Rolling start into 2025!

The year is off to a rolling start, and February kept us on our toes! As I write this, we are in Mongu on another mission trip—but more on that later. Here’s a little glimpse into what we’ve been up to.

Ministry Training Strategy (MTS) Workshop

We kicked off the month with a busy but exciting time as Michael organised and participated in another MTS workshop from February 3rd to 5th. We were privileged to host Tim Thorburn, who traveled all the way from Australia to speak at the event. For three days a group of about ten participants gathered to dive deeper into ministry training. The Ministry Training Strategy (MTS) has been instrumental in financially supporting our church, Christ Church Lusaka, allowing us to train an apprentice—a huge blessing as we invest in the next generation of gospel workers!

Growing the Church

Last month, a working committee was formed at Christ Church Lusaka to strategize for growth, and we had our first official meeting. Our big goal? To reach constituent church status by the end of the year! It’s an ambitious dream, and we know it will take prayer, hard work, and many hands to accomplish. Please pray with us for God’s guidance and for more people to come alongside us in this important task.

First Working Committee meeting

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”
1 Corinthians 3:6-7

Family Update

Caleb has been home with us now for two and a half months, and it has been a time of joy and adjustment. We anticipated that our day in court would be in a month’s time, but we were in for a surprise. It seems our 90 days of supervised bonding hasn’t even started yet! You can read more about the delays in our adoption process here on our blog.

Unexpected Delays

Mongu… Once Again!

We packed our bags (and lots of snacks!) and hit the road for another two-week ministry trip to Mongu from February 16th to March 1st.

This time, the journey had a new challenge: traveling with a very active one-year-old! Since this was Caleb’s first long road trip, we decided to split the drive over two days. Day one was, well… interesting. He napped a bit, but when he woke up, he made sure we knew he was not a fan of the car seat—cue 45 minutes of inconsolable screaming. Eventually, he settled, and the second day went much smoother. Hopefully the return trip will be less dramatic!

While in Mongu, we stayed at a cottage on the Village of Hope Mission Base. It has been wonderful to meet and connect with the South African families serving here. Some of them also have young children, which has been a huge blessing—Caleb and I have enjoyed visiting and playing with them!

Teaching & Training in Mongu

The main reason for this trip was an exciting teaching opportunity for Michael at the Barotse Bible School. He’s been teaching a two-week module on the Pentateuch, which was a perfect fit since we recently completed the Explore module on the same topic. He has loved digging into God’s Word with the students. The lectures on the Pentateuch at Barotse Campus were well-received, with students showing great engagement and asked insightful questions.

This was the first time Michael has taught this course and the opportunity to teach came up suddenly. It meant that he spent whatever free time he had available between lectures preparing the next lecture. At the end of each week, the students were quizzed on their understanding of the course content. This meant that Michael was also marking quizzes (and also Explore Course exams for Zambia Explore students).

Michael teaching at Barotse Campus
This chalk board has seen many years of teaching.
Michael marking exams and quizzes

Discipling Women and Witnessing New Life in Christ

Meanwhile, I had the joy of spending time with the women in Mongu—many of them are pastors’ wives whose husbands are studying at the Bible school. Using the skills and material I’ve gained from my Entrust training, I led sessions with the ladies. It was truly encouraging to see how they responded to God’s Word. One young lady, the niece of the pastor’s wife, attended the sessions with her aunt. At the end of our time together, I opened the floor for questions, and she asked how someone can be born again. I invited her to talk after the session, and that afternoon she made the life-changing decision to give her life to the Lord. What a beautiful moment to witness God at work!

Renee sharing God's word with the ladies at Barotse Campu
The ladies at Barotse Campus that Renee encouraged

“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”
Colossians 1:28-29

Unexpected Opportunities

During our time in Mongu, we also found ourselves in an unexpected but deeply meaningful situation. A fellow SIM missionary, Cindy-Lou Barclay, experienced a great loss when a young 12-year-old boy she had been caring for tragically passed away. It was heartbreaking, but we were grateful to be here to support her. Michael was asked to speak at the funeral and took the opportunity to share the Gospel with those who attended. Please keep Cindy-Lou and those affected in your prayers during this difficult time.

“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
Romans 10:14-15

Thank you for partnering with us

Thank you for being part of our journey—through prayer, encouragement, and support. We love sharing these updates with you and are so grateful for your partnership in what God is doing here in Zambia.

Praise God For:

  • Growth in leadership at Christ Church Lusaka.
  • A successful and safe Vision Trip to Mongu.
  • The young lady in Mongu who gave her life to Christ.
  • Productive lectures on the Pentateuch at Barotse Campus.
  • The good relationships that we made with other missionaries and ministries in Mongu.
  • Providing all our needs.
  • Regular financial support from God’s people.

Pray For:

  • Christ Church Lusaka will continue to grow in self-governance.
  • The students at Barotse Campus to remember how the Pentateuch makes us wise for salvation through faith in Jesus.
  • The young lady who trusted in Christ, to grow in her faith and to be discipled meaningfully.
  • Us to continue to trust God to provide all our needs.