Well!!! Sorry this is so late! Our outreach in Lusaka was cancelled due to demonstrations related to the elections. Since we were having it at a school, the government would not give permits. That was disappointing because it is so fun to preach the gospel. So we had to regroup. We picked up 21 young men from the church and brought them to the guest house. We taught them how to make spirit stoves (the Holy Spirit Fire) and Solar Ovens fueled by the SON... We talked about using these tools to evangelize to their neighbors. Everyone would like to learn ways to cook using less charcoal, so they can teach these skills while evangelizing. It was really exciting to see how excited they were.
God knew our plans, but I think he had other plans this trip. It is really exciting to evanelize to large groups like we planned, but He had us spending time one on one with members of the church. We had spent a lot of time before we left learning how to teach with parable lessons... teaching a bible lesson while doing work... Such as a flashlight being God's light - that Matt was able to use with the guard. Maintaining the engines on vehicles coorelating to maintaining our prayer and bible time with God, and more. We spent a lot of time teaching Old Testament stories with the flannelgraph, which was exciting because there are very few Bembe Bibles with the Old Testament. It was a different sort of trip, but I pray God will use that time spent with the church members to spark their evangelistic call to their neighbors, friends, and family. We will let you know what we see when Matt returns in April/May time frame.
Our flight home was pretty uneventful other than getting in trouble for sleeping in the dining area of the Amsterdam airport. Wooops.. The seats were really comfortable there and we had eaten breakfast!!! We are so glad to be home, and if it works out with the church, we will have our presentation on December 6th!
God Bless You!
Matt, Bonnie, Ariel, Nate, Jerry, Nancy, and Kathy!!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
Travel to Lusaka & Election Day
Hello! Yesterday was election day, so we were unable to do another outreach because everything closed.. boohoo. But, we were able to finish the solar dehydrator and make a modification to the water pump to improve the water flow for the pig farm. The ladies were able to pack and spend time with the Ferukas which was very nice. We are still waiting for the results of the election. There are two main candidates and one alternate candidate. We will see what happens, right now the mood is very calm.
Today, we traveled to Lusaka. It was another hot day packed into the van. Jerry was surrounded by luggage - he looked like he was in a cave. Ariel sat on Matt's lap and tried to climb over the luggage to Jerry - it was pretty amusing. Since there are no car seats here, it will be interesting to see how she reacts when she is put back into the car seat Monday. You can pray about that!!! We just finished some light shopping and are at the Arcades for a bite to eat. We will be doing our final outreach tomorrow at the East Gate Vineyard. We plan to do children's ministry, building solar ovens and tuna/pop can stoves, and then wind it up with worship, and the Jesus film. We are very excited because the worship team from Mpalo came with us to do the outreach!
It will be too late to write an update Saturday night, and we leave Sunday morning, so please pray for us. When we get to Amsterdam I may have time to post an update - If not, I will write on Monday when we return! God bless you All!!!
Love,
Matt, Bonnie, Ariel, Jerry, Nate, Nancy, & Kathy
Today, we traveled to Lusaka. It was another hot day packed into the van. Jerry was surrounded by luggage - he looked like he was in a cave. Ariel sat on Matt's lap and tried to climb over the luggage to Jerry - it was pretty amusing. Since there are no car seats here, it will be interesting to see how she reacts when she is put back into the car seat Monday. You can pray about that!!! We just finished some light shopping and are at the Arcades for a bite to eat. We will be doing our final outreach tomorrow at the East Gate Vineyard. We plan to do children's ministry, building solar ovens and tuna/pop can stoves, and then wind it up with worship, and the Jesus film. We are very excited because the worship team from Mpalo came with us to do the outreach!
It will be too late to write an update Saturday night, and we leave Sunday morning, so please pray for us. When we get to Amsterdam I may have time to post an update - If not, I will write on Monday when we return! God bless you All!!!
Love,
Matt, Bonnie, Ariel, Jerry, Nate, Nancy, & Kathy
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Medical Clinic and Childrens Outreach
Today we hosted a medical clinic and children's outreach at Mpalo vineyard. We treated 60 families and the felt board was used by Donald, Mupe, and Noseaku to teach the children about Jesus. We also toured the new resource center. The members there are making purses and necklaces, and we also purchased some wood crafts. If anyone knows a store owner who would be interested in selling some African crafts, we are looking for some US retailers!
The clinic was very successful and we were able to pray with many people. Additionally, the children heard the gospel in Bembe with the visual demonstration taught by their own people. Pastor Francis was very excited to see the board being used, and really has a heart for the children. The majority of children that came are orphans or come from families that cannot afford school fees. It was a great blessing to be able to love on them and teach them about Jesus's love for them. The resource center is now hosting a school for these children free of charge. We will be looking for a grant to continue with the school, so please pray for that to happen!
The guys continued to work on the dehydrator. There was a difficulty finding the right material, but they have found something that will work, and it is almost done! Mangos are on the trees now, so we look forward to tasting Mango chips next year!
Tomorrow is the election, so please pray for a peaceful outcome! We leave for Lusaka on Friday morning for our last outreach on Saturday! Keep praying!
Love,
Matt, Bonnie, Ariel, Nancy, Kathy, Jerry, and Nate
PS Ariel has a little head congestion, but is still having a ball! She is trying to pull herself up and is really crawling around. Keep her lifted up! Thanks..
The clinic was very successful and we were able to pray with many people. Additionally, the children heard the gospel in Bembe with the visual demonstration taught by their own people. Pastor Francis was very excited to see the board being used, and really has a heart for the children. The majority of children that came are orphans or come from families that cannot afford school fees. It was a great blessing to be able to love on them and teach them about Jesus's love for them. The resource center is now hosting a school for these children free of charge. We will be looking for a grant to continue with the school, so please pray for that to happen!
The guys continued to work on the dehydrator. There was a difficulty finding the right material, but they have found something that will work, and it is almost done! Mangos are on the trees now, so we look forward to tasting Mango chips next year!
Tomorrow is the election, so please pray for a peaceful outcome! We leave for Lusaka on Friday morning for our last outreach on Saturday! Keep praying!
Love,
Matt, Bonnie, Ariel, Nancy, Kathy, Jerry, and Nate
PS Ariel has a little head congestion, but is still having a ball! She is trying to pull herself up and is really crawling around. Keep her lifted up! Thanks..
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Nsobe Game Park
Well, we finally made it to Nsobe Game Park. It is a farm/village/safari park project that is similar to what God revealed to Matt for Amen Outreach. There is a huge fish farm, cattle, pigs, and all sorts of herbivore safari animals. We took a guided tour and saw giraffes, Kudu, several kinds of antelope, zebras, and monkeys. This place supplies tilapia, beef, and wild game meat to a large grocery in the area, and the profits are shared with the local village that granted the land. Kathy got a massage while Nancy, Ariel, and I sat out on the riverbank. We ate a great dinner with Steak and Tilapia and enjoyed our day entirely. Tomorrow it is back to work
Car Trouble!
Well, we were on our way to the farm, and the car overheated. We had to wait 3 hours for someone to bring the part. Once we switched vehicles, we headed to the farm. There has been little progress on the fish farm, or the farming projects. Banda (a member of the SHIP team) was dropped off there. He is planning to stay for 2 weeks to help get the projects going. Pray for him and his faily while he is gone.
We tried a new fruit - sort of a peach/pear type with three walnut sized seeds. Pretty Yummie. Then we returned to Ndola for a late lunch/early dinner and off to bed. Tomorrow we will try again to go to Nsobe.
We tried a new fruit - sort of a peach/pear type with three walnut sized seeds. Pretty Yummie. Then we returned to Ndola for a late lunch/early dinner and off to bed. Tomorrow we will try again to go to Nsobe.
Monday, October 27, 2008
SUNday, SunDAY, Sundaaaayyyy!!!!!
What a great day! Service at Mpalo vineyard was great. Great worship, great message, great children's ministry, great prayer! We were able to use the felt board with the children's ministry and Nate played goliath in a drama. The kids actually played David and really enjoyed the lesson. After lunch at the sweet bite (home of the Shawarma - bembe word that means really nice) we returned to the church for a prayer service. We got to pray for several members while worshipping and praising God. We then travelled to another families home who just lost thier son. He had been sick for a while, and we were able to minister to the family. It was a great day! Tomorrow we are off to the farm and to Nsobe Game Park!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Zambian Graduation
Hello and greetings from Zambia! Today we attended Mrs. Flavia Feruka's graduation from Bible School. Like a typical Zambian event, we arrived at 0900 but it did not start until everyone arrived. So the praise and worship began. There were 3 choirs from local churches who performed. They were very good and we heard a lot of new songs. We unfortunately chose the seat closest to the loudspeaker, so we were a little overwhelmed by the keyboard!
Once the graduation started, there were several speakers. The keynote speaker "the General" is a presidental candidate. One of the missionary (American) speaker used the phrases - "on the offense" and "playing defense". I asked several Zambians if they knew what he meant, and no one did. I was reminded of the video we watched at the missions small group showing how American speakers were translated... Cats and Dogs are falling out of the sky! and - she keeps her face in a jar! It is so hard not to use those sorts of things when you are talking... Our accents are hard enough.
After the speakers, the graduates were prayed for and diplomas were handed out. Then each of the candidates were sent to the front where their family and friends presented gifts. We got to participate, and several of the graduates were doused in powder. Pastor Francis said it represents anointing. It was very fun and upbeat. Some of the graduates were presented with bicycles, TVs, microwaves, and more. After prayer and dismissal, we took photos and are now home at almost 4pm. Wheww!
Tonight we will eat traditional Zambian meal with the Feruka family. Kathy & I am learning more recepies to bring back and share with you all!
God Bless you All!
Love,
Matt, Bonnie, Ariel, Jerry, Nate, Nancy, Kathy
Once the graduation started, there were several speakers. The keynote speaker "the General" is a presidental candidate. One of the missionary (American) speaker used the phrases - "on the offense" and "playing defense". I asked several Zambians if they knew what he meant, and no one did. I was reminded of the video we watched at the missions small group showing how American speakers were translated... Cats and Dogs are falling out of the sky! and - she keeps her face in a jar! It is so hard not to use those sorts of things when you are talking... Our accents are hard enough.
After the speakers, the graduates were prayed for and diplomas were handed out. Then each of the candidates were sent to the front where their family and friends presented gifts. We got to participate, and several of the graduates were doused in powder. Pastor Francis said it represents anointing. It was very fun and upbeat. Some of the graduates were presented with bicycles, TVs, microwaves, and more. After prayer and dismissal, we took photos and are now home at almost 4pm. Wheww!
Tonight we will eat traditional Zambian meal with the Feruka family. Kathy & I am learning more recepies to bring back and share with you all!
God Bless you All!
Love,
Matt, Bonnie, Ariel, Jerry, Nate, Nancy, Kathy
Friday, October 24, 2008
Independence Day
Hello! Today was a great day, we slept in (til 8) and then had a second training on the felt board. It seems to be well received and we plan to use it this weekend. Also, the men worked on a solar dehydrator, and have the structure completed and will finish the insulation tomrrow.
Matt & I met with Pastor Francis and Flavia to discuss our move for next year and looked at some possible land.
Nancy, Kathy, and I went to the market. The large number of flies, as well as the smell from the dried fish and catepillars was a bit overwhelming. We bought some vegetables and cloth, and enjoyed hanging out with Mumba and the kids - Ariel, Cheepo, Kevin, and Olga.
Well, I heard you would like an Ariel update.... The first few days were difficult for her due to the interrupted sleep schedule and she did not want to be held by anyone but me, but other than maybe one crying spell a day, the only problems this caused is when I needed to put her down, and at bedtime - she would not go without me. Yesterday, she was able to continue with her normal nap schedule and she is doing GREAT! Rudo (Francis's granddaughter) loves to take her around the yard, and she loves playing with Cheepo and Kevin. They have become her Big brothers here, and love entertaining her by playing monkey and crawling around on the floor with her, giving her hugs and making faces. They have all been great and I know she will miss them. Since they are talking and walking, she wants to do the same. She is constantly chattering, and trying to walk. Her crawling has improved dramatically, and we are really enjoyng watching her with the kids.
Today, she had her first Nschma (sp?) and really loved it. She has also eaten various curried chickens, rice, a vegetable similar to eggplant, potatoes, and drank koolaid, orange juice, and mango.
All in all we are having a great time. Today we saw many political activists riding around cheering on thier candidates for president. It was an educational day!
Miss you all - thanks for all the prayers!
Love,
Matt, Ariel, Bonnie, Nancy, Kathy, Nathan, and Jerry
Matt & I met with Pastor Francis and Flavia to discuss our move for next year and looked at some possible land.
Nancy, Kathy, and I went to the market. The large number of flies, as well as the smell from the dried fish and catepillars was a bit overwhelming. We bought some vegetables and cloth, and enjoyed hanging out with Mumba and the kids - Ariel, Cheepo, Kevin, and Olga.
Well, I heard you would like an Ariel update.... The first few days were difficult for her due to the interrupted sleep schedule and she did not want to be held by anyone but me, but other than maybe one crying spell a day, the only problems this caused is when I needed to put her down, and at bedtime - she would not go without me. Yesterday, she was able to continue with her normal nap schedule and she is doing GREAT! Rudo (Francis's granddaughter) loves to take her around the yard, and she loves playing with Cheepo and Kevin. They have become her Big brothers here, and love entertaining her by playing monkey and crawling around on the floor with her, giving her hugs and making faces. They have all been great and I know she will miss them. Since they are talking and walking, she wants to do the same. She is constantly chattering, and trying to walk. Her crawling has improved dramatically, and we are really enjoyng watching her with the kids.
Today, she had her first Nschma (sp?) and really loved it. She has also eaten various curried chickens, rice, a vegetable similar to eggplant, potatoes, and drank koolaid, orange juice, and mango.
All in all we are having a great time. Today we saw many political activists riding around cheering on thier candidates for president. It was an educational day!
Miss you all - thanks for all the prayers!
Love,
Matt, Ariel, Bonnie, Nancy, Kathy, Nathan, and Jerry
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Mpalo Messages!!!
Greetings all from Ndola Africa! We are having a fabulous time here in Ndola! We had a great trip up from Lusaka, and spent the first day shopping! We bought groceries and FANS!!! Since we all have heat rash, we think we will buy stock in Cortisone cream! The weather has been sunny and HOT, until tonight with a great thunderstorm and cool weather! We all have been standing in the rain just to get a break from the heat!
Every day we begin the day at SHIP with worship and bible study. It is really nice to open the day with a group bible study. Today, Nancy, Kathy, and I taught Donald (do-nut) and Mupe how to use the Flannel-graph. Pastor Francis's nephew and grandson were peeking in the window and were captivated. We invited them in and practiced telling the stories of Philip and the Ethiopian, Jesus and the Great Commission, Jesus walking on the water, Joseph and his brothers (the early years), and Gideon. Tomorrow is Independence day and we will continue to practice on the flannel board and plan to use it this weekend at church.
The men went to buy the supplies for the solar dehydrators and solar ovens. On the way, the truck broke down. Jerry was able to spend 4 hours with Nimrod working on the truck and building a relationship. Matt had challenged everyone to share their stories about how God has come through for them, and Jerry and Nimrod carried out the task! It was a good ministry time for them both. Tomorrow, they will all begin building while Jerry and Nimrod will continue to maintenance the vehicles.
We are very blessed to be here for Independence day (Friday), Mrs. Ferukas graduation from Divinty School, and Presidental Elections next week. We are getting a ton of cultural experience, and opportunities to minister to all. After our outreach Saturday and Sunday at Mpalo, we will head to Lusaka with a team from Ndola and do an outreach there. We are so excited to see the Vineyard here supporting a newer, younger Vineyard, and that we get to be a part of it!
Additionally we will be able to visit the farm where we did the outreach for the new church plant! They are currently working to find a pastor,but the harvest is ready!
Matt checked on the pig farm we started in July - they pigs are tripled in size, and Samuel is doing a great job caring for them. Also, Jonathan the woodcrafter is now moved to the new resource center, and the team was able to visit him and support the resource center by purchasing some great wood crafts. (This year he added drums and more!)
We have been so blessed by all your support! We will write more soon!
Love,
Matt, Bonnie, Ariel, Nancy, Kathy, Jerry, & B.I.G. Nate (you will have to ask him about the B.I.G.)
P.S. Matt and I have a very important meeting tomorrow regarding possible location for our home here! Please keep us lifted up for discernment and wisdom!
Every day we begin the day at SHIP with worship and bible study. It is really nice to open the day with a group bible study. Today, Nancy, Kathy, and I taught Donald (do-nut) and Mupe how to use the Flannel-graph. Pastor Francis's nephew and grandson were peeking in the window and were captivated. We invited them in and practiced telling the stories of Philip and the Ethiopian, Jesus and the Great Commission, Jesus walking on the water, Joseph and his brothers (the early years), and Gideon. Tomorrow is Independence day and we will continue to practice on the flannel board and plan to use it this weekend at church.
The men went to buy the supplies for the solar dehydrators and solar ovens. On the way, the truck broke down. Jerry was able to spend 4 hours with Nimrod working on the truck and building a relationship. Matt had challenged everyone to share their stories about how God has come through for them, and Jerry and Nimrod carried out the task! It was a good ministry time for them both. Tomorrow, they will all begin building while Jerry and Nimrod will continue to maintenance the vehicles.
We are very blessed to be here for Independence day (Friday), Mrs. Ferukas graduation from Divinty School, and Presidental Elections next week. We are getting a ton of cultural experience, and opportunities to minister to all. After our outreach Saturday and Sunday at Mpalo, we will head to Lusaka with a team from Ndola and do an outreach there. We are so excited to see the Vineyard here supporting a newer, younger Vineyard, and that we get to be a part of it!
Additionally we will be able to visit the farm where we did the outreach for the new church plant! They are currently working to find a pastor,but the harvest is ready!
Matt checked on the pig farm we started in July - they pigs are tripled in size, and Samuel is doing a great job caring for them. Also, Jonathan the woodcrafter is now moved to the new resource center, and the team was able to visit him and support the resource center by purchasing some great wood crafts. (This year he added drums and more!)
We have been so blessed by all your support! We will write more soon!
Love,
Matt, Bonnie, Ariel, Nancy, Kathy, Jerry, & B.I.G. Nate (you will have to ask him about the B.I.G.)
P.S. Matt and I have a very important meeting tomorrow regarding possible location for our home here! Please keep us lifted up for discernment and wisdom!
Monday, October 20, 2008
We Made It!!!!!
Wow - what a plane trip!! It was a really long time to get here, but we finally made it! We just finished showers and a fulfilling dinner at the arcades (mall). We will travel to Ndola tomorrow, and will be back in Lusaka on Saturday for a multi church (mpalo vineyard and east side vineyard) outreach. Mpalo is sending teams to help East Side with an outreach. We will be working with Pastor Francis and the Mpalo vineyard to prepare.
It will be a busy week, but lot of fun! It is so great to be here, we will let you know more details as they are ironed out!
God provides--- no missing luggage, found bag left on plane, everyone is healthy, and Ariel did great on the planes...
Love you all!
Matt, Bonnie, Ariel, Jerry, Nathan, Nancy, Kathy
It will be a busy week, but lot of fun! It is so great to be here, we will let you know more details as they are ironed out!
God provides--- no missing luggage, found bag left on plane, everyone is healthy, and Ariel did great on the planes...
Love you all!
Matt, Bonnie, Ariel, Jerry, Nathan, Nancy, Kathy
Friday, October 17, 2008
How to pack by Matt Blackburn
Weigh the bags, take something out of the heavy bag, put it in the light bag, if the bag is too small, get a bigger one, if it doesn't make the dimensions, duct tape it until it does. Yeah!!! We did it - all of our stuff is packed - medications, tools, children's ministry stuff, baby garb, and our own clothes and snacks- Wow! Well, we are off tomorrow! We don't arrive until Monday, so it will be a bit until I write again! Talk to you soon! Please pray for us!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Prayer Meeting
Wow! We had great prayer last night by our campfire - special anointing oil was used - DEEP WOODS OFF! Everyone got to experience the fun of mosquitos like we will see in Zambia! Thank You to all that came out - we are truely grateful!
If you didn't make the prayer meeting, there will be a second meeting at our house Saturday morning at 08:30am! We will pray, packup, and take off for Washington DC. It should be a good time! We will keep you posted!
If you didn't make the prayer meeting, there will be a second meeting at our house Saturday morning at 08:30am! We will pray, packup, and take off for Washington DC. It should be a good time! We will keep you posted!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Introducing the 2008 Team
Hello! Well, only 3 days to leave for Zambia Africa! This year our team consists of:
Jerry Hess
Nathan Walker
Nancy Stansbury
Kathy McFarland
Matt, Bonnie, & Ariel Blackburn
We are really looking forward to the trip and hope to do ministry in both Lusaka and Ndola this year! We are having prayer meeting tonight at our house at 7pm. Hope to see you there!
God Bless!
Jerry Hess
Nathan Walker
Nancy Stansbury
Kathy McFarland
Matt, Bonnie, & Ariel Blackburn
We are really looking forward to the trip and hope to do ministry in both Lusaka and Ndola this year! We are having prayer meeting tonight at our house at 7pm. Hope to see you there!
God Bless!
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