December 2021 Letter LIVING WELL

We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 

We pray that you had a meaningful Christmas! During this Christmas season, we are reminded of our hope. He is our hope! When we have hope in Him, we have everything we need.

We are thankful for all of YOU who pray for us and support us. We don’t take YOU for granted. We know with all our hearts that we could not go on with this ministry without YOU. We know that we could not continue to provide an education for hundreds of children in a slum in Zambia without YOU.

YOU may not realize how important you are. Every prayer offered to the Lord and every dollar that is given is important to us and to WISDOM Christian School.

People have asked us about a mission trip to Zambia. With the upheaval in the whole world over the COVID virus, it makes it impossible for us to plan a mission trip. If a surge erupts or a new variant, the Zambia government changes the rules for international travel and for schools. When the omicron variant appeared, Zambia made it compulsory for international travelers from a “high risk country” (U.S. is considered high risk) to quarantine for 10 days in a place they choose. If we had planned a trip for that time, we would be stuck or would have to cancel. If there is a surge, they will shut down all the schools. If we plan a trip and that happens, we would be unable to minister to the children at WCS. For now, we minister from a distance.

DONATE HERE

The 2021 school year has ended in Zambia. The kindergartners graduated (see photos on the WISDOM Christian school Facebook page here). The teachers planned a wonderful graduation ceremony for them and their parents. The 7th graders have tested to see whether they can progress to high school.

As the new school year begins in January 2022, WCS will add the 9th grade to the school. As they add another high school grade, there are many more new materials that need to be purchased – more extensive curriculum, more equipment for the science lab and Home Ec classes, and some upgraded computer equipment. Please consider a donation to help meet the new needs of the school.

Please let us know how you are doing. Our office is only open by appointment but you can email us at info@livingwellokc.org. We are no longer taking new appointments, but will see people that we have seen in the past. THANK YOU again for your continued prayers, support, and encouragement. We could not do what we do without YOU!
Our love in Christ,

Donna and Ed Edwards

P.S. Did you know? if you've reached the age where you need to take required minimum distributions (RMDs) from your traditional IRAs, you can avoid paying any taxes on the distribution by sending the funds directly to a nonprofit. If you are interested in donating your RMD to LIVING WELL or WISDOM Christian School, please contact us!

The water that I will give him will

become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life. 

John 4:14b 

LIVING WELL is a life source, not a life style.

SEPTEMBER 2021 Letter LIVING WELL

When you read that word, what do you feel? 

Excitement?     Anxiety?    Fear?     Hope?

That one word is emotionally charged.

We are living in time that is changing daily, sometimes dramatically.

If you have ever been hit by a tornado or a hurricane, you know your whole life is forever changed in an instant. When you have a child, your life changes. In a very short amount of time, the pandemic has changed the way of life for most people. Other changes are more gradual. We wake up one day and think – what has happened?

The family dynamic in the U.S. has changed over the last 50 years. In 1960, 12% of adults ages 25 to 34 had never been married. By the time this age group hit their 40’s -50’s, only 5% had never married. By contrast in 2010, 45% of the 25-34’s had never married. “If current trends continue, 25% of young adults in the most recent cohort (ages 25 to 34 in 2010) will have never married by 2030.” (Pew Research)

In summary, we see 5% never-married in 1980 compared to a projected 25% never married by 2030. This cultural shift contains a myriad of other complex relationships. It contains many implications for the future. We have seen the evolution of these changing relationships in our marriage counseling over the last 25 years.

Most of us like some changes – better economic situation, less stress at home, happy marriage. Many of us dislike other changes in our lives – aging, death of a loved one, loss of job.

How do we cope with change?

In an ever-changing world, we have an anchor, a rock, that never changes. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) When we feel that the world is spinning around us, we can focus on a God that never changes. That truth brings peace, comfort, and stability.

WISDOM Christian School has resumed classes after a six-week break. The COVID surge in Zambia is coming down and more vaccinations are now available. Thanks to the faithful contributions of many, we are able to pay all of the staff during these challenging times. Please see this page for more school news and photos.

Please let us know how you are doing. Our office is only open by appointment but you can email us at info@livingwellokc.org. We are no longer taking new appointments, but will see people that we have seen in the past. THANK YOU again for your continued prayers, support, and encouragement. We could not do what we do without YOU!

Our love in Christ,

Donna and Ed Edwards

P.S. Did you know? if you've reached the age where you need to take required minimum distributions (RMDs) from your traditional IRAs, you can avoid paying taxes on them by donating that money to charity. If you are interested in donating your RMD to LIVING WELL or WISDOM Christian School, please contact us!

The water that I will give him will

become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life. 

John 4:14b 

LIVING WELL is a life source, not a life style.

JUNE 2021 Letter LIVING WELL

Why is LIVING WELL involved with supporting a school in a slum?

When you hear the word “missionary,” what do you think?

• A missionary lives in a foreign country.
• Something that was done in the past but doesn’t relate to me now.
• Missionaries are super spiritual Christians. Or ......

When you hear about people going on a short-term mission trip, what do you think?

• It’s a way to go on a vacation.
• There is plenty to do here at home; they don’t need to go to abroad.
• They should be having large events to share the gospel. 
• Bible teaching is the most important thing to do.

We have had heard all of those thoughts and we have had some of them. But we have changed a lot in our thinking over the last 30 years. What we have learned is:

• We are all on mission – hence, we are all missionaries. We are not super spiritual.
• Being a missionary in our home location is important. But if we are only missionaries at home, how do some populations learn about Jesus?
• Missions are important as long as we live in this world. The method of the mission may change, but the message does not – there are many ways to share the gospel, including schools, businesses, clinics, and more.

At home, we consider ourselves marriage missionaries. We share our faith through helping people overcome a marital crisis or by strengthening their marriage. 

In Zambia, we are both short-term, in-person missionaries and long-term support missionaries. 

While teaching the Bible to pastors in East Africa, we encountered Christians in a variety of ways – they may be a waiter or other service provider. When we asked them how they came to Christ, many shared that they became Christians through a Christian school or clinic supported by Christians from the U.S. or Europe.

We have also found out (through the research of others and our own personal experience) that many Christians today are very interested in missions IF they think they can make a difference. God presented us with an opportunity to make a difference through a school in a slum in Africa.

The mission at WISDOM Christian School absolutely makes a difference in the lives of hundreds of children. 

• Every child gets an education. 
• Every child learns about God and hears the good news about Jesus Christ. 
• Every child receives grace and love from the staff and the mission teams. 
• Every dollar makes a difference in the life of a child. 
• Every member of every mission trip to WISDOM can influence a child in this slum.

And, as every past team member will tell you, it is not a vacation! But it is refreshing to our soul and spirit.

Please let us know how you are doing. Our office is only open by appointment but you can email us at info@livingwellokc.org. 

THANK YOU again for your continued prayers, support, and encouragement. We could not do what we do without YOU!

Our love in Christ,
Donna and Ed Edwards

P.S. Please pray for the health and support for the students and staff at WCS. Zambia is experiencing their “third wave” with COVIC-19; vaccinations are negligible.

The water that I will give him will

become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life. 

John 4:14b 

LIVING WELL is a life source, not a life style.

MARCH 2021 Letter LIVING WELL

One year.

Who would have guessed that we would still be dealing with COVID-19?

Thankfully, it appears that the worst of the virus is behind us.

The sadness of this past year is heartbreaking. People dying – alone. Racial turmoil. Political upheaval. Extreme weather in Oklahoma.

But today the sun is shining. Many have been vaccinated. And we have hope. Our hope does not lie in politicians solving our problems. Our hope is not in finding medical solutions. Our hope is the Lord and His love for us and His work on our behalf. Our hope is in His Presence today and for eternity.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope 

to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people. Ephesians 1:18

We have both stayed well and active. We spend most of our work time devoted to WISDOM Christian School. We miss not being able to travel and see the students and staff at WCS! But, thanks to the internet, we correspond with Brother Charles, our colleague in Zambia, on a regular basis. He sends pictures to help us stay in touch. It is not the same as being there but gives us joy to see their smiles. We plan to take a team to WCS in June of 2022. Hopefully, we will be able to visit before that.

Zambia had a large spike in COVID cases around the first of this year. School was delayed for all ages. Their new school year begins in January normally. The students in kindergarten through 7th grade returned to classes on February 1st. The 8th grade students returned on March 1st. Since 8th grade is the beginning of secondary school, we furnished new and different uniforms for the 8th graders. They are very proud of their new uniforms and excited about learning. The government mandated capacity for 8th grade is 60 students. WCS 8th grade is at full capacity!  For more info and pics, click here.

Thanks to many donors, we were able to furnish the uniforms, the resources (including equipment for the science lab and 2 sewing machines for the Home Ec classes), textbooks, and lunches. The school hired more teachers, a necessity for having teachers certified in secondary education. The monthly costs to educate the Children of Wisdom continues to climb to meet their needs. If you are interested in meeting those needs, see below.

Please let us know how you are doing. Our office is only open by appointment but you can email us at info@livingwellokc.org. THANK YOU again for your continued prayers, support, and encouragement. We could not do what we do without YOU!

Our love in Christ,

Donna and Ed Edwards

TO DONATE - all funds go to Living Well but may be designated for WISDOM Christian School (100% of the money designated goes to WCS).

Mail to:

Living Well

PO BOX 720828

Oklahoma City OK 73172

Online:

Click here to donate to LIVING WELL

Click here to donate to WISDOM Christian School

You may also have a monthly withdrawal made directly from your account. Please email us at info@livingwellokc.org for more info on how to do that.