell stories about a few of these kids specifically... so check back!)

A small team, consisting of Mark & Betsy Meyer and Rachel Wise just returned from a check-up trip to the Hope Center on Oct. 9th. They were able to see how the feedings were going, check over the gardens and facilities, and spend time with the local leadership figuring out how Cornerstone help in the future.

There will be more posts soon - but for now, here's a couple pictures from this last trip. Enjoy!

Betsy gets plates ready while the children pray and thank God for the food they are about to receive.
David fills up on nshima (the national dish), cabbage from the garden, and beans.
The ladies who cooked for the day are enjoying a meal with the kids.

Hope Children's Center Grand Opening Update

2009-09-09T16:24:00.001-05:00

A Zambian Pastor's Perspective

2009-07-08T15:27:00.002-05:00

A friend sent me a link to this interview by Mark Dever (a pastor in Washington D.C.) with Pastor Conrad Mbewe from Lusaka. It is a bit long, but he does a great job of describing the Zambian church. It is worth a listen. Click here to get to it.

Back from Zambia

2009-07-05T11:57:00.008-05:00

Here are some highlights from our time in Zambia. As we gave the soccer goals to the three government schools (Kamena, Teta, and Serenje) the whole community would come out to play and celebrate. These gifts were a huge success and were a huge bridge-builder among the people that we are ministering to.
This is one of our Hope kids out in Kamena. You've perhaps seen his face as he is in some of our printed material. I was saddened to see him quite ill this time, notice his very apparent distended belly...And here is a couple of trips back...The Ribbon-cutting was phenomenal! See the District Commissioner do the honors. He is the equivalent of a "governor" in the US. He stopped one of his lower ranking officials and asked why the Hope Center was not given MORE land! He is enthusiastically behind our efforts and that gives us a lot of freedom as we minister. God has given us faor with the most important governmant official in the land!

They even found a lady who could bake us a cake for the ceremony. Everyone got a taste, too!
Our Hope kids looked great in their new duds we brought them. And they each got a Fanta to drink. Life is beautiful!The last week there, Tim Day joined us as we had training for the church-plamters and many of their wives. Seeing their growth and maturity over the last couple of years has been one of the most rewarding aspects of being invovled with the Hope Center. These men will graduate in the fall and a new batch of men will begin training in 2010 for three years. God keeps growing His church in Zambia!These are the men who helped create the vision for the Hope Center. Navice, the director, and Geoffrey Malwita who came from Kitwe to see the realization of this dream!

Ribbon-Cutting

2009-06-24T13:00:00.002-05:00

Pray for the official Grand Opening of the Hope Center which will be tomorrow (Thursday, 25 June). The whole community will be coming out. 50 "officials" will be there. Even the District Commissioner (like the governor of a state) will be there and will give a speech. A lady was found that could bake enough cake to give everyone a small piece. Amazing! May God receive glory.

Today three women walked up with five orphans. They heard about the Hope Center and wanted to know if we would take them in. My heart breaks - so many yet to help. But we are here and may God give us great increase.

An Update

2009-06-22T11:02:00.006-05:00

Here is Team Zambia/USA. There were three exhibition games as we presented the goals and nets. Huge welcome for us - and for the gospel as it was presented each time!
Navice is holding one of the Hope babies whose mother dies at the child's birth. Because of HOPE there is a thriving young child. Navice is an awesome leader here!
This is why we are here! This is one of the Hope orphans named Susan. She has changed dramatically over the last months. Full of joy and HOPE. Her father died of bledding (?). Because of the Hope Center, Susan (and 150 more) are fed and in school.

The team needed a sabbath so we took an "American day" to Kundalila Falls. Though not as spectacular as Victoria, we were the ONLY people there. IT was very cool - and very needed.

Some sweet images

2009-06-17T10:56:00.008-05:00

This is one of the familes that warmly welcomed us as we brought the gospel to them. She has 13 children! When I told her my wife was one of 13 she cried out, "I didn't know white people had that many!" She gave us a gift of ground nuts (peanuts). Everywhere we went, we were warmly welcomed and received.
Here is one of the steel goals going up at the Serenje school. Today a bunch of our guys took these also to Kamena and Teta. We'll go back to all these schools in a few days for an offical opening of the goals - complete with NETS. I told little Caleb that it will be just like FIFA!
Here is one of our teams who went village-to-village and home-to-home. A couple of these guys are actually not Zambian. See if you can spot them.
We think we may have set a new Zambian record (to be verified by Zack and Randy). We had a total of 42 people in our small Hope truck. I was white-knuckled praying that one of the nursing mothers didn't fly out when hitting a bump! Yikes. This was when all the evangelism teams were heading home (plus a few extra passengers):

Quick Update

2009-06-16T07:25:00.001-05:00

We have sporadic power and cell connection... but here is a quick word for now. Thanks for praying!

Hello all…

I wish I had an image to display. I will work to get one put up soon. Our team is doing very well! We have already had a number of incredible adventures – and we are just one week into our time in Zambia.

Our team split up and went out to remote villages sharing Christ alongside our Zambian friends. We were a LONG way from home!!! But God was good and many, many people became Christ-followers. Three new churches have begun and are promising to be strong and vibrant. By next weekend, one of our church-planters will be back in those villages, following up with training for the new believers, teaching them about baptism, and leading more people to Christ. We are living in the book of Acts!

I asked two of the young pastors if they imagined living in their homes for a long, long time. “No,” they both said immediately, “we’re ready to go wherever the Lord calls us. But we won’t remain where we are.” These men are willing to pack up their young families and go into even more remote and primitive places for the sake of the gospel. I am shamed by their passion for Christ.

We are now back at the Hope Center. The guys are painting, digging, cleaning, plumbing, scrubbing the glass windows, etc, etc. There is a joy in our group, even through the hot, dirty work.

Last night we prayed under the majestic stars. God is in this place!

Pray as we present the soccer goals to three schools. They are ecstatic that they will get REAL, steel soccer goals – complete with nets! We will use this as an opportunity to build goodwill and the gospel.

Two other organizations came to town recently, attempting to begin orphan works. The city counsel shut them down, saying that they were unprepared and too disorganized for the work here. They told them to go visit the Hope Center so that they could learn how to do it right! Now the city has added land to our parcel for growing more food! Praise God – HE has blessed.

Jeff

New Team Going Today

2009-06-07T09:32:00.004-05:00

This is the team that will be going to the Hope Center today. We'll stay for about three weeks and have a LOT of ministry on our hands. Clockwise from top, left it is Stan Hayek, Nathan Berthel, Nic Wheeler, Graeme Dodge, Jeff Dodge, and Alex Register.

Church-planting - We will split up onto 5 teams to preach the gospel and plant churches with our Zambian friends. Sleeping under the stars and going to remote villages ... bring it!

Warm Clothing for the Children - It is winter there and it gets cold, especially at night. We are taking along official "Hope Center" sweatshirts and sweatpants for the Serenje orphans and we will purchase warm clothing for the 100 kids we minister to in Teta and Kamena.

Soccer outreach - A Zambian friend is welding soccer goals for us and we're bringing nets along. We'll construct and donate these in three places - a HUGE gift for them. We'll use these opportunities for outreach to kids and teens ... and the adults, too!

Construction - One of our teammates (Aaron is coming from Brookside Church in Omaha) is a contractor with the skills necessary to complete a lot of projects at the Hope Center. We need water hooked up, electrical work, and tons of odds-and-ends that he will give focus to and we will help him with.

Bible training - Tim Day will join Jeff Dodge for a week of training with the church-planters. We'll cover the book of Hebrews and the Doctrine of Christ.

Grand Opening of the Hope Center - There will be an official celebration that will welcome the children, the families, and the whole Serenje community. This should be an incredible experience!

Pray for a bold advance of God's work!

2009-06-06T09:56:00.003-05:00

(This post was written by Jen G. in Serenje on April 30th. Although it was written a while ago, you'll enjoy the story and the "updated" pictures.)

Multi-Purpose Building

Wow! It is hard to believe that this is the last day at the orphanage. There is still work to do and the men will continue once we are gone, but SO much has been accomplished in the last 6 months. Of course, the final day was a little stressful trying to complete all the last minute things. Men were working on getting glass in the windows, hanging doors, installing latches and locks, building and varnishing picnic tables, putting up shelves, ceiling strips, and finishing the rock planters around the buildings. The two big projects of the day were to get the water running and the electricity working. About noon when the tank was hoisted onto the water tower and the last pipes were connected, there was running water in the sinks and toilets! What an accomplishment.

In the midst of the crazy day, one of the workers approached Zack to see if he would be willing to go to the hospital to drive his wife home - she had delivered twin girls the day before (The doctor had never detected two babies during the pregnancy so they were only prepared for one baby. What a surprise!) Otherwise, the new mother would need to walk the 2 km to their home. We pulled into the hospital and they brought out the two girls (it is customary in the African culture to wait several days or even weeks before naming a baby - to ensure they survive, etc.), so the mother and I each held one of the babies in the cab on the way to their home. Both babies looked healthy and weighed about 2.5 kg each at birth. The mother and I carried the babies into the family’s two room home that barely fit the mother, myself and two chairs in the first room. It was quite a humbling experience to be a part of life’s little miracles! I will be excited to visit them when I return in a couple months to see how much the babies have grown!

We got back to the site just as it was time to knock off and Pastor Navice and the workers had gathered to say their goodbye’s. He was just in tears as he expressed his gratitude for everyone who had been a part of the project and for everything that had been accomplished. The workers were also thankful for all the skills that they learned and the bonds that were formed between themselves and the Americans and also amongst each other. A lot of good has been done in this community and I hope they are all proud of what they were able to accomplish it! Some of the workers stayed around to help finish some of the projects. Right at dusk the electricity from the generator started and all the buildings lit up! That brought tears to my eyes! All in all this was probably one of the best days in Serenje! Here are some of the final pictures I took around the site.

Men Putting in Window Panels, Flower Boxes

Kitchen with Shelving and Sinks

Kitchen/Living Room area of Guest House

Guest House and Water Tower

Girls Bathrooms

Looking at two classrooms in Multi-Purpose Building

Your Contributions

2009-05-13T15:44:00.002-05:00

God continues to show us He is at work in Zambia – and not just through the HOPE Center. Back in December we were offered space on a container heading to Zambia and through your generous contributions we were able to send 180 shoe-boxes for our orphan kids there. (Some have been received and some are still in Customs, so please pray they get to the HOPE center and into the hands of the children soon).

The gentleman who takes care of shipping the container has been given a heart for Zambia and this is his way of helping God’s work there. All we have to do is get our supplies to him and he organizes it all AND pays the Custom’s fees. Isn’t it cool how God brings his people together?!

We’ve been offered room on the next container that leaves early June. Many of you have asked how you can contribute to this project, so here’s a chance. Below is a list of what we’re collecting.

Items can be dropped off at the Cornerstone Church office (56829 US Hwy 30, Ames, IA) anytime before MAY 22. If you have any items that you think would be good to send but are not on the list, please email me (r2wise@gmail.com) so I can let you know if we can use them and if they will fit.

Here are the things we are collecting:
School Supplies (new items only please)
- kids blunt tip scissors
- white school glue
- sidewalk chalk
- crayons (24 or 48 pack)
- construction paper
- coloring books (preferable with Bible stories; no violent themes, please)
- pencils
- small pencil sharpeners
- composition notebooks (the kind with the hard sides, usually black and white)

Clothing
- NEW children's underwear and socks
- NICE new or used kids clothes (sizes 4T to XL) ** Anything we cannot use will be taken to Goodwill
- NICE coats, jackets, & fleeces

Please Pray for Water!

2009-04-23T10:50:00.004-05:00

(from Zack in Serenje) The Well, locally known as a borehole. We are finally getting one put in, or so I thought. They are pretty expensive, but I found a guy who was recommended by another American guy who does boreholes with a smaller, more portable rig that is cheaper to transport to remote areas such as ours. Everything was fine, the price, the timing, and I had the confidence that they could get it done brfore I go. One week now. They came on Sunday and started drilling, they got about 1/4 of the way down and they hit hard rock, they repeated this three times before they came to me today and told me that they were giving up. Bummer deal man, for me. Now what? Please pray that I would have wisdom and that the right solution present itself. There isn't much time left.

The Big Water Tower

2009-04-23T10:45:00.002-05:00

(From Zack in Serenje)
So we had to build a tower to put the water tank on in order to maintain proper water pressure. This has been a hassle, because water towers are not in my realm of expertise, nor have I ever built, or put one up before. Seemed simple enough. With a little engineering help from Justin Dahlberg, we got it all built. It is a tank, definitely not going to collapse. But moving it proved to be quite an ordeal. There were 50 people all barking orders in a language that I don't understand. At one point I told them that "I needed more Indians and not so many chiefs." They just looked at me with a blank stare, I guess when I said Indians, they were thinking of guys with turbans on their heads instead of the guys with feathers on their heads. Whatever. Anyway, with the help of the truck we were able to move it. Tomorrow we get to tip it up. Hopefully that goes well.

Zack's last trip to the big city

2009-04-18T22:30:00.003-05:00

(Zack wrote this of his last supply trip to the capitol city of Lusaka)
The last few days I took what I planned to be my last trip to Lusaka before I leave for Iowa. It was going to be a day and a half trip, it ended up being a two and a half day trip. Everything takes sooo long to get anything done. The first day we went to the embassy to get my new passport, that was uneventful, then off to immigration. still not a big deal, as we were leaving we went down one of the most busy streets in the city. They had the whole street blocked off, a marching band and about 1000 people were marching with "Labour Day 2008" banners. I was confused. Last i checked, it was 2009?? anyway we took a lot of side streets to finally get where we were going. Finally, I asked someone if it was Labor day, Of course it wasn't. "why were they marching", I asked. He then informed me that they were Just practicing for the real Labor day on May 1st, and they will do it a couple of more times before then too. it is no wonder why this country is so messes up.

I was able to get another huge load of supplies to put together the next couple of weeks. This trip to Lusaka made me glad that i had Randy to do a lot of these trips for me. We are planning to have the well driller here tomorrow morning to start. We have the pump here ready for installation. The water tower is built and being painted. we will then carry it to the place and tip it up. It will be very good to have clean water. Please pray that we could get electricity to the site before I go.

It is kinda surreal to think that I am going to be heading home in 2 weeks. the time has gone fast. this is the great past though, seeing it all come together. next week the facility will host the pastor training. Of course there will be a lot of things unfinished, but it is better than the grass huts they used at the site last time.

I got a ticket for driving without a license the other day on my way to Lusaka. I had an international license, but it expired in January. I wonder what all of the other officers thought when i showed them since January? oh well, I was in the wrong, so i paid the ticket and I didn't want to argue that one.

Today was the first time since November that I have had a Nshima craving. Those of you that have been here know what that means, the rest of you, ?ask someone who has. So we had some for supper tonight. complete with cabbage and scrambled eggs.

My friend Jen, from Minnesota, is still here heading up the painting crew. She is doing an awesome job and is planning on coming back for a while in July to finish up and loose ends on the painting and finishing details.

The rains are now over. This is the best time of the year here. No rain, things are still green and the temperatures are mild. It is kinda like early fall at home. It is the beginning of winter here. it will continue to get colder at night and still be nice (70's) during the day.

Not sure it I wrote it or not, but i will be home on May 2nd. it will be bitter sweet. but more sweet.

The Crew

2009-04-07T10:22:00.004-05:00

Here is the full crew that worked together over the last few weeks. I love the Zambian/USA mix!And here is why we're doing it! Notice that she is carefully protecting an infant under her chitenge (the wrap that is used as a skirt or to carry a baby) and blankets.

Back to School

2009-04-06T17:21:00.005-05:00

The main objective that we have at the Hope Center is to keep the orphans from starving - giving them food they would otherwise be unable to attain. But along the way there are other needs that we can meet. Here are some of the Hope kids outfitted for school.
Though not a primary goal of the Hope Center, as funds are available we will seek to get each school-aged orphan into the government school.
In order to get into school the children have to pay fees and they must have a school uniform plus shoes. All this adds up to a hefty sum of about $100 per year - way out of the reach for many of the families who've taken these kids into their homes.

Cornerstone's junior and senior high students are going to be raising money for the Hope Center. The funds raised will go to make sure each child can enter school. All the money raised in addition to these costs will go toward food and other essentials for the children. For a minimum of a $25 gift donors receive a Hope Center T-shirt and a picture of one of the Hope Center kids.

Pray that from our youth a great gift will be given to the ministry of the Hope Center kids.

Its a Wonderful Life!

2009-04-04T15:43:00.004-05:00

(A Note From Zack in Zambia)

Well, it doesn't always seem that way, but deep down, it really is a wonderful life. The last few weeks have been a roller coaster. I really don't remember where I left off last time, but we haven't let up on the building. Now we are painting, finishing floors, casting concrete counters, fixing doors, setting sinks and making electrical connections. It has been fun to stand back each day and see the progress being made.

I was fortunate enough to have a group from Cornerstone church come to help with the work. They were a huge encouragement to Randy and I and help us accomplish a lot. I know that they were also touched by their time here. Also, my friend Jen, from Minnesota is here visiting for a few weeks. She is helping with the painting and other finishes on the buildings.

During their time here we got to interact a bit with the orphans and their care givers. It was another reminder of why we are here doing what we were doing. So refreshing for that time to come now when the weight of the project and the "task at hand" gets so heavy.

When I picked up the group from the airport, I somehow lost my wallet which contained my passport, cash, credit cards, drivers license, etc. it was really embarrassing. Here I was, the leader of the group, the "guy on the ground" and Im the one making stupid mistakes. Oh well, humbling I guess. I went through the process of getting a new passport, which was surprisingly easy.

We are down the the last few weeks. Randy leaves this Wednesday. I have a couple more weeks and then i will be home. I should be in Des Moines on May 2nd. How has the time flown. I cant check out yet though, there is still a lot of work to do. I look forward to the day when the children will be cared for there. Already, some of the orphans have been stopping out the check the place out. They are blown away. Thanks to all who are making this possible for me and for the children here.

Worker guys

2009-04-04T09:14:00.009-05:00

How cool to see the American and Zambia brothers working together to make the Hope Center a reality!
As the children look on. These are the guys we're there for.

Beautiful Faces

2009-04-01T14:09:00.003-05:00

Now you can see why it is not difficult to love and serve the children of Zambia. Here is Brian (from Cornerstone - working there for three weeks) helping at a distribution. Can you tell which one is Brian? He's the one with the grey sweatshirt!

Transformation

2009-04-01T13:51:00.005-05:00

Here is Zack addressing his workers at 7:00am on the front end of our week at the Hope Center. Take a close look at the buildings...
After our time was coming to a close, take a look at the way the buildings looked with plaster and paint!

Shadrach

2009-03-31T08:39:00.006-05:00

When you hear about the pandemic crisis of Zambia, you can get overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the problem. The numbers and statistics are staggering. One Zambian relief organization sums up the crisis well...

Zambia is one of the African countries hardest hit by HIV/AIDS. About 19 percent of children under 18, or 1.1 million, are orphans, most of them due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. About 70 percent of the population earns less than US$1 per day, so families, communities and schools are overstretched in their efforts to care for children. Many households are now headed by children, as young as eleven, who are forced to forego the education they need to prepare for a harsh economic environment, as they struggle to care for their younger siblings. (zambiaorphans.org)

But when you travel to Zambia and begin to meet the individuals (as opposed to the raw data), you begin to see people - not numbers. And it moves you to action.

Shadrach is the little boy on the far left (above). Last year Mike and Kristi Despard travelled with us to Shadrach's village. When we got there, here is how we found Shadrach...Shadrach had a growth on his neck that was growing and incredibly painful. But his mother (his father is dead) had no means of getting him help. And so Mike and Kristi got him to the clinic in Serenje and were able to purchase the antibiotics to treat his infection. Without this intervention, Shadrack may have become another "statistic."

When I got to Kamena this past week I looked for Shadrach and was overjoyed to find him alive and well. I took a ball that Mike and Kristi had sent for him. One more little boy had been spared because of the compassion of God's people. Shadrach escaped becoming a "statistic."

The New Team

2009-03-22T14:34:00.005-05:00

(from Jeff in Serenje)
A group from Cornerstone has arrived in Serenje. One of the men (Brian) said tonight, "I think this is one of the most life-changing days of my life." Well said.

The "worker guys" have put in a half-day on Saturday at the Hope Center. They will work all this week, beginning each morning at 7:00. They are a very capable and eager bunch. Can't wait to see what is accompolished this week!

Today we traveleld through the rain out to Kamena - a rural village about 40 kilometers from Serenje where we are delivering food to the orphans we care for out there. We had church out there as well.

I saw many friends. One godly man, one of the pastors-in-training named Robert, told me that he just lost his 16-month old daughter to malaria. His wife's eyes are hollow with grief. I hate this part of coming back here. Christopher told me of his 18-month old home sick with malaria. I think she'll make it. And these are the kids with loving, healthy parents!

I thank God for Cornerstone - sending us here. Caring. Extending mercy. Building God's church. These people are so deeply grateful for our church family. I'm grateful to learn more about what God's church ought to be every time I come here.

Worth a Thousand Words

2009-03-16T10:28:00.004-05:00

Things are going good. We are getting what the locals call "the last rains." We are waiting for the group to come next week. It is going to be a busy week.
Today was Jack's lst day here with us. It is sad to see him go back to Omaha. It is clear that he touched many lives during his time here.

Picking up the Pace!

2009-03-13T11:09:00.002-05:00

(The following is from Zack in Serenje as he anticipates the coming of 8 Cornerstone men and 2 Brookside men who will travel to Serenenje next week. Please pray for those who will primarily work on the Hope buildings and for those of us who will be sitting with our Zambian leadership team to establish the soon-to-come opening of the Hope Center! -Jeff)
So last Friday the reality hit me that the group coming from Ames would arrive in about a week. It was the first time that I thought "I'm running out of time" Now really, I have a lot of time left, bu it is officially crunch time. I spent the weekend getting caught up on paperwork, cleaning up at home and getting "ready" for being run over by this project. Monday, There was a new tone on the job site. There was no longer any time for messing around, no longer any time to put off the projects no one wanted to do. On a different side of things, Jack is on his final week here in Zambia. He has been taking advantage of each morning with the workers to teach them from the bible. That also set a more defined tone for the week. Overall, we have gotten a lot done. Lots of little projects, as well as beginning painting. That's kind of an exciting step, to get to paint stage. I'll post some picture soon.

Psalm 39

2009-03-04T07:48:00.003-06:00

Our church family is celebrating Lent by praying through the psalms (click here to learn more). Today I meditated on these verses from Psalm 39...

4 "Show me, O LORD, my life's end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.

5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Each man's life is but a breath.
Selah

6 Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro:
He bustles about, but only in vain;
he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.

7 "But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.

The psalmist is right. Our lives are very fleeting and are gift from God. How can I make these days count for His Kingdom? for eternity?

As we put our hope in God and allow Him to direct our days, we're going to make our lives count - they won't be in vain.

The Hope Center is an incredible opportunity to offer our wealth to something that counts for eternity. Talk with Zack, Randy or any of the guys who are making huge contributions to the Center - you'll find no regret. If you are one of those who also contributes in any way ... thank you. Strengthening God's church in Zambia and helping to feed His hungry children -- what a privilege to be part of this!

"Z-8"

2009-03-02T12:22:00.004-06:00

(The following post is from Marlin Rice, a member of our Cornerstone Zambia team who travels to Serenje in order to establish the agriculture project of the Hope Center)

It was a week ago today that I returned from an 11-day trip to Zambia and a visit to the Hope Children’s Center. Zack and Randy graciously allowed me to stay with them in their combination office/kitchen/storage room/sleeping quarters. Accommodations were very tight as James and Jack also roomed there, and then a medical team of three from the University of Nebraska ate their meals with us. But my time in Serenje was filled with joy and encouragement as I worked along side both Cornerstoners and the Zambian nationals to meet the needs of the orphans.

After the worship service at Cornerstone this morning, someone asked what I was doing in Zambia. In short, I am directing the agricultural production for the Center, which I affectionately call the Z8 Project, after Zechariah 8:12-13 (The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew. I will give all these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people. As you have been an object of cursing among the nations, O Judah and Israel, so will I save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.) This passage from Zechariah 8 is taken as a prayer of hope, that the land would produce abundant food for the orphans, which suffer from the devastation of AIDS, and that the orphans would become a blessing to their nation through the grace of our Lord and the strong labor of the agricultural workers.

Our vision is that the Hope Children’s Center Agricultural Project (Z8) will become a self-sustaining and economically productive resource managed by Zambian nationals for the direct benefit of the Center’s orphans and to the glory of God’s kingdom. Two of the goals are: 1) Cornerstone will establish and develop effective partnership with Hope Children’s Center leaders to train and support farm managers for the Z8 Agricultural Project; and 2) Cornerstone and Z8 farm managers will cooperate to improve food security, natural resource management, nutrition, and health for the children of Hope Children’s Center.

These are ambitious goals, but I believe realistic. As noted in a previous blog, we have many crops planted at the Center: maize (white corn), sweet potatoes, dry beans (similar to pinto beans), groundnuts (peanuts), and cassava. Tomatoes, cabbage and rape (an edible green leafy vegetable) should have been planted this past week. Sunday, a young man helping to manage the farm, and I measured the plots of crops. The best I could determine (because none of the plots were ‘square’) is that we have about 8.9 acres currently in agricultural production. The maize and dry beans should be ready for harvest in 30-45 days; sweet potatoes will be harvested in 3 months. Hopefully in the near future an abundance of food will be ready to supplement the diet of the orphans of Serenje.

Marlin Rice

Outbreak!

2009-03-01T12:08:00.003-06:00

(from Zack in Serenje)
There is a small village not far from here. I guess "far" is relative. It is about 90 kilometers from here. All on bad bush roads. One English lady here told me it is about as far into the bush as you can get in Zambia. The place is called Chisomo, also locally known as "the valley". I visited there a couple of years ago with a team from Cornerstone. We traveled there in the back of a truck for about 6 hours. While we were there we showed the Jesus film and started a church. Pastor Navice has been working with the leaders there to grow the church.

Why am I telling you this? Well, as I was working today with one of the guys Willard. We saw some helicopters flying over. I thought that was kinda odd so I asked him what they were doing. He said that there is an out break in a village called Chisomo. He said it was cholera, and "people were dieing like animals". (he was surprised that I had been there, as he had lived here for his whole life and never been there) I later found out that they don't know what the problem is, all they know is that lots of people are dieing. The government is bringing in food, medicine and doctors to help out. I don't know a lot about this stuff but I do know that things have to be pretty serious to have this kind of relief come in. I know that there are many who are very sick.

Chisomo is a desolate place, frequent floods, poor farm ground, located at the end of a long, bad, road to nowhere there is little traffic from outside, little food, little medicine, and little hope. It is one of the most hopeless places I have ever seen. I was just talking with a government official about the village on tuesday, before all of this came up. I asked why they don't leave, with all the suffering and stuff? He said that the government had offered to relocate them but they refuse. They like looking at the mountain views, their ancestors are buried there, they can't leave. They will suffer and die there because that is where their forefathers brought them. My worker Willard put it well saying that "they are ignorant." The picture above is a picture I took there of their school when I was there August 2007.

(Note from Jeff -- When Zack and I visited there with some others in 2007, some kids were in this school and when they looked out the windows and saw us coming with our white skin, they jumped out of the back windows of the school in fear. They'd never seen white people before!)

Please pray for those who are dieing and suffering in Chisomo. Pray that God would use this to grow the church there and draw people to Himself.

Life in Serenje

2009-02-27T14:20:00.003-06:00

I know, I am long overdue for a new post. The last few weeks have been pretty eventful.

The project: The roof is almost on the new building. The picture above is not where we are, just the most recent. We have begun putting the roofing sheets on the side showing. You can see in the picture the "mobile scaffold" in the back of the truck. It is pretty handy. We continue to plug along on several projects. Mostly roofing, plastering the walls and some plumbing and block laying on the guest house.

People: A lot of people have come and gone through here the last few weeks. Randy's wife came to visit. They spent some time traveling so I was at the site without him. Luckily I had James. Marlin Rice, A guy from our church who is an entomologist came to work with our farm manager to help grow crops for the children. It was great to have him around to invest some serious time with the Ag side of the project, and also to tell us what every bug was (and explain it's life cycle), and it was good to have someone to sip some wine with in the evenings.

Dr. Brian from Omaha and two other doctors, Karen and Abbie were also with us for two weeks. They worked in the hospital. They made a great impact on the community and helped save many lives. I was overwhelmed daily when they came and told stories of what they saw each day. I couldn't't have done it. Kudos to them.

James, the superworker, has also left us. His sentence here was up so he went home. He was a huge blessing, and great company. Thanks James!

My friend Josh Jensen is here now and will help us get the roofs finished. He is only here for a short time though.

The work, and life in general is more routine than ever. That doesn't mean that we don't get curve balls every now and then, but we are able to easily deal with them. The time also seems like it is winding down. There is a lot of work to do. I know we will get it done, but it is daunting to think of all of the details. I'm glad I have good help. God is good, all the time.

Zack gets suckered

2009-02-27T14:18:00.000-06:00

(from Zack in Serenje)
So a couple of weeks I posted a blog about one of the workers who had his house collapse, Rodgers. He was my benevolence case. He told me he was an orphan and was taking care of his younger siblings. He was also the one who had his house collapse. Well, I was suckered. He isn't an orphan, he isn't taking care of his siblings. He seems to be a crook that quit showing up for work when he was thrown in Jail. I wasn't the only one, several of the workers loaned him money and have not been repaid. They are very concerned about it all. Thankfully all he got out of me was a job. He actually earned everything I paid him. It just goes to show that even with time here I am still not without fault, and that people here will do anything to get a buck.

Great Contrast

2009-02-27T08:44:00.005-06:00

If you want an appreciation for how hard our Zambian friends are working, take a look at how they first clear the ground and then what they can get that some ground to produce! Their ability to work hard against such odds is encouraging and motivating! (from Marlin Rice's recent trip to the Hope Center)

Zack - Our Fearless Leader

2009-02-26T13:56:00.003-06:00

Here is Zack, eating his Zamchick lunch and guarding the goods! He's mostly Zambian at this point.

Marlin has just returned!

2009-02-26T13:34:00.008-06:00

Marlin Rice (our Cornerstone ag project leader for the Hope Center) has just returned from Serenje. A report will follow, but here are some pictures of the land. Keep in mind that just a few months ago this land was completely uncultivated and was covered in grass and small trees. Here's a peek into what it looks like now...

This is a field of "groundnuts" (peanuts) which are a great source of protein for the Hope Center kids.

Here is "cassava" - the tuberous roots are eaten as a source of carbs.

Here are dry beans, another source of protein

Here is the future bath house for the kids

Check out the new roof on the multi-purpose building...

Here's the crew. Can you tell which one is Randy Brekke (Cornerstoner)?

Marlin's Ag Update

2009-02-18T14:31:00.003-06:00

(This is a portion of a letter from Marlin Rice, the Cornerstoner God has raised up to develop the agriculture side of the Hope Center. Marlin is in Serenje for two weeks checking on and expanding the ag project.)

I was up at 4:30 this morning. Every morning about this time there is a group of military-style joggers that run down the road calling out a cadence. Then on the return trip into town someone with a whistle blows loudly for every fourth count. It's really quite obnoxious, especially before 5:00 in the morning.

Work starts at the Hope Children's Center at 7:00 every morning. We ride a truck to the site and there are 45-50 workers waiting for their orders for the day. Zack has some laying concrete blocks, mixing cement, digging trenches for the septic system, leveling trusses, hoeing weeds, moving soil, etc. Sunday and I spent the morning with a tape measuring off fields to plant seedling musangu trees. These are the trees that don't leaf out until the dry season, so they don't compete with the maize and beans for sunlight and moisture, then during the beginning of the rainy season, they shed their leaves, producing a shower of nitrogen-rich leaves for the surrounding crops. We also identified some more of the ground that we are having hoed where Sunday will plant vegetables.

Right before lunch today, Joshua, one of the farm laborers killed a gopher while he was hoeing the peanut field. He brought it to show to me, then gave it to his wife. They have a little brick shack on the farm where they live with their four children. His wife took the gopher, laid it on the open wood fire, singed the hair and scrapped it off with a knife, then continued to cook it on the fire. Then she gutted it, put the intestines in a bowl (notice she did not throw them away), split the ribcage with a knife, and then boiled it. If you haven't figured by now, they were going to eat it. She had also made some enshima (boiled white corn meal). She asked if I wanted to eat with them. I said I could eat the enshima, but I wasn't too sure about the gopher—we don't eat gopher in America. Fortunately, it was high noon and I had to run and catch Zack's truck back to the office. No gopher for lunch today!

Walk Thru the Bible

2009-02-18T07:05:00.002-06:00

Last week week we had a trial run on a partnership with "Walk Thru the Bible." It is an organization that uses creative teaching methods to guide people through the story of the Bible. Their overview of both testaments is second to none, and they have many other courses as well.

Our goal was to see if our Zambian pastors-in-training would connect with the WTB methods and teachers, and so we set up a week of training and invited some of Navice's "graduates" to join in as well. WTB has an African outreach and they had trained instructors who spoke our pastors' native language, called Bemba.

Here is what Mark Meyer wrote after he talked with Navice about the WTB training (in a letter to the head of WTB S. Africa director)...

Last week Frazier Katanga and Daiman Mainsa encouraged our 35 pastors with your OT overview (presented in Bemba). It was a fabulous success! Our leader for the Serenje effort, Pastor Navice Kalunga, spoke with me this morning and had the most enthusiastic praise for their effort. Pastor Kalunga used phrases like ‘inspired”, “we have new minds” and (my favorite) “Nobody knew we could have such an inspired week! A week like no other!”.

Congratulations to you and your team and a big “Praise the Lord” for the quality of material and the excellent teachers you have working with the churches. I cannot tell you how blessed I feel to know that we have a good experience that they are eager to repeat and they are anxious to pursue other courses from WTB.

God is leading the way! As our team of men work to complete the building at the Hope Center, we are seeing things come together for the training of these pastors who are vital to the success of God's work there. Sharing the pastoral training with WTB will be a joy and is one more step toward seeing the work continue and strengthen in Serenje!

Sobering reality

2009-02-10T09:12:00.002-06:00

(from Zack in Serenje)
People keep dieing. I won't tell all the stories, but there have been several people who have died in the last couple of days. No one we really know, but people who are one step removed from us. One was a young man who we met at a church a couple of weeks ago. He had come to town (30 miles from home) because of a headache. He dies a couple of days later. Pastor Navice knew the young man. His family is from the bush and had no way to get the body back to the bush. We were already planning on taking the truck out to that area to pick up pastors for a training week in Serenje. Navice asked us to take the body back to the bush, I couldn't say no as it was costing us nothing and would be an incredible testimony to the family and the community. Randy and Jack offered to drive out. I didn't argue. I had my chance to use the truck as a hearst last time I was in Zambia.

Tomorrow, Monday starts a week of pastor training. This is a program that Navice came up with years ago and now Cornerstone has the privilege of helping out with. As I mentioned earlier, Randy went out with the truck to rural areas and picked up about 35 pastors for training. One of the men, a new pastor "student" who is leading a new church we planted two summers ago. He was very excited about the training school this week and had his bag packed, in hand, ready to board the truck to head to the training. Unfortunately, Pastor Navice had to inform him that he wouldn't be able to attend this time. These was a funeral he had to attend. His young son, who had gone to town the day before with the mother had died.

The teachers, who are from South Africa, are with an organization called, "Walk Thru the Bible". We are hoping it will be good as we have not utilized them before. Jack went with the minibus and filled it with cabbage, cornmeal, chickens (live) and an assortment of other things. It should be good.

The work is going good. Of course Sunday, today, is the only day this week it hasn't rained and of course none is working. We have worked the last couple of Saturdays to try to catch up. We are winding down on the time we have for James to be with us, he has been a Godsend. We are praying that he can stay a bit longer. We'll see.

Thanks for all who are praying for us daily.

"Excuses"

2009-02-06T11:22:00.001-06:00

(from Zack in Serenje)

So every day there are some men who don't show up for work. They are all what they call "piece workers" meaning they aren't really "employees" but they are regular workers, so I have to ask them the next day why they were absent. It is usually sicknesses with them or their children. Today I heard a new one. Rodgers, one of the slashers (grass cutters) didn't show yesterday. When I inquired, he told me that his house collapsed over the night. That's the first time I ever heard the "my house collapsed" excuse.

It is bad that I find it kinda funny, because it isn't funny at all to him. He is a 20 year old guy who just lost his mother and his dad had died several years ago. He is caring for his brothers and sisters who are left orphaned at home. Please pray for Rodgers.

He is a unique worker, he came to me around Christmas time looking for a job. I told him i didn't have any more jobs, as I told the other 30 men that came looking for work that week. Rodgers pleaded with me, almost in tears told me in broken English how he was desperate to feed his brothers and sisters. Now, every two weeks he says with a smile, "thanks, now we can have food".

Engineering Disaster

2009-02-06T11:19:00.001-06:00

(from Zack in Serenje)

Okay, so it really isn't a disaster, but it kinda sucks. The septic tank walls collapsed the other night. We had really heavy rain and the tank was empty, so the pressure pushed two of the walls in. Luckily it wasn't in use yet. In fact it wasn't even finished. I still needed to put a top on it. I am confident that is would have held with the top reinforced and if it was full of water/other stuff:-) I'm only writing about this so you get a glimpse of what life is like here. The unexpected is always around the corner. I don't let it get to me, I try to learn from it and move on.

Progress

2009-02-06T11:16:00.002-06:00

(from Zack in Serenje)
I know you all enjoyed the pictures of the progress the other day. It really doesn't do it justice. I need some areal shots. Anyone want to sponsor a plane Ride:-)? The work has been in full swing, we finally got the shop up and running at the site. It is great having all of our tools out there with us. It helps us to not have to drive home every hour to get what we need. Randy and James have been truss making fools. They have a great start on the roof for the Main building.

We are still having about 50 workers showing up every day. We work on everything from pouring concrete, placing pipes in the ground, fixing electric boxes in the walls, laying block, plastering, digging trenches, working on the road, cutting grass(slashing), building trusses, installing roof metal, pulling wires, shoveling stones, painting trusses....you get the idea. Most of these jobs are all going on at the same time, so it is a lot to stay on top of. I just want to reiterate that I am very grateful to have the help here that I do.

The picture above is of the trusses that Randy and James built today. I take for granted that we don't have to do this at home. We just place an order and they show up at the site. It is a lot of work, but worth it. It takes a long time to lay out each truss on the computer and determine all of the angles, and then transfer them on to boards. Then the guys make hundreds of cuts and they get glued and nailed together. The lumber isn't straight so it makes it more fun. People have stopped and marveled at the roofs we have built, saying that we are "changing the town", or "nobody in Africa can build a roof like that". It feels good to have people awe at our work. I pray that people see that we are changing the town with more than just bricks and mortar, but with changed lives.

Sneak Peek

2009-02-06T11:12:00.002-06:00

Long, hard days

2009-01-31T20:04:00.000-06:00

(from Zack in Serenje)
It is Friday night and there is nothing to do. We ate dinner, I gave myself a haircut and now I am long overdue for making a new post. Last week I left you with a train ride that we were anticipating on Friday. Well....we rode the train. I'll save that story for another post.

The work this week has gone well. (sometimes I have to stop and think to myself while I'm typing, "is that how we talk at home?" The English here is poor and I find myself talking like they do.) The rains didn't disturb too much of the work. We have finished filling the foundations with dirt. That was a Long process that was often interrupted by the rain. Now all of the concrete has been placed in all of the floors. This is a big benchmark to hit. This week we have also finished the roof on the shop, prepared the bathhouse roof for tiles, installed the garage door, plastered all of the interior shop walls, and countless other things. Tomorrow, Saturday, we will be working to try to catch up a bit. We hope to get the new shop set up so we can be more productive during the week.

Death seems to always hang over this place. This week two of our workers had their children die. One left home in the morning to come to work, his child was sick at home, by 8:00 he had received word that his child had died. I'm still trying to understand things here. Why don't people go to the Hospital?

We have started having short bible messages on some of the mornings before we start work. It is fun seeing the conversation that is provoked through this. We hope to make this time more purposeful.

Having the Hope Center complete is starting to be within sight. There are several of us who thought this would never come. Now that it is becoming close, there are a lot of things that have to be figured out. Staff, leadership, programs, accounting, etc. Please pray That we would make wise decisions in the months to come.

Raise the Roof!

2009-01-26T21:55:00.003-06:00

(from Zack in Serenje)
We have had a great week. Of course there have been many things not go as planned, but we plan on things not going as planned. This week we built the roof for the shop. The picture was from a couple of days ago, but it is the most recent I have. It had been awsome having the help needed to get things done. I feel like I am able to stay ahead of what needs done next, rather than running around doing damage control. We have also been able to get most of the walls for the main building up. There is still a lot of work to do, but is rewarding to see progress and begin to feel like I am getting over the hump.

This week Navice did a food distribution to the children in the area. As many of you know, there are 150 orphans the Cornerstone has been attempting to care for. This include providing some food to them through their caretakers. This time they each received a 25kg (about 50lb) of cornmeal (their staple food) and some dry beans. It is far from enough, but will help sustain them. We are looking forward to having the Hope center built so that we can be feeding them Daily what they need.

Tomorrow after work, Randy , James and i are going to board an overnight train to Tanzania. Randy made friend with a Railroad employee and the next thing we

know, we are all boarding a Train tomorrow headed for the border. We will then Spend the day there and return Sunday Morning. Should be an adventure.

Progress!

2009-01-22T13:41:00.003-06:00

(from Zack in Serenje)
The last few weeks has been productive. Randy has come back and James is now here to help us. It has been great having both here this last week. Combined with the dry weather this week, we have really gotten a lot done. We received another semi load of cement, which should finish out the project. We got trusses built for two of the buildings, and got a ton, actually, tons of dirt moved.

As far as walls go, the septic tank is built, the bathouse is almost finished, and the big building is half finished. next week we will work on the house and the rest of the big building and put roofs on. The weather is still an obstacle, but we have been blessed with many nice days. We take the good with the bad.

There have been a couple of days that have been tough, where things don't go good, people give me trouble, and i want to give up and go home, but i do continue to find strength in the Lord. I have had a few of my Zambian friends who have lost their children in the last couple of weeks. One was one of our workers who's wife had just had a baby. We were excited for him, went and visited them in the "hospital" and everything seemed pretty much fine, a small rash, but the baby died the next day. Another one of our friends, Geoffery, a pastor who we have known for many years lost his son to HIV. His son was older, in his 30's and had been fighting sickness for a few years. It is sad to see people loose their family. They are used to it, but it doesn't make it easier for them.

This week has been a lot more fun. There are 4 of us Americans here, so it is more lively after work. There is also a lot more help, which makes things a lot less stressful. there is a lot of work to do, but the end is starting to be in sight. I'll try to update more often.

New Road to Hope

2008-12-30T08:33:00.002-06:00

Last week, Wednesday, the council came and put in our new road. This is a big deal in Africa. It is easier to move mountains than to get the government to do anything. So this is the new road leading into the site. Now we can work on getting the power company to get the power poles installed. Before they refused because they didn't know where to run the poles.
Today was a very dry day, great for building. We laid our first slab and have prepared two more. I am overwhelmed with the amount that is still remaining to do. Please pray that the right help will come with amazing efficiency.

Christmas in Zambia

2008-12-30T08:28:00.004-06:00

Christmas was ok. Not really a big deal made it is here in the rural area. We went to a 3 hour service at a local church here. I guess they don't mind sitting on a small plank for 3 hours, but I was numb after the first hour.
After Church we made dinner and relaxed for the afternoon. Friday, we set up the room next door for Jack, the new arrival, and James, another guy coming back with Randy in January.
Saturday morning we set off in the van with a cooler full of food and a few essentials and headed North. We weren't really sure where we were going to end up, but we had some ideas. We were going to drive and sleep in the van and have a good old fashion adventure.
We ended up visiting a large estate set up by an Englishmen in the early 1900's He didn't like the way the English treated the Blacks so he tried to set up a "utopia" community. It was very neat to see old English architecture in the middle of Africa. The property also has some hot springs where we made home for the night. There was a small lodge near the springs with lush gardens and a few small chalets near the riverside. They were fully booked, but when we told them that we were going to sleep in the van, they offered us a spare room they had for a very low price. The hot springs were AMAZING. No sulfur smell, hot water, jungle like vegetation all around. We sat for hours soaking in the calming waters. It was just like my hot tub at home. Kinda.
On the way home we Stopped at Kundulila Falls, the same falls I visited s few weeks ago, only it was a lot different this time, with all of the rain we have had, they were much more violent than before, it was still fun to swim under them. We bought some car tire tubes to float on.
All in all it was a good relaxing weekend. There is a lot to see in Zambia, it was good to get out and see more of it. This week is another big week. We will start manufacturing trusses for our buildings. We also have a lot of dirt to move to backfill our foundations. Please pray that the rains will hold off. Also, pray for those that heard the Gospel on Christmas, and that we could help them in their walk with the Lord.

Coconuts in Bethlehem?

2008-12-18T13:54:00.001-06:00

So Zambians have an uncanny gift to transform something perfectly normal to into something horribly gaudy. Especially when attempting to make something "nice".
We came to Lusaka today because Randy is flying home tomorrow. Things are a bit different here than the rest of the country. I didn't remember there being palm trees in the Christmas story. the funny thing is that there aren't palm trees in Zambia either (except electric ones).
Being back here seeing the Christmas lights and hearing Christmas music have made it kinda real that I won't be home next week. Kinda a bummer. Today, as i sat in traffic, amidst the honks, smoking tailpipes and all around craziness, I sort of escaped reality and started singing Christmas songs. Then I had to get bank into reality so I didn't wreck. But it was good to be away for a few frames of life. Perhaps I'm starting to loose it? I don't know.
43 days down, and still no nshima. Those of you that have not been here don't know what Im talking about. those of you that have.....do.
This morning it started raining, it hasn't stopped.
We left the guys working while we came to Lusaka, hopefully that was a good idea.
No sign of the Rat for a while, hopefully we are in the clear.
Tomorrow, a new guy from Omaha is coming. He'll help us our wit the building. His name is jack and is from Brookside church in Omaha.
That's all for now.

Preacher Zack

2008-12-18T13:49:00.003-06:00

The Men have been working very hard. On friday Randy and I had discussed providing lunch for the men, just as a good gesture. Many of the men do not eat over their noon break. We had a large load of cement to unload, a large load of lumber to unload and a lot of concrete to mix. It was a good day to provide lunch. At my morning address I told them that we would be doing Lunch together. You would have thought they had all been given the day off. They all cheered, jumped up and down. Huge smiles, old me giving me two thumbs up! I expected them to be happy, but the response I got was really fun. And all for about $25 to feed 40 men.

The picture above I took this morning of a 2 yr old boy who has been coming over to our house, opens the door and comes in. He speaks no english. His mother lives at the hotel next door. He is really cute and funny.

Today we went to Mukishi, a town about an hour away. There was a new church that Pastor Navice and his team had started. They had asked me to preach so I reluctantly did. I told an old Bemeba (their "tribe") and parralled it to the story of the Bible and Christ coming to save. It could have been better, but I got through it. When I was done, Navice asked for those who have givn their lives to Christ for the first time today to stand up. Of the 66 present, 11 stood up. It was good to know that my God has used me to bring his message to these people.

Big week this week. Randy leaves friday. We have a lot to do. Thanks for reading.

Hope Children's Center in the Omaha Herald

2008-12-08T11:41:00.000-06:00

We just received this email note from our partners in Zambia at Brookside Church in Omaha:

"The Omaha World Herald did a pretty nice spread on the Hope Center today. Thought you might want to see it. It was nearly a full page on the front ofthe LIVING section. You can view it online - see link below."

Here's the online link.http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=3940&u_sid=10506548

Progress

2008-12-05T13:00:00.002-06:00

We have made a lot of progress this week. The place looks a lot different than it did Monday morning. We stared monday with about 6 guys, we gained some each day and had almost 40 men working on friday. Key men continue to imerge in the group, it is very incouraging. The shop and bathouse footings are done, the footings for the big building are almost dug, and will be poured tuesday. The rains held off until about 3:00 friday afternoon. then the heavens opened and it poured. We are hoping to have a restful weekend, but it will not happen. As we look forward to Monday, there are a lot of things to get ready for. It is a bit overwhelming having 40 sets of eyes waiting for a greeting, a job assigment, instruction first thing in the morning. We want to be prepared. the licture is from last weekend, The cheif of police, John, and his new glasses that I brought from the US. He was like a kid a christmas when I presented him with his new glasses.

Beginnings

2008-12-01T12:05:00.000-06:00

Things have been going very well here in Zambia. We spent the weekend laying out the site for buildings, and continuing to get out "home" set up. Sunday was a much needed relaxing day after church. We spent the day napping and reading. Today, Monday, We started digging the footings for the first building. we didn't have as much help as expected, but we made due. I didn't want o recruit too heavy, because I was afraid we would have an army show up. We also hired a supervisor today. His name is Godfrey, he is a fifty something guy who has a lot of building training and experience. He is a contractor, but he will be serving as a supervisor for our project. He is very affordable, and grateful for the work. We are pleased to have him. I was also able to easily get loads of sand and stone brought to the site for building. All in all is was a good "first" day of building. tomorrow we expect a large crew. Things should begin to move fast. Thanks for all of your prayers.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T15:14:00.001-06:00

A lot has happened since I have written last, unfortunately, I find it difficult to put into words, so I will just have to laugh to myself. Today is thanksgiving, as you know. I find it especially easy to find things to be thankful for while living here. Not having to worry about having enough to eat for one, being able to see a doctor when i want, being able to have a job, and provide for myself. All of which is deprived from most of the people who passed by my door today as I prepared a turkey dinner. I am also remembering, as I am away today how thankful I am for my family and friends at home.I wrestled today with my ability to show compassion, something that has always been a weakness of mine. An old man, barley able to speak came to me to ask for some money or food. This is pretty common, but he seemed to be different. He showed evidence of being in need he had recently had a surgery, indicated buy the incisions on his abdomen that he so humbly raised his shirt to show me. He didn't speak English well, so I had difficulty understanding him, but I gathered that he couldn't eat regular foods because of the surgery he wanted to get some bread, which is about 1/5 a days wages. (but this man was in no shape to work). I immediately wrote him off as another beggar, I left him behind. My fear was that if i helped him, he would be back every day, or wondering what I would do with the next needy person, after all they are all around. After wrestling with my conscience, i decided to give him 2,000 kwacha (50 cents) and a mostly eaten loaf of bread. When I approached him, perhaps 15 minutes after our first encounter, I touched his shoulder, and woke him, handed him the bread. What I saw in his eyes is something that i will not soon forget, it was the look, i could see in his eyes, he mumbled something, but I paid no attention,I just fixed my eyes on his saw it, it was an image of true thanksgiving. I think he as already written me off as another wealthy white man who wasn't willing to practice what I was advocating. Thankfully, God can even work through someone as cold hearted as me. Today I saw an image of thanksgiving that brought true meaning to what today is all about.We did get to enjoy a turkey dinner. It was a good reminder of home. It is great having Randy here to share this experience with, but i do miss my friends and family at home. Thanks for all of your diligent prayers.

The New HOPE Truck!

2008-11-23T15:33:00.003-06:00

After waiting for some funds for some time, We finally were able to get some dough. It took a three hour process at the bank, but they were able to issue us some money to buy a truck and some supplies. It was kinda funny leaving the bank with a backpack full of bills.

Back in Serenje

2008-11-21T14:03:00.000-06:00

The rains have begun, it's not such a big deal for us as they haven't caused us any trouble yet. It is a big deal for the locals, their lives depend on the food these rains will provide. Some heavy rains have fallen outside of town , where many homes were damaged. (remember - mud walls, grass roofs)

We really do feel welcome here in Serenje, When we arrived from a week in Lusaka, there were 7 men waiting to greet us, I'm not sure how long they waited, but it was welcoming. People are interested in what we are doing, people want to talk and share their ideas, it is a good feeling to be welcomed.

Please pray that Randy and i will make wise decisions concerning how to build things to make the most of the funds, make the orphan center functional, and have it look like something we want to put God's name on. We are having fun, it is no Disney land, but we are glad to be here. Miss you all

A Day in Zack and Randy's Life

2008-11-21T13:59:00.001-06:00

Today we were planning to Leave the city and travel back to Serenje. As is common in Africa, plans have changed. We negotiated to purchase a truck early next week. It takes a couple of days to do this. This being Friday, It will have to wait until Monday. Staying here will save us from having to go back and forth, 6 hours each way and a couple hundred dollars in fuel at about $8 per gallon. We found a nice off the beaten path hotel to stay at that has air conditioning.

I am continually trying to figure out this place. It is hard to understand why things are they way they are. I'm constantly shocked at how much things cost, the fluctuation of prices, and how people continue to survive. It is hard to have hope that there is a brighter future.

Today, I was in the city, people everywhere, dusty roads, unfamiliar languages, smoke billowing out of car exhausts, horns honking. As I sat in the car, trying to send an e-mail, which is amazing in itself that I can do that here, I made a couple of calls to the US. It suddenly struck me. I felt like I was in a movie. Who gets to do this this? This is so far from what we know. yeah it's usually not too fun, not real glamorous, but there is something about it. Definitely hazardous to my health, but I feel privileged to be serving here.

Another strange sight today. We went to a hardware store, when we park at the stores, people come up and try to sell cheap stuff to us. Sometimes we get some begging kids. today, I waited outside in the car to guard our goods. As i was there, just a few feet from me was an old blind man with a young kid begging. well, the kid was begging and the blind guy was just sitting there. It is common for cripples to have someone with then to guide them around and collect money. I then noticed that someone had given the boy a pizza, I assume to give to the blind guy. As I watched, I noticed that the kid wasn't giving any pizza to the blind man, as i continued to watch I noticed that the kid had the pizza behind the blind man and was trying to be very quiet when eating the pizza. He would also look around when taking bites to see who was watching. When he was done eating the pizza they both got up and left, but not without trying to get some money out of me. It was today's reminder of how desperate these people are, how sinful humans are, how corruption can begin at such a young age, and how much work there is to do here. Please continue to pray.

Please Pray

2008-10-08T15:03:00.003-05:00

CONSTRUCTION
Zack Ludwig and Randy Brekke have volunteered to go and live in Serenje for several months in order to build the first facilities at the Hope Children's Center. Pray that God will strengthen them for this enormous task. Pray that they will find great joy in their work. And pray that God will use the work of their hands to reach countless people with God's grace.

ORPHANS
Pray that God will lead us to find a Zambian Orphan Director. This is a vital role as we need to make sure that each orphan is identified, cared for, and that the care-giver (foster parent) is appropriately looking after the orphaned child. As the Hope Center grows, Pastor Navice will not be able to keep up with this large responsibility. Pray that God points us to the right man or woman for this job.

GARDENS
Pray for the first crop at the Hope Center that will go into the ground this coming rainy season (beginning in November). This piece of the strategy is critical to the long range sustainability of the Hope Center. Pray that Cornerstone team member Marlin Rice will have divine guidance as he directs (from a hemisphere away) the Zambian farmers (Sunday, Joshua, and Wenard). Pray for a protected and abundant harvest.

PASTORS / CHURCH LEADERS
As Pastor Navice continues to take the gospel to more villages, more pastors are needed to shepherd the people who come to Christ. Currently there are 13 men being trained for this task. Pray that Cornerstone will help Navice train these men (and their wives) well. And pray that the training/discipleship will also continue for the 80 "key leaders" and from among the newest church plants. The local churches being planted are reaching many, many people for Christ! And it is these churches which are key to taking care of the orphaned children that God cares deeply for.

October 1, 2008

2008-10-01T14:58:00.004-05:00

Here is a quick word from Zambia...
You would think that I would get accustomed to the miracles God does for us. They are so frequent and yet powerful -- I am still stunned and amazed at His grace.

On this trip (I am writing this from Navice's office) ... God has opened more doors than ever. We have met the District Manager (like a U.S. governor) of this region - the highest government official. He moved here for this position just one week ago. He met us, spent the evening with us and is EAGER to help us do whatever God puts on our heart to do. GOD IS GOOD! Even Navice is stunned by this one!

Today I had a reminder of why I am here. I reached down to pick up little Georgy - a three-year old boy the size of an eighteen-month old- a double orphan (both parents are dead). He looked into my eyes and played with my beard and rubbed my face and melted into my arms ...
and my heart. God brought us to the hundreds upon hundreds of Georgy's in Serenje.

I must go. There are setbacks. The enemy does not want us to succeed. But the glorious works of grace make these difficulties pale into insignificance. Thank God with me for the privilege of being His channel of grace!
Pastor Jeff

Serenje Zambia, September 29 2008

2008-09-29T16:22:00.001-05:00

3 Steps Forward, 2 Steps Back

2008-07-16T22:36:00.005-05:00

Our African friends are accustomed to disappointment. Life's journey is full of potholes and ditches for them. Every advance forward is met with countless setbacks. It makes their faith resilient and strong. They have Hebrew 11 faith ... the kind that does not get defeated when God's promises seem elusive.

All these were still living by faith when they died. They did not eceive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.
Hebrews 11:13

This week it was Navice who again strengthened my faith. I wrote to Navice to let him know that Dave and Zack would not be joining him in Serenje in August as we had planned - a last minute change of plans. In fact, we are really not sure when we will be able to get some help over there to build the Hope Center's first facilities.

I worried that Navice would be discouraged. I worried that he would question the strength of our resolve to bring help to them. I guess I wondered if he would have the same lapse of faith I was experiencing. Here is the response I received from Navice...

I am equally aware of the Devil's attacks on God's work but also strengthened that he is a defeated enemy. Let us continue praying.

Clearly I am in the seat of learning under men like Navice. And I am eager to be taught more and more.

Please pray as we seek wisdom and direction from God as to who should go and when. I am comforted by the words God gave to the discouraged people of God who saw the completion of the second temple as daunting and discouraging. Through Haggai and Zechariah God let His people know, "I am with you!" And that's enough for me!

Another Step Forward

2008-06-08T16:34:00.004-05:00

Having just completed another trip to Serenje, Zambia, I can report to you that the need has never been greater, nor has the work ever seemed more rewarding!

I had the joy of being on a terrific team of people - one of whom was my wife, Teresa. All of us on the team were able to get a foretaste of what the Hope Children's Center is going to be.

The children who have been orphaned in Serenje are beautiful and easy to love - they so long for physical touch and care ... and food. Our team had 50 of these orphans to play with, teach and love while we were there.

Pastor Navice also used these days to gather in over a dozen pastors-in-training plus over sixty key leaders from the churches they have planted. I spent the most time with the pastors who are so eager to learn. After a full day (7:30 - 5:00) of instruction I said, "Aren't you men weary by now?" They popped up and one man said, "How can we be weary when we're learning so much?!?"

Pastor Tom Nesbitt from Cornerstone was like a lightening rod of energy as he taught the leaders. When he was done teaching they would burst into song!

Now we are preparing to build the facilities that will house the Care Center and Training Center. Zack Ludwig and Dave Lubbers (both from Cornerstone) plan to move to Serenje the first week of August. Zack is in Serenje even now trying to get things ordered, prepared and even find some housing for their several-month-stay.

The work can seem daunting - but God continues to go before us and lead us along

Back in Zambia

2008-05-30T04:17:00.003-05:00

After several months away, I (Jeff) am back in Zambia! I am accompanied by some first-timers: Tom and Marie Nesbitt, Mike and Kristi Despard and my wife Teresa (overseas for her first time!). Zack Ludwig is along as well as he makes plans to move to Serenje this June to manage the construction of the Hope Children's Center. This is a huge step forward for the Center as Zack brings a lot of experience with him (having worked for eight months at Kazemba).

We are in Lusaka to join up with eight other Cornerstoners who have been on a Gospelink trip and will now go to Serenje with us this afternoon.

We hope to make some progress toward building the Center this week. We will also be teaching pastors, leaders and their wives as well as caring for about 50 orphans who will one day be the first children at the Hope Center.

What a Gift!

2008-04-14T15:12:00.002-05:00

Our friends at Brookside Church in Omaha took a special offering for the Hope Children's Center. When we first introduced their leaders to the vision, they had hoped to steward a small piece of the project. Maybe they would dig the well. Or perhaps they could even raise enough to construct one of the modest buildings on the site.

And so Brookside's leaders prayerfully introduced the vision to the Brookside church family. I guess God's people caught the vision. After the offering was taken and accounted for, they FAR surpassed even the most ambitious guesses. The total offering ... $130, 476!!!

Immeasurably more than than all we ask or even imagine... (Ephesians 3:20). This is God at work!

And so we continue to take steps forward. With wisdom, but with boldness. God is with us.

Partners in the Work

2008-04-11T20:15:00.002-05:00

One of the sweetest blessings we've seen as God leads us to build this Care Center is the new partnerships that have been created. When we work together we can accomplish so much more and it is a display of God's grace - a unified front of God's people working together to accomplish His goals.

A strong partnership has been forged with our friends at Brookside Church in Omaha. Here is a note from John Alford who is leading the way for that church:

Thanks Cornerstone for allowing Brookside Church to be a part of this Hope Center project! We have great respect for your church. A number of our high school students have gone on to SALT company and have been discipled by you guys. Not only that but your pastors have frequently served us in a teaching capacity for our retreats.
Thanks for all you are doing for the cause of Christ! You are carrying your torch well. The Hope Center has truly engaged our hearts and we sense that God’s hand is all over it. We are leaning into a year of emphasis called, “Justice and Mercy.” God seems to be awakening in us a passion to do more to help the poor and to help restore the broken. So thanks for giving us opportunity to partner with you and to learn from you!
John Alford (Brookside Pastor)

Pray and Not Give Up

2008-04-10T14:37:00.002-05:00

After my last post I was challenged by the story of "the persistent widow" (Luke 18). Here Jesus teaches us to seek the favor of God - even cry out to Him day and night, to ask Him to display His justice and to grant mercy. Specifically I began to pray in this incessant manner for the land we need for the Center.

God has been good! Navice discovered a parcel of land immediately adjacent to the one we originally eyed - even closer to the market and school and also bordered by the same small river. And once the negotiations began a very sweet miracle occurred - the city of Serenje GAVE us the land - five hectares (~12.5 acres). Incredible! Then our friends took Navice to Lusaka to get the appropriate papers drawn up for the center, and a lawyer there agreed to do her work for FREE.

But we have hit a snag. The family who owns the original and adjoining piece is unwilling to sell. Though it is discouraging, it is not time to lose heart. The two parcels owned together would be almost exactly what would be necessary to grow and raise the food necessary for the children. We believe it to be the right choice. And so we continue to ask God. Who could doubt His generosity? Who could doubt that He is for us? The fact that He is choosing to say "not yet" on this second piece of land only gives us opportunity to demonstrate a grateful heart and a persistence in prayer. He is good, and He cares far more for these orphans than even we do. He will do what is right -and we will wait on Him.

Please join us in praying for the Hope Children's Center. And don't give up. He is going before us and knows best. Pray that we will find His timing impeccable and THANK HIM for what He has done to bring us to this point.

Lord, bring us to a good land!

2008-03-25T11:36:00.005-05:00

God continues to show us that we are following His lead in this work in Zambia. As He confirms our steps and guides us along the way, it encourages us and reminds us that this is not a work of our own making. We are simply cooperating in the work that HE has already planned, initiated, and is bringing to completion. We are privileged to play a part in it – but it is His project, not ours.

Our friends, Mark and Betsy Meyer, are on their way to Zambia. One of the tasks they hope to accomplish is the securing of the land for the Hope Children’s Center. We believe that we have found the ideal plot of land. It is close to the town market. It is just down the path from a school for the children. There is a small river on the land which maintains water even in the dry season – perfect for irrigating the gardens that will feed the children. There is even a small orchard of fruit trees surrounded by a shelter belt of evergreens – a sweet and nutritious treat for the kids!

When we first walked on it, Navice’s wife lifted her hands in praise and said, “This is it! It is Canaan land!” We all shared her joy and stopped right there to thank God for leading us there and asked Him to provide us that land for the Center.

While the purchase of the land seemed to be in our grasp, it wasn’t long before we hit a snag. The owners doubled, and then tripled the price. We were discouraged to say the least. But Navice has continued to be our eternal faith-filled optimist. Set-backs are part of life in Africa and it takes far more than this to discourage him! He knows God is in this and trusts that He will either give us that particular plot – or lead us to something better. I love that – and his faith inspires me.

And so today as I bid Mark and Betsy good-bye, I turned to my Bible and came across this passage…

Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in His ways and revering Him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.
(Deuteronomy 8:6-9)
Though this promise was given to the people of Israel long ago, it reminded me that God can provide such things for His people. It reminded me of His goodness and generosity toward us. And the picture these verses paint formed a picture in my mind of what I long for Him to provide for our Zambian friends.

Will you pray with us for God to provide and secure the land we need for the Hope Children’s Center? Pray that it will be a lavish expression of His goodness to take care of His people. Pray that it will cause even the unbelievers around to exclaim, “God must be in this!” And pray that Mark and Betsy will have the deep sense of trust that God is leading them (on behalf of all of us). I can’t wait to see what He has in store!

Remembering to be Merciful

2008-03-04T10:29:00.000-06:00

Jesus set a pace for us. In fact, before He was even born, the pace was set. His entrance into our world was an expression of extravagant mercy. As Mary pondered the coming of her Divine Son, she sang a song - and it was all about mercy.

My soul glorifies the Lord

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for He has been mindful

of the humble state of His servant.

(Luke 1:46-47)

Mary sings of the One who "has done great things for me" - the "me" being a poor, unheard-of girl quietly worshipping God while living in the obscurity of Galilee. People in that day wouldn't have been able to find Galilee on the map any easier than we can find Zambia.

Mary sings her song in grateful awe at this God who extends mercy, lifts up the humble, fills the hungry with good deeds, helps His servants and always, always remembers to be merciful. The God of the universe has not forgotten her.

Those of us who follow Christ should have this reputation with the poor. Jesus set the pace - and He beckons us to follow Him, to mimic His example in this world. I long for the people of Zambia to cry out to God in song. To worship the One who has not forgotten them.

God, help us to be merciful as You are merciful. May our Zambian brothers and sisters proclaim,

From now on all generations will call me blessed,

for the Mighty One has done great things for me --

holy is His name!

Luke 1:48-49

The Journey to Hope

2008-03-01T11:44:00.000-06:00

My first trip to Zambia, Africa occurred in April of 2007. But the journey actually began several months prior. God brought the convergence of two voices to set my course for Zambia. Though I didn’t know it at the time, God was about to unfold a series of life-changing events that have continued to this day.

The first of these voices was an unlikely one: Bono. Yep, an aging rock star was the first compelling voice that set my course for Africa. In an interview with Bill Hybels, Bono spoke with quiet-yet-passionate conviction about the plight of Africa. And he used passages such as Matthew 25 (about the “sheep and goats” judgment) to call God’s people, the Church, to action.

I was shamed by the fact that this man was using the Book I was very familiar with to open my eyes and point out what Jesus was clearly calling His followers to. Bono didn’t chastise or mock my hypocrisy, he simply asked the Church to hear from Jesus and act.

Bono’s voice got my attention, but the second voice God used was a far more compelling one: Jesus. I began to re-read several passages and was especially caught by Luke chapter 10 (the story of the “good Samaritan”). Here Jesus finds Himself being questioned, even tested, by an “expert in the Law.” As Jesus turns the questions back on the “expert,” he displays true orthodoxy – he knows the Word and can recite well-rehearsed answers to Jesus without even a pause.

The expert knows the whole Law of God and proudly (and correctly) sums it up by saying that we must love God and love our neighbor – thus “doing” what it takes to inherit eternal life. Bingo. Pure orthodoxy. Couldn’t have said it better myself. The problem – this man isn’t “doing” it, he just knows the right answer.

Jesus is well aware of the duplicity reigning in this man’s soul, and so he tells a story to paint a picture of what it means to actually “do” love for a neighbor (the Good Samaritan). And He concludes with a call to “show mercy” to our neighbor and then commands the man, “Go and DO likewise.”

So there I was. My “neighbor” in Africa was dying on the side of the road and in desperate need of help. I was sitting on my orthodoxy, passing on by, not DOING a thing about it. And so I called my friend Mark Meyer.

Mark had visited Zambia with several people from Cornerstone Church in the summer of 2006. His heart was moved with compassion and so he returned several months later to visit a few of the pastors he’d befriended there. Coming back to the States he was more convinced than ever that we needed to help. I asked Mark to take me to Zambia.

Mark and his wife Betsy took me to Zambia in April 2007. I met the courageous pastors there and saw the thriving Zambian church trying desperately to care for the overwhelming number of orphans left in the wake of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and malnutrition. I saw with my own eyes countless “neighbors” in need of mercy. And I determined that I would not simply turn a blind eye and pass by on the other side of the road.

Two subsequent trips to Zambia have followed with more to come. In these visits I have encountered some distasteful things. The path to showing mercy is rarely a yellow brick road. I’ve chased a rat from my room, slept in a tent in freezing (no, literally freezing) weather, discovered a used condom at my feet in a shower, and on top of all that, I’ve gone without coffee for weeks at a time.

But these things pale into insignificance and even bring a smile to my face, because I’ve grown to love Zambia. Not the climate or the living conditions – I’ve grown to love my neighbors, the people of Zambia. And in loving my neighbor and showing mercy to him, I’ve grown to love God with a renewed passion and commitment to “go and DO likewise.”

On my most recent trip (January 2008) my friend, Zack Ludwig, and I were able to find land for the future Hope Children’s Center of Serenje, Zambia. Cornerstone Church is giving me the privilege of leading the charge on behalf of our church family. It is an aggressive vision which will require hard work, a lot of money, and perseverance. But it will carry the sweet reward of following the compelling voice of Jesus!