Four Blonds and a Monkey Too

Looking Ahead: Zambia, here we come!

Phone calls and Emails

In January, while still unsure of our future direction, we received a phone call from Zambia from a missionary we did not know. He said he had heard of Uzima and asked me to come visit them. Since I have learned that sometimes one needs to go and try each door and not just sit and wait for one to open; off to Zambia I went to check this new opportunity.

The morning I left we received an email from a friend in Denmark who, while praying had been given a vision for us. He did not have any idea what it meant; nor did we when we first read it. However; after returning home I re-read this email and amazingly, this was exactly what had I met in Zambia; even down to the very words they used in the invitation for us to come and work with them!

Also, we had previously received an email from a friend in the USA who was praying for us and sensed that none of the different options we had at the time seemed right. He felt there would be something completely new and unexpected coming to us. - And here it was!

Pro Christo Global Mission

After returning home, talking and praying with the family we made the decision that we would move to Zambia to work with this mission. They are called Pro Christo Global Mission. Their main focus is to train and develop Africans themselves to be full time missionaries. This is something I have wanted to do all along. Pro Christo already has African missionaries in 10 African nations; eight families are actually on Lake Tanganyika.

They suggested that move to their main headquarters in Kabwe, Zambia. My main job description will be to work with their missionaries on Lake Tanganyika (the south end of the lake borders Zambia) and try to get a medical vessel going to support the work that is already begun on the lake. Sounds familiar? This is what we went to do in Kigoma…

They have also asked that I teach at their Missionary Training College as well as travel to the surrounding nations to teach and visit their missionaries to encourage them; which is something every missionary needs.

As I met several different mission groups in Kabwe; I noticed a remarkable sense of unity among them. Never have I seen it before to such an extent. They share ideas, ministries, money, vehicles, staff, even the pulpit. After meeting the leaders of these mission groups I noticed another extraordinary thing: they were all missionary kids just like Jette and I both are! I felt very much at home within minutes of being with them.

We Finally Bought Our Own House!!

I got a call shortly after returning home from one of these missionaries, “Houses very rarely come up for sale here in Kabwe and usually they are very expensive, but one has just come up for sale across the street from us. Hurry, other people have already made an offer.” We went to Google Earth and located the house, gathered the girls to pray, talked a bit and then I sent a text on the phone to say that we would buy the house. Sometimes things move fast, - even in Africa! So we now own our first house ever, for 35 thousand usd, and we are very excited. I took another trip to Zambia a few weeks ago to see the house and it does need some work but it is a nice place. 4 bed rooms, 3 bath rooms etc. It will require about 7 thousand to redo the electric and plumbing work as well as adding a dining room and rebuild the kitchen. A few years ago we were blessed with a 30 thousand dollar check for a house. Praise The Lord! So we need to add some to make it all happen. We will also sell our car here and purchase another in Zambia.

On The Road Again…

So, we will be on the road again but we sense this is a move that will be really good for the family. One of the top Zambian schools is located in Kabwe only five minutes walk from our house. Mostly local kids but a handful of white kids go there as well so we will try this option for our girls and see how it works out.

This move is a new country, new currency, new people, new mission, and new language although English is widely spoken. We will miss Tanzania; we have loved it here, and I have learned a good deal of Swahili. Jette has been here 17 years, I have been here for 7, Naomi was born here, lots of friends here etc. But we move on and follow the Lord’s calling.

The Family

Acacia just celebrated her 7th birthday. She had a bunch of friends over for a party and had a wonderful day. Her favorite present were a watch, a bracelet and some pretty clothes. Rachel is doing really well in school, and especially loves her Tuesdays with horseback riding in the afternoon. Mikaela enjoys her pre-school, but also wants to know how to read like her sisters. Naomi runs around and seems to learn new words every day. Her favorite time of day is late afternoon when our guard takes her to fetch milk from a nearby family who has cows.

Jette is still teaching at the Danish School and will be working right up till the end of June; she is very busy with that. This coming week they have a big workshop, putting together a musical production for the 18 children at the school aged 7 to 14.

I, Lyle, have been doing a lot of traveling and teaching in YWAM lately as well as overseeing a couple of building projects here in Iringa.

Simba Ulanga

Also greetings again from Simba Ulanga. I happened to meet him at a bus stop in Dar Es Salaam a few weeks ago. We shared a taxi, he had just been on the road for 9 weeks and several local pastors were thrown in prison this time. I took him home, said hello to his family, left him with some money and off I went to my own destination.

Thank you all so much for your love, support and prayers.

We do need you for all of those things.

God Bless you!

The Fight for Life #2

The Fight for Life Continues #2

Written May 8th 2008

Yohana here. It is my turn to write. My brother Benjamin, he is too weak to let you know how we are doing. It has been a real struggle for Benja these last days. There seems to be a continual fight between life and death over his body. At times you can see this very fight take place as you look into his face. Death is more real than life. Our new mom is the best, she continues to give us everything, she never sleeps it seems. My brother often sleeps on her chest to receive life from her warmth and heart beat.

This last Sunday it looked like death was winning the fight over Benja but my new dad sent out texts to others by phone to pray for life. Dad said that as they prayed together as a family and spoke the word life over Benja that you could see life come back into his face.

Our doctor friend Claire comes to see us every few days and she says that I am doing very good considering the circumstances, she even said that I have put on weight 200 grams, yippee! But Benjamin is struggling to put on weight but he has not lost any so this she said is a good sign.

I have a new big brother and three new sisters, their home schooling has been a bit out of schedule since my brother and I showed up. But mom says they are learning more than school could teach them since they are working with us. They all take shifts throughout the day and night. My tall dad is my real hero; he keeps it all going somehow. Thank you for your prayers and I ask that you continue; death’s spirit still lingers around our room, we do not have the energy to say no to it, all we have is you and others who will stand in the gap for us.

Greetings once again from the author. As I continue to take milk over to the boys twice a day at times I sense the pressure on the Lloyd-Jones family. I try to not just bring the milk but also to bring a smile and a spark of joy to the family. Their long days and nights are not easy and when death seems to have the upper hand at times of course the stress and emotional levels are at their highest.

There have been a few families and individuals that have gathered around these twins to give a hand in what way they can. Jette is still giving milk a few times a day as I have become the honored milk man.

Here in Tanzania, statistically, infant mortality is 70.46 per 1000 live births, this is how many will die before 1 year of age. In the US it is 6.3 per 1000. Malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and AIDS are common causes of death. These complexities come from deep within cultural ideas, worldviews, values systems, and also the real fact that most people live on less than a dollar a day. They simply can’t afford medicine or hospital, so people just hope for the best. This for many is their only answer. Death is just accepted here, it is quite common place among families. The deceptions that are in their world-views have left its curse and scars on the whole society.

As a missionary, it is very difficult not only to understand the world-view here, but then how does one have a long lasting positive influence on this culture? How does one change a world-view? Truly it is only by “all” of Jesus, not just salvation.

Please continue to stand with us all in prayer for Benjamin and Yohana and also for the missionaries who are serving the African people.

Lyle

The Fight for Life #1

The Fight for Life – Is it Easier Just to Die? #1

Written May 2nd 2008

My name is Benjamin. I have a twin brother and his name is Yohana or John in English. Those are our new names, traditionally we are just called Kulwa and Doto meaning First and Second for the first six months. Real names are not given for fear that one or both of us will not live. We were born just about 5 weeks ago. Our mother is quite sick and she has not been able to feed us or take care of us. Our father died in July last year so he is not around either.

Mother has no family here; we were born in a house that has basically completely collapsed. The day we were born we were left on the mud floor wrapped in rags for the first hours until morning because mother had no energy to help us or feed us and no one was there to help. My mother only has one arm, not sure how she lost it. Not only that; she only has one breast so she is unable to feed us both anyway.

Mother basically had to choose between my brother and I, she choose my brother because he seemed more likely to survive so he was always given first milk. Even at that, there was not enough for my brother so I rarely got any.

I remember the cold nights; we did not have enough clothes or blankets to keep us warm. I do not know how we are even alive. I have slipped in and out of death so many times it is hard to count. My eyes continually have this white film over them and they seem to roll back and close even when I try to keep them open.

Neither my brother nor I have much energy, so even to cry is difficult. How and why I keep holding on to life I do not know, it must be supernatural. Our hands look as though they are already 80 years old. Nothing but skin hanging loosely over our bones.

When we were only a month old some missionaries came to our collapsed house to see us. They talked about us and what they should do with us. The missionary lady is a nurse and she was quite concerned and something had to be done right now or death was sure to take us both that very night. In the end it was decided because our mother was not able to take care of us that they would take us to their house. The road was terrible and we were covered in blankets and even the heat was turned on to keep our frail 1.5 kilo (2lb) bodies warm.

Through a lot of stress and the fear of death lingering in the car we did arrive to their home. The spirit of death was everywhere that night and tried several times to take us both.

So we now have white parents, dad is really tall. They already have 4 kids and they are from New Zealand, whatever that means.

I learned a new word today, malnourished. A lady doctor said that we were both malnourished, but especially me, we’re like 6 levels below the death point of malnutrition. The doctor could not understand how we were even alive, a true miracle it must be.

Now we are all wrapped up in blankets to keep our body heat in, lights are turned on around our bed to keep heat around us. Our bodies have no heat, very little blood flow and we can hardly move. We are now fed every two hours and it seems to take an hour just to eat, which for me means to drink two or three teaspoons of milk, I hardly know how to swallow anymore. My body does not know what to do with real milk.

I could hear the doctor say that my brother Yohana is doing a lot better since he came here but for me Benjamin there is still a lot of concern that I will even live another day.

I also heard that even if things all go well it would take at least 6 months before we could be normal in weight.

There is another lady that comes from time to time; she gives us her milk twice a day, which she generally gives to her own baby Naomi. The doctor said I am the one who needs to get that milk. I hear my tall dad often say that “I am not out of the woods yet”. Not sure what that means but I wish that this feeling of death would leave me be. So many times a day I want to just let death have its way but something keeps me alive, it is not me - it must be those who are praying.

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Greetings, dear friends,

Even at this very moment as you read; Benjamin and also Yohana are on the verge of death. Together a group of people have rallied around these twins to fight for their very lives. A big thanks to the Lloyd-Jones family for their hours of day and night dedicated to these boys.

I have been taking milk over a couple times a day and hearing their report. There is not much that I can do physically but there is one thing that I can do and this is why I write this letter to you my readers, I ask that you become an intercessor for these twins.

Intercession is standing on behalf of another person(s) in prayer, standing in the gap. In this particular situation it is standing between life and death for these boys. It is very hard to communicate the emotions and the pressure of death surrounding these twins. I would ask that you and/or family intercede for these two boys.

The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in You and this is where we get our authority over death itself. You do not have to pray long but pray with boldness and faith, speaking life into these boys. We all know that the prayer of a righteous man avails much. Who will stand as an intercessor for these twins?

Thinking through this today how many thousands of babies through out the world that do not have an intercessor? The thousands of babies born on the heaps of garbage pits of the world, A hard question to ask but I ask myself sometimes if it is not better that they die, rather than growing up in utmost poverty, sickness and a life of hell. I have seen it all in different parts of the world. It is not possible to describe in words what conditions people live in.

It is very common in these parts of the world that the stronger one of a set of twins is chosen to live. How does a mother come to this decision? Also in these parts, one of the twins and even both of them are considered a curse and left to die in the fields just moments after birth. How deception has stolen life itself from millions.

Please stand with us now in intercession on behalf of Benjamin and Yohana. I will let you know of their condition in some days.