The long awaited for results for the walk are here! Surprisingly both Debbe and Amanda finished the walk, with Tim driving the "emergency vehicle." A funny and unexpected discovery was made, though. Tim had been told the distance from the starting point to the church was 20 kilometers. Ironically, after walking the complete course, Tim reported from the "emergency vehicle" that the distance had only been 11 kilometers! So instead of walking 20 kilometers, we walked 11! We had to laugh about that one. Maybe you can laugh with us about our miscalculations! We also apologize for the lateness of this post, but we have been in Tanzania for the past couple of weeks visiting the Shermans. Please send all pledges and donations to Grace Ministries International at:
Grace Ministries International
1011 Aldon SW
P.O. Box 9405
Grand Rapids, MI 49509
Thank you!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Walk a Mile [in this case a Kilometer] in their Shoes….
It’s been said, that you really cannot understand a person, until you “walk a mile in their shoes.” And really it is very difficult to understand a person and their life circumstances, if you haven’t first “tried out their shoes…” So, this summer we are giving you an opportunity to “try on” some orphan’s shoes – not literally, but figuratively – through a walk that raises funds for Mufulira Grace Community School. Please consider sponsoring Tim, Debbe or Amanda as we walk to raise money for the school. The funds raised will be put towards maintenance on current classrooms and building new classrooms for Mufulira Grace Community School which is a school for orphans and vulnerable children in Mufulira, Zambia. On May 22, 2010 we will walk 20 kilometers from Kafironda to Grace Church of Muflira. Lord willing, Amanda will also be walking with us for her school [if all of her travels go smoothly from the USA to Zambia]. The Provincial Minister of Ndola is coming to start the walk with us and the First Lady of Zambia was also invited to walk for the cause of Zambia’s children. You can walk for these children too, by sponsoring one of us [Tim, Deb or Amanda] at a dollar per kilometer or $10 a kilometer or a lump sum of whatever the Lord lays on your heart to give towards raising money for expanding the school. You never know, how your gift – no matter what the size – will impact the lives of these children. Your gift can leave an imprint in the lives of these children. If you are interested in supporting this project please send any monies labeled "Grace Community School - Mufulira" to Grace Ministries International C/O Jim Molenkamp PO Box. 9405 Grand Rapids, Michigan 49509. We will post on the blog how many kilometers we were able to walk so you can send your pledges in. Thank you, Tim, Debbe and Amanda Meier
Daughters
We just recently had Melissa, our oldest daughter visit us here in Mufulira. Her time here, was way too short! But we enjoyed her presence in our lives, as she helped us with so many things, including finances! We were also able to take a short break while she was here and relax a little. Real life happens, though and she had to return to the US to continue working as the manager of Tea Gschwendner in Chicago. I was so very sad that she had to leave! But, Amanda, our youngest daughter will be landing in Zambia two weeks from today to spend the summer with us! Amanda will be an added bonus to our summer and a great help with several teams that are coming out to visit us. At the end of the summer, our middle daughter Elizabeth, will stop in Zambia after a missions trip to Ethiopia. So, we will be able to spend time with each girl, and I am so delighted that they all want to come visit us and spend time with us here in Zambia. It means so much to me that I get to spend time with the girls. Please pray for each of them individually as they try to navigate life on their own apart from us. Pray for Melissa as she works full time at Tea Gschwendner, for Elizabeth as she studies in graduate school to get her Masters in Counseling and for Amanda as she studies in college for her BA in Communications. Thank you so much! Debbe Meier
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Melissa!
We are so pleased to have Melissa, our oldest daughter visiting us here in Zambia. She took 3 weeks of her vacation time to visit the old parents! We are both delighted and blessed to have her here with us. Later this summer both Amanda and Elizabeth will be here to visit us as well, so we will be blessed 3 times this summer with our daughters! What a wonderful mother's and father's day and birthday and anniversary gift for Tim and I! Please pray for our time with the girls to be a time of spiritual growth and nurturing, as we do not always have the opportunity to be a part of their everyday lives. Thank you! God bless, Debbe and Tim
April 2010 Prayer Letter
April 2010
The past few months we have seen the Lord at work in every situation.
Through some very difficult times, His grace was there to get us
through. His grace is always sufficient, never late, and comes just when it
is needed. It will be there for those who love and know our Savior, Jesus
Christ. It excels at the times of our greatest weakness, when we have no
other resource, but God alone. He delights to show His power and mercy
to those who trust Him, to His glory forever! Second Corinthians 12:9
says, “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power
is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly
about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
We lost a dear friend and fellow Christian in January—Carl Moyer—
who was like a grandpa to my girls growing up in Tanzania. The impact
of his life was so remarkable and awesome! The Africans came and
shared story after story about how Carl and Joanne were angels of mercy
to them. He was a bush pilot, learned how to pull teeth (because an infected
tooth can kill you), helped run a hospital, delivered babies, performed
eye surgeries, was a great dad and grandpa, a great preacher and teacher, a
great husband (he taught men how to love their wives and to be faithful),
he was a printer, and especially loved to get God’s Word into the hands of
people. He had friends who were white, black, Hindus and Muslims, and
he was friend to them all and showed them the love of Jesus—it did not
matter who they were! God gave Deb and me an unexpected gift two days
before he died, and while his health was stable, we were able to have supper
with him and to tell him how we loved and appreciated him. It was a
very precious time for us. I told him that if I could be a quarter of the man
that God made him to be I would be very grateful. I know he is in God’s
presence and would not want to return here. He will be truly missed by so
many who loved him. But the question we ask God and others...who will
take his place? Who will, by their life lived out a step, a minute, a day at a
time, will bring people to know our great God and Savior Jesus Christ?
In January, we were really under pressure from the government to finish
and meet the requirements for our school classrooms. During school
inspection the government insisted that we repair our present classrooms
and complete our two new classrooms in order to continue school. With
the Lord’s help we were able to meet and exceed the expectations of the
government. The Lord has exceedingly blessed the school by: allowing us
to begin grade 8 (which is the beginning of high school for Zambia so for
any community school it is an amazing feat!); all 23 students in grade 7
passed to enter grade 8 (another huge unheard of event for a community
school!); a Zambian teacher has come to volunteer in our school (again
an awesome gift because this has never before happened in our school!);
expensive books for grade 8 were given to us; a new teacher was hired for
grade 7; money was given to us by the government for repair of windows and doors; we were surprised with two new interns for our preschool, and the government has promised two new government paid teachers for grade 8 (Lord willing, they will start next semester); and we have been abundantly blessed to have Pastor Emmanuel, who has worked very hard to establish a good relationship between Grace Community School and the education department of the government.
In February, our seminars started. For the first seminar our goal was to reach into our community by training our church people and schoolteachers about AIDS. We were equipping them to respond to this problem through a two-pronged approach. They were taught how to deal with AIDS from a health point of view and how to meet spiritual needs of the families affected by AIDS (that in Jesus Christ we find the answer for those suffering from this disease). In March, Jimmy Moore and several presenters taught our teachers how to teach from a Christian worldview and that the classroom is a place where our students can meet Jesus. Just this last weekend Sally Roth taught a sign language seminar to communicate Christ’s love to the deaf. A combination of hearing and deaf students learned new ways to reach out to each other and to other deaf people. We are seeking ways to expand this ministry in Mufulira.
Recently, the church began a new project of building a parsonage on our church property. This has been both a burden and a blessing. The burdens have caused blessings by forcing us to work together as a church body and this has developed more unity. We are seeking God’s guidance as we work together. Pastor Emmanuel has been an awesome leader in this area. A special thanks to those of you who have given to begin this project!
Again, God’s grace has been shown to us by the relationships that have developed through our Sunday night Bible study. All of our three families are very involved when we discuss and share biblical truth and how God can use us no matter where we are and that His truth applies in any situation. It is fun to hear the kids share their insights as well as the adults. Another sign of God’s grace was the joy in having our youngest daughter, Amanda, with us this past Christmas. Lord willing, our oldest daughter, Melissa, will be with us in April and our middle daughter, Elizabeth, will visit with us in August. Please pray for our girls as they work and go to school and face all of the challenges as “orphans” in America! We ask God to care for our children in America while we care for His children here in Africa.
Thank you for reminding us of God’s grace by your prayers for us!! May you daily remember that God’s grace is sufficient for each one of us!
God bless you,
Tim and Debbe Meier
The past few months we have seen the Lord at work in every situation.
Through some very difficult times, His grace was there to get us
through. His grace is always sufficient, never late, and comes just when it
is needed. It will be there for those who love and know our Savior, Jesus
Christ. It excels at the times of our greatest weakness, when we have no
other resource, but God alone. He delights to show His power and mercy
to those who trust Him, to His glory forever! Second Corinthians 12:9
says, “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power
is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly
about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
We lost a dear friend and fellow Christian in January—Carl Moyer—
who was like a grandpa to my girls growing up in Tanzania. The impact
of his life was so remarkable and awesome! The Africans came and
shared story after story about how Carl and Joanne were angels of mercy
to them. He was a bush pilot, learned how to pull teeth (because an infected
tooth can kill you), helped run a hospital, delivered babies, performed
eye surgeries, was a great dad and grandpa, a great preacher and teacher, a
great husband (he taught men how to love their wives and to be faithful),
he was a printer, and especially loved to get God’s Word into the hands of
people. He had friends who were white, black, Hindus and Muslims, and
he was friend to them all and showed them the love of Jesus—it did not
matter who they were! God gave Deb and me an unexpected gift two days
before he died, and while his health was stable, we were able to have supper
with him and to tell him how we loved and appreciated him. It was a
very precious time for us. I told him that if I could be a quarter of the man
that God made him to be I would be very grateful. I know he is in God’s
presence and would not want to return here. He will be truly missed by so
many who loved him. But the question we ask God and others...who will
take his place? Who will, by their life lived out a step, a minute, a day at a
time, will bring people to know our great God and Savior Jesus Christ?
In January, we were really under pressure from the government to finish
and meet the requirements for our school classrooms. During school
inspection the government insisted that we repair our present classrooms
and complete our two new classrooms in order to continue school. With
the Lord’s help we were able to meet and exceed the expectations of the
government. The Lord has exceedingly blessed the school by: allowing us
to begin grade 8 (which is the beginning of high school for Zambia so for
any community school it is an amazing feat!); all 23 students in grade 7
passed to enter grade 8 (another huge unheard of event for a community
school!); a Zambian teacher has come to volunteer in our school (again
an awesome gift because this has never before happened in our school!);
expensive books for grade 8 were given to us; a new teacher was hired for
grade 7; money was given to us by the government for repair of windows and doors; we were surprised with two new interns for our preschool, and the government has promised two new government paid teachers for grade 8 (Lord willing, they will start next semester); and we have been abundantly blessed to have Pastor Emmanuel, who has worked very hard to establish a good relationship between Grace Community School and the education department of the government.
In February, our seminars started. For the first seminar our goal was to reach into our community by training our church people and schoolteachers about AIDS. We were equipping them to respond to this problem through a two-pronged approach. They were taught how to deal with AIDS from a health point of view and how to meet spiritual needs of the families affected by AIDS (that in Jesus Christ we find the answer for those suffering from this disease). In March, Jimmy Moore and several presenters taught our teachers how to teach from a Christian worldview and that the classroom is a place where our students can meet Jesus. Just this last weekend Sally Roth taught a sign language seminar to communicate Christ’s love to the deaf. A combination of hearing and deaf students learned new ways to reach out to each other and to other deaf people. We are seeking ways to expand this ministry in Mufulira.
Recently, the church began a new project of building a parsonage on our church property. This has been both a burden and a blessing. The burdens have caused blessings by forcing us to work together as a church body and this has developed more unity. We are seeking God’s guidance as we work together. Pastor Emmanuel has been an awesome leader in this area. A special thanks to those of you who have given to begin this project!
Again, God’s grace has been shown to us by the relationships that have developed through our Sunday night Bible study. All of our three families are very involved when we discuss and share biblical truth and how God can use us no matter where we are and that His truth applies in any situation. It is fun to hear the kids share their insights as well as the adults. Another sign of God’s grace was the joy in having our youngest daughter, Amanda, with us this past Christmas. Lord willing, our oldest daughter, Melissa, will be with us in April and our middle daughter, Elizabeth, will visit with us in August. Please pray for our girls as they work and go to school and face all of the challenges as “orphans” in America! We ask God to care for our children in America while we care for His children here in Africa.
Thank you for reminding us of God’s grace by your prayers for us!! May you daily remember that God’s grace is sufficient for each one of us!
God bless you,
Tim and Debbe Meier
Mission Network News
Hello friends! Recently our work in Zambia was featured on Mission Network News. For a look at what was written, please check out this website: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/14086 The Lord continues to amaze us by providing support from around the world. Tim and Debbe
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The Lord Provides
A few days ago the Lord used the government to provide Grace Community School with two new teachers! Due to other reasons, we had lost a teacher, and were trying to figure out what to do with the kids in that class. Shortly after that, God blessed us with two teachers, that the government sent no less! This was a surprise and a great blessing for the school after all of our inspection issues with the government. With these new teachers we plan on adding grade 8 to our school! This is so exciting for the school and for our students. Praise the Lord for His provision!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
The Mercies of the Lord are New Every Morning
Lamentations 3:19-26
I remember my affliction and my wandering,the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them,and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
These verses have been our hope these past few months as we have faced many difficulties. Even now we face many struggles. Tim has been sick with malaria. And both of us have been facing various health issues, stresses, conflicts and losses. We are still grieving the loss of several close friends, Pastor Pierson and Carl Moyer. Despite all these trials we place our hope in God, the author and perfecter of our faith. Praise the Lord that He carries us through the valleys!
I remember my affliction and my wandering,the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them,and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
These verses have been our hope these past few months as we have faced many difficulties. Even now we face many struggles. Tim has been sick with malaria. And both of us have been facing various health issues, stresses, conflicts and losses. We are still grieving the loss of several close friends, Pastor Pierson and Carl Moyer. Despite all these trials we place our hope in God, the author and perfecter of our faith. Praise the Lord that He carries us through the valleys!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Building Inspection
Please pray that our buildings pass the government's inspection code. Included in the pictures are a group of students, our bathrooms, a set of classrooms and our founding plaque. Please pray that we will remain open and functioning as a school so that these children will continue to have an opportunity for a better life. Praise the Lord for the possibilities available through education!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
23 Out of 23
Praise the Lord! Twenty-three out of our twenty-three grade seven students took and passed their entrance exams for grade eight. This is unheard of, especially for a small community school, like ours. We are so proud of how hard the kids studied, and that all of them passed. A special thank you to the teachers that spent extra time educating these children! May God be praised for this success!
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