28 weeks!!!

I Love Africa

You know you live in Africa when three guys show up at you door carrying a large burlap sack with something big and alive inside. My first guess was what I was really hoping for...........a snake. Unfortunately we had to settle for a five foot long water monitor lizard......still very cool. The guys brought him to me because I have been wanting to eat the meat for a while (it is considered a delicacy in Western Zambia).......much to the lizard's approval we let him go.......one of the many reason we love living in Africa.....

It has been an amazing year and we know the best is yet to come. Thanks so much for your continued prayers and support....more to come....



visit our website: http://www.eleeoproject.org

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Hope your holidays were as crazy fun as ours!!!

Merry Christmas from Zambia!!

Picking weeds after a big rain! The kids maize at 5/6 weeks!

Chichi and Tazi love riding the ponies! What a fun family day!

Fun on boxing day at the Turf Club

Tazi riding snowflake!

Lego time w Dad

Our newest edition!

Our Christmas puppy...yellow lab!

Fun in the sun on Christmas

Sporting our new suits and dolls!

Seeing is Believing!

This man next to Macie is Benson! He is an old man who has been blind for many many years! He heard there are white people in the next village who like to pray for the sick! So he walked 30 min to see us!

What's cool is that this week we were reading as a family a book where many miracles took place! When we read about a blind man being healed as the man put dirt on his eyes, I told the kids, " I think God's gonna give us the opportunity to do this just like in the Bible!" Little did I know it would be only a few days later!

The Holy Spirit immediately reminded me of this when I met Benson at the gate and so I ran to get the girls. My eyes filled with tears in anticipation!

Together we prayed for him after putting mud on his eyes! When we cleaned the mud off he immediately turned toward the sun and said "I can see the sun!" He went on to tell us, with a big smile on his face, that he hasn't see shadows let alone bright light in many years, just darkness! He was thanking God over and over! We gave him hugs and told him to come visit again and that we believe God will continue to heal him even as he walks home! We are humbled and thankful for the many visitors that God sends and how it stretches our faith in many ways! We had to share this story with you all!

Potential

Have you ever stopped to think about the meaning of the word "potential".

I don't usually use this blog as a platform to share my thoughts but felt an urgency to do so today. These past few weeks have been consumed with the activities involved in preparing for the "planting season" here in the Southern Hemisphere. It was during the planting of one field that i suddenly realized the "potential" the seed-filled bucket I was carrying contained. Sure it is just seed, but with some encouragement and the proper inputs it has the capability to become the very thing it was created to be. And when that seed's potential is coupled with that of hundreds of other seeds.........I am sure you get the picture.

Habakuk 2:14....

For as the waters fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 3:18....

So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and "reflect" the glory of the Lord. And the Lord - who is the Spirit - makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image. (emphasis mine)

Here in Chikankata we are believing for the inheritance of a nation -- the Tonga peoples of both Zambia and Zimbabwe. We want to be able to see and steward the responsibility of allowing God to use our presence in revealing the fullness of their "potential" as His children.

What about you.....can you see the "potential" in the things and the people the Father has surrounded you with. Jesus did.....His life exuded an atmosphere that caused those around Him to become aware of the potential the Father had placed in each of them. As we "imitate Paul who imitates Christ", the question becomes do our lives accomplish the same.

Take a moment to pause and think about the potential God has laid before us in 2013....thnx again for partnering with us in seeing "Southern Africa filled with an awareness of the glory of the Lord"...more to come.....

Here's a closer look!!

Back To The Vet

Huge praise the Lord today as Luke was protected from what could have been a major accident. While working with an angle grinder, his hand slipped causing his wrist to land on the spinning blade. He cut half of his tendon but missed his artery by centimeters! Our neighbor, friend and vet Noleen stitched the tendon and closed the outside with 5 more stitches! Luke is out of commission for 6 weeks but we thank God that no further damage was done! We have also never been so thankful for our local vet clinic!!

Today the 6 big kids put what they have learned from Foundation for Farming into practice! They have their own plot of land to prepare the soil, plant maize and maintain it until harvest! Now we just need some rain!

Payton, Emma and neighbor Aiden enjoying a good afternoon of fishing at the dam!

Send The Rains

Over the past few weeks we have participated in conducting demonstration field days for local small scale farmers. It has been such a joy to use agricultural to teach the principles of His Kingdom.

Many faces reflected a glimmer of hope in seeing poverty and malnourishment eradicated from their lives. So now we wait for the rains.....we have taught that joy can be experienced in life when we turn to God's ways for wisdom. We are believing for the rains to arrive by the 25th of November......would you take a second this Thanksgiving to praise Him for His faithful and ask Him to open the skies above Chikankata, Zambia....more to come

Baby! 21 weeks!

"Your Faith Has Made You Well"

One of the things I love about the miracles Jesus performed is that there is no magic word or code given for success. I think The Father knows His children are prone to follow and worship formulas and routines if given the chance. The miracles Jesus performed welled up from a place of constant pursuit of the Father's presence and hence an awareness of what the Father wanted to do in and through each situation.

This morning I received a call from a worker here on the farm. Grant informed me that at his house was an old man who had walked a considerable distance to have us pray for pain in his legs. He had heard the testimonies of others who God has reached out and touched here at Water Valley and by faith he came expectant for the same. When I arrived we spent some time explaining who the SOURCE of healing really is......we shared some stories about the history of the area and then asked God to release Heaven to invade this man's condition. Fireworks!!!!!!.....(just kidding).....I asked him to stand up and do something that hurt before to do.....a slow smile came over his face as he explained to Grant that his legs now felt totally different. When asked who did that for him.....he looked, smiled, raised his finger towards the sky and said, "Jesus".

Just wanted to continue to share all that God is making possible through our partnership.........may you receive all the glory Father......more to come.....

It's so hot here even the candles can't stand it!!

You think it's hot enough here? I love Africa!!

A City On A Hill

Today saw the continuation of our marathon week of agricultural training. We spent the morning in Gangula which is the Chieftainess' home village and also the location of our rural ministry center. There was great enthusiasm as we shared God's plan for feeding not only the Tonga peoples but the nation of Zambia as well. Our trial fields will be some of the only ones in Zambia and we feel Gangula might provide the most encouraging testimonies. Gangula is literally a village on a hill and we are trusting that it will shine with presence of God and become like the city on a hill that Jesus spoke about in the Gospels. Please continue to pray as tomorrow we will conduct another field day on a farm roughly 40 mile from our home here at Water Valley. More to come.......

Macie and Emma teaching in the village behind our house!

A special treat to find at the store....my favorite! Made my day! It's the simple things in life!

Macie and Emma teaching the kids in the village behind our house!

Busy Week

Saturday kicked off what will be a wild week of agricultural trainings. We had roughly 120+ in attendance who were very attentive for the three hour session. What we are most excited about is that the heart of the day focussed on how great our Father is. May He receive all the glory this week.....we would treasure your prayers for the other three field days scheduled for this week. To view a short clip of what happened Saturday click the included link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEM673o4CQo&feature=youtu.be

.....more to come.....

Little Elise

What's In A Name

Recently we shared with you that Elise received the honor of having a little girl named after her. Little Elise was the product of what started as an anxious pregnancy. Her mother had been struggling with fear surrounding the pregnancy. We prayed for her and spoke life over little unborn Elise. Her safe delivery has been a prophetic sign of God's faithfulness to her family.

Today we were invited to attend little Elise's formal introduction to the community. In the Tonga culture a child is not allowed to be taken outside of the house for the first full month of it's life. This belief is ultimately rooted in witchcraft and the fear that evil spirits might enter the weak and vulnerable child. Today proved a perfect opportunity to celebrate with this dear family and remind them that there is no name or spirit above the name of Jesus. We prayed a blessing over little Elise and the family and then departed.......one source states the meaning of the name Elise to be....."My God is a vow"....more to come.......




Sent from my iPhone

Ladies day at Protea Lodge outside Lusaka! Feel so blessed to have these girls as my friends!

Feeding A Nation

In exactly a week we will launch an agricultural program designed to feed one African family,of up to seven, for a whole year. The biggest miracle of it all is the cost for each family is roughly $50, which is well in the budgeting capabilities of most Zambians. In the picture you see two plots at our rural ministry in Gangula. This is all the land required to accomplish the target of the program. When shown this the local Tongas laugh at how small it is. See a big problem with small scale African farmers is bitting off more than they can chew. They plant too large a area and cannot manage it so it produces a decent yield. This program focusses on stewarding well the little God has given you and watching Him increase your responsibility. It is undercutting the spirit of greed and teaching a Christlike mindset of selflessness. Would you pray for this program....its success and most importantly that He be glorified and that we might see Heaven released here in Southern Zambia....more to come...

Im so thankful for new friends and a great time at the women's retreat in Sept. Nothing like a beautiful resort and relaxing boat ride! Sorry for such late pics! I'm trying to get updated!!

Gift (part 1)

You know the saying the best gifts come in small packages.....our family experience just that tonight. Living right next to a shanty village provides many opportunities to be the hands and feet of Christ to our neighbors. This has included everything from taking expectant mothers in labor to the hospital...to chasing a pack of wild dogs from the farm. Today we were called upon to patch up a two year old boy named Gift who, like some American toddlers I know, fell off a table receiving a big gash above his left eye. Being the most accessible medical treatment, the family brought the boy to our property and asked for help. The kitchen table became an examining table and our kids the physician assistants. A few steri-strips and some ace bandage later and gift was ready to go..........(see part 2)

Gift (part 2)

......this little boy did not flinch or complain once during what can only be described as a rough attempt at bush surgery. Gift and his farther were very appreciative as they left yet seemed bit confused at our generosity and compassion. What a privilege to serve this young boy and his family for His glory...thanks for your continued partnership which makes serving Tongas like Gift possible.......more to come.....

Fun in the sun in our pool!!

Ivy is our female 7 mo old puppy! Weighing in at 63 lbs and growing! She is so sweet and a great addition to our crazy family! Thought I would share an updated pic!

This is my first Zambian name sake, Elise Mwinga! Her family lives in the little village next to our house! I prayed for her mom during complications in her early pregnancy and her pain went away! On Sat morning she arrived at our gate in labor, asking for a ride to Chikankata Hospital. We prayed over her during the 30 min car ride and she safely delivered on Sunday morn! I was happily surprised to hear they wanted to name her after me! So cool! God is Good!

19 weeks! Due date March 20th!

Team House

What your looking at is the septic tank and foundation walls of our future team shower house. This year alone we have had close to thirty visitors from four countries (five if you consider Texas separately), and have tentative plans for three more teams in 2013. In full we are developing a bunk house as well as a shower house with 4 toilets and 6 showers. Thanks for your involvement in making this possible......we hope you will make a trip and utilize these wonderful facilities God is blessing us with....more to come...

Drillin (cont.)

Today we launched a drilling project near a shanty compound on our landlord's farm. The project was made possible by two gentlemen from a partner church in England. Trevor & John worked for ten days through ninety degree heat to construct the rig in the picture. The vision is to give locals tools for them to be able to develop assets such as wells themselves. We prayed and dedicated the site and are believing it will provide a huge platform for demonstrating God power, compassion and destiny for the Tongas of Southern Zambia. A big thank you to Honinton New Frontiers Church and especially John and Trev for their involvement. Stay tuned for further updates on this project......

Small Beginnings

.....sorry for the previous blank post. It should have read......Over the past few months we have been developing a discipleship/agricultural program at Teranova School which is located on the neighboring farm. This week saw the students break ground on the construction of a vegetable plot as well as a demonstration plot of maize aimed on teaching local farmers how to grow more on less land. The heart of the program focusses on sharing the Biblical principles of stewardship and being faithful with the little that God has placed in our hands. Please pray that this project would not simply be another agricultural program, but rather, a means for the Gospel to eradicate the spiritual and physical hunger that so many Tonga wrestle with. Much more to come soon.....

Small Beginnings

Drillin

Breaking Ground

Thank You

Milton, Helen & Innocent enjoying their new school bus

A big thank you from our worker's kids. Tyson, Memory & Memory, Milton, Hellen and Innocent who all received new bikes made possible by many of you. The bikes will make what is a usually around an hour walk (each way) to school much more manageable. Thanks to all of you who made this possible, your involvement is impacting the lives of these young Zambians for His Kingdom's sake...

Disciple Ship (Part Three)

Nakatunda

A Warm Nakatunda Welcome

Under The Baobab

 

Mac Breaking The Spirit Of Infirmity Off The Children Of Nakatunda In The Name Of Jesus

 After saying goodbye to Amon and Kenneth we boarded Disciple Ship and headed back up the coast to the somewhat larger fishing village of Nakatunda. The village is easy to spot due to several large baobab tress in the midst of the grass huts. Again, we were greeted by an even larger crowd of excited children awaiting our arrival. This time we were looking for a man name Best who was identified on a previous trip as a potential spiritual leader for the village. It was under the largest of the baobab trees that we sat and began to share God's love for Nakatunda and its residents. As we shared it became apparent that there was a spirit of infirmity plaguing many of the children who were severely coughing. Later that evening we showed the Jesus film to a crowd of around 100 villagers and then spent sometime sharing the good news of the Gospel of the Kingdom. As we had learned in the previous village of Mukuyu it is best to let the message marinate over night and return the next to pray for those wanting to respond to the message. A group from the team did just that and again we saw several individuals come forward accept Christ and express a desire to be baptized. One man in particular, whose name was Christmas, was baptized and then received several words of prophesy over his life from different team members. It was obvious that God was speaking into Christmas' life as the same words of prophesy were given three different times by different member of the team who were not aware of the previous prophesies spoken over him.

During our time with the villagers in Nakatunda it became apparent that this village is a key piece of what God is doing amongst the Tonga people of Zambia and Zimbabwe. We were so touched by our time in Nakatunda and feel it is just a glimmer of the revival God is birthing in the much forgotten about Tonga peoples of Southern Africa............More to come.