Rejoice in the Wife of Your Youth

Two years ago today, I was in a hospital emergency room watching my wife lose function in her arms and legs. I was scared out or my mind not knowing what was going on. Knowing it was serious, but not knowing just how serious. I still remember sneaking away from the room to cry - sneaking away so she couldn't see the fear in my face. I remember the fear of possibly losing the person who has and will forever mean the most to me (apart from Christ).

But today, a week before our 12th anniversary, I'm still waking up to my beautiful and vibrant bride. And I love her more now than I ever have in the past. A lot of times we learn the most through trials and this trial was no exception. This one event has truly opened up God's word to me in a new light. There is a verse in Proverbs 5:18: "May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth." This verse has taken on so much more meaning in my life. Today, I thank God for this gift He has given me and rejoice again in the love of my life.

May you also rejoice in the wife / husband of your youth!

1st Snow Ever!!

In Zambia, it doesn't, hasn't and will never snow. So, needless to say, this was the first time Thomas has ever seen the cold white powder. On Christmas day, we traveled to visit Kerri's brother and sister-in-law (Matt & April) in Knoxville. As we drove up, it started snowing in Spartanburg, but started sticking to the ground and roads in Ashville.

By the time we got to Knoxville, a few inches were already on the ground. And by the next morning, the children were raring to go outside and play. Aside from Thomas, it was also the first time Ellie and Maddie had an opportunity to play in the snow as well.

It was a good visit and we had a great time spending time with the Grimsley family. The only downside to the visit is that we had to cut it a little bit short because Matt got a stomach virus and we decided to "run for the hills" and hope that we were not exposed to the virus.

It's good to be home

It's good to be home. Here's a quick snippet of our children singing with the Brocks and Ballentines during church on Sunday. We sure have missed our friends and family and are so thankful to be home to see them again. We'll enjoy it even if it is only for a short time.

God sure is good!

If you are receiving this post via email, you can view the video at www.RobertsinZambia.Blogspot.com or CLICK HERE.

The Cat is Out of the Bag

Well, the cat is officially out of the bag! The last post about missing family during the holidays was a hoax. A few months ago, Kerri and I decided that we would come home for a surprise visit in December. The primary reason was to finish Thomas's adoption stateside, but it was an added benefit to get to see our family and friends over Christmas. Please forgive us for all of the lies. We've been telling everyone, including our families that we would be home in May, but we knew all along that we were flying home in early December.

Above is a video that we put together from all of the surprise visits we have made over the past few days. It started with showing up at my parents front door and ended at Kerri's mom's church Sunday evening. That surprise was by far the best. We had the music minister play a video from us in front of the whole church. She thought it was just a video wishing her a Merry Christmas from Zambia, but near the end of the video, we told her that we had one more surprise. At that point, the video started showing pictures from our trip home with Thomas looking at our plane. Finally, we all walked into the church and stood behind her until she realized that we were there!

It's been a blast seeing our friends and family again and we're so thankful to be home for the holidays. We hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

Many Blessings!

P.S. If you are receiving this post via email, you can view the video by CLICKING HERE.

It's Beginning to Look a Little Like Christmas

Well, Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is on the way. And in the Roberts house, it's beginning to look a little like Christmas. So far we have hung the stockings, not over the chimney, because we don't have one, but over the window facing the back yard. When our children were born, Mimi (Kerri's Mom) made each of them a stocking for Christmas. Thanks to the postal service, Thomas just received his and boy was he excited.

Now on to putting up our 3 foot tree and celebrating Christmas in 100 degree weather. No white Christmas here. Christmas just isn't the same without being around those you love : (. But we are happy knowing that we are here serving the One for whom we celebrate this special holiday. Blessings to you all this Christmas season.

A Zambian Worship Set

Sunday, two weeks ago, we had a great time of worship. So, we thought we would share some of it with you. This video is a condensed version of the worship service (about 7 minutes). Kerri is singing with the worship team on one of the songs. CLICK HERE to view the video.

Oops!

Thomas had his first big breakage playing football. He was in the back yard trying to kick the football over the house into the front yard. Needless to say, he missed! He put a whole straight through the girls window. This is the second window I have had to replace in the past 3 months. Caleb broke the other one.

I guess these boys are trying to give their daddy practice at being a window repair man. I must say that this is one of the easier fixes here in Zambia. You measure the window, drive to the glass shop in town, they cut it to the size you specify, you take it back home, you chip out the old glass and window putty and then put the new one in. Voila! Just like new.

Put that on my list of things I never knew a missionary did while serving on the field in another country.

Year-End Giving???

Are you planning on a project or ministry to give a one-time gift to this holiday season? Are you looking to do some year-end tax deductible giving? Well, please consider your favorite missionaries in Zambia, Africa. : ) Year-end gifts are a very helpful way to support missionaries and the work that they are doing overseas and we are no exception. We welcome your love & encouragment through financial gifts.

If you would be interested in making a donation, you can do so by sending a check to Action International Ministries at P.O. Box 398, Mountlake Terrace , WA, 98043-0398. Please specify that the donation is for Brent & Kerri Roberts.

You can also make a donation online. Simply CLICK HERE and you will be routed to our online donation page at www.Actionintl.org.

Learning About Home from Afar

"Sometimes you have to immerse yourself in an unfamiliar world before you can understand your own."

I heard this quote recently and it really got me thinking about all we have learned about ourselves since coming to Zambia. While we have learned a lot, here is just a snippet:

• Before coming here, I had ideas about the importance of family, but it wasn't until I saw the way Zambians value family (not just nuclear, but aunts, uncles, cousins, etc...) that I learned what many of us in the States are missing out on and what we seemed to have forgotten. Family matters!

• I thought I understood how well off we were in the States materially, but then I saw poverty first-hand. And I realized that I didn't have a clue. I didn't nearly understand the plight that most of the world struggles with on a daily basis and I didn't feel the responsibility that comes with such blessing ("To whom much has been given, much will be required").

• I thought I understood many portions of Scripture, but then I have been able to see these same Scriptures in a whole new light - through the eyes of another culture. It has really given me a more holistic view of God's word. I'm not saying that I understand it all, but I am saying that the Lord has used our time and experiences here to reveal more of Himself to us through His scriptures.

• Before coming here, I thought I understood sacrifice. But having to leave close friends and family for the sake of the gospel has made sacrifice a reality. While holidays are still celebrated and enjoyed, they just are not the same when you are away from those you love most.

• I thought I understood what it meant to trust Christ. But then I met pastors who go without food for days just so their families have something to eat. These same pastors are not walking away from their faith, but are praising God for his faithfulness. I'm beginning to see that I have very little understanding as to what it means to trust in the Lord, but I am learning p'ongono p'ongono (bit by bit).

The Best Kind of Ministry

Chieftainess Mwenda of Chikankata

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to take Caleb with me on an outreach trip. In a continued relationship with a chieftainess in Chikankata, we were invited down to show the Jesus Film (In Tonga) at a local market. Chieftainess Mwenda has a vision to see her entire kingdom (approximately 20,000 families / 100,000 people) reached with the gospel of Christ.

After visiting with the Chieftainess, we headed to the local market to setup for the film. Before sunset, we were really unsure as to whether or not people would show up. Just before it started getting dark, there were only a handful of people congregating around the movie screen. But after it got dark and we started the film, people started pouring out of the local village. By the midway point of the film, we probably had close to 350 people hearing the story of Jesus in their own language.

After the movie, we invited people up to the front, some to receive Jesus for the first time and some to pray for physical healing and release from spiritual torment. During the prayer time, I told Caleb to float between me and Luke and just be available to pray with people. At one point during the evening, Caleb ran up to me and said "Dad, we just prayed for this woman who was having leg and chest pains and when we finished praying, she was healed!!! Dad, she was healed the first time that we prayed for her."

As I reflected on this evening of ministry, I came away most encouraged not by the response to the gospel (which was great) nor to those who were healed and/or received deliverance through prayer (which were many), but I came away most encouraged about being able to participate in this wonderful ministry with my son Caleb. I came away with great joy after seeing just how excited my son had become while sharing the love of Jesus with these Tonga speaking people of Chikankata!

We Struck..... Water??

Construction is still underway at Ciyanjano. This past week, we drilled the 2nd borehole for our water project that is just starting. We have plans to run irrigation to the campsites and income generation side of the property. Above is a picture of the machine that drilled the 50 meter hole. Needless to say, they found water!

Lanton Zimbia

Below is a final update on Lanton from Steve and a thank you to the many of you who prayed for this dear boy:

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Just want to let you know that Lanton is doing very well. He is home, eating and becoming himself, again. I have never seen Mirriam so beside herself with worry, sorrow and desperation as I did at the hospital that night. She couldn’t even focus. It was as if she had seen this before and now it was her own son, and she was so afraid that she was going to lose her son. (This is such an awful reality here. I just can’t even begin to describe how often we hear about another child who just died because of some disease or illness.) And, then to have him miraculously recovered like that was an almost too incredible to believe...

So tonight she sent me this text that I wanted to share with you: "Thank you so much again for your help both spiritually and financially. I don’t know what I would have done without you. I know that there were a lot of people you asked to help pray for me. I didn’t have strength to talk to my God but you guys did it for me. What a miracle. I have no words that I can use to explain what has happened to my son. Thank you again."

Thanks again for partnering with us overhere in Zambia.

Steve

Njoka Maningi (Many Snakes)

Click Here to View the Video on You Tube

Mom, don't read this one : )

So, this week has been the week of many snakes. On Sunday, a lady who is staying on the Allen's property was walking out of her cottage in flip flops. When she stepped off the porch, she stepped either on or near a snake. The snake immediately turned and bit her flip flop an wrapped itself around her ankle. She quickly kicked her flip-flop and the snake with it into the yard. They weren't quite sure what kind of snake it was (they were guessing either a boomslang or black mamba both deadly snakes) so she was rushed to the clinic. Needless to say, she was undone!

Then yesterday, while I was at Luke's house, we got a call from Steve. He had a snake cornered in some bushes and needed help killing it. When we got there, we found a 4-5 foot mamba. Instead of trying to explain what happened next, I'll just let you watch the video above. But let me say, this is one of the fastest snakes that I've ever seen in person!

Then today, we got a call from some of our other friends, the Carrs, who live just down the road from us and the Allens. Their gardener found a cobra in their yard. I don't know why so many snakes are showing up at one time, but I'm glad that they have found a way to stay away from our home.

Thank you for praying

Wow, what a difference a day makes with lots of prayer. Lanton was discharged yesterday at 4:30 pm. Nothing short of a miracle. Lest there be any doubters out there, the symptoms were really bad. But today is a new day and he is in his right mind, eating and feeling o.k. Amazing. Thank you also for the prayers offered up on his mother's behalf. They were very much needed. In the midst of not knowing what was happening, she had to sit for her grade 12 exams. She's now 30 and decided to go back to finish up school. If she didn't sit for the exams, she would have had to wait another year to sit. So, know that your prayers also got her through this tough day.

As for Lanton, the tests showed no cerebral malaria, and they don’t think it was meningitis. But, they do think it may have been a type of malaria that stayed in his system from a previous bout. Anyways, we are praising God today for His faithfulness in watching over this dear boy and his family.

Please Pray

Please be in prayer for Lanton Zimba. He is the nephew of Dailes (Our worker) and son of her sister Mirriam (The Allen's worker). He is currently at a local clinic with what appears to be either Cerebral Malaria or Meningitis. Either of these are very serious and potentially deadly. Pray that God would heal this dear boy either by His power or through the wisdom of the medical staff attending to him. Pray also for his mother and family to be surrounded by God's peace during this time.

Thank you

You'll Love This One

Inswa! This is a word that means Termite. In Zambia, just after the first rains of rainy season, these bugs come out in droves. And they don't go to waste. Inswa is a seasonal delicacy here. The people love to eat them. So, this morning, while I was at our ministry center, I noticed a ton of Inswa crawling all over the place. Since I had never tried them before, I asked one of the workers if they had a container that I could use to take some of them home for lunch. He not only gave me a container, but he went around and filled it up with about 500 of these termites.

Needless to say, Kerri was surprised when I got home and the kids thought it was great. I asked Charles how to best cook them and then I went to work. Just a teaspoon of oil, some salt, cook them on high heat for about 5 minutes and voila! A delicious little afternoon snack. For what it's worth, they might look gross, but they actually tasted a lot like bacon bits. Anyways, here is a short video showing the bugs before, during and after being cooked. Enjoy!

Click Here to view the Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvd-CyX6j4I

The Rains Have Come

Well another 6 months without any rains has ended! The picture above is from the beginning of last rainy season, but you get the point. Usually, you wouldn't be excited about rain, but when you go so long without it, it's kind of exciting. Kerri and I enjoyed watching our youngest, Ellie, experience her first Lusaka rainy season as a toddler. The expressions she made were priceless.

The only problem now, with rainy season being upon us, is that, I have to fix the broken window in the girls room. This past Sunday before church, Thomas had his first accident with a football and put a big hole in it. If it would have been during dry season, I could have procrastinated a little bit longer, but if I don't fix it soon, the girls might drown ; )

In other news, please be in prayer for our vehicle. It has been sitting in our yard now for about 3 weeks unable to run. There is a part that has gone bad that we are having trouble finding in Zambia. We may have to ship it in from S. Africa or have a friend bring it from the States. I am going to a parts store this morning to see if I can find it, but things do not look promising. Other than that, the Roberts are doing well!

Death by the Preventable

This week, tragedy struck one of our friend's workers family. Their son, who was 4, had been diagnosed with a combination of Chicken Pox and Measles, but seemed to be be fighting the sickness with success. He was running a fever, but still had an appetite and was drinking plenty of fluids. Then on Thursday morning, he told his mom that he needed to vomit. Shortly after vomiting, he passed away.

I can't overemphasize just how often people die here from the preventable. On a daily basis, I pass people in wheelchairs who have been rendered crippled because of polio. It's common to hear of infants of HIV infected mothers who die from severe diarrhea because of being exposed to unclean drinking water in their formula. As we've wrote about in the past, children and elderly die often here because of Malaria. And yes, children die here every day from chicken pox and measles and other preventable diseases. Sometimes, it's just hard to swallow.

So what's the reason or cause? And yes, I know I keep coming back to this subject, but a lot of times it is poverty. Zambia is one of the poorest populations in the world. A majority of the population lives on less than $1 per day. Look at these statistics from the World Health Organization:

+ Measles is one of the leading causes of death among young children even though a safe and cost-effective vaccine is available.

+ In 2008, there were 164 000 measles deaths globally – nearly 450 deaths every day or 18 deaths every hour.

+ More than 95% of measles deaths occur in low-income countries with weak health infrastructures.

+ Measles vaccination resulted in a 78% drop in measles deaths between 2000 and 2008 worldwide.

+ In 2008, about 83% of the world's children received one dose of measles vaccine by their first birthday through routine health services – up from 72% in 2000.

Many Zambians just cannot afford simple medicines and vaccines that would prevent a lot of the diseases that are killing people each day.

We have visitors who come from the West all of the time and their reaction is to say "being here shows you just how blessed we are to live in the West. We are very fortunate." While this is very true and a commendable observation, I think it stops a little short of where God wants us to take it. He wants us to be the "Good Samaritans," to go the extra mile, to make the sacrifices necessary to help these who are suffering. I believe he desires for us to say, "Lord bless me so that I may bless others or Thank You for blessing me, how may I use what you have given me (both materially and spiritually) to show your love to those who are hurting." He's calling us all to more than thankfulness.

One way that you can be a blessing to this family, today, would be to lift them up in prayer. The funeral is at 8:00 am this morning. Pray for peace and comfort for the parents and siblings as they mourn the loss of their dear child & brother. Pray also for Warren and Vicki as they mourn and minister alongside this family.

Testimonies from Action's Hospital Ministry

I've been meaning to write this post for a week, but haven't had the opportunity to sit down and gather my thoughts. Please take the time to read it as it details some encouraging ways that God has been moving by His Spirit through Action Zambia's hospital ministry:

A Teenager's Ear Ache:

Last Wednesday, Luke, Patson Sakala (a Zambian Pastor and friend of Action Zambia Ministries) and I went to do ministry at the local clinics here in Lusaka. I have been a few times before, but, honestly, a lot has changed since my last visit. When we arrived at the clinic in Ngombe, there was a crowd of people. Usually, there are about 10 - 15 people waiting to be seen, but this day there were around 60 - 70. Luke addressed the crowd and let them all know that we were there to offer prayers and that we would be coming by to each of them during our time there. So, Patson and I went together to one end of the line and Luke, along with another Zambian that he recruited, went to the other end.

As we progressed down the line, Patson, would introduce us both in vernacular and then ask why they were visiting the clinic and whether or not we could pray for them. Zambia is a little different from the States, in that when you ask if anyone is interested in prayer, most usually respond favorably. As we progressed down the line, we found that many different people were there for many different ailments. About halfway down the line, we came to a teenage boy who had problems hearing from his right ear. He said that he had been slapped in the ear and since then couldn't hear very well and was in pain. As we began to pray for him, I placed my hand over the hurt ear and prayed that God would provide healing to this boy's body. After a short time of prayer, we asked him if anything had changed. At this point he said that when I put my hand over his ear, he felt something different than he had been feeling, but the pain was still present. So, we asked him if we could pray again for his ear. This time, Patson prayed over him and as he ended the prayer and we opened our eyes. The look on the boy's face was completely different. Instead of looking sullen, he began to smile. He said that the pain was gone and that he could hear fine! We told him that God had healed him because he wanted to show His love for him. I can't tell you what an encouragement it was to see God heal someone right before my eyes.

A Muslim Woman:

A little later, there was a Muslim woman who was there with her child. She told Luke that her baby had been having diarrhea and wasn't generally feeling well. So, Luke asked if she would mind if he prayed for her baby, to which she accepted. After he prayed for the baby, he asked her if there was anything bothering her. Apparently, she had been suffering for weeks with eye pain. She said that both of her eyes were hurting. He again asked her if he could pray for her. As he prayed, he said a simple but bold prayer that through Jesus and Him only would God heal this woman so that she could know that Jesus was the reason for the healing. As soon as he finished praying, we all looked up. Again, the look on the woman's face was one of astonishment! She said that the pain was completely gone. It was an amazing opportunity to show this woman, who believed in a different god, the love that the God of the bible has for her through His son Jesus Christ.

A Girl and Her Mother:

I tried to save the best for last. A few weeks ago, Luke and a few of the pastors were at the clinic when they came across a young woman who was bed ridden. She had not been able to get up for several weeks because of severe pain in her back. They asked if they could pray for her to which she was very happy. As they began to pray, they prayed that God would release his healing power into her body and that the pain would go away. After praying for her they asked her to try and sit up. And she did! They then asked her to get out of the bed and try to stand. And she was able to do this too. She was so thankful for what the Lord had done through the prayers of these men. But this is just where the story gets interesting.

Luke and these pastors try to make it a point to visit the same clinics the same day of the week just to be available if anyone that they previously prayed for decided to come back to find them. Well, two weeks after this particular visit, the mother of this young girl came to the clinic looking for the men who had prayed for her daughter. She went straight to Luke and said "I saw my daughter before you prayed for her and I saw her afterwards. She is completely different than the time before you prayed for her. I wouldn't have believed it if I wouldn't have seen her with my own eyes. God healed my daughter! Now, I am HIV positive and I believe that the Lord who healed my daughter can heal me of my HIV. Would you pray for me as well?"

So, without hesitating, Luke prayed for her and told her to let him know what the results were when she got tested again. Well, this woman's eagerness to see what the Lord had done showed in how quickly she setup a time for her next testing. A few days before she came to visit Luke she had been tested and her CD4 count at that time was around 100 (typical of someone with full blown AIDS). Two days after being prayed for, her CD4 count had risen to over 800 (typical of a healthy adult). The lady, needless to say, was ecstatic about what the Lord had done!

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I hope these few testimonies will serve as an encouragement that we have a God who cares for each one of us deeply and is still in the business of performing the miraculous! My intent is not to point to the miraculous, but to glorify the One who is behind the miracles - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. May it never be that we seek God for His miracles, but that we simply seek Him for Him. And may we rejoice not in the miracles, but rejoice that our names are written in Heaven (Luke 10:20)!

The Past, The Present & The Future

We recently finished putting together a ministry video for our home church. They were doing a dinner for the members of our church to get more acquainted with their missionaries that are serving the church across the world.

After putting it together, we thought it would be good to share it with you as well. It gives an update on our family and ministry life here in Zambia and our future plans as we continue to serve here in Zambia. If you would like to view the video, please go to the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRueuKrJONU

We also had our children put together a video for the youth at the church. You can see this one at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ogm--oibWiQ

Thank you to all of you who support us through your prayers and finances to serve here in Zambia. Blessings!