"Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men; preserve me from violent men,
who plan evil things in their heart and stir up wars continually. . .

Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down!  Touch the mountains so that they smoke!
Flash forth the lightening and scatter them; send out your arrows and rout them!
Stretch out your hand from on high; rescue me and deliver me from the many waters,
from the hand of foreigners, whose mouths speak lies
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood."
Psalm 140:1-2; 144:5-8

Dear family and friends,

Greetings in the mighty name of Jesus, our Creator and Sustainer. It has been quite a while since the last update and there is much to tell you.  God has been faithful to protect and preserve us in every situation, and He is worthy of unceasing praise!

On October 3, we left for a 3 week journey to South Africa.  We had to take our generator back to the manufacturer in Johannesburg for repairs, and the Lord provided extra funds for a vacation through Uncle Sam's tax return.  While in South Africa, we were spoiled with sweet Christian fellowship with friends in Pretoria, Potchefstroom, and Cape Town.  They helped us with important business like eye exams, dental check-ups, and vehicle repairs.  Of course, there was a bit of shopping too, and everyone came home with some new shoes or clothes.  We ate McDonalds about every other day (amazing what you miss when it's gone). The generator was repaired and we found better and cheaper plumbing supplies for the bush camp.  Our friends fed us well, helped process the last year and a half with us, and took us sight-seeing.  Cape Town must be one of the most beautiful regions in the world.  After the struggles of the last year and a half, it was so nice to shut down for a while, relax, not build anything, and not "do ministry."  I'm happy to report, though, that there was a comfortable feeling in coming back to Zambia; it felt more like home.

We returned to Zambia with only a week until the next building team arrived from the States. Oh, wait, I have a water story for you first.  We returned to blazing hot temperatures and an almost empty water tank . . . again.  I went to the water company to request a tanker truck to come fill our tank.  The truck was broken.  By Friday, our tank was empty.  I didn't know if we had enough water stored to last the weekend, and Shannon and Steph's water wasn't much better.  What would we do?  We resisted anger and complaining and tried to rejoice and trust God.  About midday Saturday, I heard a shocking sound.  Water was running into our storage tank for the first time in 6 months!  Our tank has been full almost every day since.  I hope the lessons on sanctification involving water are now over, but we'll see.

"I lift up my eyes to the hills.  From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. . .
The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. . .
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore."  Psalm 121

Dear family and friends,

In my last update, I listed 8 strikes against us in our dealings with the Lozi Royal Council (Kuta). I did not know about the ninth - the moon.  The moon?  Yes, the moon.  When we arrived for our scheduled appointment at the Kuta on Friday, we found the court empty.  The guard informed us that meeting on that day was "taboo," because of the moon phase.  The moon had appeared for the first time this month on Thursday night.  To meet on the day after the moon first appears is to risk terrible disaster.  So, our sixth trip to the Kuta was a total waste of time, effort, and money, at least from a human perspective.  But God has his own mysterious plan.

In addition to the moon, I'll add a tenth element now opposing us in the land issue.  Our regional chief is now being openly negative toward us.  As this Kuta process drags on, and his "help" is proving to be totally useless, we are not showering him with the gifts and money that he expects.  He realizes that he has nothing more to gain from us and, therefore, has little motive to continue "helping" us.  If his opposition becomes stronger, it could be very damaging to us.  As opposition mounts on every side, the Lord's deliverance will be that much more glorious.

In addition to the "moon thing," we received another sobering glimpse into the superstition that enslaves the Lozi people.  On the way to the Kuta, we had to pick up our chief at the local witchdoctor's village.  We parked near his "place of business" as we waited for the chief to cross the river.  Inside a nearby hut, we could hear a sorcerer and his client chanting, summoning the spirit of a relative who recently died.  That relative was then asked to reveal who was responsible for their death.  Once the guilty party is revealed, the client will then purchase either protective or retaliatory witchcraft, or both.  This is the never-ending, ugly cycle of fear, suspicion, and revenge in the village.

Please join us in praying that Jesus Christ, Lord of heaven and earth, will deliver the Lozi from slavery to fear - fear of witchcraft, evil spirits, and phases of the moon.  And please pray for us as tomorrow we attempt our seventh visit to the Kuta.

Hoping in Christ,
Sean

“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness.  God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”  2 Timothy 2:24-26

Dear family and friends,

Greetings again from Zambia after an extended period of silence.  The silence was due to a combination of our hectic schedule and indecision about what to write.  The hectic schedule hasn’t let up, but there’s news that must be shared.  Did you know that the qualities of a missionary listed in the verses above are nothing short of miraculous?  They are absolutely impossible in human effort and willpower.  After almost a year and a half, we are still sometimes surprised that depraved sinners can act so…so…DEPRAVED!  It is no easy thing to remain kind, patient, and gentle when the people you are trying to reach with the gospel are shouting irrationally, or bullying you in a humiliating manner, or ungratefully using you.

But with the Lord’s help, we can look beyond the behavior to the source.  They are slaves - slaves to their own sin nature and to Satan.  As slaves, they are incapable of acting otherwise, until the gospel sets them free.  And our enemy refuses to release his captives easily.  The intense resistance that we have felt of late is great encouragement that the enemy is nervous and we are on the right track.  So, what track are we on lately?  Well, the latest developments in the work have to do with children.

"My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness, I am utterly bowed down and prostrate...But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer. For I said, 'Only let them not rejoice over me, who boast against me when my foot slips!'...I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin. But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty, and many are those who hate me wrongfully...Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!" Psalm 38

Dear Family and Friends,

I'm sure some of you have been anxiously awaiting a follow-up report after my last update crying out for prayer.  Your prayers were heard and answered.  The Lord has worked marvelously, in our hearts and in our relationships with the village.

The Lord hand-picked a special team of 4 saints from Asheville, North Carolina to help answer your prayers. Tim, Cathi, Wayne, and Tasha arrived in Zambia just a few days after my last email.  Tim and Cathi spent 2 years in Ethiopia with S.I.M., and experienced far worse than us with the people and workers.  They were able to offer helpful counsel with genuine compassion.  Seeing Tim's tears of longing to be back in Africa, in spite of painful experiences, was also bittersweet.  Wayne is a carpentry contractor with an incredible testimony and contagious zeal; and Tasha is a sweet young lady with a servant heart, who isn't afraid of hard work, and befriended my daughter Alicia.

After giving them a day to recover from jetlag, we headed for the village.  Enoch was able to travel with us and help out for a couple of days.  First on the agenda was a meeting with our workers.  We sat for 3 long hours, discussing, re-discussing, and answering every one of their complaints.  In some areas they acknowledged that we were right, and in other areas we promised to be more thoughtful of their needs.  At the end of the meeting, I think they were all happy.  Throughout the week, Tim and Wayne joined us for daily Bible studies with the workers during lunch break.  Well, some days we didn't wait for lunch and kicked off the day with a devotional time.