Macha Innovative Community School

A computer classroom in the middle of rural Zambia?  Why not?  The Macha Innovative Community School is a shining example of what can happen when computers and wireless internet communications are used as a catalyst to transform a depressed community.  The internet brought knowledge and that knowledge showed them things could be better.  

Then the people of the community started to build--a school, community center, restaurant, internet cafe, staff housing, apartments for young people without extended family, and more on the way.  The community is flourishing and the Macha model is now being implemented in several other Zambian communities to see if it will replicate.  The great thing is that it's all led and implemented by the local people, for the local people.  Notice the playground in the bottom picture?  It's the only one that I saw in all of Zambia.  

The Rainbow Kids

Every Wednesday afternoon, the neighborhood kids are invited inside the fences of the airstrip and are treated to a Bible lesson.  This ministry was started a few years ago by Sally Green from the U.K., with a handful of kids.  Now, it's not uncommon to have 80 to 100 show up!  They usually start out with some praise songs she taught them, followed by a Bible story and then some crafts projects or games, then prayer.  These kids have a wonderful time, and it is amazing to watch them interact. 

 Many of them don't understand much english, so there are a few older boys standing by to translate.  On this day, when Carrie and I were 

there, Sally was on a holiday and Christine (a short term helper from Ireland) filled in with some friends from her local church youth group.

This little boy above in the red might be a future pastor.  He was answering questions, confident in who Paul and Silas were and why God protected them.  He was so animated in his gestures and voice!

It is so fascinating to see that kids are kids, all

over the world, and that each one needs to hear

about the sacrifice Christ made on their behalf, 

and the incredible gift available to them wherever they are at.  These kids have nothing. Their job in the family is often to take care of their younger siblings.  Some go to school - which leaves a lot to be desired - but most either can't afford it or don't own a pair of shoes that allows them to attend.  Yet they hear that God loves them, and that there are some adults who pay attention to them, and the Holy Spirit can put a joy in their hearts you can see for miles!

Unfortunately, Sally and her husband Roger have completed their time with Flying Mission Zambia and are on their way back home to the U.K.  They have done amazing work getting FMZ off the ground and their rest is well-deserved.  Hopefully, they will be back in the future for some short-term projects, but until then, their co-workers and these little faces will miss them for a very long time.   Father, grant Roger and Sally a safe journey, and bless them for their lives they've given, and all lives you've touched through them!

Home

Hi everyone--just a quick note that we made it home safe and sound last night.  It was glorious to hold our kids and sleep in our bed.  

Sorry there haven't been more posts this week.  When we took off to visit the remote bases we didn't have a break until we got to London yesterday.  We'll post more soon, hopefully video as well since we have a faster connection here than in Zambia.  

Praise God--we've traveled over 17,000 miles safely, nothing lost or stolen, and no illnesses to report.  God has been so good to us.  

See everyone soon.  Love, Carrie

Short prayer request

Hi everyone--Tomorrow morning (Thursday AM our time) Adam and I will be flying out to several of the mission stations on a vision trip.  The purpose is to gain a clear understanding of the work that FMZ does in Zambia. 

Macha is in the southern Zambia and has been totally transformed by a Dutch couple who are working at a hospital and incorporating IT (computers and internet) into the local culture.  There is also a Christian school in Macha that is all the rage around here. We'll tour the community and then head north to Chitokoloki where we'll spend the night.  We'll see more on Friday then head home.  Adam will probably get to fly the plane some of the way.  

Please pray for:  1)  safe travel into and out of the mission stations 2) Adam and I would absorb and understand the relevant information thrown at us  3) We would start to get a clearer picture of the work FMZ does for rural Zambians 4) God would give Adam and I a clearer picture of what our role will look like and what mission station God may have us at 5) Adam would get to fly the plane. 

We are so thankful to be here and even more thankful that you are reading this and praying for us.  May God's peace surround you as it has surrounded us every mile of this trip. 

Take care, Carrie

God's mighty Victoria Falls

Adam and I just got back from an overnight in Livingstone to see Victoria Falls, one of the wonders of the world.  It is the most beautiful and spectacular natural thing either of us have ever seen.  Below are some pictures, but they can't convey the thunderous roar and tremble of the rocks below as millions of liters of water spill over the edge. 

Joel, FMZ pilot, flew us down to the Falls and circled over several times for us to get a good look from the air.   Once at the Falls, we hiked down a gorge for almost an hour and got to the "boiling pot" where millions of gallons of water swirl around as if boiling in a giant cauldron until it finds it's way down the river.  We hiked back up and got a good look at the falls from a bridge, but as you can see from the pictures, the mist covers most of it up this time of year.  By the end of the dry season the Falls is just a trickle and you can see everything.  Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Holly.  We love you and Micah so much.  Just one more week and we'll be home, kids! 

Encounter with God

Hi everyone.  It's almost midnight here and we are wide-awake.  Pesky jet-lag. 

Adam and I had a great weekend experiencing God's presence in a very intimate and personal way.  We went to "Lusaka Praise" which is on the same order of White Stone's Friday Praise and Worship nights.  For a moment we had to check to see if we were really in Africa.  The worship leader challenged us to step out in faith the same way the Levites had to step into the Jordan river in order for it to part (Joshua 3).  That was huge to both of us, because every step of this journey is a new decision to step out in faith, believing that God will be there to provide, protect, and love us every step of the way.  

This morning we attended a small church plant and again were ministered to in a very personal way.  People worship God with abandon at this church.  Many of them are either full-time Christian workers or Zimbabwe farmers who lost everything to the government and were forced to start over again in Zambia.  The pastor spoke about Isaiah 6 "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us.  And I said 'here am I, send me.'"  The pastor even prayed for us and confirmed some things that we have been asking God about.  

Tomorrow morning we fly down to Livingstone to see Victoria Falls--the largest waterfall in the world.  Later in the week we fly out to Chitokoloki and Macha to see the mission stations.  

Everyday has been spent getting to know the FMZ staff.  They are jewels!  And I can't believe how much we're eating.  The food has been so good. We thought we would lose weight on this trip.  I think I've gained 5 pounds! 

Please pray that we would continue to hear God very clearly in the coming week, and protection from the enemy as he wants nothing more than to steal the joy we have experienced in the last few days.  

More pics coming soon.

Take care, love, Carrie

A Zambian Baby Shower

Baby Anna 

Esther holding Baby Anna 

Yesterday I attended my first Zambian baby shower.  It was held in honor of Gertrude and her new 5-day old baby, Anna.  This family of 6 lives in a 2-room home on the property and Leonard (Anna's father) is the foreman of the Zambian crew working on the hangar project.  

It was quite an honor to be invited into Gertrude's tiny home.  A few Zambian friends of Gertrude sang beautiful praise songs, Sally (FMZ missionary) shared the story of Anna from the bible with the women, and then we prayed for Anna to grow healthy and strong in the Lord.  We shared some cake and juice one of the ladies had brought along.  Gertrude even opened some sodas for us (which is a HUGE treat).  

Then we pumped Gertrude for more details of how the birth went.  I guess women world-wide like to share these stories!  Gertrude was almost turned away at the hospital because she did not bring her placenta bucket and bottle of disinfectant.  Women in Zambia are responsible for their own placentas ?! They took her anyway because her friend Esther (our guesthouse cook) promised to go and find a bucket (it was midnight).  They never offered Gertrude a bed, or even a mattress on the floor.  She walked around until the baby was ready to come and she gave birth by herself on the cold hard floor of the hospital.  Gertrude didn't tell anyone this until we started asking her the question "who got to see the baby first, was it the nurse?" 

As we were talking, Gertrude never once complained for how poorly she was treated.  Her joy in having a perfectly healthy baby trumped the sore situation.  Thank you Lord for taking care of this woman and her baby! 

Not strange... just different

<= This is the current 'hangar'.

<= Here is where we're staying, the Guesthouse.  Still too chilly to use the pool.

<= These are the local kids Sally Green (UK) has been working with.  She's a former Phy Ed. teacher and has done an incredible job reaching out to the community.  Here, she was doing 'warm up' & 'team building' exercises before their football (i.e. soccer) scrimmage.  Chaos at it's most beautiful and entertaining finest!

Good morning! Yesterday Gabrielle showed us the shopping areas around town which allowed us to get a feel for how expensive things are and what type of products are available. It is surprising how similar everything is to back home. There are two "malls" in Lusaka - best described as an "upscale" one and a "regular" one - Manda Hill is the regular one that we visited. It is a strip mall, with many stores and a few restaurants. The anchor stores are Game - the African version of Wal-Mart, and Shoprite - a grocery store. The other smaller stores being cell phone outlets (of course - they seem to be everywhere!), satellite tv, furniture, shoes, clothes, etc...

Almost everything we could think of was available. The price of things just depends on how expensive it is to get it here. Everyone jokes about Wal-Mart being "China-Mart". Believe me, we get the good China items back home!

Tonight, we'll be going to Lusaka Praise, a praise and worship concert put on by a couple of churches - at least I think that's what it is. We'll see. Until next time - Adam & Carrie

We made it to Zambia

We have finally arrived in Zambia and the Lord has surrounded us with goodness. Good people, beautiful surroundings, great weather, and delicious food. We are so thankful to be here!

After 48 hours here 2 things stand out to us the most: the incredible people that make up Flying Mission Zambia, and the immense amount of work there is to do.

FMZ (Flying Mission Zambia) is made up of people who love the Lord by working hard everyday for Him and loving the local people who come in their path. There is such a diverse group of people --mostly European working here. Gabrielle picked us up from the airport and has been showing us around town--she is American. Ernst and Susi take care of us in the guesthouse--they are Swiss and their assistant Esther is Zambian. Roger maintains the buildings and is the jack-of-all-trades and his wife Sally has a full schedule of outreaches to the local kids and adults--they are Brits.

Bryan, the director of FMZ gave us a tour of the property and showed us how quickly God is growing the ministry here. He is literally crying out to God "send more workers!" It will take a lot of money and a lot of hard work to finish the current hangar project and he is totally relying on God for every penny. What God has provided so far in a small amount of time is incredible. Bryan is American and his wife Di is British.

We also met 2 of the pilot/mechanics. Rick is stationed at another base south of here--he is an Aussie. Tonight we had dinner with Joel and Sue--they are Midwesterners, but raised in Africa. Then there are some short-termers, Brits and Germans. Several Zambian families live on the property and FMZ at any given time employs 30 Zambians for special projects.

We have pictures to share but have some kinks to work out before we can put them out on the blog. Hope to have some for you soon.

Take care! Adam and Carrie