JULY 2015 Letter LIVING WELL

Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.  (Matthew 18:5 NLT)

What a blessing to welcome 350 children in Christ’s name on our mission to Zambia!

YOUR support through prayers and giving sent us and provided for us. Our desire is to share those blessings with YOU as part of our team.

One of our goals and challenges this year was to allow all 350 children of WISDOM Community School to attend Camp Wisdom. With only 10 workers, we knew that chaos could easily prevail! But the Lord supplied the wisdom and mature workers to provide a meaningful experience for all the kids! Delight sprang from the eyes of all the children.

Walking through the neighborhood surrounding the school, the “National Geographic” scenes always strike us. We have all seen them. Poor children in Africa – barefoot, tattered clothes, and bewilderment in their eyes, walking along the crude dirt roads and emerging from meager homes. 

These aren’t scenes in a magazine. These are real kids with real lives. They follow us on our walk. They touch our white skin. They look into our eyes. They throw joyful smiles and laughter our way. The crowd grows the farther we walk.

Invariably, someone voices the same thought we all have, “I could have been born here.” We become even more thankful for God’s grace.

God gives us the grace of living in the land of prosperity and freedom, not for selfish indulgence, but to give to those who in need. Those children were born into extreme poverty.

They have no control over their circumstances.

Without even sacrificing our comfort and security, most of us can give enough to make a purposeful impact in the lives of these children. 

Please consider giving to the development of the school. WCS needs more buildings, supplies, teachers, and desks. God continues to amaze us with what He has accomplished at WCS in the last three years! His provision is beyond any of our expectations!

The school is starting to look like a real campus! The security wall is complete. The construction team installed ceilings in the newest classroom building. They painted the new classroom building inside and out. And the school now has lights!

Pray for us as we seek Him about the future of WISDOM Community School and as we continue our work here to strengthen marriages.

Thank YOU for YOUR support and care for our mission and us.

Our love in Christ,

Donna and Ed Edwards
P.S. Please pray for the general budget support for LIVING WELL, and the children of WISDOM Community School.

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 2015 Letter - LIVING WELL

What would YOU do in this situation?

Someone shows YOU a school full of poor children in a slum and says, “This school will close at the end of the month, because we don’t have the money to keep it open. These kids won’t be able to go to school at all if the school closes.”

Wisdom Community School, January 2012

YOU would probably do what we did. We prayed. God answered, “I will supply. YOU are the ones I want to use to reach these children.”

We came home told everyone we knew about WISDOM Community School and the great need for the children in that slum in Zambia. Our Bible study class started supporting the school.

Class at Wisdom Community School in 2012

We went back and took friends. Our friends and their friends started supporting the school.

We went back and took more friends…. and again …. and again …. and now it’s time to go again.

We can’t do it alone! We need YOU!

We need YOUR prayers and YOUR support!

Latrine for students with stick privacy fence, 2012

YOUR support will pay for teachers. YOUR support will buy desks. YOUR support will bring electricity to the classrooms. YOUR support will buy books and supplies for the classrooms.

YOUR prayers will give us peace and joy as God works in our lives. YOUR prayers will touch the hearts of the children as they hear His Word. YOUR prayers will give us strength and wisdom.

We leave May 27th and will be in Zambia May 29 – June 7.

Wisdom Community School, June 2014

Since we first visited the school in 2012, the school has grown from 140 children to 350+.

At that time, the school had 4 employees. We now employ 10 people. The school had two classrooms; it now has 5 classrooms. The school’s only water was a hand-dug well with dirty water part of the year and no water the rest of the time. We now have a mechanically drilled well with clear, clean, plentiful water all year round.

Security Wall around campus, 2015

When you give to WISDOM Community School, the 100% of the money goes directly to the school. We do not take any administrative fees out of that money. (Donate to WCS by mail at our address or online at www.wisdomcommunityschool.com.) We need YOUR support as well so that we can continue the work in Zambia and the marriage work that we do here. YOU may give to us at our website or through the mail. (See info on the sidebar of the page.)

What is different about this year’s mission trip? With 10 workers, we are doing Camp Wisdom for 350+ children (grades 1-7, ages 6-16)! The idea of that many kids is a little overwhelming – definitely a God-size vision. We cannot do this on our own; it’s only possible through the Holy Spirit at work through us and in us!

Thank YOU for YOUR support and care for us and our mission.
Our love in Christ,

Donna and Ed Edwards
P.S. Please pray for our general budget support for LIVING WELL, and the mission to WISDOM Community School.

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.

Call to WISDOM

WISDOM called out. Twelve heard her call and answered!

The CHILDREN of WISDOM are waiting for us!

We can hardly wait to see them again . . . . . . . all 350 of them!

We have a team for MISSION ZAMBIA 2015. [click on this link for more details]

We are excited to have several returning team members and to also have several who have not been with us before.

We need your help! We need people who will pray for us as we prepare and as we go. We need people who will give, so that we can go. You may not be able to go with us, but we ask you to send us! Please pray for our mission and ask our Lord how He may want you to be involved in sending us.

LIVING WELL has to raise $16,500 for this mission. [to donate] We raise all the money for the supplies and building materials (see this page for additional info), plus the expenses for the two of us. Each team member is responsible for their own expenses.

Our mission to WISDOM Community School includes:

 

Construction projects

• Install ceilings in 3 classrooms
• Painting
• Landscaping
• Repairs and maintenance
  
• CAMP WISDOM
• 350 Children, grades 1-7
• Bible lessons
• Music
• Games
• Crafts
• Puppets
• HUGS!
  
• Community Open House
• On Saturday after CAMP WISDOM, we have an open house for the children, their guardians, and the community.
• Resources
• Buying any supplies that the school needs

What characterizes our mission trips?

• We go back to the same place each time. We know the kids/community. They know us. They know we are committed to the support and development of WCS. 
• We train all of our team members. They know what their tasks will be and are prepared, as much as possible. They learn about the culture and study materials to prepare them to meet God on their journey and share Him with others.
• We make all of the arrangements for flights, lodging, food, & ground transportation. We have relationships with locals that build stability and good will as we go.
• We work hard. We do allow our team members some rest time, especially when we arrive. We have comfortable lodging (basic but adequate), so that we can get enough rest. We have roles for everyone and seek to use their gifts and talents. We have fun together as we fulfill God’s mission for us.
• We have times to experience local worship and culture. One of the most important aspects of the mission trip is to get a bigger vision of Christ’s bride, the Church, and His work in different cultures and places.

Thank you for your continued support. Our love in Christ,

Donna and Ed Edwards

For more info:
Phone: (405) 924-3574
Email: info@livingwellokc.org

NOVEMBER 2014 Letter LIVING WELL

Pastor Charles speaking

Thank YOU to everyone who attended our dinner and the other events where our friend and colleague from Zambia, Pastor Charles Mutambala, spoke.

No matter how much or how well we try to convey the need and results of ministering in Zambia, it does not match the passion through which a Zambian can convey the situation over there.

Brother Charles spoke 12 times at 3 churches and at two dinners while he was here. The response was astounding!

Pastor Charles preaching

He inspired and challenged all of us when he spoke about what it meant to be a living sacrifice. Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Romans 12:1

THANKS for GIVING during this last year! I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.  Philippians 1:3-5

YOUR support and that of many others continues to amaze us! YOUR giving is making essential improvements at WISDOM Community School and is insuring its continued operation!

Funding for the security wall at WISDOM Community School is complete! Because of YOUR giving, we can proceed with the wall. What a security wall means:

• Enhanced safety and privacy for students
• Enhanced security for school buildings and contents
• Ability to proceed with fundraising for:
• Electric lights in the school buildings
• Electric water pump and water storage tank
• Kitchen building, leading to a feeding program for students
• Playground equipment
• Vegetable garden
• Chicken or pig raising program

Because of YOUR support, we continue to work with marriages. This couple was about to divorce and have a young child. Their marriage is now better than it has ever been and they are expecting a second daughter! Here’s an excerpt from video testimony at our dinner:

• I was desperate to save our marriage. . . . I didn’t know where to start. . . . But you always pointed us to the Word of God . . . . We knew He was for our marriage. I gave Him all my sin, my insecurities, my deficiencies. He took that and loved through me. . . . We learned that all of our needs can be met through God. . . . don’t have to rely on this person to fulfill everything. . . . Learning new techniques and conflict resolution. . . .
  [click here to see the rest of the video]

To learn more about educating a child at WISDOM Community School, click here. YOU can educate one child for $25/month or $300/year. YOU can sponsor one teacher for $225/month or $2700/year,

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 His provision and blessings! Pray for Brother Charles and his ministry.

To see more pictures of his visit, click here and here.

JULY 2014 Letter LIVING WELL

Thank YOU for sending us!  

“Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on My behalf is welcoming Me." 

(Matthew 18:5 NLT)

Because of YOUR support, we welcomed many children into God’s kingdom!

We ministered to 140 children of Wisdom Community School directly. MANY more gathered around our activities and enjoyed the singing, teaching, and games of Camp Wisdom. 

Our theme was the person of Jesus. 

At the end of the week, the gospel was presented in conjunction with the school’s manager, our colleague in Zambia. 

Many children responded to the gospel! Please pray with us that God will confirm in their hearts what they prayed that day. 

Besides the amazing work in the hearts of the children, God provided through YOU! 

• A completely new classroom building, (three more classrooms), painted, ready to use 
• New latrines 
• More landscaping 
• Classroom posters 
• Camp Wisdom T-shirts 
• Snacks every day for 140 children 
• Puppets 
• Craft supplies 
• Toothbrushes/toothpaste 
• Books 
• Rubber band bracelets 

Besides the children of Wisdom, highlights of the trip:

1. dedicating the new classroom building in memory of Micah Powers and having his mother, Anita, present to see it
2. seeing a new team work together in harmony, using the gifting of each person
3. watching the “mama’s” give an appreciation dance
4. experiencing multifaceted worship in a local church.

The growth of Wisdom Community School astounds us! 

January 2012: 160 children     Now: 305 children

The growth gives us more opportunities to shows God’s love to more children of Wisdom! And we have more opportunities to develop the school! 

To utilize the classrooms, they need at least 45 more desks immediately! The cost is $2, 250. [TO DONATE]

Next year, we need more team members so that we can include all of the children in Camp Wisdom. Make plans now to be a part of our team for June 2015. We welcome adults and high school students accompanied by a parent. Please contact us if you are interested. 

Coming soon - a way to sponsor a child or a teacher at Wisdom! 

Please visit our Facebook page and other posts in this blog for more pictures and info on the mission. Click here to see a picture report.

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. Praise for the successful mission and God’s work in the hearts of the children.

The water that I will give him will become in him 

a well of water springing up to eternal life. John 4:14b

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]

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.

FEBRUARY 2013 Letter - LIVING WELL

We’re back! We thank you for your many prayers and support! As we write this letter, we returned less than a week ago. Besides the physical recovery from the long trip, we have finished writing and presenting for two events here in OKC since our return.

We enjoyed seeing the children of Wisdom Community School again and many of our pastor friends. We were able to spend time at the school, getting to know their community and the children better.  We spent time learning from people who are running community schools.

Please read Ed's letter about God’s message to him while were there! We are already planning our next trip. [see details] God is giving us a big mission for this summer! Please consider whether God may be calling you to be a part of the mission.

We also made some significant progress towards providing year-round, clean drinking water with a new well for the children of Wisdom. Please pray with us that the project will go forward. What a great opportunity for those children! Right now, they drink from a hand-dug well that is dry during three or four months a year (no water to drink or wash their hands).

At the follow-up to our pastors’ conference, we heard many testimonies from pastors of what has happened since last June when they spent a week with us. One young pastor shared how he took four couples in his church through the material that we had taught him. Now those four couples are teaching other couples.

A well-dressed, articulate man got up to speak. He said that he had something to say even though he had not been at our conference and was not a pastor. He shared that his pastor had been at our conference and had taught his church the lessons on marriage. The man identified himself as being a high court officer in their government. His office processes divorce requests. He explained to these pastors that the number of people seeking divorce now in Zambia is increasing at a staggering pace. In his government office, using what he had learned from his pastor, he had been able to reconcile three couples! He also challenged the pastors to spend more time strengthening marriages and help slow the growing swell of divorcing couples. What an unexpected blessing we received as we heard him speak and challenge these pastors!

We are leading a team that is presenting an event on February 23 to celebrate marriage. Together Forever is open to the public (for married/engaged/seriously dating couples) and is featuring Michael O’Brien, a Christian recording artist. We heard Michael sing and share his marriage testimony a few years ago. His music appeals to all ages and his testimony is very powerful. Our evening includes specialty coffee bars by Café Evoke (and other drinks), photos (photo booth, portraits, party pics), great door prizes, and exquisite desserts. We will honor couples who have been married 50+ years and encourage those who are in their early years. The event is at Putnam City Baptist Church; contact us or visit the church website.

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 next mission to Zambia. 

Christmas Gifts for Children of Wisdom

After ministering at Wisdom Community School, outside of Ndola, Zambia, last summer, several of the mission team wanted to send Christmas gifts to the 175 children who attend Wisdom. They inspired their friends at Putnam City Baptist Church to give toys and candy for the children. We acquired all of the children's ages and gender, so age appropriate gifts could be sent.

The group packed 12 boxes full of Christmas love for the children.

The boxes were mailed near the first of November and have successfully arrived in Ndola. They recently arrived. The children go to school year round; December is one of the months that they take their break. Before leaving for break, the children were asked to return on December 21st to receive the gifts that our team has sent.

Hot Wheels and Trucks abound!

And myriads of dolls!

Pat Foster, Tommie Clemmer, and Martha Battle
Sort and pack LOTS of gifts!



Pat is packing them in!




12 Boxes of Gifts
Each box number corresponds to a list
Telling which age & gender receives the gifts

Ron and Kathy Jackson, part of the Zambia Mission 2012, were the impetus behind putting together the boxes. Their friends not only purchased and packaged the gifts but also gave $900 to cover the shipping of the boxes.

The generous heart of these people demonstrates the love of Jesus to these children who live in a slum and are predominantly orphans. We pray for their well-being!



NOVEMBER 2012 Letter - LIVING WELL

Thank you for your prayers for our annual dinner. We had several people who said that they thought it was the best one that we have ever had. If you would like to see more about that event, you can go to our website. The homepage has a link to more info and several videos.

One of the videos is a testimony from a couple with whom we have met by Skype over the last year and a half. We recorded their testimony through a Skype interview also. We told them that they did not have to share their specific issues, but to share where they were and what God did. One line from the video that characterizes our work with couples: “You truly cared about our marriage and wanted it to survive - even more than we did.” We know that God can heal any hurt. We are thankful for their “new” marriage! [see the video here]

You can also see what we believe that God has for us during the coming year. We don’t know why He called us for this mission, but we believe that God has placed us in Ndola, Zambia, “for such a time as this.” In the midst of training pastors/wives on marriage/family, we encountered an opportunity to become involved in Wisdom Community School. Because the Lord placed it on our hearts and, consequently, the hearts of many of our friends and supporters, the school is able to stay open. Some ministry groups go for one-week, short-term missions to places and then never go back to the same place. We are committed to go back! We are committed to provide and strengthen the education and spiritual training for the children of Wisdom who live in the slum area surrounding the school. Many of these kids are orphans.

We are going back to Ndola in January. Another couple from our last trip, John and Darla Holinsworth, are going with us. John worked on the building and Darla worked with the children last time. We will go to the school to provide and further evaluate the school needs educationally, spiritually, and facilities. Please see the this sheet with more information about the school project and our January return to Ndola.

We will also have several opportunities to teach and will follow-up with couples, whom we have taught on previous trips. Our plans are to return in June 2013 and take more friends! If you are interested in being a part of that trip, please let us know.

Through the generosity of many people at our church, we shipped 12 boxes of Christmas gifts for the 175 children at Wisdom School! We also were able to send gifts for the three teachers and the caretaker couple at the school.

Our ministry partner in Ndola no longer has a computer. Our desire is to take a laptop with us in January to give to him. If you have a functional laptop, which you would like to donate, or would like to give towards the purchase of one, please use the enclosed return envelope or contact us. Not only would a computer be a great aid to him in his ministry there, but it would also expedite our communications with him.

We are thankful that we live in a country that allows us to vote. We consider voting a privilege and responsibility! We are thankful that we live in a country that will continue in peace regardless of the results for the election. Join us in praying for our country and this election.

We pray that you will experience a true season of Thanksgiving for all that God has provided for you and all that He is. May He bless you in this season and in the time with your families.

Donna and Ed Edwards
P.S. Please pray for the Lord to provide the money for our mission in January.

TO DONATE to the ministry of LIVING WELL

LIVING WELL Zambia Mission Team Shares

AUGUST 2012 Letter - LIVING WELL

Our country is grieving over the latest shooting tragedy. Our hearts are heavy; many continue to seek the answer to the question “Why?” We don’t pretend to be able to understand what was going through the mind of the shooter as he planned and carried out such a horrific act.

Most of us cannot understand the depths of the depravity of a human being. We do not know the answer to the “why?” question, what we do know is that evil is very present in our world today! No amount of analysis or speculation will be able to explain the motive of this man.

Our government leaders and politicians have re-energized the national debate on firearms. Unfortunately, an endless amount of laws will not change the fact that millions of firearms are already owned by millions of Americans.

What are we to do?

Ultimately, the issue is the heart. Darrell Scott’s daughter was killed in the Columbine shooting. He testified in 1999 before the subcommittee on crime of the House Judiciary Committee. His testimony included these words, “The real villain lies within our OWN hearts. Political posturing and restrictive legislation are not the answers….We do need a change of heart and an humble acknowledgment that this nation was founded on the principle of simple trust in God.”

You may be thinking, “My heart is okay; I would never go on a shooting rampage.” As Christians, we must look beyond ourselves. Through His Word, God says,
    “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
                                                                  (Romans 12:21)
    “Do not repay evil for evil or insult with insult,
         but [repay] with blessing,
         because to this you were called ….” (1 Peter 3:9a)

As we minister to the hurts of those around us, we open the door for our Lord to make changes in their hearts. Our attitudes and compassion offer the love of Christ to those we see. Each of us can be inspired by good and by God or inspired by bad and evil. We are all inspired by someone or something. We will have some writings on inspiration on our next blog post.

We are excited about developments at Wisdom Community School. We received enough donations to provide security bars for the doors and window. Those bars are being installed now. Someone donated lightweight backpacks for the children of the school. They are perfect for shipping and for the needs of the children. We have enough monthly financial commitments to engage a principal, one day per week. He will provide oversight and support for the teachers but also be the spiritual instructor for the students and the teachers. We have established some reliable contacts for drilling a well.

We are starting a three-lesson series called "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly of Marriages in the Bible: and what we can learn from them" in our Sunday morning Bible study class on August 5 at 11:00. [see more info] We are teaching a marriage class at our office on Monday nights this fall, September 10 - November 5, 7-8:30 pm (eight classes). [see more information here]

We are excited about our expanded roles in leadership at church. We are leading the development of a comprehensive marriage and family ministry. The team has 10 ambitious goals for the coming year. Our mission is to: engage, enlighten, encourage, equip, and enrich families with Biblical strategies and training. Some results include a class this fall for parenting teens and a marriage celebration event with recording artist, Michael O’Brien, on February 23. 2013. [for more info, call our office, 792-2586]

Thank you for your continued prayer and support of the ministry of Living Well.
Our love in Christ,
Donna and Ed Edwards

THE NEXT STEP

What is my next step in my career? ..... in my marriage? ......in ministry? .... in my life?

We all face those questions. The question is easy; the answer doesn't always seem clear.

We have had a lot of people come to us with those questions. Usually, we want to know what is at the end of the road first and, secondly, how to get there. We have found that God doesn't always show us the end of the road, but He will always show us the next step.

Our answer to most people is "do what you know that He wants right now for your next step." After we take that step, He will show us the one after that.

School girl running after our bus
as we left

What's our next step in Africa?

We know that the Lord wants us to continue to help the children at Wisdom Community School in whatever way we can right now.

Our supporters and Zambia mission team have invested financially, emotionally, and spiritually in the school.

We believe that our next step is to provide security bars for the three doors and the one regular window of the school. The school is in a high crime area. When the vandals in that area learn that there are new books, etc. in the school, they will break in and steal whatever they could sell. The cost is about $650.

If you are interested in donating towards the security of the school, go to our donation link here.