Dear Choshen Farm Family,

Usually our newsletters are geared towards informing you all about “what we’ve been up to” in Fimpulu that month. Since we are still in the states and doing mostly administrative, fundraising, research and program planning work (woohoo!) we thought we’d take this chance to back up a bit and cast some vision. Over the course of our last few months in America (just four left and then we go hooooooome!) we want to share with you a bit more about the different ministry focuses and how they exist for the grander purpose of impacting rural Zambia for Christ through relational encouragement, community development and building of the local church.

To start with, we want to share more about the farm.  The farm is the hub of everything we do, hence the name of the organization, “Choshen Farm.”  When Jeremy moved into Fimpulu in October of 2006, he found himself in the middle of the bush with a blank slate. And so what else would a farm kid from eastern Washington do? He grabbed a hoe, a machete and a sickle and started clearing ground for a farm. Practical though this course of action may have been, it was also strategic. Fimpulu, like most of rural Zambia is agrarian to the core. Everybody, from the feeblest of old ladies to the spryest of young lads, wakes up each morning, grabs their hoe and tromps down one of many bush paths towards their plot of land. The most relevant thing a pair of foreigners could do in Fimpulu would be to grab our own hoes and follow the trend. And so we do. Since the beginning, the farm has been a means of integration and relational foundation. Despite the white skin, the farm makes us understandable, purposeful… maybe even, dare I say it, normal!

We manage the farm in such a way that also jives with the local understanding of “standard agriculture.” There are no tractors, diesel generators or mechanized irrigation systems for a good reason. Having those would classify as negative differences since our neighbors are not able to follow suit because of financial and other limiting factors. We do, however, introduce positive differences through the farm such as strategic crop rotation, organic fertilizer and simplified mound construction as these are things that are both very doable for our community and extremely profitable. We emphasize more intensive management and slight modification to traditional techniques to show our neighbors how they too can experience higher yields.

The farm has become a model for the community in a variety of ways. People from around our village and from great distances have traveled to the farm just to “take a looksee.” We’ve had a variety of Ministry of Agriculture officials come and view the farm as well. Everyone leaves with two comments: “nothing is wasted” and, “I could totally do this.”

Many locals have also honed in on the generosity of the farm. Choshen farm tends to produce at a much higher level than the average farm (excluding those farms that have adopted some of our simple techniques) and yet we (as farm owners) are obviously not getting rich. It is understood that the farm exists for the good of the community. Most noticeable is the fact that we give away a HUGE percentage of the farm’s produce to help families in need. (More on this when we delve into HBC.) Likewise, people acknowledge the farm’s effort to provide a meaningful source of income for those who are struggling financially. In addition to the regular workers at the farm (who have become like family to us), we regularly take on what are known as “piece workers” or day laborers, plugging them into the regular farm operations and thereby giving them a chance to earn some money to get over the hump, avert a crisis or meet a crucial goal. Many of our piece workers are looking for money to put children through school – the noblest of endeavors as far as we are concerned. Choshen Farm has gained a reputation as a place where, if you are a hardworking mom or dad who wants to put your children’s needs before your own, you can come and find the assistance you need to do right by your family. We love rewarding initiative, especially when put forth by fathers, as it gives us a chance to affirm Biblical truths of parenting and responsibility.

Despite the huge success that the farm has had in terms of being an integrative tool, a model of excellence in sustainable agriculture and an agent of grace to the poor and the needy, the thing that still matters most to us, with respect to the farm’s existence, is its fertile ground of relationship and discipleship. Most piece workers who come out looking for temporary assistance end up becoming a permanent fixture in our lives as we walk with them not only through their current crisis but through the daily stuff of life that also ensues. More truth has been spoken as people come looking for quick solutions and find themselves leaving with profound encouragement through life-long advocates. The students who spend time at the farm, especially our sponsored students who live with us at the farm for several months out of the year, have become both interns of the farm and studiers of the Word. These young people actually requested that we build them a house so that they could spend more time with us and listen to our teaching. Armed with Bibles and fellowship, these students spend hours with us each day discussing world view and truth and how to live godly lives in a culture that doesn’t agree with any of it. These kids give us so much hope as we send them back to school and then wait to hear about how they are influencing their classmates with the same messages. So encouraging!

bunk house under construction

The regular, adult, long-term workers at the farm are the most consistent population for discipleship. We have walked with many of them through addiction, infidelity, deceit, and other dark nights of the soul. Many a work day has halted in its tracks so that a teaching moment could take place. (Object lessons from farms are the best!) Over the years, each of these men, Jimmy, Boniface, Vincent, Enoch, Zachariah and Bright, have been challenged in their perceptions of reality, looking now to the Bible as their standard for true life instead of the worlds empty claims. Forgiveness, integrity, trustworthiness, kindness, faith and love are all things that these men have studied in depth as they’ve been challenged to live them out in action and in truth.  If ever we have bad day, we remember these men and the transformative power of the gospel.

We spoke to one of the farm guys yesterday, asking for a report on how the crops were doing and he responded, “the crops are just very happy.” And so are we.

There are a lot of wonderful, and even impressive things happening at the farm. The fields are absolutely bountiful, the fish ponds gorgeous (in their own fishy way,) the chickens multiplying left and right and an abundance of bodies milling and tilling and engaging in what they know and do best. But the true glory is in the workings of the Lord of the Harvest as He brings these efforts to fruition in so many lives.

All glory and honor and praise be to Him.

promoting environmental shalom at the local ag show

giving away farm produce at HBC

working side by side

gathering of pieceworkers

"for the beauty of the earth"

Dear Friends,

Happy belated Thanksgiving to you all! We trust that this holiday season has begun for you with great joy and remembrance of all the Lord has done. For us, we’ve enjoyed the last several weeks visiting with family and catching up with friends. Having a fabulous, traditional, American Thanksgiving meal was pretty fun too. We reminisced about our first Thanksgiving together 5 years ago – we had a turkey substitute of pan seared mushrooms plucked from the bush area behind the farm accompanied by some glazed carrots and potatoes. Yummy, but also probably not what the Pilgrims ate.

Oh October, the month of unholy (really high) temperatures and last minute scrambles before leaving. Most of the month is a blur – probably a result of heat stroke. But there are some definite hi-lights. Bethany spent most of October finishing up support group trainings that began in September. The vision of HBC has always been to form support groups that would be a place of holistic health/healing for people as well as a strategy for HBC’s sustainability. The initiative began with a week-long “training of trainers” in which Bethany trained the 20 HBC caregivers to run the support group trainings themselves. Following the TOT, we set up a workshop schedule for three week-long trainings of support groups representing the distinct regions of the catchment area. The topics ranged from basic information about HIV, to food and nutrition, to stigma to positive living. The first training week was a little rocky as the caregivers worked really hard at improving their facilitation skills. After the first day, which, admittedly, was less than stellar, the caregivers sat down with Bethany for a debrief and one blurted out, “you make this look so easy, but facilitation is really hard!” Bit by bit the caregivers grew in their confidence and abilities to speak to groups and teach smoothly. As they saw their own improvement, they had a lot of reason to be proud of themselves. They also were able to identify certain lessons, like – “if you teach someone to do something that you yourself do not do, everyone will know you are a sham;” and “if you obviously don’t believe what you are saying, or if you contradict yourself at all, your message is shot.” Identifying teaching lessons like these is so important given the number of church leaders who are amongst our caregivers. The trainings were also a valued outreach to the HBC clients as well. There were a few “lightbulb moments” that stand out.

During the unit on stigma the groups were asked to do skits reflecting scenarios where stigma and discrimination are common. Interestingly/sadly in each of the trainings one of the skits involved discrimination in church where people would not want to sit next to or take communion with people with HIV or AIDS. All of the groups talked about preachers who preach from the pulpit that people with AIDS are sinners and are going to hell. It was so fascinating as the conversation continued and defensive proclamations came forth announcing that “we are not sinners!” The tension was really visible on everyone’s faces as it was like they all wanted to believe that they weren’t sinners and that the preacher was lying, but something just wasn’t sitting well. It was at times like these that the caregiver facilitating for the day would look over with that “help me, Bethany!” face and we would begin talking about Romans 3:23. Explaining that ALL have sinned and fallen short and are only justified by Jesus, the faces started to change from ‘defiant but still guilty’ to something more peaceful and accepting. There was a chance to explain in each one of the trainings that the reason why those preachers are wrong is because they are belittling certain people instead of teaching about the problem of sin in EVERY person’s life, including their own. There was a sense of relief in the room each time people were given the freedom to say “that’s right, I am a sinner, but so are you, and we all have access to a solution if we choose Jesus.”

During the lessons on positive living we talked about holistic wellbeing and explained it as the physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing of a person. More lightbulbs came on as people talked about how living in fear or hiding from other Christians is just as “unhealthy” as not eating enough protein. The issue of witchdoctors being “unhealthy” came up in each of the trainings as well and people were a bit divided on whether something so traditional could actually be bad for you. But each of the groups decided that this was something that deserved more attention and was added to the list of “further trainings” to be addressed down the road. We’re really excited about the prospects. It was so apparent throughout those weeks for trainings that truth communicated in a specific context carries for people so much more weight than truth communicated in a bubble. It’s almost like when people walk through the doors of their church they are somehow teleported into this world of unreality where scriptures are interesting, but irrelevant. But stick people under a tree and talk about life issues that matter to them, and suddenly the Bible’s teaching about sin and salvation, and the spiritual darkness accompanying witchdoctors is suddenly interesting, relevant and applicable to every-day life.

There’s more to say about the support groups, but that would leave out the rest of October. We had some good meetings with local leaders about a project proposal for a local market (you’ll be hearing more about this soon.) We also spent some good time with our board of directors discussing with them their role while we are gone and encouraging them to run the ministry well. And yes, there were a lot of preparations for us leaving as well. We had to bundle everything up into rat-proof tubs and make arrangements with our squadron of 12 year old boys who were chomping at the bit to be picked as our live-in security guards while we’re gone. (We decided these 12 year olds were worth their keep when the night we left they managed to kill an ugly, 4 foot long, black mamba that was making a b-line for our front door. Woohoo, go get ‘em Chabu!)  We asked a ton of people whether it was alright with the village that we were going to be gone for so long and the general response was, “Of course we’ll miss you, but you guys always come back when you say you will. Just hurry up and bring us that baby!” We feel really supported by the whole community in our decision to come home for this time and have actually had the chance to talk to quite a few people in the last week we’ve been home. We also know in our hearts that coming home to get the proper care and support is important in terms of being able to go back and do our jobs even better.

We’re getting regular reports from the field and will be passing news along to everyone periodically, so you can expect to keep hearing from us. So until next time, God bless.

Jeremy and Bethany

Dear Friends,

There is a lot that could be written about this past month, but one particular story has, for us, trumped all. We feel the need to share it with you now. At the beginning of September, one of the men in our village was hit and killed by a taxi van.  The young man was one that we have had a good amount of interaction with and had helped him with a loan for school fees two years ago.  He left behind a wife and two little girls.  It is sad that he died, but what is even more troubling are the events surrounding his death.

Two years ago, Joseph sought us out to ask for help in completing his 12^th grade education.  He had finished up through grade 11 and now just needed a bit of help with grade 12 and the exams to finish.  After discussing his situation with him more, we agreed to help and he started working at the farm with the guys to pay off his debt.  When school started, he headed out and we didn’t hear from or see much of him, since grade 12 students stay at school during the holidays for tutoring.

Near the end of October last year, Joseph’s family came to me asking for help.  He was missing from school and they wanted to use the vehicle to drive around and try to find him.  The family explained that it seemed like he was worried about passing his exams and so had asked a traditional healer (witchdoctor’s are technically illegal in Zambia so they call themselves “healers” instead) for help.  Apparently, he did not fulfill the requirements and had been possessed by an evil spirit.  This spirit drove Joseph into the bush for several days.  When he was found, he was nearly naked and his feet were all cut up and bleeding.  When I came across him, he was sitting on the back of a bicycle with his hands tied to the seat on his way to the clinic.  Boniface was with me and we stopped the bicycle and talked to Joseph, prayed over him, and encouraged him to walk in the light.

Earlier this year, a young woman came to the farm asking for work because her children were hungry and she didn’t even have money for soap.  Upon further inquiry we discovered that she was Joseph’s wife, whom he had never mentioned to us.  We told her that we would like to speak to her husband.  A couple days later Joseph came but still had nothing to say about his wife, he wanted another loan to retake his grade 12 exams since he had not taken them last year.  We said no to the loan and then proceeding to talk to him about being a good husband and father and taking care of his family first and then finishing his grade 12.  I know that to Americans this might seem strange but a grade 12 certificate is more of a bragging right in the village than a job opportunity enhancer.  We said he could come work, but the money needed to go to his family.  He left and never came for work.

That brings us to September 2011.  Joseph went crazy again.  His family found him and stayed with him where he was that night, restraining him the entire time.  Interestingly, three weeks earlier, Joseph had given an elaborate prayer in church, kneeling on the floor with hands raised (which is very uncommon here.)  I had thought during the prayer that something about his voice and how he was praying did not seem right and I was praying for him and everyone else in the room while he prayed on.  On the night that his family found him mad and had to restrain him, he told them, “even though you are holding me like this tonight, tomorrow you won’t and I will be dead before 10:00.”  The next morning the family was walking with him along the road to go seek help from the local “traditional healer.”  As they walked, a taxi bus was coming toward them but on the opposite side of the road.  As it came to them, it swerved (some say to miss a pothole but they were all filled in two months ago) and the father who was holding Joseph stepped back out of the way while Joseph stepped forward in the path of the vehicle, killing him on the spot.  This happened at 9:37am.

Over the next couple of days the funeral traditions took place and he was buried.  The owner of the taxi brought food to the funeral and agreed to come the following week to settle the situation.  In Zambia, it doesn’t matter whether or not it is the driver’s fault, he has to pay.  There have been three specific times while driving from Mansa to Fimpulu that people have tried to deliberately jump in front of the Land Rover and while their families pull them back.  If I were to have hit them, it would have been my fault and I would have paid.  So the following week, the owner of the vehicle comes with more food and sits with the family.  At this point family comes from all over the place.  Second Uncles and Aunts pop up out of the woodwork to get their cut.  Jimmy, Zachariah, and I were working nearby and heard the arguing over the money (after the driver had left) as to who would get what.  Sadly, the wife and children get next to nothing.  The money goes mostly to the parents, grandparents, and uncles who have “invested” in the boy.  In Zambia, parents have a lot of children as an investment for their future.  Children are put through school so that they can get a better job and send their money in their old age.  When Joseph died, the potential for return on that investment was suddenly now gone so the 7.2 million kwacha (about $1,500) got split between his “investors.”  It is believed that the wife is young and will probably remarry and therefore can take care of herself.  They neglect that a “man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife,” and that “a righteous man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children.”

This brings us back to our on going struggle to encourage our neighbors that witchdoctors and traditional healers are agents of darkness and that true children of God walk in the light.  So many of our neighbors still see no problem with getting help from both sides.  The main problem being that they really only want God for the sake of the power – not for relationship and not to worship the God of universe in reverence and awe.  Please continue to pray for the people of Fimpulu in the midst of this battle.

On a completely different note, one wonderful piece of news is that we, Jeremy and Bethany, are pregnant!  We are into the second trimester and things are looking good so far.  For the sake of Bethany and our little one, we will be shifting our work to the States until MiniColvin is born and receives his/her first immunization shots.  Most of that time will be spent in Ithaca with a 6 week visit to Spokane from November 17^th to December 24^th.  Your prayers for our family are coveted during this time.  Also, be praying for the leadership that has been growing in Fimpulu as they take on the responsibility for leading the ministry.  They have been doing great but all have expressed sadness in missing us during these months.  We are looking forward to returning to Fimpulu fresh, strong, and with another addition to the Choshen Farm Family.  We would also like to encourage financial supporters to keep giving; the work will not stop in our absence and we will still be in heavy communication with Fimpulu as the work progresses and peoples needs and hearts and ministered to.

Lovingly,

Jeremy, Bethany, and MiniColvin

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Praise the Lord for His loving mercy in giving us His Son, Jesus Christ to save us while we were still sinners, and for the Holy Spirit who directs and guides us for His glory and our good. It is amazing to me that the God of the universe, the Creator of all things, would go to such lengths in order to have a relationship with His created image. Praise the Lord all the earth and especially you who are called His own!!!

Right now we are in the middle of holiday with the school kids. It has been a busy time but a very rich time with the boys and a profitable time with the girls. The boys have been staying in the newly constructed bunkhouse at the farm during the week. From Monday morning to Friday evening they are there eating together, working together, being tutored together, and studying God’s Holy Word together. We have been working through a New Believers Theology course hitting topics like, what is true conversion, communicating with God, and what is sin. We are about half way through and the boys and men (workers at the farm are also going through it) are asking A LOT of good questions and several of them are being convicted by the Holy Spirit to repent. One of our farm workers has a habit of smoking daga (in the States we call it weed). Three days in, he brought a bag of it to our time together, repented, and asked if we could burn it. We immediately went outside with a hot brazier, piled some sticks on top and burned it while we stood up wind and laid hands on him and prayed for him. The main theme of our lessons continues to be that obedience to the Bible doesn’t save us, Christ’s blood on the cross saves us, and we then obey the Bible to show God how much we love Him for saving us. That is were the change comes and these men are eager for the change!

An interesting thing in all this is a lesson the Lord has been teaching me. Last month we wrote about the importance of relationships. I have been slightly discouraged, thinking it has taken me 5 years to get to this point with these men. However, through their own testimonies the men encouraged me, sharing with me that I present this information to them like no one else. The words the preacher says on the CD are powerful but my explanation of the words to them using the things they know help them understand. “Even the preachers in our own churches do not teach us like you.” And then I am encouraged once again that the years of walking beside these men in all of life is what has made it possible to take truth and speak it into their lives in ways they understand. The girls are newer to the program but great diligence is being taken to establish deep, meaningful relationships so that they to may hear and know the truths spoken by God in the Bible. The Lord be praised for His unfathomable wisdom!

Other Fimpulu news is that we have a newly constructed cell tower. Choshen Farm now has cell phone reception at the farm which is a huge blessing. Of course it isn’t always very good but it is there and we are enjoying it. If you want to call or often the better way is to sms/text message us, you can use (26) 097-915-2178 or (26) 097-373-8061. Emails are also great as they come through automatically on the phone.

Please pray for the remaining 2 weeks of holiday with the students, that they would be profitable and fruitful for God’s glory and our good. Also pray for Bethany as she does Support Group Trainings for our chronically ill neighbors and friends.

“And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)

Jeremy & Bethany Colvin

Choshen Farm Directors

Dear Friends,

Well, its August already which means we should probably hurry up and tell you about July before it gets too far away! The main highlights involve having “America in Zambia” for the better part of July. John, a Cornellian who actually arrived in June, continued serving with us in a variety of ways. He and Bethany team-taught 8th grade math at Fimpulu Basic School for the second term. The two found many of the same struggles that Bethany encountered last year in teaching the English classes. Illiteracy, absenteeism and a frustratingly apathetic teaching staff continue to be many of the challenges. Math is an interesting subject as it requires less English comprehension than, well, English class. Once the kids realized that their familiar Bemba would not be spoken this term, they started tuning in more to the concepts at hand. There was much un-teaching to be done as we picked up on some really funky math concepts that somehow had worked their way in. Negative three plus four is not seven, negative seven, or seventeen; and one half plus one half is not one fourth, two fourths or zero. With just one week left, the students, we feel, are much more confident and at this point know more algebra than their 9th grade counterparts, many of whom are taking 9th grade over again because (ironically) they failed the math portion of the exam last year. Perhaps the biggest benefit to our teaching at the school, however, is simply our presence and subtle influence towards the headmaster and other teachers at the school. Advocating for the students in ways that the parents cannot (or do not) by arguing points such as “perhaps the students should be in class instead of harvesting the teachers maize” and “shaving a strip of hair off the children’s’ heads because their hair has grown 1/100th of a centimeter too long might be considered child abuse.” Interestingly/sadly, many of the teachers at the school are also prominent church members and preachers. We pray for an ongoing influence in their work and lives such that they might see what sort of kindness, diligence, and sacrifice ought to accompany those who consider themselves Christians. The students are sorely missing “Mr. John” as he has headed back to school. Bethany will finish out the term on her own and hopefully transition next term to a position more of administrative assistance to help the headmaster continue ironing out other education policy issues.

English classes have continued this month, as well, with a fourth class added for basic literacy instruction. John, Pete, Trish and Bethany have all been working with these English learners, which has proved to be extremely beneficial for the ministry. It has not been uncommon to see Bibles flipped open before, during, and after lessons as everything from vocabulary to theology required discussion. The women in the literacy and beginners class have become extremely open with Bethany as a result of the time and investment. We are at the LRC four nights a week with seven different time slots being filled by English classes. It has been great to see the building get so much use and to see so much positive, life-on-life interaction as a result.

The Garland Youth Team arrived on the 7th of July and we wasted no time sending them out into the community. They began their Fimpulu adventure with a one night home-stay to help each of the youth and adults adjust to culture and food and atmospheric differences. The debrief was fun as many of the youth expressed their own version of “Toto, we’re not in Kansas any more.” The bulk of their time in Zambia was spent putting on a youth camp for girls in grades 7, 8, and 9. The camp gained momentum and interest each day as the local girls quickly realized that “back at the farm” was clearly the place to be. Soon we were up to over 70 girls singing and laughing and learning. The purpose of the camp was to equip Fimpulu girls with biblically grounded life-skills while also giving the American girls a chance to explore their own teaching styles and expanding world-views. The lessons covered confidence, goal setting, abstinence and capital “T” truths relating to who God is and who we are in Him. It was a unique opportunity for the Fimpulu youth to listen to and interact with a group of peers from a different country who were themselves confident, goal-oriented, abstinent, and obviously obsessed with Jesus. Likewise, it was a good opportunity for the American youth to be stretched in their public speaking skills, servant attitudes, and cross-cultural adaptation. The American girls did great, as did the lone male youth on the team who was a stalwart supporter of the camp. The three leaders accompanying the youth provided excellent leadership of their teens and were also a great encouragement to us as we juggled camp, regular duties of community life, as well as handling all of those tiny, behind the scenes logistics of hosting a team and making sure that the hoard of Fimpulu youth, cooks, and translators were all happy and engaged. Most of the team has gone back – they left behind (purposefully) Lauren who is between high-school and college and spending the rest of her summer with us here – and we are still listening to camp songs being sung throughout the village (the fruit of the spirit’s not a coconut…knock, knock) and hearing many requests for a boys camp and more girls camps as soon as possible. Its something we’re considering more and more as our work with youth continues to expand.

Having multiple foreigners come and visit for a time has been so interesting to us. Four and a half years in one place means it’s really easy to forget why certain things might be hard if you aren’t used to them. Drowning in a sea of Bemba language, being poked, prodded, and stroked by curious fingers, being laughed at for no apparent reason – these are all things that perhaps once were disturbing/upsetting but at this point, either don’t happen any more or we don’t notice when they do. But there’s a bigger adjustment that has to happen when you become a missionary. For nearly everyone, the challenge of figuring out how to relate to individuals on a person-to-person level is extremely difficult. Its something we’ve been observing routinely over the last several months as we’ve seen three individuals, one couple and one team venture out into Fimpulu life for a season. Striking up a meaningful conversation with someone with whom you have little to nothing in common is a daunting task. It is, in many cases, easier to occupy yourself with a program, presenting ideas and activities to stay “busy” without really having to get too close and awkwardly interact. Anyone can learn to get up early, engage in farm chores, bathe less often and eat nshima with their right hand. But we’ve been really proud of the ones who have embraced the challenge of cross-cultural friendship. It’s not easy. We know that. As for ourselves, we’ve been introspective on this point. People and “relationships first” have always been core values of Jeremy, Bethany and Choshen Farm. Programs and activities for us are only a means to an end – that end being authentic and deep relationships for the purpose of truth communication. Observing the push back from many visitors, we started asking the question, “So how did we get to be this way? Why are we so focused on relationship when others shy away from it?”

We actually figure it mostly has to do with the fact that nobody ever told us different. We came to Fimpulu as novice missionaries who didn’t know any better and weren’t taking our cues from other fancy, program-oriented ministries. We were alone in a tiny village and decided to start making friends out of necessity more than anything else. We quickly learned more and more that integration, investment, and engagement were more important in the long run than anything else. Furthermore, we learned that the best way to engage relationally was to become as Zambian as possible, which necessitated letting go of our American-ness bit by bit. This is a challenge that we consider fun and endeavor to do it better every day. That’s just who we are. That’s just how we function. We appreciate that this is difficult for people who are fresh off of the American plane, and are really blessed by those who have sacrificed time and money and energy to give it a go. And as we’ve said before, seeing the contrast between the newbies and ourselves also gives us many reasons to give thanks for what God has taught us and the change he has performed. We are growing daily, learning more things moment by moment, but are constantly encouraged by the testimony of God’s grace. Please continue to pray for us in this and pray also for those who pass through this place, that Choshen Farm would be fertile ground for growing in grace and learning how to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Peace,

Jeremy & Bethany

International props to Boniface Kalobwe, Choshen Farm worker, for just going head to head with a giant King Cobra that’s been eating our eggs and terrorizing our chickens. The score has been settled: Boniface: 1, King Cobra: 0.

Exciting events on the farm often remind me that it’s time to write home and share some of these happenings. The biggest news in the area this month comes from Mansa, the local town 18 miles from us where we shop, bank, and bring people to the hospital.

“MOB FORMS, POLICE KILL TWO IN RIOTS IN MANSA” was the headline of the Zambian Post just a few days before Easter. The situation was this:

It came to light that several young children in Mansa had been abducted and murdered so that their hearts could be extracted and sold to witch doctors for use in potions and rituals. Bodies of children minus their hearts had been found in the bush, but the perpetrators were unknown for some time. However, the child abductors were finally found when a young boy’s screams were heard by the neighbors. His attackers were detained, questioned and promptly beaten unconscious, covered with trees, and set afire. With the smell of charred bodies saturating the air, a mob set in motion to discover who was buying these hearts.

Witch hunts tend to never be rational, and when the chance for looting is involved, “mobthink” is always destructive. The mob for the next several days smashed buildings, set cars on fire and threatened anyone they thought could be connected to the abductions, killings and human-heart-trafficking. The Zambian Army, Police and National Service descended on the small town of Mansa to restore order and ended up killing two people in the process. Eventually things calmed down, and life went back to “normal.”

Fimpulu was technically not touched by the events, though nobody traveled in or out of Mansa for about a week just to be safe. For Jeremy and Bethany, we’ve known that there is a market for human hearts and are not overly surprised that finally this information was coming out, but we are still saddened by the events.

At our church leaders meeting yesterday we continued our discussions on culture and the gospel. We talked about how traditional culture teaches people that rituals and sacrifices must be performed to appease the spirits – hence the demand for things like human hearts. There is a culture of needing to “work to keep the spirits happy.” This is where people find much security. With the right potion, ritual, custom or tradition, the ancestors will be pleased and things will go well. When this perspective carries over into Christianity however, many people treat God much the same way that they treat the spirits. They labor to keep God happy, just as they do the unpredictable ancestors.

We talked in our meeting about how the majority of people attend church, give money and are kind to their neighbors because they are trying to manipulate God into being good to them. Instead of recognizing that, in Jesus, we are free from striving to please God, many people still live in fear, believing that the God of Christianity is just as capricious as the ancestral spirits. We read passages together that explained grace and God’s free gift. It was great to watch pastors process the information and then verbalize the realization that by preaching a works-based religion, they were getting money from people and retaining volunteers, but reinforcing a culturally engrained idea that gods must be appeased.

Ideas went around the circle about how to create a new culture, a culture of grace, where human hearts and rituals are not needed to atone, but rather faith in Christ alone. “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him [Jesus], and through him to reconcile all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” (Colossians 1:19-20) People agreed that it will take a work of the Lord for hearts to change, but these leaders are committed to speaking truth in their congregations, and we’re so thankful.

As an update to the information we sent mid-month about child scholarships: Thank you to those of you who have responded with a willingness to support. Since sending that information two weeks ago, we received a deluge of students requesting assistance for school, the vast majority of which are single or double orphans and have no one to help them other than the folks at Choshen Farm. We’ve spent the last several days interviewing kids and trying to decide who we should say yes to and who we just can’t help. It’s a difficult task as we haven’t spoken to a single child who doesn’t deserve an education or who doesn’t have great potential. We’ve had to guess a bit and pray a lot about how many students we might reasonably be able to find sponsors for, and ultimately said yes to 25 kids. With sponsors lined up for only about 5 of those kids and school starting in one week, we are praying hard that the right people will step forward. We trust that God, as he knows the situation of each of these children even better than we do, will provide for all of their needs.

We’ve started taking the following verse very seriously:

“IF YOU SPEND YOURSELF ON BEHALF OF THE POOR, YOUR LIGHT WILL SHINE LIKE THE NOONDAY SUN.” (Isaiah 58:10)

In a place where ritual killings and AIDS and child orphans without hope are the norm – how could our calling be anything else BUT to spend ourselves on behalf of the poor and watch as that noonday sun shines forth, penetrating darkness and glorifying our Father in heaven?

We feel so privileged to labor in this place and are thankful for those of you who have joined us financially and in prayer.

With Love,

Jeremy and Bethany

Dear Friends,

We trust you are all doing well in your own corner of the world. March for us flew by and we’re glad to be able to share with you many of the events.

Whew. Here we go.

It feels a bit like we spent half of our month ferrying people back and forth to and from the hospital – in the middle of the night for a lot of them, no less. One day in particular sums it all up. It all started when we were called out of bed to go see a woman Linda. A young lady in her early twenties, already widowed, left with twin babies, and also in the advanced stages of AIDS – we got to her when she was already quite ill. Unfortunately, her family waited until she had been having diarrhea for three weeks straight before coming and asking for help. We found her on the floor of her hut, unable to even speak. Jeremy carried her to the Land Rover and sped to the hospital, again carrying her into the treatment room. (The Fimpulu clinical officer said that he wouldn’t do anything for her, blaming the family for not bringing her earlier and explaining that he didn’t want her death to be on his record.)

We drove to town the next day to check on Linda and found her relatives half way, walking in the direction of Fimpulu which indicated that Linda had passed away. As the people in the vehicle all started crying, I couldn’t help but think, “two more orphans in the world. The number keeps growing.”

We continued on to the hospital anyway, needing to pick up BaShi Chiti and his broken arm, which we were hoping had a cast on it (that broken arm incident was another late night hospital run a few days earlier – the clinic wouldn’t do anything for him either – not even a little tylenol for the pain…arg).

Just before reaching the hospital we met Bana Chapa (a good friend of ours) walking with her eldest daughter. They flagged us down and told us they needed a ride out to Fimpulu if we could take them. The Chapa’s grandson had died of malaria in the hospital the night before. We asked where the boy was and they motioned to Bana Chapa’s back. For every mother out there, I would just like you to stop and think for one minute what it would be like to watch your two year old son die from a treatable, preventable disease, and then wrap him up, strap him onto your back with a sheet and begin to trod 18 miles in 90 degree heat. That’s what Bana Chapa was doing.

This is real life to millions of people around the world. Incredible pain and no pain killer, Inadequate health facilities with no real personnel. AIDS that whittles away the body. Mosquitoes that are absolutely deadly. And dead babies strapped to your back. It’s depressing. WHERE IS THE HOPE??? It’s certainly not us. Jeremy and Bethany Colvin are not the hope of Fimpulu. We’ve lived there four years and still cry every time someone we tried to help dies anyway. WHERE IS THE HOPE???

Isaiah 25:7-9
On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth.
The LORD has spoken.
In that day they will say,
“Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

We have to read these words often to ourselves as a reminder. This is our hope. This is what we speak of. Each time we pray for people and tell them to take heart, we are longing for this truth come down: we trusted Him, and He saved us. We strive so hard to link health with gospel grace that people might see with their physical eyes removal of disgrace and join with us saying, THIS IS OUR GOD!

We shared with our Church leaders this month quite a lot about these things. We want people to find hope and comfort, and yet it tears us apart to see The Sovereign LORD, the Hope of Salvation dismissed and denied in favor of tradition, especially in situations of health and healing. We shared with the leaders some examples of traditional practices that honor the power of dead ancestors’ spirits instead of honoring the Lord.

Things like coffin chasings and healing beads and white powders and special chants and blessings – they all are used to do one of two things. They either pacify capricious spirits to prevent a negative condition from occurring, or they draw on the latent power of the spirits to reverse a negative condition. And yet, Isaiah 8:19 says, “When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?”

At our last meeting we hung a tarp down the middle of the Learning Resource Center and sticky-tacked verses to both sides. On one side, the verses gave the charge to believers to fight well, to hold on, to persevere, to wage war, to stand against the enemy, to stay the course. On the other side were warnings against those who practice divination, consult mediums and engage spirits. After having studied 1 John for a few months, the group understood well the concept of walking in the light verses walking in the dark. The dividing wall created by the tarp provided a sharp visual to emphasize that a choice needed to be made. The line was drawn, not by Jeremy and Bethany, but by the Word itself. It was fascinating discussion as we listened to people share about members of their churches arranging coffin chasings and visiting mediums. The general consensus of the group was, “We call ourselves Christians, but we act like unbelievers. This needs to end.” The time of prayer and repentance that followed the discussion was powerful.

The leaders have requested that we meet with them twice a month from here on out, which is encouraging as it will give us twice the opportunity to facilitate healthy discussion and deep study of the Word with these village leaders. We understand that there are still barriers to be overcome. The church leaders want to see the village transformed, for true peace to reign. The process however is not totally clear. Tradition runs deep. And by deep I mean DEEEEEEEEP. But its something we have the pleasure to walk through together.

On a different but slightly related note, when we weren’t in and out of the hospital, we spent much of our time at the farm and working with parents of students many of whom are still looking for money to send their kids to school. Especially for the older kids who are needing substantial sums of money, Choshen Farm is seen, in many ways, as the only hope. We took on several more scholarship students than we had originally planned and set up programs for parents to come and work for the money while the kids went to school. We did everything we could but still found the need to be much greater than what we were able to provide. Eventually, we had to start saying no to people. Mothers were coming and begging for help, offering to do any job if only we might be able to loan them some cash to make education possible. Even for the most desperate we still had to apologize and still say no, explaining that there are no more jobs on the farm for anyone to work, and even if there were, we’ve literally handed out every last Kwacha in our pockets. It’s difficult because we realize what our answer of no means to that child and that family. I had a grandmother with sullen eyes sit across from me and ask the question, “What is my granddaughter going to do now?” The grandmother then answered her own question, telling me what I already knew. The grandmother told me in simple phrases that this young girl will, at age 15, get married, promptly start having kids and live in poverty for the rest of her life. What the grandmother didn’t say, but we know from statistics is that this girl, having ended school at this state of her life is more likely to… contract HIV or another fatal illness; have sub-par household sanitation; bear an unhealthy number of children; be illiterate and have illiterate children; and struggle to feed and educate her children. It sounds melodramatic to say that her life is over, but to a certain degree, it is, and the shaking of the grandmother’s head with her hands on her forehead showed that she too understood this harsh reality.

We’re working on putting together a scholarship student packet of sorts to help connect people with students so as to offset some of the financial burden from Choshen regarding all of these students. Be looking for that this next month.

Thank you for taking the time to read and share in the lives of those around us. We continue to covet your prayers and support.

In Christ,

Jeremy & Bethany

Dear Family and Friends,

Our return to Fimpulu has given 2011 a great start. Following the 12 hour trip up from Lusaka, we thankfully reached familiar territory once again. With each new greeting, we received enthusiastic handshakes and warm words of welcome. Back at the farm we found fields of cabbage, tomatoes, soy beans, groundnuts, and maize all growing beautifully.  The chickens are healthy and the fish are fat.  God has really blessed the land and the guys’ hard work in cultivating it.  We are so encouraged by the success of the local management and consider these last months a big step towards sustainable development.

First order of business upon arrival was organizing and meeting the needs of our sponsored school children.  School fees for thirteen secondary school boys gave us the chance to max out our ATM withdrawal limit for 4 days straight, after which we began to focus on the younger students with needs of their own. Shopping for new uniforms and getting necessary books, bags, soap, & shoe polish was once again an absolute joy as we continue to partake in these students’ lives. We were especially pleased to work with several young ladies who have taken charge of their education and are committed to success. All of these students work so hard in order to go places in life.  They are thankful for your support, as are we.

And of course as soon as we got back we had some serious catching up to do. If Fimpulu had its own newspaper, these would be some of the headlines:

Ax Murderer Runs Free. A young man in the village murdered his grandmother with an ax as an act of retribution, claiming that the grandmother had killed his brother through witchcraft.  Before ever committing the crime, the man announced to the community his intention to kill and, interestingly enough, received approval from many who agreed that the grandmother was indeed a witch. Post-murder, the man’s conscience disturbed him, prompting him to turn himself into the police. However, the village members refused to let him do so, wanting instead to protect him from certain punishment. The village also refused to let the Catholic Church (of which the grandmother was an active member) give the woman (“witch”) a Christian burial.  The church responded that, “Her status is between her and God,” and buried her properly.

Headman Denied A Divorce after Committing Adultery. Local Headman Chabwe asked a Mansa court for a divorce after being caught, by his wife, in bed with the Headwoman of the neighboring village. The court refused to grant a legal divorce stating that: “You are to be examples to your communities.  We cannot let you divorce and then tell other people how they ought to live.”  With two broken families and two very angry villages in the mix, the Chief has been asked to dismiss both parties from their post as Headpersons. Being the adjunct children of Chabwe and his wife, we are particularly saddened by this course of events.

Droughts Cause Worry over this Years Crops. Intermittent rains and long periods of dry weather have alarmed farmers in a place generally known for its abundant rainfall.  The lack of water, coupled with late planting due to government delays in paying for last year’s crops, has severely stunted much of the maize. Choshen Farm Maize is approximately 2-3 times taller than everyone else’s! – a huge PRAISE THE LORD for His leading us to plant early this year! The well at our house is also working overtime to supply drinking water to dozens of families as it is the only water source that never dried up during the rainy season.

Wow, what a place we live in. We count it such a privilege to serve here. After getting the kids off to their boarding schools and catching up on the goings on of the village, we hit the ground running and already have full calendars till kingdom come. The one hundred new laying hens residing at Choshen Farm are set up in their newly built house and are being equipped with water systems and feeders to boot. Kids who were refusing to go to preschool until their escort Bethany returned are now back in uniform and singing nicely. We are mourning the loss of 5 HBC clients in the past two months (‘tis the season, unfortunately) but are thankful for the new ones added and looking forward to another productive year of AIDS outreach in the community.

2011 promises to be an awesome year. We invite you to keep in touch with us better by checking out our updated website at www. Choshenfarm.org. Also, if you are on Facebook, “friend” us and read more details in your news feed.  If you haven’t seen the videos we have up on youtube, search for Choshen Farm and check out some of the features.

We are still about $1,500 in regular donor support away from meeting our monthly budget for this year and have already had some pretty hefty expenses due to vehicle repairs. (Exact words of the mechanic in Lusaka: “I can’t believe you guys made it the last 800 kilometers to get here”… yeah, well…) Our God is a God who provides. Amen? Thank you for being a part of this work and please do encourage those in your respective spheres to consider partnering with us as well.

Jeremy and Bethany Colvin
Choshen Farm Directors