Home Visit

https://www.africafreedommission.org/mission-trips

Mark your calendars. The Roberts will be visiting the States Oct 16 - Jan 15. We'd love to reconnect with as many of you as possible! If you think about it, set aside some time for us!

Africa for Real, Africa Forever

https://www.africafreedommission.org/mission-trips

When we finally finished our accommodations for short-term teams last year, we had dreams. We dreamt that this property would be used to change lives, that there would be individuals who would come to Zambia and get wrecked like we did on a similar short-term trip to Kenya in 1995. So, when this team  finally arrived, it really felt like a fulfillment of some of those dreams.

As the week went by it was awesome watching these young men and women process all that God was showing them. Below is a blog written by one of the students. Take a minute and just listen how Jesus used Zambia and her time here with our ministry to open her eyes to more of Himself.

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I'm currently recovering from jet lag, and missing the sweet bush of Africa.

I'm currently missing my sweet team who only entered my life a short two weeks ago.

My heart is currently aching from the longing of wanting to be back in Zambia.

But let's rewind to two weeks ago.


My alarm goes off and I am wide awake. I know what today is. Everything is a blur as I grab my bag and my backpack and head downstairs. Today is the day I leave for Africa. I've been waiting forever for this moment and here it is. Mom, dad, and myself head to the airport and my stomach is in knots the whole way. I'm praying for God to show Himself in new ways and to do amazing things on this trip. Am I going to remember what my team looks like? That's a negative. I finally see a girl with a Love Africa sticker on her bag. I know that's my team. I walk over with a shy smile and am greeted with warm hugs and smiles. This is going to be good. "Hi, I'm Janie!" a girl says. It's instantly followed with a Madison, Kaylee, Nate, PH, Kaylyn, Taylor, TJ, and Mallory. Bye parents. See you soon. My stomach is back in knots. I haven't been on a plane in a while. What will I think of it? I am seated with Nate who is instantly warming with his fun personality and I relax just a little. Who are these people? What are their backgrounds? We land in D.C. Now we meet Devin who bursts with independence and looks fit from head to toe. 5 hour layovers feel like years. We all act friendly, but the awkwardness is still lingering due to us all being strangers. We begin #TeamSelfies which I find super entertaining. Now we are in line getting boarding passes. This time I'm with Mallory and TJ for 16 hours. Perfect bonding time. I'm extra scared for this flight. My stomach is twisting. I'm praying. My head hurts. 16 hours is going to feel forever. But we make it. We get to Africa. We are here. I feel relieved. This is real. This is happening. And I am so excited.

Now we are getting on a Mazabuka Girls High School bus with our driver Daddi....did he say his name was daddy? HAHA he did. The roads are bouncy and my bum feels a little bruised. We laugh with excitement until we reach our first hotel. The Chapa. We watch our first sunset in Africa in which words can't explain. Then we go to a little restaurant where I decide to order crocodile. I learn to salsa with Gracyn who is one of the missionaries little girls. We have an instant bond. I really like her laugh. I wake up excited and ready to see Victoria Falls....one of the seven wonders! Brent (one of the missionaries) says we will need a rain jacket. He's right. We instantly get soaking wet.

Guys this waterfall is amazing. You can hear the power of the water rushing over the side and it is unreal. And God created that. A picture can't do it justice. I am so thankful I got to marvel in God's creation with my team.

Safari time! I am super excited. Today we see a baby giraffe, a few zebra, and one baby elephant. I am amazed at these creatures that exist. They are beautiful.

Our next safari is a boat ride where hippos are everywhere. They lay on top of each other and they are super fat. I'm relaxed. I sit down with Taylor who I have yet to speak many words too. "My brother died right before this trip." I feel my heart drop. It aches. I've only known this girl for three days. I feel my tears well up. "Why did this happen? Why am I here?" Questions only our God can answer. We talk for a while about Jesus and the Bible and His perfect timing. I want to carry this burden with her. I'm sure of it. After our boat ride, we go on another safari where we see TONS of elephants. There's one, and another, and another, and another! They are beautiful. They are huge and majestic.
Tonight is our last night at the hotel. I'm ready to head to the farm. What is it going to be like?
We pack up on the Mazabuka bus with Daddi who at this point has become part of the family. 5 hours later and we are finally at the farm.

This is where the two missionary families live. The Roberts have 5 kids and the Whitfields have 6! They are all waiting eagerly for us to arrive. They immediately begin to love on us and drag us all over the farm. I'm excited and full of energy. So many names pouring into my head and their love immediately pouring into my heart. We put our bags in a storage container with bunk beds...it's awesome. Now what about food? I'm nervous we will hardly eat. Until the first night we have fajitas and lemon bars. I guess we won't starve? Oops. The fire pit is huge! We sit and sing and talk about Jesus. My heart is slowly growing for my team. We go to bed early so we can be refreshed for the village.

I wake up nervous. How will these kids be at the school? What if I we can't communicate?
We can't communicate. There is a language barrier. But love really is the one language everyone knows. We sing everyday with these beautiful African children. We sing with one another. I hug and squeeze every child I can possibly get too. My heart swells with much love everyday. My heart swells with so much love that on Friday when we leave the village for the last time my heart breaks and the tears come. All I can think is how those children will be waiting for us and how we will not be back. I want to go back. I need to see their smiles and hear their laughs. The time passed by and I didn't even realize. Sunday is our final night on the farm. We throw Gracyn a surprise birthday party. I love her. My heart aches with the thought of leaving her. We wash the feet of the Roberts and the Whitfields and I can't speak. All I feel are tears. Tears of happiness, tears of joy, tears of leaving, tears of sadness. They flood my face and I can't stop. I reach Daddi's feet and can't breathe. I can not thank him enough for driving us around and for impacting our lives in unbelievable ways. I do not want to leave him. I know he doesn't want us to leave as well. My heart is aching. How did I get so close to these people in such a short amount of time.

God completely wrecked my heart. What a humbling experience. To see people with absolutely nothing, be the happiest people I've ever seen is incredible. It's unreal. When I said goodbye to my team, I felt my heart break.

So now I'm here. I didn't even cover half of my trip but that's just because it's impossible too.

I'm recovering from jet lag & my heart hurts from being apart from my team.

but

my heart is satisfied with Jesus. I really learned the meaning of that the past two weeks.

Take the world, but give me Jesus.

Africa For Real, Africa Forever.

Jesus for eternity.

Last Day of Camp

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It's been so much fun hosting this team of university students  and pouring into their lives over the course of this week. It's also been a blessing to see how they've interacted and poured into the lives of these 1,100+ children.

Today marked the end of our 4-day kids camp and it finished with something really awesome. The headmen of Ngangula making a stand for faith in Christ! What a way to end a week of ministry!

Our First Team

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Our first team from is visiting with us over the next week and a half. They've come to assist us in running a kids camp for 1,200 children at a Primary School in Ngangula.

We're so excited to have these guys here with us. The team consists of 12 college students from 4 different states. Many of them are trying to figure out their longterm involvement with God on mission.

Pray for them this week coming up. Pray that God would use their time here to strengthen their passion for Jesus. Pray that He would do a specific work in each of their lives.

For those of you who don't know, it was a very similar trip like this to Kenya, which ultimately led our family to serve in Zambia.

A Lion Encounter

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Sheesh! We've really been spoiled this past week with African wildlife. This afternoon, our car had a hose bust. So, we had to make a stop at the vet's house for assistance. It turns out that he and his wife were rehabilitating 3 lion cubs.

Caleb and I decided it was ok to delay our departure a bit just to play with the little guys. ; )

Elephant Capture

http://youtu.be/v8MyNIfEC6w

https://www.africafreedommission.org/mission-trips

We really had a once in a lifetime experience this morning.  The team from Zimbabwe did an amazing job and everything went so smoothly.  The elephant was darted from a helecopter, picked up by crane onto the back of a flatbed truck.  Brought to a nearby field where another truck with different compartments were waiting.  There, it was pulled by truck and cables into the first compartment, then given some medicine to wake it up.  I was actually surprised that it woke up so fast.  Literally from being passed out to on its feet and alert within a matter of a minute.  After it was up, they were able to coerce it towards the front compartment which was already on the back of a tractor trailer truck.  And then within a few minutes, it was off to its new home in Kafue National Park.

I grew up watching National Geographic and similar shows thinking how fun it would be to do work like that.  Well, this morning, the kids and I got to see it first hand.  Great way to spend a Saturday morning!

If you would like to see a quick video with some video clips and pictures.  Simply click the link just below the picture above.

Coolest Guests Ever

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I've been in Lusaka the past few days. So, this evening was the first time I had the opportunity to meet the special guests we are hosting. It turns out that there is an elephant that has wondered onto a nearby farm. It's created such a buzz that the government has agreed to fund a game capture team from Zimbabwe to come and relocate it.

That's the team that is staying with us tonight. Tomorrow morning they will head out and attempt to catch this beast. And guess what? We're invited to come and watch! Can you say awesome? I'm sure there will be follow up pictures.

Our First Loss

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This past week we had our first theft at our property in the village. It wasn't much (3 bags of cement), but it did provide a good learning experience. I got to be part of something that I've never been part of before. A meeting with the headmen to discuss the theft and plan a way forward.

Zambian culture is definitely different than ours. To settle disputes in the village, you usually call 2-3 of the headmen and meet to discuss. This discussion went really well. Even though we didn't manage to get to the bottom of who took the cement, we were treated as part of the community. That was a big step in and of itself!

Preparing a Meal

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How do Zambians prepare their corn meal (Mealie) in the
Village? With a lot of muscle. Take a look at this video if you get a chance!

Isn't God Good?

Click HERE to view this video Update

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A while back, I shared about Yvonne, a young lady that we met while doing some leadership training in the villages behind Chikankata.  Yvonne was a girl tormented by the enemy!  She was in such bad shape and such a threat to herself and her commnity that her grand mother had chained her to a pole in their house.

A few weeks ago, we were challenged at church to be out in the community looking for ways to pray for people.  I immediately thought of Yvonne and decided that I would go back out to her home and see how she was doing and pray for her.  As I was speaking to one of my Zambian friends about going, he told me the best news!  Yvonne was well!!!

So, yesterday, I went back out there on my bike to try and record her story.  Above is a short video of me interviewing her sister Idris (on the left) and later Yvonne.  I hope this encourages you that God is still in the business of delivering!

We're Back

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We are so thankful for our time in South Africa. It was so nice seeing the beach, resting and getting recharged. The kids had a blast and so did the parents!

After arriving Saturday evening and preaching the Sunday Easter service, today we caught up on our sleep from traveling. Tomorrow it's back to the grind.

In just a little over 3 weeks we host our first team of the summer - a group of college students from Love Africa Mission. Can't wait to host this team and my friend Nathan Smith and his family.

So tomorrow the preparations begin: finding translators, last minute construction, grocery shopping, meetings in Ngangula, etc. missing the beach, but loving being back home!

We made it

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After 30 hours of driving through three different countries we've finally made it!

The kids are out on the beach as I type playing football and collecting shells. Can't believe we're here. Thanks for praying for safe travel!

In Botswana

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We're in Botswana this morning. Spent 11 hours driving over 500 miles yesterday.

Our first night we stayed at a bush camp just over the border where we had 15 elephants walk right past our back porch. The kids were up early the next morning watching the sunrise and looking out for other animals. In all we've seen hyena, elephants, giraffe, monkey's, and for some weird reason, lots of donkeys.

This morning we cross the border into South Africa and drive to Johannesburg. 2 more days and we're there.

A new first

https://www.africafreedommission.org/mission-trips

Never taken a ferry with a car from one country to another. Well, now we have. Once through the other side we'll be on our way to where we are staying for the night. So far, so good!

Family Vacation

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We're starting off on our first family vacation in over 4 years. We will be making the 4 day journey to the east coast of South Africa with our friends the Hugheys.

Pray for safety as we travel. We'll post updates along the way.

It's pouring

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I took this picture the other day as I was running errands in Lusaka. I think the city needs to make new plans for drainage.

It sure made walking around downtown interesting.

Preparing for a Journey

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In just over 2 weeks Kerri, the kids and I along with another family will be making the 3-day journey to South Africa. We'll be traveling through Botswana. In order to make a trip like this, you have to get Interpol clearance on vehicles and trailers.

One of our friends here was nice enough to let us borrow their trailer. So, this morning I went to Lusaka to do the paperwork. All I can say about the process is hectic. Just about finished now and I can't wait to make the trip. Should be an adventure!

Trials and perseverance

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My week has not been a fun one. Over the past 4 days, I've traveled 400 miles by taxi and hitching rides with friends, trying to replace our cruiser's radiator. I know you're probably tired of hearing about our car, but it has been the builder of my faith lately.

In December, when we paid for all of the work on our vehicle, we also paid to have a new Toyota radiator to be installed. Well, this past month, we learned that instead of using a genuine Toyota radiator, our mechanic put a Chinese knockoff in instead, probably pocketing the difference. After it cracked in 4 different places, it finally just blew on Monday. Being out $1,000 and not receiving what we paid for by someone we trusted was like a kick in the gut. And being stranded again was just frustrating. But that's another story.

Back to the search for anther radiator. So, after all of that travel, first being sold the wrong model and then making another trip to pick up the correct one, I thought I was finally nearing the end of this trial this afternoon. I had the new one in and it fit perfectly. It took a few hours to get it in, but I was finished. At least that's what I thought. As I began to fill it with water, my worst nightmares became a reality. It was leaking and not just a drop here or a drop there. It was leaking fast. As soon as I saw it, I was feeling kind of defeated. But then I remembered the verses from James about trials and was encouraged a bit.

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

I was encouraged because I was beginning to see the struggles with our car as opportunity instead of failure. Opportunity to persevere and trust Christ more. Opportunity to become closer to Him because I depend on Him. It's not easy and I'd be lying if I said that it's not frustrating at times, but, in a weird way, I was encouraged and comforted by this truth in His word today!

Miracle

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After you have lived here a while, you begin to learn what constitutes a miracle. Case in point:

Friday a week ago, we had someone break into our car and steal my backpack. Besides getting a few little trinkets, they didn't get away with much. At least that's what I thought at the time.

It turns out that our registration for the car and Interpol clearance papers were in the bag as well. So, Monday I had to make the trip back to Lusaka to try and begin the process of getting these important documents reissued. And that's where the miracle comes in.

Here's the process:
1. Go to RTSA and pay for an inspection form. RTSA is the equivalent of the DMV. Usually lines are long and delays are to be expected. When I got there, there were only 5 people ahead of me. Prayers answered. And yes, I did pray!

2. Go to Central Police (about a half-mile away) and fill out a police report. I just left my car at RTSA because finding the spot I found was a miracle in and of itself. This process went rather smoothly. It probably helped that I greeted the officer in charge in his tribal tonga language.

3. Go just around the corner to the local car wash and find the commissioner of oaths. He was stationed in an old shipping container. I needed him to witness my affidavit. Prayer 2 was answered when one of the guys in line with me at RTSA actually gave me a copy of an affidavit. Had he not done this, it probably would have added 5 more steps to the process. After getting the affidavit witnessed, I headed to step # 4.

4. Physical Inspection. I had to take the car all the way across town, through horrible bumper-to-bumper traffic to be inspected by another person from RTSA. This was answered prayer #3. While the guy from RTSA was getting ready to inspect, I noticed an Interpol inspector. I asked him if he could do Interpol at the same time as the inspection. He agreed against the wishes of the RTSA agent. So with both inspection papers in hand, I now had to head back into the middle of town through the traffic that I so dearly love.

5. The Third RTSA office was in the middle of town. I arrived just past lunch and this place was packed. Within 20 minutes I was able to figure out the right line to stand in and was issued the registration. At this point, anything else that I accomplished was just icing on the cake. So, I decided to try and complete Interpol as well. After standing in 2 more lines and paying for more paperwork, I was ready for the 6th and final step.

6. So, I jumped back into my car and headed back across town one last time. This time it was to pay the fee for Interpol at one of the local police stations, the only one which handles Interpol, and wait the two weeks it takes to produce the approval paper. Here's where God answered another prayer. When I went into the head officer's office, I greeted him in Lozi (a tribal language from Western Zambia). I only know the greeting in this language, but it worked. He turned out to be Lozi. After hearing me, he asked one of his guys to prepare it while I was in the office. The document that takes two weeks was now in my hand, along with the registration, and all in one day.

This, my friends, was a true Zambian miracle!

Sunday Shopping

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Enjoyed following behind Kerri and watching out new friends Michael and Dennis helping with the grocery shopping. They are both a ball full of energy! Praying we're having an impact.