Caution: May Contain Nuts

Clearing the field the quick and dirty way.

In Zambia, after the harvest comes in and the fields dry out, the Africans torch the remaining plants and grasses. They literally burn all the nice vegetation that should be plowed into the soil. (This is one of the reasons why you see so much hunger and malnutrition- their underfed fields aren’t producing 1/10 what they should be.) However, as frustrating and sad as this practice is, it reminds me a lot of my own life and my own stupid mistakes (which are infinitely more frustrating and sad than any burnt corn field). I realized the other day, as Monica and I watched our neighbors burn their field, that I’m no different. God blesses my life in so many ways, but instead of cultivating His gifts, I burn the “fields”, leaving little hope for the next harvest. I make so many mistakes with the bounty he’s given me, wasting time, opportunities, and resources.

Thankfully, God is great and my puny attempts in life sometimes yield a harvest, despite my best efforts to ruin everything. Just as the Lord will use the Zambians’ charred plots to produce new fruit in the coming year, He will use my pathetic efforts for His kingdom, blessing me beyond measure, even after I burn out opportunity before it can blossom. At least this leaves no doubt as to who is producing. Without Him my life, my fields, would be fruitless.

I like that. He will bring about His good work in us… in spite of ourselves.

Watching the fields burn from our window.

It has been a crazy couple of months, to say the least! Each day has had its joys (read: coffee) and frustrations (read: learning to operate with two small children). At the end of April I had my first whole week alone with both kids. I wasn’t sure how that would go. I had visions in my head of temper tantrums, big messes, and lots of screaming. And I figured Monica would cause some problems too. I was surprised and exceptionally blessed, however, as both children were easy going and well behaved. (I didn’t throw a tantrum once. I’m quite proud of myself.) ; ) We actually enjoyed our time together. The kitchen was “closed” for most of the week- except for the day that Monica and I decided that we needed to make cake for lunch.

They're so quiet when they sleep!

Timothy had a really great field trip. He and several teachers from a local Christian school held leadership/teacher training courses in Petauke and Chipata (towns in the Eastern Province of Zambia). Timothy came home really excited by the response he got from the Chipata classes. He said the teachers and pastors were enthusiastic about the material that was presented. It was the kind of group that listened and really wanted to understand. What a blessing! Aside from the standard discipleship and foundational lessons, he helped them understand how to teach to the glory of Christ, for the furtherance of His Kingdom. He also had team members who gave presentations on how to teach reading, how to run a school/church, and how to prepare lessons/sermons. It’s incredible to teach teachers, knowing that they will take the material home and multiply it a hundred times as they work in their school.

Teaching teachers in Chipata