Zambia 2015 – Trip Summary Report

Having recently finished our inaugural, two-month trip into Africa, we have had some time to gather our thoughts, look at all that happened, and prayerfully consider all that God is doing. People back home have asked us if we still feel that giving up our established careers and ministry to pursue these first steps into international work was the right thing to do. At the end of this trip we can resoundingly say: “Without a doubt!”

There were many surprises awaiting us in Africa. One can read the news, listen to missionary reports, and even have family overseas but living with people, even just for a couple months, brings a different level of understanding of life outside of the U.S. At the World for the World training, there were about 70 people, from 6 countries, representing over 20 different languages. At the AFMIN women’s events, there were 500 women leaders representing 3 countries from all walks of life–single mother to international diplomat. Even in the time leading up to a conference in Kenya, we were able to engage varied cultures in Nairobi, and be a part of a small church’s endeavors to raise funds to buy a plot of land. We had amazing opportunities to learn about these people, their needs, and what God is doing in their villages and cities. We found the African people were warm, welcoming, and gracious; and in our roles, both of teacher and student, we were able to move into relationships deeper than initial friendliness. We learned that these Christians are moved deeply by dreams, struggle ethically with ungodly leaders, and are determined to see their individual cultures deeply and continually transformed by the power God and the work of the Holy Spirit.

We were encouraged by the work already done, the unity of the church, and the heart of the people to take responsibility for their own faith. There are countless denominations working together to bring the Gospel to all communities: rich and poor. People are willing to work together and many different organizations have planted seeds which are reaping a harvest. This said, there is a long and complicated history between the Western church and many African communities. However, God has been at work in Africa for a long time, and right now He is raising up nationals and organizations who are called to take up the mantle of leadership. These leaders are organizing the work for their own people and cultures and often say, “It is time for Africa to help Africa.” For the West, it is a time for teaching teachers and training trainers. We are blessed to be a part of organizations which are focused on equipping, training, and supporting local work. On this trip, God used us to: teach computer skills to translators who had never touched a computer before; to raise awareness of the impact of adult and childhood trauma to leaders who can enact systematic change; and engage in meaningful, life-bringing conversations with husbands, wives, leaders, pastors, and directors who are all involved in transforming their own families, communities, and churches into sources of light. We have been called into a ministry of true, Christ-like leadership as servants. God is using us to encourage, equip, educate, and empower a people who are desperately seeking ways to follow their Lord and Savior, Jesus.

The Christian church in Africa is as diverse as the peoples, but largely united and looking to work together to see God’s glory increase across the continent. The greatest impact of this trip on us has been the conviction to help see young, national churches and organizations mature. As the Church, God called us to make disciples, but discipleship goes beyond evangelism. We have seen here the great need to work behind-the-scenes to help teach and guide a zealous generation of Christians to become tempered and effective workers. God is using us not just to be light, but to help create sources of light. Even though this first trip was short and only the beginning, we’ve already seen God use us as a source of spiritual nourishment, an anvil for hammering out difficult ideas, and an encouraging ear to help people feel understood and know that God is empathetic and always at work.

Thank you for all your prayers and support. God is using our ministry to equip, educate, and empower new leaders with truth allowing them to transform their communities. The results of this type of work can be hard to quantify, but there were too many coincidences and small miracles for us not to see the hand of God working in what we’ve been doing. We’ll write up some more specific stories over the next couple of months, but here’s a work report summary:

• Lydia spoke at two separate women’s empowerment events teaching the value of addressing adult and childhood emotional trauma and the importance of self-care. She was also able to gather hundreds of surveys on the current, mental health needs of various African communities. Her lectures were extremely well-received, and AFMIN is looking to incorporate the curriculum Lydia is developing as a part of their core women’s empowerment program.

• Joel taught a Basic Computer Use course to second year translators, some of who had never before used a computer or typed on a keyboard. This training included computer care, word processor and spreadsheet use, and translation-specific software use. These translators will now be able to start using software to aid in Bible translation as well as increasing the efficiency of bookkeeping and office administration. Within a few weeks of the course, we received an e-mail from one of these new computer users who went home, setup a g-mail account, and formatted a document with a request for Joel to be his “Esther” to Lydia asking for her to come to Malawi to help train women in a large literacy and Bible education program.

• Lydia attended a Childhood Protection & Safety Network conference where she received the first tier of training necessary to begin working within organizational child safety programs, was able to network within the field, and was even offered an opportunity to do contracted child safety work as a play therapist.

• Joel completed a large portion of the necessary training towards receiving his first certification in the field of Bible translation. In these classes, many important relationships were built and much was learned about Bible translation, culture, and linguistics in the African context.

• Lydia was sought after and invited to help in several different types of child education programs related to The World for the World’s literacy and cultural preservation endeavors. There is a huge need for educational resources and for women to be empowered as teachers and leaders within these programs.

• Joel was invited to do specialized leadership and computer training with several translation projects in Zimbabwe. The World for the World projects in Zimbabwe are looking to expand within their own country as well as “follow the languages” across the border into Mozambique.

• Joel & Lydia were asked to lecture at future training events in a variety of subjects. Additionally, Joel started working on refining and redesigning some of the technology-related courses offered through The World for the World’s training programs.

All this said, God has been revealing what was on His mind when he told us to help bring more truth and more life into hurting communities, and how these ministries of translation and empowerment are related. God is working to transform communities at a core level and He needs His people to be equipped with the truth of the scriptures (2 Tim 3:16-17). The truth separates and cleanses people for service according to Jesus’ will (John 17:13-21). When people hold to His truth, and are empowered in Godly service (2 Peter 1:2-8), then Jesus’ work is accomplished and a people can experience not just life, but life abundantly (John 10:10). He is using us to infuse truth into the fabric of leadership to see communities adorned with abundant life; and we are immensely thankful to be a part of this work!

We will now be stateside for a time building partnerships, developing curriculum, and preparing for our next trips. In 2016, we will be speaking at AFMIN Women’s events, lecturing at various training events, and working in the field with translation teams in Zimbabwe. We appreciate your continued prayers, love, and support and we hope to share more with you in person!