Dear Friends
Just a quick update on what has been going on in the life of the Whitfield family. The rains have finally come (first rains in about 5 months) and the temperature seems to be subsiding just a bit. With the rains comes the return of the beautiful green blanket that covers this semi-tropical area. We have also begun to finalize all the details surrounding our departure to the States and find ourselves very busy in the process. Elise and the kids continue their schooling and despite days of no motivation, they have continued to learn together quite well. Tazi is just about crawling now and really surprised us the other day when she pulled herself up on her walker (here we go).
Recently, Action Zambia held some meetings as a team to discuss the future vision for our ministry. As some of you may know already, we said goodbye to the Ripley family in October, who felt God calling them home after six years of ministry here in Zambia. They were the original pioneer family in Zambia and their contribution and cultural knowledge will be a huge loss as an asset to this team. With the Ripley’s departure the team felt is it was necessary to regroup and talk about what God may have for Action Zambia with the individuals He has assembled here in Zambia. As a team we continue to hold fast to our main purpose here in Zambia which is the strengthening and building up of the local church through: Theological training for pastors, cell groups, mentoring, evangelism, community schools, HIV/AIDS awareness programs, mercy ministries, and many other activities. We want to do all these things in a manner that does not create a dependency on financial donations with the churches we are working with. Above all we want to continue to proclaim the name of Jesus to the lost here in Zambia. During our furlough we look forward to sharing with you all the many opportunities God has placed before Action Zambia for the next few years.
Work continues with Great Commission Baptist Church in the area of evangelism and discipleship. Our hospital visitation ministry is always a time of great fellowship together and we always leave feeling refreshed but drained (if that is possible). At times visiting with patients is difficult due to the nature of their illness or injury and a sometimes not so accommodating medical staff (they are underpaid). It has been especially heart breaking to work in the Pediatric Malnourishment Ward. As a father, I could not imagine losing my child to starvation or simply because they had a bad case of diarrhea, but many parents here lose children to these types of illnesses everyday. Most times, when visiting the hospital wards, we are the ones offering hope and motivation, but on our latest trip we were inspired by the example of a young man named Samuel. Samuel, was on his way to South Africa when the bus he was travelling in (similar to a Grey Hound bus) was involved in an accident killing almost all the 60 people on board. Samuel, whose left arm was amputated because of the injuries suffered in the accident, told us that He was praising the Lord that he was alive and knew God spared his life for a reason. What an example of …….rejoicing in the Lord always. We prayed with James and encouraged Him to stand on the promises of God and share the hope he has in Christ, despite his injuries, with those he encounters. I wish I could have shared a picture of the smile on this young man’s face, but taking pictures in the hospital is kind of touchy. So many of the patients are just pleased to have someone, they don’t know, take the time to care about their pain and share the hope that exist in Christ despite their circumstance. I have included pictures of some of the Hospital Visitation participants from Great Commission Baptist Church. Included are pictures of Alex (an elder at Great Commission Baptist Church) and Rachel (a good friend of the family who is involved in the praise and worship at Great Commission) also one of Alex and myself in front of UTH hospital.
Again we just wanted to share with you the blessings God is using your partnership to achieve in the lives of those we serve here in Zambia. Remember we are going to be back in the States beginning Dec 08 until April 09. We still have not filled our speaking calendar and would love to share with each of you personally, in a small group, Sunday school, or even a church service on what God is doing in the hearts of the Zambian peoples. Get in touch with us by calling the numbers listed below for our stays in Chicago and Dallas. We are so grateful for you continued support and prayers. Remember we could do none of this without your help. God bless and keep you until we meet again.
His Servants
Luke (for the Whitfield fam)
Chicago: < Dec 5th- 20th / Feb 15th – April 5th >
Dallas: < December 28th – February 10th >
