"I will put enmity between...your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." Genesis 3:15

Dear family and friends,

After several weeks of silence, it is high time for an update, and there is exciting news to share.  But first I must explain my strange choice for an introductory verse.  Last Saturday we were driving back to camp from the build site.  Our families had spent the day on the lodge grounds with the J's.  We got a text message that they were watching a large snake in a tree, so we hurried to take a look.  Sure enough, high in a tree near one of the tents (where we'll be sleeping for the next month looking after the lodge for the Johnsons while they vacation in South Africa) was a big snake.  A few well-placed shots from Gavin J. with a high-powered pellet rifle paralyzed the snake and it fell to the ground.  Two more shots finished it off.  It was a 2.5 meter long (8 feet) black mamba, the most deadly snake in Africa.  Also that day, the staff killed a stilleto snake in the lounge and my daughter, Alicia, saw what may have been a spitting cobra near the lounge where all our kids were playing.  3 venemous snakes in one day.  Granted, that is extremely rare, and I don't tell this to be dramatic.  But in case you haven't prayed for our safety lately, this would be a good reminder.  We grow more and more comfortable here, but there are occasional reminders that we live in constant potential danger from crocs, hippos (our friend Vincent's brother was recently attacked by a hippo and nearly lost his arm), hyenas (their tracks are on the lodge road), leopards, and snakes (recently some men clearing brush from our land were chased out of a rock formation by a spitting cobra).

Our greatest challenge many days is just driving from our camp to the build site and back.  As we reach the mid-point of the rainy season, Shannon and I are earning our 4x4 badge (thanks for the lessons Sidney!).  We've only had to use the winches twice.  Our appreciation for the vehicles God gave us grows as the mud holes deepen.

Dear Family and Friends,

Greetings again from Zambia. We have just returned to Livingstone from 4 weeks in the bush working on our camp shelter. After a month of working, cooking, eating, and showering outside, it feels weird to eat in a house with electric lights. The rainy season has finally arrived in Southern Africa, so the last couple of days have been cloudy and a bit cooler (thank the Lord!).

Well, in our perfect dream world, we had hoped to be finished with framing and roofing our camp shelter by the beginning of the rains in November. In the real world, we are not even quite halfway in framing! And this is a small structure - what will building 2 homes be like? Shannon and I have to constantly remind ourselves that this structure is a learning exercise, a practice experiment for the big project. In terms of a progress report: we have constructed the stone retaining walls and leveled the foundation and floors; we have half the teak pole frame in place (No, HeartCry is not being extravagant in building materials. We can get 6 inch diameter teak poles 10 feet long for $3 each. Try that at Lowes!); we have most of a 9 foot high earthbag wall done; and we have gathered smooth stones for the floor from the river (in shallow, swift water safe from crocs).

Construction progress has been painfully slow, and we're learning to celebrate and thank the Lord for every small accomplishment. Shannon and I will soon be instituting devotions with the small Lozi crew helping us. Hey, it certainly can't hurt our productivity! We must remember that we're not here to build a building, but to watch the glory of Christ transform Lozi lives. Strange how trivial issues can consume us. As the hottest part of the year passes, I am pleased with how well we have acclimatized to Africa. I am working harder and feeling better than I did in my late-20's.

Dear Family and Friends,

I can finally report with great joy that we have begun construction of the first permanent building on "our" land - the camp pavilion. Our excitement grows with each visible sign of progress. The site is leveled, the stone foundation wall is complete, and several teak poles are set in the ground. As we set the first pole in the ground, there was a feeling of significance. As an ex-Marine, I couldn't help seeing images of the monument to the flag raising on Iwo Jima. We are officially establishing our base of operations in enemy territory. We have planted the flag of King Jesus and claimed the area of Ilwendo in His Name.

It is no coincidence, then, that our most recent preaching session in the village faced open spiritual opposition. We returned to a village that we last visited in June. At that time, they seemed very receptive and encouraged us to return. Since I was preaching a familiar message in a friendly village, I strolled into the village happy and relaxed. Not smart. The next 2 hours of teaching felt like trudging through deep sand carrying a heavy pack. Dark spiritual forces opposed us in the form of 5 drunks who arrived one by one, evenly spaced throughout the entire teaching time, disrupting the teaching over and over. I walked out of that village exhausted, chastising myself for my casual attitude and lack of preparation for spiritual warfare every time I preach.

Nevertheless, we saw some encouraging signs from that lesson. The majority of the group was not amused by the drunks, but irritated, and even rebuked and chased away the most obnoxious ones, so that they could "hear the teaching of God's Word." Some of the young adults listened with some of the most intense concentration I've seen. Afterward, they followed us to the vehicle and said that they would find another meeting place away from the village where we wouldn't be disrupted by the drunken older adults. Despite the difficult teaching time, I felt excitement at this sign of spiritual hunger.

Lozi Update - September 15, 2009

"To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. . . . This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand." (Matt. 13:11, 13)

Dear family and friends,

Greetings again in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's been some time since my last update, so before I report on our most recent trip to the bush, let me give a bit of personal info and explain my silence for the past several weeks.

In early August, we set a new record for the worst trip yet to the bush. The trip started with the theft of some camping gear and went downhill from there. Our trials included vehicle trouble, sickness (our families, our American guests, and Dominic), and unexpected demands on our time that "robbed" 2 of our 3 teaching days. (Yes, I know God is sovereign and His schedule is not our schedule, but when you see these souls perishing under the curse, it hurts to lose precious teaching time. It's not about our agenda, it's about cherishing every chance to proclaim our Savior to a wicked and depraved culture.)

Immediately after our return from that disastrous trip, we headed for Lusaka (a miserable 7 hour drive) to attend the annual Zambia Reformed Baptist Conference. It was an exhausting week, but there were a few pleasant moments - sitting under Conrad Mbewe's preaching, and the time our families spent with the indigenous missionary couples that HeartCry serves in Africa.

We returned from Lusaka to severe problems with the water supply to our homes. The last 2 weeks have been a constant battle every day just to collect enough water for basic daily needs. (Allen H, where are you?! Please come rescue the city of Livingstone from indescribable ignorance, incompetence, and laziness!) We are gaining a fresh appreciation for Jesus' self-description as the living water.