Bees

(That dark blob on the tree branch is about 2000 bees clinging to one another)

This past week we spotted a large bee hive in the tree above the Lapa (thatched hut) we are building. So after seeking wisdom from our farmer friends around us, they advised us to burn it down. So one of our brave workers Lloyd, geared up with Brent’s motorcycle helmet, Luke’s gardening gloves and his blue work suit and headed up the tree. The guys fashioned a long pole attached with towels soaked in gasoline at the end for him to hold in order to reach the bees way up in the tree! The bees were killed/dispersed but a few hours later made their new home in OUR ROOF! Today Luke went and bought poison in town and hopefully tonight when they are sleeping we can get rid of them all!

Fun with Friends!

Recently we were so blessed to see many of our Lusaka friends. Kerri, Caleb and Maddie Roberts (our team mates) had a big birthday party down here! Many of these friends we hadn't seen in 8 or 9 months! We all had a great time together! This group of friends is like our family here in Zambia! Thank you Jesus for these friends!!

Easter

We had a wonderful family Easter service on Sunday morning and the kids enjoyed a small Easter egg hunt after! We were invited to have lunch at our friends’ house, the Petersons. Ian and Noleen are both vets down here in Chik. They have two older sons who were kind enough to give the kids a ride on their dirt bike! The kids had a great time and loved playing with their baby tame dika. We also had the treat of eating Lamb for lunch. Very applicable while celebrating the Easter Holiday! We are thankful for the lamb who died for us!

What Kind Of Church Are You Building?

This was the question posed to Brent, myself and several hundred Zambians who attended a leadership conference hosted by New Frontiers Church here in Zambia. For two days we received some amazing teaching from local leaders as well as some international ones. Terry Virgo was the keynote speaker and delivered probably the best teaching I have heard concerning what the current day church should look like. During the conference we had ample opportunities to pray with individuals suffering with ailments such as leg/hip pain, poor vision, debilitating headaches and epilepsy. Once again we were humbled to watch as God invaded each situation with His love, compassion and healing. One young girl (who suffered with epilepsy) testified that the night after we prayed for her was the first time in years she has not had seizures and was actually able to sleep through the whole night. How great is our God!

The main purpose of attending the conference was to build relationship with New Frontiers Church here in Zambia and the UK. Eleeo Project believes they are a God given partner and a source of spiritual covering in the area of church planting. Later in May we will be hosting a New Frontiers team from the UK who will be coming to catch the vision of what God has placed before us here in Chikankata. Please pray for this partnership as we feel it will be key in seeing a healthy, spirit filled church established here in Southern Zambia.

If you are unfamiliar with New Frontiers or Terry Virgo we would highly recommend you take a moment to learn more about them by clicking on the included links: New Frontiers ........... Terry Virgo.

Lapa

We are building an outside patio and fire pit for our families to enjoy meals, fires and hanging out together. In Lusaka we would call it an insaka, which is a thatched hut, built with gum poles. It is coming along very nicely. Luke and Brent designed it and have been building it along side our workers, Movette, Terren and Lloyd. This week we hired a group of women to cut the tall grass that will be used for the thatch. They delivered loads and loads of it and laid it out in our yard. The grass will dry for a couple weeks as the guys finish building the frame for the room. It is great to watch it take shape! We are excited and are looking forward to lots of good times out here! Why don’t you come visit us and enjoy it with us?

Meeting The Neighbors

One of the greatest things about our new home here at Water Valley is that we live adjacent to several small villages. These small compounds house many of the workers that are employed by the farmers we rent from. Our proximity to these communities has allowed for some amazing encounters and opportunities to release His Kingdom into their impoverished lives.

A few weeks ago Luke went to visit the farm manger. Upon arriving in Oswalt's house he noticed a sick little boy lying lifeless on the couch. The couple shared with Luke that this little boy was their nephew and had suddenly fallen sick with a high fever. Luke said a quick prayer, visited for a while and returned home. A couple days later Oswalt shared with Brent Roberts that the boy woke up completely healed the next morning.

More recently Elise and some of our kids took the opportunity to visit with some of the workers that live directly behind our house. It was an such an blessing just to sit, talk and pray with these new neighbors of ours. As stated before......our property is formally known as Water Valley......keep praying that this name would become synonymous with the spiritual refreshment our families are called to release in this place!

He Is Risen

As we shared in a previous post.........this past Saturday Eleeo Project held its first outreach. Working with a local church on a neighboring farm the Jesus Film was shown to somewhere around 300 plus Tongas. Many of these individuals had never heard the greatest love story known to man in their heart language.

There were also some amazing testimonies from individuals who had received prayer the week before. One lady had been separated from a cheating husband for some time.........her anger toward the man had taken complete control of her emotions and interaction with others. During our prayer time she shared her desire to be free and experience that "peace that surpasses all understand". She shared on Saturday that immediately after our prayer time she returned home to find her husband........ready to reconcile. We serve an amazing God!

Much more to come...........thanks for prayers!