Why God sent me to Africa...

I realized on my recent return to the United States that alot of people did not know what I was actually doing here in Livingstone, Zambia. Therefore, I would like to take a minute to explain and hopefully answer some of your questions about the departments (things) that Overland Missions utilizes, which includes the Advanced Mission Training (AMT) course that I am attending. I hope you will take a minute to read through this and even take a look at their website. http://www.overlandmissions.com/

Advanced Mission Training:
Get trained to reach remote locations, communicate the gospel and come back alive. That is what Advanced Mission Training(AMT) does during its three month training course. It is held at a remote location at the Overland Missions Rapid 14 base in Zambia, Africa. Don’t think of lecture halls and PowerPoint when you think of the AMT course. It is the practical hands-on missionary training that fully equips young adults for the field. From welding and diesel mechanics, to wilderness first aid and GPS navigation, more is taught in three months than typically could be learned in years. The best part about? It is surrounded by the wild, natural beauty of Africa. Remote villages and ministry opportunities are just a few short miles away.

Expeditions:
We deem a young man or woman more useful to the kingdom of God in villages than waiting in line to preach from first world pulpits. So we do just that, take young adults on expeditions to the isolated and neglected villages of the world. We use any type of travel it takes to reach these areas. From airplanes, to boats, expedition trucks to local buses and when the time calls for it, our own feet. As the young missonaries feet begin to get dirty in the villages they go forward and form relationships, evangelizing and strengthening the local church. Through the years, thousands of missionaries have been sent, returning with stories, stories that are straight out of the book of Acts, with all the miracles and acts of power included.

The Life Project:
70% of people affected with HIV/AIDS live in sub-Saharan Africa.This statistic means that within a group of 10 people in sub-Saharan Africa, 7 people have HIV/AIDS. The LIFE Project serves as a way that we make a difference in the massive problem of HIV/AIDS. LIFE embraces the methods of the tribal forefathers to provide care within the village structure. In each village the community joins forces: schoolteachers working with social workers to make sure that those that are vulnerable no longer have to live without hope. Also, a strategic system is put in place in each village that ensures that orphans, widows and vulnerable people get the care that they need. We use a holistic approach as a way to provide change, from medical assistance, to HIV/AIDS education, to providing food.

The SAM Project:
Everyone knows the old saying “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Africa has been given too many fishes. The SAM Project creates a micro enterprises with garden projects, beekeeping and also plants tree seedlings so that the things villages need the most, they can make themselves. Then the surplus good are sold and bring in a small income for the village. SAM helps find the local solutions that bring stability to villagers lives.

On my first mission trip to the Dominican Republic back in Oct-Nov of last year, I felt a "pull" to mission work. Being such a new believer I did not know the first thing about mission work. So here I am now exploring what being a full time missionary is all about, specifically in rural areas of Africa.

Simwatichella Kingdom ministry expedition.

Before I left the U.S. I went to the Lifeway Christian store and bought myself a small, compact journal (approx 3x5x1.5) to take on our AMT village expeditions here in Zambia.

9/6/2009 (Sun) @ 9:42am: This morning is the first opportunity I have had to write in this journal since arriving (Thur) on our first Advanced Mission Training (AMT) expedition. We arrived in the Simwatichella Kingdom around 4:00pm and the local villagers had our bush camp already prepared. They had built us a kitchen area, bathrooms, shower areas, and a cleared out area for our tents.


9/7/2009 (Mon) @ 5:05pm: Today I sat in while our leader (Dan Hoyme) and his wife Rachel spoke to the women about baptism. They had alot of questions about sprinkling vs. immersion. I would guess we had a group of about 40-50 women and a handful of young children. Almost all of the women said they had no education, no bible, and could not read. Therefore, they had to rely on what their respective pastors said about baptism. Dan basically just told them what the bible says about baptism.


After lunch, Joe, Chris Woodard, and Cairan spoke separate messages to the whole group. We prayed for and layed hands upon over 40 people form the group. They danced over to our camp and performed a song around our campfire. Dust was flying from the feet-a-stomping.
9:20pm: Sitting in my tent reading. The locals who are camped about 40 yards away are singing and dancing very loudly but it is a beautiful sound.

The desire to know Christ is so great here. Some of these "locals" traveled by foot or bicycle over 100km away to camp out and spend over 5 days hearing the Gospel.

Getting to Overland Missions Rapid 14 base camp in Livingstone, Zambia

8-25-09 (Tue):

Took off from Atlanta airport and arrived in Johannesburg (JNB), South Africa (15.5 hrs later) at 5:30pm Joberg time. It seems everyone who lives there or has been there calls it Joberg. Due to the time change (Joberg being 6hrs ahead of CST) and the duration of the flight, we never had a Wednesday.

Stayed all night in the airport. We decided it was better to stay behind and help out a fellow missionary who was on our flight, than to wait any longer on our driver to the backpacking lodge.

8-27-09 (Thur):

We took off for Livingstone (LVI) around 10:40am and arrived at 12:45pm. After paying for our Visas and claiming our luggage we were met by Overland Missions staff; Dan, Rachel, and Candi. We climbed aboard one of the 4x4 trucks that OM uses for epxeditions/village ministries, stopped in the city of Livingstone for some base camp supplies, exchange our money, and grab a late lunch. After about a 25 minute ride we finally arrived at our new home for the next 3 months: Overland Missions Rapid 14 Base. The base camp is situated above Rapid #14 on the Zambezi River. We spent the rest of the day touring the 30+ acre camp, unpacking our things, and trying to get over our jetlag.

La Represa, DR preschool (July 25 - Aug 1, 2009)

Old preschool (March 2009).

Start of new preschool (July 2009).

A small team from New Vision will be returning in October and I know they will have plenty of work to do.

New Vision Baptist Church (Murfreesboro, TN) mission team.

My buddie Ronald. We met on my first trip to La Represa back in October 2008. He was one of several local teens who were baptised in the pool at our base camp.

Mission trip: Crow Agency, Montana.

For 2 weeks (June 27 - July 11, 2009), I volunteered as an Assistant Mission Leader for World Servants in Crow Agency, Montana. If you are like I was, you might be thinking to yourself where that is. Crow Agency is located in the south central part of Montana, within the Crow Indian Reservation, and less than three miles from Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.

If you are interested in learning a little more about the Crow check out this site http://www.crowtribe.com/.




Our base camp was at the Spirit of Life Foursquare Church in Crow Agency. Pastor Kenneth Pretty-on-Top and his congregation are amazing. While we were there they were in the process of constructing a new worship center. I hope to make it back someday and attend a service in the new building.

We facilitated church teams from Florida, Virginia, Minnesota, Connecticut, and Michigan just to name a few. Thanks to Vern and his church team for putting together this short video of some of the projects and activities they did, all for the glory of the Lord.


All of the pictures I took on this trip and from past mission trips can be found under my links section, labeled accordingly..."My pictures".