May 4
This gallery contains 14 photos.
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. (Matthew 4:23) Jesus’ ministry on earth combined preaching the Kingdom of God together with healing those who were sick. He calls those of us who follow him to do likewise—proclaiming heaven […]
We said goodbye this week to a dear sister, Chilombo Milingu, who passed away on the first of April. She was dearly loved by her many family and friends, and by all the children she touched leading the children’s ministry at Fountain of Life Church and through Africa Enterprise Trust and the Chimwemwe homes. Even greater, though, is the love of Jesus that was the sustaining reality of her life, and now the secure hope of her eternal future.
At her funeral, the combined choirs of Fountain of Life sang a Lunda song that was a favorite of Chilombo’s.
Click here to listen to the choirs singing this song: Nzambi muneni
Nzambi muneni diyi nembilanga –God is Almighty
Hinamba kaleka kumwimbilaku –I will never stop singing and praising him
Hayuma yeneni yananililiyi –For all that he has done for me
Kukenga kwindi hadami kwasweja –His love towards me is great
Ne’nidi namali mambwambe amavulu –If I have money, I have so many friends
Neyi nayandi mabwambu akashiya –When I have nothing, all abandon me
Ilana mwanta Yesu hambakashiyaku –But Jesus never abandons me
Yesu himbwambu dami washinshika –He is the only true friend I have
Chinuku kama nutulu twakufwa –When I sleep in death
Mabwambu jami akashiya –All friends and relatives will abandon me
Ilana mwanta Yesu hambakashiyaku –But Jesus never will abandon me
Kukenga kwaindi hadami kwasweja –Because his love towards me is great
Choir worship at the funeral
I saw this child in post-operative follow up recently. She had an ETV, and is doing very well. She is talking, walking, and generally doing age appropriate things. What a delight. By God’s grace she is one of our success stories, someone who was brought in soon enough for the surgery to preserve her normal functioning almost completely. When I asked the mother if she had any questions or concerns regarding her child, she asked me, “Can I plait her hair now?”
I smiled and told her, “Yes, anytime.”To have no greater worries than that after brain surgery is a wonderful thing.
Certain moments beckon us to notice what seems beyond our actual grasp. They tug at the ache in our hearts, that built-in longing for eternity. Sometimes in the midst of daily life, we’re reminded that there is so much more, and we hear the echoes of our heart-cry: “Your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Like a breeze blowing a hint of incense to our attention, we catch the fragrance of another world, layered on top of the very realities that fill our eyes.
Living here in Africa, my Western nose is freshly alive to the great variety of scents around me. Read the rest of this entry
Feb 22
This gallery contains 19 photos.
Forty-five Christian leaders in two nations, coming together as students, with ten instructors from four nations, for four weeks of instruction in the capitals of Zambia and Zimbabwe…what a great start to the new year at Hope College! We’ve started 2013 by launching diploma-level training in Zimbabwe, with a two-week intensive course on Essentials of […]
I find it striking that the people who were most perplexed and troubled about who Jesus really was were actually the very people who were closest to him. Instead of being able to settle into a comfortable understanding about Jesus that permitted a certain predictability, they kept finding that Jesus would not be confined by their expectations of him. Just when they thought they had him figured out, he’d shatter their ideas of whom they were dealing with. Read the rest of this entry
We have been having a wonderful time with folks in the USA since we arrived last week. It has been a joy to see so many of our friends again, and we look forward to seeing more of you (the ones we haven’t seen yet) and seeing more of you (having more time with some of you)! Thanks to all for so much overflowing love and hospitality. This coming Sunday I will be sharing at my parents home church in central Florida, while John is in England at the Colleges Working Together/Global Horizons meetings.
Here is the sermon John preached at CrossPoint church this past Sunday. Some who were at the Mwinilunga Overflowing Life Conference might remember a sermon with a similar theme but with Joseph, husband of Mary as the main character. We are taking these messages to heart….
Oct 22
This gallery contains 12 photos.
I’ve lost count of how many college & university graduation ceremonies I’ve participated in. But when Hope College Zambia celebrated the graduation of our Diploma class this weekend, it was a celebration unlike any typical western commencement ceremony. We’re pleased to have
Oct 16
This gallery contains 4 photos.
Karen has served diligently throughout this year, helping the patients at Beit-Cure Hospital here in Lusaka. She provides consultation in clinic, cares for the medical needs of patients on the ward, and is part of the neurosurgery team in the operating theatre. She’s a tremendous doctor, but even she is not capable of taking photos […]
I think one of my favorite quotes of the year came this past weekend, as one man in rural Zimbabwe was expressing himself during a “testimony time” at the conclusion of two days of training. He explained how he felt his life had been changed Read the rest of this entry
