Austin being funny

Austin took this picture with the webcam and sent us this email today with the words "Bubblegum!" Thanks Austin for showing us your bubblegum.

Hannah's Birthday Party

All the kids: (back row) Callie, Anna, Zach, Austin, Troy, Justin; (front row) Trent, Daniel, Coby, Kelsey, Hannah, Dorcas, Deborah

Kelsey's best friend, Hannah, had a birthday party at Adventure City yesterday. As soon as the kids finished school, we met everyone out there. Shortly after arrival, Coby finds a chameleon. He played with that thing the whole time we were there. The little critter entertained the adults, too, by catching the flies on our table. Coby insisted on bringing her (Camille) home, so I agreed. She is now living somewhere in their tree house. I was actually considering letting them keep it inside, but we read that it's very hard to keep them alive. Everyone had a great time at the party. Thanks, Hannah, for having a birthday so we could all celebrate with you!

I am a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N

On Friday, December 5, 2008, Kelsey asked Jesus to come into her heart. She is now a Christian! We have been talking with her for quite some time and now she is finally ready. We are so proud of her for making this important decision in her life. Please pray for Kelsey as she grows each day in her relationship with the Lord, our Savior.

Chongwe River

We took a break after school on Friday to go visit our friends in Chongwe. As always, the kids love to go down to the river to swim. The boys enjoyed climbing the trees and rocks and jumping into the river, while the girls hung out on the banks to test the waters. We drew a crowd of children who were very interested to see what the mzungus (white people) would do.

Kelsey attempting to get on the float while I held it from floating away.
The on-lookers!

Austin jumping out of the tree into the river.

Austin jumping off the rock, and Coby is following by example.

Coby jumping out of the tree into the river.

Ladies Retreat

On Monday following the Prayer Retreat, the ladies got to go away for 24 hours to a lodge outside of Lusaka. We had so much fun laughing and talking with one another. The theme for our retreat was "The Hats We Wear."

Ladies group before leaving Lusaka

Me with my "hat" - I didn't know I was wearing it incorrectly until I got home and the kids told me how a knight wears his helmet. I guess I should've researched more on that!

Songja Pack

Lindy Howard

Suzie Rodgers

Dawnya Kimbrough

Gerri Helton

Our Hat Group

Prayer Retreat 2008

We have just been through a weekend Prayer Retreat with our Zambia Mission Cluster. Several of our team members are serving Stateside right now, so can you imagine how many of us there would have been? It was a wonderful time to share with our mission family, and with our Maker and Redeemer. The Prayer Retreat was held from Friday to Sunday at the Guest House, and a volunteer team from Longview Heights Baptist Church in Olive Branch, Mississippi came to minister to us and our 21 MK's. Here are some pictures from our weekend:

Baptist Mission of Zambia

Volunteer Team- (back row) L to R: Chase House, Alan Wilson, Chris Clark, Michael John Clement; (front row) L to R: Adam Clark, Sarah Puddephat, Zach Medlock, David Windham, Amie Clark, Billy Wilson. Thanks to our Ministry Team!!!

The Younger Kids

The bigger kids

Zach

Coby and Hannah

Lauren

Hutch

Isaac

Kelsey & Hannah

(back row)-Austin, Amie, Anna S., Alan

(front row)-Lily, Anna B., Adam

David & Austin

Michael John - our worship leader

Austin
Michael John, Daniel, Caleb, Kelsey, Abby, Hannah, Isabell, Coby

Zach was a big hit with the "girls"
Daniel, Caleb, and Coby singing

And we all loved the Dr. Peppers and all the other "goodies" given away!!!!!!!

Back in the swing of things

We are back from Johannesburg, South Africa. We had a good time visiting some places in Joburg that we have not been before.

One place was Monte Casino. Yes, they have a casino inside, but it's a really neat place. It's the neatest mall I have ever been to. You feel like you're walking down a village in Italy. The ceilings are painted with sky, stars, birds, etc. They have a Bird Garden outside that we went to and watched a bird show. We are not really big bird fans, but it was very interesting to watch the birds and learn some new things about each one. They also had other animals like mongoose, snakes, frogs, monkeys, but the kids really liked feeding the parakeets. One got on top of Austin's head and started pecking at his hair.

We also went to Gold Reef City, which is similar to Six Flags/Carowinds. The kids rode some rides twice because it wasn't very busy. Then it began to rain, so they shut down the rides, and we left. Unfortunately, no rain checks are given out during the rainy season.

Upon returning home we have been getting lots of rain. On 19 November we had 74mm - I think it rained all night. It really cooled things off, and we had to pull out the blankets for a couple of nights. Now, we are getting ready for a busy time at the guest house. The 40/40 training has just ended today and we have a group staying this weekend, then next week all of our missionaries come in for a prayer retreat rom 28-30 November. We are looking forward to hosting everyone here at the guest house in Lusaka. I have gotten a couple of ladies to join me in doing an interpretive movement, and I will be singing a solo for one session. Pray for our time together as a team that we may hear God speaking to us. We will be praying for our people groups who we serve in Zambia - Bemba, Nsenga, Tonga, Lozi, just to name a few.

Also, we encourage everyone to take part in the week of prayer for international missions 30 Nov-7 Dec. The simple truth is that we couldn't be here without your gifts to the Lottie Moon Christmas offering. Those gifts are the means by which we devote ourselves to full-time ministry, providing us with a place to call home, food, medical care - even schooling for our children. It is both a humbling and exhilarating experience to live life dependent on the faithfulness and generosity of Southern Baptists. Thank You! Please know that many people around the world are truly celebrating Christmas for the first time this year because of your sacrifice for God's Kingdom.