Trip to KC - Voices of Zambia

One of the reasons we took a trip to KC, was to visit with a couple of guys from Zambia.  We call them our "Zambian sons" since they call us their American Mom and Dad.  Let me back up.....

Last November our church hosted a group of guys from Zambia to come and sing.  They were called Voices of Zambia.

They were lots of fun to watch and what joy to hear their incredible testimonies of how they came to know Jesus Christ. What a passion they have for Him!

These guys are sponsored by Gospelink.  Check out their web site!  We really appreciate the concept of supporting and teaching pastors from within their own nation.  They already know the language and the culture and are ready to make Him known among their people.  In Zambia, pastors are not paid.  So, most pastors have to work a couple of jobs besides being a pastor.  But with Gospelink, one can support a pastor so he doesn't have to worry about that and he can be about ministering full-time.

"Everyday we see around 700 people saved and 5 new churches started."  This is among 13,000 pastors in 13 different African nations that Gospelink sponsors. 

With so many people in Africa coming to Christ, there is a need for sound theological training.  Some pastors only have a portion of the Bible, maybe the Gospel of John only.  To help this need, Gospelink began the International Bible College of Zambia, just outside Lusaka, the capital.ghout Africa coming to Christ, there is a growing need for sound theological training.

 To help meet this need, Gospelink opened the doors of the International Bible College of Zambia. chool, which is easily accessible from Zambia's capital, Lusaka, will be able to serve students throughout the entire southern quadrant of Africa.

We love hosting people at our home.  Oscar and Harold came to our home after the worship service.

What a great time we had!  They are juniors at the Bible school and we talked with them until the wee hours of the night about the Bible.  It filled our hearts to share with one another!  (and since they are students, they stayed up until 2am studying!)  

We went on Google Earth to see where they lived - Harold in the capital city and Oscar out in the boonies by a winding river, 2 days drive from the city.  They each found their homes.  We couldn't get street view, but we could see their roof tops.  We showed them where we grew up - me in Aburatsu, Japan and Al on the farm.

We found out that their president has declared Zambia a Christian nation.  They can teach Jesus in the public schools too.  Oscar and Harold told us that recently they sang at a school in Kansas City.  They were told they could NOT speak the name of Jesus.  They could NOT share their stories of their faith. They were told to sing in their own language so the students would not know what they were singing about.  Our nation, founded on Biblical principals, and where we are supposed to have the freedom to worship Christ without government interference, is less free than this one nation in Africa.  When we told them that our President declared our nation was NOT a Christian nation, they were astounded!


These guys have spent much of their time in the US with the Hunters, who are on staff with Gospelink and who brought them to our church.  They live only a few minutes from Dennis and Cindy!  We asked the boys where they'd like to eat and they replied "Mexican!"

A delightful evening!  They again shared their heart-wrenching and yet heart-warming stories about their journey in life.  About their growing up years which were so difficult.  Could you imagine eating only 1 meal a day (corn mush)?  We have fallen in love with these fellas and wish them God's blessings as they go back to Zambia and reach men and women for Christ!

Trip to KC

This past weekend, we took a trip to Kansas City.

Since the kids live on the way, we HAD to make a stop!!  

I had a special gift for Claire!

The older girls were at school though.

 We love to do Kansas road trips and we take back roads when we can!

 If you look closely, you can see a hawk on that 2nd post.  I didn't even know it was there when I took the picture.  I was focused on the run down house and wondering about it's story; who used to live there, what life was like, when they lived there, etc.  I'm sure the road was unpaved back in the day.

This is the town of Delavan.  Never been there before.  I looked up the population in the back of our atlas, but it isn't listed since the town is unincorporated.

So I Googled it and here is what I found:

Founded in 1885 by Henry Kingman, the town was named for his home town of Delavan, Illinois. Just a year later Topeka, Salina and Western Railroad extended its tracks from Council Grove to a point just east of Delavan; however, the route was unused until the Missouri-Pacific Railroad took over and completed the rail line on to Colorado.

The town grew slowly, becoming a minor trading center and shipping point for the rich agricultural neighborhood by the turn of the century. In 1910, it had a bank, a money order post office with one rural route, express and telegraph offices, Christian and Methodist churches, and a public school. At this time, it had a population of just 58 and was described as "one of the most progressive villages of its size in the state." The town fared better in the early 20th Century, boasting a general store, lumber yard, farm machinery dealership, the bank, a telephone office and both a grade school and a high school.

 The Great Depression however, took its toll on the small community and the bank closed in the early in the 1930s. The town got a boost during World War II when the Herington Army Airfield was established in 1942 at nearby Herrington, Kansas in adjacent Dickinson County, about seven miles west of Delavan. The Army airfield took some 14 months to build, putting a number of Delavan people to work. The base, however, closed just two years later in 1945.  The Delavan High School closed in 1950, when students were forced to bus to Wilsey for classes. Delavan's post office closed in 1992. All that remains of Delavan today is the Grandview Township Community Center, which once served as the Delavan Grade School. Delavan is located about 17 miles west of Council Grove.


I spotted a pink barn!  Probably just faded, but it really did look pink!


I love the Flint Hills!


























Kansas isn't all flat!!


















When we got to KC, we made a stop at my nephew's house to drop off some things. What is interesting is that Dennis and Cindy, shirt-tail relatives*, live within a couple of minutes!  We HAD to stop of course!! Cindy had the coffee ready for us!


Dennis and Cindy used to live in Mali, where my Aunt Treva was a nurse mid-wife.  She even delivered one of their daughters.   Here is a picture of Aunt Treva when she delivered a baby in Africa.

Dennis and Cindy now work with SAT-7  It is really a great ministry!   Click on the link to read more!  

*Dennis' aunt was a missionary in Japan also, but with a different conference than my parents.  And his Uncle Harry married my mom's sister, my Aunt Wava.  Cindy's relatives are from the same town in Ohio and go to the same church where my mom grew up.  I'm sure we are related too.