We are finally able to update you. We are here in Prague. We start our multi-church conference at 4:30 pm today meeting with the leadership and then tonight with the group Al will teach. We had a much needed day of rest yesterday. Took a walk in this awesome park that belongs to a castle near our hotel. Worked some on our teaching for here and slept too much. It was interesting that as we were coming to Czech we were looking forward to a more familiar and normal culture. Then we realized how we didn't used to think that way about Eastern Europe! We've come a long way in our view of "cross cultural".
Our time in Kenya went super! It was so wonderful being with the people of God there and giving them a gift they considered priceless; a deeper knowledge of the word. We plan to write when we get home about many of our experiences because we know that they will be encouraging and really boost your faith to know that God is alive and active in the hearts of the people of Africa.
With Joy, Al and Edie
We're Al and Edie, who are serving with ReachGlobal. We're engaged in Biblical and theological training for pastors around the world.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Last leg of the Journey begins
We got a brief email and phone message from Mom early this week. Here's the latest:
They arrived safely in Amsterdam from Nairobi and are in route to Prague. Their flight was delayed and they were very concerned that their luggage arrives with them. We have not heard, but pray that God grants them that mercy! The last few days Dad was fighting an intestinal bug and not able to eat much. Mom asked for prayer for him to recover quickly. They felt really good about their time in Kenya and plan to return next year.
Now they will have 24 hours of rest (18 & 19) in Prague before they begin leading a multi-church conference in Vlasim, just south of Prague on Thursday the 20th. The topics of the conference will be the role of the Holy Spirit in our relationship to Christ, to one another, to the Word and in ministry to one another. My parents have asked that you pray for them to be effective in helping the Czech brethren to be more unified as they encourage these believers to work together more effectively as churches. They will meet with leaders and their wives on the 21st and my Mom will teach the women on the 22nd.
They leave for the long trip home on Monday the 24th.
Thanks for continuing to pray for endurance, energy, health and God's presence with them as they complete the last part of their trip.
~Anne Lynn, Al & Edie's daughter
They arrived safely in Amsterdam from Nairobi and are in route to Prague. Their flight was delayed and they were very concerned that their luggage arrives with them. We have not heard, but pray that God grants them that mercy! The last few days Dad was fighting an intestinal bug and not able to eat much. Mom asked for prayer for him to recover quickly. They felt really good about their time in Kenya and plan to return next year.
Now they will have 24 hours of rest (18 & 19) in Prague before they begin leading a multi-church conference in Vlasim, just south of Prague on Thursday the 20th. The topics of the conference will be the role of the Holy Spirit in our relationship to Christ, to one another, to the Word and in ministry to one another. My parents have asked that you pray for them to be effective in helping the Czech brethren to be more unified as they encourage these believers to work together more effectively as churches. They will meet with leaders and their wives on the 21st and my Mom will teach the women on the 22nd.
They leave for the long trip home on Monday the 24th.
Thanks for continuing to pray for endurance, energy, health and God's presence with them as they complete the last part of their trip.
~Anne Lynn, Al & Edie's daughter
Friday, August 14, 2009
Adventures in Africa
Editors Note: This email from my Dad was very difficult to decipher. I am sure there were things lost "in translation". The technology there is somewhat lacking.
We are finally able to get to an Internet place. We were warmly received in Burundi and enthusiastically received in not only the town where the conference was held, but also in the two churches in remote areas that we visited. On Friday the 10th, some of us rode to the southern part of Burundi along beautiful Lake Tanzania. We saw many beautiful areas with all kinds of palm trees, which are harvested for palm oil and coconuts. On the way our van broke down, but it was very near to a mechanic, who fixed it really fast. The rear axle gears were out of oil. On the way back we broke down again within 100 yards of the first place. Any other place would have taken hours to get it fixed. We were on the road for nearly 12 hours that day after all the errand runs we had to make before the 3 hour trip and then the stops etc. The people were very happy to get the bibles and we had a great time all week giving out the eye glasses.
They responded well to the teaching Al did, following along very well. The pastors were coming from a very different background and Al helped them with issues ranging from eternal security to how to treat their wives. It was very interesting to see them struggle with loving their wives and helping them. Edie had a more difficult time working with the women, who were mostly uneducated and had a hard time following the teaching. She had a male translator who said he didn’t understand women’s issues. The Lord worked anyway. Many of the women were young and nursing babies. Edie was asked to address the issue of having many children, which many there think is a command of God. Al talked about that as well. Edie developed a good rapport with one young woman who was trying to learn English. There were some frustrations with organization and financial issues, but Esron, our translator from ReachGlobal, helped a lot with that.
Losing our luggage was a trial, but the Lord helped us. We went to the airport 6 times to try to get it, staying up to 2am and 3am on Saturday and Sunday nights. Al had only a couple hours sleep Sunday night and wondered how the teaching would go. We got our luggage Monday morning, changed to new clothes and began teaching. The Lord gave us strength and Al did not get tired until we left for home at 5 pm. Thank you for your prayers for us!
We had a great time with Esron who is the president of the Rwanda Evangelical Free Church. He is a great man and Al loved working with him. Our accommodations in Burundi were okay and the cold showers were exciting after a hot day. The food was simple but tasty. I think we are losing a bit of weight!
Our trip from Burundi to Kenya went fine except once again our luggage did not arrive with us. We got it three hours later and then traveled three hours to our housing. Again, our lodging is simple, and when we have water it is cold, but we do have a ceiling fan which helps a lot with the 85 degree heat and high humidity here. The teaching has gone even better here in Kenya. What a great group of men and women! Edie is having a much better time teaching with the women and enjoying it a lot. Again, husband and wife issues are at the top of the list of concerns, with the culture teaching men to treat women poorly. Some of the men have really been convicted and want to change. They are very happy with the doctrinal teaching and the method of using Genesis to teach theology has worked great. Pray that God will teach them in their hearts by His Spirit. We have two days of teaching left. Each day we have a question time, during which they can ask anything they want. There have been some really great questions which have stretched Al to answer.
Thanks so much for all your prayers! You do not know how much we need them and how much we realize their value. We will give a more detailed update when we return. We hope to write again when we get to the Czech Republic in a few days.
Al for us both
We are finally able to get to an Internet place. We were warmly received in Burundi and enthusiastically received in not only the town where the conference was held, but also in the two churches in remote areas that we visited. On Friday the 10th, some of us rode to the southern part of Burundi along beautiful Lake Tanzania. We saw many beautiful areas with all kinds of palm trees, which are harvested for palm oil and coconuts. On the way our van broke down, but it was very near to a mechanic, who fixed it really fast. The rear axle gears were out of oil. On the way back we broke down again within 100 yards of the first place. Any other place would have taken hours to get it fixed. We were on the road for nearly 12 hours that day after all the errand runs we had to make before the 3 hour trip and then the stops etc. The people were very happy to get the bibles and we had a great time all week giving out the eye glasses.
They responded well to the teaching Al did, following along very well. The pastors were coming from a very different background and Al helped them with issues ranging from eternal security to how to treat their wives. It was very interesting to see them struggle with loving their wives and helping them. Edie had a more difficult time working with the women, who were mostly uneducated and had a hard time following the teaching. She had a male translator who said he didn’t understand women’s issues. The Lord worked anyway. Many of the women were young and nursing babies. Edie was asked to address the issue of having many children, which many there think is a command of God. Al talked about that as well. Edie developed a good rapport with one young woman who was trying to learn English. There were some frustrations with organization and financial issues, but Esron, our translator from ReachGlobal, helped a lot with that.
Losing our luggage was a trial, but the Lord helped us. We went to the airport 6 times to try to get it, staying up to 2am and 3am on Saturday and Sunday nights. Al had only a couple hours sleep Sunday night and wondered how the teaching would go. We got our luggage Monday morning, changed to new clothes and began teaching. The Lord gave us strength and Al did not get tired until we left for home at 5 pm. Thank you for your prayers for us!
We had a great time with Esron who is the president of the Rwanda Evangelical Free Church. He is a great man and Al loved working with him. Our accommodations in Burundi were okay and the cold showers were exciting after a hot day. The food was simple but tasty. I think we are losing a bit of weight!
Our trip from Burundi to Kenya went fine except once again our luggage did not arrive with us. We got it three hours later and then traveled three hours to our housing. Again, our lodging is simple, and when we have water it is cold, but we do have a ceiling fan which helps a lot with the 85 degree heat and high humidity here. The teaching has gone even better here in Kenya. What a great group of men and women! Edie is having a much better time teaching with the women and enjoying it a lot. Again, husband and wife issues are at the top of the list of concerns, with the culture teaching men to treat women poorly. Some of the men have really been convicted and want to change. They are very happy with the doctrinal teaching and the method of using Genesis to teach theology has worked great. Pray that God will teach them in their hearts by His Spirit. We have two days of teaching left. Each day we have a question time, during which they can ask anything they want. There have been some really great questions which have stretched Al to answer.
Thanks so much for all your prayers! You do not know how much we need them and how much we realize their value. We will give a more detailed update when we return. We hope to write again when we get to the Czech Republic in a few days.
Al for us both
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
More News from Kenya
My sister Amy was able to talk to my parents for a few minutes tonight. She said they were upbeat and happy, and seemed to be having a really good time. This can only be attributed to God's presence with them when they told about their living conditions! There is no electricity at all in the village where they are at. Thus, they have no access to email. On the days that they have running water, it is icy cold and only comes as a trickle. On the days when they don't have running water, they have to haul water in buckets for washing up. The weather is very hot and humid and there are lots of bugs. My Dad has a pink rash on his feet, they are asking for prayer for that. It does not itch, but they have no idea what it is.
Every day the people kill a goat to feed my parents and the people attending the conference. My Dad is going through the bible from Genesis to Revelation in a narrative form, teaching theology along the way. The African pastors and their wives are asking lots of questions about marriage and family life. Mom and Dad are very much enjoying the teaching times and are so glad to have the privilege to share the truth of God's Word with their brothers and sisters in Kenya. They said they are taking lots of pictures and have many "stories" to tell about their time there.
We will continue to post updates here as we get news.
Anne Lynn, daughter of Al & Edie Lewis
Every day the people kill a goat to feed my parents and the people attending the conference. My Dad is going through the bible from Genesis to Revelation in a narrative form, teaching theology along the way. The African pastors and their wives are asking lots of questions about marriage and family life. Mom and Dad are very much enjoying the teaching times and are so glad to have the privilege to share the truth of God's Word with their brothers and sisters in Kenya. They said they are taking lots of pictures and have many "stories" to tell about their time there.
We will continue to post updates here as we get news.
Anne Lynn, daughter of Al & Edie Lewis
News from Kenya
News from Mom & Dad is sporadic and sparse. However, I did receive a brief message from them today saying that the days are very long and the accommodations are rustic but that their teaching times are going really well. The people there (they are now in Kenya) are very warm and receptive and grateful to have my parents there. Apparently they lost their luggage again when traveling from Burundi to Kenya. Thankfully it was located after 1 day. Quite a scare, however.
Please continue to pray for my parents safety, health and stamina. Pray also for the Lord to use them to speak to the hearts of the Kenyans and that the teaching of the Word would be implanted deeply and immediately applied to their lives. Mom and Dad asked that you specifically pray that the teaching of the Word would begin to affect marriages and families among the Christian believers in Kenya.
Thank you for your continuing support and prayers,
Anne Lynn, daughter of Al & Edie Lewis
Please continue to pray for my parents safety, health and stamina. Pray also for the Lord to use them to speak to the hearts of the Kenyans and that the teaching of the Word would be implanted deeply and immediately applied to their lives. Mom and Dad asked that you specifically pray that the teaching of the Word would begin to affect marriages and families among the Christian believers in Kenya.
Thank you for your continuing support and prayers,
Anne Lynn, daughter of Al & Edie Lewis
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
First Report from Burundi
We have begun our work here and it has been fun! We received our luggage Monday morning after five days in the same clothes (with heat and humidity, mind you) and 6 trips to the airport. Just in the nick of time. Al didn't get to bed until 3:30am so was exhausted but God gave him the strength he needed and he was impressed with all God did in and through him. The pastors are soaking up what they are learning, asking questions and interacting with him. My teaching is also being received well and my rapport with the women is amazing. I feel so relaxed and at peace, teaching and mentoring. I have met one young woman who is single and applying herself to learn English. We have connected so well and with her not having a mother or father I may have opportunity through email to mentor her. We passed out bibles and glasses today. What a privilege for us to be able to provide these special things for them. The bags and notebooks were a hit but there was not quite enough as the group has grown. We feel very safe, the people are extremely warm and accepting of us. Al has had good rapport with Esron from Rwanda, who is his translator. We are so grateful for the many prayers answered but don't quit praying for us yet, we still have many days to go!
Al & Edie
Al & Edie
Monday, August 3, 2009
Urgent Prayer Request from the Lewis'
My mom was able to call briefly on Sunday to let us know that they arrived in Africa safely after 30+ hours of travel. However, ALL their luggage is lost. With the all the airline restrictions on carry-ons, they were not able to carry much with them on the plane. They have been teaching and ministering wearing the same clothes they have had on for 4 days and all they have for toiletries is a toothbrush. Of course this is not like America where the hotels have things for them to use like soap and razors. Nor are there shops nearby where they can purchase clothing. The people they are teaching are extremely poor. Mom said their room was comfortable though very sparse. They get to share the space with geckos, lizards and large spiders. It has been very hot and humid and the mosquitoes are very thick. She said the people have been very kind and wonderfully welcoming to them.
Please pray that God would miraculously locate their luggage (intact with nothing stolen) and that they would easily be able to be re-united with it. They begin all of their training classes today (Monday) and it would be a real encouragement to them to have their luggage.
This has proven to be, and will continue to be, a very challenging trip. Thank you for faithfully praying for them as they begin to equip our African brothers and sisters in the Word!
Anne Lynn,
daughter of Al & Edie Lewis
Please pray that God would miraculously locate their luggage (intact with nothing stolen) and that they would easily be able to be re-united with it. They begin all of their training classes today (Monday) and it would be a real encouragement to them to have their luggage.
This has proven to be, and will continue to be, a very challenging trip. Thank you for faithfully praying for them as they begin to equip our African brothers and sisters in the Word!
Anne Lynn,
daughter of Al & Edie Lewis
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