HAPPY NEW YEAR from LIVING WELL

Can you believe that 2013 is ending? 

The year has had many challenges - our communities destroyed by fierce tornadoes, our government with its many controversial incidents, terrorism continuing destruction, and too many people that we know who left this world at young ages.

Amidst the challenges, views of the Divine shine through. God’s strength and peace carried our communities through desperately terrifying days. We learned that we must continue to trust in God, not in men. Evil was hunted down. Those who are absent from us are living in His Presence. We personally saw God at work in many couples who were reconciled and healed.

Along with us, 16 fellow-believers experienced God’s compassion for beautiful African kids living in a slum. We saw the excitement on their faces as we taught, sang, and played together. Our lives changed forever. We saw God raise up funds to continue the Wisdom Community School for another year - enhancing their education and their campus. 

In very unexpected and exciting ways, God provided the funds for clean, fresh water for the school. He has provided the funds for 12 children to go to the 7th grade next year at a school in another community.

As a God who does more than we ever expect, He has now provided $21,500 of the $25,000 for a second classroom building for WSC!!! Only $3500 to go!

We are returning to Zambia in a couple of weeks. The scope of the mission has expanded tremendously since we first scheduled this trip! Our plans:

• Pastoral Marriage Conference in Kitwe for 50 pastor couples
• Dedicating new water well at WCS (donated by Lakeview Baptist in Guthrie)
• Giving Christmas gifts to the students of WCS (donated by Berean Class, PCBC)
• Presenting textbooks (donated by PCBC Awana children)
• Teaching two Sunday evening marriage meetings
• Preaching on Sunday morning
• Teaching fire safety to WSC and other groups (by John Holinsworth)
• Meeting with potential contractors for classroom building #2
• Presenting other school supplies for WSC
• Training marriage educator in Nairobi
• And anything else God presents to us!

And we hit the ground running when we return on February 1st. In February and March, we are teaching two weekend marriage retreats, heading up Together Forever marriage event at our church, and teaching a date night. It’s the busiest time of the year for marriage events!

We still have lots of preparations for the trip, coming events, and funds to raise. Please pray with us for all of those. Besides our own expenses for the mission trip, we pay for all of the expenses of the pastor couples and take them marriage and Bible study materials. And the airlines continue to find new ways to make these trips cost more. We will pay several hundred dollars just for baggage!

Does the beginning of a new year energize you or motivate you for a new start? Read this post about the New Year - New Beginnings in Marriage; and read our next post about New Year - New Beginnings with Money. Or go to this link for a pdf of both and more!

Thank you for your continued support! We could not continue this ministry without you! We love and appreciate you and your support of what God is doing! Our love in Christ,

Donna and Ed Edwards
P.S. Please pray for the Lord to provide the remaining $15,500 for the Zambia mission trip.
(We have already paid for our tickets and a deposit for the conference meeting space.)

TO DONATE

DECEMBER 2013 Letter LIVING WELL

Stop! Let’s talk about one holiday at a time, please!

That is what we all feel like shouting right now. Having a late Thanksgiving is the excuse all the retailers needed to start the advertising and shopping earlier. How did buying and owning things become so important to us? As Christians, are we consumed with what we have?

Do we compare what we have to those who have more than us or those who have less?
     We think about the many couples who come to us and desperately want their marriages to be better but have wounded backgrounds with bad role models; they don’t know where to begin. A lack of conflict resolution skills makes it difficult to succeed in any area of their marriage, including financially. Because of you, our supporters, we can see these couples whether they can pay or not.

When you ask your children what they want for Christmas, have they ever said “nothing?”
     We remember the young boys in Zambia who waited until the end of each day to grab any empty, plastic water bottles in the trash, so that they could make toys out of them. Then, we think about the same age kids here who have Ipads and complain that they get bored. Because of you, our supporters,we are providing an education for these kids who are living in a slum.

At Christmas, do we think about the stress of getting everything done?
     What would happen if we skipped shopping and buying, instead we focused on how we could spend the money to make a difference in some else’s life to advance the Kingdom of God? Think about how you can help your children/grandchildren know more about the character of Jesus Christ. Because of you, our supporters, we are able to provide our “names of Jesus” card in our letters every year. The card is a great tool to use to meditate on who Christ is and to share with others. Those verses would make a great family devotional.

What we own, how we look, and what we consume becomes our identity.
     The Christian faith becomes one of many different activities that consume our time. “Religion” competes with other activities - rather than becoming a personal faith and the basis of our worldview and our personal relationship with a personal God.

You can make a difference in someone else’s life this Christmas and/or end-of-year giving:

• $75 to sponsor one of the Wisdom Community School kids, starting 7th grade in January to school for a year to another school in the next community (includes fees, uniform, lunches, books, supplies, and incentives). WCS does not include 7th grade yet. (12 students)
• $100 to sponsor one hour of guidance for a couple at LIVING WELL 
• $150 To sponsor one pastor couple to attend Family Enrichment training conference in Zambia.
• $2300 To sponsor one plane fare for Zambia January mission trip.*
• $11,000 To complete the funding of the next classroom building at WCS (includes 3 classrooms); WCS would then be able to provide 7th grade classes (grades 1-7 are typical elementary schools in Zambia) and move other classes from a storage room into a classroom. [see WCS Master Plan]

[TO DONATE]

As we prepare this letter, drilling the new water well for the students of Wisdom Community School is complete! The finish out and pump installation should be complete soon. Because of the faithfulness of God’s people, these children will have ample water all year! 

Thank you for your continued support! We could not continue this ministry without you! We love and appreciate you and your support of what God is doing! Have a blessed Christmas!

Our love in Christ,

Donna and Ed Edwards
P.S. Please pray for the Lord to provide the remaining $17, 200 for the Zambia mission trip. [see Zambia Mission 2014 info]
*We have already paid for our tickets and a deposit for the conference meeting space.

Thanksgiving Proclamation - Abraham Lincoln

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. 

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. 

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. 

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. 

I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. 

And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

[paragraph divisions added for ease of reading]

First Presidential Proclamation for Thanksgiving

THANKSGIVING DAY 1789
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor - and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me "to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness."

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be – That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks – for his kind care and protection of the People of this country previous to their becoming a Nation – for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war –for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed – for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us. 

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions – to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually – to render our national government a blessing to all the People, by constantly being a government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed – to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord – To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and Us – and generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best. 

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789. 

GEORGE WASHINGTON

Thanksgiving Proclamation

"Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as He has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience. 

Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the daytime, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty three and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings." 

William Bradford
Ye Governor of Ye Colony
Massachusetts

1623

A Grateful Heart

Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. 

Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. 

Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse. Henry Van Dyke

We are not born with the attribute of gratitude. We are selfish and prideful, thinking that we deserve whatever we get.

We have to learn to be grateful. At some point, either our parents or our circumstances taught us to be thankful for what we have. To express that thankfulness to others and to God for what they do.

At some level, if I am really going to have a truly grateful heart, I have to recognize that I don’t deserve what I get or what I have in life, even the things for which I worked.

My gratitude starts with thanking God for His grace. I realize that life itself is a gift that only He can give.

Whatever intelligence, family, circumstances, physical ability, opportunities, or strengths that I have are from Him - a gift from His heart of love for me. I didn’t determine in the womb what my attributes would be. All that is good is from Him.

Every good and perfect gift is from above. (James 1:17a)

To have a grateful heart, I start looking for all of the good that I have in my life. A good way to develop gratitude is to start making a list of what you have that is good.

Sometimes people don’t see anything good in their lives. Start by answering these questions:

• Do you have a roof over your head? [not the house of your dreams, just a roof] 
• Do you have clothes to wear? [not all the clothes that you want, but clothes of some kind] 
• Do you have food to eat? [not all the food you want, and not eating out wherever you want, but food] 
• Is there anyone that loves you? [not a perfect marriage/parents/children, but someone who loves you]

THANKSGIVING

He who can give thanks for little will always find he has enough.

Having a grateful heart is not about how much we have; it’s about being thankful for whatever we have.

If we aren’t thankful for what we have, it means that we are not satisfied, we aren’t content. We want more; we expect, and even demand, more. 

The American holiday of Thanksgiving was first started by the Pilgrims. “They made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.” (H. U. Westermayer)

True thanksgiving is an expression of thankfulness - thankfulness to God and to others, who have contributed to our lives. I verbally or in writing express my gratitude and thanks to someone.

If we don’t thank God for the good in our lives, then we think we deserve more. If we don’t thank our parents for the good that they did for us, then we begrudge all the things we think they did wrong. If we don’t thank others for acts of kindness or thoughtfulness, then we think they owe it to us. 

PRACTICE

• Begin each day with thanking God! 
• Write down one specific thing each day that you are grateful for - something that happened that day or something specific that you have or experienced.
• Express appreciation once a day to your spouse and children (or parents) for something he/she did or a positive trait he/she exhibited. [If once a day sounds too hard, start with once a week.]

See more on Thankfulness and appreciation in marriage ....

NOVEMBER 2013 Letter LIVING WELL

We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. (1 Thessalonians 1:2)

To say “thank you” seems totally inadequate to express our appreciation and gratitude for the support of so many through donations and prayers. We would love to sit down with each one of you, face-to-face, and tell you how much you mean to us. The last 10 years of LIVING WELL is worth celebrating because of each of you and the faithfulness of our LORD.

Our birthday party was great fun! We enjoyed seeing many of our long-time friends, as well as those who came for the first time. We celebrated God’s work through the ministry of LIVING WELL and looked at our future. We pray that the LORD allows us to have 10 more years of ministry! [see pictures]


November initiates a season of thanksgiving. As we approach that holiday, what if we took time each day to express thankfulness for something or someone or some way that God has blessed our lives? Not the generalized expression of “thank you for all may blessings,” but the enumeration of those specifically - “name them one by one” - as the hymn says. [For more on thanksgiving and gratitude, please see our next blog post.]

We live in an abundant but expectant culture. God has blessed us with much materially but we expect it now, rather than being thankful for it. Someone once said, “The things we take for granted are dreams to many people.” That concept impacts us deeply every time we go to Africa. The people we take with us redefine their needs and their wants.

We have clean water in an abundant supply. We take it for granted. If something happens and interrupts our water supply, we are upset. Yet, the kids of Wisdom Community School dream of having clean water to drink every day. We are not sure that having running water in their homes is even a dream for them. We recently received a donation that will make their dream come true. Lakeview Baptist Church in Guthrie donated the money for a water well for Wisdom Community School. We expect to be able to drill it very soon. The children of the school will have cleaner water from a well that doesn't go dry for 5 months of the year. We are very thankful!

In collaboration with our colleague in Zambia and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we have formulated a master plan for the Wisdom Community School campus. Please visit our website, www.livingwellokc.org, for more details. We are initiating a quarterly newsletter focused only on updates for the school.

We have decided that our time on our June mission trips will be dedicated solely to Wisdom Community School. We will continue to go to Zambia in January too and do our pastor couple conferences at that time. Our next conference is in Kitwe, Zambia, January 21-23, 2014. Our colleague in Zambia has already organized it and the conference is full! Because of the cost of the conference (we pay all of the expenses of the participants), we limit the group to 50 pastor couples. We have now trained over 400 pastor couples since we began this ministry.

Thank you for your continued support! We could not continue this ministry without you! We love and appreciate you and your support of what God is doing!

Our love in Christ,
Donna and Ed Edwards
P.S. Please praise the Lord with us for the 10 years of ministry! 

OCTOBER 2013 Letter LIVING WELL

We are having a birthday!!!! 

Come and Celebrate 10 years of Living Well with us!

Celebrate on October 22!

On October 22, we are having a 10-year-old birthday party and you are invited. We want you to celebrate with us. Please call (405-792-2586) or email or go to our event page (or see box on the right column) to RSVP for that night!!

This evening is for you! You are indispensable to us! We host this dinner to thank you for your prayers and support of our ministry. We could not do it without you. Please allow us to thank you during this special evening.

As usual, we will have an outstanding dinner. Our silent auction will include some valuable items - including seven nights at a Wyndham Vacation Resort condo (numerous locations for 2014), with two bedrooms and two baths (will sleep eight people)! We will also briefly highlight the last 10 years of ministry and look at the future for Living Well.

67% of young men and 49% or young women say viewing pornography is an acceptable way to express one’s sexuality. In reality, the women sexualized in marketing, pornography, and sex trafficking are real people … in fact, they are somebody’s daughter.

On October 1st, “She Somebody’s Daughter” will launch a national initiative, starting in Oklahoma City. We will attend the proclamation by Governor Mary Fallin for She Somebody’s Daughter Day. “She’s Somebody’s Daughter” is a movement initiated by concerned parents and groups who are committed to create national dialog about the truth of pornography, and its role in driving the demand for sex-trafficking and violence against women and children.

We see the devastation created by pornography in marriages. We see it over and over and over. Pornography is the norm for many young men in our society today, but it is not reserved only for the young. Porn is not hiding in brown cover magazines or the occasional video, it is displayed everyday on TV and is only as far away as a smartphone or computer on the internet. Porn is now ubiquitous; it knows no boundaries in age or socio-economic status. We have overly sexualized, abused, and degraded females through pornography. We must put the brakes on this destructive obsession! [read more here]

Wisdom Community School has started their new term. They have two (out of three) new teachers. We are still working on getting an adequate, good quality water well for them. They desperately need another classroom building. The two oldest grades (5th and 6th graders) meet in a storage room. Please pray with us for God to provide the water well and a classroom building as soon as possible!

Without your support, we could not keep this school open. You are an important part of the education of these 170 children living in a slum area.

Thank you for your continued support! We could not continue this ministry without you! We love and appreciate you and your support of what God is doing!

Our love in Christ,
Donna and Ed Edwards

When a Friend Suffers

Show up and shut up!
(Rick Warren’s advice when he returned to the pulpit four months after his son committed suicide)

Many people are afraid to approach someone that has experienced a traumatic event - they don’t know what to say or do. The reality is that they don’t really need to say anything but “I love you and am so sorry for your loss” - then stop talking! 

Be willing to sit by a friend, weep with them, or be silent with them. Job’s friends were great until they started talking! They sat with him for seven days in silence.

DON'T

• Don’t try to explain what happened. No explanation will make a person feel better about their loss.
• Don’t tell them that they must be a really strong person for God to allow this in their life. We all have pain, but none of us want it .... for any reason. 
•  Don’t offer platitudes or clichés. They are not comforting.
• Don’t tell them that you know how you feel. You don’t know. No one knows.
  After I lost my mother, I had several other women come up to me and tell me how sorry they were. That was great! But then some would say, "I lost my mother 20 years ago (or fill in the number) and I still miss her everyday." Not helpful. The idea that I would still be in that kind of pain 20 years from now was not encouraging to me. I am sure that is not what they meant, but that's what I felt.
• Don’t ask them to call you if they need something; now the burden is on them. 
• Don’t ask them what they need; they usually don’t know. 
• Don’t forget them. They will need you more in the sixth week after everyone is gone, than in the first week when everyone is around. 

DO

• Offer your assistance in whatever you can - staying overnight with them, bring them food, answer the phone or make calls for them, clean up, do the laundry.
• Send them a note, call them, take them out - not just when the loss occurs but in the weeks and months that follow.
• Be God's arms and give them a hug!
• Give them time. Everyone grieves in a different way and for a different length of time. 
• Pray without ceasing! Only God can truly comfort a broken heart.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 

who comforts us in all our troubles, 

so that we can comfort those in any trouble 

with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Facing Adversity - Healthy Grief

Grieving a loss is an appropriate response. 
Too many Christians feel that grief is wrong, that we're supposed to rejoice when a loved one goes to be with the Lord. While we can rejoice in their homegoing, we can also grieve our loss.  Bruce Barton

Ignoring pain (stuffing it) is unhealthy for my body, emotions, and spirit. Spewing (dumping) my emotions on others injures them.  A healthy release of the pain is to express it to God. He can handle it, even if I am angry at Him. The Psalms are filled with laments. God never condemns my emotions. Expressing how I feel to Him is beneficial for my emotional stability, my physical body, and my spirit.  

Allow others to help. We are part of the body of Christ, if one suffers, we all suffer. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. (1 Corinthians 12:26) My friends want to help; they are grieving with me.

Allow others into your presence. We are together in the body of Christ to bear each other’s burdens and to comfort each other. Our friends want to help carry that burden of grief that I am feeling. I need to let them come in.

Let others help with practical tasks - bring you food, mow your yard, or pick up the kids. Many of us won't ask for help. We think we should be self-sufficient or that we will be bothering others to ask for help or we can't risk rejection. Most people are more than willing to help if you allow them.

Turn to God, not away from Him. Don’t blame God for bad things that happen. God gives good gifts; He does not bring about bad things that happen to us. They are from the enemy. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10) 

We are told that it is perfectly legitimate for believers to suffer grief. Our Lord Himself was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Though grief may reach to the roots of our souls, it must not result in bitterness. Grief is a legitimate emotion, at times even a virtue, but there must be no place in the soul for bitterness. R.C. Sproul

Don’t get stuck. I have seen people get stuck in their grief. Sometimes it is over the death of their child. I am not sure we have completely recover from losing a child but at some point we go on with our lives. We all grieve differently and for different lengths of time. As time goes along, we should see a progress in the grief - "I still hurt but I am not where I was two months ago." 

Rick Warren pointed out an important aspect of grief over a loved one. He talked about how all of our memories of the past include that person and how hard it is to imagine our pictures of the future without him or her in the picture. Somehow, I have to imagine my future without that person or without that aspect of my life that I have lost.

Find His purpose. God has a purpose in every situation we go through, good or bad. 

Be grateful for what you do have, instead of unhappy or bitter about what you don’t have. I may grieve over one part of my life, but do I recognize how great other parts of my life are?(Romans 8:28,31-35; 1 Timothy 6:6) The greatest way to honor someone that you lose is to live out your faith in the way God has given you.

Growing while I grieve:

• Seek Wisdom – What is God’s perspective of the situation? What does He want me to do at this stage? 
• Forgive - Is there someone that I need to forgive for the loss? Do I need to quit punishing myself over the loss? Am I willing to forgive as God has forgiven me? 
• Seek His Presence. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. (Acts 17:27)
• Meditate on His Word. They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
  and I will meditate on your wonderful works. Psalm 145:5
• Seek His comfort. 
  Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.(Matthew 5:4)
  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles (2 Corinthians 1:3-4a)
  
  No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. C.S. Lewis
  
• Surrender your will to His will, depend on Him. Paul suffered greatly and had great faith. At one point, when he thought he was going to die, he realized that God's purpose for him was to rely on (depend on, trust, have faith in) God. Even if he died, he knew that God would raise him from the dead. He believed.
  ...the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.(2 Corinthians 1:8b-9)
• Rejoice and persevere. (Romans 5:3-5, James 1:2-5, 1 Peter 1:6-7)  Each of these passages talks about trials or suffering that we go through. They all say that we are to rejoice as we face them. Rejoicing seems impossible during those times, but we can rejoice in knowing that we will be closer to the Lord when we come out on the other side of grief.
• Share the Comfort(or) and the Hope.
  Paul experienced God's comfort, but he also realized that he was to pass it on. He could now comfort others in the same way that God comforted Him.
  so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
  (2 Corinthians 1:4b-7)
  
  I have a God of Hope. He has promised the overflowing of hope in my life. My part is to trust Him.
  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
  (Romans 15:13)

Grief [is] expected, but it is different from the grief of the world. There is a difference between tears of hope and tears of hopelessness. Erwin Lutzer

You may want to read:

Facing Adversity - I am not Alone

Facing Adversity - Remember

View or listen to Rick Warren's messages:

How to Get through what you are going through

SEPTEMBER 2013 Letter LIVING WELL

What do you say to a friend who is going through an extreme time of suffering or grief? 

We often avoid seeing someone who has experienced a traumatic event because we don’t know what to say. Or some of us say the wrong thing while we are trying to console our friends. The greater the suffering, the less you need to say.

As we write this letter, we are praying for some friends that just lost their grandson to cancer after a nine year battle. Is there anything that we can say to make them feel better? No. We can share our love for them. We can pray for them, share the burden of their soul, but we cannot say or do anything to take away the pain.

Our desire is to minister to each of you. On this blog, we shared with you some ideas on how you can face grief, adversity, or suffering. [Facing Adversity - I am not Alone, Facing Adversity - Remember]We will also share some thoughts with you on how to comfort a friend in that situation on our next post.

October 22! Save that date!

We are having a birthday!!!! On October 22, we are having a 10-year-old birthday party. We started Living Well 10 years ago. A lot has happened in 10 years. We want you to celebrate with us. Save that date!!

Summer is always a slow time for us in the area of donations and in counseling appointments. People go on vacation, their schedules are disrupted. After Labor Day, we usually receive more requests for appointments as kids get back in school. Please pray for our donations as we finish the summer. And pray that the Lord will give us discernment and wisdom with new appointments. Your support of this ministry in prayer and giving are essential to us. [to donate]

We are able to meet with people who cannot afford to pay much, if anything, because of your donations. We are able to spend time studying and learning more about what how to give guidance to couples facing a crisis in their marriage or their finances because of your support. We are able to advise churches on building marriage ministries as you give to our ministry.

We love doing premarital preparation with couples. We encourage couples to come as early as possible before the wedding. Couples benefit from starting premarital preparation before a formal engagement, so that they have time and opportunity to decide if this is “the one.” Each couple gets at least nine hours of guidance/teaching to prepare for their marriage.

Wisdom Community School is now on one of their breaks. They are on a year-round school calendar. They attend for three months, then take a month off. They have two new teachers who are going through some teacher training at this time. We were able to provide the funds for this training because of your donations. You are an important part of the education of these 170 children living in a slum area.

Thank you for your continued support! We could not continue this ministry without you! We love and appreciate you and your support of what God is doing!

Our love in Christ,
Donna and Ed Edwards

P.S. Mark your calendars for Tuesday, October 22nd, to celebrate 10 years of Living Well!

Facing Adversity - REMEMBER

REMEMBER

This too shall pass.

It won’t last forever; it just feels like it will.

Peter wrote to Christians who were being severely persecuted for their faith:
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. [1 Peter 1:6]
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. [1 Peter 5:10]

God gave us this verse to keep in perspective the brevity of life.
Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. [James 4:14]

Acknowledge your pain.

Most pain comes from loss.

Your loss can take many forms. You could lose a possession, through financial problems, weather, a fire, or a burglary.

Your loss could be a person – a failed marriage, a child that dies, the untimely death of a spouse, the passing of a parent, a broken relationship, a friend that moves away.

Your loss could be your job, your career, or your reputation. Your loss might be your health.

Maybe your loss is the loss of a dream or aspiration – somewhere you want to live, something you want to accomplish, having a family, or a hobby that you don’t have time or money to pursue.

You are not in control. 

Surprise! When something painful happens, we often get angry too because we can’t do anything about it.

I can’t control other people or most circumstances. When I try to control my circumstances totally, I have to try to control others too, because they often determine my circumstances.

I can’t control the weather, the economy, my boss or the place where I work, even if I am the boss.

It’s okay to cry.

Crying doesn't make us weak. Crying is a valid expression of pain. 

However, I have to be aware that usually it is best to cry privately, alone or with someone that can comfort me. Crying often puts other people in a difficult situation. Husbands, co-workers, and children don't know what to do when we cry. My husband may withdraw. My co-worker may dismiss me. My children may feel insecure and/or very sad.

We often get angry when we are in pain. Anger can be dangerous for me and those around me. Anger is a mask to disguise the pain. Anger usually makes the situation worse, not better.

Everyone is different. 

Not everyone reacts the same way to the same situation. Losing a job may be devastating for one but not for another. Comparing my loss or my reaction to my loss to another person can create more despair. It takes some people longer to get over a  loss than others.

Everyone grieves differently. No two people are exactly alike. No two situations are exactly alike.

Grieving a loss is vital to healing the heart. Grieving can be healthy or unhealthy for our emotional state. See our next post on Healthy Grief.

Facing Adversity - I am not Alone

God had one Son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering.   Augustine

Adversity is common to all people in all cultures.

Difficult times are part of life. Whether we call them adversity, trials, suffering, loss, grief, or afflictions, they are part of life. None of us like those times. That’s okay. But we can’t escape them; we can’t protect our kids from them.

It doesn't mean that I have done something wrong. It doesn't mean that God is punishing me.  Job's friends insisted that God was bringing catastrophe on Job because of sin that he was hiding. They believed that Job's suffering was a consequence of his sins. Job's friends spoke wrongly about God and Job. [Job 42:7]

I am not alone. We all go through bad times. Problems are inevitable; peace is optional. Jesus told us that we would all have trouble in this world. But He promises that He will give us peace; He has overcome the world.

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.  John 16:33

I am not alone. God is with me. I don't have to go through my times of suffering by myself. It's comforting to know that His presence is with me all the time. Grief or adversity can make me feel isolated and misunderstood. Others can't know how I feel. But He knows and He cares.

He will never leave me or forsake me. God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” [Hebrews 13:5b]

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.  [Deuteronomy 31:6]

As I suffer, God is sad with me, He has compassion for me.

The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. 
[Psalm 116:5]

The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made. 
[Psalm 145:9]

As I go through my own personal trials in life, I am comforted by His Presence and His care for me!

WISDOM - Where do I find it?

Where to find Wisdom ....

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God,

who gives generously to all without finding fault,

and it will be given to you. James 1:5 

The Lord gives me His wisdom when I ask. As He goes on to say in this passage, that I am to ask believing that He will give it. Then I believe what He says - I don’t compare it with other people’s advice, then decide which one I will take. That approach is what the Bible calls double-minded. The double-minded person can't expect to receive God's wisdom. He doesn't value God's perspective, His viewpoint, or His knowledge. He gives more weight to his own opinion or the opinion of other people than God's word.

In James 1, God says:
But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

We find wisdom through our relationship with the Lord.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

all who follow his precepts have good understanding.

Psalm 111:10

Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;

And to depart from evil is understanding. Job 28:28

It’s impossible to have wisdom without a fear of the Lord. 

To fear God is: 

• to reverence Him, 
• to have a sense of awe before Him, and 
• to humble ourselves before Him in all things; 
• to understand that He is the final authority, the ultimate source knowledge and wisdom.

This fear is not being afraid that God is going to zap me when I mess up. God doesn't want us to be afraid of him. He wants us to know how much He loves us and wants the very best for us. Part of our fear of God is believing that He does want the very best for me. When I seek Him and His wisdom, I learn what His best is. Then I follow His lead because I trust Him. 

If you lack knowledge, go to school. If you lack wisdom, get on your knees! Knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is the proper use of knowledge. Vance Havner

For more on wisdom:

Wisdom: What is it?

Wisdom: What does it look like?

Wisdom in Marriage

WISDOM - What does it look like?

What it looks like ....

After 40 years of marriage, I usually know my husband's thoughts, his choices, his ways. If he isn't around and I am looking for something he put away, I ask myself "Where would Ed put that?" I don't look where I would put it but where he would put it. Because I know him intimately, I know how he thinks. I know his values. I know what his actions would be in a particular situation.

Wisdom is knowing God so intimately that we know what He thinks about our situation. 

I need "God thoughts." The Bible said that we can know His mind and His thoughts. It says that we have the mind of Christ. 

Wisdom means that I know God’s heart on a subject or a situation.

I can only know His heart if I know His character. I know His character through what He has revealed to me through His Word.

Wisdom is when we can see life in the same way that God sees life - with an eternal perspective. 

To be able to see the eternal perspective, I have to want that perspective more than I want to focus on my circumstances right now, right here on earth.

Even though I am going through a painful situation - sick child, bad health, strained relationships, financial hardships - I want God's perspective on my situation more than I want Him to change my circumstances.

God wants me to know Him that intimately. Then, I can know His thoughts about a situation. I can know how He would act in the situation. I can know what He wants me to do.

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.  (Romans 12:2)

When I renew my mind, I know God more personally. I know His thoughts and His will.

Then I follow His will in His way.

For the Lord gives wisdom;

from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Proverbs 2:6

I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for the day.

Abraham Lincoln

To read about Wisdom:

   What is it?
   Wisdom in Marriage

For more about Wisdom, stay tuned for our next post!

AUGUST 2013 Letter LIVING WELL

We pray for wisdom. We ask you to pray for wisdom for us. 

• But what does wisdom even mean? 
• Where do you look to gain wisdom? 
• How do you know when you have found wisdom? 

We desperately need wisdom everyday. Your prayers for us become vital streams, pouring God’s wisdom into our minds and our spirits. James 1:5 prompts us, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” Consider these questions with us: 

• How do we respond when a young couple comes to us for premarital preparation and they have lots of background issues that will complicate their marriage?
• What do we say when a couple on the edge of divorce inquires “Can we save our marriage? How do we save our marriage?”
• How do we give guidance to a couple who is deeply in debt and sees no way out?
• What do we teach children in Africa who live in a culture rampant with theft and dishonesty?
• How do we prepare people who have never left our country to go to minister in a place where children have never had electricity, running water, or cars?
• Where will we get funds to keep Wisdom Community School open?

We desperately need wisdom everyday. Please continue to pray for wisdom for us; your prayers are vital to us.

We are involved with Wisdom Community School in Zambia. We conducted Camp Wisdom this summer; our theme was wisdom. We are teaching the book of Job this summer in our Bible study class; the key verse centers on wisdom.

We continue to learn about wisdom. We know that wisdom comes from God and combines knowledge, understanding, and experience. Please go to our previous post on this site to learn more about wisdom. To learn more about wisdom in marriage, go to our marriage blog. Other posts will include "Wisdom using Money."

You can be an important part of our work. To learn:

• How you can support the ministry
• How you can utilize our services
• How you can be involved in our international missions
• How you can pray for Wisdom Community School

We thank God for those of you who already support and pray for the ministry. We could not continue this ministry without you! We love and appreciate you and your support of what God is doing! 

Our love in Christ,

Donna and Ed Edwards

P.S. Mark your calendars for Tuesday, October 22nd, to celebrate 10 years of Living Well with us!

WISDOM - What is it?

Most of us would love to have wisdom. I would. We pray for wisdom continually. We pray for wisdom in our marriage, how to deal with our children, what we should do about our job, and on and on.

I wonder if I really know what wisdom is. Would I recognize wisdom if I heard it? How would I know? If I had a word of wisdom from God, would I believe it, would I act on it? 

Wisdom can be illusive. I hear a perspective that sounds good but is it wise? I hear some advice that I like, but is it wise? I see a course of action that looks right but is it wise?

What it means ....

Wisdom is the means by which the godly can both discern and carry out the will of God. Douglas Moo

Wisdom is looking at life from God’s point of view. Chuck Swindoll

The dictionary on wisdom: knowledge of what is right or true coupled with just judgment as to action.

A person can be very knowledgeable about finances and skilled at making money, but does that mean he has wisdom handling money?

What about a person who is an excellent communicator, knows the statistical realities of marriage and divorce, does that mean he has wisdom in his marriage?

According to a worldly definition of wisdom, those questions could both be answered as true.

Knowledge and understanding are prerequisites to wisdom. A person can’t have wisdom about a topic if there is no knowledge. He can’t show wisdom if he doesn't understand the dynamics of how the knowledge works together in real life.

When we get to the part about “just judgment,” the definition can take on a different meaning. What is "just" to one person may not be "just" at all to another person.

Truth and justice that apply to all people at all times only comes from God - they don't change with the culture or the year.

A person who has a lot of knowledge of economics and financial systems might be able to make a lot of money. If he doesn't use God’s truth with what he knows, his application and action may not show wisdom at all. If he applies his own morality to the situation instead of God’s will, the outcome will not honor the Lord and His creation.

To read about what it looks like and where to find wisdom, stayed tuned for our next posts!

JULY 2013 Letter LIVING WELL

Your prayers and His Spirit carried us through!

We pray that you will share our joy and our experience when you look at our photo report and a message from the president. Our hearts continue to ache for the children at Wisdom Community School. We know that the Lord is their Hope, both in their community and in their lives. We do not see any other forces at work to improve their situation. Our return mission trips are bringing a sense of optimism and continuity. We now see acceptance of our presence in the community instead of suspicion. Both the children and the community welcome us! What a delight to see them running to meet us!

Watching the joy of these children brought us even greater joy - learning to use puppets to tell a story, jumping to their feet to belt out a song we taught them last year, their exhilaration in playing new games, standing in line for seconds as we feed them lunch every day, the wonder of using paint and brushes to create a butterfly, and the broad smiles and hugs for us.

The joys of seeing God at work far outweigh the stress we experience. We saw God at work as He fit together our team of 18. We had harmony throughout the trip, even though the team came from three different churches/denominations and many did not know each other. Every single person on the team was essential to fulfilling God’s mission! We could not have completed the mission without them all. You sent a great team; we thank you for your support financially and with prayers. 

When we take a mission trip to Africa, we emphasize to our team - Be flexible! Our need for flexibility started before we left. One of our team members began having debilitating back pain just days before we left. The doctor said “no trip” the day before we left. We called upon a team member from last year who was not scheduled for this trip, “Norma, Karen can’t go. Do you want to take her place if we can change the ticket? You have an hour to think and pray.” She prayed and told the Lord that if we could arrange it, she would go. As one of our team members said, “God knew we needed a cook.” She cooked at least 650 meals in 5 days!

One of our great joys is seeing team members who experience Africa for the first time. The testimony of one of our “newbies,” What was the top experience of the entire trip - finally I had to stop and think and quantify and rank my experiences - what a task! I answered "hands down, going to church in Africa was the most amazing experience - it made the entire trip worthwhile." …. These humble, gracious, selfless, kind people have blessed me exceedingly beyond anything I could have imagined. I am glad to be home with loved ones, but so sad to be away from a culture that fosters continual dependence on God - what an amazing way to live! 

Your prayers and support strengthened us throughout the trip. Thank you for your continued support through prayers and donations. We could not continue this ministry without you! We love and appreciate you and your support of what God is doing! 

Our love in Christ,

Donna and Ed Edwards

P.S. For more pictures and stories of the mission, please connect with a site we created to share our experiences.

JUNE 2013 Letter LIVING WELL

It’s hard to even write this letter as we have such a heavy heart for our community. We are extremely sad for the devastation of the latest tornadoes. The power of the weather still amazes us - a reminder that we are not in control. Lots of prayers for those who are involved.

We are in the final days before leaving for our mission trip to Zambia. The team has planned, prayed, and prepared. We are ready and excited to see what God is going to do in those who are going and in those to whom we minister. We appreciate your prayers [see mission summary, prayer requests, & schedule below]. Keep in mind that we are getting up about the time you are going to bed - a good time to pray for us! 

One aspect of the mission is to show the Jesus film outside on the Saturday night after we minister at the school that week. This community is not a planned community; it was just settled by people. So, there are no water or power services to the community. The community is a slum area. The homes are made of mud bricks with tin roofs, which are not secured; they have rocks on top to keep the roof in place. Many homes are occupied by single parents or even homes headed by a 16 year-old child with younger siblings. 

Even though their culture has a lot of exposure to Christianity, much of their religion is mixed with superstitious or wrong beliefs. We are anxious to see their response to the film. Our challenges include using a generator for power, projecting the audio loud enough, and making sure the projector is bright enough. Since there is no power in the neighborhood, the movie will attract a lot of attention. Please pray for the Lord to bless that film viewing and our interaction with the community. 

Thanks to the support of many of you, the funding of the mission trip is complete! We always have unexpected expenses, but the Lord always provides for these expenses through His people. Please remember that you are all part of this mission as you pray for us! 

You have probably seen the faces of African children in magazines or on TV. Those pictures tug at your heart. But ours are not nameless faces in a magazine but are children that we know. Part of our goal with at Wisdom Community School is to give them hope. We want them to know that there are people who care about their education, their lives, and their spirits. 

Each one of our team working with the children will have a group of six children in the morning and six in the afternoon. We want to get to know each child and their life situations. We will be able to share God’s love with them individually and personally. We want to be able to pray for them and support them emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. We will share some of their stories when we return so that you can join us in those prayers. 

One of our concerns while we are gone are the people with whom we meet for marriage problems. Please pray for those people to seek the Lord for their marriage while we are gone. 

Thank you for your continued support through prayers and donations. We could not continue this ministry without you! We love and appreciate you and your support of what God is doing! 

Our love in Christ, 

Donna and Ed Edwards 

P.S. Please praise the Lord with us for supplying the funds and the team for this mission!

Mission: Ndola, Zambia, 

•       Wisdom Community School:
• Paint exterior of school & out-buildings, install ceilings in classrooms, concrete steps, flagpole, landscaping, drainage, and misc. repairs 
• Conduct Camp Wisdom (VBS type) with 120 children, grades 1-6; open house with their families 
• Disciple & train teachers 
•     Preach in churches 
•     Show the Jesus film to the slum community where the school is located. 

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Good health; logistics to go well, safety in travel (10 plane flights for trip), luggage arrival 
• We will honor and glorify Our Lord in all that we say and do; that we will communicate well; unity in the team 
• Preaching in churches - share God’s Word and encourage 
• Camp Wisdom at school - Camp team will be able to communicate the love of God, activities to go well (teaching, games, music, crafts, Bible verse memory, stories) 
• Wisdom Community School: Construction team will be able to complete all painting, ceiling installation, concrete steps, landscaping, and other needs 
• Wisdom Community School: Help teachers: grow in their faith, learn more about how to share Christ with students, and help them be more skilled at teaching children to read 
• Jesus Film outreach - many people in community will hear the gospel and respond 
• A quick adjustment to time changes and restored strength after we get home. 

SCHEDULE:

• Wednesday, May 29, 6:35 pm Leave for Zambia (fly Dallas/London/Nairobi) 
• Friday, May 31, 12:00 noon* (5:00 am, CDT) Arrive Ndola, Zambia (35 hours flying/layovers, no bed) 
• Saturday, June 1 Meet with local ministry partner, buy supplies 
• Sunday, June 2 Attend local churches, preach in 3 churches 
• Monday - Friday, June 3-7, 8:30am-5pm*(1:30-10:00 am, CDT) daily Camp Wisdom, construction work, train & disciple teachers at school  
• Saturday, June 8 Open house children/families, show Jesus film outside to slum community 
• Sunday, June 9 Travel to Nairobi, Kenya 
• Monday-Wednesday, June 10-12 Rest, visit local culture/sights 
• Thursday, June 13, 11:50 pm* (3:50 pm CDT) Depart Nairobi 
• Friday, June 15, 5:40 pm  ARRIVE OKLAHOMA CITY! 

[*Zambia time is 7 hrs ahead of CDT]

MAY 2013 Letter LIVING WELL

America is in the midst of a battle. The battle is not against terrorism - even though the pain of Boston will be with us for a long time. The battle is for our children and our families. 

When an act of terror strikes us, we join together to increase our efforts to protect our homeland. We refuse to give up or give in. We become more vigilant and put up more safeguards. We tell people “see something, say something.”

In the battle for marriage and family, even many of the soldiers in the battle are giving up. They believe that we have lost and should surrender. There is no urgency, no increase of safeguards, no determination, and no promotion of public awareness. But we are calling you to action! We are imploring you to persevere with us.

You are still in the battle as you support our mission to put faith into practice in the first and most important formation of relationships - the family. You make it possible for us to bring God’s healing to marriages that are on the brink of dissolution and for couples that are about to embark on the marriage journey. We are urging you to be vigilant to show our world what the relationship of Christ and the church looks like through our marriages.

Because of your donations, we can spend time guiding and discipling these couples. Their marriages are save    d, their families remain intact, their children still have both parents at home. We can’t share details because of confidentiality, but we can say that the Lord is at work!

The dynamics of couples that we see have changed since we started working with marriages. The husband and/or wife have children from a previous relationship, not a previous marriage. Now pornography is a common, frequent problem. Families incur great debt from buying things or being unprepared for emergencies. The lack of time together as a family is increasing dramatically as 1)more couples are both working, 2)children are involved in more extracurricular activities, especially sports, and 3)electronic media intrude and isolate people.

We are about a month from departure to Zambia. We continue to train and prepare our team of 18 to minister at Wisdom Community School.

You can be a part of the MISSION ZAMBIA 2013 TEAM!
YOU can give so that we can GO!  Cost to go = $3000+/person  
YOU can supply the materials to improve the school  $4000
YOU can feed lunch to 120 kids and 20 helpers for 5 days $1400 ($2/person/day)
YOU can supply materials, equipment & translators to teach 120 kids $1200 ($10/child)
YOU can provide t-shirts for the kids and helpers $700 ($5/person)
YOU can provide the Jesus film showing to the whole slum community $600
YOU can PRAY for our safety and success ETERNAL REWARDS

Thank you for your continued support through prayers and donations. We could not continue this ministry without you! We love and appreciate you and your support of what God is doing!

Our love in Christ,
Donna and Ed Edwards

YOU and MISSION ZAMBIA

APRIL 2013 Letter - LIVING WELL

Have you ever thought about how life would be different without you? 

Besides the way it would impact your friends and family, how does the ministry that God has given you affect your community, your world?

We are able to stay open and continue to minister because of you - the ones who sustain us through your prayers and your giving. But if we had to suddenly close our doors because of a lack of donations, who would feel the immediate impact? 

  

• 13 families with a marriage crisis
  
• 3 couples who are preparing for marriage
  
• 160 African elementary children who would not get any education
  
• 3 African teachers and 1 caretaker who would not have a job in a country with an 80% unemployment rate 
  
• 16 Oklahoma short-term missionaries who have responded to God’s call to Africa
• 1 community school in Zambia that would close 
• 15 couples learning about God’s plan for a sacred marriage
  
• 17 couples who receive Bible teaching weekly
  
• Numerous churches who look for marriage ministry training and refer crisis couples 

Could God meet those needs in some other way, without us? Of course, He could. But for this time, He has chosen us and you to fulfill His mission. Without you, there would be no “us!” 

How do you make a difference in the ministry of Living Well? Last year, when we met Wisdom Community School, it was about to close because it had no funds. We asked and 16 people gave in 2012 to keep that school open. Some gave a little, some gave a lot, but the school is still teaching 160 kids because of the 16. 

The costs of the monthly overhead of the school has increased this year. Many have given already but we still need $9,900 more to fund the school for the rest of the year. You can help give an education to 160 Zambian children who live in a slum.

We are leading a team of 18 back to Ndola, Zambia, in June to teach God’s Word to the children at the school, disciple the teachers, feed the children and teachers for a week, and improve the physical facility of the school. You can send us, pray for us, and give to fund the materials, food, and supplies for the school. We still need $13,200 more to cover the costs of the mission. 

Will you pray with us for God to supply our need and equip us for this ministry?

Since the first of the year, we have had a surge of new appointments for people who are in a marriage crisis. The amount given by all of our couples in marriage crises does not begin to cover the costs of keeping our doors open.

Because of your generosity, we are able to continue to bring God’s healing to these families. Thank you for your continued support through prayers and donations. We could not continue this ministry without you!

We love and appreciate you and your support of what God is doing!
Our love in Christ,
Donna and Ed Edwards
P.S. Please pray with us for God to provide the $13,200 left to finance the project. 

MARCH 2013 Letter - LIVING WELL

Michael O'Brien, Donna, Ed Edwards
Together Forever 2013

We had a great weekend hosting Michael O'Brien for our Together Forever event, Sunday morning worship service, and a time of sharing in our Bible study class. He has an incredible voice, a wonderful sense of humor, a devotion to his wife and his Lord, and a refreshing transparency. He encouraged our group of young married couples but also challenged them.  

Michael not only entertained us but he inspired us as he sang and shared. He was very open about the struggles that he has experienced in his own marriage, but he also shared with humility how Christ has changed him and saved his marriage. We are thankful that he has allowed the Lord to work in him but also that he is willing to share his struggles with others.

Our Mission Zambia 2013 team is almost finalized! We believe that we will have 18 people on the team. As Ed outlined in last month’s letter, we will only be working at Wisdom Community School on our mission trip this summer. We will focus on improving the physical facility and on doing a Bible Camp for the children. 

Part of the Bible Camp is to provide lunch for the children every day. We are going to have half the children attend camp in the morning and half will attend in the afternoon. We will feed one group before they leave and one group as they arrive. 

At the end of our week of Bible Camp, we will have a time with the parents/guardians of all the children to share what the kids did during the week. Later that evening, we will also show the Jesus film outside for the community. In a community where it gets dark at 6:30 pm and without electricity, a movie showing on the side of a building will draw lots of people! The movie will give us an opportunity to share the gospel with the whole community. 

We are responsible for raising the funds necessary to finance all of the construction projects, cost of the Bible Camp, and our own trip costs - a total of $18,000. [for more details about the mission]

We will announce the names of all of our team members very soon! We do know that 9 out of 10 of last years team are returning this year. Obviously, their hearts were deeply touched by the Lord for the children of Wisdom Community School. 

We read the book Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas several years ago. We consider it to be one of the best books on marriage. 

As we lead the Sacred Marriage class at our church, we are reminded of the great truths that Gary Thomas shares in the book. He poses the question, “What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?”

 Frances de Sales, a great Christian writer from the 17th century, wrote that marriage might be the toughest ministry a person could undertake. What if each of us saw marriage as a ministry to our spouse? Pray with us that the 15 couples in class will see marriage from a new perspective. 

We thank you for your many prayers and support! You are a valuable part of our ministry! We love and appreciate you and your support of what God is doing! 

Our love in Christ,

Donna and Ed Edwards
P.S. Please pray with us about our mission to Zambia and the $18,000 to finance the project.