January 29, 2012
Dear Praying Friends,
John 21:15 – When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you”. Jesus said, “Feed my lambs”.
The above verse was one of the student’s recent memory verses. It seems like all of you who support the college are feeding His lambs so they will learn and grow and go out and feed more of the dear lambs of Jesus. Thank you all for loving the students and the ministry of Gospelink.
The shipping containers are here, the shipping containers are here!!!!
It was an exciting day when the two shipping containers were finally delivered to the college. They arrived just at the right time as the Georgia men were here waiting to open the doors and get to the shelving and books for the library. They were nice student desks for each student cabin and some nice beds and mattresses on the container. The students were so happy with the desks that they were laughing and singing as they carried them to their cabins. I could not begin to list all the items that were on both of these containers. The new wiring was on the container with all the medical supplies and was needed at this time so Jack could finish some wiring on the library. The large spool of wiring was also needed for the clinic as the medical machines on the container will need additional power and the solar house also needs more power.
Sorry it has taken me so long to get this update done. The internet has been very unreliable these past two weeks. I don’t know if the rains have anything to do with it or not. When I get frustrated and I do, I do my best to remember I am very blessed to have internet at all.
Here are the words to a new Stephen Curtis Chapman song that is encouraging to me.
Sing Alleluia, the sun’s (son’s) breaking through, to take back the dark sky and make everything new. We knew joy was coming, we just had to wait. Now we sing Alleluia because it’s a brand new day. So let’s sing Alleluia, the dark night is gone, creation is singing so come join the song. The Father’s calling to come out and play, so we’ll sing alleluia 'cause it’s a brand new day. 'Cause it’s a brand new beautiful day.
Chad, Amber & Elaina left us the second week in January and headed back to the states to show off their beautiful baby girl. Elaina has grandparents, uncles, aunts and many friends who are anxious to have her (and Dad & Mom of course) back in the states. We will miss the Love family and pray for God’s continued protection and guidance for this young family. We were very blessed to have them here at the college with us.
Still continuing to get Christmas cards, thank you to everyone who remembered us in this way. I have always loved Christmas cards and receiving them brings back wonderful memories for me.
All the chickens are sold, eaten, or in the freezers from the last batch of chicks. The 3rd batch should be arriving at the end of this week. The four students who are in charge of the chicks have the building ready and are excited to start the process over again. Please keep Lafayo, Luka, Emmanuel and Mex in your prayers as they take turns working the night shift the first week to watch over the chicks.
Many of you have asked about the health of my eye and the pressure is now down to a healthy level with the drops I take 3 times a day. I am so thankful for the medication that God allows to keep my eyes healthy.
We picked up Adam Hoyt, a young man from South Dakota, who is joining us at the college for a year. He will be Paul’s right hand as he has roofing and plumbing experience. Adam is living in staff house #6 that Chad & Amber had lived in. The first week he was here we had to slow him down and tell him he didn’t need to have all the plumbing fixed in one week! He is a hardworking, wonderful young man and I want to thank his parents for raising such a fine young man. Adam’s parents have been serving full time at an Indian reservation in South Dakota.
Lewis Nelms, Director of Gospelink arrived at the college the 2nd week in January to greet the incoming freshmen class and do their orientation. Lewis will be staying for 3 months to help in many ways and will return again later in the year to help some more. We are so grateful he is able to spend more time at the college with us this year. His wife Leah will be joining him soon and I look forward to spending time with her as well. We have a total of 57 students this year and we are looking forward to a great year. The freshmen class is excited to be here and it is so rewarding to see the upper classmen take them under their wings and guide them in the routine of college life. This year for the first time we have students in some of the cabins on compound one. We are enjoying them and get to hear their laughter and singing more often. I do have to share the clothesline with them but we have worked out a good deal.
Let me see if I can remember the freshmen names without looking at a list: Phineas, Vincent, J.K., Harold, Oscar, Jyris, Noel, Patricia, Mulenga, Dixon, Benson, Gift, and Frances. 5 of these students are from Malawi. (I must confess I had to ask a freshmen student if I had all the names) .
Teachers here now are Pastor Cliff from, GA, Pastor Mike from MO and Pastor Benji from FL. Mr. Jack Baynes and Mr. Tom Goodson from GA are here to do electrical and roofing work on the library. Speaking of the library, the shelves are put together and we have books on the shelves!!!!! Yes, you heard me right, with all the work done this past week the library is officially open-- everyone is SO excited to see the pretty roof complete and the wonderful new books on the shelves. We want to say a BIG thank you to the ladies at the First Baptist Church in Dublin, GA for all the hard work they did in putting protective covers on the books, cataloging, carding and stamping all the books. None of these ladies have ever been to the college yet they love and pray for the students and did this work for them, as unto the Lord. The many hours this job took are unbelievable to me. A big thank you to all the men and women who worked on getting the building built to hold on the books! We still have the finishing work to do on the inside, get some more doors put on, get the table and chairs arranged then the library will be ready for use. The students are all so excited and have been in the library already looking at all the books they will now have available to them. We want to thank everyone who gave to the library project, as you will never know how all these wonderful books will be used to give knowledge to these young students and advance the kingdom of our Lord.
Jack continues to work on the solar between putting together book shelves. The students have a 16’ trench dug from the generator house to the clinic and then from the generator house to the solar house. Very heavy-duty wire was on the shipping container with the medical supplies and that is what will be laid in the trench. I don’t know too much about wire, but this stuff is like four heavy duty wires wove together and looks to me like it could handle about anything. Our good friend Rich Opsata has done a lot of work on the wiring and the solar and we are here again to continue the wiring project to the clinic and solar house.
All the work that has been done at the college campus over the last 7 years is just amazing. God only knows the many people who have worked and given to the college since Lewis had the dream to build it. We do reap what we sow and know that God is watching over His lambs who sacrifice for His kingdom.
Sunday 1/22 Pastor Cliff gave a wonderful message on “Writing our own story”. We were challenged to keep our eyes on the story God is writing with our own lives and not to be concerned are comparing our story with others. Jesus told Peter, “Let me show you what I will do with your life, Follow Me.”
If any visitors give me something with the intent of me keeping it until the following year, you best tell Paul and me both. I must apologize to Jack Baynes as he left quite a bit of stuff to use on his return trip and I didn’t realize it so I gave it all away. Thank you Jack for being forgiving especially when the rain was pouring down on you and I had given away your rain suit.
We have had some wonderful rains this past month so thank all of you for your prayers. Please continue to pray for the people of Zambia to have a good harvest of their crops.
Some of the goodies the Georgia church brought us were: cake, muffin mixes, nutter butter cookies (yum) shoe strings, peanut butter, Hormel chili (no beans of course) foldgers coffee bags, pistachio nuts, shoe strings, some practical stuff like wiring, pliers and some really good paint brushes, but I just put those aside and went right for the cookiesJ They were a lot of clothes and shoes in the library container, and I have been told the medical container holds more clothing items. Thanks to everyone who donated these items as the students and our neighbors will benefit from your gifts.
Paul and I made a trip to Chongwe and picked up some chicken supplies and were supposed to pick up the 500 new chicks. Well after we waited for an hour they called and told us it would be another weekL. Just part of the process, but keeping our frustrations down is a full time job.
With the rains it is hard to get the laundry of our visitors dry, hopefully they will have some dry clothes to wear home. Pastor Cliff spent some time with us one evening and really affirmed us in our ministry here and encouraged us to not grow weary in doing good. He is a wonderful Pastor/Teacher/Friend to us. We want to thank his church in Dublin, GA for sharing him with us.
On Saturday Adam, Paul and I made a trip to Lusaka for groceries and other needed items for work that needs done this week. I was able to get my hair cut and nails done while they did the important stuff. I guess you need to be a woman to know the power of a good haircut and some pampering at a hair salon. Paul knows this is money well spent to help me keep a good positive attitude. Does this sound pretty shallow?? Sorry if it does but God seemed to make us women to like feeling pretty. I also had my eye pressure checked and it was good. We ate at a restaurant in the mall and actually had a pretty good cheeseburger. We were all happy with this good meal.
Lewis had a “Welcome” party for all the students. Chicken (of course), goat, French fries, rice, coleslaw and an orange or apple for dessert. The food was great and the fellowship around the tables was the best.
Sunday, 1/29/12 Pastor Benji gave a wonderful message on “Overcoming Fear”, fear in life and fear in death. Romans 8:28-39 was the text. I was reminded once again of the unfathomable love of God, sending his only son to die for me. What joy I was given from God’s word that nothing, nothing can ever separate me from God’s love.
Sun is shining as Tom Goodson and Adam Hoyt give some final touches to the roof copula. Jack, Paul and Lewis are working on getting the wire where it needs to be for the solar house and clinic. Our teachers are teaching, our students are learning and I am just sitting on my couch, eating cookies and typing. Well, someone’s got to do the touch work around here.
I looked out my door one day and saw Pastor Cliff chasing the goats away from his classroom, Pastor Benji cleaning up after the goats and Pastor Mike laughing at the two of them. The teachers who visit us here at the college never know for sure what they might be doing!
Jack Baynes made this BIG chandelier for the library and it has like 14 light bulbs in it. It is now installed and hanging from one of the high library beams. It looks really cool, but Paul told Jack we will need to get more power before we can leave it turned on for too long. Thank you Jack for the cool gift.
Please pray for: The freshmen students to adjust to their new environment and studies.
For the health & safety of everyone on the campus, colds going around.
My brother-in-law Roger back in NE as he had 5 bypass heart surgeries.
For our friend Keith in MN, as he goes through treatment for cancer.
For me (Lori) as the overcast rainy weather is hard on me.
For Paul as he continues to do the work of two men and is tiring.
We praise God for Adam’s arrival as he will help Paul with the work load.
We praise God for our son Ben back in Nebraska, whom we are so proud of.
I best sign off and think about lunch and supper. Paul really appreciates it when I remember to have some food ready to go. It seems we both like to eat on a regular basis.
Thank you all for your prayers, support, love and encouragement to us. It means more then you’ll ever know.
You are loved by Jesus and us.
.
1/1/2012
Happy New Year! These verses remind me of a new year, a new beginning.
Lamentations 3:22-26 The Lords loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail, they are new every morning; great is they faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I have hope in Him. The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the Lord.
We want to first thank all of you who prayed for rain. This past week we have received around 4 inches! We praise God with you, for sending the life giving rains. Please continue to pray for the national people to have a good corn harvest.
Thanks to everyone who sent us a Christmas card or a Christmas greeting via email. We had a very quiet Christmas day. The 8 students who stayed at the college to work the gardens and care for the chicks led a wonderful service. The number at the service was small but love for our Lord was big. I did bake some sugar cookies for us and Paul says they were some of my best. Of course having only those to choose from helped his appreciation for the cookies.
We are planning a two day trip to Victoria Falls in March with Pastor Paul & Diana Hofrichter from our home church. This is their 3rd year of making the trip over to teach and we all wanted to share a trip together to see the falls. This will be a refreshing time for all of us and something special to look forward too.
Please continue to pray for Dr. Margie from Nebraska as she is now raising support to serve full time in the medical clinic on the college campus. We are looking forward to her arrival as soon as the Lord makes the way.
Please pray for the two shipping containers to arrive soon. They have been cleared from the border and are supposed to be arriving any day. I cannot tell you how many calls and trips to town have been made by Paul trying to get those containers here. We know that many phone calls were also made from friends in the states who sent the containers. You wouldn’t think it would be such a big deal going through a big shipping company, but we remind ourselves that we are not in the states. Paul & I are looking forward to the unpacking the medical supplies and we have been told there are some special goodies for us that our home church sent. I know we will have a lot of work and fun getting it unloaded.
Please pray for the bottles of my eye medication to arrive soon.
Paul has been very hard getting the windows made for the 2nd classroom. I was called into help with the clean-up of the shop. I put 3 totes for sawdust into the sawdust storage tank. Of course the next few days with more boards being cut and sanded I was blessed to do it all again. I must say that working with Paul does give me great joy. The only problem in us working together is that if he forgets to say thank-you I get my feeling hurt, and then can start to pout. This attitude of mine is not Christ like and the Holy Spirit usually reminds me of this right away. I also helped Paul put on the hooks and screen closures on the windows of classroom one. Really, I don’t know how he manages to get a thing done without me :)
Paul has made several trips to Chongwe with and for the students; Medical care, food and other supplies. We have helped some neighbors with the corn meal that they use for most of their meals so they would be sure and have it for Christmas time. We bought a goat from a lady in a bucket that fed three families.
Pastor Arnot & Betty have a daughter and three granddaughters visiting them right now. I have been grateful that they have shared all those girls with me for a few weeks. Maria, baby Mwapa, Nora and Mocha. They have been a blessing to me.
One day I wrote down just what I do in an average day: Make beds, diet coke and take medications, devotion and prayer time, sorted out meds in household to keep on hand for the students and ones I can take down to the clinic, took some books over to the library, gave some clothes and shoes to some ladies, sorted out some keys and matched them up to locks, did dishes and swept the floor. Helped students with requests for pain pills and getting some meat from the freezer for their supper. Did some reading and crocheting, fixed lunch, after lunch break think about what is for supper. Paul seems to like his three meals a day. I did some emailing and worked on some written correspondence as well. I would say this is what an average day looks like. Of course there is laundry and other house things to get done. When I am working outside some other things just wait. I have had people ask me what a day looks like for me so I wanted to write some things down. Of course Paul’s days I could never keep track of, but I know I can count on seeing him at meal times and checking in with him :)
Today he asked me about making some cinnamon rolls!! He must think I am Betty Crocker’s sister. Well I did look in the two cookbooks I have and didn’t find a recipe, so if you have one please email it over to me.
I have had some fun watching the goats. I have never heard the many different sounds that come from goats, kind of interesting. The goats like to think they have the run of the place but we all have to watch for them getting into the wrong places. I planned to get out a Christmas letter but that did not happen.
A few of the ladies who live close by wanted some work so we had them sweep and dust out the clinic. They did a great job, appreciated the work and the clinic has a nice clean smell :)
Today Paul is cooking a turkey on our grill for the students. He wanted to give them a different taste of what meat can taste like when it is not boiled. They are all looking forward to it. Pastor Arnot gave a great message, using several scriptures on running a good race for the Lord and finishing well. He told a story about a man who had 12 mouths and had to decide which mouth he would listen too. Pastor Arnot shared that of all the voices we can hear in our heads the best one to listen to is God. We hear God’s voice the best from reading and knowing His word, and by listening for His quiet voice.
We pray a wonderful year of growth as you walk with Jesus our Lord & Savior.
You are loved by Jesus and us.
January 12, 2012
Peace and Love to all of you who read these diary pages and encourage us to keep the updated postings going when I fall behind. We are well and things are gearing up around the campus for the new school year. Some of the students are back already and are helping Paul with some special projects. Jess and I continue on in our vital supervisory role.
Paul went to Chongwe on Tuesday to pick up some students and to purchase more student food. If you can believe it these young men like to eat three meals a day, just like Paul :)
Thank you all who have continued to pray for rain. As I am typing this it is raining. Many of our neighbors have had to replant their corn and we still are in vital need of more rains. Please continue to pray for God’s mercies in sending the rain where it is needed.
My friend Diana Cook in Grand Island and I made a commitment with each other to exercise every day for at least 20 minutes. Of course we are doing more, but we know we have to do at least the 20. I have gotten off to a great start. Marylyn Christenson sent back with me two ”Walk at Home” exercise videos by Leslie Sansone. They are both hard but I am improving in my stamina as I go along. I seem to need a schedule in my life to do well and to stay motivated. Each day after I do my exercise I put a sticker on the calendar. It helps me stay positive when I see all those stars and smiley faces on the calendar.
I would like to ask all of you to pray for our friend Keith who is going through treatment for cancer right now. Keith has been at the college and helped with many projects. Thank you for remembering Keith and his family during this time.
Yes, I did make the cinnamon rolls from a bread dough recipe and I must say they turned out great!! Go Figure Paul was very impressed and the rolls only lasted two days. It was great fun for me to try something I had never baked before and have it turn out and not be burned.
Paul tells people I think he is a God since I give him burnt offerings :) (Please take this in the humorous way it is intended)
We had an army of red ants go through the chicken house one night and they killed fifteen chickens before the students and Paul could get all the chickens out. The students came to our door around 11:00 pm and told Paul they needed his help. Most of the group spent hours cleaning out all the sawdust and manure from the chicken house and putting clean bedding down. We are so thankful know more than 15 chickens died. The students were able to butcher some and we gave others away to workers here on campus. We were also thankful Paul had ant spray on hand or it could have been a lot worse.
The First Baptist Church in Beulah, North Dakota is promoting the “Buy chicken, feed some students” campaign. For $3.00 a chicken people can help supply fresh meat for the student’s. This is a great way for children and adults alike to get involved in a way that makes a difference right away. Sunday school classes, Vacation Bible Schools, Bible Study groups, so many different groups could support this project. If you would like a flyer just let us know and we can have Gaylen Jensen from North Dakota send you one.
Paul has worked the past three weeks getting the six windows made for classroom number two. He has them all made now, has them painted and as of today has three of them installed. I am so proud of him for all the time he has spent in the shop making, putting together, installing the glass and screens in these windows. The red paint matches the roof and they look great. We will need some teams of painters to get the classroom painted and a ceiling installed.
One afternoon Big Isaac, a senior student came to get Paul. He told Paul there was a monitor lizard in the top of a tree by the student cabins. Well off the mighty hunter Paul goes with his power sling shot. Paul and two of the students were able to shoot the lizard out of the tree. It was around 3 foot long or so. The lizard has that prehistoric look like crocodiles do I think. Some of the guys are pretty good aims with those sling shots.
Paul and I made a trip to Lusaka, “Crazy Land” as we like to call it. We had to go down to the crazy market area to pick up our Toyota that had been in for repair. This meant that I had to drive out of the crazy area following Paul in the van. I must say I did really well and did not even “Honk” at anyone. I cannot say the same for Paul. I think men just like honking the horns we stopped at a hardware store to pick up the glass for the classroom windows and the owners we so happy to see us and gave us a 2012 calendar, pens and a key chain. This might not seem like much but to us it was big. They showed us their friendship and appreciation for the Gospelink business and we a nice visit with them. We were able to have a nice lunch in town as we had to wait to arrive at Chongwe around 1:00 to pick up more students. The trip went well and all in all it was a good trip to town. We just can’t say that very often.
Today, four of the students went to town to get the propane bottles filled, buy food and some items for a repair job to one of the water pipes. We are so thankful that James is a good driver and is willing to help whenever he is needed to drive.
I am using the “Daily Walk” Bible to read through the Bible this year. I am kind of taking a different approach with this reading and focusing on just reading the stories. I am keeping a log of my questions and our thoughts about what I read. I have never done this on a read through before and I know the Lord will teach me new things this year.
It is still raining! Thank you Lord!!
Genesis 32:10 - “I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant.”
We echo Jacob’s words to our God.
