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This post is going to talk about a couple of the little, fun, and interesting things that we’ve done over the past two weeks, which didn’t fit into a serious update. So be warned, if you’ve been afraid for our sanity…your fear is entirely well-founded! 🤣🤣 We made a special video update for you today, so here’s the link. You won’t want to miss it!
If you haven’t noticed, sometimes we’re slightly crazy here. Each of us has our quirks, and Daddy has a problem with a certain word. He’s been asking us if we’re excited a lot. And I mean a LOT!!! So one day Savannah decided that she needed to teach him a lesson. That’s one of Savannah’s quirks😉 Anyways, she compiled this massive list of synonyms for the word excited, and she organized them into words with negative, positive, and unknown connotations. That’s just the kind of person Savannah is😂 And then she gave it to Daddy, and told him that now that he has this amazing list, instead of asking if we’re excited, he can ask if we’re….juiced up!!! Or overwrought, or passionate!It was really funny😂
We’ve also been learning about how to wash our own clothes! So the first day that we did, Savannah was in charge of the actual washing, Daddy did the rinsing, and I put the clothes up to dry. But every once in a while, Daddy needed help wringing out something. Daddy gave the last pair of jeans special attention, soaking them thoroughly. And then he asked for help. Savannah kindly agreed and went over to give him a hand. And then, when she got in range, Daddy hurled it at her, soaking her! We all laughed, but Savannah isn’t one to let a prank go unpunished. So a little while later, while Daddy was on camera talking about his misdeeds and about how Savannah doesn’t let go of a grudge, she grabbed the still-full-and-soapy bucket of water, and dumped it on him! It was really something to see, and we got it on video😂 I recently authored a quote that describes the situation quite well, in my opinion: "It is not the one who starts, but the one who finishes, and finishes brutally, who is guilty for the greater sin." SAVANNAH!!!! 🤣🤣😉
As I said in our last update, we’ve been going to the school every morning for the last couple weeks. After being there for a while, we convinced Charles to take us on a tour of Twashuka. We didn’t know how big it was, so we only ended up going through a tiny part of it, as you can see in the beautiful drone photo below. And that’s not even the whole village either!
This is the village of Twashuka. It actually continues going beyond the photo. All the trees are mango trees! Sadly the mangoes aren't in season😂
It was really cool to see, and we’re eager to go again soon! It actually used to be called Walale, which basically means “the place where you don’t come back alive”. That was before Aaron shared the gospel with them. It was a place of drunkenness, prostitution, murders, and all kinds of unspeakable activity. It was pretty much a hideout for criminals trying to escape justice from nearby cities. The Zambian government actually didn’t want to give Aaron a land grant there at first, because they said it was too dangerous. Aaron got it anyways, but he didn’t know what to do with the land. So he prayed, and the Lord directed him to Luke 10:1-12 and Matthew 10:11, where Jesus sent His disciples out two by two, and told them to find a house of peace. Aaron realized that all wasn’t lost, and that there must be a worthy person, a person of peace, somewhere in Walale.
So he prayed fervently! He would go on prayer walks through the village from 6 AM to 4 PM, just asking the Lord to use him and to show him the house of peace in that community. Eventually, he remembered that wherever Jesus went, before meeting the people’s spiritual needs, he would first meet their physical needs. So he began to serve in the community, making himself available to help others in any way possible. And it turned out that Walale was ripe for the gospel! Soon they found their “house of peace” in the form of an old believer’s home, which became the base for the outreach of their ministry in Walale. It grew and grew, and everywhere they went the gospel completely transformed lives. Prostitutes became chaste servants, murderers became nurturers, and thieves were turned to generosity, a picture of the utter repentance shown in Ephesians 4:28. They began holding frequent Bible studies and prayer meetings, and started house churches in many places throughout the community.
But in time, they realized that to truly change the community for good, they had to reach the younger generation. And so they started a free school, which is opening up doors to better lives for the children. Soon, that village had transformed completely. Once called Walale, place of death and den of robbers, it’s now called Twashuka—“the Lucky Place”.
The point is that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom - freedom from the consequences we deserve, freedom from the crushing weight of our sin, and freedom to change. And oh, how they’ve changed!! Once, Twashuka was too dangerous to walk through in the daylight. Now? Well, on our tour with Charles, we didn’t just walk through it. We stopped in quite a few houses, talked with a lot of very friendly, hospitable people, and were given a generous gift of fresh peanuts. Kids followed us, laughing and playing games. And the babies felt so free that when Anna picked one up, he peed on her!😂
I think that’s a good note to end on, so shaleenipo! (“goodbye” in Bemba)
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