December Excitement!

(From left back row: Miriam, Exildah, Kimberly; Front Row from left: Shadrach, Mary M. Steven, Joe, Annette, Materi)
A Very Merry Christmas to you all from the Village of Hope!!!

There was certainly much excitement throughout the whole month of December as we prepared for the Advent of Christmas. The biggest joy was the opening of the sixth house within the Village of Hope on December 18th. Meet the newest children to join our family!

(Steven, 6)

(Shadrach, 7 brother to Steven)

These two children are double orphans and arrived at the village in a sickly condition. Kamau had to take them to the doctor on the day that they arrived so that they could receive treatment for their illnesses.

(Materi, 6)

Materi had lost both of her parents and was living with a relative. She was very tearful when it became time for her guardian to leave and she didn't smile for a while. It is a joy to see her smiling and enjoying herself with the other children now!

(Mary M., 7)

Mary's mother is alive but she is partially blind and suffers from a terminal illness. Mary's grandmother had been struggling to care for her and Mary.

(Kenny,9 & Mary J.,8, were the first children to live in house 6 with their new housemother, Exildah, as they waited for their new housemates)

Kenny and Mary are not related but both are double orphans.

(Joe, 8)

Joe had been living with his grandfather after his mother, who was a policewoman, died in November of 2008. He is a single orphan, but his father's whereabouts are unknown.

(Annette, 8)

Annette's father died in 2004 and her mother has a terminal illness. She had been living with her grandmother.

(Exildah & Gift making Christmas cookies)

Christmas week was spent making cookies and singing Christmas carols Zambian style with drum beats and bottle shakers filled with sand and rocks to add rhythm to the songs. Each house would took turns visiting the other houses singing songs and spreading a great deal of rejoicing. It was truly a sight to cherish!

(Racheal Chembo, Head Cook at Hope Take Away Restaurant)

Also this month, we opened our new restaurant which will serve tasty meat pies, sausage rolls, fried chicken and french fries, baked goods etc. We hope to attract many of the motorists on the Great North Road which begins in South Africa and runs all the way to Cairo, Egypt! Surely there must be some hungry travelers on this busy highway!!!

(Justina helping out in the restaurant kitchen)

(New tables ready for customers at Hope Restaurant)

Prayer Requests

**Pray for rain and for protection of the crops that we have planted. The rainy season should have begun in November and continued steadily through April, but they have been sporadic. We really depend on the maize grown in this season to feed the children and staff throughout the next year.

**Pray that the health of the new children will improve rapidly.

**Pray that our new business venture, Hope Restaurant will take off successfully.

**Praise God for all that He has done this year and ask Him to direct us for the new year!

God's Grace & Peace to you all and thank you for your support and commitment to us as a family!

The Kamaus

A Day of Celebration

(Gift, Precious and other children preparing for the new arrivals)

Thanksgiving Greetings to You All!

We have a great deal to be thankful for this year. The top on our list is the arrival of new children to the Village of Hope. As you can see in the above photo, the children arrived with their parent or guardian in October. Everyone was brimming with excitement and preparations had been made to give a warm welcome to the children and their families.

Meet the children and their housemother below. They are being featured on our blog this month as we request prayer for them.

Here is Norah with (From Left) Kahilu, Agnes, Ethel, Idah and Mary

They had just received haircuts. Mary Jendela will be going to the next house that will open soon.

Idah and Agnes are siblings.



This is the Chanda family. They come from a family of seven children. Their 17 year-old brother had been caring for them after their father died in 2007, their mother died in 2009. At the time they were admitted into our children's home, their grandmother had been caring for them. They also have a two year-old brother, who was supposed to come with them but the grandmother could not bear to part with him.

All of the new children are enjoying school and they love books and are very eager to learn how to read. None of them had been going to school.

(Joshua)

Joshua (4) who is the youngest in the house is affectionate, cheerful and likes talking. Please pray that some of the rough behavior that he is demonstrating will change.

(Shaibu)

Shalibu (10) is very hardworking and it is very noticeable that he is protective of his siblings. Pray that the Lord will help him to change some coarse behavior.

(Tereshina)

Tereshina (8) is very friendly and talkative. She is eager to give a smile and to be helpful. Please pray that she will learn to control her temper and to receive correction willingly.

(Maselino)

Maselino (6) can be quiet at times and we have noticed that he craves affection. Pray that the Lord will take away his stubborn streak.

(Ethel)

Ethel (4) has a lovely spirit about her and encourages her friends to do what is right. Please pray that the Lord will protect that disposition in her and continue to shape her character into that of of godly young lady.

(Idah)

Idah (5) is a very charming little girl who is very out going, eager to be helpful and smiles a lot. Pray that some of the poor behaviors that she has learned will be changed.

(Agnes)

Agnes(8) is a quiet little girl and enjoys her friendship with the other children in the house. Please pray that obedience will be developed in her heart.

(Kahilu)

Kahilu (6) is a very energetic little boy who is respectful and obedient. Our prayer request for him is for wisdom to know how to channel his boundless energy into productive activities.

Thanking Jesus for His faithfulness,

The Kamaus

Hope Club

(Hope Club on Saturday Morning)

From Kimberly:

"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature"

Mark 16:15

This is the verse that spoke to my heart and challenged me to begin the first Hope Club at Okada School over two years ago, and then the next one at the Village of Hope as the children began to arrive. Now, a new Hope Club at Aralussa Farm, where we lived when we first arrived has begun. The Pattys, one of our missionary families, is currently residing there and June, their three children and Precious (one of our school teachers) are leading the club.

This came about when June shared about her desire to reach out to the children on that farm in some way. I shared with her my desire to begin another Hope Club, but not knowing where it should be. We both both became very excited when we realized that the Lord was directing us to begin a club at Aralussa with June teaching. The only challenge facing us was the need for a godly translator that could be trusted to reverently and accurately relay God's truth as it was being presented. This was extremely important as we had recently experienced a misrepresentation of what was being said during an outreach that had been held in July. After praying together and asking God to provide someone, Precious, the newest teacher that had been hired came to mind. June began to discreetly ask her questions in order to get an idea if this could be the person that God was leading us to. The response from Precious when asked if she was interested in participating in a weekly outreach to the local children, was an enthusiastic "Yes!"

(Roman with Kimberly during the review game)

Meanwhile, another exciting development was taking place at the Hope Club at our village among our children. Since the club began, I have been careful not to ask for a show of hands of those who may have wanted to receive Christ as Savior, out of the concern that some may be doing it for reasons other than truly wanting to invite Him into their life. Instead, I have been explaining the message of salvation during the Bible lesson and why we need Jesus in our lives, then I instructed them how to speak quietly to the Lord in their hearts if they wanted to make a decision to receive Christ at that time.

However, during one particular Hope Club, I felt that God wanted me to give an invitation during our club time for those children who wanted to speak with me about receiving Christ, to stay behind after the club was over. Eleven children remained and Kamau, Rose Mungoma, and I counseled the children as they received the Lord that day! Since that time, ten additional children have made a decision to receive the Lord.

(Eager hands are raised to answer Bible questions)





(Captivated by the missionary story!)

Now, some of these children are accompanying June to the Hope Club at Aralussa to lead the singing and teach new songs to the children there. They are our very first group of missionaries that have been sent out from the Village of Hope!

(June & Precious teaching at the Hope Club Aralussa)

(Presenting God's Word to the children of Aralussa. Our own missionaries from Village of Hope are in front)

When our Village of Hope missionaries returned from Aralussa the first time, we were having our Hope Club and I had just completed teaching a series of lessons on the life of Paul and how God used his life in a remarkable way. I was in the middle of explaining to the other children that it was important to put the Lord first as we developed our talents, gifts and abilities and use them for serving the Lord in ways that honor Him. Our missionaries were full of excitement and eagerness to tell their friends of their experiences in witnessing to other children!

These children have themselves been brought out of the kingdom of darkness into the the Kingdom of Light and now they are going out into their "Jerusalem" to testify of the good news to other children who are currently dwelling in darkness.

Will some of our children be sent into their "Samaria" and then to the "ends of the earth sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Only the Lord knows how He will use their lives, but we are greatly encouraged by this wonderful beginning!

We are deeply grateful to all of you who are praying, giving, visiting and helping in so many ways. Truly God has enabled us to be able to share in this harvest together!

Prayer Requests

• Pray that God will prepare the hearts of the children at Aralussa and the new children that will be very shortly arriving at the Village of Hope.
• Pray that the Lord will remove any hindrances that would prevent them from hearing and responding to God's truth.
• Pray for the Patty Family and Precious as they teach Hope Club at Aralussa.
• Pray that many, many children would receive Christ and become faithful disciples.
• Pray for Jesus to send laborers that have a heart for children's ministry and godly translators to hold clubs in more locations.
• Pray that we would all remain faithful to what God has called each of us to do, and to not grow weary in well doing!
  

(After giving an invitation to receive Christ, this group stayed after Hope Club for counseling. Front row from left: Little Gift, John, David Sharp and Terrence; Back Row: Maggie, Brighton, Issac, Big Gift, Moses)

The Kamaus

Anticipating New Arrivals

(Mary Mutokoma with her grandmother)

Greetings Dear friends,

In our last update, we shared that we have resumed the screening of orphans in the district where Village of Hope is located because of the uncertainty with the outcome of the children from Livingstone.
As a result of our visit with the eight village headmen who are the community leaders in several villages, we were introduced to several families who are keeping orphans and consequently, we have interviewed a total of thirteen children, eight girls and five boys.

(Jenny, front left and Patricia behind her little sister)

(Miriam taking information during screening)

These children were screened from between August 17th thru September 7th this year. At Mpoola village, about 15km from the Village of Hope, seven children were screened. These children were identified by a local pastor whose church members have orphan children in their care. We interviewed seven children, six of them girls and a boy; they are all eligible for admission.

Most these children are single orphans and their surviving parents are living with HIV/Aids in very strenuous circumstances. One of the girls, was raped when she was three years old. Her mother told us that she is very introverted and she looked it too. Another, 4yr old Ethel Moono, has two deceased siblings, Josephine and Jackson Moono. I was informed that Josephine, aged two, died in 2002 due to neglect and her other brother, Jackson died last year at four years old, again as a result of neglect and starvation. Ethel's grandmother pleaded with us in tears to admit her in the children’s home because she was afraid of losing her too.

Agnes Mwaba and Idah Phiri are sisters but have different fathers, Idah’s father died in 2005, her mother has no income and she is also taking care of a 16-year old blind sister. I don’t know how they survive in this rural setting where jobs are hard to come by or almost non -existent. Melody, their mother, stated that the last time she received any form of government assistance was two years ago when she was given a bag of maize meal and some cooking oil. As a result of desperation, she moved in with a man who is HIV/Positive for companionship and for whatever practical help he can provide even though it be for a moment. It is terrible what abject poverty will drive someone to do when they don’t know the Lord. It boils down to the most basic human need, food; let’s eat today, for tomorrow we die.

I would like introduce you to these children; here are their names and their ages:

Ethel Moono (4)

Idah Phiri (5)

Jenny Kasongo (4)

Kahilu Kakoma (6)

Patricia Yusiku (8)

Agnes Mwaba (8)

Annette Yumba (8)

(Kimani, who was on outreach with Kamau, with Idah, her mother and young sibling)

The other four boys and two girls came to us through our contact with one of the village headman who had previously paid an introductory visit at the village of hope. Their names are:

Stephen Muyeba (6)—Double orphan, father deceased February 2007 and mother deceased 2005.

Shadrach Muyeba (7)—Brother to Stephen Muyemba--both parents deceased.

Frank Malama (8)—Father deceased January 2007and Frank’s mother left him with his uncle and disappeared.

Joe Michelo (8)—Mother died November 2008 and her father has not been seen since 2001. His mother was a policewoman prior to her death.

Terry Muleya (5)—Both parents deceased 2004/2005 respectively.

Mary Mutokoma (7)—Her father died December 2006 and her mother is partially blind due to complications related to Hiv/Aids.

(Joe Michelo & grandfather, waiting to be screened)




(From Right: Steven and Shadrach Muyemba. They will be new residents at Village of Hope)

**Please pray for these children as we prepare to receive them at the Village of Hope.

**Praise the Lord for answered prayers: The Lord has provided four house mother candidates whom we have begun to interview. This is great because two weeks ago, we did not have anyone on our radar screen.

**Please pray for discernment and guidance about which of the four housemother candidates God would have us choose to be caregivers for the new children.

Every 30 days we will feature a house that we would like for you to keep in prayer. We are asking that you pray for each of the children in that house individually and their housemother. In separate emails we will provide you with any new prayer requests or updates. For the next 30 days we are asking that you pray for Mama Rose Mugoma's house. Here are the requests:

**Mama Rose--to have the energy and perserverance needed to manage her household. She has a few children who have been somewhat difficult lately. Pray that she will have much wisdom and patience.

**Sharon S.--who has been diagnosed with a mild form of epilepsy. Pray that the medicine that was prescribed will be effective. Right now she has been falling asleep at odd times and sleeping for a long time. Praise God for her salvation, as she accepted Christ into her life last month at Hope Club.

**Isaac-- Isaac has been struggling with behavior issues and has found himself under discipline frequently. He recently invited Christ into his life, so pray that the Holy Spirit would begin to bring about visible changes in his life.

Brighton--Brighton has also recently received Jesus into his life. Mama Rose has stated that his behavior has been difficult lately. Again, pray that God's Holy Spirit will change his heart. Pray that he will obey his teachers at school.

**Moses--We are rejoicing that Moses has recently accepted Christ into his life. Pray that when Mama Rose asks him to do chores around the house, he will do them immediately without giving her a hard time.

**Selita--Selita has a lovely voice and sings on the worship team. She received Christ into her life last month. Pray that God's Word will sink deep into her heart and that she will grow to be a godly young woman. Ask God to continue to give her a cheerful servant heart.

**Maggie--Maggie recently accepted Christ into her life at Hope Club. She is experiencing some difficulty in reading and retaining what she has learned. Pray that God, who is the One who gives knowledge, skill and understanding, will help her in this area.

** Adam--Adam also made a decision to receive Christ into his life last month. Adam is having trouble recognizing letters and it is difficult for him to focus. Please ask God to open up his understanding.

**Docklin--Pray that Docklin will learn to be obedient to Mama Rose the first time she is asked to do something. Pray for her salvation.

A Visit From Home!

(Amy Weber at Liteta outreach)

(Jeremy Weber at Liteta outreach)

Greetings Dear Ones,

What is it like the morning after a team has arrived at the Village of Hope, especially when they are from your home?
Well, I am sure you can imagine the joy and excitement when we finally get to see them in person after all of the email correspondence over the past few months! It almost seems surreal to see them walking around the village while they take in their surroundings and meet the children and staff for the first time.
This is just what it was like when the Delaware Team arrived in July! Even after a very long time of traveling, they were up early enough to join the children for 7:00am assembly at the Village of Hope before leaving for school. They accompanied the children as they walked to school each morning.

Do you wonder in what ways the arrival of a team from your home church encourages the heart of a missionary? Here are just some:

• First, it deeply encourages us to see familiar faces that you have known for years, come from so far away to visit with you and participate in what the Lord is doing here in Zambia.
• Second, it is just great to have people to talk to that you share the same culture
  It is wonderful to see the ministry of the Villages of Hope through their eyes. It refreshes us!
• Also, it allows us to get to know them much better than we might be able to at home because of busy schedules that keep us apart. While they are here, the pace is slower and there is more time to spend together.
• We take great delight in seeing them fall in love with the children that live at the Village of Hope, children that were unknown to us, but on our hearts just three short years ago!

(Jeremey & Bret Weber during outreach at Liteta)

All of these things make an impact on us in some way and that is truly special to us! So thank you Delaware Team for sharing your lives with us for a too short a time! And thank you church for releasing and sending each member for the team who came. The Kamaus, the staff and all the children at the Village of hope are very grateful!

(Students listening to Bible teaching at Okada)

(Sorting through contents of container)

(Students at Okada Outreach)

(Delaware Team, Hamelrycks, Teachers at Okada, Patty Family at Okada School for Oureach)

The team held outreach to children in locations outside of the Villages of Hope as well. Over 300 children participated in Bible instruction and fun activities that they don’t normally get to experience. The team also assisted in painting, holding a soccoer camp, teaching at the School of Hope and unloading the container which some of them helped pack a couple of months before it was shipped from Maryland.

(Soccer Camp at Village of Hope)

On the other matter regarding the relocation of children from the orphanage in Livingstone, things are still pending, not because of the strike, that ended in June after six weeks of mayhem and chaos,but rather because the children’s relatives at the orphanage expressed concern to the social welfare officials in Livingstone that vast distance involved, about 500 miles, will make it very difficult to visit with the children should they be relocated at the villages of hope. As a result of this, Social Welfare wrote to the management of a newly built SOS children’s home in Livingstone asking them if they are able to admit the children from the Sons of Thunder orphanage into their facility. We are therefore waiting to hear the decision reached by the SOS regarding the request received from the Social Welfare which will let us know how to proceed.

In the meantime, we have resumed screening orphans in the district where village of hope is located and to date we have visited with eight village headmen who are the community leaders in several villages comprising a little over five thousands people. We provided information about the village of hope and how we can help alleviate the suffering of the orphans in their communities. The headmen will then disseminate this information to their subjects with instruction on how to contact us for assistance.

Praise/Prayer Requests

• We are praising God for the safe arrival of the Hamelryck family from Maryland in July. Paul, Anne Rachel and their ten children have come to live in Zambia as part of the Village of Hope team. Paul will be overseeing the construction and maintenance of the building structures. Their enthusiasm and friendliness have enlivened our village and we thank God for them.
• Pray that God will lead us to the next group of sixteen children that will become part of the Village of Hope family. We are asking that this will happen before the rainy season in November because it becomes extremely difficult to go for outreach during that time.
• Please pray for the next two housemothers and aunties that will provide care for the children that will come. This is a very critical need because we need godly housemothers and aunties who will love the Lord first and devote themselves to the care of His children.
• Pray about the situation with the children in Livingstone, that the Lord will make clear His will and that whatever happens they will find a loving home and family that will take care of them.
• Pray also that God will open other locations for Hope Bible Club. Kimberly and Mary Zulu believe that the Lord desires for them to teach in other places but they need His direction to lead them to where He wants them.
  

Of Woes, Strikes and Discontent!

(Maggie loves babies!)

Hello friends,


We hope this finds you enjoying some measure of peace and solitude. In our little corner of the world, we have being experiencing some rather disturbing upheavals the likes of mass strikes involving teachers, doctors, nurses including the social workers and others in the mining sectors. The discontent is fueled by demands for better wages and working conditions.


At one point, the media stated that the fuel in the country’s major reserves was going to last for only eight to nine days and that the government had no funds to import more fuel. As you can imagine this caused a mad rush and panic to the gas stations to buy and stock up on fuel but thankfully, nine days later, we have not experienced any shortages.


The hardest hit have been the sick and the infirm since the physicians have laid down their tools and refused to attend to the sick and threatening violence to those who do help them. Many of the sick who were admitted into hospitals have been discharged and asked to go home since the staff was not available to attend to them. It has been reported that many people have died as a result. Thousands of school children are still at home 2 1/2 months since the school term began because the teachers are on strike.


Last week, a nine year old boy in a neighboring farm was bitten by a snake and taken to the local district hospital. The nurses refused to attend to him because, “they were on strike” and their union reps had instructed them not to work. His poor mother did not know what to do and returned home hoping her son would get better but fearing the worst. By the time the child was taken to a private doctor two days later, the leg had swollen a lot and there was the added complication of not knowing what kind of medication to prescribe since none knew what kind of snake had bitten the child. According to the doctor, the good news was that the snake which had bitten him was probably not very poisonous since he was still alive two days after the snake bite, the bad news was that certain kinds of snake venom is slow acting but at the same time very dangerous since the venom can eat away the tissue and tendons in the leg muscles and the foot may need to be amputated. Nonetheless, the doctor prescribed some medication and last Sunday, Kimberly and I stopped to visit with him and not only was he alive, but the swelling had completely disappeared and he looked to be alright!


The strike by the civil servants has really slowed down whatever little progress we had achieved regarding the transition of the children from Livingstone to the Village of Hope. The social workers who have been doing the paperwork have told us that everything is at a standstill until their grievances have been addressed by the government.


However, we are taking this new unexpected development in stride and using this time to continue with the building of the houses in preparation for receiving the children when the whole strike mess is sorted out. Two of the houses are almost complete and the construction of another building which will become a clinic is well in progress.

How Can You Pray?

**Pray that there will be a quick resolution to the various strikes that are going on throughout the country.

**Pray that we would see some progress in obtaining the children from Livingstone.

**Next month we will have several teams visit the Village of Hope. Please pray for their ministry to the children, surrounding villages and to us.

** Praise God for the two missionary families that will be joining us as staff. The Patty family has already arrived and is now getting settled. Pray for the Hamelryck family who will be arriving in mid- July. Pray that they can wrap up the remaining details concerning their move and for safety in traveling.

A Joyful Welcome, An Unpleasant welcome & an Interesting Lesson on a Sunday Afternoon

(Matilda, enjoying a snack in her new wheelchair)

Dear Ones,

We are very pleased to welcome a new arrival to the Village of Hope! Her name is Matilda Figo and she is nine-years old. We first met Matilda in 2007 when the Schwartzes were staying at another location before they moved to the village. One of our volunteers from Maryland visited Matilda’s village and was immediately affected by her condition. She is a special needs child who at that time was unable to walk and was wasting away.

She was diagnosed with Spinal Tuberculosis which caused her paralysis. This meeting led to a series of visits to an orthopedic hospital in Lusaka, medicine to treat the disease and surgery to see if the paralysis could be corrected. It did help some and she is now able to get around with her walker and wheelchair.

A few weeks ago, Kathleen was contacted by the head teachers at Okada School and they asked her to please come and take a look at a burn that Matilda had suffered. When Kathleen and Julie, one of our volunteers, arrived, they were astonished at the severity of the burn on her leg and immediately sought to aid Matilda’s mother in getting medical treatment. It was decided that maybe Matilda should stay at the guesthouse with the Schwartzes until the burn healed because it was difficult to bathe it and dress the wound where she was living with her single mother and siblings.

Our other children at the Village of Hope welcomed her right away! It was truly a joy to see them pushing her around in the wheel chair, carrying her on their backs and playing with her. We had a sense that God was leading us to give an offer to Matilda's mother to let Matilda reside at the Village of Hope because of the hardship that she was experiencing in caring for her and her other siblings. When we approached her about it she said that she was very grateful for all that has been done for Matilda because she had been unable to manage her needs. She said yes to our offer and now Matilda has become a part of our growing family.

(This boisterous group practically ran the whole mile to the community center where church services are being held)

As we began walking to the community center on May 3rd, Sunday morning, we were filled with excitement because this was going to be the first of regularly scheduled church services at the center. Finally, we were all going to be able to worship together as a family. All of the children took off running with happy squeals, anxious to get to there before anyone else.
When we arrived at the community center, we were delighted step into a cool room that had been newly painted, with new chairs, and there was a lovely altar arrangement with lit candles and a simple but striking cross that Dion had made of the tall grasses growing all around us. Gospel songs in the language of Bemba were playing in the background as the children were chattering excitedly waiting for the service to begin.During the singing portion of worship there was a real sense of joy and enthusiasm from both adults and children as we clapped and danced and the theme of joy continued into the sermon delivered by Kamau

(This group decided to take a leisurely walk to church instead!)

(Waiting for others to arrive so that we could begin the service)

After the service was over, we decided to try a short cut that we commonly use during the dry season. It is not used during the rainy season because the grass is very high and it becomes swampy in certain places. Isaac, Brighton & Paul assured us that the path was clear and that most of the water was dried up and that all we had to do was walk around it. As we followed them, pretty soon we noticed that the path was not so clear and the thick grass all around was taller than all of us. Kamau and I were both hoping that snakes would hear us coming and decide to move away. I tried to just look straight ahead and not look around too much because I was certain I would see something that would cause my mind to break down! I also tried not to think about the fact that I was wearing sandals and my feet were pretty much exposed.
When we came to the part where there was the most water, we really had to step carefully because the path was non-existent and without proper footwear it was slippery. Finally, to our relief, we reached the main road to the village without incident or bites and vowed not come that way again until the grass had been cut and all of the water had dried.

(The varmit!!)

Just as we were walking to our house the children who had run ahead, including Malaika, ran up to us shouting that there was a snake on our veranda. We arrived to see that the snake had been removed to the grass and was in its death throes from where one of the carpenters had struck it on the head. It was over two feet long and when we turned it over; it was a shiny silver color (quite pretty actually!) with a black ring around its neck. The general consensus was that it was a cobra! Malaika said that when she arrived at the veranda she surprised it and it hissed at her and spread its hood.

(It is a good day for a snake burning!)

We decided to have a burning ceremony and this became a great source of entertainment for the children as they watched it cook in the fire. They pointed out its teeth and joked about eating it with nshima (cornmeal mush).

As I was thinking about what had just occurred, I thought, here we were feeling pretty anxious about walking in thick, tall grasses because of the fear of snakes and whatever else that might have been lurking there. There was a sense of yearning to reach “safer” places like the road or the veranda in front of our house. And upon reaching the refuge of our veranda, the danger was there waiting to greet us!

I couldn’t help but reflect on how we often try to create so-called “safe places” in our lives, such as financial security, owning a house, medical insurance, getting and keeping the right job, etc. It varies from person to person. Sometimes there is a reluctance to venture out into what is unknown or untried because of the fear of danger to our security or comfort. This is of course very natural because we want to look after the well-being of ourselves and our family.

It becomes a drawback to our spiritual growth however, when we beg to be excused from anything that might challenge the safe places that we have constructed in our lives, even when it is the Lord issuing us the challenge and encouraging us to trust Him and obey. If we are seeking to take refuge in anything other than the shelter that only the Lord can provide, in time we will find that the refuge and safety measures of our own making are just an illusion and that they are subject to real dangers just like our veranda. Moreover, the places and circumstances that that we consider a threat to our security and comfort like the high, scary grasses that we were trekking through, become areas of safety. If we will just trust and rest in the loving care of our Lord, we will find that we have a strong fortification around us while we are walking into the unknown, uncomfortable places.

How wonderful is the wisdom and humor of God to provide a vivid object lesson through the visit of a cobra on a Sunday afternoon!

May God's peace & grace rest upon you,

The Kamaus