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.

Shopping for a Life

Marriage has no guarantees.
If that's what you're looking for,
go live with a car battery.   
Erma Bombeck


Whenever we shop for an appliance or an electronic gadget, we start researching the possibilities. The options can be overwhelming. We look at the features, read the reviews, and examine the guarantees.

We are enamored with the gadget that does more/faster than anything we have owned. About a month after we buy the latest/greatest, a new gadget is out that has even more features. Discontentment sets in, but no guarantee covers this kind of discontentment.

The business world spends millions of dollars trying to discern the next trend. Some experts describe consumers of today as more individualistic. “Personal values rule, not social ones. Consumers are promiscuous shoppers. Smart consumers aren't loyal.” (Miriam Sultzman)

The leading sellers provide the best services. The buyer can return the product - no questions asked, no penalties, full refund.

Many people are approaching marriage and shopping for a mate with the same criteria.

What are the features I want in this person (product)? What are the criteria for performance? Will the person (product) make me happy?

Very little or no thought is attributed to my part in the relationship. If my happiness wanes, something is wrong with the person (product). I have no loyalty or long-term commitment to the person (product). Another person (product) would make me happier.

Our culture and laws make it possible to discard the person (product) with no questions asked (no fault divorce). The other person has no rights to stop the process. Many want 100% satisfaction guarantee when discontentment sets in.

Are we “shopping” for a happy life - or are we committed to our spouse and to pursuing godliness?

Side Effects
 
Two-thirds of divorces today end low-conflict marriages. They’re ending marriages that are not characterized by abuse or violence or very serious and frequent quarreling. They’re ending marriages that are often ending for reasons like people grew apart. They’re not sure if they love each other anymore. Somebody else at work is more interesting. Sometimes they’re ending for reasons that we can be sympathetic for — the people in the marriage are hurting. But a lot of this stuff is not on the radar screen to the child. What’s on their radar screen is the day their parents come and tell them they’re getting a divorce. That’s when that child’s world falls apart. (Elizabeth Marquardt, author of Between Two Worlds
 
About a third of high school girls do not expect to be successful at staying married, despite their desire for a life-time marriage.

Most people who initiate divorce are primarily concerned with their own feelings - regardless of the impact to the spouse, the children, or the society.

At the Fall, humans became self-centered and selfish, quick to blame others for their misery. Another way of life appears through God’s grace.... Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.  (Matthew 5:6)

LIVING WELL, August Letter

Back-to-school clothes and supplies cover the advertisements all around us. What style of backpack? What color of notebook? What fashion of clothes? Choices abound. We spend hours shopping for items that suit our tastes and express our personalities. A consumer mentality pervades our thinking.

Cultural and faith analysts began writing about “consumer religion” several years ago; the way Americans shop for a church, similar to shopping for a new outfit. Consumerism now describes Americans attitudes towards marriage - “consumer marriage.” We “shop” for a spouse and our marriages are evaluated as a consumer. This attitude joins with our desire to live the good life. How does this union line up with our faith? Our future? Our culture? Read the enclosure for an expansion of our thoughts on the subject.

Not only are the kids going back to school, but fall is a time for many adults to go “back to school” in learning about life. We have three classes starting in September - one for those thinking of or beginning marriage, one for the ones who are already well into their marriage, and one for people wanting to develop or sharpen their money management skills.

We have a wonderful new opportunity which makes it possible to schedule these classes. Since we moved into our current office space two years ago, we have been praying about an empty room next door/adjoining our office. The space is one room about 15’ x 22’ - a great size for a class! Recently, our landlord, (a great Christian guy) agreed to let us use the room without charge - unless someone wants to lease it (it has been vacant at least two years). If someone offers to lease it, we will have first option on leasing it ourselves. We have moved into the space believing that God will continue to provide it free or that He will raise up the funds if we should need them.

Experience tells us that we are able to reach a wider range of people - church or unchurched, different denominations - when we are able to conduct the class in a venue other than a church. Our desire is to see more people grow in the area of marriage and money. We are unable to meet with everyone who requests an evening appointment. A classroom setting enables us to multiply our efforts rather than only meeting with individuals or couples.

You are our strongest supporters and best advertising media! If you have never taken one of our marriage or money classes, we invite you to participate.

This opportunity also presents us with a challenge - we need chairs for people attending the classes (16 chairs at $371). We are thankful that we already have a projector and screen to show slides/videos for the classes. All of the teaching, training, and writing that we do requires many hours on a computer. Right now Donna is in great need of a newer computer (she could do twice as much work!). We seek your prayers to our Father in providing for this need in our ministry.

Donna has fully recovered from the African bug she brought back. We are gradually putting more pictures and information on our blog about the trip. We are thankful for the technology, which allows us share more pictures and testimonies than we can with paper and printing!

Thank you for your love, support, and prayers. Our love in Christ,
Donna and Ed Edwards

P.S. Please pray for the provision of chairs and a computer.