Several years ago a teacher assigned to visit children in a large city hospital received a routine call requesting that she visit a particular child. She took the boy's name and room number and was told by the teacher on the other end of the line, "We're studying nouns and adverbs in his class now. I'd be grateful if you could help him with his homework so he doesn't fall behind the others." It wasn't until the visiting teacher got outside the boy's room that she realized it was located in the hospital's burn unit. No one had prepared her to find a young boy horribly burned and in great pain. She felt that she couldn't just turn and walk out, so she awkwardly stammered, "I'm the hospital teacher, and your teacher sent me to help you with nouns and adverbs." The next morning a nurse on the burn unit asked her, "What did you do to that boy?" Before she could finish a profusion of apologies, the nurse interrupted her: "You don't understand. We've been very worried about him, but ever since you were here yesterday, his whole attitude has changed. He's fighting back, responding to treatment--.It's as though he's decided to live." The boy later explained that he had completely given up hope until he saw that teacher. It all changed when he came to a simple realization. With joyful tears he expressed it this way: "They wouldn't send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy, would they?" --James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) pp. 292-293.
We believe the main purpose of Grace Community school is to give kids hope. For some of our students, they get hope even from the simple food they receive, others encouragement from teachers, or simply passing their exams for the next grade. Ultimately our hope is that they will know the Lord Jesus loves them and wants them to be in His family and to discover His wonderful plan for their lives. If they have hope in Christ, we believe it will ultimately affect their lives, how they live and lead in Zambia, and the impact that they make on their world for God's glory.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Meier's Prayer Letter
Dear Prayer Partners,
Christ is risen, He is risen indeed! This dynamic truth is what sets Christianity apart from all the other religions in the world. We have a Risen Savior! It is a testimony to the saving power and transformation that God graciously offers to a world heading for destruction! Be encouraged and of good cheer for He has overcome the world. Easter is our time to celebrate the grace of God! I Corinthians 15:20a “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead.”
Our family news: Before Christmas, we traveled to the USA to help Tim’s parents. His father (Richard) had major open heart surgery to replace his aortic valve (we thank the Lord that it was successful!). While Richard was recovering, Tim helped his mother (Phyllis, who is diabetic) at their home. Christmas was a blessed time as we were able to be with family, and we even had all our girls together with us again! Those precious gifts are becoming far more rare for us.
Aging parents, and how we should respond to that situation as missionaries, is an issue we have been struggling with. We have been reflecting on the impact both our sets of parents have had on us, and our ministry. We praise God for them! Our short time in the USA, gave us opportunity to return some of the love and support we have received from our parents over the years.
Our school news clips:
The new stove (that Tim and a friend made) is running well and saving us lots of money that we do not have to spend on charcoal. The kitchen ladies are thrilled about not having to do as much work with the new stove.
We have also been blessed with a donation of soy flakes, rich in nutrients to add to the student’s food.
Names to Know:
Violet Mwanza an orphan from Grade 9 (our highest grade) says her favorite subject is math and she hopes to work in a bank as an accountant.
Catherine Ngwese, our headmaster (principal), has the opportunity to impact many lives and is such a mentor and example to our teachers. She has been faithfully serving at Grace Community School since the beginning.
Pastor Emmanuel, as the education chairman (for all Grace Schools in Zambia) has been a great advocate for our school and has procured funds for our grade 9 student exams and money for books. His job is to set policies and guidelines for all the Grace schools in Zambia. He has been a wonderful asset for the school and very supportive.
Mufulira Sunday night Bible study: Glynis (one of our newest Bible study members with her family) shares her thoughts, “I have been growing in my relationship with God, I have someone to talk to and this has brought me great peace and I am able to cope with life and love goes so much further than anger! The Lord and I can handle life! I am sharing my faith in small ways, praying and trying to bring others to Bible study.” Our friends continued with the Bible study we started, though we cannot be there most of the time because we are in -- a transition!
A Time of Transition
We now have one foot in Mufulira and one foot in Kabwe (it is sort of like playing the game of Twister!). We are feeling the stretch because we are short on missionaries and our help is needed here in Kabwe, too. For us, we spend 3 weeks here in Kabwe and 1 week in Mufulira each month. It is difficult to help with 2 different places of ministries, but God has supplied friends from our Bible study who have been helping us with our responsibilities in Mufulira. Hard as it is, it has been nice to be close to the Shermans next door, (Barb is Deb’s sister) and our oldest daughter, Melissa (who has gotten a job in the capitol Lusaka, managing a restaurant). In our next prayer letter we will update you about our ministries in Kabwe.
Thank you for surrounding us with your prayers and support! As always, we labor together, as the “body of Christ,” for His honor and glory. God bless your faithfulness! In Christ, Tim and Debbe Meier
Christ is risen, He is risen indeed! This dynamic truth is what sets Christianity apart from all the other religions in the world. We have a Risen Savior! It is a testimony to the saving power and transformation that God graciously offers to a world heading for destruction! Be encouraged and of good cheer for He has overcome the world. Easter is our time to celebrate the grace of God! I Corinthians 15:20a “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead.”
Our family news: Before Christmas, we traveled to the USA to help Tim’s parents. His father (Richard) had major open heart surgery to replace his aortic valve (we thank the Lord that it was successful!). While Richard was recovering, Tim helped his mother (Phyllis, who is diabetic) at their home. Christmas was a blessed time as we were able to be with family, and we even had all our girls together with us again! Those precious gifts are becoming far more rare for us.
Aging parents, and how we should respond to that situation as missionaries, is an issue we have been struggling with. We have been reflecting on the impact both our sets of parents have had on us, and our ministry. We praise God for them! Our short time in the USA, gave us opportunity to return some of the love and support we have received from our parents over the years.
Our school news clips:
The new stove (that Tim and a friend made) is running well and saving us lots of money that we do not have to spend on charcoal. The kitchen ladies are thrilled about not having to do as much work with the new stove.
We have also been blessed with a donation of soy flakes, rich in nutrients to add to the student’s food.
Names to Know:
Violet Mwanza an orphan from Grade 9 (our highest grade) says her favorite subject is math and she hopes to work in a bank as an accountant.
Catherine Ngwese, our headmaster (principal), has the opportunity to impact many lives and is such a mentor and example to our teachers. She has been faithfully serving at Grace Community School since the beginning.
Pastor Emmanuel, as the education chairman (for all Grace Schools in Zambia) has been a great advocate for our school and has procured funds for our grade 9 student exams and money for books. His job is to set policies and guidelines for all the Grace schools in Zambia. He has been a wonderful asset for the school and very supportive.
Mufulira Sunday night Bible study: Glynis (one of our newest Bible study members with her family) shares her thoughts, “I have been growing in my relationship with God, I have someone to talk to and this has brought me great peace and I am able to cope with life and love goes so much further than anger! The Lord and I can handle life! I am sharing my faith in small ways, praying and trying to bring others to Bible study.” Our friends continued with the Bible study we started, though we cannot be there most of the time because we are in -- a transition!
A Time of Transition
We now have one foot in Mufulira and one foot in Kabwe (it is sort of like playing the game of Twister!). We are feeling the stretch because we are short on missionaries and our help is needed here in Kabwe, too. For us, we spend 3 weeks here in Kabwe and 1 week in Mufulira each month. It is difficult to help with 2 different places of ministries, but God has supplied friends from our Bible study who have been helping us with our responsibilities in Mufulira. Hard as it is, it has been nice to be close to the Shermans next door, (Barb is Deb’s sister) and our oldest daughter, Melissa (who has gotten a job in the capitol Lusaka, managing a restaurant). In our next prayer letter we will update you about our ministries in Kabwe.
Thank you for surrounding us with your prayers and support! As always, we labor together, as the “body of Christ,” for His honor and glory. God bless your faithfulness! In Christ, Tim and Debbe Meier
Friday, April 1, 2011
Kabwe
Tim and I are here in Kabwe, short term, to help with the International church -- Grace Church held at the Grace Center in Kabwe. We have also been maintaining the ministries in Mufulira long distance or for a week at a time. Grace Community School in Mufulira has continued to develop, and we were recently blessed by a gift when our grade 9 students were able to take their entrance exams for grade 10. What a wonderful and continuing opportunity for our students! The school continues to run well in our short term absence.
While in Kabwe we have been blessed to have Steve and Barb Sherman and their family living right next door! It has been wonderful to have family close by! (Barb is my sister -- Debbe.) It has also been great to have our oldest daughter Melissa working in Lusaka, only 2 short hours away! This week we have had many meetings to help us get into our short term ministries here in Kabwe. We also have had a follow up meeting after our member care conference to reflect on what we had learned. Lastly we held a missionary ladies tea to see how we can best serve all of the missionary ladies here in Kabwe. Please continue to pray for our health and continued strength as we juggle ministries in two different locations. Thank you!
While in Kabwe we have been blessed to have Steve and Barb Sherman and their family living right next door! It has been wonderful to have family close by! (Barb is my sister -- Debbe.) It has also been great to have our oldest daughter Melissa working in Lusaka, only 2 short hours away! This week we have had many meetings to help us get into our short term ministries here in Kabwe. We also have had a follow up meeting after our member care conference to reflect on what we had learned. Lastly we held a missionary ladies tea to see how we can best serve all of the missionary ladies here in Kabwe. Please continue to pray for our health and continued strength as we juggle ministries in two different locations. Thank you!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Back in Africa
At the beginning of February, Tim and I, along with our oldest daughter Melissa, flew back to Zambia to continue working in Mufulira and Kabwe. We found it hard to leave the USA, with Tim's dad still recovering from major heart surgery and with his mother sick with diabetes. We were glad to have the opportunity to come back to the USA for this surgery. We enjoyed being able to take care of Tim's parents for a short time and be with them in this important surgery. We were grateful for the moments together as a family, and we know that the rest of Tim's family will be looking after his parents for us.
We arrived back in Zambia on Feb 10th and dropped Melissa off at her new "home" in Lusaka. We were able to meet her bosses and see where she lives (Melissa is the general manager of a Mexican restaurant in Lusaka that teaches young men and women -- mostly orphans -- important job skills).
After that we were able to return to Mufulira. It was so good to be home! The night we arrived we were able to meet with our Sunday night Bible study group. What a joy it was for us, to see that all our friends are doing well and have continued on even in our absence. The group not only continued on in our absence by watching the DVD we had left behind, but were actually teaching the Bible study. What a joy to see our dear friends growing in Christ!!
We were also glad to see Pastor Emmanuel Mshota the next day. He is well and so is his family. We were so sad to hear that Pastor Emmanuel Musenge (young pastor Emmanuel) has gone to be with the Lord after a short bout with malaria. He leaves behind his wife and three children. Please pray for them!
On Wednesday we were able to go to the school to give all of the kids a packet of cookies as a treat. One of our kids from Sunday night Bible study decided to give his own birthday money to the orphan kids as a gift for his birthday. So each of our students got a packet of two chocolate cookies. You should have seen their happy smiling faces!! It was so good to see the kids, teachers and staff again! I was also glad to see the classrooms clean, and the kids actually working in their notebooks when I came to visit. Please pray for the teachers. They have way too many children in their classrooms and are way overworked!
For the next few months we will be working and traveling between Kabwe and Mufulira. We are splitting time between the two places as some of our missionaries are gone from Kabwe at this time. We still will be checking up on Grace Community school and other ministries in Mufulira while also helping in Kabwe. We appreciate your prayers and support! God's richest blessings on you and your families!
We arrived back in Zambia on Feb 10th and dropped Melissa off at her new "home" in Lusaka. We were able to meet her bosses and see where she lives (Melissa is the general manager of a Mexican restaurant in Lusaka that teaches young men and women -- mostly orphans -- important job skills).
After that we were able to return to Mufulira. It was so good to be home! The night we arrived we were able to meet with our Sunday night Bible study group. What a joy it was for us, to see that all our friends are doing well and have continued on even in our absence. The group not only continued on in our absence by watching the DVD we had left behind, but were actually teaching the Bible study. What a joy to see our dear friends growing in Christ!!
We were also glad to see Pastor Emmanuel Mshota the next day. He is well and so is his family. We were so sad to hear that Pastor Emmanuel Musenge (young pastor Emmanuel) has gone to be with the Lord after a short bout with malaria. He leaves behind his wife and three children. Please pray for them!
On Wednesday we were able to go to the school to give all of the kids a packet of cookies as a treat. One of our kids from Sunday night Bible study decided to give his own birthday money to the orphan kids as a gift for his birthday. So each of our students got a packet of two chocolate cookies. You should have seen their happy smiling faces!! It was so good to see the kids, teachers and staff again! I was also glad to see the classrooms clean, and the kids actually working in their notebooks when I came to visit. Please pray for the teachers. They have way too many children in their classrooms and are way overworked!
For the next few months we will be working and traveling between Kabwe and Mufulira. We are splitting time between the two places as some of our missionaries are gone from Kabwe at this time. We still will be checking up on Grace Community school and other ministries in Mufulira while also helping in Kabwe. We appreciate your prayers and support! God's richest blessings on you and your families!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
A New Year!
January 2011 brought to us several unexpected new events. In the beginning of January, we went to visit Elizabeth in Colorado where she is studying counseling. We enjoyed our visit to her home as she showed us her church, school, internship, the mountains and even took Tim goose hunting! By mid-January, Tim's dad's surgery was finalized for the 15th. Tim was able to be there and support his mother through this difficult and important time. Grandpa Meier successfully survived the surgery and is now in recovery in a rehabilitation program in Madison, WI. After several weeks, we are preparing to return to Zambia. We ask for your continued prayers and support as we go back to Mufulira, Zambia. Please pray for these requests:
1. Grandpa Meier's speedy and full recovery from surgery,
2. Our travels to return to Zambia,
3. The future of Grace Community School,
4. Our new income generating projects for the teachers and the school,
5. Each of our daughters around the world -- Melissa in Lusaka, Zambia, Elizabeth in Denver, Colorado and Amanda in Chicago, Illinois.
Thank you again for your continued prayers and support!
Tim & Debbe Meier
1. Grandpa Meier's speedy and full recovery from surgery,
2. Our travels to return to Zambia,
3. The future of Grace Community School,
4. Our new income generating projects for the teachers and the school,
5. Each of our daughters around the world -- Melissa in Lusaka, Zambia, Elizabeth in Denver, Colorado and Amanda in Chicago, Illinois.
Thank you again for your continued prayers and support!
Tim & Debbe Meier
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
The Rest of 2010
JUNE 2010
In June, Tim, Amanda and I traveled to Tanzania to visit my sister and her family, the Shermans. It was fun to see them again and fellowship with family. While in Tanzania, we purchased much needed supplies for Grace Community School. After returning to Zambia, our friend Peter Thomsen came to visit us and teach the older boys at Grace Community. Peter taught the boys carpentry skills, and they loved it! Even some of the older girls got in on it! Later that month our dear friends Geoff and Narelle Stanbury from Australia came to visit us. Geoff taught the upper level boys electrical engineering while Narelle taught the girls Bible studies. While visiting us, Geoff fixed our washing machine, computer, Internet connection and worked on projects around the house. Both Geoff and Narelle helped us in so many areas of our ministry. Their visit was a real blessing and encouragement to us.
JULY 2010
At the beginning of July a team from Eastport Bible Church in Long Island, New York came to visit us. Looking back, it is unbelievable all the things that the Eastport team accomplished. Here are just a few ministries they completed: Vacation Bible School, a men's seminar, a separate women's seminar, a marriage building seminary, encouraging teachers in their meetings, an evangelistic meeting, preaching in church, special music for the Sunday service, sharing their testimonies, participating in Sunday evening Bible study, painting the pastor's offices, visiting the neighborhoods to share the Evange Cube and much more! This team was such a great blessing and encouragement to us. As a team, they were one of the most organized teams we have had, and they worked well together. They did so much for the ministry in such a short time! They also formed some amazing friendships. The school kids loved them and were sad to see them go.
AUGUST 2010
In August a team from Austin, Texas came to visit the school for a very short time. This team came as a medical team to do a school wide medical screening on all of our kids. They were able to visit the local clinics and a hospital. They also brought many gifts for the school that the children so appreciated [new underwear and toys!] At the end of August, Elizabeth, our second daughter, and her boyfriend at the time, came to visit us. Jaime and Elizabeth were only able to come for a short two weeks [much too short for this Mom!!] before Elizabeth had to return to school in Denver where she is working on her Masters in Clinical Mental Health. While Jaime and Elizabeth were here, Elizabeth was able to visit with old friends and check on old ministries she had been a part of when she lived with us in 2008. Elizabeth took us to an orphanage in Ndola where she had worked before with severely handicapped children. She was delighted to find many of the children still in the program, healthy and growing [some of the children also showed remarkable improvement which was a blessing from God!] We also were able to take a short, much needed vacation while Elizabeth and Jaime were here. We enjoyed having them here and were sad to see them go so soon.
SEPTEMBER 2010
September started the new semester for the students at Grace Community School. The big challenge of this semester was preparing grade 7 for their entrance exams in November. The pressure was on as the kids studied, and the teachers tutored them. A thrilling moment came in September when one of the young boys from our Sunday night Bible study accepted Christ as his Savior. Praise the Lord! Along with this exciting event, a new family joined our Sunday night Bible study, increasing our numbers and conversations! Also, during this month, Tim helped Pastor Emmanuel build his house.
OCTOBER 2010
October brought us to Kabwe where spent some quality time with Barb Sherman [my sister] and her daughter Steffi. The big project of this month was an electric stove for the school kitchen. Grade 7 students continued to study hard for their exams in November. Lastly Debbe began the huge project of planning and preparing a Christmas program for the 300 kids in Grace Community school and all of the school staff. She also managed to gather Christmas gifts for everyone.
NOVEMBER 2010
In November we held our annual Christmas program, and fun was had by all! The gospel was presented clearly and many of the school kids accepted the Lord as Savior! It was very exciting! Giving out gifts to the kids was a special event too! Grade 7 finally took the exams that they had studied so hard for, and their results will come the end of January or the beginning of February. Debbe prepared and planned for the school program to continue running while she was gone to America, and before Thanksgiving she flew to the states to be with her daughters for the holidays. While in America Debbe scheduled several doctors appointments and check ups for herself and for Tim who came later. Tim stayed behind in Zambia to continue the work, especially helping Pastor Emmanuel finish his home.
DECEMBER 2010
With December came several shifts and changes as Tim prepared the ministry to continue on while we were gone. In mid-December Tim came back the USA to see his father who was very ill. Tim's father, Richard Meier, had a spell that sent him to the hospital right before Thanksgiving. During that visit to the hospital the doctors discovered that Tim's dad was in need of a valve replacement in his heart. The surgery is scheduled for the beginning of January. It was very important for Tim to come home at this time as several major family decisions were made in the month of December. We also celebrated Christmas with our family this year, which was an unexpected treat! It was such a joy to have all of the girls together again for a family Christmas celebration.
In June, Tim, Amanda and I traveled to Tanzania to visit my sister and her family, the Shermans. It was fun to see them again and fellowship with family. While in Tanzania, we purchased much needed supplies for Grace Community School. After returning to Zambia, our friend Peter Thomsen came to visit us and teach the older boys at Grace Community. Peter taught the boys carpentry skills, and they loved it! Even some of the older girls got in on it! Later that month our dear friends Geoff and Narelle Stanbury from Australia came to visit us. Geoff taught the upper level boys electrical engineering while Narelle taught the girls Bible studies. While visiting us, Geoff fixed our washing machine, computer, Internet connection and worked on projects around the house. Both Geoff and Narelle helped us in so many areas of our ministry. Their visit was a real blessing and encouragement to us.
JULY 2010
At the beginning of July a team from Eastport Bible Church in Long Island, New York came to visit us. Looking back, it is unbelievable all the things that the Eastport team accomplished. Here are just a few ministries they completed: Vacation Bible School, a men's seminar, a separate women's seminar, a marriage building seminary, encouraging teachers in their meetings, an evangelistic meeting, preaching in church, special music for the Sunday service, sharing their testimonies, participating in Sunday evening Bible study, painting the pastor's offices, visiting the neighborhoods to share the Evange Cube and much more! This team was such a great blessing and encouragement to us. As a team, they were one of the most organized teams we have had, and they worked well together. They did so much for the ministry in such a short time! They also formed some amazing friendships. The school kids loved them and were sad to see them go.
AUGUST 2010
In August a team from Austin, Texas came to visit the school for a very short time. This team came as a medical team to do a school wide medical screening on all of our kids. They were able to visit the local clinics and a hospital. They also brought many gifts for the school that the children so appreciated [new underwear and toys!] At the end of August, Elizabeth, our second daughter, and her boyfriend at the time, came to visit us. Jaime and Elizabeth were only able to come for a short two weeks [much too short for this Mom!!] before Elizabeth had to return to school in Denver where she is working on her Masters in Clinical Mental Health. While Jaime and Elizabeth were here, Elizabeth was able to visit with old friends and check on old ministries she had been a part of when she lived with us in 2008. Elizabeth took us to an orphanage in Ndola where she had worked before with severely handicapped children. She was delighted to find many of the children still in the program, healthy and growing [some of the children also showed remarkable improvement which was a blessing from God!] We also were able to take a short, much needed vacation while Elizabeth and Jaime were here. We enjoyed having them here and were sad to see them go so soon.
SEPTEMBER 2010
September started the new semester for the students at Grace Community School. The big challenge of this semester was preparing grade 7 for their entrance exams in November. The pressure was on as the kids studied, and the teachers tutored them. A thrilling moment came in September when one of the young boys from our Sunday night Bible study accepted Christ as his Savior. Praise the Lord! Along with this exciting event, a new family joined our Sunday night Bible study, increasing our numbers and conversations! Also, during this month, Tim helped Pastor Emmanuel build his house.
OCTOBER 2010
October brought us to Kabwe where spent some quality time with Barb Sherman [my sister] and her daughter Steffi. The big project of this month was an electric stove for the school kitchen. Grade 7 students continued to study hard for their exams in November. Lastly Debbe began the huge project of planning and preparing a Christmas program for the 300 kids in Grace Community school and all of the school staff. She also managed to gather Christmas gifts for everyone.
NOVEMBER 2010
In November we held our annual Christmas program, and fun was had by all! The gospel was presented clearly and many of the school kids accepted the Lord as Savior! It was very exciting! Giving out gifts to the kids was a special event too! Grade 7 finally took the exams that they had studied so hard for, and their results will come the end of January or the beginning of February. Debbe prepared and planned for the school program to continue running while she was gone to America, and before Thanksgiving she flew to the states to be with her daughters for the holidays. While in America Debbe scheduled several doctors appointments and check ups for herself and for Tim who came later. Tim stayed behind in Zambia to continue the work, especially helping Pastor Emmanuel finish his home.
DECEMBER 2010
With December came several shifts and changes as Tim prepared the ministry to continue on while we were gone. In mid-December Tim came back the USA to see his father who was very ill. Tim's father, Richard Meier, had a spell that sent him to the hospital right before Thanksgiving. During that visit to the hospital the doctors discovered that Tim's dad was in need of a valve replacement in his heart. The surgery is scheduled for the beginning of January. It was very important for Tim to come home at this time as several major family decisions were made in the month of December. We also celebrated Christmas with our family this year, which was an unexpected treat! It was such a joy to have all of the girls together again for a family Christmas celebration.
May 2010
In May, Amanda arrived for the summer after her first year in college. Amanda came in time to help us [Tim and Debbe] with a variety of projects over the summer. Debbe and Amanda hosted a walk to raise awareness and support for Grace Community school, from the local neighborhood. Debbe was able to walk all the way, but instead of the distance being 20 kilometers it was only 11-12 kilometers! Funds were raised for the school to help with the overall budget. In May, Debbe was also able to attend a wonderful womens conference where Sheryl Gasser was the main speaker. It was refreshing and rejuvinating for her.
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