Precious little bundle

Malene hugging kids!

Yesterday 5 of us from home went to our little bush church.  Malene, Naomi and I took part in the kids church, such a privilege, I basically played my guitar and got to hug kids for the next 3 hours, its a hard job but someone has to do it!


We then went to our friends hut for lunch.  It took about half an hour to walk there through the bush to her remote hut, it was baking hot and I got a little sunburnt. 

Lunch including "snot"

Lunch was Nshima (pap/sadza), beans, ocra (aka snot) and mini yellow eggplants.
Our friend hasnt enough food for the next few months, she has planted some seeds but there wont be enough, she knows this but still shares what she has even though she is looking after 7 kids and her aging parents, she believes they will get through and God will provide, so she shares.
This blew my mind a little.

This is a real photo from yesterday with no added effects

On the way home it rained torrentially, we got absolutely, to your underwear, soaked.  I loved it!





 When we reached the car, one of my guardians was there with a friend and their 7 children. The road had totally corroded in the hours worth of rain and it was literally like driving in a river with pot holes bigger than a bus and bumps that meant speed was not an option. I was handed little Ben through the window, he is 17 months old and is HIV+, as I held this little bundle of precious cargo tightly for fear of whiplash, he somehow fell asleep.
My heart melted and I remembered God really doesnt forget anyone, not even a poorly little mite on a rainy day, not a hard working mum with too many mouths to feed and not enough food in the middle of the bush-bush in Africa.
He loves, He cant help Himself.

Again Im challenged to live with the Attitude of Gratitude.
I am so much happier when Im thankful for what I do have, than when I think about what I do not.
My friends here have life and joy in the middle of desperate surroundings, I want to learn this.

Thoughts this Christmas

So Ive been told its Christmas, Im not sure if I believe people, its 30*C most days, not a drop of snow in sight, no winter socks needed for bedtime, no scarves and gloves, Jack frost isnt nipping at my toes.
As I sit with my ice cold guava squash, Im thinking "What is Christmas about when you are far from home and the ones you love?"

some of my Kaniki family in Zambia 

Seeing as its Christmas, Jesus' birthday, I thought Id attempt to try and answer a question Ive often been asked....

ZoeJoy, what do you mean when you say You meet with God?
I mean, you talk about being friends with Him? what does that look like, feel like?

For me its a relationship that has grown like any other friendship.
I talk to Him and over the years Im learning what His voice sounds like when He talks back.
What it feels like when He is trying to get my attention.

Sometimes when I read the bible its like certain words jump off the page, not in a wooooow-strange way, but its like they make my heart feels alive and I know He is speaking to me.

When I sing to him, (Christians love to sing!) I try and visualise He is there and sing to Him, to allow Him to use my imagination (which He created btw) and see what He is doing or wants to show me.  This helps me enjoy Him.

When I talk to him (pray) I also like to visualise He is there and interact with Him there, often He likes to just sit and listen and be with me, sometimes He speaks there too.

This week I am trying to learn about what chills me out and calms me because I realise when I give myself the space to do this, often this is where I find I meet Him easiest.

Its Christmas, the place where we celebrate Jesus' birth.
Why dont you give yourself the space to find out why Christians are so into Him this coming year.
(Id recommend an Alpha course-most churches run them).

Have a great Christmas, 
Have a great time with family and friends.
Thanks for your friendship with me.
ZJ

ps "eight" is still available on i-tunes.  These are all songs Ive written when spending time with Him.

www.itunes.apple.com/gb/album/eight/id560137363

Crazy days

So How do you describe a day like today?

First we had Kids church which was as fun as it always is.  My little friend had brought her pet for the day with her, yes it is a locust.  She happily played with it throughout church.

Then we went to meet with those we had gathered for prayer for the crops.
Because of family illness my messenger didn’t get to invite the village, which when I arrived was a small relief, the thought of thousands of people was quite terrifying. 
She had managed to gather 15 of my KOP guardians together.  Ah, friendly faces.
These ladies are proper poor, hand to mouth, no small change, feeding families on nothing, going to bed hungry regularly poor, they live on what they can get with open hearts and open homes.

We started with a few Bemba songs and of course dancing and whooping.
I then explained a little that Jesus loves to heal people, because He loves them and asked if anyone would like us to pray to Jesus.  A dozen or so eager hands went up.
So we split into 2 teams and prayed, briefly, no fancy words just asking God for each ones conditions to get better. Then got them to try it out, see if anything had gotten healed.

“I had pain in my neck and shoulder and now I can do this" as she swings her neck from side to side vigerously and rolls her shoulder round."




                                        “I couldnt see more than this, (about 5-10 metres) my eyes were cloudy and now I can see clearly”,
“What?” I say,
“so where can you see to now”, I take her to the door, “Can you see that ant hill over there?”,
“Yes I can”,
“Can you see Mrs. Chomba’s washing on her clothes line?”,
“Yes and I can see the Avocados in the Avocado tree”, (this is about 50 metres away and I can just see them clearly).

“My legs were so painful all the time and now I can do this” as she jumps up and down, up and down (she is 72 years old too).

From the 15 ladies, 13 were instantly healed of one or more condition.

I love it when Jesus gets our attention.
So i tell them how they can be friends with God and about Jesus.
They all respond and ask God to be the boss of their lives.

Then we all asked God to double this years expected crops so that life this year can be a little easier.

Crazy days are becoming normal...

Bumper Harvest.....

This week I thought Id write about next week.  Not that there isnt enough to tell you about but because next week is a biggeee.

Yesterday whilst reading the bible i felt it would be a good idea to gather the local village to pray for bumper crops.  That as they have now all planted their seed that God would do a miracle and grow big, much more than expected amounts of maize this season.

So today the KOP team and I have arrange that everyone will be invited, thats between 7000-9000 people, to the village mothers meeting place (that was easy as its Mrs. Chomba) next wednesday at 10.30am.  We also decided I should give a small talk about how the village doesnt have to stay a place of scraping it together to make ends meet, full of alcohol addictions and prostitution with an unusually high HIV/AIDS rate and that children from here could not only finish school (very rare from here) but that they could grow to be world changers if the village all pulled and worked together and if God broke in.

This village is the one on the border of Dr Congo that is historically a very dark and poor place.

So Im asking for your prayers in advance of doing something a little crazy and dangerous.  That I would speak in a way that encourages change and belief that things can be different.  That I would win people to working together and that God would indeed answer our prayers not only for the harvest but that He would continue to heal illnesses and bring hope when we ask Him.
Feel free to pray with us next week.
ZJ