Just recently, we started our weekly treks to the village again. We had taken two months off to allow farmers time to tend their fields during the first rains. The village ministry is significantly more challenging due to the long travel times, washed-out roads, linguistic barriers, and cultural traditions that keep the people from accepting the Gospel. There’s so much that undermines the work of God here, but these subtractors only remind us that the need is great. The sheer amount of open depravity and disregard for God only confirms the necessity of our presence…

“This should be a good gift for the chief!” said my husband standing up from my lower kitchen cupboard, holding up the large, filigree bedecked glass container filled with liters of golden liquid we had extracted from the honeycomb ourselves.

A meeting with our local chief is an essential part of our lives. As missionaries in Zambia, Africa, finding favor during these appointments can open doors to remote village preaching opportunities. Or close them if we didn’t follow proper protocol.

Preaching the Gospel in the bush of Africa is all about ACCESS. However, there’s many challenges on the road that keep us from achieving this goal. The terrain is rugged, the path washed out and we often find ourselves where there is no road at all. It’s not uncommon for us as we head out to the village to be forced back home because the road is simply not passable. These are the regions beyond that deserve our attention and effort as we preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.