A Thief in the Night

We joined a short term expedition into Dwa Dwa, where Brandon teaches bible studies every Tuesday, a couple of weeks ago. The trip was going well and we were making headway with the Senior Headman and his council as well as pounding the pavement (or...dirt) with outreach evangelism. One night, while the team was leading a night service with the village, Brandon, Jake, Derek and I were sitting around the fire back at our campsite discussing the day and preparing for the next. We were only 30 feet from the farthest tent, but in the pitch blackness, we could only see the few feet around our fire.

Derek was the closing speaker in the meeting, so when it was about time, he got up from the fire and started walking toward the service. He switched on his headlamp when he reached the furthest tent just in time to see a man reaching inside of it! "THIEF!" he yelled, and ran after him into the tall grass. We saw his light disappear into the night and stared at each other for a moment. We had been talking about the catfish Derek had caught earlier that day and put under the truck, joking that the dogs were going to come steal them. So, we yelled after him, "Man or Dog?" half kidding. When there was no answer, Jake and Brandon took off. They found Derek in a ravine about 40 yards away and 6 feet down. He was running too fast to see the drop and fell while chasing the thief. He was okay, but had scraped his leg pretty badly. As they headed back to camp, they picked up a few scattered bags the man had dropped as he was making his escape. There was no way to know how many he had gotten away with, so we pulled the expedition leader out of the service. Beau checked the tents and most of everyone's belongings looked in tact, but he couldn't find his backpack with his Nikon camera or all of their expedition money. They searched the path hoping to find more scattered items and bags, meanwhile, Jake pulled Senior Dwa Dwa out of the meeting along with Mariel, the co-leader of the expedition. When Mariel heard what had happened, she closed her eyes for a minute and shared with us that before the meeting, she was the last person at the camp. She noticed that there were bags and shoes laying around and tents unzipped, and she felt prompted to pick everything up - including Beau's bag - and put everything inside the tents and zip them closed. We praised God that He had prompted her to tidy the camp and that she was obedient in the 'small' task of picking up after the team.

Senior Dwa Dwa asked us if we saw the man get away, and when we couldn't verify, he and our guys went looking for the thief. When they came to the ravine, they noticed that it was actually a stream with fairly deep water. (That Derek wasn't seriously injured was a miracle.) There was a large backpack floating on top of the water. Jake reached in to grab it, but it was stuck on something. From the camp I heard Derek ask, "Is that a head? Senior, can you see, is that a man?" Senior Dwa Dwa reached in, pulled the man by his hair and lifted him out of the water. The thief had also fallen into the ravine, and was either playing dead, or hiding hoping to escape later. They brought him back to camp and sat him almost in the coals of the fire, doped up and soaking wet. Senior Dwa Dwa questioned him for a moment finding that the man was sent from town to follow the 'big trucks' in, to steal from the 'Makua' (whites) and sell items in the villages on the way back. Senior was distraught and ashamed that this was happening in his village, and assured us that it was not one of his people. He took the thief with the help of some of his council members, and we heard them questioning him for the next few hours. We could only imagine what fate awaited this man, out in the bush, where the civil laws don't always apply. For we were guests of the Chief, and this act of theft wasn't just a crime against us, but also an insult to the Chief and the headman in charge of this village.

We were quiet for the next while, torn between relief that the thief was caught and that no items were permanently stolen, and the thought of our witness to this village as Christian Missionaries. Wasn't the last person to speak to Jesus a thief? Weren't we all thieves and liars, harlots and addicts, before Christ came and erased our shame? Our flesh cried for Justice but our spirits simply cried. Is this man beyond our compassion? Is this man beyond the Grace of God? NO. He is lost, he is deceived, and he is broken - as we all were - and He is in need of Jesus, perhaps more than anyone else we had met in Dwa Dwa so far.

The leaders went and found where the Senior and his men were holding him. Sure they would walk up on a gruesome scene and find a man beaten half to death, they prepared themselves and prayed for strength. But what they found was quite different. The thief was bound, but was sitting close to a fire for warmth, no bruises or blood, and the Senior and his men were guarding close by. They told Jake that they would banish the thief from their village and deport him to the next, where most assuredly the village of Milundu would do the same until he was deported back to Livingstone. Our leaders sat and shared with the man, witnessed by the headman and his guards, the redemptive hope and righteousness that we find in Christ. He wasn't 'the thief' any longer. He was Alfred, and he is now working through his brokenness to find Christ.

When the team left a few days later, they were greeted by Alfred in Livingstone, he apologized to them, seemed to be sober, and had a smile on his face. I am eternally grateful that we have a Father in Heaven who doesn't call us what He could - for we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God - but rather calls us by Name, His Beloved, as we are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ.

We look forward to seeing Alfred more in the future, and continue to pray that he finds his restoration and peace in Jesus.

Why?

Why do people die? Why do bad things happen? Why?

  A little less than a month ago I thought of posting this blog when a young man shot and killed over 20 children, but I fought it off and said no because it was such a touchy subject. I had written it off as a never-mind and then my grandfather got some news. We recently found out that he has a very large mass on his L2 vertebra. We haven't found out yet whether it is benign or malignant, but should know something by next Monday. As my family waits on this news I contemplate these tough questions once again.

I've recently watched a friend from church, who I highly respect, go through a tough situation with her mother. (More info here) She lost her mother to cancer while we were in Africa. The picture you see is of her son reflecting on his grandmother. As I sit and think about the tough questions in life I remember a conversation told to me about this same little boy, John Thomas Fry.
"Mommy", he said, "why do people disobey God?" "I don't know", she responded, "it's like when you disobey me". "Yeah, but I would never disobey God!", he said. His mother told him how disobeying her was in fact disobeying God according to the Bible. With wide, terrified eyes, John Thomas asked, "does that mean I can't go to heaven?". She explained to him about salvation and what it means to be saved. She explained how Jesus died for our sins. Some days later John Thomas was being a little boy and somehow disobeyed his mother. When Candace called this to his attention the terror came over his face again. "Did Jesus leave me? Do I have to be saved again?"

Praise the one and only God of our salvation, No! We do not! Through God, my grandmother brought Jesus into my grandfather's life many years ago. He has trained his children in the way of the Lord and my life is a testament to the way he has lived.  My grandfather gets good news either way next week because as Christians we know that this life is not the end. He either lives which is Christ or he dies, eventually, which is gain. I can rejoice with Him either way. It might be a sad moment and that's okay, but in the grand scheme of things it will be a time of rejoicing.

Why do bad things happen? They happen because in the beginning mankind messed up. From that moment our Father was moving toward our redemption. Why doesn't God stop bad things from happening? A better question is why don't people recognize it when He does?!? Who are we to say that he doesn't? He stopped a lot of things from happening in His holy Word. He healed. He brought the dead to life. He refused the entire extinction of mankind itself. How about He gave us a way to be brought back from eternal death? That doesn't sound like a God who just "lets bad things happen". It sounds like a loving father that cares about us and our problems and our hurting.

To finish I want to just post some truths about our Heavenly Father:

1. Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Psalm 103:1-5 NIV)
2. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! (Philippians 1:20-22 NIV)
3. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the Lord , who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called to the Lord ; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. (Psalms 18:2-6 NIV84)
4. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:10, 11 NIV84)

...and the list goes on and on. Thank you, Lord, for your goodness, for your sovereignty, for your hope and for your Son.

Larry and Palma Simmons on their 50th wedding anniversary

 Please join us in praying for our 'Pepa' and the Simmons family. We know God is in control, so we pray for peace, for comfort, and for strength in the days ahead.

-Brandon

PRAISE REPORT!

GOD IS SO GOOD and He never fails!

Even if I wanted to question God's call on our life, it would be no use. He has certainly made himself clear and brings new understanding to us daily. There are so many sayings "Those who God calls he also equips" or " God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called' and many more... and while they may seem cliche, there is certain truth to these statements. God has placed a call on many of us. When you follow God in obedience to those calls, placing your trust in Him, and knowing that you can't do anything apart from His goodness, HE makes a way. He is THE way after all!

We have been blown away in the last few weeks with so many of you, allowing God to speak through you and provide through you for the mission he has given to us. Kindness and selflessness like this can only come from One Spirit. We are blessed to be in the path of the Most High and His purpose and plan for each of us to meet each other, love each other and have an intertwined relationship of obedience and trust in our Heavenly Father. You are solidifying the call of God and we pray that your blessings are returned 100 fold!

We want you to be encouraged at just how amazing God is and how he is working in this time of preparation. See what a blessing it is to trust in God and to obey in faith when he gives us opportunities of growth and surrender! 

A VEHICLE AND A LEGACY

You can tell a lot about the life of a person by their children and the legacy they leave behind, but what is even more telling, is how a person spends the last few months of their life in the face of pain, sickness, and death. I'll never forget reading the caring bridge update on Ms. Gwen, hearing Candace tell how her mother was sharing Christ with everyone who came to tell her goodbye. As her battle with cancer was coming to an end, not a moment was being wasted. She worshiped, she loved her family, and she was unashamed of the Gospel until the day she met her Lord face to face. 

We have been incredibly blessed in having a relationship with the Fry family. (Remember this post?) Camille and John Thomas are our tiny friends who are at times smarter, and more spiritually aware than we could hope to be and are a complete joy in our lives. We began babysitting them a couple days a week after school so Candace could spend time with her mom. God was creating a beautiful web of love and friendship during this time and through it all, we came to know Ms. Gwen for the beautiful spirit God had created her to be. 

Ms. Gwen and Mr. Rodger encouraged us and helped us in our fundraising efforts for AMT in Zambia earlier this summer. In the midst of the battle, she was still focused on the Kingdom of God and wanted to be a part God was doing in us.  Full of gratitude, we went and continued to pray for the Phelps and the Frys. A few weeks into our training, we learned that Ms. Gwen had been called home to be with Jesus. 

When we returned back to the states we shared our story and our next step with our church.  Our Sunday school class asked what we would be needing to get back to Africa and among the things we needed was a 4x4 vehicle. After hugging Candace's neck, she mentioned that her Dad had a jeep that she thought he was thinking of selling and she would check it out for us. 

Not 2 weeks later, we heard from Mr. Rodger, ready and willing to DONATE this beautiful vehicle to us. It is a 1989 Jeep Wrangler with a brand new engine and all kinds of bells and whistles the 4x4 driver needs! And because it's a 1989 the import tax will be so much less than we were anticipating! Even as I type this I am without words to describe how incredibly thankful we are, how incredibly wonderful our God is, and how beautiful the tapestry of the Body of Christ.

So, Ms. Gwen's legacy lives on. Not only through her husband, who carries the same generous and Christlike spirit; or her daughter Candace, who lives her life as a reflection of who her mother was; or through her grandchildren, who talked about her all the time; but also through the gospel. Ms. Gwen's life was modeled after her Savior, and this is the piece of her legacy that each of us can carry on; Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, and the Peace, Joy and Love of our God to those who haven't heard.

Remembering her and our loved ones who are cheering us on from the clouds (Heb. 12:1-3), we promise to live our lives worthy of His love and sacrifice, and of your love and support. This vehicle will help us reach the unreached in the remote areas of the Zambian Bush and wherever else God may lead us.

Thank you Mr. Rodger and the entire Phelps and Fry clan for loving God and allowing Him to bless us and our ministry through you! We cannot express our gratitude, so allow us to quote Paul in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians. He speaks of how God sees hearts like yours, and what it means to Him and his kingdom when the church gives:

2 Corinthians 10-15

¹⁰ Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹ You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

¹² This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. ¹³ Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. ¹⁴ And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

To all of our family, friends and special support family:

We love you, appreciate you, and thank you for joining us in a journey of obedience, trust, and glorious blessings from our Father!

Do you feel God may be asking you to be obedient in some way?

There are many ways that you can be a part of what God is doing throughout the world.  It may be as simple as a hug or a prayer. Maybe he's asking you to commit to a monthly donation to support missionaries across the globe (I know a couple ;) ). Sometimes it might sound like something crazy, but obedience to the Spirit can bless people in the most unconventional ways! God knows what we need, and He speaks to you just as clearly as He speaks to us! Contact us to find out more of how you can join our support family! Email us at brandonandsallymissions@gmail.com or give us a call anytime at 912-536-4591.

*Stay tuned for another incredible story of how God works in the little things to make a big difference, and how He shows us that in the Body of Christ, there are no 'strangers' - only children of God, obediently working together to fulfill HIS purpose!

Love y'all!

Brandon and Sally 

Be Not Afriad

We sang a beautiful song in choir tonight by Craig Courtney titled, Be Not Afraid. 

As soon as I read the text I thought of a person I grew up with that just found out their mother has stage 3 cancer, another friend who recently lost her mother to cancer, so many of my friends who are struggling to have children... and my mind wandered on... There are so many people going through so much right now. Not just people here, or where you are, but people everywhere.

Christmas can be a wonderful season, but it doesn't negate what is going on in your life, and the holiday itself can't take any of the burden off of you...but the One for whom it is named can.

Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, is highly celebrated not just because his birth was prophesied of, or because he was born of a virgin, or because he was a King of Heaven coming to earth, but because of what He came to do and why. We celebrate the birth of Jesus because it means God is here with us, God that created the universe loves us, and promises us that he will never leave us or forsake us. That we are worth saving, so much so that he sent part of himself to die for us, so that we may have life and have it abundantly...and when this temporary life is over and our time on earth is finished, that we have hope restored in Heaven through the gift of salvation and redemption that came through Christ Jesus. 

God loves us so much that he sent Jesus to be our savior and redeemer, then we should fear nothing that stands in our paths. He is with us, and walks us through the storms of this life until we can be with him in peace forever.

Be not afraid, but be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, for the lord your God is on your side.  The fighting is done, the battle has already been won. Victory is free to all who but call on the name of Jesus.  The beauty of Christmas is CHRIST. Not only his birth, not only his life, or his death, but in the purpose of his coming. YOU. me... for us all.

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
    I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
    and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."
                        -Isaiah 43:1-3

I am loving each and every one of you tonight, sharing in your heartache and your pain. Remember, God is listening to you, loving you, and holding you through these times. Trust in His goodness, in His faithfulness, and you will walk on top of these stormy seas with Jesus at your side. 

-Sally

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Faith Trees and Mustard Seeds

I had to share something short and sweet with you, hopefully this little bit of encouragement can speak to you in some way. 

So...There are some amazing trees here in Africa. Right now, most of them are dead and leafless, but randomly there are some beautiful, lush, green trees. I asked our director what kind of tree it was and he told me it was a Faith Tree. He described how all the other trees wait until the rains come before they begin to blossom and bud, but the Faith trees take a chance and bud early, in anticipation of the rain.

What a great example of our lives as Christians. In His word, God tells us to have Faith, to trust His promises, and to GO. So many times we wait until the blessings come, or we wait until we are 100% positive that everything will be taken care of and we have a definite plan before we want to trust God and follow His commands. What a waste... we are called to be people of Faith, to follow without asking questions, to trust without needing proof, and to step out in obedience- show our leaves to the world and GO. 

Faith trees... what a beautiful concept. 

Blossom and bloom. Show your faith without hesitation. Trust in your Heavenly Father and believe that when he says he has plans to prosper and not to harm you He means it. But also remember that He means it when He tells us to obey and to share the Gospel with all who will hear. 

Have Faith in God, He's on His throne. Have faith in God He watches o'er His own. He cannot Fail, He must prevail. Have Faith in God- Have Faith in God. 

Our classes are getting tough, but we are doing our best and working hard. We are officially Wilderness First Responders and know how to weld and cut metal. Our leadership and Culture classes start next week and we've already been given homework assignments. 

We are steadily losing the cool nights, so please pray for us as we will be roasting here pretty soon :) 

We love you all and hope everything is well! 

It hasn't even been 2 weeks???

I can't believe we haven't even been here for 2 weeks! The old saying 'time flies when you're having fun' certainly is not the case here in Zambia. We are having a blast and are so thankful that God is stretching out the days so we can experience him in fullness! The worst thing in the world would be to get to the end of these three months and say 'where did the time go?'.

God has been doing amazing things in us and through us this last week and a half. Our new AMT family is wonderful. After sharing our testimonies this week around the campfire, it was unreal to see how intertwined our pasts are and how perfectly God put this team together. We are blessed with beautiful, kind and sweet friends to spend this time with!

Our tent, that seemed small and hot when we first got here seems like a haven after sleeping in a smaller tent in the bush for a week! We are so grateful for the mattress and enough space to be able to stand up in the mornings! And after squatting over a 'long drop' all week... a toilet is the most luxurious item you could imagine! (Especially after my last night in the bush - I threw up all night and my back, knees, and hips were killing me from being on the ground in the cold night!) We were all waiting in line for showers after we returned on Friday. Bush baths just don't quite cut it :) (bathing with 1 liter of water with a bucket and a cup... it's that or baby wipes!) It is truly inspiring how much God can change you and equip you in just 1 week.

Today has been a beautifully restful day. Brandon hiked down to the Gorge again and I've done some laundry and caught up my journal. I also cut his hair this morning because he was getting too hot with the cute little beiber haircut :) We visited the Martin's house this morning and borrowed their clippers and gave him a little faux hawk! Their home is stunning... she is a master crafter and has glass and tile mosaic all over their 2 story african home! It looks like a Caribbean resort! The colorful windows and floors are a drastic change from the brown dirt that surrounds the home. What beautiful and encouraging artistry, and wonderfully encouraging people.

 The breeze coming off the gorge almost cools you down if you're sitting in the shade and the view up here is awe-inspiring. I'm sitting in the 2nd floor living room area of the Main Building on base. I'm procrastinating writing my 1 page testimony of our expedition (haha...some things never change!) but do need to get started on it fairly soon!

The expedition was incredible. God showed himself in so many ways, and I learned even more how to rely on him. I am no preacher, and no evangelist. But when you realize that NO one is fully equipped with out the holy spirit, your prospective changes. When you hear a woman tell you that she has never seen a bible and doesn't know who Jesus is, your prospective changes. When you hear her say through tears, 'but I don't think even a God that big can forgive me for everything I've done', your heart breaks and for the first time you understand why sharing the Gospel is so important. People are dying every day without hope. A hope I have been blessed with from DAY 1 because of my family and circumstance, and a hope that most people around the world would never even dream existed. God gave me a love in that moment and my heart poured out for this woman and the others there in a way I never imagined. He spoke through me for an hour and a half and gave me answers to all of their questions. You can tell the difference between someone repeating the sinners prayer and turning back to their life, and when someone's heart is truly touched by God. That difference makes ALL the difference. Evangelism without love and true compassion for the lost is a waste. Every second of every day we should be broken hearted for those who don't know Jesus. We should live in a constant state of love and compassion so that others might know Him through us. I have honestly never experienced brokenhearted compassion like I did on Wednesday morning in that village hut. From creation to redemption God shared his love story through me and reached into their despairing souls and pulled them from the darkness. It was an experience I will never forget. I walked away from their village 100% confident that they were filled with God's Holy Spirit and that even if they didn't have a bible or a church nearby, that God would make himself known to them and that those people would spur a change in their village and beyond. What an amazing opportunity.

God's timing is always right. I had no clue that Shannon would ask me to preach, and I hadn't prepared anything to share. But God doesn't let us get in the way. We are a vessel for His message, and when we trust in Him, He pulls out everything from within us - things we didn't even know were there. NEVER be discouraged to share your faith. I hid my light under a 'bushel' until now, and I pray that by this experience I never hide it again. When you understand the depths of darkness - you see how imperative the light truly is.

So much... and in less than 2 weeks! We have another restful Sabbath day tomorrow and then Monday morning starts our Wilderness First Responder course.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers. We think about you often but God isn't letting us be homesick! We love you all so much and hope that we can share often what God is doing in and through us, but with so much going on, I feel we will only be scratching the surface! We pray for your health and safety as you pray for us. We love you!

Sally and Brandon

Click here to see Some photos from the expedition this past week