Derek and Kristin Dearth

“A new commandment I (Jesus) give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35, ESV).

Just before we left Zambia 10 months ago, one of our national workers pleaded with me to ask our church in Minneapolis to send another short-term team to train Zambians in basic home health care. I passed along the request, and the response was, “Sure!…You’ll be on the team, right?” In some ways, it seemed like a no-brainer. I have lived in Zambia, hosted this kind of team in Zambia twice, and am a nurse. But in other ways, I saw some significant obstacles – two in particular…their names were Charlie and Sam.

And yet, God made it clear that I should go. Derek willingly (with a healthy amount of fear and trepidation!) volunteered to be stay-at-home Dad for the 12 days of the trip. So, from August 1-13, I will join a wonderful team from Bethlehem Baptist Church to teach about 150 Zambians how to practically love others in their homes, churches, and communities through home health care skills. The specific skill I will teach is “nutrition & hydration in a low-resource area.”

I have not been on a short-term team for 18 years, so this will be a different role for me. Derek and I tangibly feel the need for prayer! Charlie is still trying to figure out how he can come along, and Sam can work his lower lip like nobody’s business when he thinks about me being gone. We have seen God work and supply strength and grace through your prayers before, and we are trusting that God will show up powerfully again. 

These words from Alexander Strauch in his book, Love or Die, sum up the verses from John 13 and also my desire for this trip. “Our Lord was not an abstract theologian who sat in a classroom pontificating on the high virtues of love. Instead, Jesus ‘went about doing good’ (Acts 10:38). He healed the sick, fed the multitudes, and preached the gospel to the poor. He exhausted himself in acts of kindness and deeds of compassion for the benefit of the needy. In ever way, he lived and modeled a life of love.” Pray that God would use me (and the team) to model lives of love for the sake of the gospel in Zambia. 

Bethlehem Baptist Church – Zambia Team 2018

Zambia Trip Support Needs

We are praying that the Lord will provide some additional funds to help Kristin with her Zambia trip expenses this August. If you would like to contribute to this trip, please click here and give a one-time gift. In the “Comments” box, write “Zambia Trip.” Thank you so much!

A Quick Family Update

We will give more of an update in our next newsletter about Derek’s continued work and ministry in leadership at ACTION USA and the upcoming trips that he will be making this Fall. But in short, he has stayed very busy this past Spring with travel out to the Seattle office and various projects and administrative work, which he has enjoyed. 

Meanwhile, Charlie and Sam continue to be active and talkative and enjoy that Summer is in full swing in MN. They are excited to go camping for the first time this summer!

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