Malawi, Africa - Week 1

This is a journal entry from David after his first week in Africa - Enjoy!

I have now been in the country of Malawi for just over one week. We have worshiped with two different congregations of the Lord's church, and met numerous Christians as we have taught in five different villages over the week. It has been very exciting to watch the African people learn; they love the word of God and are soaking up the knowledge like dry sponges!

We arrived in Malawi last Friday, and took it easy for the rest of Friday and Saturday. We mostly slept off the jet lag. Sunday we worshiped at a relatively new congregation in a village about 20 minutes outside of Lilongwe. This congregation was planted about a year ago, thus most of the Christians are less than a year old. But despite that, they are growing and learning by leaps and bounds. In fact, the day that we were there a woman was baptized who had been studying with Isaac (the Crookshank’s translator).

As the week progressed we went to a different village each day and Wayne Burger taught Hermeneutics (the science of studying the Bible). The people loved what they were learning because of how practical it is to their lives. They often asked great questions, and by their responses to Wayne’s questions you could tell that they were paying close attention. These villages have all participated in the 4-year school that the Crookshanks have conducted, so the people are more versed in the Bible than the average African villager. Each day we took attendance, and by the end of the week we had 455 students! It is unknown how many congregations were represented. The largest number that we had at one time was 119, and they were all packed into a building that was probably 20 ft by 30 ft in size. There were people packed five per bench, while other people were sitting on the floor and around the pulpit. They were crammed in like sardines, and they all looked happy to be there! No one seemed to be bothered by the lack of space.

Wayne has not been feeling good so Ed assigned me to do the driving. He wanted Wayne to conserve his strength for teaching. It has been very interesting driving on the wrong side of the road, on the wrong side of the truck, and with the gearshift on the wrong side of my body! It really makes you think about each and every thing that you do! The roads are also a new experience. In the city the roads are well maintained, but they are packed! There are people literally everywhere, on bikes and on foot, not just on the edge of the road, but in the middle as well! And the other cars drive in a crazy fashion (which means a lot coming from me). Because of all these things you have to drive very defensively, which I have enjoyed. The roads out to the villages are interesting as well. A couple are well-maintained, but most are little more than 4x4 tracks. In fact I think that I have been on some 4x4 tracks in the states that were smoother than some of these roads. On top of the quality of the dirt roads, there are still people everywhere, except the bikes do not always move out of the way like they do in the city. They find the one smooth spot on the road, and they are not going to move off of it! We also have to dodge people carrying large loads on their heads and ox carts that are much less maneuverable than the truck.. I have had a real good time driving out here - it is great fun and there is never a dull moment.

As we prepare for the next week of teaching, I would like to ask for prayers for the brethren here from all of you back home. They are facing a lot of pressure from false religions, denominations, and all the worldly struggles that all humans face. They are also facing a distinct lack of trained teachers of God's word. In short they need our prayers and our willingness to come to teach them. So please pray for the strength of the Christians, and for God to raise up willing workers to come train the people so that they can train each other.

May God be with you all!

With a Busy Quarter Comes Good News

Wow - March and April have been crazy! We finished the previous quarter with finals (March 9-11), and departed for our campaign to New Hampshire on Friday, March 11, at 8:00 am. Well, that's when we left for the airport anyway. Our flight was delayed and we actually left DIA around 1:00 pm. We were in Tilton, NH for the following week, returning home late on Thursday, March 17. We were home on Friday, making a trip out to my parents' house to get their car which we drove to Oklahoma City on Saturday. That was a fun trip! We spent the weekend with Michelle Cecil, my mom's best friend from high school. My parents met us there Sunday night, and Monday we took the car to OCU so my brother could use it until Summer break, then prepared to ride back to Denver with my parents. But we had a surprise that morning... we found out we are expecting!!

Needless to say, we had a lot of fun on the 10-hour drive back to CO with my parents, watching movies and talking about the grandbaby-to-be. The next day, David and I drove up to Steamboat Springs to look at a pickup my grandparents had offered to give us. It is a 1991 Ford F150 (brown), it's in great condition, and we are very grateful to them - this is going to make the move to NH much easier! Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!

We had been considering the possibility of staying in Colorado until the baby is born, then moving, but it seems wiser to go in August as originally planned. There are lots of logistics to consider, so we are still uncertain as to how exactly we will get there. We are trying to raise support so that David will be able to devote as much time as possible to the ministry, and we are projecting a budget of $4,000/month to make sure we have what we will need for the baby.

As for the pregnancy, I'm only about 10 weeks along. I haven't had any morning sickness (although lots of fatigue), but there is a long way to go. Please pray for our little family as it begins to grow, and for our future as we continue to prepare for working in the New England area. Thanks be to God - there is a lot of work to do and great people to work with, and we can't wait to get started!

-Keeley

The Heart of a Child: Parenting 101

What a great quarter! David has been plugging away at classes on Ethics, John's gospel, Preacher and His Work, Advanced Homiletics, and Old Testament 6. As for me, I've been enjoying sitting in on Gospel of John, as well as our womens' classes on the Life of Christ and Parenting. The Parenting class has been extremely intriguing to me, not having children of my own yet, and it's been giving me a lot to think about!

On the first day of class, we saw this image entitled "Bad Parenting" on the screen captioned with the words, "BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND." How hilarious! This mother duck had no idea that her directions would end up leading her ducklings down the gutter! This perfectly captures the concept of this class - parents are entrusted with something very special: the heart of their child. It is their God-given task to mold and shape that heart to follow God, which - it's true - is done partly by example. But, as this picture so adequately explains, there is more to it than simply going along with a destination in mind and hoping they make it to there, too.

It is vital that children be trained with the end in mind, allowing the example they see in their parents to be the proof of what their parents teach and not something ambiguous for them to somehow impliment on their own. They need to see Mom and Dad applying Biblical principles in their own lives, but they need to be trained how to do so for themselves as well.

Sometimes, it is difficult to look beyond the frustrations of the moment to the rewards brought about through persistence. While I do not yet have children of my own, I remember the challenges that came with my younger siblings in their early years (no offense, guys)! Toddlers test patience and demand such an abundance of energy and attention – it often is all a mother can do to keep her cool. And on top of meeting all of their physical needs, parents are charged with the task of instilling godly principles in their little hearts so they grow to be people who love God. There is not a day that goes by that I don't wonder how my parents managed to do so much - and while I look forward to the joys of being a mother, the challenges that come along with it are certainly daunting.

People say it all the time: "kids don't come with instruction manuals." While there is certainly not a play-by-play 3-step plan for successful parenting, the Perfect Parent did provide His formula for getting the job done right. In all of my naive dreaming, I read about Joseph’s 17-year-old conscience that drove him to flee from sin and think, "Wow! I want my teenagers to possess such character!" I read about Esther's courage in the face of intimidation and pray my daughters will also have enough faith to stand up for themselves and for others. I see young men who have grown up to be preachers of the gospel, loving husbands and fathers, and I want that for my sons.

Beginning with the end in mind means defining your child’s path and walking them through it one step at a time. It means taking them from a self-centered infant to a self-less worker in God’s kingdom by looking not only at the behavior, but at the heart that needs training. It means training them both to know God’s Word and how to apply it from an early age so that when they stop growing physically, they continue to grow spiritually.

It’s been a wonderful class and we have only two weeks of it left. I’m grateful for the time Lee Hanstein has taken to share her experience and the fruit of her study to prepare us for the blessing and responsibility of parenthood. There is a lot to look forward to!

The Hunt is On…

David and I are currently in our 7th quarter at Bear Valley, which means we are very quickly approaching the finish-line! It has been WELL worth the effort and time. It gets harder to focus on what’s going on here and now, however, especially as plans for working in New Hampshire get more specific. We have begun the hunt for housing, looking at websites and making phone calls. It still doesn’t feel “real” yet!

In March we will be there for about a week, which will give us a little bit of time to look at what’s available. The campaign will go Saturday to Wednesday or Thursday, but we may be able to stay an extra day or two to look around. As David put it, “Best to have our homework done in advance.”

We are very excited to be working with Shane and Paula Belanger and their beautiful kiddos. It’s been very cool to get to know them better, to see David and Shane working together, and to dream about the possibilities. How much will the church expand while we are there? How many souls lost in confusion will have their eyes opened by the Light of the world? Lord-willing, many – we will continue to dream big, praying for every opportunity to come to successful fruition, because we know He can make it happen. For every new convert, the kingdom grows. For every “no” we receive, the seed is planted, nonetheless. God be with us.

If your congregation is seeking mission work to support, we ask you to consider sharing our information with the leadership. Shane or David would be happy to come present in more detail our plans for the work and the necessary support we will need to get it underway. To receive more information, send an email to DavidAndKeeley@Live.com with “NEW HAMPSHIRE” in the subject line, and we will send an attached .PDF containing our Biographies and our Evangelism Plan. Thank you for your interest in this work!

Anniversary!

Well, we have officially celebrated our second wedding anniversary – yay! We had an absolute blast in Estes Park, CO, where we got a great deal on a room at the Fawn Valley Inn. I highly recommend it! We had borrowed several books/movies from the library that we got to enjoy in our warm room – the weather wasn’t terrible, but cold without snow, which is no fun. David thoroughly enjoys walking in the snow, but when it’s just cold it isn’t the same.

The shops were fun to walk through, and we had breakfast at the Egg and I, a fun little brunch nook. That was delicious! We spent Monday and Tuesday up there, and came back to town on Wednesday. All things considered, it was absolutely wonderful. Although we had car trouble the week before, we were able to just relax and enjoy ourselves – I had booked the room back in October and had some money put away on a gift card so we didn’t have to worry. Boy I was glad I did, because the clutch going out on the Subaru pretty much used up our emergency fund plus some.

Now we are enjoying a few more somewhat-quiet days until school starts up again on January 10th. Love to all, and hope you had a great New Year!

The Value of Honor in the Family

Hey everyone! We’re back. I know it has been quite a while since the last post, but now that we’re back in the groove of our homework routine, we’re finally able to add blogging back into the mix. Thanks for your patience! This is going to be updated on a monthly basis, and we hope you are able to take a moment to find out what’s happening!

This month, I wanted to share some interesting things we have been encouraged to implement in our family for one of our classes. We are taking Marriage & Family with Bill Stewart, and it has been a truly wonderful experience. The idea of this class is to prepare us for the very likely event in which we are asked to do marriage counseling. It has already been a priceless thing for David and me in our own marriage, and we’re only half-way through the quarter, so we’re excited to say the least.

One point that we found to be a very valuable piece of information is regarding how we are meant to treat our mates and children. It comes from Paul’s words in Romans 12:10. In a list of ways to show a Christ-like attitude, he says, “Give give preference to one another in honor.” The RSV translates this “out-do one another” in giving honor. Imagine what a difference could be made in even the most strained relationship if one or both parties made a conscious effort to be in awe of the other person and treat them like a treasure – to out-do each other in showing them honor. We are learning that the kind of honor we are to have toward others, especially our mates, is the kind of response we have when we learn that a seemingly worthless item is actually valued at an enormous price. When we do not appraise something very highly, then find out it is valued at a high-dollar amount and why, we gasp! Imagine walking through trinkets at an antique store or second-hand shop and coming across something of immense value. What dignitary had given this item as a gift to his wife in the 18th century? Who received that from George Washington? Wow, this thing over here must be worth a fortune. You can almost hear the low whistles… you suddenly begin holding things with gentle hands for fear of damaging them.

Now picture your spouse and your kids. Each one of them deserves this kind of honor from you. The art of attaching high value becomes easy when we take time to identify what is special and unique about people. Why are they important to you? Do they know this? David and I have spent hours in the last few weeks relating to each other through notes and conversation the things we find priceless in each other. It’s a wonderful way to reaffirm each other, to get out of ruts in our relationship and make things better than ever.

For us, only coming up on our second anniversary, this really is an easy thing to do. It’s still natural to be in shock and awe that we get to live with this amazing person God has blessed us with. But should the time come in which the stars in our eyes start to fade, we know that God has called us to love with His kind of love – the kind that acts first and feels later. We may not feel like showing honor sometimes, and possibly for legitimate reasons, but Paul’s words in Romans 12:10 were not a suggestion. If we wait to show honor until we feel our mate has earned it, we will never fulfill this command. We have to act on it – and watch the transformation as our mates become the treasure that you’re showing them they are. May our God bless your families and your efforts to serve Him!

Report for May with thoughts on the church

It's been a pretty amazing quarter, and we're extremely excited to already be half-way finished with the program! Or, at least, almost half-way. We are fast approaching the mid-quarter "research week," which means the last few weeks of classes will be gone before we know it. We are still learning a ton - almost finished with Greek (which is wonderful). We're enjoying other classes such as the survey of denominational doctrines, OT 3: Wisdom Literature, a class on Hermeneutics, and Restoration History. The women's classes this quarter are Public Speaking and a survey of the New Testament epistles: Acts through Revelation. Whew!

In Denominational Doctrines, we are covering everything from Catholicism to Islam, which has made for a very interesting class. It's pretty incredible to see how much man can deviate from God's Word in a matter of just two to three hundred years. Two thousand years later, these deviations have splintered into literally thousands more groups that all call themselves different versions of various names. What is fascinating to consider as we spend each day finding out more of this historical phenomenon, is that those who were called by Christ were not to take any other name for their "group" (1 Corinthians 1:10-13). They were simply "the church," simetimes including a reference to their location. They were not "a church" in Corinth. Not even "the Church," as though that word were a name, and not a description. As "the ones who are called out," which is what the word "church" means, this group of believers had no other name to call themselves other than the one given by which they were saved (Acts 4:12). So they were called Christians (Acts 11:26), not by men, but by the Holy Spirit as prophecied in Isaiah 62:2.

So, for people who are seeking to have fellowship with those who have been called out, the emphasis has always been to know the Word of God, so we know the church when we see it. While the words on a sign are sometimes an indicator, it is of utmost importance to see if their practices match those of the church that Jesus established in the first century. Thanks to the apostles, we have adequate instructions to follow and descriptions to read that give us a standard with which we can measure. What an irreplacable treasure we have in God's complete, inspired Word. Thank you for your participation in our training as we work to equip ourselves to bring this information to others. We've become very passionate about this; the more time we spend learning, the more we anticipate bringing what we've been given to the world around us.

God bless, and have a wonderful week!