From The Kitchen Table.

From The Kitchen Table
~ The Desk of Lynne Schaefer ~
May 2009

“But now, O Lord, thou art our Father; we are the clay
And thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.” Is 64:8

Dear Family and Friends

Math, Chicken Giblets and Beans

Life with Children truly means there is never a dull moment. It is harvest time here in Zambia. The rains have ended and it is now the time for the tiring, yet very rewarding, harvest. Grant has been busy all week training rural pastors and leaders, while the kids have been shelling beans! Math was not done until late in the afternoon, when Grant had time to teach each one their lessons. Charley was outside in the thick of things. Shelling beans and getting real dirty while she was at it. Grant called her in for math, but on her way through the kitchen she discovered a pot of “Chicken Giblets” freshly cooked on the stove. What a treat! She grabbed a chicken foot, a chicken heart and a piece of liver, and headed down the passage for math. Grant nearly roared with laughter as she sat down and neatly placed her “treats” next to her on the table. She then pulled out of her pocket a handful of beans – to help her with her math!

Snakes Alive!

Grant, Joel and Friday (Joel’s best friend and our “Sixth Child”) went to Chisanza village to teach and show the Jesus Film. You have to go by boat to get there. Grant had been teaching for a while and decided that they would have a little break before carrying on. The villages started to sing a song and as they began a snake came right up out of the ground right where he and his interpreter were standing. It was quite a large snake, but sticking its head out was the biggest mistake of its life. In a matter of seconds the villagers chopped it in half, one half went back down the hole! Then, when they were eating in one of the small village huts, Joel looked up and saw another snake slithering through a small hole in the wall. It wove its way in and out through various holes in the mud bricks. There were hundreds of people who came and watched the “Jesus Film” and many were reported to be saved that weekend. Chisanza is a village where witchcraft is heavily practiced. So we praise the Lord for the work he is starting to do there.

Luse Community Orphanage and the Mbala for Mbala Project.

Now that we have been on the mission field for over 10 years, we have observed how often people come to start a project and then some years later they abandon it. Most missions started in the past have not been able to be self sufficient or run by the locals when the missionary leaves, hence, all the mission station ruins that scatter Africa. One such abandoned project is an orphanage here in Mbala that was started by a well meaning foreigner. Only now a few years later, the funds have dried up! Who suffers in the end – the orphans! So, after giving it loads of thought, I came up with a plan to start the “Mbala for Mbala” project. This will involve the local business men, churches and people of Mbala to look after the Luse Community Orphanage. I have approached some of the prominent business men asking if they would be willing to give something every month to the orphanage. They suggested that we get together and hold a meeting and discuss the project. We plan to do this when Grant gets back from a trip to Lusaka in a few weeks time.

The ladies group in our local church went to visit the orphanage last Tuesday. They all took what food they were able to spare. On my way there I stopped and asked a few shops if they would be willing to give something. I was given Maize Meal, sugar and cooking oil. It was a very encouraging start. There are, however, many obstacles that we will need to cross in order to get such a project up and running effectively. But, our prayer is that the community will embrace the orphanage and start to look after the orphans without outside support from the West.
Yummy, Yum!
Just in case there are some of you out there that feel sorry for us living up here – DON’T! Guess what we ate the other day. Fresh (Organic) strawberries from our garden, waffles and whipped cream with Hope’s home- made maple syrup! Yum! Eat your heart out - or come visit us!

Praise the Lord for:
· The showing of the Jesus film in Chisanza village and also Kawama village
· Those that accepted Christ on those occasions
· His protection from snakes and those things we do not see
· The discipleship course Grant is holding this week on the college land

Please Pray for:
· Grant as he travels to Lusaka next week
· For the Mbala for Mbala project
· For the Luse Community Orphanage and its orphans
· That God will guide us as we try to find a solution for the orphanage
· For our protection each day as we serve him here

Thanks for your encouragement, your prayers and support of our ministry here.

God bless.
Lynne Schaefer and Family
Grant, Joel, Hope, Charley, Olivia, Luke (and Friday)
PO Box, 420032, Mbala, Zambia