Rainy Days are Here!

We are finally experiencing our first Zambian rainy season! And they weren't kidding, it rains a lot! Just though you would enjoy seeing the kids all dressed up in their rain gear! Our family has really been enjoying the rain. It has brought a very welcome relief from the heat and is turning the world very green! We also get to enjoy crazy thunderstorms without having to worry about tornadoes!

However, the rains also bring suffering to the poorest of the poor in Zambia and that is never far from our hearts and minds. In the compound areas, where the water gathers and there is certainly no proper drainage, people die every year from disease. Children also commonly drown by falling into deep potholes that have filled with water. Please remember these dear brothers and sisters as the rains continue until at least February!

Please also bear with us as we are experiencing some issues with our computer. Gasp! Our ability to get on the internet has been really hit or miss. So, if you don't hear from us very regularly, this is why! Please pray that we can figure out how to get our computer serviced and have our means of communication back again!

KiliClimb For Kids

This December, two of our teammates will be traveling to Kenya and Tanzania to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro as a fund raiser for children in our community schools programs here in Zambia.  Below is a link to their brochure.  Take a look if you get a chance.

Click Here for Brochure

A Bible for All...

A posting from Steve Allen:

A few months ago, we were alerted to an opportunity by Tyndale Publishers of a container that they were sending over to Zambia full of NLT Life Application Study Bibles for only $9 dollars each.   When Brent and Luke were back in the states, they put the word out, and a few of us put out a few emails later, Owen when he came to do an internship, raised a bunch of money, and through all these gifts,  God raised through his people enough for us to buy over 200 bibles to give away here in Zambia.  We started out by giving them first to our pastors. They were giddier than a kid at Christmas.  It was great fun. I thought I would show you a picture of us giving the bibles away to the pastors. THANK YOU all for your gift to make this possible. 

A Visit with the Chief

A couple of weeks ago, we had the privilege of visiting with Chieftainess Mwenda.  She is the chief over Chikankata, an area located about 2 hours south of Lusaka.  Chikankata consists of many different villages accounting for approximately 20,000 families (approximately 100,000 people).  A majority of these families are unreached and have no active evangelical churches.  The Chieftainess is a vibrant believer who has a heart to see her kingdom evangelized and churches planted.

During our meeting, she expressed a desire for Action Zambia to help her in this effort.  We don't know exactly what God has in store, but we are stepping out in faith and seeing how He will respond.  During the first week of December, we are taking a group of pastors from our Pastors College and Discipleship programs for an outreach event that should last 3-4 days.  The plan is to go down there and camp on a piece of property that was donated to Action Zambia.  During the days, we will be visiting many remote villiages (some that have never even seen white people).  In the evenings, we will be trying to show The Jesus Film.

Please join us as we begin to pray for this outreach event.  Pray for the missionaries who will be leading the trip.  Pray for the pastors who will be accompanying us.  And pray for these people we will be sharing with during our time down there.  Pray that God would open the eyes and ears of many to come to a saving knowledge of His Son Jesus Christ!  Pray also for the Chieftainess.  It is very difficult being a believer and a chief here in Zambia.  She faces many challenges in ruling her kingdom.

Family Pics from October

Just some random family pics from this month. Kerri put these together for her facebook page.  So, I thought I would post them here as well.  If you are receiving this post via email, you will need to go to our website to view:  www.RobertsinZambia.Blogspot.com

Funny story about a couple of the pictures... (the pictures of Maddie and Ellie in Ellie's bed).  One morning, Kerri put Ellie in the bed while she went to the bathroom.  When she came out, she found Maddie in bed with Ellie.  Maddie had gone into the pantry, gotten a box of Rice Krispies, climbed into the bed with Ellie and then proceeded to dump the box of cereal out into the bed.  Kerri found the two with fist-fulls of cereal once she got out.

Lost in Translation (Hint: Funny, Hint: Must Read)

As many of you know, I spent this past Saturday night in a local clinic battling a fever, cough and stomach problems.  And because of this, I had to cancel a preaching engagement with Great Commission.  As part of keeping their leadership in the loop with what was happening with me, Kerri sent a text message to the Pastor.  It read: "Please pray for Brent, he's been admitted to Mina Clinic for IV Fluids and antibiotics.  He has a bad case of pharyngitis and possible food poisoning."

When she sent the text, she didn't think anything about it.  She was just giving a quick update so they would know how to pray.  Well, there were two words in that message that contain a significantly different meaning in Zambia then they do in the States - Food Poisoning.  The pastor stopped by Monday afternoon, because the church was greatly concerned for me.  He told me that when they made the announcement, that many people were shocked.  A few asked, "Who would do such a thing?"  They even speculated as to which Action Zambia workers might be involved in poisoning the boss.  It wasn't until this Monday afternoon appointment that I was able to clear things up.  I had to explain to Pastor Kandela that food poisoning, in our context, meant that we ate some food that had spoiled or wasn't properly cooked.  We both got a good laugh!  Sometimes, even though you think you are communicating one thing, your actually communicating something completely different.

Just thought you would enjoy that story.  Please continue to pray for my health.  I have been sick off and on over the past three weeks.  The most recent bout came just after I got over what Kerri and I though might be the swine flu.  My body is still tired and I have a cough that doesn't seem to want to go away.  Pray for recovery.  

Thank you for the love and encouragement from those of you who have sent notes and emails recently and for the many of you who have been praying on our behalf.  We appreciate you so much!

Some Video for You

My friend Steve Allen shot some video of the wedding reception we went to a couple of weeks ago. Below are two videos of the groomsmen and bridesmaids dancing to open up the reception.  Just thought you might want to see the video in addition to the pictures I posted:





If you are receiving this post via email, you can go to our website to view the videos: www.RobertsinZambia.Blogspot.com