Dear Praying Friends,
Thank you for praying for our
family as Elijah and I traveled to Zambia over the last month. We had a great trip and Preetika enjoyed a
refreshing time while we were away. As I write this, both Elijah and I are still
slowly getting over jet lag. We are, however, rejoicing in the blessings of the
last 3 weeks.
First, Elijah was able to gain the
approval to receive US citizenship. This is a tremendous answer to prayer as it
will allow us to travel (back to Zambia) once the Lord restores Preetika’s
health without restrictions. Elijah did not quite grasp the importance of this
and had his heart set on a “green card.” It was all I could do to keep him from
asking the officials for a green card instead of complete US citizenship! When
we returned to America, his mother had a green card waiting for him!
In addition, Preetika has been
greatly encouraged over the last month. Not only did she benefit from some
extra time with the Lord lately, but we also received some unexpected direction
in regards to her health situation. Two incidents, in particular, have greatly
bolstered our spirits. During our days in Zambia, we met a missionary colleague
(from another part of Zambia and previously unknown to us). As we chatted about
Preetika’s condition, I was surprised to find that this missionary had a
medical background and had come across similar symptoms over her more than 20
years in Zambia. She suggested we look into parasites as being a possible cause
of Preetika’s problems. We have been recommended to a doctor who specializes in
such things here in Southern California. We have an appointment on Wednesday,
March 11. In addition to this development, we saw a “minor miracle” (especially
for Africa!) in regards to Preetika’s biopsy done in May 2014 in Zambia. As we
have mentioned this procedure performed at the beginning of this ordeal,
several doctors in America had wondered aloud if the slide from the biopsy
might be available to run further tests on. I was quite skeptical that the
slide would be able to be found. While in Lusaka, I asked the doctor about the
slide. He was also dubious that the lab would have held onto it, but thought it
wouldn’t hurt to ask. Two days later I had the slide in my hand. We trust that
both of these developments will prove to be a help in getting Preetika well. Please continue to pray for my wife and her
health.
It has also been my extreme
pleasure to be able to work among the Zambian believers this past month. To be
on the field, among the people to whom the LORD has called me is always a tremendous
blessing. During the few weeks there, I was privileged to meet a new neighbor
of mine named Ernest. He had come to Livingstone from a distant part of Zambia
to find work just 2 weeks prior to my arrival. On our second day in Zambia,
Elijah and I went out soul winning with some men from our church in the
neighborhood near my house. Ernest was so open to hearing the gospel of Christ
that he invited us to sit down in his house and share about Jesus with him. He
trusted Christ that day and was in church the next Sunday.
A week later he had
a man from our church come back and witness to his sister about salvation in
Christ Since then, he has attended every service and Bible study held by our
church. He is about to begin being discipled and is planning to be baptized
soon. (Once the water cooperates… Please
pray for the city water at our church. It has been an ongoing problem to get
consistent water to our property.) Ernest is hoping to bring his wife and
the rest of his children to join him and his seven-year-old son in Livingstone.
We are praying that the Lord will allow the entire family to be together and
that the hearts of the rest of the family will be open to following Jesus as
well.
We are so grateful to you all who
have stood with us in support and prayer these last several months. You have
encouraged us to trust God’s purpose even when we cannot see it.
