December 2012

From The Kitchen Table

December 2012

Wishing you a blessed Christmas from all the Schaefer's

 

Dear Family and friends,

We are currently in Cape Town, South Africa, having a much needed rest. We have been able to spend some great family time and Grant and I were able to get away on a cruise. It has been wonderful to just relax and see family and friends.

We will be heading back to Zambia, Lord willing, in the latter half of January. We believe that the Lord still wants us to continue the work there. We want to thank you for all your prayers and support over the past 14 years of ministry in Mbala. Please continue to remember to pray for us.

God bless you all, and have a blessed Christmas.

With Love,

Grant, Lynne, Joel, Hope, Charley, Olivia and Luke Schaefer

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

FROM THE KITCHEN TABLE AUGUST 2011

From The Kitchen Table

~ The Desk of Lynne Schaefer ~

July/August 2011

“Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.” Psalm 112:1

Jack Straw!

We have been blessed to have Jack Straw come and stay with us. He’ll be here for 2 months and has already been such a blessing to our family! He is a seriously laid back, fun young man. He has been such a big help to me and great company for our son Joel. He helps me with the kids schooling and basically is willing to do anything you give him to do! And it is wonderful having another person with a drivers licence! You can follow his blog of his stay here at: http://jackgoestozambia.blogspot.com/

Mwenda Conference

Grant was asked to be the main speaker at the annual Mwenda conference of the church we attend here in Mbala. It’s held in the bush, where everyone just kind of camps out. Each year at the conference, believers are baptised in the nearby river. Our son Joel, Jack, and Stevie got baptised by Grant that Sunday. It was a memorable experience for all.

Stevie

Stevie is a remarkable young man. We first met him about 8 years ago. He was troubled by demons and it literally physically stunted his growth. His Grandmother had been heavily involved in witchcraft and when she died the demons went into Stevie. Jonas, our evangelist, is related to him and lived next door to us at our old farm. He took Stevie to his house and kept him there, praying for him. Eventually, Stevie was set free from his demons and Christ has done an amazing work in his life. He is still small for his age, but he is a delivered, free man in Christ! He was baptised along with Joel and Jack! Steve has been a part of our lives for all those years now, and it was very emotional seeing him baptised.

Six kids

At the moment we have 6 kids. Our friends who are also missionaries here in Zambia had to take a trip down to South Africa. Their youngest, who is home-schooled, has stayed behind with us for a month. So we have a full house at the moment with Joshua and Jack here too. He is doing the same curriculum as our daughter Charley and has slotted in with her for school.

Visitors

We often have visitors passing through our home either for a meal or to spend a night or two. The past few weeks have been a busy “visitors” time. It is always enjoyable meeting and chatting with various folks. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to our “peace corps” friends who often stayed with us and have now gone back to the USA. Kate and Meera had become very special friends to us and our children.

Clean Bath Water

We are very blessed to have been able to purchase a new hot water cylinder!!!!! Grant’s toe nails were actually turning orange from the water that came out of the farm cylinder (it was clogged with dirt and we were unsuccessful in getting it open to clean it out. After tirelessly trying to fix our old one we brought with from the other farm, it finally burst its seams for good. With water pouring out and spewing everywhere. The only solution for a while was to boil water on the stove. But, we thank the Lord that Grant was able to get a new one when he made his last trip to Lusaka to fetch Jack!

The Spotted Pig

One of our pigs gave birth to the cutest little “orange” spotted piglet! We have never before had a piglet that colour born in our pig sty. He is terribly cute and strange all at the same time!

Praise the Lord for:

· For Grant’s teachings at the Mwenda conference and all those who God saved and were delivered from demons

· Jack!

· For a new hot water cylinder

· For supplying our needs to feed all those who stay in our home

· That Grant’s entry permit was approved

· For Stevie and his amazing testimony

Please pray for:

· For the conference Grant will be teaching at next weekend

· The 4 seminars Grant will be holding and teaching at on the collage land next month

· For the children and my entry permits which we now need to apply for now that they have approved Grant’s

Thank you and God bless you all!

Lynne Schaefer and Family

Grant, Joel, Hope, Charley, Olivia, Luke

PO Box, 420032, Mbala, Zambia

May 2011

From The Kitchen Table

~ The Desk of Lynne Schaefer~

May 2011

“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.”  Psalm 62:5

It’s a Madhouse Sometimes...

Sometimes and sometimes can mean “quite often” in our case, things go on in our house that would freak other people out.

Our missionary friend Steve, who also has a vast knowledge in vet nary skills, neutered our 2 male cats on our kitchen table. Of course, I could not watch, having the kitchen as a surgery was a bit strange, but he did the job and did it well. Out here, it’s is great to have such handy people close by.

This past month we slaughtered an ox of ours which has supplied us with meat for quite a while. It is a hard thing to do, but it has to be done in order to feed our family and the numerous visitors that we get. We now have biltong (beef jerky) hanging in the pantry to dry too. One year Joel even had some drying above his bed – under his mosquito net!

We often have chickens waltzing into the house, and even a calf or two have been seen clip clopping down our passage. A friend was standing talking to me one day and asked, “Um, is there supposed to be a calf walking down your passage?” The dogs who are supposed to be outside are not as obedient as the kids and are often found in the house in totally forbidden places! We have a cat that is constantly opening the fridge, and a sheep who wears a red studded dog collar around her neck.

Sometimes, things happen and I think to myself, “Thank goodness there was no one around to see that”. It is not impossible to exit the kitchen door, skid on chicken poop, fall and sprain an ankle! Of course there is no GP to pop down to get it checked out at, the hospital is a very, very last resort, so its bandage it up and pray that it heals – FAST!

Of course, the worst always seems to happen when Grant is away, and many times I am left scratching my head wondering what to do or how to solve it without him.

But, God supplies our needs, often in very strange ways. He looks after us and provides for us way beyond our expectations. He gives us joy in the lonely times, bringing many visitors who provided good fellowship and laughter. At the end of the day, it’s a blessing to be able to lie down to sleep at night and say, “in spite of it all, God is good!!”

 

Other News

We are slogging away at getting the language into our heads. It is a slow, but steady process.

Grant did a trip on his motorbike to Lusaka to submit our “entry” permit. We have been here enough years to apply for one instead of a work permit. We are praying it will be approved. It will save us having to apply for a work permit every 2 years.

Grant was invited to traditional ceremony by one of the chiefs. Although a real cultural shock, it was a great learning experience for him, enabling him to understand the culture better. He was given the best seat, right next to the chief!

Praise God For:

· Grant’s safe trip to Lusaka and back on his motorbike

· For his provision

· For his protection from creepy crawlies ( a friend was recently bitten by a snake and had to be air-evacuated out of Zambia)

Please Pray:

· That our entry permit will be approved

· As we try to learn Bemba

· For Grant’s students

Grant is blogging his daily life as a missionary – A Missionary Diary at the web address: grantschaefer.blogspot.com.

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

 

God bless.

 

Lynne Schaefer and Family

Grant, Joel, Hope, Charley, Olivia, Luke

PO Box, 420032, Mbala, Zambia

MARCH 2011

From The Kitchen Table

~ The Desk of Lynne Schaefer ~

March 2011

“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jer 29:11

We are blessed!

It is amazing how one phone call can send you into a spin, create chaos, and doubts.  When our landlord phoned to say he wanted to move back to his farm, we were distraught.  The kids sobbed. But, now a few months later we can see that God had something so much better for us.  The farm that we have moved to is amazing.  We are blessed, and thank the Lord for providing a place far better than what we had before.  It has been a very stressful time, but now we can see God’s hand in the chaos, and are grateful to him for making our plans!

 

Language

Pray for us as we seek to really learn Bemba this year.  We are finding it much easier to learn now that we have been hearing it for so long.  Our ears are tuned to the language, we now just need to get our heads to learn it and our mouths to speak it.  We know the basics, but we want to really make an effort this year so we can be more effective in ministry.

 

Olivia’s Sheep

Little Olivia turned 6 on the 20^th March.  She is the organiser in the family.  She is the one who remembers everything and is like my “memory card”.  She always wanted a lamb, so we organised a pregnant ewe for her from a friend.  “Ma” arrived and we all fell in love with her.  She was such a funny sheep and kept us all entertained as she wondered around the yard.  She gave birth to a cute little lamb which Olivia named “Noodles”.  But, Ma got really sick and we tried everything to keep her alive, but sadly she died.  She was buried with tears and flowers on her grave.  Noodles has been adopted by our other sheep, “Mean Ma”, whose name describes her character!  To be fair, she is not as mean as she was when we got her.

 

Other News

The good news is we found the other “Boomslang” snake that got away. It was huge.  He dropped out of a tree only to meet a huge club swung by our gardener.

 

We are in the process of starting a new veggie garden.  It makes life quite hard not having one, as we rely so much on it for our family’s veggie needs.  So our meals have become even more basic, as we start over here on the new farm.

 

We are blessed to have many great walking paths here on the farm.  So in the afternoons, the kids and I take relaxing walks to de-stress from the day, pick wild flowers and examine fungi and other interesting things we come across as we walk. 

 

We have had a lot of power problems since we moved in.  Our transformer got struck by lightning which left us without power for 9 days.  The first month of being here in the new house, we had about 17 days out of 30 without power.  I am grateful for the little wood stove that we have in our kitchen.

 

Our driveway has also become a 4 x 4 vehicles only driveway, as cars continue to get stuck! It has got so bad and any attempt we make to fix it just makes it worse.  With the rains coming to an end, it has dried up a lot, so we look forward to the dry season where we will try to mend it in time for the next rainy season.

 

Praise God For:  

• For providing a great new farm for us

• For His love for us that he provides beyond our expectations

• For his provision during a very costly move

• For his protection

• For all of you who continually pray for us and support us

Please Pray for:

·         His protection from snakes and other creepy crawlies

·         For our financial needs, as the cost of living continues to increase

·         For wisdom for Grant as he continues to minister to folks

·         Grant and I as we really try to tackle learning the language this year

Grant is blogging his daily life as a missionary – A Missionary Diary at the web address: grantschaefer.blogspot.com.

 

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

 

God bless.

 

Lynne Schaefer and Family

Grant, Joel, Hope, Charley, Olivia, Luke

PO Box, 420032, Mbala, Zambia