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.

Lost and Found

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Does God really care about a set of keys? Probably not, but He does care about the person who has lost them.

This past week one of our workers had several break-ins at his home. When he and his wife were away, someone came in and took a few valuables.

As he shared with me the frustration, I asked him if I could pray for him. It was a simple prayer, one that I really didn't think that much of at the time. I just asked God to bring back the items that were stolen.

Well, the next day God answered. As our worker was returning to his home, he found a set of keys and a lock underneath the mat at his front door. Isn't that neat? We prayed, God answered.

I know it's a small example, but thought it would encourage you in your own prayer life!

Outdoor Markets

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Just a picture of an outdoor market in Lusaka. I took it yesterday as I was traveling through town. These stands are all over the place and offer great secondhand clothes straight from the good ole USA.

Back to my Roots

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Since Caleb had to stay overnight in the clinic and we were without our car, I got the opportunity to travel around Lusaka via minibus yesterday.

U can find taxis in Lusaka, but if u know how to get around on these guys, you can save a lot of money and meet some interesting people in the process.

Roadside Traveler

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Picked up this little roadside traveler on our way to church Sunday. As you can probably see, our little Ellie is fearless.

Pray for our boy today

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Our oldest is having a minor surgical procedure done this morning in Lusaka. By the time you get this post, he'll probably be out and on the road to recovery. But if you think about him, please pray.

He has a varicose vein in his lower abdomen that needs to be fixed. Hopefully we'll be on the road and heading back to Mazabuka this afternoon so he can get some rest.

The Tour Has Begun

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Received an update from a friend who hosted Alex at their church last night. He spoke to the Awana group at North Trenholm Baptist Church. So thankful for the allowing Alex to share about his passion for ministry with youth in Zambia.

Alex still has some availability if you have a small group you would like him to visit with. Just contact me at RobertsinZambia@gmail.com and I can be sure to get it setup.

Little Mike

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This little guy is Mike. He's a street kid who roams the streets of Mazabuka during the week. He has family, but both parents struggle with alcoholism and live in abject poverty. On Sundays, we often see Mike at the local grocery store trying to help shoppers, like ourselves, take their carts to their vehicles for spare change.

We always talked with him whenever we saw him, but we're really struggling with how to help. We could give him food and help him in other ways, which we did at times, but God really began to touch Kerri's heart for this boy a few weeks ago. She really felt like we should get more involved in his life. So, we figured we would start by inviting him to church.

The first Sunday, we told him that if he wanted to come that he could meet us in town and we would pick him up from there. And guess what? He was there. And not just the first week, but for the past 5.

It hasn't come without a few twists and turns (boys from the streets often have behavioral issues and need time to adjust to a little bit of structure) but Mike is beginning to really hit it off with some of the other kids while learning a little about the Great Love of the Father.

Traveling by Taxi

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Caleb doesn't look to happy to have to take a taxi ride for 2 hours to get home. Hopefully the car will be fixed by next week.

Trying to get rid if this car, but Zambian govt has changed the laws again concerning imports. We have a new one picked out, but taxes to get it in country might be too high to overcome. Pray please.

Sent from my iPhone

A Good Friend

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One of my favorite Zambian friends, Alex Mwilambwe, national director of Awana Zambia, will be in Columbia Feb 17 - Mar 5th. He would love to have the opportunity to share with Awana groups, small groups and Churches about how Zambian youth are being impacted by the gospel. Message me if you would be interested in having him come and share. We're trying to help him have a full schedule during his visit.

Surprise

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pb4Xr3AR_ak

This has been something that's been in the works for a few months.  My dad retired today from BlueCross BlueShield, a company he has worked for the last 37 years.  With the help of a few of his friends there, I was able to fly in from Zambia and be the surprise guest speaker for this celebration.  It was such a great opportunity to share with others how proud I am of my daddy!

If you would like to view the video, simply click on the link above.

A little more farming

We had the kids out planting again this past week. This time we're experimenting with a crop known as velvet beans. We're trying to teach the importance of giving back to the land and not just taking all of the time. Velvet beans are a cover crop. That simply means that they produce a bunch of vegetation and cover the land that they are planted in. In addition to covering the ground with organic material, they are also a legume and, thus, put nitrogen back into the soil.

We're trying to show, among other things, the importance of good stewardship. Can't wait to see how their planting will improve the soil in both the land and the hearts that are planting them!

Living Testimony

A few weeks ago, while I was visiting some of our friends on a nearby farm, a minor emergency occurred.  The owner of the farm mixed up the instructions on the deworming medicine for their sheep and accidentally gave them twice the lethal dosage!  To lose these sheep would have a significant financial impact.  It was close to 35 sheep worth near $7,000.  It was an emergency.  But with this emergency, came an opportunity.

As I was getting ready to leave, the wife asked if I would pray for their sheep.  This family is a dear family and I was excited about what God could do to prove his faithfulness to them, even with sheep.  That evening, we gathered in the living room before putting the kids to bed and Caleb said this prayer.  "Lord, let them lose not even one sheep from the poisoning."

The next morning, just after we woke up we sent the husband and wife a text.  We said that we had prayed for them and we prayed specifically that they wouldn't even lose one sheep.  We then asked what the report was.  Within a few minutes, they both replied that, in fact, all of the sheep were doing well and that they hadn't lost one!

Needless to say, they were relieved and we were excited!  It's neat to see that God revealing to them that He cares for the sheep, because he cares for the owners of these sheep even more!

Making New Friends

The other day, while working at our rural ministry centre, I had the opportunity to visit with some new friends in the community.  George (Far-Right) is building a house for one of the headmen and his wife (the couple on the left).  It was really neat seeing how the house was being built, but also having the opportunity to meet some new friends in the community.

The headman lives less than a mile from our rural ministry center and he's trying to get this house constructed before the December rains settle in.  George, the builder, is the same guy who will probably be building the house we are planning on building for Hyrence at our ministry center.  So, it was also a good opportunity to see the quality of work that he does.

Can't wait to get started on this project next April-May!

Awesome Opportunity

Great News!  We’ve just received a matching gift of $15,000 good through the end of this year (December 31^st)!  This means that every dollar donated to our ministry is matched up to $15,000.  Would you consider giving a donation that would double instantly and be a tremendous help to our family and ministry?

To make a donation, go to www.CTEN.org/brentroberts.  All donations are 100% tax deductible.

The Little Reminders

The other day, while shopping recently, I came across this little box.  I know the picture is blurry, but it was a stark reminder of how fragile life is here in Zambia.  While you wouldn't see these so readily available in the States, they are produced in bulk here.  This coffin was about 3 feet in length and was being sold at the same place we buy lime for fertilizing our fields.

Crazy isn't it?  The same place we go to buy supplies for creating a new season of life is the same place a lot of Zambians go to buy the box to place their little loved ones.