A Partnership to Consider

Jared Compton recently posted this interview with me over at the DBTS blog, Theologically Driven. It serves as a great overview of our year in Zambia:

Here’s some good news. According to Operation World, evangelical faith exploded in Africa during the 20th century. There are now approximately 182 million believers in Africa, a population nearly double the size of the evangelical community in the United States. This staggering growth, however, has led to what Operation World calls a “critical bottleneck.” There are simply too few theologically-equipped leaders for all these Christians. How should we in the West respond to this need? One of the ways we surely must respond is through fervent and united prayer. God loves his church and loves to answer just these sorts of prayers. Another avenue open for some is to partner, either short or long-term, with one or another of the handful of indigenous ministries seeking to meet this need, sharing with them one of the resources we in the West have in abundance—theological education. A dear friend of mine (and DBTS grad), Jeremy Pittsley, just spent a year doing this at the Central Africa Baptist College (CABC) in Kitwe, Zambia. I recently had a chance to ask him about his experience. Here’s what he had to say.

(1) Jeremy, can you tell me a little bit about your experience? Last year I had the opportunity to train pastors and church leaders at CABC in Kitwe, Zambia. I taught a number of Old Testament classes, as well as English and Apologetics. Moreover, in my second semester, I took on some of the lower administrative responsibilities to help Nathan Washer, the college’s academic dean. I became directly involved in the admissions office, organizing and conducting interviews for applicants to the college. I’d say that nothing impressed me with the need for leadership development in Central Africa more than my interviews with these prospective students. False teachings and nominal Christianity abound, and leaders often lack the biblical grounding necessary to expose error and commend truth. These future and current pastors are hungry for the truth of the Word and eager to shoulder the hard work of becoming able students and expositors of that Word.

Also, at one point during the year I had the opportunity to teach two one-week block clasess on theology in South Sudan. I had an incredible time exposing a group of church leaders, some for the very first time, to the broad story of the Scriptures (creation, fall, redemption, consummation), the doctrine of the Trinity, and the person of Christ (100% divine and 100% human). The thirst for the Scriptures in this war-torn land was palpable.

(2) Who can get involved in this sort of work? These short-term teaching opportunities are available to anyone with a master’s degree in theology, divinity, or Bible. They are also available to those whose master’s degree included at least 16 hours in Bible.

(3) I know you managed to bring your family with you. Would you recommend others do the same, or is a post like this best filled by singles or those without children? Some single men have taken this opportunity to teach. The flexibility afforded to singles can open many doors of opportunity for mutual discipleship and encouragement of faith with the students. But that doesn’t make being single a necessity whatsoever. CABC has housing for both single and married students. They provided housing for our family in the married student flats near campus.

(4) Let’s get real practical. Where does the money to make this sort of trip come from? I was in something of a unique situation because I was in the middle of raising support to go to Nairobi, Kenya, when the Lord used my sending church, Inter-City Baptist (Allen Park, MI), to point me in this direction. Our partner churches unanimously agreed that gaining experience and helping this sister ministry was a great opportunity, and they continued to support us while we were there. We had friends, however, who probably represent a more repeatable model. They were able to raise the necessary support by saving their own income and by visiting a handful of churches. The fact that God provided for us and for them in the current fiscal climate is a good reminder not to put anything beyond God’s ability to provide.

(5) Any parting words for those seminary students who might happen across this interview? The year in Africa confirmed my calling to leadership training abroad like shorter missions trips never could. It also drew my wife and me closer as we teamed up on my work assignments and faced challenges together (including the birth of our third son!). I treasured the opportunities I had with my family to welcome the students into our home, introducing them to our children, and helping our children to listen as the students shared their testimonies of salvation and the circumstances surrounding their call to ministry. We were glad for the opportunity to put the boys in a context full of real adventure and loving friends and neighbors. Looking over my life, I cannot think of a happier year than the one we just spent in Zambia. I know I’ll never forget it.

Note: Have you had a similar experience? If so, we’d love to hear from you.

A Whirlwind Couple of Months

Post-Graduation Festivities

Time has flown since our last update. We packed many events into our last month of classes, and then we scrambled to get everything together to come back to the States.

School wound down after a great semester. Papers and tests, quizzes and assignments made for a truck load of grading at the end of the semester. Jenny and I were up late one night grading Hebrew exams. I was thankful for nabbing a wife from the Biblical Languages major at Northland! The students were well-rewarded for a semester full of tough work, good writing, and hard thinking.

Jenny, Sarah, Kevin, Jamin in Zimbabwe

Right after the semester ended, we fit in a quick trip to Livingstone to see Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. We traveled by bus with the Shermans and had a great time enjoying the Zambian countryside. The Falls themselves had not built to their full strength, but they were still big and beautiful. The day we were there we also crossed briefly into the country of Zimbabwe, which shares the Falls with Zambia.

Leadership Conference proved a fitting end to a great year in Zambia. We were able to hear a well-known Zambian preacher from Lusaka, Conrad Mbewe. I taught a workshop related to evangelism and apologetics. The theme of the conference was "The Great Commission Is Our Command." It was exciting to see God working among Zambians to reach Africa and the world for the sake of Christ's name.

One of my primary responsibilities during the Leadership Conference was heading up the Admissions responsibilities for the college. The conference started on Monday, and interest began with a trickle of interviews. By the end of the week there seemed to be a torrent, and I was spending most of my time gathering information, conducting admissions interviews, and discussing questions and issues with college admin. I relished the opportunity to be involved in a process that will doubtless have a profound effect on the lives of these men and likely affect the next generation of believers in Zambia as well. Who knows what the next weeks of the Lord's direction will bring about? Pray for Kevin Sherman as he takes over these responsibilities and follows up with potential students. We desire God's will for these men; please pray that the Lord of the harvest would use us to send out laborers!

Jonas Investigates Christmas Legos

After Leadership conference, we had about 10 days to pack everything to get ready to go. God answered many of your prayers by smoothing out the process for us to get a few boxes and tubs of stuff to Kenya. The Huffstutlers, our missionary partners in Kenya, will be keeping the books and toys and household items for us while we prepare to return to Kenya next year. We're thankful to the Kenyan college students for their willingness to help in getting our belongings to the proper place.

We were grateful on our return trip for help from Rachel Johnson. She is a missionary who has been working at CABC alongside us in the capacity of administrative assistant. She generously scheduled her flights back to the States to coincide with our flights so that she could help with our kids. We were hugely grateful for the help! We stopped overnight in London where the Lord had provided a very nice hotel near the airport for a very affordable price. Other than what would be naturally expected of children making that kind of trip, everything proceeded agreeably. Praise the Lord for a safe and smooth journey!

Josiah Enjoys Christmas Dinner

Two days after arriving in Detroit, I had to be up early for a flight to the Southwest where waited the vehicle God has provided for our final leg of deputation. I drove the Chrysler Town & Country back up from El Paso, Texas, in time to be back in Michigan for the Sunday evening Christmas concert at Intercity Baptist. The vehicle has no major issues at all, and the mileage is quite low: What a blessing! This vehicle was a specific matter of prayer that we brought before the Lord as a family, and God provided! I am also grateful to the Lord for keeping me safe with the long hours on the road.

That Wednesday we left Michigan to spend Christmas and New Year's with Jenny's family. We had a great time of celebration on Christmas day, both at New Testament Baptist Church and with family. We miss our friends in Zambia, but we're also glad for a time to enjoy church and family here.

Seamless in Lusaka

We are so thankful to the Lord for a very smooth and productive trip to Lusaka last week. Since Jamin was born, Jenny and I had been approaching this trip with apprehension. We knew it was entirely possible that we would get all the way to Lusaka, find the correct office, wait through the lines, and only then realize that some document we'd never been asked for before would be required. The six hour bus ride home with no progress to show for our time would not have been our happiest moment.

Enjoying Coffee with Jenny (and Jamin)

But God was working to iron everything out, and we're thankful. Though we got off to a late start last Friday, we were still able to get on the first bus out of town. The trip down to Lusaka was much quicker than I had anticipated, and we arrived in Lusaka well before 11:00am.

We didn't know exactly where to find the records office, and at first our taxi driver didn't know either, but he made a guess, drove for less than a minute from the bus station and dropped us off at precisely the right building.

Our time at the records office also proved surprisingly swift and efficient. We found the man in charge of birth certificates quickly. I think I saw him wait on one person before us, and one other party came to the office before we left. Jamin's Zambian birth certificate was in hand within an hour of our getting off the bus. We were shocked by the way doors were opening for us. God was answering your prayers!

The next day we continued to find a surprisingly easy path set before us. When we arrived for our 9:30 appointment, we were told that we were missing a couple items to apply for the US certificate of birth abroad and Jamin's passport. But there weren't any lines at the embassy, and they were very understanding when we told them that we were from out of town and needed to complete the applications all in one trip. A quick email or two and a trip to the print shop was all we needed to acquire what we needed. It was still before 1:00pm that day when we had finished everything possible for the trip!

Both afternoons and evenings Jenny and I were able to enjoy some much needed rest. We had coffee at a cafe in the mall, and enjoyed a delicious dinner at a Thai restaurant. I made a little bit of progress on grading a few papers.
Two couples made the trip possible and deserve huge thanks. The Shermans took care of Josiah and Jonas while we were away. Their task was especially Herculean because both were struggling with some unidentified stomach bug the entire time. The Clarks, our new friends and hosts while we were in Lusaka, were an enormous blessing and help. They gave us a number of rides, saving us taxi money, and provided for a number of our meals. They were true Christian examples of hospitality.
On Monday Jenny and I enjoyed our birthday among friends back home. The trip came at a busy time, so I had to jump right back into work, but I had been quite refreshed by the change of pace and progress on this passport project.

Almost there!

Twice recently I've been asked for a list of specific prayer requests. Here's how I replied:

1. Pray for the students as they finish their year; all of the semester-end review has the ultimate purpose of helping them let the Word of Christ dwell in them richly.
2. Pray that Jamin's passport will be completed within the next couple of weeks.
3. Pray that we are able to find an affordable way to move our stuff from Zambia to Kenya without having to pay to get it over the Atlantic only to turn around and take it back again.
4. Pray that our leads on a deputation vehicle materialize into something affordable, reliable, and workable for our newly enlarged traveling family.

Thanks so much for praying!

Returning Home

Nile Baptism

 During our second week in Sudan, we were able to witness a baptism in the Nile River. Phillip, one of the students in our doctrines classes, had asked about baptism after one of the lessons on being born again. I wasn't sure initially what he thought about the relationship between baptism and the new birth. But several of us talked about the relationship between those two events, and it became apparent that Phillip is banking on Christ alone for his eternal joy. What a thrill to watch this believer display his identification with Christ publicly for all to see!

Heftalump: 11wks = 17lb 3oz

That week Kevin also became ill, probably with malaria. I was thankful that he had had the foresight to pack the malaria medication and that he was back to teaching his full share of hours within a couple of days.
At the customs office on our return to Zambia, the officer took my work permit and other documents, quickly scanned them, and then said something that surprised me, "Welcome home." I was taken aback at first, but what he said rings true with my affection for this place. We are so grateful to God for granting us yet another place on this earth to call home while we continue our pilgrimage toward Christ's kingdom, our final resting place and truest home!
After returning from Sudan, Kevin and I jumped right back into classes. I have been pretty busy catching up for the last week and a half, but life is slowly returning back to normal.
Next week Jenny, Jamin and I are hoping to get to Lusaka, Zambia's capital, to hurry along the documentation Jamin needs to leave the country. Please pray that we are able to make significant progress on this trip.


Thank you for mentioning us in your prayers!

Cell Billboard Celebrates Independence with New S. Sudan Flag