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Update 2/10/09

Little known facts:

Paul met Lori at the grocery store they both worked at as Senior’s in high school.

Paul would make sure he would put the fruit on the top of people’s sacks so he could eat some of the fruit as he carried their groceries to the car.

Lori saw Paul for the first time at the grocery store when she applied for a job.

True love was born and the rest is history.

Dear Friends,

WOW, what an exciting two weeks! It has just been wonderful.

Pastor Cliff Morris from Georgia and Pastor Paul & Diana Hofrichter from Nebraska were here for two weeks. Pastor Cliff taught the 18 first year students and Pastor Paul taught the 12 second year students. Everyone was busy at the campus. It has been very exciting as this school year gets started. The 18 new students which include the first 3 female students’ are all getting acclimated to college life. Paul and I are working on getting to know the student’s first names and having fun to see their different personalities. I do believe we will have top quality young students just as the first year students have been.

The student’s started right in with their portion of the work scholarship program. Much new garden space has been cleared and planted. We have a large area of watermelon, tomatoes, and other green veggie planted and is coming up already. Thank you for your prayers for the rain and sunshine for the crops. The corn is looking as good as the corn in Nebraska. I know that is saying a lot but it is tall and tasseled out and the ears we have picked and looked at are full and no bugs at all. God is so good.

Our church service on January 31 had the attendance of 60 plus people!! It was wonderful and the music and message were great. Pastor Henry taught the Sunday school class and Pastor Cliff gave the biblical message. Pastor Paul & Diana shared two songs with us and then taught the songs to the student’s during the week. A quartet of young men from the 2nd year student’s blessed us with some new songs we had not heard and did a great job. I asked Pastor Henry if having a good singing voice was on the college application and he said “No”, we are just blessed with beautiful singing voices.

Diana Hofrichter brought with her from the states a LARGE selection of jewelry making supplies. Wires, beads, tools and all the other stuff needed to make jewelry. The female student’s, Mildred, Faith and Sareh, learned quickly and are having lots of fun. The other ladies on the campus also learned the art of jewelry making and it has been a good time of fellowship and getting to know one another. Whenever I am looking to find Diana I can usually find her trying out a new technique with the jewelry. We really did work her like a rented mule and Paul was as happy as he had a pair of mules who were yoked together to work on the list of jobs needing doneJ. Diana helped me: wash windows, paint inside of one cabin, paint shelves for our bathroom, paint window bench, teach me to sew, hem some of my slacks, taught jewelry making, cleaned my house and did dishes daily, singing lessons, sort clothes in container, sort out boxes of our stuff, clean out and rearrange office area, bake and just about anything one can do from a working mule yoke!! The jewelry that is being made will be sold at the college store, (being built now) to the American’s that visit and to our area village neighbor’s. Our visiting friends all like to take some type of souvenirs home so we want to make it easier for them to have some items available here at the college. All proceeds will go into the student college account. The student’s will take turns working at the store and these hours can go toward their work hours.

While Cliff, Diana and Paul were here we were invited to Pastor Arnott & Betty’s, Pastor Henry & Lucy’s and Pastor David & Christine’s house for some meals. Pastor Cliff even ate the students cooking two evenings as each group of students invited him to share in their evening meal. He said they did an O.K. job with their cookingJ. While our guests were here they had a great taste of the rainy season. We had rain pretty much for 3 days straight, but then the sunshine did reappear after that. This is why the crops are doing as well as we continue to be blessed with great growing weather.

One day I, Diana, Betty, Lucy & Christine spent sorting out all the clothes that the Americans sent over on the last container. There we A LOT of clothes. We sorted them out by men’s, women’s, boys', girls' and babies'. It was work but again a good time of fellowship. When the pastors are here this summer for their educational and work time the college will be able to help them with some gifts of good used clothing. It is nice to have these clothes to also help if there is a specific need with our neighbors.

One rainy day, Diana and I did allow ourselves one quiet day and relaxed some in the house. Diana worked on a jewelry project and I just read in one of my comfortable new chairs. The chairs are big enough that little Jess can sit beside me as I read and we both enjoy that. Diana brought a book with here called “Watch and Pray” so we took turns reading a chapter out loud to each other and then discussing. This was a special time for us.

Diana taught me the basics of running a sewing machine. Yes, I said me, Lori, learning to sew. I thought I would see pigs fly before I ever saw me at a sewing machine. Well I do believe I saw a bunch of pigs flying over the college last weekJ I actually hemmed a pair of my shorts and after Diana left I have hemmed a towel. One step at a time. I have some really pretty fabric that I hope to make an African Shatengi out of. This is what the fabric wrap is called that almost all the ladies wear over their clothes every day. We will see how this project turns out.

One night Isaac, Faith & Mildred came over to the house and Paul & Diana taught them the song “My Redeemer Lives”. It was a blessed time for Paul & me as we listened to the beautiful voices. Guess what else? Saturday evening Paul & Diana were practicing their songs for Sunday morning and as they sang Paul asked me to dance and we had a nice slow dance as Pastor Paul played the guitar and he and Diana sang. It was such a sweet time. It is the little things that can bring such joy to our lives. Keep in mind it is dark by 6:30 pm so most evening we had dinner and a movie with Paul & Diana.

It was just wonderful having our first friends in our guestroom. To say we enjoyed our time with them would be an understatement. On the last weekend they were here, we went to a Safari lodge and spent the night and did the Safari. The next morning we went to a Sunday service in Lusaka and after that we went to another lodge and just did the safari. It was really beautiful and we were all able to see part of the real Zambian country side. We saw: lions. Zebras, giraffes, warthogs, elands, elephants, kudus, picas, bushbucks, tsepsebes, monitor lizards, water lizards, impalas, grey haired eichers, waterbucks, harde beasts, spotted hyena’s and many types of native birds. I must say the hyena were the most impressive to me. They were big, ugly and looked really mean. There were many more species on this 10,000 acre refuge and it is in the wild so many animals didn’t want us to see themJ. Just the scenery of the wild was so magnificent, how can anyone not believe in our Creative God, when they look at all He has made. You don’t need to come to Africa to see God’s handiwork. Just look at a child, a tree, a flower and be in awe of our God.

The roads to get to the lodges were really BAD. These roads make the Nebraska pot holes look like a pebble in the road. We now know not to ever take our vehicle down these roads again. We would need to rent a taxi or better yet a truck to visit these safari lodges again.

At the time of our guests, Cliff, Paul & Diana the ladies and students once again bid us good-bye with music and Pastor Arnott said a Farwell blessing.

The ladies really cried as they had spent much time getting to know Diana as they all made jewelry together.

On our way home after taking Paul & Diana to the airport we did our usually grocery shopping and misc. errands. We picked up Faith from a Dental clinic as she had to have another tooth extracted. She is doing well.

We are excited as a young couple Chad & Amber will be joining the college staff. We pick them up tomorrow at the airport. One week later we pick up Steven & Aby Nelms and their two children from the airport. Steven & Aby will stay at the college until they move to Chongwe in March. The college continues to grow with more student’s staff and crops. It is exciting for Paul & I to be part of the work God is doing at the International Bible College in Zambia.

Again, Paul and I ask why we were so blessed to be chosen by God to come here. Our only answer is that God uses ordinary people. Thank you all for your love prayers, and support.

Update 02/22

Little known facts: Paul was a grocery carry-out, stocker person at the store where he & Lori worked. He always seemed to want to sack groceries at Lori’s checkout stand.

Lori wondered why this cute 130 lb young man always seemed to be at her checkout stand??

Greetings in the name of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.

We are well, working hard and being blessed each and every day by our wonderful, awesome, loving, faithful, forgiving, merciful, generous, righteous, powerful, all knowing, ever present, God.

Biggest news is Chad & Amber Love a young newlywed couple from Florida arrived and are living in our old cabin. They plan to stay at least one year and will serve in different areas of the college. Chad has already been a great help to Paul and Amber has helped Lori with different projects. They will be responsible for opening up the temporary library at set hours and checking out the books. The students have really started using the library to research and complete assignments. Steven & Eby Nelms and their two young children Emma & Josiah have arrived and will staying at the college for a few weeks. The will move into a house in Chongwe where they will begin networking and will be starting a Christian community outreach ministry. It will be exciting to share how God works in their hearts of service, and the hearts of the people they will touch. Their two children are just the cutest!! I am sure it was hard for Lewis & Leah to see them leave the states, but they will be here in April to see those grandchildren and to minister at the college.

Just some things Paul & I have seen this week on our way back and forth too town: Usually 2 or 3 police checks on the way, usually 3 -4 trucks broke down, always people walking along the highway, little children walking to school in their different colored uniforms, men on bikes carrying; live goats, chickens, children, passengers. 6-8 bags of charcoal and we even saw a kitchen hutch on the back of a bike. It just amazes us how much a bicycle can be used for. Of course there are always many men with their bikes on the sides of the road repairing bike tires. The men put such a load on the tires it is no wonder a lot of repairs are needed. The bike riders in town have to deal with the bad roads and potholes as much as vehicle drivers. Another thing we have noticed is that there are a lot of top of the line vehicles in the city. Most of them will have dents and scratches in them from the not so good drivers and the mass amount of fender benders in the heavy traffic. I don’t know why anyone would want to drive a new car in the crazy city traffic. It will not stay new for long.

Paul & Chad have been working hard with the students to get an area cleared out to put in a “Football”/soccer field. The student’s seem to have new energy when it comes to getting the field readyJ. Paul has made a “Phone House” attached to the outside of the shop for the students to use for charging up their cell phones. This cuts down the traffic in the shop area and then Paul or I don’t have to go down and unlock the shop just to get a cell phone out. This has been a big help for us and for the students.

One of the area men came to me and wanted to exchange some oranges from his tree for some pain killers. We made a good trade for both of us. The students also seem to need pain killers after the football games. I didn’t think the young and strong needed that so much. I guess I am wrong about that.

Paul has been reading the book “Spiritual Disciplines” that Pastor Aron gave him, and I have been reading “Watch & Pray” a book Diana left me. I also have been enjoying reading the ladies Christian fiction books that have been sent to me by friends or have been left with me. Thank you all so much for being so generous with your special gifts to us. The girls have already used up most of the jewelry supplies that Diana brought over and they have made some nice pieces to sell at the college store, when we get it opened. The girls and the ladies are crocheting items to sell at the store also. Scarfs, baby hats & booties and dish cloths.

We had Chad, Amber, Steven, Eby and the kids over for supper one evening. We served chicken from the grill, baked potatoes, peas and chocolate cake with frosting, Yum. It was a wonderful evening with great food and fellowship. Thanks to Paul & Diana for hauling over the cake, cookie and brownie mixes, with frosting, we had a great dessert.

Paul & I spent a day in Lusaka doing errands, went to a movie and tried out a new restaurant in town. “Arabian Nights”. It was just ok. While we were eating the rain just poured down. I have never seen the sky the color of this one before it opened up and rained. It was really cool. We continue to receive a wonderful combination of rain and sunshine here at the college. Last evening it was another gully washer with the rain gauge overflowing. It was maybe the most intense rain I have heard yet. The power of nature is such a good reminder of the power of God, and how HE holds the whole world in His hands.

Steven Nelms preached at our Sunday Service and Pastor Henry taught Sunday school. Again we had over 60 in attendance with another new visitor. Thank you for praying for the college church as it continues to grow. Lucy & I invited the ladies at church to a bible study we are staring on Thursday’s at 3:00 pm. We asked the ladies to share the invitation with other area women. I will plan on having some kind of treat to share at the bible studies. Popcorn, cookies, candy and maybe some kind of drink mix. We all know there is a better turn out for church events if food is served.

Pastor Arnott and Pastor Henry have me doing some typing for them. Student tests, grade sheets and misc. other items. I have enjoyed doing this for them and I can just type in Word, and do not have to use internet time, so that is good.

Well, I will try to get some more pictures to put up in our photo gallery on our web site. Thank you all for praying and loving us so well.

“You are the light of the world… Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:14,16.

You are loved by Jesus and us.

Update 2/26/10

Little Known Facts -

Paul ran track in high school and loved it.

Lori would go watch him run and thought; Can I marry a man with such skinny legs?

The rest is history. His legs are now just all muscle and he can still run:)

We greet you in the name of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ, who was, who is and will always be.

Paul continues to be busy with carpentry projects in the shop, business responsibilities, overseeing the construction of staff houses, cabins and bath houses. I get to oversee Jess, our home, laundry, dishes, cooking, painting and getting to know the ladies.

We had a ladies’ Bible study yesterday and only put the invitation out by word of mouth. I was expecting maybe 10 ladies and we had 41:). It was a wonderful time of singing, study in God's word fellowship and refreshments. Next week when we meet again I will need to plan to have paper cups and juice with more cookies. I had filled individual water bottles and had crystal light to put in them. Fortunately I was able to get more water bottles to fill. To me the cookies and crackers I served did not seem like much, but to these area ladies from the bush this was a great treat. Next week I will plan to purchase more stuff. I taught this first study and taught from Hebrews 12:1 & 2. Lucy translated for me and she does a great job. Lucy & Christine even did a little skit and it was great. There is always lots of singing anytime the Zambians gather. Men or ladies, always lots of singing. It was wonderful to have Amber Love & Eby Nelms at the study. Both of these ladies are at the college right now and they were a great support to me. Please pray for the ladies’ studies to continue to grow, but most of all for spiritual growth for all of us.

Today I am at an internet cafe for most of the day. Paul is doing Gospelink business in Lusaka with Davis all day. It is kind of fun for me as I get to do my own thing. When I come to town with Paul it seems we are always in a hurry to get things done and get back to the college. We are staying at the Zebra tonight so we won't be rushed.

Chad & Amber back at the college at taking care of Jess for us. Jess thinks that is great as Chad & Amber are staying in the cabin we stayed in for 7 months so Jess is just right at home. Of course she thinks she needs to sleep right in the bed with Chad & Amber. I will ask them how this went when we get back to the college.

Lots of garden weeding and more planting is being done. This past week we have had rain every day and or evening. We can see the Chongwe river flowing high from up at the college. Normally we cannot see the river, but during this rainy season the river is really flowing. The national people have warned us Americans not to go anywhere close to the river as the alligators come along with the deeper water. I told them NO Problem, we would stay away for the river.

On our way into town today we saw 6 trucks broke down and an accident with a truck tipped over with bags of the corn meal all over the highway. We had to wait, but not long while one truck pulled the one that tipped over out of the way. There were about 8 trucks and other cars backed up and this was about 6:00 am. It was still dark so it was pretty dangerous. We were thankful to arrive in Lusaka safely.

Chad and Amber are both working hard and adjusting to life at the college. They say "They are having a great time but do hope to get their internet soon". Amber is working with the girls on crocheting some scarves for the gift shop, and Lucy and Christine are crocheting some items. I cannot believe how fast these ladies can crochet, it is amazing. I do it, but very slowly. We continue to look for ideas to make for the gift shop. Some of the student's have artistic ability so they will be painting some note cards to sell.

The girls are also helping get the cabins, bathhouses and staff houses ready for painting. This goes toward their scholarship work hours. It is wonderful having the 3 young ladies, and Chad & Amber for neighbors. One of the rules with both male and female students is the male students are not allowed off the road that is near the ladies’ cabins, which are right beside our staff house. It is cute to see the boys standing at the road yelling something to the girls as they walk by:) This is a long way from the coed dorms in America, and a very positive thing.

We are having some student's with abscessed teeth so the pain pills that American's have left come in very handy. All the medications that American's leave does get used.

We have one young man, Joe who lives with Henry & Lucy. We did not think anyone could talk more or faster then Joe, but alas we have found one of the new students can out talk him:). It has been fun getting to know the new students. Amber is acting as temporary librarian now so she helps the student's with checking in and out books. I have really enjoyed getting to know Amber as I told her she can be my adopted daughter while she is here. We have had some wonderful girl friend talks and she has filled that void for me.

Paul and I hope to buy a sink for the house while we are town this time. Once we get the sink in I shall be extremely spoiled. What can I say, I am "The Princess of Quite A Lot".

A special thank you to all the men who have stayed in touch with Paul. Your calls and emails encourage him and he gets his MAN time in:).

We pretty much still watch a movie or do internet work in the evenings. Jack is coming in April and plans on getting the solar power us and running. Please pray for this project to be a success and for safety in travel for all the work team members traveling here in April.

Well I best sign off and go get all the errands done I need to do. I can't let Paul say he does all the work:)

You are loved by Jesus and us.