Cape Church of Christ

MISSIONS Zambia (Boyds) Cape to Cape Childrens Homes

ON THE MISSION FIELD IN ZAMBIA

July, 2010
Hello Again Friends and Family,
              Campaign season is now over and we are back to a normal schedule.  All went well and we made some important steps in a positive direction in our work.  First of all, Mom and I successfully kept everyone from starving during the time we were heading up the kitchen.  I felt good that we were able to get the job done.  But the most important advance was in how the campaign was able to coordinate with the team and move the work forward.  The dental work was a blessing to the community and everyone involved stayed busy.  The main emphasis, education, was able to weed through some very difficult personnel problems but also help the school staff have a better understanding of their higher calling to the students, community, and God.  I won’t say we are there yet but at least we saw some progress.
              The campaigners were also able to help us better coordinate the use of World Bible School as a way of getting our congregations and church leaders involved in evangelizing their communities.  We also have a couple of new areas where WBS courses are being distributed that we will be able to follow up on and hopefully one day start some new preaching points.  This is extremely important because we want every project we are involved in to lead to more contacts, more Christians, and more congregations. 
                I have been getting ready to start 2nd and 5th grades with Bryson and Noah. They have enjoyed their time off from school but they have looked at the new material they will be studying and it has piqued their interest a bit. Now that the visitors are gone they will be more likely to concentrate on school studies. We’ll be studying the Eastern Hemisphere this year and both boys have shown interest in Oriental cultures. Who knows where they may end up one day?!
                We are expecting the container with goods for our newly arriving missionary couples any day now. Brian and I will be making a trip down to Namwianga in about a week to make arrangements to have the goods put on a truck and brought up to Mumena. Since we don’t know the exact arrival day of the container we aren’t sure how long we’ll be gone. I’m hoping to be home within a week so the boys and I can start school.
Brian has been busy getting ready for the Congolese leadership seminar to be held the last two weeks of August. This year most of the participants will come from three different cities in the DRC. Brian has visited each of these cities but every other year they travel here, along with a few men from the nearby refugee camp. We are expecting 20 students and 3 women to serve as their cooks. We also have Bruce and Becky Wooley, from Chattanooga, Tennessee coming over. Bruce preaches for Brian’s home congregation. He will be teaching in the Seminar and Becky will be working with the grade 9 students at the school to prepare them to take their national exam in November. Each 9th grader must pass this exam to continue in school. The test is given in English and many of the students struggle to speak, read, or write English. So, many of them don’t pass the exam and their education ends at grade 9. The teachers are making progress but August is a school break and a perfect time to make some extra tutoring available to them.
                As usual there is more I could say but I believe I’ve touched on all the highlights. Thanks for being friends, prayer partners, and participants in our work. We couldn’t do it without you.

Blessings,
Brian, Sondra, Noah, & Bryson

June, 2010

Hi there,
I got several responses to my quandary over FaceBook last month and it seems I’m not the only one who doesn’t really understand the virtual “friend” world. Granted, they were all my age or older but it was enough people to convince me that even if I send my newsletters via e-mail most people will still read them. So for now I’m sticking with this format. I’ll let you know if that changes.
Noah and Bryson finished 4th and 1st grades today. They were very excited and proud of themselves. I was equally proud and almost as excited. Bryson made significant leaps in his ability to read. It was a huge struggle at the beginning of the school year but now he’s reading 1st grade books with hardly a hiccup. Noah greatly improved his writing skills and occasionally enjoys writing movie and books ideas in his spare time. We will begin our next school year in August.
Our only college intern arrived a week ago. Jason Iris, from ACU, is with us for 6 weeks. He is from Bermuda and it’s been pleasant to have here. He’s only been a Christian for three years so his joy and excitement is refreshing. He’s an environmental science major and is interested in seeing how sustainable development and church planting can work together. We told him that if he figures that out while he’s here he needs to let us know. We’ve been working at it for about 5 years now and it seems we still have more questions than answers. But we have learned a few things and we hope to share them with Jason while he’s here.
Our campaign group arrives on Monday. This year there are only 7 of them (including Jason) so we’re going to have an intimate group. Our main emphasis will be education but we’ve also got a dental clinic going on for two weeks. This year will be my first try at heading up the campaign kitchen, along with my mom, so please pray for us. We will be cooking for about 20 people each meal and it’s a bit daunting trying to figure out how much food to make, buying all the groceries and supplies, organizing, etc.
We have now visited all 16 of the Kaonde congregations in our area. All of them but one are doing spiritually well and two of them have merged together into one congregation. They were both refugee congregations and so many of their members have been repatriated that it was better for them to come together. Our family will now spend it’s time working with the two remaining refugee congregations and one Kaonde/Lunda congregation that is way out in the bush. Brian recently spent the night with this congregation, Kyangozhi, and enjoyed fellowshipping and worshipping with them. He took Jason with him so he could have a true African experience.
Enjoy your summer vacations, camps, etc. and write when you find the time. Don’t forget to pray for the Kaonde!

Blessings,
Brian, Sondra, Noah, & Bryson

May, 2010

Hello to All,
Yes, we are still alive so I’m trying to restart our monthly newsletter. I’ve got several reasons I’ve not written in a long time but I’ll only give one excuse. While on our recent furlough we were told by several sources that e-mail newsletters were a thing of the past. They said if you wanted to really get people to read what you send then it’s got to be on Facebook. When we got back to Mumena our young missionary family, who are from the post-modern generation, confirmed the truth of that thought. So, I took the plunge and signed up for a Facebook account. But, I’m sorry to say, now that I’ve got the account I still am no closer to knowing how to use it to send out my newsletters. So, after a few months of doing nothing I decided to go back to the “old fashioned” way, which when I left the States 15 years ago, was “the way” to communicate. I don’t know if it’s a clash of generations, a form of reverse culture shock, or what, but if someone out there wants to inform me how I’m supposed to be using Facebook to reach the masses with our newsletter, I’d be happy to listen. To those who don’t have Facebook, don’t worry. If you still want to read our newsletter in e-mail form I plan to continue it in that format.
Our family enjoyed an “American Holidays” furlough from mid-November through mid-February. The week before arriving in the US was spent in London. We considered it a school field trip since we had been watching a DVD series on the history of Great Britain. We also spent a couple of days in Glasgow, Scotland with some friends who live there. It was a great week and I’d love to spend more time in the UK. Once in the US we enjoyed Thanksgiving and Christmas with family so it was an enjoyable time. Our boys got to see snow fall in Tennessee for the first time although they didn’t see the great snowfalls that hit everyone else. We also enjoyed being with our overseeing congregation, Hillcrest, in Abilene, TX, for three weeks.
Since being back in Zambia the boys and I have once again been busy with school. They now only have four weeks to finish 4th and 1st grades. Brian has been busy trying to keep the grass in the area cut down in order to keep the snakes away. This past rainy season was long and wet and the snakes have been more plentiful than ever. Now that the rains have finished, the grass is being slashed for the last time.
The month of April brought 25 men to Mumena to participate in the Servanthood leadership seminar. They lived in the dormitory and participated in several hours of study each day. The classes this year were mainly from the book of Acts. During the first two weeks we enjoyed having Gary and Sandra Montgomery, from Hillcrest, here. Gary taught a class on servanthood leadership. We enjoyed visiting with Gary and Sandra most nights as we sat around the dinner table. They were a joy to have here.
In the almost three months we have been back in Zambia we have visited practically all the congregations our team works with. We do this occasionally to get a feel for the health of the congregations. The last few will be visited in the upcoming weeks. One of them has had to wait until the dry season because they are so far out in the bush. Each year there are a few months in the rainy season when we can’t reach them. We have found that most of the congregations are doing well spiritually. Brian has been able to meet with the leaders to address specific problems or questions but for the most part we’ve been encouraged by what we’ve found.
Next month will bring our campaign season. This group will be smaller than usual but we anticipate good work anyway. The main emphasis will be education but we also have dental and WBS work going on. Thanks for your prayers for the work and our family.

Blessings,
Brian, Sondra, Noah, & BrysonNews from Zambia (via email): 

        After serving here these few years it is surprising how many people and families we know here in Chief Mumena's Chieftaincy.  As we serve among the Kaonde people it becomes easier to recognize individuals and know not only their family but even extended family members.  Being familiar with this many people soon makes one realize how harsh life can be here in Northwest Zambia. 
        In the last few months we have had many new babies born in the villages nearby.  The strength these local ladies display is incredible.  For example, the clinic only requires the mother to stay for six hours after giving birth.  I have often found ladies walking home in the afternoon with their new baby after giving birth earlier that morning.   Many babies are born during the night and this is when we are called to help with transport.  I am amazed at how the mother, even though with labor pains, can get into and out of the vehicle without help and is quiet on the way to deliver their baby.  One mother even gave birth in the backseat and I didn't  know it until later.  I was called about 10:00pm and it was apparent that the lady had been in labor for some time.  We arrived at the clinic and one of the ladies that was attending her went for the nurse while the other remained with her.  The lady got out of the car for some reason and I was sitting in the front seat not knowing what was happening.  After a few minutes a baby cried and I wondered if they had brought a small child with them.  The nurse came and only then did I know that the child had been born.  The nurse cut the umbilical cord and carried the baby inside the hospital.  The mother got out and walked inside the clinic.
        It is also amazing how many funerals we have here in the local villages.  It is not unusual for there to be six or more during a month.  We sometimes go and show our sorrow to the family but I have only been to one actual burial.  Given Lilimono, fought cancer for more than two years.  Given was a Brother in Christ and I was asked to speak at the funeral.  Most people knew how he had suffered so I spoke to them about being happy that he was now with the Lord.  His suffering was finished and he said he had made peace with God and was ready to go.  Given was the third person baptized at the Konkwa Church.  We thank God that he allows us to be here to serve and when we lose someone like Given we understand how urgent our mission is.
                                                                                                                        Don & Rita            

MEET THE BOYDS

Don and Rita Boyd retired to Cape Girardeau, MO, USA in 2003. The Boyds decided to go to Zambia to work with their son-in-law, daughter and grand children in church planting in 2006.  Don and Rita also played a big role in the starting of the Cape Girardeau, MO mission effort to Cape Town, South Africa. We have entitled this mission effort "Cape to Cape".
    Don has been setting up a dairy farm that is becoming self sustaining along with helping his son-in-law, Brian Davis in their mission effort with the native people in Zambia.  Rita is instrumental in the daily running of the house and assisting her daughter, Sondra Davis with the home schooling of their grand children on the mission field.
    Both Don and Rita are dedicated workers in the Kingdom of the LORD and have given their lives to the fulfillment of the great commission (Matthew 28:18-20).

 

Cape to Cape Missions                                                             

2009 Mission Trip

     April of 2009 saw a team of 6 from this congregation meet up with Don and Rita Boyd, who flew down from their mission field in Zambia, in Cape Town, South Africa. Jim and Tula Taylor, along with Larry and Karen Tanner have gone to South Africa twice before on mission trips. Mark McAllister and John McLain were excited to join the team for the first time. This was the 3rd trip into this area supported by the West End Blvd. Church of Christ. 
    Working primarily with the Southern Suburbs congregation in Cape Town, South Africa, to encourage their members and to meet with some who had dropped out of the church, our team was also able to conduct several Bible Studies with friends and neighbors of the members there. Although these studies led to only one baptism, we know that the seed was planted. God can give the increase in HIS time, if the soil was fertile. 
    We pray that these mission trips to this area will continue for many years. Please join us in praying for the work in South Africa. 

Children's Homes of Paragould

        Children's Homes, Inc., of Paragould (CHI) began in 1955, with the care of four children. It was established to provide a Christian home for children whose parents cannot care for them because of death, separation, abandonment, illness or some other reason. The agency was begun as a part of the benevolent work of the Seventh and Mueller Church of Christ in Paragould. This agency is now being helped by many congregations and many individuals.  Children' Homes was incorporated in the Circuit Court of Greene County, Arkansas, on September 21, 1956, with the elders of the Seventh and Mueller congregation as its Board of Directors. 
        The first permanent cottage owned by CHI opened on January 1, 1959. There are now nine family-style residential cottages on the campus. In an effort to lessen the negative aspects of the institutional care, family-style housing is used. Each living unit has a husband and wife who serve as full-time group home parents to provide the parental role models and guidance needed by the children. 
        In July of 1969, Children's Homes received authority from the State Welfare Department to place children in foster homes and for adoption. CHI became the first agency in the state to receive a formal placement license for children. 
        In addition to the nine cottages in Paragould, there is also a foster-family style residential home in North Little Rock. In 1992, Children's Homes began a group home for children in North Little Rock. Children’s Homes provides placement and counseling services for children placed there.
        We are blessed to participate in the support of the Children's Homes of Paragould, Arkansas by donating funds, food and cleaning supplies, (see shopping list) along with items for their thrift store.  For more information on the Children's Home, go to www.childrenshomes.org.