Category Archives: Africa

Kristin Returning to Zambia

Posted on June 30, 2018 | Leave a comment

“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!

PDF Version of our Newsletter

I Spy

Posted on June 19, 2017 | Leave a comment

Well, although we have been quiet, we have not been bored. We did, indeed, make it back to Zambia on May 13th. All of our luggage stayed in Dubai for another scorching 24 hours, but we were glad to be reunited with all of our stuff just the day after we arrived. Thank you for your prayers for safe travel! The boys did exceptionally well, and God really did a great work through children’s melatonin. Hallelujah!

It has been fun to be back and see life through Charlie’s eyes. His awareness and ability to communicate has helped us see everything with fresh perspective. Why are we in Zambia? How come we have to go on 3 airplanes to get to Zambia? Why are the children of my aunties and uncles in America called “cousins,” but in Zambia they are just my friends? Etc…

Yesterday, Charlie and I (Kristin) went to the grocery store, and we played a favorite car game – I Spy. But this time, I added a new twist – we could only spy things that are special about Zambia, not things that we would see in Minnesota or Wisconsin. Here were a few fun things that made it in the game yesterday:

Dirt…everywhere
Garbage
Piles of sand, gravel, and dirt to make cement
Pyramids of watermelons waiting to be sold
Wall fences lining the roads and surrounding houses
Red flowers on top of huge, tall trees
Palm trees
Big checkered speed “humps”
A huge dump truck carrying gravel
A man standing in the street at the traffic light selling talk time (minutes for cell phones)
Chickens in the back of a pickup truck waiting to be sold (and eaten!)
Big bags of Zambian charcoal on the side of the road
Ladies carrying buckets of water on their heads
A tall crane

Everyday life in Zambia looks very different from what we know in America. But driving anywhere here is an exciting experience, and, as Charlie likes to say when we drive, “Just sit back and enjoy the show!”

: Truck carrying charcoal

: Truck on a truck on a truck carrying stacks of tires

: Women carrying water

: Dirt

Encouraged by Our Visitors

Posted on April 13, 2016 | 1 comment

In Romans 1:11-12, Paul, says to the church in Rome that, “…I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you – that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.”

When people come and visit us, they usually remark on what a challenge it must be to host people for a couple of weeks at a time and they appreciate that we are willing to host them. Yes, hosting has become more challenging with two little kids, but just as Paul talks about in Romans 1:11-12, we are so encouraged by our time with people that come to visit us and stay with us!

Over the last three months, we have had the joy of hosting Wade and Annette Hetrick, from my home church in Appleton, WI (Wade is the pastor there), for a week in Zambia and then a week in Cape Town, South Africa; Kristin’s parents, Terry and Connie Carlson from Burnsville, MN, for a few weeks; and then last week, Nelson and Linda Reed from the Seattle, WA area. Nelson was ACTION’s International Director for nine years up until this last March and is still our Africa Regional Coordinator for ACTION. All of these three couples have encouraged us so much and have been a huge help with the boys! Charlie and Sam have loved every minute of play time with their Meme and Gpa, Nana and Papa, and “Grandma-Auntie” and “Grandpa-Uncle” (those were the names that Charlie came up with for them).

All three of these couples were also a help and encouragement to ACTION Zambia (AZ) as well and those we minister to here. Wade and Annette did a one-day marriage seminar for AZ’s Pastoral Leadership Development department. Terry and Connie gave the graduation address to two of the graduating CROSS classes and also did some medical home visits through Faith Tabernacle Church in George compound. Nelson and Linda greatly encouraged us all here on the field and gave us all some soul care!

We are thankful for our recent visitors and for making the trek all the way here to encourage us and minister to us, as well as others! We hope that we were an encouragement to all of them as well.