“Change is the only constant in life.” – Heraclitus

If there ever has been a season in my life where this has been true, these past two months would be it. Knowing that change can be difficult and draining at times, I’m grateful that Herclitus is wrong in that although change seems like the only thing we can count on, God is even more dependable and present in our lives through it all. I will try not to overwhelm you with too many changes, but will highlight the most significant ones, along with ways the Spirit has been moving in general here.

The most significant change I’d like to share with you is that my position at the Esther School will be changing come term 3. After returning to Wisconsin in just 3 short weeks from now, I will head back to Zambia in late August, which is when my new position will begin. In terms 1 and 2 I’ve been helping strengthen the grades 5 and 6 language arts programs. Now going forward, I will be joining as a grade 8 co-teacher, which I’m really excited about as I really enjoy getting to work with older students. (I truly believe this to be a gift from the Lord, because as much as I’ve enjoyed my time in the lower grades, I really am drawn to the upper ones.) There are definitely some unknowns surrounding the position, but I feel very privileged to be assisting the Zambian teacher in that grade and helping them become acquainted with the culture of the Esther School.

I have also made the official decision to continue serving at the Esther School in 2022! Honestly, this seemed like an obvious choice to me. However, I was prayerful about the decision and truly feel it is still the Lord’s calling for me. I can’t wait to see what He has in store! As thrilled as I am about returning in 2022, it is always a challenge to live between two sides of the world, and would still greatly appreciate prayers as it’s hard to miss out on family affairs and close friendships back in the states.

The final changes I will mention here are about staff. First of all, I will discuss our administrative position of head teacher (essentially the Zambian equivalent of a principal). The Costley family has dedicated 6 years of its family’s lives to the work here at the Esther School, and at the end of the month is finishing their service. It’s a terrible understatement to say it’s been an honor and privilege to work with such selfless, Christ-centered, passionate individuals, even if only for a short time. In fact, Allison Costley is the woman I “randomly” met on the beach who introduced me to the Esther School, and sharing her fervent heart for it with me radically changed the trajectory of my life. Without her boldness and love for this place, I would not be here. I know without a doubt that our entire Zambian staff feels the same way. This will be an incredibly difficult goodbye.Thankfully, the Lord has provided us with another inspiring Zambian head teacher who’s faith so evidently defines him. He is a pastor at a local church and felt called to the Esther School, and we are very excited to welcome him to the family. Another person to which the Esther School has had to say farewell to after 5 years of incredible servant-hearted leadership is Paige Redner. Countless students, staff, and community members have been touched by her warm and desire for their best in mind. We thank God for her, but miss her greatly. “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21).

Like I said at the beginning, God is still constant through all the changes. I would like to end by sharing a small, but significant way in which the Lord has continue to prove Himself faithful to me and our students. One of the grade 6 girls was reading her Bible in the morning before class was going to begin. She excitedly flagged me down, and said to me, “Ms. L, this is such a great chapter!” as she pointed at 2 Corinthians 1, which beautifully articulates God’s comfort in our lives. I was stunned. Not necessarily because this particular student was excited about what she was reading, but because 2 Corinthians 1:4 happened to be my memory verse that I’d just recited that very morning! I stored this God-given connection in my heart and proceeded to explain the verse to her, sharing that it was my memory verse. I then encouraged her that it could be hers too, which she seemed very proud about. Words really can’t express the feelings I have in moments like these, when God’s hand is so evidently sowing His Word into the hearts and minds of our students. Praise be to the Lord for his great mercy and endless compassion in our lives, and that we get to experience these things and share them with those around us. Thank you for also being a faithful co-laborer in Christ!

(As a final note: Please contact me asap if you’d like to meet up this summer in either July or August in person when I’ll be back in the states. I would LOVE to share more about God’s kingdom work at the Esther School and hear about your life as well!)

Praises:

• New Zambian head teacher – Mr. Mwale
• My new position and God’s continual calling for me at the Esther School
• The Costley family’s dedication to God’s mission
• God’s faithfulness through it all

Prayer Requests:

• Personally against being overwhelmed in my job and preparing for furlough back in the states coming up in 3 weeks
• The Costley family as they transition out and the Mwale family as they transition in
• God’s clear direction in the lives of our students, staff, and community

Thank you so very much,

Erika

A final family photo to celebrate our friend Paige before she departed.

With the many changes, lessons taught (and more so learned by me), and challenges here at the Esther School, a month can easily feel like two or three. With so much to say and limited space, I hope to convey the most important things God has done in this place and my heart. Overall, the most significant message the Spirit has impressed on me is the importance of standing firm in faith in the midst of trials of all kinds and maintaining the correct spiritual perspective on it all.

To begin this past month, I’ve been reading a couple books I would highly recommend to anyone (“Get Out of Your Head” by Jennie Allen & “Fervent” by Priscilla Shirer) that reveal a lot about spiritual warfare and the tactics the devil uses to strategically attack us as Christians, especially in our minds. The psychology behind how negative human beings’ thoughts are a vast majority of the time is astounding (roughly 80% of thoughts are negative). This can be just an accepted fact, but I had to question why this was. I am now convinced the devil is behind it, wanting to sell any lies we’ll believe to debilitate and distract us from accomplishing our purpose. What better way to stop us from stepping out in confidence or encouraging others than believing we have nothing significant or good to offer. When I began taking honest inventory of my own thoughts, I wasn’t happy with what I found – negative thought after negative thought rooted in lies I gravitate towards believing over God’s Word.

On the more hopeful side, with this heightened spiritual awareness, I began to not only be aware of and stop more of my negative thoughts, but I also became more attuned to how God was speaking. It’s kind of like clearing out the static on the radio to hear more clearly the melody of the song being sung. A primary way I heard the Lord speaking was through morning staff devotionals. Three mornings a week, our entire staff team gathers in a classroom to prioritize God’s agenda for our hearts before our work agendas for the day. I’ll admit that pausing in this manner is not always easy when there’s a particularly busy day ahead, but the fruitfulness of this time for our heart’s position towards God and others is invaluable. One of the mornings I felt led to share about God’s omniscience and God has spoken to me personally through many others’ devotionals with timely words addressing my heart’s condition or life’s situations. Considering this personal and collective recognition of our need for God’s guidance and love, it’s not surprising that the devil has taken notice and wasn’t particularly thrilled to say the least.

Our house has seven North American staff in it, including myself, and we’ve experienced quite a few spiritual attacks over the past few weeks. First of all, two of my roommates had bed bugs. This resulted in burning two mattresses (and finding new ones), sleeping on a makeshift bed on the floor, clearing out everything from their rooms, and boiling all their clothes/all fabric items (a terribly slow & HOT process), besides continuing to do their everyday jobs. Extremely stressful. Then, I started having issues. First, I had stomach issues for the better part of a week for no apparent reason. Then I started seriously doubting my abilities to do my job well along with questioning my qualifications and purpose here overall. Lastly, for about a week and a half I kept waking up in the middle of the night (always between 2-3am) and not being able to fall back asleep. Nothing “major” but these circumstances began to compile and wear me down to the point of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. What made these experiences most frustrating and confusing was I had no concrete reason for their occurrence. I didn’t eat anything funky, my job was going objectively well, and I’ve never struggled with insomnia in my life. Needless to say, the devil clearly wasn’t so happy about anyone’s newfound spiritual closeness to the Father.

These trials again were minor compared to what Biblical characters like Job or Jeremiah experienced, but good practice for holding onto truths instead of lies in the midst of them. One truth in particular I was holding tight to was that God ultimately has good purposes for us no matter what, even though I didn’t understand the reasons for the events happening. (See the song below for a good reminder of this truth 😊 ). Having more of an awareness of spiritual battles going on daily helped me turn more quickly to Jesus for help, knowing my own strength was not sufficient to carry me through. And I learned not to be as discouraged and distracted by blaming the wrong culprits (myself, God, and others), realizing we have a real enemy who wants to take us down. At the end of the day, all is worth going through to get closer to Christ: “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:3-4.

However, a couple positive and amazing blessings over the past month have been a staff training with Tehila and a safari lodge retreat this past Easter weekend. Tehila is a Zambian organization that promotes the safeguarding of children at risk, which definitely pertains to the Esther School and aligns with our mission and God’s heart for these students. We have a dedicated staff who gave up their weekend to attend the training for three days, which was informative, hard at times, and a great step in the right direction to work towards providing the safest space possible for our students. Additionally, we were blessed by other staff members to spend a couple days at a safari lodge in the bush outside Lusaka, which provided much needed rest and time with God. There are a few pictures below for your enjoyment too!

Prayer Requests:

• For our staff as we decide next steps post-Tehila training for our staff/the school, especially the best ways to partner with the community here
• Student’s protection physically and spiritually as they reach teenage years
• The completion of a new worship center in coming months
• Wisdom in moving forwards sustainably as Zambian staff takes on more leadership roles

Praises:

• The Spirit’s presence among us & for Jesus Christ’s resurrection!
• Tehila’s training and partnership with the Esther School
• Coronavirus numbers continuing to decline in Zambia
• Morning devotionals held not only by school staff, but also by family members of our students on campus consistently
• Your continued support prayerfully and financially of this good work

God bless,

Erika Lichtfuss

This post will be more auto-biographical than my previous entries about God’s lessons He’s taught me. However, I hope it is still just as encouraging to hear a testament to God’s goodness and faithfulness to us in all things.

Our whole team has arrived safely back to the Esther School with God’s hand of providence hemming us in before and behind in travel. I was admittedly very apprehensive and fearful that our return would be a closed door again, so I hadn’t allowed myself to get excited. So when we finally got our feet back on the rocky, red soil of campus, I was extremely overwhelmed and grateful for God’s faithfulness in the face of my doubt.

Week 1:

My position has changed to be the language arts curriculum coordinator for grades 5 and 6. This is SO exciting because it aligns with our and we believe the Lord’s vision of moving towards a strong, entirely Zambian-run school. (Another movement toward this goal has been hiring the 1^st Zambian head teacher (administrator) for the Esther School – Mr. Mwale!). However, the new job is a bit daunting because it’s different than anything I’ve done before. In light of this, God spoke so clearly concerning this anxiety by convicting me of making work/my career a “god” in my life. Because honestly, I’m proud of that “Midwestern hard work ethic.” Hard work is good, but elevating to be the ultimate goal when I wake up every morning is sin. A verse God used to expose my heart is Hosea 14:3 “…we will say no more, ‘Our God’ to the work of our hands.” Praise God He’s been faithful to answer prayer to keep me in a healthier balance between feelings of inadequacy and pride in my job thus far.

In the first week being back at school, I had the privileged vantage point of being able to simply observe the amazing grade 5 and 6 teachers. Getting to see their strengths and how they encourage students was and continues to be inspiring. Not only am I incredibly blessed to have such dedicated coworkers, but I also count them more and more as close, Jesus-loving friends. Our school’s culture, although not perfect, is the most supportive, Christ-centered work environment I’ve been graced to be a part of.

Week 2:

Our grade 5 teacher got malaria on Monday and was gone the whole week. (Praise God he is now fully recovered). I was informed of his absence a few minutes before teaching that day and God provided me the strength to be at peace throughout the day and all the lessons ran smoothly. It felt great to be teaching the students again, and forced me to learn their 27 names a lot faster than I would have otherwise. No week has been “typical” so far, but God has a plan in all of it and it was so sweet to hear that class praying for their teacher’s health every morning while he was away.

Week 3 – Highlights:

• Playing baseball with 5^th grade students for their first time 😊. The first student up to bat hit a home run and clutched the bat in his hand all the way around the bases. Also, when I told the  (I forget to explain some of the more “obvious” rules in my mind).
• Doing socially distanced worship in the chicken barn (no worries, there’s no chickens in there yet) with the whole school for the first time in a year. Praise God! Also, it began to rain as we sang – so fun!
• Celebrating the return of our grade 8 students this upcoming Monday, who all passed the grade 7 exam required for them to advance grades with amazing scores!

Praises:

• God never failing to keep advancing His plan for TES for His glory and kingdom to shine
• Our grade 8 class returning to be our first secondary students ever and continue being role models to younger grades
• Safe return for all of the North American staff and gracious welcoming back by the Zambian staff

Prayer Requests:

• Continual seeking of the Lord’s will and wisdom in all things for TES staff and students
• Personally for time management skills and intentionality in relationships here and back home
• Strengthened community rallying around the Lord’s purposes for our students

Blessings,

Erika

“What do you think can happen to someone’s joy when their hope is placed in their own desired outcomes instead of in the faithful character of God?”

This question was asked of me recently during a study from the Bible project on the word “joy.” It hit me like a ton of bricks – but in a surprisingly loving way as only the Lord can manage (if you’ve been met with God’s timely conviction in your life, you’ll understand this contradictory feeling). As of late, I’d been uncharacteristically emotional and it had slightly shocked me. The first event that caught me off-guard was my plans to visit some friends in La Crosse almost being cancelled. It had been quite a long time since I had seen these beloved individuals and I thought it was my last chance to do so before leaving for Zambia. At the prospect of the cancellation, I felt a deep sense of sadness, frustration, and hopelessness to the degree that had characterized much of 2020 for many of us.

These intense feelings woke me up spiritually to realize how much hope I’d been putting into external factors to provide me happiness, hope, and joy. However, placing hope in temporary substitutes of course will be disappointing in comparison to the only true source of hope and joy found in Christ Jesus. Somehow I’d lost sight of this truth, and was settling for what the world promised would bring me happiness – relationships, fun experiences, things going my way, etc. – which only serve to give fleeting sparks of contentment. Our eternal Savior promises us love, joy, peace, and so much more with Him for eternity. This comparison between our source of joy being the promises of this world versus being those of Christ remind me of a favorite quote from C.S. Lewis, who says:

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, and Other Addresses

I don’t know about you, but this quote always leaves me feeling like I’ve been quite filthy for far too long and very ready to step into the purity and cleanliness God continually offers us. Over the past month, God allowed my trust in the things of this world to disappoint me greatly in order that I would turn back to him as the sole source of my contentment and joy. His faithfulness amidst my waywardness was astounding and continues to cause me to praise Him for His matchless character and name.

Just to really drive the point home in my heart it seems, another upsetting occurrence happened soon afterward. This past Monday we had a North American Esther School staff meeting, which was supposed to be our final send off before many were flying back to Zambia. Instead, we were informed that Covid cases in Zambia have risen significantly with a prominent mutant strain of the virus largely coming from South Africa. So our plans to return as a team back to the students, staff, and country we’ve all grown to love had been delayed once again. (Our tentative plan being to fly back the first week of February) Don’t get me wrong, I’m very grateful to be under the leadership of a prayerful and wise administrative team, who have all our best interests at heart, but I was mad. I wasn’t mad at our administration, but at God, who had once again delayed our return to the place I thought he wanted us to be.

So after a few days of brooding over the devastating news, the Lord met me where I was at and softened my heart as only He can. A few other loving friends and family members tried to remind me the Lord has a purpose for everything, but I hadn’t wanted to hear it. I was angry and I needed God to know it; thankfully, He is not scared of our emotions. After processing all of these feelings, was when my friends asked me the question I began with: “What do you think can happen to someone’s joy when their hope is placed in their own desired outcomes instead of in the faithful character of God?” Oof. I knew the answer to that one. My misplaced hope had definitely sunk any chance at joy for a few days after the circumstances I was counting on changed. I have such a deeper appreciation now for the nature of our God, who is not transient, but our everlasting rock and immovable fortress. In 2021 and beyond, I want to put my hope in the outcomes I know to be true from the Word of Life (1 John 1:1-4).

What will you choose to place your hope in this year?

Update on the Esther School as of late:
God has been doing “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Eph. 3:20) at the Esther School in the North American staff’s absence. He’s raised up amazing Zambian leadership in two new positions being filled by Zambian men and their families moving on to the grounds. SO much has been accomplished in terms of construction and aims at sustainability, including building our first chicken building, breeding goats, developing new wells, and so much more! Please praise the Lord with us for all He continues to do for his school and pray He calls us back at the right time.

The Lord bless you this year!

Erika Lichtfuss

“For the Lord, the Most High, is awe-inspiring, a great King over the whole earth.” -Psalm 47:2

I was expecting to not have to worry about all the fuss over American politics and the election coming up this year, because honestly it’s frustrating to witness such division and hatred in our country for an extensive period of time. I know I’m not alone in this. In fact, maybe you’ve heard a similar message from the pulpit these days; a pastor imploring their congregation to not let political division and polarization define how they relate to one another. In my opinion, faith and hope are being placed in a position or person that is terribly temporary and in the end will be more disappointing than we care to admit sometimes.

It’s times like these though I’m all the more grateful and aware of the unshakable faithfulness of our Lord, Savior and King of (not just the United States, but) the universe. For the time being, I’ve been teaching some high school social studies classes – and what a time to be doing so! With an imminent presidential election coming up and a whole host of other global social, economic, and political issues, there’s no shortage of information to discuss. 

One class in particular is centered around the concept of globalization and its implications for the world currently and going forward. So I asked my students if they thought globalization is beneficial or not and why. Then of course I had to determine my stance on the matter – is the world uniting together inherently a good or bad thing? The first example from the Bible I could think of when “the whole world” came together was the tower of Babel. After the people had gathered in an agreed upon spot, in Genesis 11:4 it recalls, 

“Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves…’“ 

A little historical context reveals why this was such a problem in God’s eyes. In ancient Mesopotamia, people would build what were called ziggurats, which were temples supposed to be able to connect heaven and earth. Here in Genesis, we see the same purpose of reaching the heavens in building the tower, but the purpose behind it was not to have some sort of enhanced worship, but rather “that we may make a name for ourselves.” Therefore, the act of coming together as people was not inherently evil, but the heart’s motivation of pride and wanting to become like God themselves harkens back to Adam and Eve’s original sin. 

So while the concept of globalization sounds phenomenal in theory, with people using their collective strength, time and energy to solve massive problems, in practice, people’s corrupt hearts destroy the hope of reaching this ultimate end. Because of sin’s presence and staining of this world and its inhabitants, no large group of people can act out of truly selfless and altruistic motives for very long. And even if there were a long-lasting, righteous, and justice group of people with a superior leader, no worldly kingdom, no matter how great, will ever satisfy our heart’s longing for heaven – the only everlasting and perfect kingdom. 

As we wait for His kingdom come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, I pray the Spirit sings these verses over your heart and mind in the meantime:

“On that day the Lord will become King over the whole earth – the Lord alone, and his name alone.” – Zechariah 14:9

“But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.” – Hebrews 11:16

“For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.” – Hebrews 13:14

Keep seeking the city that is to come and more than that the King of the universe who will rule over it perfectly for the rest of eternity: Jesus.

Servant of Christ & citizen of heaven,

Erika Lichtfuss

Hello everyone! It’s felt like an eternity since I last wrote an update, but it’s been really crazy as I’m sure many of you are in this end-of-summer into fall unknowns transition. Obviously the largest item on the list for me personally has surrounded the question of school. Will we be able to head back to Zambia and teach this third and last term? The unfortunate and shortish answer to that question is: no (not yet). Zambia as a country has had peak COVID levels over the course of the last month, and while our grade 7 students are still prepping for their end of the year exam, no other students have had school opened up to them. Since Zambia’s school year starts in January, I’m assuming that’s when school’s will open their doors again, but if we’ve all learned anything from this year, it’s that nothing is certain. The time we reopen may be much earlier or later, depending on a whole host of factors.

In the meantime, quite a number of big things have happened in August to myself and my family.

First of all, we were entirely blessed by the Lord by a trip to visit my older brother Brad and his wife (and her family) up in Anchorage, AK! We hiked a mountain trail almost daily for a week, which was exhausting, but a blast and it was so sweet to spend some quality time with family we hadn’t seen in-person in a long time.

And then August 25th hit, and there was good news and terrible news. The good news is I got a temporary position substitute teaching at a local school district for the fall semester. Again, the plan is to head back to Zambia as soon as we have the green light, but I am grateful to still be able to teach here too, especially with the shortage of teachers. The bad news is that my father got 3rd degree burns from a bonfire he was attempting to start on both his legs and one arm. He’s been recovering well, but it’s been an excruciatingly painful process and he’ll stay in the hospital for the next couple of weeks.

Clearly, there’s been a lot to process, but I feel like I haven’t had the time to hit pause and do so. One of the primary ways I do process is by writing, so I am thankful to be able to give this brief update to everyone. Thank you in advance for all the prayers being sent our way – for our Esther School students & community, my family, and for me. If there’s any ways I can be praying for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Much love,

Erika

Like numerous teachers have experienced recently, suddenly not being able to see your students face to face is a challenge. What does a teacher get out of bed for if not to see the mix of tired, smiling, excited, and other kinds of faces roll into the classroom? Students are not simply bodies to fill the desks so the teacher will have someone to teach. Rather, students are what makes the classroom come alive. Each one brings their own experiences, passions, skills, and struggles and together interacts with one another, thereby stoking the flames within a dedicated teacher’s soul. The potential for learning and growth in such a room is terribly exciting to think about and also brings with it a weightiness of being the person (thankfully with my co-teacher, one of two persons) leading the children into often uncharted territory.

I know I’ve shared the following story with a number of you, but it still excites me every time I think about it. The setting: grade 6 math class. Before sharing, I have to establish some background first. Now let me be clear, I felt completely relieved I would never have to take a math class again after my freshman year of college. I didn’t have a vendetta against the subject, I was just glad to be free from it for a long while. At the Esther School I was (and still am some days) sincerely worried about how I would (and do) function as a math teacher. Granted it is a fairly low level of mathematics, but still completely new ground for me to walk on. Not to mention that for this particular group of students, math has always been their hardest subject.

Keeping all of this in mind, our class was learning about roman numerals, a topic I was shaky on myself. Thankfully, Patricia had taught this topic before and graciously took the lead. The lesson went well as the class began recognizing the pattern as we counted from 1-30 or so, writing the roman numerals under each number as they went. After the lesson, it came time to assign math homework. Patricia said their task was to complete the rest of the roman numerals up to 50. Instead of groans, eye-rolls or indifference, all too prevalent in an American classroom to most assignments, a majority of the kids demanded the number be higher! They insisted to go to 75. So, Patricia polled the class and the majority voted “yes” to the higher number, meaning more homework. However, the class had been having so much fun, a few voices from the crowd shouted they could reach all the way to 100! Our students traveled home that day with twice the amount of math homework because they wanted it. I was baffled. Pure eagerness to keep learning and pushing forward despite obstacles is a response a teacher only dreams of from their students.

Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of days when grade 6 isn’t so thrilled about being given homework, but there is a noticeable difference when comparing the American and Zambian classes I’ve been privileged to be in. These Zambian children clearly view their education as a privilege, while American students tend to perceive school as an obligation, one many aren’t happy about. As an American there is a sense of entitlement to the highest quality education possible and to be educated is a person’s right. Coming from such a mentality, the gratitude and excitement expressed towards school from the community we get to serve in Nyangwena is a breath of fresh air. I’m continually humbled by their attitudes.

This story and comparison between cultures parallels to a concept in Christianity the Lord has brought to my attention recently: eagerness to learn and discuss Scripture. The idea of eagerness and discussion surrounding the Bible seem fairly foreign to me because I don’t experience it very often. Rather, I believe I’m entitled to the Bible and begrudgingly attempt to learn and study it because I know it’s good for me, kind of like an education. However, just like in school, if we cram to memorize and skim scripture, we will often fail the tests life throws at us every day because it won’t be truly rooted in our hearts. But if our perception of the Bible changed, we would realize the privilege it is to be able to hold God’s Word in our hands, knowing He loves us dearly and wants to speak to us. He wants us to poor over the pages and learn His ways for our own benefit!

“Imprint these words of mine on your hearts and minds, bind them as a sign on your hands, and let them be a symbol on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates, so that as long as the heavens are above the earth, your days and those of your children may be many in the land the LORD swore to give your fathers.” – Deuteronomy 11:18-21

When God Himself gave the Old Testament law to the Israelites, over and over again He reminds them to be careful to follow His words by teaching, memorizing, posting and talking about them constantly SO THAT they may live long and full lives. God is a father who only wants good things for his people, his children, just like a teacher who knows the benefit of a student’s learning and only wants their success.

I want to be part of a culture that continually speaks God’s Word, because at the end of it all, they are the only ones that will remain. When I think of the wisest, most spirit-filled people I know, I think of friends who basically breathe scripture; almost every other sentence they say is directly from the Bible and applies to whatever situation we are discussing. I pray for an eagerness and dedication to studying the Bible that transforms me into one of these individuals who spreads so much truth and life in our world. If Zambian children can get so excited about roman numerals (not having much practical use), may we be a hundred times more eager to dive into God’s Word and discuss it consistently with those around us, bringing life. Lord help us to dedicate ourselves to knowing your Word more in our hearts and minds, for our own benefit, the benefit of others, and ultimately your glory. Amen.

“But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.” – Hebrews 3:13 [emphasis mine]

Praise:

• God graciously allowed me to be fully funded for this upcoming year of ministry!
• One of our Zambian teacher’s gave birth to a healthy baby!
• All but one of the Roelofs traveled safely back to the states
• EVERY person I’ve been blessed to see or talk with while I’ve been back this summer
• Again, all the projects completed by our Zambian staff improving the Esther School grounds

Prayer Requests:

• Decision-making in when exactly to head back to Zambia (hopefully September!)
• Our 7^th grade students as they continue to learn for an important end-of-year exam
• Wisdom, wisdom, wisdom – we could all always use more of it as a staff and the Holy Spirit’s constant leading

In Christ,

Erika

(As an aside: In my previous post, I may have come off as overly critical of the church, Christ’s body, as pointed out by a kind friend. I was writing out of strong personal conviction, which gets me equally excited and frustrated when I think about what the church can be. I want to say GREAT THINGS are being done through the American church and I don’t want to minimize those things; after all, I am exceptionally supported by so many of you, who are impacting Zambia for the kingdom! I apologize for writing anything that would make you think less of the church, but also hope genuine conviction reaches all our hearts as we consider what God is saying about our personal and collective walks of faith.)

Action: the fact or process of doing something, typically to achieve an aim.

At the turn of the new year 2020, this is the word I felt like God had impressed on my heart for the upcoming year: action. Recalling this fact, in light of the pandemic, I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony. Yeah, ok God, funny. If anything, this year has been the opposite of “action.” Stagnant would have been a better word. However, taking time to ponder the seemingly out of place word God had given, realizing that I could never come up with a “better” word than the very author of speech, He started to reveal things about my heart surrounding this word.

In a worldview purely based on morals, action becomes the central theme. What has this person done in their lives? How much have they accomplished? Does the good outweigh the bad? But God’s word says we cannot determine a person’s righteousness or value by asking these questions because He says in Proverbs 21:2 that “All deeds are right in the sight of the doer, but the Lord weighs the heart.” The deeds (or actions) of the doer are secondary to a God who sees passed the outward appearance and straight to the heart’s motivation.

Without a smoke-screen of actions to hide behind, suddenly God put a magnifying glass to what’s really at the center of it all, my heart. Psalm 139:23-24 states: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” In addition, when choosing a king for Israel, Samuel was told by God: “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Allowing God to examine our hearts is not a one-time quick fix; it requires humility and frequent reexaminations, which honestly isn’t an easy thing to submit to (especially for someone who avoids doctor’s appointments if possible).

When thinking about God cleansing us of the sin in our hearts, I picture a parent giving their extremely filthy child an old-fashioned bath with a hard-bristled brush. Of course God is gentle, but inevitably the washing process will involve some pain, especially to clean out the deeper crevasses filled with dirt. We all know the benefits and purpose behind bathing (I hope haha), but in the moment this cleansing may feel closer to punishment if we don’t remember the purpose behind the suffering – to get clean. Yes, there will be some pain and red and raw areas where the deep-down dirt was, but I have to believe the parent loved their child enough to work through the hard things with them. God is the parent, we are the child, and sin is the dirt. Hebrews 12:6 says, “because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” Also Job 23:10 gives hope amidst tremendous suffering, “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” The cleansing process will be painful, but there is restoration on the other side.

Is there a sense of guilt or dirtiness inside you that God is scrubbing away at during this time? Possibly by removing some distractions or sources of dependence from your life, which you’d been running to instead of His arms for comfort? I know there has been for me.

After God has checked our hearts and we are humble enough to repent, then we can move in action with a heart full of right motives. Instead of actions compelled by a guilty conscience, we are freed up to act out of a heart of love! 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 reminds us the best when it says, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” Our actions, even the greatest and most miraculous of them, amount to nothing apart from being driven by the forgiveness, acceptance, and love we first receive from Christ. May we listen to the encouragement of Paul to “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:12-13). Only when we realize God’s love is what needs to lead our actions can we achieve the correct aim to fulfill His purposes in our lives, not our own.

A couple materials that have been helpful in my own processing with the Lord during this time:

When God Seems Silent – https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/prayer/learn-from-gods-silence.html?CampaignCode=&cid=em-cru-dmkt-dm832241-v-20200507&grmpid=&deliveryName=DM832241

A great way to get into prayer – https://www.thegatewaychurch.com/morning-prayer/

Esther School Update:

Praise!

Recently, our team has been in communication with the Roelofs family still living on the Esther School campus in Zambia. Alongside the Zambian workers employed by the Esther School (most of them relatives to our students), so many improvements have been made to campus through collaboration and faithful dedication to work hard. A few of them include: 2 new wells and water tanks, adding a sink to the kitchen, plans for agriculture/sustainable practices (including goats!), and tons of organizing and painting too. We are so blessed to know God is using this time away from school for the progression of our campus to further the children’s future learning and His glory!

Prayer Request:

Under the guidance of medical professionals and other North American-led ministries in Zambia, the Roelofs have been advised to leave near the end of June. The virus is projected to peak in Zambia in July and August, so, as of now, the Esther School is hoping to open its doors again in September to finish out the school year. Please pray for the family as they prepare to leave and especially for our community of Nyangwena and Zambia as a whole as they prepare to face the virus with much less health care capabilities. Also keep our students and their families in mind as we take this extended break; we hope to get some educational materials in their hands before the campus remains vacant for a while longer.

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift…And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way to him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”   – Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-16

I can’t do this alone. You can’t do this alone. We can’t do this alone.

God’s Word does not preach a grand story of isolation and pulling yourself up by the bootstraps. Unfortunately, America preaches these ideas continually as a proud, individualistic, materialistic, and overworking culture, and we’ve allowed ourselves, the church, to be infiltrated by such thinking.

I am guilty of adopting these mindsets. You are guilty. We are guilty. And we are the church!

“You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.” – Matthew 5:13

I’m not sure what God has been teaching you during this time of mandatory slowing down, but I hope and pray you’ve taken time to just sit at Jesus’s feet like Mary did, when Martha was overly concerned with preparations. I feel He has been speaking so directly through the circumstances in our world. But will we listen? Will we repent?

Repentance. This may bring to mind imagery of a disgruntled, angry God – not a very warm invitation. Don’t mistake God’s wrath against sin as anger against you. He hates sin zealously because of its ability to separate you from Him and He’s crazy about you and desires to be so close. Christ died for this very purpose: to remove God’s wrath from you, so you can come to Him expecting forgiveness, acceptance, and love.

One of the biggest things God has been repeatedly brining up to me is the state of His body, the church. He’s led me to read the books of Ephesians and Acts, Letters to the Church by Francis Chan, and watch American Gospel (all things I’d highly recommend!). Looking at the passage from Ephesians above, Paul urges the church to live in a manner worthy of their calling; when you look in the mirror, do you see an integral member of the glorious being of Christ himself destined for greater purpose than you could dare dream up? I don’t. But whether you believe it or not, this is your calling and who you are: a warrior for the King of Kings. And friends we are at war and must fight now for humility, gentleness, patience, love, peace, particularly unity.

Look at all the “one” language used in the second sentence! If you truly think of the church as one body of believers, it’s impossible for members to do life separately. If that were so, there would be severed, useless body parts strewn about the earth. Sadly, many in the American church have chosen to operate in their “own faith” apart from the church as if this were possible. The fact that many Christians have gone this route isn’t entirely surprising considering our individualistic culture, but also how our churches feel more like movie theater auditoriums than intimate groups of friends bearing each other’s burdens with prayer and generosity.

Christians leaving the church entirely is a major issue, but so is Christians not using their God-given gifts for His purposes. If still imagining the church as one body, I picture body parts either spastically thrashing about or hanging limp, the two pitfalls being pridefully drawing attention to ourselves and our gifts or feeling useless compared to others and having a defeated spirit respectively. Our models of church seem to underutilize the gifts of its members, so people aren’t growing and reaching their full potential of serving in the kingdom. This is a real tragedy. If we aren’t each using “the measure of Christ’s gift(s)”, then we won’t achieve the following: building up the body of Christ, unity of the faith, and maturity of faith to avoid being deceived by false doctrines. Francis Chan writes much about returning back to a model of house churches to achieve the necessary unity, accountability, and care so many believers are craving in the American church. I need to wake up, realize I’m an integral part of Christ’s body, and move towards “manhood” (in my case “womanhood”). So do you. So do we.

Chan and other church leaders have been observing and commenting on the issues that arise from megachurch models for years. These are the church buildings I grew up in and I believe the creation of large churches is not ill-intended, but I think God may be calling us all to a time of reflection on how we are operating and if it’s truly what He calls us to in His Word. Clearly, the American church is unable to meet in large groups in person during this season. Maybe this is a blessing to show us the error of our ways, prune away the unnecessary, and return to the fundamentals of faith and our first love, Christ.

Ending with a positive note of what to pray and aim for, the final sentence of the passage says:

“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way to him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

When each part of the body is working like it’s been made to, the results are beautiful – a church body directed by Christ himself, being built up in love. This is our calling, and I believe we, the Church, are very due for a revival and awakening to seek the Lord about what our roles really are in His kingdom and how we can better connect to other members of the body. May we all have one hope for such a result.

In Christ,

Erika

Praises:

• The Roelof family and workers are working hard to develop our campus while the staff and kids are away!
• Zambia (and Africa as a whole) are not getting hit as hard with COVID-19
• Extra, uninterrupted time with the Lord
• Unexpected time with family

Prayers:

• Using this time wisely!
• For our world, especially nations without sufficient healthcare systems
• Unity in the body of Christ, during and after all this is over

I don’t know how many of you saw Esther School’s most recent update, but we are closed until further notice, which probably doesn’t come as a surprise now that most schools have closed their doors. As much as it was a disappointing shock for all of us at the time (we were told on Friday to go home by Monday), we were reminded over and over of God’s sovereignty and Him having purpose in everything.

Even though at the time it seemed surreal and crazy how fast everything went, in retrospect, I can already pinpoint God’s hand in the unexpected transition back to the states. On Wednesday of last week, the day before we closed our doors, we celebrated Youth Day with our students. This was such great timing for such a celebration. Students in all grades watched movies (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for grade 6), played games, ate fun snacks, and attended a school-wide soccer game, while eating freezies. The soccer game was some of the most fun I’ve experienced at the Esther School yet. First was a game of the teachers against the grade 7 students. Then our Zambian maintenance staff (some pretty intimidating soccer-playing men) played against grade 7 and then against the teachers. Every time a goal was scored, crazy cheering erupted from the students; kids were running across the field, jumping up and down, and even doing flips! God gave us so much joy and I’m so glad that’s the kind of note we got to end on as a school for now. Also, on Thursday, right after hearing we would at least be shut down for the following week, our staff went for a vision walk around campus. Our executive director, Drew, shared with us many projects God had laid on his heart to grow the sustainability and utility of our school, and many we already have funding for! This was such great news to hear and be able to envision God’s plans for the school’s future together.

Honestly, when I first heard the news from our administration about the decision to send us home, I started having doubts. School would start up again soon enough, right? Why did we need to go all the way home? Nobody saw this as ideal timing or wanted to go. But God reminded me of a verse that challenged my pride a couple summers ago: “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account” Hebrews 13:17. Our administration made the hard, yet wise decision that nobody else wanted to hear. It definitely wasn’t popular but was for the good of the community we want to serve the best we can. I am very thankful for such prayerful leaders who put the greater good above their own or others’ personal desires. Now, the Zambian government has decided all schools and universities will be closed by tomorrow. Travel is being more restricted out of Africa as more cases are being reported (and likely many more exist).

I think one of the hardest parts of being home is feeling somewhat purposeless. An immediate thought when I heard the news: God, what am I going to do without a job? This left me feeling a strong sense of purposelessness momentarily, which is an unhealthy sign of putting too much self-worth in my job instead of in Christ. Quickly God reminded me that His purposes for my life are more important than what I have planned. “A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps” Proverbs 16:9. What a beautiful reminder of who’s in control. I think it’s so easy to forget who is actually writing our stories, collectively and individually. There are SO many stories in the Bible where circumstances looked grim, but in retrospect God clearly wanted to showcase His sovereignty, power and strength for the good in all things. A few examples include: Moses, Gideon, Esther, Job, David, Paul, and ultimately Jesus.

I want to zoom in on Gideon for a minute. As a staff we’d been going through the Gideon study by Priscilla Shirer. She has some powerful words for us from this extraordinary story. A quick summary is Gideon was called by God to rid the Jewish land of foreigners with an army of originally 32,000 (that God whittled down to 300 soldiers) against 135,000 Midianites. Now, I don’t know your particular situation, but I think it’s safe to say everyone has had some resources taken away right now. Maybe it’s your job, a family member, money, socializing, sports, travel, etc. or a combination of these. Here is my encouragement to you: exercise gratitude for what you still do have, lay it down at God’s feet, and see what He does with it. Here is how Priscilla words it:

“What is the Lord asking you to release to Him – time, money, security, stability, relationships? Maybe it’s hard to see it go because it’s been so plentiful in your life and has brought you so much comfort. Understandable. But take a deep breath…and then let it go anyway. I assure you, you’ll be better off with God’s 300 than your 32,000 every single time.”

This is definitely a challenge for me as well. For most of us, letting things go right now has not been a choice. However, even if you can’t see the purpose now, I assure you that God is working through all of this beyond any single person’s understanding. The lyrics of the popular Christian song “Way Maker” keep repeating in my head:

Even when I can’t feel it, You’re working

You never stop, You never stop working

You never stop, You never stop working”

“Even when I don’t see it, You’re working

He’s never done working in our lives. Take this time to slow down, pray, and see what He’s asking you to release and what to pick up during this time.

Prayer Requests:

• The Esther School’s administration as they keep having to make challenging decisions for the good of our students and community
• Zambian government in decision making and the health care systems in less developed countries like Zambia around the world
• Restorative time of communication with friends and family as we are back
• Personally for clarity on how to best use this time in general and to encourage and build up others

Praises:

• A great growing season for Zambia to sustain their people with food
• God is still on the only throne that matters
• For all of the staff getting back to the states safely and before further travel restrictions
• Visions for the school’s growth and time for its development as school is out of session