Newsletter Jan/Feb 2010

Hello Family and Friends,

We hope and pray that 2010 has started off well for you all. Ours started with a needed breath of fresh air. Mat’s Mom and Uncle Henry spent the month of January with us. It was such a blessing to be around family again and just to show those we love where we live and to have them meet our dear Zambian and fellow missionary friends was such a joy. We spent the month working as usual with company to join us and help in whatever came along. Uncle Henry gave us a lot of great advise on how to run our farm when we are ready (he is a farmer in Ohio) and BK (Mat’s Mom) taught health classes at all of the Chande schools and did health check ups on all of the orphans (she is a nurse in Wyoming). They also pitched in around the house. It was awesome! I cooked only 2 times, and barely touched the laundry and dishes for an entire month! Praise the Lord for a break! They also sent Mat and me on 2 dates while they stayed home with William. We had a slight bought of missing the baby, but had so much fun it passed pretty quickly. We ended their stay with a trip to Livingstone to see Victoria Falls in southern Zambia. The Falls were magnificent, a true sign of God’s glory and majesty. The locals call them Mosi Oa Tunya or Smoke that Thunders, and they really do thunder. We also did a very successful self drive safari through one of the national parks. William slept through the falls and a good chunk of the safari, but woke up in time to see monkeys, birds (his favorite), antelope of a few variety, zebras, water buffalo, giraffes, a wild boar, a crocodile, and even a hippo. We had a wonderful trip, but like all things, they must come to end. After our visit to Livingstone we took our guests to Lusaka and sent them on a plane heading state side.

Mat, Wil, and I spent a few extra days in Lusaka working on the Chande Nut Butter project. We were able to find better labels, cheaper containers, and the right kind of packaging that interested wholesalers in Kitwe need to sell our product. Mat also talked with the national managers of Shoprite and Spar (big chain grocery stores throughout Zambia) about what it would take for them to sell Chande Nut Butter. They were very helpful and seemed interested in the product as long as we get barcodes on our labels. One manager who tried it said that it was the best and smoothest peanut butter he has ever tried. We left Lusaka with a new excitement, many possibilities, and a lot of hard work yet to do. As we were nearing Kitwe the sun was going down and you could just start to see the buildings appear. Mat and I looked at each other and said, “Home sweet home!” We were so thankful to see Kitwe again and to greet all the friends we missed so much. It was so nice to hear about everything that happened while we were gone and to share with them the events of our travels. We shared the compliment about the peanut butter with the women who make Chande Nut Butter. They were so thankful and excited. We also told them to be praying that the Lord would work all this out if it was His will to do so. They all got on their knees and said they would be praying very much about it. I love those women; they are always a joy to me. We also were welcomed to Kitwe by 5 packages from loved ones back home waiting for us at the post office; it was such a blessing to receive them.

The rest of February was work as usual. We spent the month continuing work on peanut butter projects, the child sponsorship program, bananas, and working with the church in Maposa. We had a very lovely Valentines Day. Mat took William and me out for pizza. It was so nice; we got dressed in our nicest attire and had a very wonderful evening. We also bought a couple chickens out in the bush; we named them Susan and Oliver. William loves them; he helps us feed them every morning and night. Ba Chanda (Chande’s director) left for the states in the middle of February. I know a lot of you will be getting to spend some time with him while he is in the US. We are helping in anyway we can while he is gone. So far everything has been running very smoothly, praise the Lord!

Well, that was the months of January and February, but of course every month comes with a new spiritual battle, and some well needed pruning by the Holy Spirit. After reflecting back on this last month I have decided that the biggest lesson I learned was about enjoying the goodness of God. As silly as that sounds it was a much harder task then my spirit was up to at times. Let me explain further… When we were heading back to Lusaka after our trip to Livingstone there were many police stops. As we pulled up to each one the police questioned us until there was reason to pull us over and give us a ticket. Three tickets later and a dent in our wallets we got waved to the side of the road by police once again and given a speeding ticket that the police had no proof of on their scanner (they usually have a print off), no receipts (you have to pay on the spot), and they were asking for a bribe of 50,000 kwacha (about 11 dollars) to let us go. Mat refused the bribe and told them that he would go to the police in Lusaka to pay the ticket. As we entered Lusaka I was tired and very frustrated at the day’s events. Mat kept his word only to find that our case had not been reported to the police station by the police giving the ticket. We were driving away still slightly bitter about the situation, but thanking God for taking care of it when we got a text asking us to come back to the police station. When we got there we found that the reason they could not find our case was because the police that filed it wrote that we were from Ndola, not Kitwe, on the form. The police men talking with Mat continued to mock him for about 20 minuets. They were accusing him of trying to corrupt the Zambian police, calling him a lying missionary for the Ndola mix up, and laughed at the thought of possibly getting to arrest him. Mat gave up his fight of trying to show that he was not guilty, paid the ticket, and left. When he got to the car he told me the story, he was still upset and now my bitterness from before flared to sinful un-forgiveness. In my heart I was enjoying my anger and felt sure it was a right reaction to the situation at hand. As I realized this I was immediately convicted by the Holy Spirit. Why was I so mad at those police men? The name of God was not being profaned; the only thing hurt was my pride. I asked God for help to forgive the men who hurt my husband and asked God to forgive me of my pride and un-thankfulness. God answered my prayers and I was immediately impressed by the goodness of God and the true joy in Christ it brought me. What an awesome thing it is to enjoy the goodness of God!

Speaking of another aspect of God’s goodness, we recently found out that we are expecting another baby! We are so excited! We were able to have an ultrasound done which put the due date of our second bundle of joy on October 15, 2010. Please be in prayer with us about this situation. We have a major decision to make with which I have been praying God would make the answer very clear. Our choices are to have the baby in Zambia or have the baby in the US. There are complications with each side, but I know God has a plan for this. Because my blood type is O- I have to be at a hospital where they have the Rogam shot (a medicine designed to make it safe for my blood to mix with the babies if the baby gets a + blood type). While that is not a problem in the US we have not been able to find a hospital here that carries this injection. This might make our decision very easy. We are also coming home to the US from mid May to mid July for my sister’s wedding, the birth of my brother’s first child, to speak at churches about Chande, and to raise support for our next year in Zambia (God willing), and of course to see dear friends and family. If we have the baby in the US William and I will be home from May to November. Mat on the other hand will need to come back to Zambia for about 2 months of that time. While I am so blessed he will be back for the birth of the child I and William will miss him terribly. I do not like being away from my husband for even a day, let alone 2 months! I do find comfort in the fact that every time the Lord has called us to be apart in the past it has been a time of great growth for us both. The other down side to this route is that my Dad and Step-mom will be working with Chande for 2 weeks in August. I wanted so much to be there for that. All these things aside we want first to serve the Lord in whatever way He has called us to. Jesus said in Matthew 10:37, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” It is a diffcult thing to follow the Lord, but always worth it.

Well, I think that is all for now. Please let us know if there is anything we can be in prayer about for you all too. We love you all and can’t wait to see you in May:) God bless.

Love,

Amy, Mat, Wil, and baby peanut