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drumbeatNews from Jim Davis

Zambia Christian Mission

P.O. Box 335Mongu, Zambia

Forwarding Agent:Don and Wanda Moorec/o Z.C.M.4050 Shelby St.Indianapolis, IN 46227

"How shail they hear ..." Romans 10:14

Volume 2 February 1983 Number 1

Imweko Church of Christ

The Imweko Church of Christ had its firstservice on the 2nd of January, 1983. Therewere 17 people present. The idea of a churchthere was started back in August when I wastalking to the plumber about the Lord. He wasworking on my house at the time. I asked himif there was a need for a church in Imweko andhe said there was. There are over 2000 peoplein that township and at that time only onechurch. I asked him why he thought there wasa need for a church there. He replied, "Toknow about God - to learn who He is. Theremust be something more than just this life."My interest grew in starting a church there. Iwent there and talked to the people, receivingpromises to come. Many of the promises wereidle, but many were serious. A lot of the menwho worked on my house now attend. Therewas definitely an interest and a desire for achurch at Imweko. On that first Sunday Ispoke about the Bible as being the Word ofGodand then the next Sunday I spoke about GodHimself. Many qustions ensued, rangingfrom, "Where did Satan come from?" to "Whydo we close our eyes while we pray?" and "If

God is one who loves us, why did He createHell and send people there?" The people weresearching because they really wanted toknow. I answered their questions from theBible the best that I knew, and prayedevery day for them. One day one of the youngmen, who also works for me, came askingabout baptism. I talked with him about itlearning that he thought you had to know theBible before you could be baptized. It occurredto me that this might be a fear of many of thepeople. I was right. So I explained Peter'ssermon in the 2nd chapter ofActs and the factthat on that day more than 3000 werebaptized. I then explained about the new birthand henceforth the new life. I explained thatChrist wanted us as we were and that Hewould change us. We couldn't change ourlives without Him. That next weekend 16people were baptized into Jesus Christ. Morehave come also expressing a desire to becomeone with Christ. By the time you are readingthis you will have even more new brothers andsisters in Christ.

There is still evidence ofSatan's working in

the lives of people. There always will be. Onegirl, Nazarana Kapenda, and her sister,Inoxana, wanted to be baptized, but wereforbidden by their mother who is a Muslim.I haven't met their mother yet, but hope to inthe near future. Please pray for her.

The Lord has blessed us with the use of aschool room, but soon we will have to seek andbuild a church building. The number hasincreased from 17 that first Sunday to 46 onthe last Sunday of January. The people havereally been asking and telling their friendsand relatives to come. Pray for me as I seek achurch plot and clearance from authorities tostart building. It has been through yourprayers that the work is bearing fruit and allthe glory goes to Him who has sustained it. Icannot thank you enough, and continue to askyou to keep this new work at Imweko in yourprayers.

Language Study

Many of you will remember my talkingabout Graziella Zalla in the last issue ofDrumbeat. I had met her in Lusaka and itseemed as though she would be my languageteacher. But I didn't hear from her andcouldn't find her and I wondered what I woulddo. Then I heard of a Zambian lady who is aChristian, Lozi by tribe, who teaches Englishand Lozi at one of the schools here. I went tosee her (this was in late December) and sheagreed to teach me Lozi. She said she felt thisis how the Lord can use her and she says itmakes her happy to be able to do it. She isdoing an excellent job, although it seems asthough I will never learn it. It does seem hard,and I will admit that my faith is weak attimes, but the Lord specializes in difficultcases. I can construct simple sentences in thepresent, future and negative tenses, and amworking on the past tense, which, according toher is the hardest of them all. I would reallyappreciate your prayers in this, and I thankyou for the praying which you have alreadybeen doing. Believe me, it has been mystrength.

Another Prison Ministry

Update

Things are going well with the PrisonMinistry. I am preaching once a month therewhile sharing the preaching responsibilitieswith other area preachers. It is reallysomething to hear the prisoners sing, but theytold me they have plenty of time to practice.

The Prison Ministry is made up of peoplewho are concerned with the welfare of theprisoners. They come from variousdenominations, and from variousoccupations, but all desire to see the Word ofGod implanted in the hearts and minds of theprisoners. There are classes taught everyweekend - one in Lozi and one in English. Wealso meet physical needs as well. When theprisoner is released, we help as we can withfood and clothing, and we also help theprisoners while they are in prison. Theconditions are very poor, and while we realizethat they are in prison for a reason, we alsorealize that they are human beings, and thatChrist died for theni as well.

The prisoners seem responsive to the Wordof God. We have had letters of thanks fromprisoners who have been released and havecontinued in the Word of God and remainactive in His church. Some have even helpedbring others to Christ both in and out ofprison. I praise God for this ministry and alsosolicit your prayers in this area.

A Word from the Coach

Many ofyou know that while in high schooland college I was an avid soccer fan andplayer. Here in Mongu, the people love soccerand I have had the opportunity to continueplaying and have also been given the job ofplayer-coach of the Lendor Warriors. It is agood outlet for recreation and physicalexercise. It has also proven to be a fruitfularea for ministry. Last Sunday, 3 playersturned up for church services, along with

another player who attends regularly. He wasbaptized along with the others who gave theirlives to Christ. I do love soccer and get almostas excited here for a game as I did when I wasplaying at Johnson Bible College. Theregular season starts in March, so right nowwe are involved in getting ready for thegames. We have played two "friendlies" orpre-season games having won one and tiedthe other. I thank God for this opportunityand pray that through it many will come toknow Jesus Christ.

Request for Food

No, this isn't a request for physical food,although that is nice, but a request forspiritual food. I, as well as anyone else, needto be fed. I would really appreciate any usedbooks and sermon and music tapes that havebeen a help to you and may be a help to me. Iuse my spare time in the evenings to read andlisten to sermon and music tapes. Here inMongu they are not available. I don't wantyou to spend a lot of money on anything likethat, just ifyou have some around the house orchurch that aren't being used. So preachers,teachers, Christians, I am asking you to feedme, so I may in turn be fit to feed those aroundme. And I love to read.

A Special Thanks

I would like to thank those of you who sentpackages this Christmas season. I reallyenjoyed them, and it brings a little bit ofhometo Mongu. You people and classes who sentthem probably don't know how much it meansto know that you care in this way. I thank youfrom the bottom ofmy heart (and my stomach,too).

Enter into hisgateswith thanksgiving,

and into his courtswith praise:

Be thankful untohim, and bless

his name.Psalm 100:4

Prayers of Thanksgivingand Petition

There are always things in which we cangive thanks, and there are things that youhave prayed for that have been answered byour Lord. David Griffin, whom I mentioned inthe last issue of Drumbeat, is undergoing amiraculous recovery. He has returned toZambia, and is back teaching his classes,driving, playing some tennis, and in generalgetting back in the swing of things. His facialscars are healing very well, and his mentaland spiritual progress is great. I thank you foryour prayers and praise God for the way Hehas dealt in this situation.

I also mentioned Violet Zinonga as awoman having cancer and also pregnant. OnJanuary 12th Violet went on to be with ourLord. The baby was taken prematurely bya C-section, and is in poor condition. Heweighs less than 4 pounds and needs yourprayers. Also left are 5 children and Isaac,her husband.

Other prayer requests and prayers ofthanksgiving are these:

Prayer Requests:

1. The church at Imweko.2. A church plot to be found.3. Language study.4. The new English-speaking work in Lusaka

started by Dad and Mom (Dean and JudyDavis).

Prayers of Praise:

1. The church at Imweko, and the ones whogave their lives to Christ.

2. The use of a school room in which we nowmeet.

3. God's provision of a Lozi teacher.

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drumbeatNews from Jim Davis

Zambia Christian Mission

P.O. Box 335

Mongu, Zambia

Forwarding Agent:Don and Wanda Moorec/o Z.C.M.

4050 Shelby St.Indianapolis, IN 46227

"How shall they hear..." Romans 10:14

Volume 2 May 1983

Work is going well with Imweko Church ofChrist. People are responding to the messageof Jesus Christ and that thrills my heart.There have been disappointments along theway, and frustrations, but I firmly believethat it is those disappointments andfrustrations that help us to grow stronger inour Christian service. The victories won faroutweigh the struggles that come. Almostevery Sunday there are those who come to givetheir lives to Jesus Christ. You may remember

Imweko Church of Christ.

Number 2

Baptizing into Christ,

my telling you of two young girls who were notallowed by their mother to be baptized(Nazarana and Inoxana Kapenda). LastSunday Nazarana told me that her motherhad relented and gave permission for them tobe baptized. My heart rejoiced at the news,and I hope that you are rejoicing as well.

Soon I will be teaching classes for these newconverts. Any young child needs food, so Imust not hesitate to feed them. They must betaught so that they will be able to teach othersabout Christ and lead others to know Christas a person. The people do desire to knowChrist and His teachings and I pray that I willbe an able teacher. Already some of the men

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ZAMBIA CHRISTIAN MISSION.

have shown an interest in preaching and Some of usmany are not ashamed to bring their friends fishing on t'to church. It is exciting to see the work grow. which is oi

Not all circumstances are victories. There Africa. Th«

are many who do not want Christianity. the fact thjSome will come for a Sunday and are not seen most and tlagain. These are disappointing, but I pray The reascthat a seed planted in their hearts will grow. you know

Pray for the Imweko Church of Christ and Christianpray for me as I lead, guide and teach. missionarie

Some of us went up a few days early to gofishing on the magnificent Lake Tanganyika,which is one of the most beautiful lakes in

Africa. That was also a lot of fun, except forthe fact that David, my brother, caught themost and the biggest fish!

The reason I am writing about this is to letyou know a little more about ZambiaChristian Mission, and show you themissionaries that represent the ChristianChurch/Church of Christ in Zambia. Thepicture above shows the Zambia ChristianMission family.

Three times a year the missionaries gettogether for a time of meeting, worship,prayer, and fellowship. These missionmeetings are designed to keep everyone up todate on the progress in the work, to discussvarious programs of teaching, and also lookinto different areas and methods ofpresenting the gospel. It is also a time for allthe missionaries to get together andfellowship with one another. There areusually preaching services in the eveningswhere we are fed from the Word of God by ourfellow missionaries.

This past mission meeting was held in theNorthern Province town of Mbala, which isabout as far away from Mongu as you can get.We all stayed at the Outward Bound school,which was a lot of fun for all the kids.

John Douglas, Jim, and Charlie Delaney taking abreak.

PRAYER ITEMS

Prayer is one of the most important aspectsof the Christian life, and sadly, one of the mostneglected. Often I catch myself saying that Iam too busy to pray right now, I'll do it later.But we can never be too busy for prayer. If wefind ourselves too busy to pray, this means weare actually too busy for God. That is adangerous situation for any Christian to be

PRAYER REQUESTS1. Discipleship of new Christians2. Church plot to be found3. Leaders of the Zambian Government4. More workers for the Lord here and

worldwide

WORD

OF

in. Paul exhorts us time and time again to bein prayer about everything (Ephesians 6:18).

I ask you to continually be in prayer for thework here in Mongu and Zambia, and also formissions worldwide. Please pray for growthin the lives of men and women, so that theymay carry on the preaching and teaching ofthe gospel.

PRAYER PRAISES

1. Continued growth at Imweko2. God's provision for His people3. Cyndee's graduation from nurses training

this month

It is often said that the word love is the mostexpensive word in the English language andalso the cheapest. It is a word that is easy tosay, but difficult to define. The ancient Greekhas three or four different uses of the word

love, each one with its own specialmeaning. But what do we mean when we say,"I love you"? Of all the epistles written, myfavorite is the 1st Epistle ofJohn. Perhaps thereason for this is because the letter waswritten with such obvious love for the

recipients. John constantly refers to his littlechildren or dear children. John's love was

shown through his pen. Is our love for eachother as evident as John's? I sincerely hopeso. Do not be ashamed to show your love tothose around you, for, as John says, 'He thatloveth his brother abideth in the light' (I John2:10).

I hope that my love for you is made evidentthrough the things I write. I do appreciate somuch the love and concern you have shownfor me through your prayers and letters.IMease know that my love for you growsstronger every day. I love you.

SPORTS PAGE

Lender Warriors Soccer Team.

The Lendor Warriors soccer team is in themidst of a successful season. As of thiswriting, the team is unbeaten in the league,has placed third in the Labor Day Cup, and isin the finals of the Kuomboka Cup. I reallyenjoy playing soccer with these young men

A weary player after a hard game.

and am glad for the time we are able to spendtogether. I thank God for the chance to enjoyphysical recreation, and I pray that in all thatI do I am an example and witness for JesusChrist.

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drumbeaitNews from Jim Davis

Zambia Christian Mission

P.O. Box 335Mongu. Zambia

Forwarding Agent:Don and Wanda Moorec/o Z.C.M.4050 Shelby St.Indianapolis, IN 46227

"How shall they hear ..." Romans 10:14

Volume 2 September 1983 Number 3

TRIALS AND TESTING

Once again I bring greetings from Zambia.The weather is warm, the sky is cloudless, aperfect day. Then why does it seem as thoughthings aren't going as they should. I guessthat is normal in the life of a missionary.Not all, and I didn't expect it to be, is peachesand cream on the mission field. The past fewSundays the attendance at Imwiko has beenbelow average. The services have been goingwell, and the people seemed to be responding,but then the hardship came. Two familiesmoved away, and some have been away onholiday. I am so reminded of the words ofJames - "Consider it all joy, my brethren,when you encounter various trials - knowingthat the testing of your faith producesendurance." (James 1:2,3) How true andtimely are those words. Discouragementcomes, but what a joy to know that Christ isstill in control. So many times I (we) try to dothe work of the Holy Spirit. More and more doI understand Paul's words, "Do not quenchthe Spirit." (I Thessalonians 5:19) Watchingand letting the Holy Spirit work is a thrill and a

joy. Yes, the testing comes and self doubtalong with it. You know what I mean-"Is it mypreaching?" or "Why don't they understandme?" But that testing produces enduranceand the result is this, "that you may be perfectand complete, lacking in nothing." (James1:4) What a tremendous promise!

In light of this, I see growth and progress.I started a men's class on Saturdayafternoons and it has gone very well. The menare enthusiastic and eager to learn, althoughthey aren't very fond oftests! I can see growthin the lives of people - there are several whohaven't missed a Sunday since we started inJanuary. Some of the men are now preachingand really enjoying that. When I look at that,my discouragement fades, and I am^encouraged by the progress and the work ofthe Spirit. It is a joy to be in service for theKing, knowing the promises that come fromtrials and testings. And it is a real joy to knowthat you are petitioning the Father on thebehalf of the Christians here and myself also.

AMBASSADOR'S VISIT

Earlier this winter (summer for you people) Iwas honored to have Nicholas Platt, his wifeand son visit me here in Mongu. The reason Iwas honored is that Mr. Platt is the AmericanAmbassador to Zambia. This was quite anoccasion, as it is rare to have officialdignitaries in my home.

THE DOGS ARE FINE

Bo and Rusty

Many of you in your letters have enquiredabout my dog, Bo. Well, Bo is fine and nowhas a playmate, Rusty. Both of the dogs arefunloving and playful and it really is nice tohave them around. The Zambian childrenhave never seen a boxer before and think Bo isthe strangest animal they have ever seen.They laugh and point, but finally come in tofind that she is really playful and they all likeher. Both of the dogs of course are jealous ofany attention the other gets, so my time mustbe equally divided among them.

FURLOUGH DATES

It is hard to believe that I have been here almost two years, but it is true. It is even harder tobelieve that I will be coming home for furlough next year. But that is also true and I can't wait tosee all of you. I plan to arrive in the States around August 1,1984, and will be home 6-9 months.I am looking forward to furlough and hopefully I will be able to see all ofyou while I am home. Iwill be living in Indianapolis, but will be doing some traveling and speaking to my supportingchurches. That brings up another point. If there is a specific time you want me at yourchurch, be sure and let me know well in advance so I can start planning my schedule.Please pray for me as I start making initial arrangements for my furlough time.

VISIT FROM CHRIS AND DONNA

Many of you know Donna and ChrisAlexander - both were fellow students with meat Johnson Bible College. They have come toZambia as relief missionaries - that is, theyare taking Ron and Marti Baumann's placethis year while the Baumanns are on furlough,and next year they will be taking Mom andDad's place while they are on furlough. Theyalso plan to start their own work and becomefull time missionaries here in Zambia. It was

a real pleasure to have them come out andvisit me here in Mongu. We had a great timetogether, fellowshipping and sharingtogether. As I have said before, I always enjoyvisitors and Donna and Chris were no

exception.

Chris. Donna. Jim

—MTSSTONARY WANTED=_=^_

As I mentioned above, Donna and Chris have come to Zambia as relief missionaries.Unfortunately, they can only take the place of one mission family. I also mentioned that Iwould be going on furlough next year. 1and the people need someone to continue teaching themand leading them. This is an excellent opportunity to see the mission field and actually getinvolved in the work. If you think you may be interested, write me a letter as soon as possible.Pray about it, think about it - God can use you here. Keep this matter in your prayers, that Godwill send someone.

LANGUAGE STUDY ENDS

My formal language study has ended andnow I am on my own. To be honest, and I mustbe, this has been the most discouraging part ofmy being here in Mongu. It seems as thoughthe language eludes me and I get disgruntledand cease to put the effort and hard work Iknowl should into it. Ihaveworkedatit,butI BR—am still not very far along in Lozi. My teacher,Jane, pictured here with Dan Ball and me, hasbeen very good. She has been patient, stern,helpful - and I am indeed thankful. I canspeak some and make myself understood aftera while, but that is a struggle. I think it is mythorn in the flesh! Don Ball is a Canadian ^

. . V 1 o- j Dan. Jane, Jtmmissionary with another mission who studiedwith me and understands the dilemma oflearning the language. He has been an encouragement anda good friend here.

PRAYER ITEMS

How much attention do we pay to Godwhen we pray? Do we just mouth our prayers?Do we often (I know I do) think of somethingelse as we pray? Daniel says that "I give myattention (underlining mine) to the Lord Godto seek Him by prayer and supplications, withfasting..(Daniel 9:3). Daniel concentratedon what he was doing when he talked to God.Likewise, we should also concentrate when wepray. We often wonder whether or not Godheard us, and also wonder why our prayersaren't answered. The reason could be that wedon't concentrate on God and His majestywhen we talk to HIM. So when we pray,instead of just quickly saying our prayers,let us give our full attention to God. I wouldalso appreciate it if you would pray with meconcerning the following things.

PRAYER REQUESTS

1. Imwiko Church of Christ2. Proceedings of church plot3. Saturday classes4. Prison ministry5. Donna and Chris Alexander in their new

work

6. Someone to work here while I am onfurlough

7. Cyndee (Davis) and Rick Massengill asthey start their new life together

PRAYER PRAISES

1. The continued growth2. The testing of our faith which brings

endurance3. A church plot may have been found4. The privilege to serve our Father

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drumbeatNews from Jim Davis

Zambia Christian MissionP.O. Box 910 335

Mongu, Zambia

Forwarding Agent:Don and Wanda Moore

c/o Z.C.M.4050 Shelby St.Indianapolis, IN 46227

"How shall they hear ..." Romans 10:14

THE STARInky hlacknu'ss. ,^i)r!nkl('(/ hy tlufusands of

shining. ;:^d!/nn>erin,n .'>t(trs.Tlu'ir iycdiity so iipput'i'nt. ccrn to tko most hard oj

hca rts.

E/idless causi' of irondcr, source of countlessmysteries.

So far'ateay. yet seeminply leilhin our prasp.Beacons of liopc. thou.phts. sharers of our dreanis."Wish upon a star" the old adape poes. and

supposedly our icislu-s come true.But do they f Beautiful and leonderful. yes. hut not

the supf)!ier and .itiri'r oj drea/ns and wishescome true.

Some say the future is in the stars, hut in realitythe future is in the (lod who made them.

They are hut examples of His marueious andsensitiri' creativity.

r\nd a constant reminder of the Star which shonefor the mapi so many years past.

The star whieh led them to the luimh.

the I.amh who was slauphtered..And on that day.B'o stars shone.

Today they shine, .simjile reminders thatHe still Tires.

Volume 2 December 1983 Number 4

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RAFT TRIP II

The Rambling Rafting River Rats did itagain! Several single and married (would youbelieve my mom and dad went?) missionariesfrom Zambia and Zimbabwe got togetheragain this year to brave the mighty ZambeziRiver. I was wondering as we started off as towhether or not this year would be as excitingas last year. It was. This year I had thedubious pleasure of being thrown out of a raft.I thought we were through this one rapid andlet go of my hand hold, when all of a suddenI was airborne! It was a lot of fun, though.

In the picture you can see the size of therapids (the raft is right in the middle). The

people who will be here next year aredefinitely planning a trip for next year. Ithink it is going to become a yearly tradition.

Along with the fun we had rafting, we alsohad a wonderful time sharing the Lordtogether. The bond that drew us together wasmade even tighter, and that was the bond oflove that only Christ can give. What wasreally special was meeting and making newfriends. Several came not knowing some ofthe others but we all left with brand new

friends. It was great. You all ought to try itsometime. You would.really enjoy it.

FACES IN IMWIKO

On the preceding page youcansee justa fewof the people that worship at Imwiko Churchof Christ. The last newsletter told of theattendance being down. Well, since then itseems we have been given a shot in the arm.Attendance has risen and the schoolroom isnearly all filled on Sunday. Thank you so

much for your prayers concerning this. Pleasepray for these people daily, and also keep it amatter of urgent prayer that someone will feelled to fill in for me while I am on furlough. Ifthere is no one here while I am gone, it will bevery, very difficult for the church here as theyare still young and need guidance.

PRAYER ITEMSChristmas time is here, and with all the

hustle and bustle of Christmas activities ourprayer time with the Lord may suffer. Pleasedon't let that happen. Prayer is our key tocontinued Christian growth, and the mostimportant aspect of our Christian life. Withprayer, the fruit of the Spirit will be made soevident in our lives. "But the fruit ofthe Spiritis love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law . . .The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be withyour spirit, brethren. Amen." (Galatians 5:22,23; 6:18; NASB)

SPORTS FLASHThe Lendor Warriors Football Team has

done very well since the last sports update.We won the Independence Cup which wasplayed in November, and also we are theleague leaders with two games to play. It hasbeen a great season, and I have thoroughlyenjoyed it.

Another item which might interest you isthis - another team member and I were chosento represent Lendor Warriors on the MonguDistrict Selected Side. We played against ateam from Lusaka on Independence day andit was a good game. I was lucky enough toscore the opening goal and I have never heardsuch a roar. Later I found out that there weremore that 5000 people at the game, includingWestern Province dignitaries and officials. Inthe end we lost 3-2, but it was a game I willnever forget.

PRAYER REQUESTS

1. Imwiko Church of Christ2. Saturday classes3. Prison Ministry4. Replacement while I am on furlough5. Rex and Pauline Kemple, our new

missionaries in Ndola. They are takingRoss and Chris Logans' place while theyare on furlough.

PRAYERS PRAISES

1. Increased interest and attendance inchurch at Imwiko

2. Proceedings on church plot - permissionhas been given to erect temporary building.

3. The rains which have started.

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