Picture Parade

For those of you who might be interested, here are slideshows of the pictures that my parents took while visiting us the past two weeks. The slideshows start automatically. So, if you want to watch just one at a time, pause the two you don't wish to watch. We hope you enjoy. If you are receiving this post via email, you will need to visit our website: www.RobertsinZambia.Blogspot.com to view the slideshows.

A Visit with the Parents

Well, the Roberts are in mourning today. My parents, who had been visiting for the past 10 days had to return to their home in Columbia, SC. It has been over a year since we saw them last. So, it was great getting to see them again!

The trip went really well. We just wish it wasn't so short. While they were here, they got to see the grandkids, tour the city, visit a village, go on safari, and a do few other things. It was great having the opportunity to show them some of the work that we are involved in here and just to spend some time with them again. I know I've said it before, but it's worth repeating. Leaving family and friends to serve God overseas is the highest cost we incur as being missionaries. So, when they do get to come and visit, it is such a treat. I just wish it wasn't going to be another year before we see them again : (.

Anyways, if you know them and get a chance, ask them about their trip. I'm sure they would love to tell you about it.

July Newsletter

We're very sorry for the lack of updates lately. Over the past few weeks, Kerri and I have been preparing for a visit from my parents. And now that they are here, we've been busy hosting. We'll update you more on their visit soon, but we wanted the opportunity to give you a sneak peak at our July newsletter before we send it out via U.S. Mail. Please take the time to read it as it gives updates on Thomas, our ministry and our future plans concerning Zambia!

To View Our Newsletter, CLICK HERE

Death is a Reality

First it was Charles sister, then one of our friends John Chitambo's son and now, this morning, we received news that Dailes' brother passed away rather suddenly and unexpectedly. The cause of death is unknown, but he'd been sick. I can't say enough how much death is a part of this culture. Dailes herself has lost a father, a husband and, now, two brothers and she's only 35 years old. It's nothing like the States.

We're thankful that Dailes is a believer and a light to her family during this time, but we are grieving with her as she has lost someone dear to her. Please be in prayer for her and her family. Pray for her mother's health during this time as well, as she is struggling to take some of her medications because of a lack of appetite.

A Day at a Zambian Farm

(If you are receiving this post via email, you will need to go to: www.RobertsinZambia.Blogspot.com to view the slideshow)

On Friday, Kerri took Gracyn, Caleb and Thomas to a farm about an hour outside of Lusaka. A family, who is managing the property invited her and several other missionary families out for a "field trip." Most of the children are home-schooled. So, there are a group of mothers who try to get together about once every other month for a field trip to different places. The kids had a great and came back with a lot of goodies.

Some of the highlights of the day were:

• Getting to ride on the combine as they harvested Maize. They told the kids that you can regularly see cobras and black mambas being combine head as they went across the field harvesting.

• Getting to jump on bails of hay that were stacked 2 and 3 high.

• And getting to swim in a container full of maize kernels where they found many bugs and 1 dead mouse.

This is the fun stuff your kids get to do in Zambia!

A Heavenly Homecoming

This was a posting today from the Whitfields about Joshua Chitambo. It was a very emotional service to attend. As a father of 5, I can't imagine how it would feel burying one of my own children. Please continue to pray for this family.

Dear Friends

It is with physical sadness but spiritual rejoicing I write to inform you that Joshua went home to be with the Lord in the early hours of Friday morning. The funeral was today and Elise and I attended along with the rest of Action Zambia's missionaries. This was a hard one to swallow even though death has become a part of everyday life as we serve here in Zambia. I had seen Joshua's father Jon the day before and we prayed together still believing God could heal his son.

At the service it was very clear that even in death God had given this young man a very special assignment.....to honor and exude an example of rejoicing in the Lord always. As siblings and friends shared it became evident that despite monumental suffering this young warrior never became bitter with what was allowed to come his way. Instead, he used it as an opportunity to minister to others (often trying to minister to him), reminding them that in all things we can rejoice in knowing that God knows and has the best plan for us.

As I reflected back on my visit with Joshua a week ago, I realized, even without speaking a word, that he at left me with that very understanding. During our visit I prayed that God would use Joshua's sickness as a platform for others to come to a saving knowledge of the Salvation of Jesus Christ. I now realize that the single tear and smile left on Joshua's face after we prayed was his way of confirming that he wanted the same, even if it cost him his life.

Let Joshua's life challenge you to consider what you are willing to give up in order that others might be saved. Remember the greatest act of love ever recorded cost Jesus his life but gained eternity for the multitudes. To those that prayed for Joshua, thank you, and know that one day I am sure you will get a big embrace from this amazing young man.

His Servant

Luke

The Last 13 Months

This post is mainly for the grandparents. They are always wanting to see how the children are growing up and how we are all getting along. So, we put together a 10 minute slideshow of random pictures that we have taken since our return to Zambia in May 09. Time has gone by so fast and the kids have grown so much. Anyways, please take the time to watch a quick picture summary of our family life over the past 13 months.

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

Prayer Request

This morning, at 4:45 am, we received word that the son of one of our Zambian teammates had passed away. Joshua Chitambo passed away from complications related to kidney disease. Joshua was 20 years old. John Chitambo, his father, has worked with Action Zambia Ministries for several years assisting with the HIV/AIDS ministry known as CROSS. He is a very dear friend to everyone on our team. Please pray for him and his family during this time. The funeral is probably going to be Sunday afternoon.

A Visit With Family

(If you are receiving this post via email, you will need to visit our website: www.RobertsinZambia.Blogspot.com to view the video.)

Kerri and I are a little depressed today. Kerri's brother Matt and his wife April have been visiting with us for the past two weeks and left to go home this afternoon. Matthew is an associate pastor with Redeemer Church of Knoxville. So, we put him to work a little while he was here. He had the opportunity to preach in Zambia his first Sunday and then the second week, he taught about "Worship" at our Action Pastors College. We also had a little fun while they were here as well. The video above is just some pictures put together from their trip here. We hope you enjoy.

We love our family and friends dearly. So, it was such a treat to have them come for a visit. But it was also difficult saying goodbye. I think I speak for most, if not all, missionary families when I say that this is the hardest part of missions. It's not living in another culture. It's not adjusting to new foods and languages. It's not learning how to live differently as a family. It's leaving those you love to go and serve. That's one of the hardest things about serving God overseas.

So, when visitors come, it is such a blessing and an encouragement. Thank you Matt and April for making the sacrifice to come and visit. We love and miss you already!

Graduation Tuesday

This past Tuesday, Luke and I were invited to attend a graduation. Two of the pastors that we led through the Navigators discipleship program have been busy for the past year leading groups of their own through the program. They invited us, along with Muvi TV and several family members and friends of the graduates.

This was a VERY encouraging time. A core value of our discipleship ministry is that those who participate would, in turn, disciple others. These two men, Pastor Mark Mwale and Pastor Devnod Kasoka, successfully trained about 20 men and women from their own churches. Sometimes in ministry you wonder if and when the work you are doing will bear fruit. So, it was nice to see some of the fruit that the Lord has birthed through our labor here in Zambia.

If you are receiving this post via email, you will have to visit our website to view the slideshow: www.RobertsinZambia.Blogspot.com

From Another's Perspective

We were sorry to see our friend, Pete Williamson, head back to the states. He gave it all this past two weeks and our pastors here were very appreciative as were we missionaries. Our director asked Pete to pen some of his three experiences over the past year on paper. The result was this beauty below. Steve Allen asked for permission to share with you Pete's "zamflections" and he graciously agreed.

Zamflections (or What I've Learned from My Visits to Zambia)

Pete williamson
- pastor | Oikos Fellowship | Bellingham, WA USA

Up until about three years ago, Zambia was not among the number of African countries that I was aware of. That all changed when my friend Steve and his family felt a call to leave our town and the ministry that he was a part of there to go to this unknown country as a missionary with ACTION Zambia. Truth be told, I was not only ignorant but also fairly indifferent to this continent. Not that I didn't have a heart for missions; my wife and I had spent the first couple years of our marriage living in Japan while teaching English at a Christian school for Japanese kids. It's just that I wasn't interested. If anything, I wanted to return to Japan - not just for the people and the culture, but also the food.

Anyway, Steve had promised from the beginning that he intended for me to come over at some point to teach pastors and church planters among whom AZ was working. That promise became realized this last year when I made the first of what would be three trips in a 13-month period to this country. Now I can't get this place and especially these people out of my head or heart. In fact, I would even go so far as to say I really need Zambia.

I need Zambia for what it teaches me about the power of God working through the preaching of His gospel. It is a humbling thing to speak before a group of pastors and church planters only to realize that many, if not most have not only been pastoring for many years but have planted at least one or two other churches. Even more remarkable, is that they've done so without the training and resources (including Bibles!) that I have so easily taken for granted. The parable of the talents has taken on new meaning for me here, because I see men and women who have had scarcely a single talent but have through God's grace more than doubled it through tireless faithfulness. I have great hope for the work of the gospel in Zambia because of the character of God's workers that I've found here. They are eager to learn as much as they can - far more than I've seen anywhere else - and they have a wonderfully uncomplicated reverence for the Word of God as authoritative and true. If that sounds like a subtle indictment against the American church, I apologize. I meant it to be stronger.

I need Zambia for the perspective it gives me as an American pastor and citizen. These words of John keep coming back to me: you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. This verse, if anything, captures exactly the state of American (and Western) Christianity. I promise you, until you come here you will never understand how rich you and I are. We have no vocabulary for the poverty and suffering that are a part of the day-to-day life of most Zambians (except for politicians and far too many pastors). We are indeed rich, but in reality we are incredibly poor because we do not ask why we have been so blessed with all that we've been given. God does not give us all that we have to spend on ourselves, but to share with those who have nothing. Even Zambians - most of whom live on less than $2/day - understand this and because of this they are far richer than us. What's more, Zambia has shown me how much our prosperity has become a substitute for relationships. There is nothing in the world like walking through one of the many compounds surrounding Lusaka. And let me tell you it is one thing to see poverty like this in the pages of a National Geographic, but quite another to actually walk in it. And yet, what is so striking to me is how much the people who live here seem to be content and even joyful in spite of circumstances that would ruin most if not all Americans. I believe a big part of that is due to the fact that they know something that we don't - family and friends are far more important than any other possession and, equipped with those relationships, any suffering is made bearable. This high view of relationships also makes the friendships that I have now with a number of pastors and even churches all the more precious.

I am very encouraged by the work I have seen being done here by ACTION Zambia. I especially love their focus on befriending and equipping Zambians for the work of the gospel. In another year and a half, the first class of 15 pastors will graduate from the PLD (pastoral leadership development) training and already they are putting into play the things that they've learned with great enthusiasm. I am also very thankful for the missionaries whom God has called here. Each brings their own unique abilities and personalities to the team, but all are united in their love of God and the Zambian people. It may not be all that long before the fruit of AZ's work will be such a harvest that it will be time to move on to new ground, of which there is still plenty out there. In the meantime, please join me in continuing to support AZ with prayers and support. Better yet, go and see for yourselves what the Lord is doing here and the servants He is working through to accomplish His purposes. You may just find me there.

Kilometers for Kids

(Luke Whitfield, Brent Roberts, Steve Allen, Elise Whitfield, Megan Bloemker, Stephanie Allen & Kerri Roberts)

In Zambia, over 50% of the population is 16 years old and younger. Many of these children live in abject poverty. In Lusaka, the capital city, there are no parks or safe recreational areas. Children must resort to playing in garbage heaps, cholera infested waterholes and other dirty places where space is available.

(If you are receiving this post via email, go to: www.RobertsinZambia.Blogspot.com to view the above video. It's a must see!)

Action Zambia (AZ) is trying to address this issue. AZ has been blessed with a 22 acre piece of land (Known as Ciyanjano) on the outskirts of Lusaka. This past January, we started a three year development plan for this camp facility for Zambian churches and the youth in their communies. The vision is to have a place where compound churches (churches located in Lusaka's poorest districts) can bring children for week long camps to learn more about the love of God that is found in Christ and have fun while doing it. Think about it. Children who come from families where the average income is $1 or less a day, being able to escape their world for a short time and have a chance to just be a kid in a loving and safe environment.

August 29th of this year, 7 members of our team will be headed to Zimbabwe for a marathon. We will embark on the 26.2 mile (or 42 kilometer) race (The Victoria Falls Marathon) as a fund raiser for children camps in Zambia. We are calling the event Kilometers for Kids. Our hope is to raise enough money to build one of the two remaining camp sites for Ciyanjano. We have dedicated a website to the event: www.kilometersforkids.info. This site just gives additional information for the race as well as a place to make donations. Please take a look if you get a chance!

Before Megan, After Megan

We've had chickens disappearing from the yard over the past few weeks. While we knew the dogs were the culprits for most of the little ones, some of the bigger ones started to go missing. Well, yesterday we finally found out. An owl was up in one of our mango trees after a night of hunting in our back yard. So, we leave you with these two pictures taken before and after a visit from our teammate Megan.

Before Megan

After Megan

I think the chickens are safe now. I just don't know about the rest of Zambia!

Balipo Banthu

(To view the slideshow, please go to our website: www.RobertsinZambia.Blogspot.com)

In Zambia, when you go to a home to visit and children are outside, it's not outside of the norm to say Balipo Banthu. It means "are there people here?" It seems like a simple and innocent phrase, but it is fed by a large cultural issue that is really impacting the future of the church in Zambia.

Children here are often not recognized by adults. In a lot of cases, children are not seen as being able to understand the things of God until they reach their teenage years. Did you hear that? This means, that in a lot of churches, there are no ministries geared towards children. There is little to no investment in youth. They are expected to just come and sit through the service and be quiet while the adults, who can understand the things of God, attend the worship service.

Here is the catch. We live in a culture, where over half of the population is 16 years old or younger. The adults are the minority! By the time children reach the "perceived" age of understanding it is mostly too late. These children need investment now, because they are the future of the church.

This is the vision that a group of missionaries have caught onto here in Zambia. Some missionaries from ACTION along with other friends and other missionaries have started a movement named: "Called for His Purpose". Their intent is to minister to those who have been forgotten and neglected over the years. This past week, Kerri and Elise were part of a night of worship. The event attracted over 200 youth from the community who have a heart to worship God. There are other events planned in the future, but this was the initial launch of Called.

Please be in prayer for this ministry.

Waiting in Line for a Body

This past weekend was a tough one, but one that is all too common in Zambia. Our guard Charles's sister Barbara Kangwa lost her brief struggle with meningitis. Her husband had previously passed away, meaning that all 5 of her children are now double-orphaned. As I was talking to Charles the morning of the funeral, he said something that really shook me. It was very non-chalaunt in delivery, but the implications were significant!

He said that they had to get to the mortuary that morning very early, before it opened, because if they didn't, they would have had to wait in line for Barbara's body for a better part of the day. Did you catch that? Wait in line for a body? The impact that poverty, malnutrition, poor healthcare, and disease has had on this country is hard to fully convey. But even after his saying this, I didn't fully grasp its implications until we arrived at the graveyard. As you can see in the picture above, when we arrived there were a bunch of people. Probably close to 500. Barbara's funeral was one of several that were to take place that day.

At the grave site, the pastor preached a small message and then they lowered the coffin into the newly dug hole. After about another half hour of shoveling dirt, the hole along with the coffin were covered and family members were invited forward to place flowers on the grave. This was the toughest part emotionally, because the first to place flowers where the orphaned children.

As I thought about this situation, I was struck with the reality that this is life in Zambia. We live in a culture where people face hopeless situations on a daily basis, where people can't find work because of 70% unemployment and where children die from treatable diseases. Where almost a quarter of the population is HIV positive, where there over 500,000 orphans, and where life expectancy peaks at 38 years, a culture where you have to wait in line for a body because there are too many deaths!

And because of this, I am convinced even more about the need of the gospel for Zambians. Jesus Christ is their only hope! Without Him, there's suffering and then there's eternal suffering. Without Him, people here die and all they have to look forward to is hell. But with Him, there is so much more. With Him, there is Joy in the midst of suffering. With him there might be some suffering, but it will be far outweighed by the eternal reward that is awaiting in heaven for those who trust Him with their lives.

Please continue to pray for the family as they mourn the loss of Barbara. They are stuck with some tough decisions that they have to make concerning who will get the children. Most likely they will be split up amongst family members. Pray that they would have wisdom in knowing who to send them with. And pray for the family members that will be accepting these children into their homes. Pray that they will be treated with love.

Thank you

Update on Barbara

Thank you for those of you who have been praying for Charles' sister, Barbara. Unfortunately, last night at midnight, she passed away. She was 26 years old and she leaves behind five children (the most recent, a three month old baby). Please pray for Charles and his family during this time. Please, also, pray for us as we seek to minister to this dear family.

Thank you

Prayer Request

Please be in prayer for our guard Charles' sister. She is suffering from meningitis and is currently non responsive. This evening, she has been transported over to the primary hospital for spinal taps and medication, but things don't look good at the moment. Please pray for the family, for wisdom in seeking treatment and for peace throughout the process. Pray for healing from the "Great Physician." And pray for Kerri and I, as we seek to help, but not interfere.

Thank you for your prayers,

~Brent & Kerri

Funnies of the week

Lazarus doesn't rise again

Many of you were probably amused by the story of the chicken revival a week or two ago. Because the little chick was raised from the dead, we aptly named him Lazarus. Well, this morning, we found out that Lazarus doesn't rise twice. Apparently, the mother hen got into a shelter that the little chicks couldn't get into. Instead of doing something about it, she slept on the inside and they on the outside. Needless to say, we think Chiku (our dog) made a nice meal of them!

Can we get another?

Since we first brought Thomas Mwila into our home, he has had a habit of climbing into bed with Caleb in the middle of the night. Every morning, Caleb would wake up with a sleeping buddy and every morning, he would come to us to complain. We've been doing all that we can think of to try and encourage Thomas to stay in his bed, some nights with success, some nights without, but for the most part, he has still been doing it. Well, last night as Kerri was putting the boys to bed, she laid down with Thomas and just talked. She was telling him that we were going to have to start punishing him if he didn't stay in his bed. It was the second part of this conversation that got interesting.

Thomas asked "So, when you brought me home from House of Martha, what was that called?"

Kerri replied, "Adoption."

Thomas: "Adoption, yes, that was what it was. Do you think we can go back to House of Martha and adopt another boy?"

Kerri: "Why Thomas?"

Thomas: "So I can have someone to sleep with."

Needless to say, we died laughing.

A Terrorist?

One of our good friends here, a missionary with another organization has had problems getting his income wired from the States. After a month of various trips to the bank and getting to the point where they really were struggling to pay the bills, they found out why. Apparently, he had somehow been put on the United States Terrorist Watch List. If you knew our friend, you would understand how ridiculous that really is. I guess you should all feel safer knowing that our government is now putting missionaries on the Terrorist Watch list.

Flooding in Lusaka

The rains have taken their toll on many families in Lusaka. The picture you are seeing above is at Lusaka's Independence Stadium. Currently, there are over 250 families who have been forced from their homes because of flooding in the various compounds. They are staying in tents which have been provided by the Red Cross.

Our very own, Luke Whitfield, was visiting the tent town trying to determine how we might be of assistance, when he was approached by a local news station for an interview. The video shows the flooding and some of the families which are living in these temporary structures.

To view the video, click here.

Please be in prayer for these families and also be in prayer for our ministry. Our ministry exists to equip local churches for ministry to their communities. We are trying to mobilize the pastors and churches associated with our programs to help these people. Over the next few weeks, they will be trying to determine the best and most practical ways to reach out to the families living in these tents. Once they decide how they are going to help, they will then be tasked with motivating the members of their churches to participate both financially and physically in this ministry. Pray that God would provide these pastors and church leaders wisdom as they seek to minister to their community. And pray that the Zambian believers in their churches with will also catch the vision.

He is Risen!!!

Tomorrow morning we celebrate the most important day of the year to us as Christians. The resurrection of Jesus Christ!

Well, in light of the Resurrection, I thought I'd share a little resurrection story that happened here at our house yesterday. I'm pretty sure it will give you a laugh! I must preface with 2 facts about our household: 1) we have a lot of chickens, and 2) Ellie constantly escapes the house whenever a door is left open and we find her toddling around the yard getting into all kinds of trouble.

So, yesterday afternoon I was in the kitchen when I heard Brent say, "No, Ellie, no!" When I walked outside to see what was happening, I saw Brent standing with his back to me, swinging something in his hands and then hunching over whatever it was. As I walked around him I saw him holding a baby chick in his hands and blowing into its beak!! Yes, he was. Of course I was a little dumbfounded for a second, but then managed to ask, "What ARE you doing?"

"Ellie killed it, " he said. "She had it in her hand squeezing it really hard, and when I picked it up it was dead." (It was really limp and lifeless as I looked at it too) "So you're giving it CPR," I asked with a giggle. "Yes," he said, "why not?" So, there he stood giving the chicken mouth-to-beak and swinging it like we had learned to do with newborn puppies that needed to be revived. After a few minutes the chick opened its eyes and began to perk up. After a few more minutes it stood up in Brent's hand, and after a few more minutes it was back with its mother and siblings roaming around the yard scratching for food! Alive and well!

I thought only my husband would be so crazy as to do CPR on a dead chick. I certainly wouldn't have! It gave us a good laugh, but also demonstrated a simple spiritual truth: "But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved (Ephesians 2:4-5)." God picked us up when we were dead - not struggling, not sick, not dying - dead and unable to do anything to save ourselves. Then He breathed the life of Christ into us and brought us back to life. But not just any old life, life IN Christ. Just read through the first chapter of Ephesians and see what the life IN Christ means! What a gift! This is what we celebrate on Easter. Jesus is risen and we can be risen with Him to walk in a new life! Thanks for the illustration, honey!