Safely in Isoka

Our first picture on Zambian soil :)

We are here! Read a word from each member of the team!

Jenna - We have finally made it to Isoka, and I am so thankful that we were able to make it here safely. These first few days have been such a blessing already, and I can’t wait to see what the Father has in store for us! It has been so great to be reunited with the Kimbrough family and many of the people we worked with this last summer as well. Today, we went to fellowship in the local village, and I was reminded of the beautiful passion these people have for the Father by the way they bring the Good News and sing praises to Him. I’ve missed the incredible way that they sing praises so much, so I’m really excited to worship with them in our time here. As this next week begins, please be thinking of us as we go into surrounding villages to share the Good News. 

Paige with her very first passport stamp.

Paige - Zambia is beautiful.  We arrived in Isoka after many hours of driving, and after worshipping with our brothers and sisters this morning, I am convinced that Zambia is one of the most beautiful places on earth.  The people of this country amaze me, with their kindness and warmth.  Fellowship this morning left me in awe- how the Body can come together and worship, regardless of age, background, or culture and worship so freely was a picture that is engrained on my heart.  The Kimbrough family is wonderful.  They have welcomed us so completely into their lives here that it feels like we have known them forever.  Even as I write this, I am snuggled next to my new ‘little sister.’  This family is truly the sweetest and I am loving spending time with each of them.  The Father is so good.  Seeing how He is working here in Zambia is exciting.  Lift up that His name would be made great in all that is done here. 

Blake (the M) enjoying the beautiful view
on our way to Isoka.

Molly -  I am so glad that we have finally made it to our destination! The days of travel have been a blur, and I am feeling the effects of jet lag. However, it is all worth it to finally be here with the amazing Kimbrough family and the beautiful nationals. This morning we worshipped with fellow believers at a fellowship near the house. It was absolutely amazing to see some familiar faces as well as new faces. There is so much joy in getting to worship the Father in a different culture with our brothers and sisters across the world. The rest of the day was spent playing with the family and my fellow teammates. It feels as though we have been here for many days, but it’s only been two days! I hope that time will slow down because I’m not ready to leave any time soon and I cant wait to see what the Lord has in store for us the rest of the time that we are here. 

Joseph - Finally back here at the place I love so much! Serving here is so amazing and I’m just excited to be doing that in any amount or capacity that the Father will allow me to do! The Kimbrough family is such an awesome bunch and I am just thankful for everything that they do from making us laugh to serving us wonderful meals. Today we were able to join in at fellowship and it was such a blessing to be back worshipping with our brothers and sisters. I’m learning and growing so much already and I’m truly excited to see what all the Father will use us for in our time here! Excited to be on this blessed trip with such great people!

Stopping to take pictures on our way to Isoka.

Andrew - Well I can definitely say the Father has placed an incredible team here in Zambia that I have been blessed to be a part of. They have taken care of me like family as I have been sick and they (along with the M) have helped me heal immensely. My words do not justify the experience here, God is evidently at work in the lives of the people here. Unexplainable joy radiates among the believers in this area and I am so honored that the Father would privilege me with seeing their faces. I am excited to see the Father work in incredible ways as we are here, I cannot imagine the blessings I will experience in the coming days seeing that we have been here such a short time. 

Hannah - I cannot begin to describe what it means to be back in Zambia again. The Father has blessed me beyond belief by allowing me to come back. When we were first driving through Isoka all I could do is smile because I was finally back. I could not wait to see the K kids again. As we drove up to the house, the gate opened and four bright eyed, smiling faces were waiting for us. My heart is was so happy. Already the Father has opened my eyes to new things. The Zambian people are so full of joy. Everyone smiles and waves as we drive through the town. Today, we gathered at the Boma for fellowship. Fred, one of the elders, gave a lesson out of 1 Corinthians, although I could not understand what he was saying I could feel the Father’s presence. There is no specific person who leads worship, it is led by the Father. He is working in the Boma! Tonight, Blake built a fire and our team sat under the incredible African night sky. As I look up at the stars I am constantly reminded of the marvelous Father, in which it talks about in Psalms 8. Everything I am, belongs to Him and my whole life should point to the Father. This is my hearts cry.

Abigail (10) led a "class" on how to draw a giraffe.
Here were our results :)

Mikayla - Wow! Words cannot describe how amazing our Father is. Our journey of the Father’s beautiful plan has begun and I am so extremely excited! I ask daily that in every situation I will have an attitude that radiates the joy of the Father and be aware to situations that allow me to speak of his amazing name. I also ask that I won’t just do this through the words that I speak, but through the actions that I convey, may they only be honoring to our Father. The airline lost three bags including mine, but the Father has given me courage to stay calm and know that he has everything under control and he will provide the safety of my bag and the others journey to our home while in Africa.  I have gone to my first gathering with the Zambian people and I cannot describe how wonderful it was to here them worship the Father. Listeni to their beautiful voices is something that I will never get tired of nor will I forget. I am so blessed to be experiencing the Father’s love with the team he has placed here together and I am so very thankful for the “M’s”, that are leading us in this wonderful place they call home.  

Zebra stew and a homemade roll! YUM!

Dayla - It was a long journey but I am glad to be here.  We arrived in Isoka last night and have enjoyed connecting and reconnecting with the K's.  The kiddos have grown a lot in the last year and it has been fun to interact with them.  Today we worshipped with the Boma fellowship and I was able to see friends from years past as well as meet some new people.  I am looking forward to going out to Share later this week (probably Wednesday).  Today I had my first taste of zebra in Dawnya's zebra stew which was amazing!  There hasn't been any water at the Kimbrough's house for five or six days now so we are taking bucket baths and making the most of things. We are hoping that the water will come back on tomorrow and we can shower.  That is something to be lifting up.  Some of the girls went with Dawnya earlier to draw and carry water back to the house.  It is just a different life here.  We are all happy to be here and are doing well.  Thank you for your continued thoughts as we begin sharing this week.  The next day or two we will still be around the house as the plan for sharing has shifted a bit, but we are excited to help around the house since the Kimbroughs just moved in last week and are still getting settled.  We will update as often as we can but internet access will be pretty limited for us.  However, I hope you will check back often.  

Kids after church

Hanging out after church.