I just finished reading "Lords of the Land" by Idith Zertal and Akiva Eldar. It really illuminated some of the issues surrounding the Israeli/Palestinian conflict (for lack of a better word).

From the jacket: “The 1967 Arab-Israeli war was a devastating triumph for Israel, which immediately began to establish settlements in the newly conquered territories. Those settlements, and the movement that made them possible, have utterly transformed Israel, but until now the full history of the occupation has never been told.”

The settlers are motivated not by a Zionism that calls for a Jewish homeland, but a religious Zionism that calls for a return of the Jews to the original lands given to them by God. Thus, the battle lines are drawn for the internal struggle of Jewish society and the future of the lands they have occupied since 1967. The book describes the Messianic character of the settlers and the complicity, sometimes intended sometimes motivated by the facts on the ground created by the settlers, of the government and the army. Jewish society spiritually supports the aims of the settlers, because it was those same aims that established them in the present day Jewish state. At the same time they realize that the aims of the settlers will never allow for the establishment of the two state solution and given the years of struggle they have went through most are willing to politically sacrifice the desires of the settlers to attain a peace with the Palestinians. The book written by authors who clearly see the settlers as the cause of all of their current problems lead us to a conclusion that their days are numbered despite the incredible success and influence they have had with all Israeli governments since the 1967 war.

The settlers see themselves as agents of Messianic theology that sees the re-establishment of the Jewish nation on the original lands promised to them by God in the Old Testament. Their faith allows them to see their victory as an established fact, if not now sometime in the future. Their faith aligns with our Christian faith that sees the re-establishment of the Israeli nation as a sign of the times. I had a conversation with Mr. Diouji, the patriarch of one of the Muslim families we got to know in Zambia. In that conversation he gave me his views on the war in Lebanon in the summer of 2006. He said he thought that eventually the Jews were going to colonize that entire area. When I asked him why he thought that, he said it was because those Arabs didn’t know how to get along with anyone and were always fighting among themselves. I told him that he just described two bible prophecies. Yes, eventually the Jews would reclaim the land and his description of the Arabs matches the description given to Ismael in: Gen 16:12 He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, And every man's hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren." NKJV

As I read the book I could feel the despair of the Palestinians. The idea of a national identity for Palestinians doesn’t have a 4000 year history like the Jews. They were given a nation in 1948 just like the Jews. They quickly lost it to the Jordanians who annexed Arab Palestine. Before that they were governed by the British while the Jewish population began to grow. Before that they were governed by the Turks who treated all of the Arabs under the Ottoman Empire as second class citizens. So now they are being propped up by the international community as this historic fact with no history to back up the myth. They have been defeated and occupied by the Jews and abandoned by the Muslim world. They live a life that, despite all of the talk of a two nation solution, is being squeezed by this infiltration by Jewish settlers into their lands. Maybe there will be a political solution that ends the settlements as they were ended in Gaza. Maybe not, we will see.

I side with the settlers, not because of them but because of what the bible says. Just like a man living in the 1800’s would have to say that someday there would be a Jewish nation centered around Jerusalem even when there were no Jews there (the Ottoman Empire did not allow Jews to live in Jerusalem) by faith. I, by faith, know that someday, someway the state of Israel will eventually have more than just military control over the lands the Jews call Samaria and Judea despite the Palestinian majorities of today. We will see.

I am in Yuma preaching for Pastor Kevin Foley. Once again, I really enjoyed the drive down to Yuma from Prescott. Last night I preached an ministry sermon that was followed by an outreach to a parking lot that has become the hangout for young adults with nice cars. The church gathered at one spot and began preaching to the folks across the parking lot. Some young guys had picked up a hearse (coffin included) on Craigslist for $1400. The church assembled on one side the Philistines on the other. One man started revving up his Harley to drown us out, but a “Hallelujah” sister crossed the abyss, as a David approaching Goliath, to offer him a tract which caused him to flee the scene. With the last testimony the police arrived to inform us about the local ordinances concerning noise. The bull horn was silenced as the church moved across the parking lot as a wave of Marines hitting the beach. There were no fights, no arguments and 3 people actually prayed with people from the church.

The young man I was talking to: ex-army, born again in Iraq, Catholic without attending church, reservist, had arrested people from some church that disrupts military funerals for the sake of peace as a military policeman, known by the local cops, explained to everyone on their side the rules of engagement: we were allowed to talk to them, but if it bothered them and they clearly asked us to stop talking to them and we continued, then we would be considered harassing them.

No one was harassed, but as I looked over the spiritual battlefield I could see small bands of fighters pressing through the spiritual darkness to bring light to the lost. How is that for a Peretti style, although I would love to see him add more. That night and every night we as Evangelical Christians stand on the promise of God:

Isa 55:11

11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;

It shall not return to Me void ,

But it shall accomplish what I please,

And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. NKJV

For the real lawyers out there the question is: When we speak the word of God is that the same as God speaking the word of God?

I came home from Oceanside and Joan and I on the way home took the back roads up to Crown King. Pastor Mitchell had been talking about how his mother used to deliver mail up to this mining town. It was a beautiful drive. I found out I could continue in the loop I had started and make it into Prescott, but it would have been much longer and we didn’t have the perfect vehicle. We then rendezvoused with Rick and Melanie who were using our car as they did a week long tour of Arizona with their son Stu. We ended up hiking ¾ up Granite Mountain Sunday between services. Joan had got that far before, that was my first crack at it. I took Rick and them to the airport as Joan continued to catch up on her school work, a little harder because of our Zambian trip. Joan was inducted into an honor society for 2 year colleges and she was nominated and selected to receive an achievement award from the liberal arts faculty. Not bad for a young lady her age.

Let me continue on about Zambia, the time is speeding by. The Bayles from Livingstone joined us at our guest house. It was great to see them and their children again. It was a full house for church. I preached my submission sermon using the characters of Naaman, Gehazi, Naaman’s wife and the servant girl. Friday morning I had breakfast with the pastors. This would be an important time together. All three of the baby churches have real financial needs for their buildings. When I was talking with Pastor Tembo about what he wanted to see in the revival. He said words to the effect that somehow I would communicate to everyone that I would not be the one to meet their needs. My one pastor who never asked me for anything, the one who took over the church wants to spread the spirit of self-reliance that is part of his life to the rest of the church. This went against the grain of my Santa Claus nature but I knew he was right.

After breakfast I began our conversation with the pastors describing my landlord. Each time he comes over to my house and personally collects my rent. We share ministry stories. He is very involved in helping 3^rd world churches. He owns property all over America and is probably financially very secure. Each time he comes over, I explained to them, there is a part of me (I measure off a portion of my arm) that would love for him to contribute to my ministry endeavors. I don’t know how big a part of me, but I know it is there. I don’t say anything to him but I cannot deny that I have those thoughts. Then, I said I am sure that is how you are viewing me today. I then told them that I had nothing to contribute financially. They all laughed and knew it was true. Now they began to explain carefully their needs and we could talk in terms of solving the issues they faced with the resources available to them. It was a great meeting.

After that meeting we had the James Tembo Film meeting. We congratulated ourselves on completing the task and now we were in the last phase of the project which is marketing. I gave them a breakdown of the royalties and explained that half of everything brought in by the web page would be distributed as royalties with the other half going towards production, mailing and marketing. I let them know that I would devote some time in trying to get the word out and that I was leaving $200 with them to be used at the local internet café to try and make contacts with people and direct them to the web page. (So far we have sold 4 sets, Blu and Darby from Zambia, Laura Michelle, my daughter, Loraine Peck from the Seattle church and Gregory Beamer who I contacted via the web) There wasn’t much to say, I don’t think anyone is thinking they are going to get rich, but the idea was let’s remain faithful, tithe, be content and believe God to help our efforts. I am looking forward to seeing what will happen.

After that meeting I had to hurry home so Joan could speak at the women’s meeting. While she was with the ladies from church I had a meeting with the pastors and council of the church. We met under the shade tree of our guest house. I brought out the snacks I had and we had some cokes from the guest house. We talked about the relationship with the council and the pastor. This turned out to be a great meeting. Joan and I would talk later about how exciting it was to see the women who really grasped the idea of being submitted to their husbands, we would see those husbands rise up after we left to be important elders in the church. Mr. Nyioni filled us all in again on school issues. Talk of using the church to solicit funds from outside groups. Talk of voting as a council verses just being their to help the pastor make decisions and keep him accountable. Dr. Okello, who missed golf to be here, (he now teaches Sunday school) really seemed to grasp the larger issues of the things we were talking about. The school issue was about who was ultimately in charge. They wanted to put Pastor Tembo in charge. I always wanted it separate from the church so it doesn’t entrap Pastor Tembo. I had just talked this issue through with Pastor Day so everyone was given very clear reasoning on the issue. In general it was just a great time of fellowship and strengthening of the church. I preached on money and prosperity that night. Our meetings ended just as we needed to be at church.

Saturday after prayer Barry and I visited the newest industry in Mazabuka, the bakery put together by the Catholic Church. One of my old baskeballers was back there working away, happy to see me. They had some tasty treats which we took home to the kids and the wives. The Collett’s dropped off their wonderful Kaleya Coffee for us to take home and for the Bayles. I talked with Grace, who filled me in on all of her activities since I left. I got a call from her daughter that night. This was Petronella who I and our church watch change before our eyes. She is now in Livingstone watching over the family property. She let me know she loved me. I felt blessed and honored. I am hoping the best for the entire family. The Coventry’s dropped by. Elanie and Terry Jones dropped by. That afternoon I preached a message for the men on the importance of a man of God responding to what God wants to do in his life. One of the men who had left the church while I was gone, attended the discipleship. There is always hope.

After the men’s meeting and before the evening service we visited our old next door neighbors, the nuns. They took our two dogs, Babbett and Luna. Babbett recognized us through the window as we walked to the doorway. We took turns holding Babbett as the Sister finished a phone call. By the time we left after spending some time chatting with all three of the sisters, including Babbett’s favorite (sorry, I know Joan remembers all of the names) it was time for church. Luna had proved too much for them so they directed to me to a house close to the mosque but they weren’t exactly sure. That night I preached on words that we speak, using the illustration of the radio report that identified all of the fornicators in Mazabuka at the different churches. This had caused fights and a near riot. Investigation could find no one who actually heard it on the radio. It never was on the radio. The power of gossip. We had dinner with the Nyoni’s that night.

The next morning before church I walked up the street of the mosque. There was one ragged fence that looked Luna-damaged. Sure enough as I peered through the fence there was Luna barking from a distance. She was chained up (she is only chained from 6 in the morning until the man of the house gets up). I started saying her name. She quieted down. Then I said “Luna sit”. It was now like a known voice from the past. She sat but could hardly contain herself. I snuck in. In her excitement she broke the chain and did her running thing. Later the new owner came out and we talked. When he had first got her she had run away and finally he sent everyone out to find her. The found her at a house up the road who explained to him that this dog (who was now right at home with them) came barging into their house, chasing them out and breaking things in the house. He could have the dog back only after he paid the damages. He happily paid and Luna is still a loved dog.

I’ll give one last report next time.

Let me return to my Zambian memories. Time is already flying past the two weeks we spent there. That Wednesday after preaching in Magoye I woke up and went to prayer at the church at 7:00. I noticed Pastor Tembo and some ladies from the church finishing up as I started. I then saw why. The school which starts at 7:30 was now using the main church building for their 10^th grade class. I prayed and watched the kids assemble and then went out and sat down with the guys. Before leaving Zambia we had transplanted many plants and cuttings from our garden to the church. We did this in August which would be followed by two brutal heat months before the rains. I wasn’t sure they would keep the plants alive with the sporadic water availability, but they did and the church looked beautiful. No broken glass and all of the equipment working; I couldn’t ask for anything more. I sat there with the guys as different guys from the church joined us. It was just like I had never left. I sat around with them until 9:30 when I rejoined Joan and we went to exercise in Zuby’s gym.

Zuby, the wife of one of the Baghoo’s (the wealthiest Muslim family in town) had started the gym after being certified as an instructor by the same woman who had certified Laura Michelle. She held different classes for different groups of people at different times. This was the slot that we use to attend along with some of her family and some local white farmers. We took it easy but it was the most I have exercised since we had left Zambia. After exercise she invited us over to her house for lunch on Friday. Lunch was very, very delicious. I miss the home cooked Indian dishes. We met Mohammad’s new bride and Mohammad and I were able to talk some politics. The whole world watches American politics. We were also scheduled to have a dinner with the Dougie’s Sunday night before we left. When I first stopped by Mazabuka Block, their hardware business, Abraham was in Lusaka so I was talking to his wife and mother. They let me know that the old man had passed away in August. Then they let me know that their eldest son had also passed away after the old man in the same month of August. Now I have two Muslim women crying as I attempt to comfort them by offering up a prayer which they accepted. Our Sunday meal would not transpire because the old woman broke her leg that day and they had to take her to the hospital in Lusaka.

After exercise I was off to golf with Johno Taylor and Colin Street while Joan spent some time at the internet café communicating and doing school work. Most of us have a love/hate relationship with the golf course because the maintenance is so hit and miss. It was established in 1922 and is a beautiful course with the established trees giving it a unique look. I had communicated with Johno who is an excellent golfer and quite competitive. He has turned his farm over to a manager and is concentrating on a small plane flying company specializing in bush safaris and the like. He teams up with Rory a local bird specialist and artist to do painting safaris. Colin has a coffee farm out Chickenkata way. It was his coffee that we saw in Starbucks as a Black Apron selection. We were with a recuperating Audra Lea so it was a special moment in our lives. We would end up stopping at the Street’s farm for breakfast on the way back to Lusaka the Monday morning we left.

That night I had my first church service back in Mazabuka. It was just perfect. Many old faces, some new faces and some faces doing well that pleasantly surprised me. One surprise was a woman named Charity who I always appreciated her coming. She was not real regular but she supported the church with tithes even though she was living alone with a young son. She was now part of the praise team which would require a higher commitment. Another surprise was Saul Zulu. Saul, a good basketball player, was always on that edge of flirting with carnality or living for God. That night he looked sharp in his tie and actually was the song leader to start off the revival. Like clockwork the power went out and the generator was turned on to continue service. I preached a message “Three for Sure Things”. I had actually preached it there the last Wednesday before I left Zambia after having lunch with the Diogees. The power never returned that night so we had our first night without fans or air conditioning. Yes, that is why it is called the real Africa.

The next day after prayer we took time to work with the school. Joan spent a lot of time talking with the 12^th graders who were the 10^th graders we taught the year we left. Afterwards, the 3 grades gathered together and I talked about the essay we had read from the book “An Army of David’s”. We then showed the school the film "James Tembo, Detective" followed by some question and answer time. Aucriddes Moonga is the only teacher from the church that has been able to stick with the program. The others have migrated to better paying jobs to be replaced by unemployed government teachers. This is not exactly what we had planned. Part of the problem is the collecting of tuition. Because the school was started by a church pastored by a white man there was a tendency to hope for free education. Mr. Nyoni explained this to me in a meeting we would have about the school. The other issue was that our students were not usually the children of the bread winner but were nieces and nephews who were being sponsored by the breadwinner who would do all he could to not pay the tuition until he had to. When I had left I was able to build a foundation for another classroom, but that was as far as my money could go. Life in America doesn’t give me as much free cash as I had in Zambia. After talking with the teachers and Mr. Nyoni it was agreed that a financial proposal would be developed and then look for a donor to help the school get up to proper standards. Once again I am very pleased with their ability to keep things going. Mr. Nyoni said that all of the grade 12 students have passed their grade 9 exams and all are ready for the grade 12 exams that take place in April. He was quietly confident that our students would do well.

My photo allotment for the month has been exhausted so I will have to post those later.

I am enjoying Oceanside. Pastor Tim Moyniham (gave up his Army commission to preach the gospel) and his wife Sue (West Point grad who also gave up her commission to follow her husband) are doing a great job here in Oceanside. Tim took me on a tour of Camp Pendleton and onto Fallbrook and then back around through Vista. This visit has been a trip through memory lane enhanced by this tour. We visited the neighborhoods on the base where I lived when I was 7 and 12. We lived in De Luz while my Dad was serving in Viet Nam. Listening to Tim’s testimony and remembering my father as we drove along the different firing ranges was very insightful. We watched as one section of the base was being locked down, probably in preparation for their departure from the base. We followed one road towards the mountains that I remembered as a kid. We used to ride our bikes out this road to the last hill that went steeply down into the Santa Maria river below. We would ride our bikes into the river and then spend the day exploring the river and fishing.

Tim is being drawn to Fallbrook, hoping to someday plant a church there. We toured around. I called my Mom who reminded me how to get to their old house in Fallbrook. Saw the house and just enjoyed the memories. It was a great day of memories and fellowship.

I finished preaching in San Marcos and I am now in Oceanside, CA. I preached a sin sermon using spiders and their tactics as a picture of the devil’s tactics to “kill, steal and destroy”. After church the kids came running into the church with news of a large rattlesnake outside. This started the group effort of taking care of the snake. Afterwards, with Pastor Pena holding the dead snake, I was wishing for a camera for my snake handling photo op.

This got us all sharing snake stories. We had killed many snakes in Zambia, mainly cobras and vipers. My wife would slice them up and use them in school. We went through a phase of making sure the snake was poisonous before killing the snake. One time a responded to the call of “snake” with a poll in hand. I was trying to turn the snake over to see if it had the distinctive collar of a cobra. It began to climb the piping leading to the geyser in our attic. Suddenly, it turned around, it flared out its neck, and I felt a mist cover my face. I instinctively licked my lip, only to taste the bitterness of the cobra’s poison. I redoubled my efforts to bring the snake down only to watch it slip into the opening into our attic. Sleeping that night, looking at the small hole next to our fan was no fun. This led to preaching a sermon about the need to deal with sin right away without waiting to see how damaging the bite will be.

Here in Oceanside, I joined the church in some street evangelism last night. It has been 30 years since I worked these same streets as a young unsaved man with my black partner, we were called “half and oreo cookie”. Oceanside now seems civilized compared to then. The combination of marines, tourists and young people give it a special feel. I talked with one young man who had been raised in church but now believed that no one knows. He let me know that Horus (spelling) the sun god of Egypt was first a man who healed the blind, was crucified and rose from the dead 3 days later. We talked and can only hope and believe that the word of God will touch his soul.

We start the revival this morning.

I am writing from San Marcos, Texas where I am preaching for Pastor Jim Pena’s church. Pastor Pena has pastored in many different churches, including two missionary stints into Costa Rico and Mexico. He will be 60 years old this May 24^th which is the 60^th anniversary of the birth of modern Israel.

Back to Zambia. The next morning Joan and I were going to travel back to Lusaka to enjoy a part of our Zambian life: the vegetable market. This is a place where many local farmers sold their goods as well as marketers for spices and nuts from afar. Getting ready to leave, we were met by Thompson Phiri. Thompson was a member of a special group of men in Mazabuka. We fellowshipped and just enjoyed him enjoying us being here. The drive to Lusaka was a beautiful trip down memory lane, with the refreshing visit to the market with Day’s, an added bonus. After the market we went with the Day’s to a coffee shop where we ran into the Coventry’s, a white farmer family that had been more than gracious to us in our time in Zambia. We saw Fee Evans, as well as being greeted by Charmain, the Coventry’s daughter.

During this time I was mentally preparing myself for the preaching in Magoye. On the trip over to Africa I had started reading "Daybreak in the Dark Continent", a book I found for 10 cents. What a treasure chest of a book to read upon my return to Africa. The book was originally published in 1905, my edition is the “Livingstone Edition” and includes a special chapter on David Livingstone entitled “The Herald of the Dawn”. The book describes the early missionary successes and does a great job of giving Livingstone credit for those early successes (many writers try to downplay his influence). The 4-fold thrust of missionary work described in the book is still in evidence today: evangelistic, medical, industrial (vocational training) and educational.

It was the chapters on life and religion in Africa that got me thinking about Magoye. It seems that the forces of African witchcraft had achieved victory over our efforts in Magoye. One of my favorite men in the church was Benson Sitenge. He was instrumental in helping us establish the work in Shimungalu, a place where he bought fish to sell. We eventually sent Charles Tembo to Shimungalu to pastor and sent Benson to Magoye to start a new work at his request. Pastor Benson was doing a good work in establishing a church. All of my pastors would describe hellacious attacks upon their minds. I could only compare them to what I experienced as a pioneer pastor in Seattle, because I seemed to be immune to these things while in Africa.

One time Pastor Benson asked me to come out and pray for him. He was describing the effects of the witchcraft that he was sure was being aimed at his life. After talking and praying he asked me to pray for an ailment, a large cyst ready to pop on his side. We prayed and then he took me to his house where I prayed for his son Nathan. Nathan had the same cyst in the same spot on his body. You know this is not just a coincidence but evidence of spiritual forces attacking him and his family. Magoye is a step removed from Mazabuka. The time honored beliefs in charms, witches and witchdoctors is more ingrained among the people who live there. Benson needed to fight through these battles to establish the kingdom of God in Magoye.

Being surrounded by a culture believing in the power of charms, Benson needed to press forward the claims of the gospel. One of these battlegrounds was the area of hard work and tithing. Our church had helped Benson to do some farming. This was a minimal expense for our church. He rented a plot of land for about $20 and needed another $75 for seed and fertilizer. The local cotton company would even provide seed and fertilizer at a higher price to be repaid when the harvest comes. The point is that anyone can do this if they are willing to work. Benson is a worker and he made a handsome profit two years in a row. He even got two of the young men to follow suit and try it on their own and they made a profit also. Despite these obvious victories Benson labored under the constant cloud of spiritual darkness. I knew a turning point had been reached when we were talking about money and the future and he insisted that true way of prosperity lies in the charms you use. I was flabbergasted. I tried unsuccessfully to remind him of his own successes but at this point he was convinced in his mind. He had reached a tipping point to where the spiritual attacks had taken the needed toll on his faith to where the power of witchcraft was greater than the power of God. We would later talk about the problems in his ministry and he agreed to come back to Mazabuka. He would then change his mind and as I left Zambia he was still the wounded pastor in Magoye soldiering on.

Now on my return Pastor Benson had come back to Mazabuka and Pastor Happy Muntali had taken his place. After arriving in Mazabuka we took a trip to the church to drop off the equipment we had brought. We saw Nellie and stopped to chat, and along comes Brother Benson coming from the police station where he was complaining about a friend who sold his pigs that he had left with him for safekeeping. The black cloud was still over his life. I knew God needed to redeem him and I knew I needed to make my one service in Magoye count. I was determined to preach as pointed a sermon as I could on the entangling power of witchcraft in the lives of the people coming to church there.

We went our to Magoye where Pastor Happy’s wife Happiness served us catfish, nshima and vegetables. Delicious. Charles Chifuku and Timmy along with Pastor Tembo and Bette accompanied us and we all ate together. Happy had quit a good job at Sugar to take this post as pastor. He had let me know that when he took over the church he was having only 5 people come, considering the size of his family, it was a rough start. He ceased afternoon services and concentrated on evangelism. He was expecting 50 people tonight and he was right. There was a great spirit in the school building where they met. I would be preaching by candlelight again, and again the things I wanted to say were deep enough in my heart to where my notes would not be necessary. I was able to preach on witchcraft versus the promises of God. I was weaving Benson’s defeat into the sermon, stealing some thoughts from Pastor Aulson’s sermon on the idea of the limited resources of the devil being expended in trying to defeat the kingdom of God. The devil had won a victory in chasing Pastor Benson from this place but it was only a temporary victory and now the promises of God were in full evidence to everyone in Magoye with the rebirth of our efforts in the town. I finished with a call to repent and break the curse of involvement with witchcraft. It took a little pulling, I had to start with Mr. Lunge and remind him that I knew of his personal contracting with witchdoctors. He responded and everyone else followed suit. This is so part of the culture that most would just assume blend it into their church activities. But, we made a definitive break and separation that Happy will be able to cap on in the years to come. I felt like a victorious boxer after a 15 round fight. I know their will be rematches.

Here are some pictures of the market and Mogoye.

We left Lusaka and drove to Mazabuka on Monday the 17^th. Joan was getting pictures of school children along the way. She is taking classes and one of her classes is in multi-cultural education and she has to assemble a report of Zambian education to make up for her absences on this trip. The drive was like a drive home. A common phrase while we were in Zambia was: “it feels more like coming home here than it did when we returned to America”. Road has a few more pot holes. Had to stop for cows. Got into town and stopped at our old house. As we were peeking through the gate the workers came up to the gate. They all recognized us and invited us in saying the new tenants knew us, but we declined and went on to our guest house and checked in.

We went to the church to drop off the equipment we brought. The church looked beautiful. Just before leaving we had planted lots of cuttings from our house. Those cuttings have prospered and gave the church a rich, living appearance. Pastor Tembo and his wife greeted us along with all of the kids going to school. We had started a 10^th grade our last year for several reasons, all good. Those 10^th graders were now 12^th graders and the school used our two Sunday School rooms and part of the church. They need to build a building. So we spent some time recalling all of the names of the students we taught back when they were 10^th graders.

We had to hurry back and get ready for church in Monze tonight. We got ready, picked up the Tembo’s, drove to the Magoye turnoff and picked up Pastor Happy Muntali and went on to Pastor Oliver Hanzela’s house in Monze. Sheila, his wife, served us one of our favorite dishes that she makes: sweet potatoes with peanut sauce. Ate the food, drank the water and talked and then headed to the church. Pastor Oliver had set it up so we could have a kind of grand arrival. This included the unique sounds the women make in greetings of this kind. It was a wonderful experience. The church building (thanks to Wickenburg) was looking good, they were still using their keyboard and they had built a small house for the caretaker Christopher and his wife. Christopher was one of our first converts in Mazabuka, but being a worker he would always be coming and going between jobs.

Pastor Oliver was in no hurry to start, so I was asked to teach them a song. So I led them in some songs and was able to even remember “Alive, Alive” in Tonga. We finally got going with a great song service, special choir music and Pastor Oliver’s over exuberant introduction. Just as I started to preach the power went out. Just like old times. Preached a prophetic message covering the 3 comings of Christ with candles burning. It just felt great as service ended we were given gifts and returned home after dropping Pastor Happy off in Magoye after traveling the muddy roads in the dark.

Back in the room, the power returned as we charged our batteries for the week to come.

We had a great breakfast with Pastor Mitchell this morning in which he got to talking about how we came to be where we are as a fellowship. He talked about his investigation of coffee house ministries in California and bringing it back to Prescott. The ministry is still going today when most others have stopped. He verbalized the whole idea of the mystery of God’s moving and saving, mentioning the salvation of Tom Payne, Jeff Day and Lois Palino despite a not quite right man working with him at that time. He talked about how we developed the idea of each church being independent and responsible for their own planting of churches, something very unusual in today’s church world. He mentioned one fellowship that had over a million dollars available for church planting. So the local church can request the funds to train and send someone out. This was all started by a question about any other fellowships that operate like we do. Pastor Mitchell has refused to become an administrator, aware of the dangers this would pose. He still is a pastor, Sunday School teacher with a finger on the pulse of his congregation. What I found enjoyable in listening to him is his easygoing knowledge that our fellowship was not some blueprinted plan hatched out of his mind. It was just something that developed as they attempted to obey God.

I imagine that any man that was responsible for the building of a fellowship that spans the planet with over 1500 churches would talk about…..I think you understand what I am getting at. A leader yes, but not filled with himself.

The day after Youth Day I went to prayer with Pastor Day. We then had breakfast at the church with his staff. After a good breakfast Pastor Day began to rehearse yesterday’s events with the men. Christopher, our cook, is in charge of outreach and equipment. BaWilly is second in command and Given is helping out while he organizes his paperwork to get into Angola. It was a beautiful lesson in discipleship. For Africa it was the excellent lesson of taking responsibility for actions, good and bad. Plenty of praise after an excellent day, with the proper examination of slip ups with an acknowledgment and a commitment to do better next time. Pastor Day rehearsed the interaction with all of the visiting churches and their pastors. Mazabuka and Pastor Tembo got special mention because when money was offered for transport, Pastor Tembo refused saying he would take care of it. This is a very unusual response in Africa, worthy of special note for the future leaders of our fellowship in Zambia.

We did a little shopping for my Zambian caps, found one at Kabwata market. It was great to be in the midst of a Zambian market again. Made the trip out to the airport to check on my luggage. Phone calls usually do not work in Zambia, the personal touch is always needed. I was right at home as I politely worked my way to the offices. Locked. A woman shows up and we start the day. She has to take care of me, open the office, and make sure over the phone that her daughter has transport from school that day. Some small talk is always necessary. This is where I have to keep that American “get the job done now” attitude in check. Handed over to one man who will take me to the area where lost luggage is stored, walking with “hallelujah’s” accompanying our journey. Handed over again to a man who seems to remember my name. Taken to the bin, I spot my luggage, now we must find our name on a hand written list. It took a while because of misspellings but we found it and once again I paraded through customs without stopping.

Revival started that night. Had a good series of meetings. I have been connecting my prayer for the sick with associations of negative activities that are fairly common. In the US I always get some people to respond with some positive results. I found no one would voluntarily come forward admitting that their sickness might be connected to the negative activity I described. These associations are very common: worry, stress and depression for one message on faith, so to respond would mean that your faith is not what it should be, back and body pain associated with rebellion and stubbornness, (that’s what I am praying against as I lay typing this) stomach and digestive problems associated with gossip and evil speaking. No takers all week. Lesson learned.

Lusaka is an unusual church in that God has blessed the church with good finances. They truly have tapped into God’s economy, God “commanding His blessing” upon them. One man, Benjamin, started a small auto parts shop when he got saved. He faithfully tithed and rode the wave of more and more cars coming into Zambia expanding his business to cover all of Zambia. One of my favorite couples is George Salami and his wife. They welcomed us years ago when we first came to Zambia to visit. In my sermons I would mention certain books, all read by George, who is in charge of the Education Examinations Board of Zambia. I believed that God had something for me to say to him: “There is no retirement in the Kingdom of God”. He came up to me after church and said that the word was perfect for him at that moment of time.

During the revival I was able to take the Day’s to our two favorite restaurants in Lusaka. I remember asking Joseph in Mazabuka about his favorite restaurants in Lusaka. He was our Muslim butcher until he returned to England. The Lusaka club for steak and upstairs at LA Fastfood for Indian. We were able to take them to both restaurants for excellent meals. We were able to show them a few places we liked in Lusaka. Majoro Meats for an excellent butchery. While there I mentioned pork neck, Jeff allowed me to buy some despite his better judgment. We bought some fillet (Zambian beef is some of the tastiest in the world). It was nice to see the dried pig’s ear still there. This was being sold there because Joan brought some back from the states and asked them if they could make some for the dogs. They did and found a niche market for the product. We visited Castle supermarket that has a nice combination of European goods.

I had a great time with Pastor Day. We played Scrabble with he and his wife Maureen several nights and had a great time together. They and their children are adjusting well to the new life and he is rising to the responsibilities before him. During the revival we were greeted by several people from Mazabuka; Owana (Dr. Okello’s son), Cornelius (working on a railroad contract in Lusaka), Michael (working as a teacher) and Felix (our first convert in Mazabuka). Felix is now 18. He was with us for years until his mother died and he got taken in by an uncle in Chingola. He is now back in Mazabuka but came down to Lusaka to try out for their version of “American Idols”. I read his journal entries about the experience and was very impressed with his writing about the event. Felix blessed me when I asked about the key word in two verses about Joseph: “serve”. My Lusaka experience was wonderful but there was more to come in Mazabuka.

Before leaving for Mazabuka that Monday the 17^th we had breakfast after prayer. I took this opportunity to cook the pork neck which I love and can’t find here in the states. The guys loved it and Pastor Day was to polite to do anything but eat it and say it was good. Here is a photo of Owana, Felix, Cornelius, Mr. & Mrs. Salami, Maureen and Kerri and Pastor Jeff Day and his guys at breakfast.

We arrived to Lusaka enjoying the feeling of return. New visa requirements were explained as they asked about our return. Talked about church and our return without any holdups. Filled out the forms for missing bags and confidently followed Pastor Jeff Day through customs with our keyboard and speaker without paying. Things have changed.

Wednesday March 12 was Youth Day in Zambia. Jeff wanted me to preach two sermons that day. This Youth Day was different from what I remembered; instead of a youth focused get together at the church (allowing me to preach about dating) Jeff had turned it into a day of outreach with a parade topped off by music and drama that night. I preached an evangelism message as the young people formed groups (several churches had gathered including 14 from Mazabuka) to evangelize. This was followed by a meal and then we had the parade. Several trucks loaded with young people with a police escort moving through the neighborhoods around the church. I can almost remember the refrain of music that punctuated the event causing the bystanders to sway a bit with a breakout of actual dancing an ever possibility. It was nice to hear Timothy Zulu and Cornelius Monze testify and sing with the Lusaka musicians.

I took this time to walk with Pastor Tembo as we talked about how things were going in the Mazabuka church since my departure. That night Timothy a.k.a. James Tembo sang with Saul, Cornelius, Everisto and Alvah. Alvah made the big mistake of announcing that we really dance in Mazabuka: this required Jeff to come up front and inform them not to dance. It reminded me of a moment in time many years before when Jeff the Door Director was asking Scott Lamb and his band to keep the music level down in a courtyard music scene. In this case they toned it down, but Timothy was pushing it to the limit. Jeff had seen Timothy as a song leader in Mazabuka and felt he could have grace on Timothy. The young people loved it. Between Jeff seeing Timothy as a song leader, seeing him that night and later seeing him in the film “James Tembo, Detective” Timothy was actually having favor with Jeff. Jeff’s comment as I tried to apologize for them was “that’s who Timothy really is”. Afterwards I went up to Alvah and he said “Don’t say anything, I know”. It was a great night.