Taking A Breather: “…The Lord grants sleep to those he loves…” Psalm 127:2

Whew! Our first seven weeks in Zambia and Namibia have been a blur! We’ve travelled in Zambia to Mumbwa, Mongu, and Sioma, and to Katima Mulilo, Namibia, as well. Each stop has been rewarding and fruitful, and our training has been transformative for both our students and us. We’re incredibly grateful for the privilege of being here, and for your support, encouragement, and prayers!

Over the last seven weeks, we’ve seen once again how important relational training is. Deepening relationships have allowed for more pertinent and in-depth discussions which, in turn, have strengthened our confidence in the Gospel. Information given without the context of relationships is rarely transformative, in our experience.

Is it any surprise that Jesus chose only twelve disciples to live with him and be trained by him for three years? And, it’s interesting that the largest discipleship group that Jesus trained over time appears to be seventy-two in number (Luke 10:1). Of course, many more followed him during his ministry, but it’s perhaps instructive that there were only one hundred twenty disciples on the day of Pentecost when the church was birthed by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:15). My guess is that Jesus knew all their names.

The apostle Paul describes this transformative dynamic in his second letter to Timothy. In his final charge to the one he describes elsewhere as “a son” (Philippians 2:22), Paul says this: “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it” (2 Timothy 3:14). It makes all the difference when we know the ones who teach us, allowing us to learn and, more importantly, become convinced. Relational learning provides knowledge that lays the foundation for belief that leads to trust which the Bible calls faith. We have seen this play out over and over again through the years, both in the States and here in Africa.

This past week we took a breather while we prepared for the second half of our mission. In addition to waking up without an alarm clock, we went on a one day safari to Chobe National Park, something we hadn’t done in four or five years. Chobe is only about an hour away and it’s home to four of Africa’s Big Five: African Elephant, African Lion, Cape Buffalo, and Leopard. Only the Rhinoceros is missing. It has the largest elephant population in Africa, estimated at 125,000+! In addition, there are Giraffe, Zebra, Nile Crocodile, Impala, Kudu, Sable, Water Buck, Fish Eagle, etc. You never know what you’ll see so it was quite an adventure. Again, what a privilege!

Please continue to pray for us. On July 27th, we welcomed our friends and GTN colleagues, Scott and Sandra Bauer, to join us here. We’ll be working together for two weeks including training leaders in Musokotwane and Livingstone, and teachers and kids in Livingstone. This is their first visit to Zambia so we’re praying they have a great experience. And remember, where we go, you go!