Three Staff Updates

On a trip like Zambia - I don't really think in terms of staff and students.  Nick Spitler is my point guy as a returning staff member when there is a leadership - but for the most part - we operate as a team of 30 rather than staff/student.  Each of us carries the load of the ministry equally each day.  So today, here is an update from three of our staff members as to what they have seen.  We have more posts that are currently being written by some students... but it is almost midnight here... so I am going to bed :)

-Jack
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Hi from Zambia!

It’s hard to believe our trip is already coming to an end - It has been such a blessing to serve with this amazing team in this amazing country. One of the first things Pastor Ron told us when we arrived is that Zambians love to love each other, and this has been on constant display our entire trip. They’re so welcoming to us, but also generous to one another. We were in a village today and Pastor Teddy explained that when they have an issue, everyone gets involved. People came from 20 kilometers away to help with a well in the village. It’s just the way they do life, they don’t give to receive. It’s so refreshing!

I’m so proud of our students. It’s been a joy to hear their testimonies and watch them seek out the people we encounter. It’s so encouraging to see them grow in their faith. On a side note - if you’re reading this and you have a son/daughter that isn’t involved at 707, GET THEM THERE! They’ll have a blast and be led to do life the right way. It’s amazing to see how high schoolers inspire me!

Thanks for your prayers and support, and know that this whole team loves and misses OPC. A quick shout out to Mom, Dad, Chaz, Johanna, and Charlie, Love you guys so much!

-Drew

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For those of you that have been fervently praying for my back, I thank you so much! I have been reading the book Captivating, and the author Stasi Eldridge wrote about a time she suffered with severe vertigo and she realized it as a spiritual attack. So she prayed in the name of Jesus Christ to have the illness leave her and it did. I decided to pray in the name of Jesus for my back pain I have been suffering with for 4 months to leave me as I realized it as a spiritual attack. As i prayed, I literally felt my back changing, and I haven’t had back pain since Friday! I have been suffering for 4 months and in an instant, my pain was gone. I was in the van with other staff and I immediately started bawling as all the staff hugged me and rejoiced with me. I just wanted the prayer warriors to be encouraged and that their prayers have been answered! My prayer life has been forever changed. So thank you so much for praying! The plane ride home will be much more tolerable without pain.

Love you all!

Alli Pew

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Hey families and friends! This is Jay, I’m one of the newer staff members to 707. It has been an absolute blessing to not only be a part of 707, but a part of this team here in Zambia.

Today has to be the high point of the ministry work we have done so far. I’m not sure exactly where we were as we usually just all pile into Glenda and Victor Pilots us to wherever we are destined for. We drove close to 2 hours out to a village in the bush. Little did I know what God had in store for us.

Before I write too much more. I want to note, writing is not my forte so bear with my random thoughts.

We arrived at a home in the village and we were all greeted by small children and the family members that lived there. As typical of the Zambian people, they were very eager to shake hands and talk with us. Many of us wandered around a bit as we were pretty intrigued to be in the middle of no where at a village with people that had no running water, electricity, cooked in an outside “kitchen”, had chickens running everywhere, and just lived life in the most simple form. They had tons of cotton that had been harvested, 20 bags of corn in another area that had been harvested and removed from the cob. All to be sold for family income. Roosters crowing, hens with chicks, a “structure” made for bathing. For all of us that come from south east Michigan, this was quite a change of scenery, as you might imagine. We broke up into 10 groups of 3 each with 1 staff member from Campus Crusade to visit the families in the village. David, Nathan, and I were paired up with Pastor Billy. Our first visit we met with Alfred and Patrick. Alfred was the younger brother to the chief, and Patrick was his Nephew. After Pastor Billy had introduced us all. We started by each of us giving our testimonies. Then read scripture outlining God creating man, how we are saved through Jesus Christ, that we are to answer his knocking, that we have eternal life through Him, to pray, fellowship, and share the gospel with everyone. The 3 of us took turns reading passages to them. It was really amazing as we just kind of all worked together and it flowed. Talk about the Holy Spirit at work!

Patrick intently wrote down each verse we read so he could look them up later. Pastor Billy asked if they had accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, to which they both said, “no.” But that they wanted to. We then did the sinner’s prayer as both Alfred and Patrick accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Through Pastor Billy, I asked if they had a Bible, and they didn’t. We gave them 2 Bibles and prayed with them. How awesome!! We then ventured to another home, where we met the grandmother and daughter. I couldn’t pronounce her name let alone try and write it. But I do remember she was incredibly sweet. After we introduced ourselves, gave our testimonies, read more scripture, they too, accepted Christ as their Savior. In total, we had 5 people saved in the short time we were out. I gave the grandmother the shirt I was wearing, and the picture of my family I have been carrying since our arrival in Zambia. She was so excited but I think I was more excited as I know I will get to see her again. She gave me a big hug and we said our goodbyes. We spent the rest of the day with the village playing soccer, games, jump rope, bubbles, and just sitting under the trees. Hershey had the cutest little boy fall asleep in his arms. There was talk of how we could take him home!

I could write for hours trying to note every memory I have of this day and still not be able to capture all of the work God has done on this day. I will never forget those beautiful Zambian people that were saved today. And I am quite sure they will not forget the day of their rebirth into eternal life with the Americans as their witnesses.

As we wind down this trip and prepare to come home, I have to thank God for putting me here, and my family for being so supportive, and willing to make the sacrifice of me being gone from them. I love you, Amy, Abby, and my “Bubba!” See you soon! God Bless! 

Jay

Romans 10:14-15

“How, then, can the call of the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”