Pastor's Training in Lusaka

On Monday, Mike Tessendorf of Orchard Africa held a training for local pastors in Lusaka, Zambia. The purpose of this training was to help pastors understand the impact of extreme poverty and HIV/AIDS infection among adults and children. The statistics were staggering and the impact on this society is staggering. The majority of people in Zambia live on less than $2 a day and a loaf of bread cost $1. We just don't understand that level of extreme poverty or hunger. It was great to see the local pastors respond to the information and the call for the local church to do something about it.

Since we were guests, we were ushered to the front of the church to sit on the platform facing the audience. After the conference we headed straight for the airport for our flight back to South Africa. The flight was less than two hours and was nice.

We checked into our hotel and went to bed.

The next post will be in South Africa.

1st full day in Zambia

Today we traveled about 2.5 hours by car to get to a village partnered with Orchard Africa. We had an opportunity to visit with some of the people who live in the village as well as hear their passion for their community and the extreme poverty the people in the rural area face. After we had Tea we went to church. This was quite a wonderful experience and the music was amazing. With drums being the only instruments, there were a few choirs who led us in singing. Even though I didn't know the words to the songs, I was moved by the people's devotion to God and singing to Him. There was a policeman who got up to give his story. He started out by saying that he used to do all kinds of evil things and many of the people in the room knew who he was and what he had done. He then shared how he came to Christ and no longer does any of the things he used to do. He talked about how his co-workers are amazed at how different he is. He shared about the life changing power of Jesus Christ.

Matt Swartz gave the message and he contrasted the pursuit of happiness with the true joy that comes from God. The message was very straightforward and the people responded. One of the things that struck me was towards the end where Matt encouraged us to finish the race well and not to stop 5K before the end of the race.

After we left the service we went to lunch (the service probably went on for another 1-2 hours after we left) and we had a wonderful meal. I got to try warthog and let me tell you, it's pretty good.

We got to tour a bit more after lunch and then started the long journey home.

Both Matt and I ended our day by working out in the gym after sitting for hours in airplanes and airports. All in all, it was a great day!!

More to come tomorrow.

3/4 of the way through our flights

I am sitting in the South African Airways Lounge waiting for our next flight. We have an 8 hour layover and then we are on to Lusaka, Zambia and our hotel. Thankfully the flight tonight is only about 2 hours long. So far, the travel portion has been tiring.

Tomorrow we will be in a village and will get a chance to see the kind of work Orchard Africa is doing in Zambia. I hope to take a lot of pictures tomorrow.

I'm going to try to nap for a couple of hours, I only slept a couple of hours on the last flight and am feeling pretty tired.

1st Leg of Travel Complete

First of all, I must admit that traveling with someone who can use flyer miles to upgrade seats to Business Class has been wonderful so far. I think Matt Swartz has about 1 billion miles on his account and he was willing to share some with me. Thanks for the upgrade Matt. Not only did we have great seats and wonderful meals, we also got to use the Star Lounge where I was able to take a shower. This is a great way to travel.

We will be here in London for the next 8 hours or so waiting to board our next flight. I am looking forward to that leg of our journey but especially when we finally get to our destination. Please continue to pray for us that God will use us and our time here for His glory!!

I will continue to update as I can.

Brett

Family Connection 09.05.2012

Family Connection

09.05.2012

“Don’t worry about anything. Instead, tell God about everything. Ask and pray. Give thanks to Him. Then God’s peace will watch over your hearts and minds because you belong to Christ Jesus. God’s peace can never be completely understood.’” Philippians4:6-7

Tomorrow I will board a plane headed for South Africa and Zambia. Another pastor and I will be heading out to Orchard Africa, the ministry we support in as a church as well as our children’s ministry. I am excited about the trip, but I was worried about whether or not I was going to be able to go this morning.

You see, last night as I was making sure I had everything I started looking for my passport. I couldn’t find it where I normally kept it. I kept looking, still no luck. I then enlisted the help of my wonderful wife, still no luck. We went to bed with the conviction that I must have left it in the office here at church. However, once I got to church this morning I couldn’t find it. Jennifer began systematically looking through every drawer and desk in our house; all to no avail. I finally called to make an appointment with the passport expediting service in Tucson and prepared to make the trek to get a new passport. I went home to change cars with my wife and get the supporting documents I would need. As I got out of the care I prayed, “Well, Lord this isn’t exactly what I wanted to happen but thank you that I can at least get a new passport today.” Just as I was about to put the car in reverse to make the trek, Jennifer came into the garage and said, “I found it!” Somehow the passport had slipped behind a drawer in the dresser and made its way to the bottom of the dresser. Thankfully Jen thought to remove the drawers. Needless to say I was thrilled.

I wish I could tell you that during the time I was looking for the passport I had unwavering faith, a calm disposition and was worry free. Since I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to lie to you I will let you know I failed miserably. However, I can say that as I look back on my minor ordeal, God’s peace was with me.

Just as I am sharing this story with you I believe it is important to share with our children the struggles, joys and triumphs we experience as we follow God. It is a way for us to be real and transparent with our children so they can see what a relationship with God looks like. Following God is not always easy, but it is always best!!

This week we will be wrapping up The Cure series and will provide talking points for you and your children as we want to build in Faith @ Home.

We will teach the children that the prescription to stay healthy this week is grace. Here are the Parent Talk discussion sheets we will hand out to your children this weekend:

We Can Love Others No Matter What

Basic Truth: God Loves Me

Key Question: Who loved us first?

Bottom Line: We love because God loved us first.

Memory Verse: “We love because he first loved us.” 1John 4:19, ESV

Story Summary:

Joseph helped his brothers get food when they were hungry and
welcomed them even though they had been mean.

(Based on Genesis 42-46)

Family Activity:

Talk with your child about all the people in your family, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, siblings, and parents. Talk about things those people like to do. Act them out. If a sibling likes to play soccer, pretend to kick a ball, for example. Then help your child thank God for their family. Remind your child that sometimes we have fun together and sometimes we make each other sad, but we always love and forgive one another. Remind your child that We Can Love Others No Matter What.

In our K-4 ministry, we will be handing out the following God Time questions:

Questions for children to take home to parents-Grace

Ask your parents these questions:

What does it mean to show grace to someone?

Ask your parents to help you understand how God has shown grace to you.

Ask your parents for specific ways you can do better at showing grace to others.

Ask your parents what they learned about grace from church this week?

This week we learned, I can show love to others when I give them the love God has given me. Could you please help me understand how to apply this?

Ask your parents to read Matthew 18:21-35 with you and discuss with them ways you can apply this to your life.

Ask your parents to help you understand what it means to be a Christian.

Ask your parents to help you make a list of people you are refusing to forgive and then ask them to pray with you so you can forgive them.

Ask your parents if they would be willing to memorize our verses for this month with you: ^“Love your neighbor as yourself.”-Matthew 22:39 and “We love because He first loved us.”-1 John 4:19 (NIV)

We are very excited about this series and the at-home discussions that will come about because of what everyone is learning together. I would love to hear how it goes!

Since I will be gone until September 17, I will not send out a Family Connection until I return. I will however try to update my blog as well as the Sun Valley Kids Facebook page with stories and pictures. Please feel free to follow along if you wish.

http://bretthumphrey.blogspot.com/

Thank you for allowing me to be part of the spiritual development of your children.

Walking by your side,

Brett Humphrey

Pastor H

Family Connection 08.30.2012

Family Connection

08.30.2012

“He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God. I will be honored among the nations. I will be honored in the earth.’” Psalm 46:10

I have a confession to make, I am terrible at this. I struggle with resting in God. I don’t have a problem doing, but I do have a problem resting in Him. This isn’t a new problem; it’s something I have always struggled with. I was reminded of this yesterday when someone recommended a book to me on this subject. I remembered that someone else recommended that same book to me back in 1985. I remember starting the book but then I put it down because I didn’t like what it was telling me. Maybe I should buy it again, read it and actually put it into practice. One of the best things I can do for my children as I try to teach them how to live a life pleasing to God is to actually model that life myself. If I can’t be authentic and transparent with my children about my own struggles, it will be hard for me to urge them to have an authentic and transparent relationship with God. I would appreciate your prayers for me in this area.

This week we will be talking about humility in big church and with the children. We will be focusing on loving others by putting them first and urging the children to avoid selfishness. We will be doing this in our Early Childhood ministry as well as our K-4 ministry. One of the biggest ways we can remain humble is to admit when we need help and consider others as more important than ourselves. I would encourage you to talk to you children about these things this week.

We will teach the children that the prescription to stay healthy this week is humility. Here are the Parent Talk discussion sheets we will hand out to your children this weekend:

God Loves Me No Matter What I Do

Basic Truth: God Loves Me

Key Question: Who loved us first?

Bottom Line: We love because God loved us first.

Memory Verse: “We love because he first loved us.” 1John 4:19, ESV

Story Summary:

Joseph helped his brothers get food when they were hungry even though they were mean.

(Based on Genesis 42-46)

Family Activity:

At bedtime read the story of Joseph with your child from a children’s story Bible. The Beginner’s Bible and The Jesus Storybook Bible are both excellent. Remind your child that just like Joseph with his brothers, God Loves Me No Matter What I Do.

In our K-4 ministry, we will be handing out the following God Time questions:

Humility-Questions for parents to children

Today your children learned: “I can show love to others when I put them first.” Ask them, “What does this mean to you?”

Read John 13:1-9; 12-17; 34-35 with your children. In this passage, Jesus washes his disciples’ feet and then teaches them that they should do the same if they are His followers. Talk with your children about how Jesus showed humility before His disciples.

Talk with your children about humility and pride. Try to help them understand that the pride the Bible warns against is when we think we are better than everyone else and how that can change the way we look at people. Ask them to give examples of pride and humility from their perspective.

Read 1 Peter 5:5-7 with your children. Talk with your children about ways they can show humility rather than have a “me first” attitude. Try to come up with a way to point out positive examples of humility around the house this week.

The verses we are memorizing for this series are: ^“Love your neighbor as yourself.”-Matthew 22:39 and “We love because He first loved us.”-1 John 4:19 (NIV) Why don’t you work on these verses together this week?

We are very excited about this series and the at-home discussions that will come about because of what everyone is learning together. I would love to hear how it goes! In our K-4 ministry we will be focusing on Jesus washing the disciples’ feet and how we can make the wise choice when we choose to show love to everyone.

Here is the link for the video of this lesson. http://youtu.be/7kaUfvQoEjw

Thank you for allowing me to be part of the spiritual development of your children.

Walking by your side,

Brett Humphrey

Pastor H

Family Connection 08.01.2012

Family Connection
08.01.2012
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all
in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through
Him…Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord,
not for men.”-Colossians 3:17; 23
When my children were younger I would sometimes send one
child out to get the others when it was time to stop playing and come
inside. That child would usually come in
a few moments later informing me that they had done what I asked them to do but
their siblings refused to believe them.
I would then ask that child to go back outside and say, “Dad says it is
time to come in.” And within a few
moments, all of the children would be in the house. The child had authority because they would
pull out the “Dad says…” card.
When I read the verses in Colossians I think about
this. Paul is encouraging us to do
everything as though we were doing it for Jesus, just as though He had asked us
to do it. In essence, Paul is pulling
the “dad” card as a reminder that we are working for the Lord and not for
men. If I truly remember that I am
honoring God by my work, then my attitude should be better and I can do my
best, even if I don’t want to do what has been asked of me.
I would encourage you to go over these verses with your
children. I suggest that you help them
understand what God would have them do as they work but I would also encourage
you to share how these verses impact you personally. As followers of Jesus we should all be
learning how to move towards authentic Christian living and I believe we can
help our children grow when we share our struggles with them. I’m sure you have plenty of examples of times
you have been asked to do something you didn’t want to do but did it anyway
because of who was asking you to do it; I know I do!
This weekend in K-4 we will be talking about John 3:1-16
and how: When you believe in who Jesus
is you will live with Him forever. If
you would like to watch the teaching video for this upcoming weekend, here it
is http://youtu.be/z87eMdhMoS0
In Early Childhood we will be learning
about how God Takes Care of Me and learning about baby Moses in Exodus
1:21-2:10.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to walk with
you and your family as we learn how to follow Jesus together.
Walking by your side,
Brett Humphrey
Pastor H