One of the old laws in the bush says that “nothing ever works right the firsts time.” We’ve found this to be true on numerous occasions! Even as we started our journey back to Zambia, the words of this maxim rang out again. Our original departure date was set for the 28th of February, but when our family got sick with covid a third time, we had to reschedule a couple of weeks later in March. It felt pretty inconvenient at the time, but it worked out much better, and we were able to secure several needed items for our trip. That said, we’re in Zambia! The last couple of weeks have found us in transition, working on everything from home repairs to the well that gives us our much-needed water. And we really appreciate that water as we arrived just on the tail end of the hot season. With the rain tapering off in April, we won’t see it again until December. No rain and cooler temperatures are just a couple of reasons why the dry season is our peak time for ministry. 

Though the rainy season in Zambia officially began in December, the rains are just becoming consistent enough for farmers to plant their crops. This season is one of the village’s busiest times, so most of Chiyembekezo are out in the fields. The church just finished a youth meeting with over a hundred in attendance. I love that they’ve started planning their own events. We’ll continue to nurture this confidence in serving the Lord even as we transition back to the ministry there. Please pray for these believers and their continued spiritual growth. 

It’s been a refreshing couple of months as we’ve presented the work of Hope Zambia throughout Pennsylvania, Colorado, Alaska, and New York! What an encouragement to reconnect with old friends and make new ones along the way! We’re glad that even with most of our time back being focused on medical, we’ve still been able to travel, if only in a limited capacity. In many ways, I feel like our furlough is just starting since we recently began reporting in September. Please accept our sincere apologies if we’re not able to visit and see you in person this time around. If the opportunity doesn’t present itself now, meeting up with you will be our priority in 2024…