Africa

Mr. Tim (Kevin's dad) got back today from Africa about 2:00 this afternoon. We went over to see him this evening. He has experienced many things that none of us have experienced before or might never well. He's main mission was to pass out Bibles while he was there. He said that 67% of the nation of Zambia was 18 years old or under. The generation before them had died due to AIDS. He went to schools every day. The students wear uniforms and if you can't afford to buy a uniform you don't get to go to school. The school also isn't larger enough to hold all the students for an entire day. So half of the students go in the morning til lunch then another group comes in from lunch to about 4:00. The lunch that students are fed is popcorn. He said they eat a lot of popcorn, I guess because it's cheap and filling. He said that each day they went to a school twice to see the two groups of children and it would be any where from 500-800 students twice a day and each child got a Bible. He said that out of all of those children they saw only one boy refused to take a Bible. He was able to share the Gospel pretty much every where he went. He and the other Gideons have planted so many seeds of faith. He also had some opportunities to preach while there and visit with the head of the Zambia police force for the nation to pass out Bibles to his crew. He said that at one school they were mobbed twice by the students there because they wanted the Bibles so badly. A funny thing I think, he said he was the only American Gideon to have to have an interrupter because they couldn't understand him. He was also the only Gideon from the South. (doesn't say too much about us and the way we speak, but I thought that was funny). He said when he would start to talk that the children would cover their mouths to keep from laughing and held it in until he left the classroom. Then he could hear the whole room laugh out. We are thankful that Mr. Tim listened to God's call for him to go Africa and we are thankful for how God was able to use Him and we are thankful that he is back home safe. There were some threats that came up while he was there, but God protected him and the other Gideons.

This is the wooden giraffe that Mr. Tim brought back to Madalyn from Africa.