John Shrader 18: Hell freezing over despite climate change

[Giraffe]

I love how fundies “covet” prayers. Idr coveting being used as a positive in the Bible. Only ever the admonition to not covet. It’s probably “good” because it’s prayers they’re coveting and not their neighbor’s wife, but it still cracks me up. 

[Gobsmacked]

Coveting prayers is also Johnny speak for send us more dosh. We KNOW he doesn't ask for money cos well, he is Johnny boy, the man-child for whom money just magically appears at the right time. No magic required really, genius Daddy is the wizard behind the curtains keeping the cash flowing. 

[Gobsmacked]

I mentioned up line that Ma Keller should fly across to Zambia and help out. If the Duggar news is true, Anna will also need her. What to do? This is what happens when Pa Keller lets his daughters go to the 'lowest bidders'. Joshley and John are knuckle scrape - ingly low in the male evolutionary tree. 

Imagine - Priscilla appears to have the best catch in David Waller!!!!!!!! Wine required to digest that awful truth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Giraffe]

1 hour ago, Gobsmacked said:

Imagine - Priscilla appears to have the best catch in David Waller!!!!!!!! Wine required to digest that awful truth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This still astonishes me.

(Although I won’t be surprised if he gets taken down by a scandal at some point, too) 

[ViolaSebastian]

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I'm not posting them publicly for specific reasons, [like being accused of medical neglect] but suffice it to say that Esther and I are greatly relieved and comforted at what we have discovered, and let's just say the other approach which is documented to have cured many, was advocated and successfully used by The Mayo Clinic (at least in the past), and John Hopkins as well. In every decade since the 1920's studies have been done on it, and four major meta-analyses (reviews of many studies) have been published in the past 10 years about it. 50-75% are helped. Many are completely and totally cured, with no seizures returning at all!

Ole ViolaSebastian broke out the PubMed search engine and was worried to discover that there have, in fact, been meta-analyses of potassium bromide treatment for seizures in the past 10 years. So that's worrisome. You can also, at cursory glance, buy it on the internet without any sort of prescription.

Edited November 22, 2019 by ViolaSebastian

[squiddysquid]

I hope they also read that too much potassium can cause serious life threatening heart arrhythmias

Don't do this at home kids, doctors are your friends... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470284/

[Palimpsest]

John finally spilled on the mysterious phone call.  Alliteratively.

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The Tremendous Travels and Testimony of a Tract, and how it was used as a specific answer to prayer!

One of the key aspects of our ministry here in Africa is Gospel tract printing and distribution. We have been deeply impacted by the lifelong testimony of Milton Martin in that respect.

The other week, a man called me from the Copperbelt area, about 5-6 hours away from us to the North, using the number he found on the back of a copy of our very first tract, and one of the early copies of such, from around five years ago!

Mr. Edgar Sakawaha had participated in a three year Bible Institute training under another ministry, but was very troubled by the mixture of men's philosophies, tremendous inconsistencies that he had observed, and as he told me, most of all, he wanted to be taught only according to and from the Word of God.

He was praying about that very desire with his wife, when he opened up his mother's book of numbers and papers, and came across that tract from us that was around or almost five years old (He is pictured holding one of those very tracts he found)!

As he read it, he was very encouraged to see how we dealt with salvation in the tract, and how everything was directly from and according to the Bible, and he contacted me by phone asking if he could come visit us!

We prayed together, and I told him that we would wait for God to provide him with transport money, and not many days later, he called back with the testimony that He had, and we arranged a schedule for him to come.

Edgar came and visited us for three days of intensive teaching last week, and he was very encouraged and challenged by what we covered. His desire to know the Word of God truly encouraged my heart. We were also able to bless him with a brand new leather King James Bible, for which he was so grateful!

I am praying for men with such a heart, and have been on a quest to find and train such men in the Word of God, for the Work of God, all to the Glory of God!

II Tim. 2:2 is my life verse and calling, and by Faith, though it seems we have seen far more failure than victory so far, by Faith we believe that God is going to raise up genuinely saved, truly "...faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also."

We have also nevee lost our burden for Burundi, or the surrounding nations.

I know this. I can do nothing. I cannot create faith in anyone. I cannot make anyone a faithful man. If there are any lessons my first half-decade in Africa has taught me, that is one of the clearest.

I can stay faithful myself, be a good example of such, and wait for God to bring and raise up and call such men to be trained to reach their own peoples. Truly this will only be accomplished through God and the working of His Holy Spirit through His Power alone.

And when it is, He will receive all the Glory alone.

Thank you for praying Luke 10:2 along with us.

js

(as always, if so led, feel free to share!)

Poor Edgar.  John wouldn't even give him the bus fare to Kafue.  He had to pray for it to test his faith.

This post is also notable for the first mention for yonks of John's "life verse."  2 Timothy 2:2.  "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." 

He just can't find faithful men.  That's all!  So he's putting a lot of eggs in the Edgar basket at the moment.  

Johnny still has a burden for Burundi and the surrounding nations.  I think he should consolidate his church plants in Mulamba and Western Province before he tries to convert Beyond.  How's it going with the chief these days.

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Glorious Time of sharing the Gospel Teaching to a Grandfather Today (and his wife)!

Esther and I had the tremendous honor, privilege, and blessing of sitting down for two full hours this morning with Mr. Dominic and his wife Rosina, and to begin sharing the precious truth that salvation CANNOT be earned or deserved by ANY MEANS! This couple was also contacted through our door to door giving of Gospel Tracts and John and Romans. It was actually Rosina that started reading one of the tracts, then after some weeks walked all the way to our church about a couple months ago! Then she started bringing her husband and some family members!

Born in 1947, and having spent many many years in the Seventh Day Adventist (S.D.A.) "church" together with his wife, Mr. Chisempu had never even been taught about the definition of Grace, which in its basic form means to receive from God what we do not deserve, and have not earned.

We were able to clearly show this dear couple, beyond doubt, that "...if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." Gal. 2:2b
We used the first part of this verse to explain about frustrating the Grace of God, and looked much at what Grace is.

We also spent time, among other passages, in Isaiah 64:6, and Ephesians 2:4-9. We illustrated these verses from Zambian culture, and by the time we had to stop, I believe our friends clearly had begun to see the Truth of what Jesus meant what He cried "It is finished!" on the Cross, meaning "paid in full!"

For the first time in 72 years, Mr. Chisempu (and his wife hearing as well), clearly understood that we CANNOT be saved through striving to keep the 10 Commandments, or through baptism, or seeking to live a righteous life.

Imagine, the first time in 72 years for anyone to sit with him and share that from the Word of God! In all the sermons and messages in his long life, he has NEVER heard explained from the Word of God about the Righteousness of God, Grace, and the FREE GIFT of Salvation through Christ and His Blood ALONE!

What a joy it was see their genuine hunger and openness to the Truth of the Word of God. Truly encouraging beyond words!

We agreed to meet next week, and as we left, he showed us their roughly 10' shallow hand dug well, which enables them to have and water some nice vegetation in their small yard.

We have already grown to dearly love this sweet older couple, and plead with you to pray with us for their genuine conversions, as we continue to "water" the Seed of the Word of God which has been planted in their hearts.

Thank you dear friends,

js

(as always, if so led, feel free to share!)

He is optimistic about his conversion of Mr. and Mrs Chisempu, or rather "Mr. Dominic (and his wife)" from Seventh Day Adventists.  Good grief, that SDA church was partly founded by a mere woman who had visions.  Of course it isn't truly Christian and they need to be shown the True Path to Salvation According to the Gospel of Shrader.

 

[CTRLZero]

Poor Rosina!  She walks all that way and encourages her family to go to John's church, only to be relegated to parentheses. 

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to begin sharing the precious truth that salvation CANNOT be earned or deserved by ANY MEANS

I'm starting to understand John's religion (HORRORS!), salvation cannot be earned, but money and things can be acquired by the power of prayer (aka hint dropping).  Has he always thrown in the all caps words, or is this a new trend?  

 

[Palimpsest]

On 11/23/2019 at 9:29 AM, CTRLZero said:

Has he always thrown in the all caps words, or is this a new trend? 

Occasionally, but it seems more frequent these days.  Perhaps because he's now almost distantly related to JillR.

And he's on a roll.

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Proverbs 23:26; John 14:15

Sadly, many times in my 42 years have I seen children of those in ministry that Heeded because they Had to, but their parents didn't Have their Hearts. When doing my formal training, I preached on it in chapel of the local church based Baptist Seminary I attended. I have tried to speak to several of my peers in my adulthood, and there are others I would like to share my observations of their children with them, but few seem willing to listen. The Bible is clear. Heart first, obedience follows. We teach our children the love and Heart of the Heavenly Father through our loving them and giving them our hearts and seeking theirs as their earthly fathers.

Commanded, Demanded and Reprimanded children, without a heart bond of genuine love, will struggle to fully understand the Love of God. Seek the heart of your children. Honestly talk to them about it, and know if you have their hearts, or just their subservience.

js

Hey, Shrader.  Sadly, many times in my 64 years have I seen the children of missionaries health, needs, and educations neglected because they are mere appendages to the Religious Cause in their parental unit's eyes and minds.  There is no better way to alienate your children's hearts than to neglect their basic needs while depriving them of their human rights. 

Inadequate homeschooling or sending children away to missionary boarding schools (abuses in some of those schools have been well documented) as young as 5 years old, is liable to make them resent their parents in the future.  So is sheltering them, restricting them, and subjecting them to religious indoctrination.  And this is not counting the children who have died in the field from accidents, inadequate health care, and lack of vaccinations. 

From my observation the survivors of even good (not fake like you) and non-neglectful missionary parenting have a 50:50 ratio of being really pissed off at their parents in later life.  And that may be generous.  Only a few who I have known have followed in the parental units' missionary footsteps.  Most of us truly appreciate the fact that we were exposed to other cultures as children and appreciate our time in the field.  Very few of us think that converting people for Jesus should be a missionary's primary or only purpose.  

And all this talk about keeping children's hearts  is very reminiscent of Steve Maxwell.  Please do try to talk to your peers, donors, and other unfortunate acquaintances about your negative observations of their children and their parenting.

I hope some of them will punch you on the nose as well as tear a strip off your sorry hide.

He's also still quoting from that Royal Insignia book and has put up a Help Wanted sign.

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Are you praying for God to send forth laborers?

We are desperately in need here in Zambia and beyond. We beseech you to intercede with us.

I'd love for someone to intercede with Johnny and bring him and the family home to the States.

[CTRLZero]

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I have tried to speak to several of my peers in my adulthood, and there are others I would like to share my observations of their children with them, but few seem willing to listen.

I wonder who these peers are that John speaks of?  Do even his peers run away when he tries to talk to them?  And John, it's pretty offensive of you to make observations of the children of others unless asked.  He's so full of himself.

[Giraffe]

34 minutes ago, CTRLZero said:

I wonder who these peers are that John speaks of?  Do even his peers run away when he tries to talk to them?  And John, it's pretty offensive of you to make observations of the children of others unless asked.  He's so full of himself.

Not necessarily. I’m sure he welcomes complete strangers criticizing & judging his parenting, so it’s no surprise he feels disappointed he can’t reciprocate. ??‍♀️

[CTRLZero]

14 minutes ago, Giraffe said:

Not necessarily. I’m sure he welcomes complete strangers criticizing & judging his parenting, so it’s no surprise he feels disappointed he can’t reciprocate. ??‍♀️

I do wonder how these attempted conversations with his peers go.  "I notice your children don't have the appropriate heart for Jesus..."  Not too long ago he wrote a lengthy poem about his own parents not being perfect, so maybe he practiced on them first. 

[Palimpsest]

1 hour ago, CTRLZero said:

I do wonder how these attempted conversations with his peers go.  "I notice your children don't have the appropriate heart for Jesus..."  Not too long ago he wrote a lengthy poem about his own parents not being perfect, so maybe he practiced on them first. 

It is very reminiscent of Stevehovah.  Both insulting others' parenting and chucking his own parents under the bus.  As I've been reading Making Great Conversationalists recently I've been reminded.  Steve's opening chapter of MGC insults 99% of his friends, acquaintances, and humpers by saying how much better his stunted and tongue tied Maxwell brats are at conversation than every other child he's ever met!  And Steve is all about monitoring his children's hearts.  Stevo monitored his children's hearts twenty four hours a day and seven days a week.  I have not much hope for any of them.

In contrast, I wonder how many Shraderlings are going to rebel in adult life.  John doesn't seem to pay much attention to his children, except possibly the older boys and Alatheia.  He even forgot to introduce one of the little boys in the right age order in that last family video.

@Gobsmacked, have you checked in on your old pal Hodnett recently?  In October Bubba  successfully grifted himself a ministry bus, he's rented office space in Dumfries for his church (I wonder whether the community center chucked him out), and their visas were paid for and were approved. 

Unlike Shrader, Jody amuses me more than he infuriates me.  I think Scotland is pretty safe from his brand of Christianity and at least he makes me laugh.

Edited November 24, 2019 by Palimpsest

[Giraffe]

Edited to put this disclaimer at the beginning. Clearly I have issues...After re-reading it it’s probably more indicative of me needing to do a bit more work on myself than it does these families...

One of the more sinister dangers of hyper-authoritarian parenting is sometimes the kids & kidults simply become more adept at deception or living a double life of sorts. I could give anyone a run for their money when it came to being a True Christian, and yet I was second guessing things and dealing with crippling anxiety over not feeling able to be honest with people.

“Feeling able” = I’d seen how those who walked away or asked too many questions were treated. It took a long time (and some f’ed up treatment) for me to walk away. 

Not all is as it seems and I am certain there’s a lot more deception that goes on in these families. The sad thing is a lot of the “deception” is probably inconsequential stuff to begin with and yet they’re wracked with guilt because they’ve been told that was evil or sinful or something to be ashamed of for so long they’ve internalized it. 

Edited November 24, 2019 by Giraffe

[Gobsmacked]

1 hour ago, Palimpsest said:

It is very reminiscent of Stevehovah.  Both insulting others' parenting and chucking his own parents under the bus.  As I've been reading Making Great Conversationalists recently I've been reminded.  Steve's opening chapter of MGC insults 99% of his friends, acquaintances, and humpers by saying how much better his stunted and tongue tied Maxwell brats are at conversation than every other child he's ever met!  And Steve is all about monitoring his children's hearts.  Stevo monitored his children's hearts twenty four hours a day and seven days a week.  I have not much hope for any of them.

In contrast, I wonder how many Shraderlings are going to rebel in adult life.  John doesn't seem to pay much attention to his children, except possibly the older boys and Alatheia.  He even forgot to introduce one of the little boys in the right age order in that last family video.

@Gobsmacked, have you checked in on your old pal Hodnett recently?  In October Bubba  successfully grifted himself a ministry bus, he's rented office space in Dumfries for his church (I wonder whether the community center chucked him out), and their visas were paid for and were approved. 

Unlike Shrader, Jody amuses me more than he infuriates me.  I think Scotland is pretty safe from his brand of Christianity and at least he makes me laugh.

I missed the mystery bus!!!!  ( that's what happens when narcassacitic sister keeps our parents ashes in her understair cupboard for 14 months and I have to contact a brilliant solicitor to  organise a decent planting for them in Grandmothers grave)

The  Sheeple back home in the USA sadly coughed up for the family visa's. 

He appears quite placid BUT wolves in Sheeps clothes!!!!!!  

[Palimpsest]

For the love of all that is holy, Johnny, shut up!  Or go private again.  I'd love for you to be "honest."

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I*I "Disgust, denigration, impatience, and irritation are, more often than not, shown through the WAY we say something, more so than WHAT we actually say." I*I

The main language where we are here in Zambia is Nyanja, which is partially derived from Chechewa.

The Chechewa word for "honesty" is "kuwona mtima," which literally means "to see the heart."

I really love this word, and the way this Bantu based language expresses it.

When we are truly honest with people, and they with us, they are willing to let us see their heart, and seek to see ours in return.

I know only God can fully search and know the heart, which is deceitful above all things (Jer. 17:9,10), but those closest to me in this life are those who truly seek to see my heart, and let me see theirs as well.

I thank God for blessing me first and foremost with such a wife, God's greatest gift to me after my salvation, and such friends, though they are not many. If God has given you such a friend, cherish that relationship, for it is a rare and valuable gift. I am also thankful for such a relationship with my earthly father.

Many people today don't really want you to be fully honest with them. They actually don't seem to want to see what is in the heart. If you try, you are notified in no uncertain terms that such interchange is unacceptable. I think for some, this is scary, because many people seem to shy away from such openness...possibly because they have been hurt before?

Such things sadden me, for I, throughout my life, have sought to be honest in this sense of the word with those who I counted as friends. I've actually lost relationships with those I thought were my friends because I let them see what was in my heart. I was completely honest with them. Consequently, my closest friend in the ministry is one that I was very honest and direct with when we first met, and there was some friction, but we ended the night on our faces before God in prayer, seeking to be "honest" before God and "see" His Heart. It spiritually cemented our friendship. We don't always agree, but we do seek to "see" each other's hearts.

What about you? Are you a truly "honest" person, in the sense that you let others really see your heart? This is especially critical as a parent, for as the age old saying goes, "people don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care."

Our children do not start life understanding our words, but seeing our heart. Anger, frustration, praise, love...all these are communicated through voice tones to our newborns. Though they eventually learn words and language as they grow, our tones still communicate far more than some seem to realize. Disgust, denigration, impatience, and irritation are, more often than not, shown through the WAY we say something, more so than WHAT we actually say.

And when we communicate such things...well, that is HONESTLY what we are imparting, no matter what words we use, and thus, what is really in our heart is...seen.

Honesty.

Points to ponder dear readers.

js

(as always, feel free to share if so led)

Points to ponder, dear readers.

How many times has Johnny obscured the facts?  Out right lied?  Twisted the truth?

Just one example:  the useless plane. Another example: the great chicken fiasco.

And how many thousands of dollars has Johnny grifted since 2012 (when he decided not to pretend to earn a living and grift full time.)  

Has he ever given a full accounting of all his grifted dollars and in kind gifts?  Has he ever told us what it costs to keep him in Africa?  Has he ever told us how much money paid for his surgery?

Nope.

And this is just adorkable.

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Seeking & Keeping Your Children's Hearts
(our "top ten list" of ways)

Someone just asked me about ways Esther and I seek the hearts of our (soon to be) 12 children. I am also always looking for parents that are doing so, according to the Word of God. My father keeps on the lookout as well, and he tells me when he finds such. In one dear family he got to know, the father has the children look at their own faces in the mirror when they lose their joy. He has and is raising his children to genuinely love God! We are definitely not the experts, but intentionality must be a priority. The "proof is in the pudding," and we are so blessed to see our children growing and genuinely loving God, genuinely loving us loving us and, just as importantly, each other, and genuinely loving the lost here in Africa.

As I shared with the one that asked, the fact that you are aware is of Premier importance. So many are focused on the outward. Looking good. But the heart is inward, and if not sought, cannot be bought or even merely taught. Life is fraught with many ways you can lose the heart of your children.

Here are just a few of the things we do. I'll try and give the "top ten." It is thousands of little things in countless little ways. Above all, we must be led by the Spirit of God always in conjunction with and in obedience to the Word of God.

1. Love them unconditionally. Love is spelled T-I-M-E and T-A-L-K, not C-A-S-H or G-I-F-T. Your kids need to know that they have your heart as well.

2. Be real and humble before them and others. Hypocrisy will cause you to lose their heart very quickly. Share your (age appropriate) failures and struggles with them, so they know you are not perfect.

3. Be vulnerable and admit your own wrongs, and, very importantly, apologize to them when you're wrong or when you have hurt them or failed them in any way.

4. Talk to them about it. Ask them regularly if you have their heart! I actually do this, and their response is much more than words.

5. Carefully watch for a hurt heart. They may obey, but if they look down or away, even if compliant, you may have lost they heart. Truly, "the eyes are the window to the soul."

6. Laugh, "let your hair down," have fun with your kids. Don't take yourself, or life too seriously.

7. Be very gracious, patient and careful in discipline. We are very serious about following God's Word in this area, and start correcting (with tones and words only) when they are born. The discipline is age appropriate, but is NEVER done when we as parents are angry, or upset. We ALWAYS take time to discuss what was done (little kids can't always tell you or even understand the "why," but they can the "what"). When your children fail, be careful not to make things more important than people. Show them you love them more than what they lost, or broke, or ruined. Don't just correct them because they made you look bad! ALWAYS finish such times with love and a big hug. Look them in their eyes as you assure them you love them. This is a critically important part of discipline.

8. Make "Bible Time" a priority, but not only a duty, but demonstrate your love and excitement for God's Word to and with your children. Ask them questions to see if they are absorbing God's Word. We usually take around a full hour for our evening Bible Time (and that's not so hard if you eliminate the worldly and ungodly time wasting programming on the hell-a-vision). Teach them the great old doctrinally sound hymns of the faith. Sing together, even if it sounds like cats yowling, but make a joyful noise to the Lord!!

9. Spend individual time to show each one they are special. Esther and I take our kids out for special times, just so they know they are special as individuals, and so we can talk just with them and they can open up.

10. Serve the Lord together. Show them that God has YOUR heart, that you love Him, and seek to tie their heart to His. Show them that pleasing God is your number one priority. Don't be a hypocrite, truly love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

Our family motto is:

"Love and Serve God Passionately, Love and Serve Others Sincerely, so we can Reach the World Effectively!"

We repeat it together often.

js

(as always, feel free to share if so led)

I'm too pissed off to comment on this crap today.  Have at it!

[Giraffe]

My sinuses are trying to kill me and I’m prepping for a road trip with my cat tomorrow. Otherwise I would add so much more snark! 

I love it when people like him - pompous, arrogant, entitled, live their lives on self-made pedestals - talk about things like vulnerability and “having our children’s hearts” and encouraging people to drop their masks. In my experience that’s code for: you share with me so I can judge & condemn you while I sit here and share trivial “secrets” that I believe will prevent you from seeing my smoke & mirrors.

[squiddysquid]

4 hours ago, Palimpsest said:

Love is spelled T-I-M-E and T-A-L-K, not C-A-S-H or G-I-F-T.

Mhm, sure. What about the "love offerings" Johnny boy receives?

[thoughtful]

3 minutes ago, squiddysquid said:

Mhm, sure. What about the "love offerings" Johnny boy receives?

Well, that's totally different -- those are coming to him, you see!

I would be willing to be that the T-I-M-E and T-A-L-K John's kids get from him consists of him pontificating at them, being oh-so-jolly, and/or looking for validation as The Darned Dearest Delightful Dad until Doomsday, while he supervises their doing some chore he should probably be doing himself. 

 

[Ozlsn]

5 hours ago, Palimpsest said:

In one dear family he got to know, the father has the children look at their own faces in the mirror when they lose their joy.

I am seriously wondering what that is supposed to achieve. "Hey look at how funny you look when you're angry"? "God and I only like happy, smiley faces"? How about actually addressing the emotion they're expressing?

5 hours ago, Palimpsest said:

Carefully watch for a hurt heart. They may obey, but if they look down or away, even if compliant, you may have lost they heart. Truly, "the eyes are the window to the soul."

Geez do these kids get any space to express anything without being watched?

[Gobsmacked]

Where is John. I worry about Esther when he goes quiet. 

[Gobsmacked]

I hope Nehemiah is ok. This silence is worrying. 

[BlessingsVonFundiePants]

He was in prison on Saturday, conning inmates into selling their souls for soap ?. 

[DarkAnts]

22 hours ago, BlessingsVonFundiePants said:

He was in prison on Saturday, conning inmates into selling their souls for soap ?. 

Was he really in prison?

[BlessingsVonFundiePants]

Spoiler

As I stood in front of the sheet-metal covered door made of welded thick rebar, my heart went out to the 24 men tightly packed into the small, hot single room called a cell at one of the two local jails in our area. The room was approximately 11'x11', and was completely full.

The heat literally blasted out and hit me in the face as if propelled by a fan through the small square cut into the door at face height, and I could see only one tiny window on the outer wall letting a small amount of light and a nominal amount of air in. It's the hot season here in Zambia, and so many bodies packed in together with almost no ventilation made the cell a veritable hotbox. The men spend almost the whole day and their nights packed into that room, and when it's full, as now, they must sleep in a sitting position, stacked together in rows, so if one shifts, the whole line must shift. It's truly a miserable place infested with lice and filth.

The men begged for some soap to wash their clothing and bodies, and we had brought some large "trays" of bread buns for them to eat, and we were able to make another trip back later with the requested soap. They were so grateful for that simple act of kindness that it truly touched my heart yet again.

I was allowed by the Officer in Charge to spend some time speaking to them of Christ, and their need for the Righteousness of God. I pleaded with them to see their need to know God personally, not just know about God.

One man, who told me his name was Andrew, was identified as a "preacher" by one of the others, yet he had committed some offense to warrant his arrest and incarceration. I honestly but gently tried to show him the contradiction of "preaching" to others, when he himself was living a life contrary to the Word of God, and of his need to have not just a head knowledge of God, but to know the very heart changing power of God. He promised that he would contact me when he was released. Please pray that he does.

We left John and Romans for them, thanks to the provision of the custom printed ones kindly sent to us by Bro. Sam Martin and their wonderful Scripture printing ministry. These have a purified Chechewa along with the King James Bible text, and inside the front and back cover is a Bible study we were able to write and include on Sin, the Righteousness of God, and the coming Judgement. They also have our contact information printed on them. The men were very grateful for the printed Word of God as well.

Please pray for the hearts of these men. How I long to see them come to Saving Faith only in the cleansing Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, unadulterated by a trust in baptism or their attempt at good works, as so very very many do here.

There at the jail waiting to pick up one of the inmates were two men, Innocent and Obvious. They heard the preaching and I was also able to speak to them about the Word of God. They actually live about 30-45 minutes South of Kafue, but we spoke of the Word of God as we went back to town together so they could find their transport back to what is called Kafue Gorge. They showed some interests, but as we often say here, "time will tell."

I was also able to speak with a retired Air Force General on the way back home who formerly had a Diplomatic post in the U.S. but has moved back to Kafue. We are starting to build a relationship. He was the pilot for the first president of the country, Kenneth Kaunda.

The day left me utterly exhausted, but it is good to be getting more and more back into the rigors of ministry here as I continue to recover from my major back surgery.

I know we have requested this many times, but we are asking you again to please pray for God to break hearts over their sin here, "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death."

I have seen enough worldly sorrow to break my heart for a thousand lifetimes. Satan has such a powerful grip here. He has brought counterfeit religion to the masses, but as we are "holding forth the Word of Life," please pray for God's Power to be upon us, for without Christ we "can do nothing."

Truly, as Zechariah 4:6b says, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts."

The longer we live in Africa, the more clearly we see that we are utterly helpless to open blinded eyes, to illuminate corrupted and deceived minds, and to bring true Biblical "...repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ" apart from the power and working of God.

We are not interested in seeking easily obtained yet empty professions. We desperately and deeply desire to bear "much fruit", but the kind of "fruit that remains," for "herein is my Father glorified" Jesus said in John 15.

Are you praying for us?

Truly, sincerely, genuinely and fervently interceeding for us? Simon "the sorcerer" found that money cannot purchase the Power of God. God abundantly, miraculously and consistently provides for our physical needs, but again we plead with you to pray for the Power of God to be with us and upon us here.

The eternal souls of precious men, women and youth hang in the balance.

Brethren.

Sisters.

Children of the Most High God.

Pray for us.

"Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ..." - Col. 4:2,3a

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(As always, feel free to share if so led)

@DarkAnts Preaching in Prison