August 2012

From The Kitchen Table

~ The Desk of Lynne Schaefer ~

August 2012

“If you can’t trust the one who died for you, who can you trust?”

 

Dear Family and Friends

 

I haven’t put out a Kitchen Table for a while, because, well, I haven’t had much to say.  Which is actually very unusual for me who always seems to have a lot to rattle on about.

 

It is not that nothing has happened in the past months, because, a lot has.  It is just that we have had a lot going on in our hearts that we have had to deal with, and quite frankly some of it has been quite painful.

 

The almost fourteen years of ministry here in Mbala has taken its toll and we feel as a family we could use some time to rest, where we don’t have to do any ministry for a time. Also, the past few years have been tough ones, with a lot of things happening that have affected us as a family and we have grown quite weary.

 

We will be going down to Cape Town in November/December to have 2 months break and rest.  Grant and I will hopefully be going on a Cruise Ship for a few nights to have some time alone as a couple.  We have had only 2 nights alone in 14 years.  We could sure use some “couple” time. It is impossible here to have anytime alone together, and there is no chance for us to even go out on a “date”.

 

As the kids get older, they feel more isolated and lonely, and are desperate to have friends that they can relate to. So, we have been struggling with staying in the Lord’s will, as we know He still wants us to be here, he has not told us to move. We have also had to juggle the issues that arise with living out here with five children, who also have needs, the loneliness and being away from family and friends, and the constant reminder of having to be culturally sensitive all the time.

 

So pray for us, that we may continue to do the Lords will, and continue to serve him with joyful hearts. That we will always seek Him first and trust Him for supplying all our needs, both physically and spiritually.

 

Thanks so much for your prayers. We can sure use them as we continue to seek to do the Lord’s will.

 

God bless.

 

Lynne Schaefer and Family

Grant, Joel, Hope, Charley, Olivia, Luke

PO Box, 420032, Mbala, Zambia

 

 

 

March/April 2012

From The Kitchen Table

~ The Desk of Lynne Schaefer ~

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Psalm 90:12

March/April 2012

As usual the months are flying by.  With Grant being away a lot it has been very busy and quite difficult. He has returned from a deputation trip to the USA and is now in South Africa, where he is running an Ultra Marathon, followed by a deputation trip around South Africa.  When he returns he will be back into the full swing of ministry.  This year he will be taking the courses to the village instead of the pastors coming in from the village to be taught. 

Joel and Sebastian were going to go with to Cape Town, as Joel is in desperate need of braces.  We have  managed to find a dentist here in Zambia that can fit him with braces at a fraction of the cost of other dentists. A friend has kindly offered us a gift towards the costs and it will cover the whole procedure. We are most grateful!  Therefore, he has stayed here in Zambia, and Grant also asked Sebastian to stay too as he has been a tremendous help and is very practical with all the things that seem to go wrong when Grant is away. They were both a little disappointed to not be taking a trip down to the Cape, but know that they are more needed here and have happily stayed.

Sebastian has been such a blessing to our family.  So the Lord has blessed us twice in a row with two amazing young men coming to help us.  First “our” Jack and now Sebi! He leaves in June and we are praying for another young person to come and help us.

With the economy being what it is, the giving to missions always seems to decrease.  So, we are faced with the situation of trying to find a way to sustain ourselves here in Zambia.  We are praying for the Lord to show us a way to make a living here, so that we do not have to fully rely on outside support.  Please pray for us and with us on this.

Most of the kids are doing great.  Joel is quickly catching up to Grant in height.  He is very tall and very skinny but such an amazing young man.  He is so helpful and obedient and so much fun to have around. Hope is my work horse.  She works amazingly hard for a girl her age. You don’t have to ask her to help she sees the need before you ask. She needs to work as she is getting to the age where her body is changing and she feels that the hard work keeps her going.  Charley is, well, Charley!  Everyone loves her.  A friend saw her the other day and jokingly said, “Charley, I thought you were your mum!”  She looks just like me!!! Olivia is the organiser, sometimes she thinks she can do something which is well beyond her years!  She has the attitude of, “Of course I can do that, it’s easy, oh no, I can’t it’s actually hard!” She has lost 3 front teeth in one week and has a hectic toothless grin!  Luke is not doing well physically. He does not eat and he has a very pale look.  He runs a slight fever most days and we are not sure what the problem is. I am continually force feeding him. Please pray for his health.

Praise God:

·         For providing        

·         For Sebastian

·         For his provision of braces for Joel

Please Pray for:

·         Grant as he travels around South Africa

·         For a new young person to come take Sebi’s place when he leaves

·         For me as Grant is away to be able to deal with all the daily struggles that pop up

·         For Luke’s health

Yours in His service,

Lynne Schaefer and Family

Grant, Joel, Hope, Charley, Olivia, Luke PO Box, 420032, Mbala, Zambia

January 2012

From The Kitchen Table

~ The Desk of Lynne Schaefer ~

“Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust...” Psalm 40:4

January 2012

Greetings from all the Schaefer’s! We pray you had a Christ filled Christmas and wish you every blessing for the year ahead.

And so we find ourselves in a new year, wondering how last year went so fast and amazed at how the Lord got us through it!

We are so blessed to be in a place where each day we are forced to rely on Him. Many people can go through a day without having to trust in the Lord, or know that He really is in control. But each day, we come face to face with his provision and His love for us as He provides for our needs!

Family Visit

It was great to have some of my family visit over Christmas! My mom, my sister Emily and my brother-in-law Richard and kids came for a couple weeks. It was so great to have them on our own turf and for them to see how we live up here. Our kids loved having their cousins all to themselves!

 

Sebastian

Sebastian arrived the day after my family flew out of Lusaka. After such an amazing experience of having Jack for 2 months we did not know what to expect with Sebastian. Having someone in your home for six months can potentially be a good or a bad thing! We were praying for another good experience like with Jack. Well, Sebastian is wonderful too! We have been blessed again with another young man who is such a blessing to us. He is so relaxed and really loves kids. He spends so much time playing games and doing fun stuff with them. His first day here he slid down the huge ant hill outside our kitchen with them. They were pouring water down it and literally sliding down having a blast. All I can say is that we are so blessed to have him here. The Lord knew what we needed.

Prayer Needed

Our son Joel, who is now 14, is in desperate need of braces on his teeth. We are praying that we will be able to get them fitted this year around Easter time as Grant heads down to SA. He is not a vain boy, and does not care at all about his looks but on the practical side his teeth jut out rather a bit like bugs bunny and hinder his eating with a closed mouth! We have been told that it is going to be a very costly job, and so without medical insurance that would cover it, we are asking for you to pray with us that the Lord would provide this need.

Another need is tyres. After the last bad tyre experience with Grant actually trying to “sew” up a tyre, we still sit with a tyre problem. We bought 2 second hand tyres, one of which has been rather useless too. So again we trust the Lord to provide on this matter.

Praise and Provision

We praise the Lord for providing Joel’s school books for next year. I was able to borrow everything we needed from a friend. I hid them “safely” in our school room cupboard for a month. When I got them out, I found that termites had got into the cupboard somehow and had completely devoured 9 of the books! I was horrified! I am so thankful to a friend in the USA who has reordered and sent me new ones. School can continue...

Thank you to you all, for your prayers and for your encouragement and your support!

God bless,

Lynne Schaefer and family

PO Box 420032

Mbala

ZAMBIA