Saturday, September 25, 2010

New update

Hey everyone,
Just wanted to send you a quick update on my next few weeks here. We are almost done with our book translation of "The Youth Builder" by Jim Burns into Chechewa and are looking forward to passing it out to various bible colleges and churches in Malawi. We hope to have to book edited within the next week or two and ready for print by then. Drew and I are excited about this because it can be a helpful resource for those wanting to do youth ministry in Malawi.

On Monday, we will be starting another term at the bible college in Nsaru for the next seven weeks. I will be teaching Church history from after the reformation to the present as well as teaching the books of 1 Samuel-Esther. It will be great to see the guys again and a privilege to teach them once again. This will also be their last term before graduating and going out to Malawi preaching at various churches.

Drew and I also planted our maize seeds in the garden and are looking forward to watching it grow and begin to see the fruits of "Foundations for Farming" and show the people of Malawi the benefits of following that model. We hope to show this on a larger scale at the land near the college when the farming season for Malawi begins in October.

Thank you for your prayers and support. Pray for Drew and I as we begin teaching again and as we begin to implement Foundations for Farming ideas and resources to the youth of Malawi during their next farming season. Praise God for our time in Zambia and the relationships we have begun to build there as well as Adam and Kristy coming to Zambia/Malawi for the month of September. They have been an encouragement to me as we begin our relationship in Zambia and continue to build the relationship we have in Malawi. Pray for them as they travel back to the states on Tuesday. Blessings to you all.


His hands and feet,
Josh Kaminsky

Friday, September 10, 2010

Photo Update!



Hey guys,
Since I am on a faster internet connection today. I am going to try to post some pics of what we are doing here in Malawi and Zambia. Enjoy!

The above pictures are of a demonstration garden that was started by a guy at the orphan center growing mustard leaves. We will be growing Maize (corn) and beans in ours. The other is of Lloyd, who we are partnering with in Zambia, visiting one of the youth projects near Kitwe.





The first picture is of Steven, Drew and Adam in Livingston. Steven was our driver who drove us all around Zambia: From Lusaka in the center to Kitwe in the north to Livingston in the south. It has been great getting to know him as we travel visiting ministries all over Zambia

The second is of the guys we have been teaching at the bible college in Malawi. (Left to Right) Emmanuel, Leman, Drew, Rodrick, Shadrick, and me.

The third is of the soccer post we put up in Nsaru so the kids at the orphan center could have a place to play.

The fourth is of some youth helping us put up the fence for our demonstration garden at the Orphan Center

The fifth picture is of some of the youth playing a game at the orphan center after a teaching on Wednesday afternoon.

Thank you for the prayers and support you all give me! I could not be here without them.


His hands and feet,
Josh

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

In Zambia!!

Hey everyone,

Drew and I traveled to Zambia, a country the borders Malawi, this past Tuesday to join up with Kristy, Adam and Lloyd. Adam and Kristy are part of the YouthHOPE team in Ft. Myers and Lloyd, who is a native of Zambia, is a new affiliate of NMSI and YouthHOPE. We will be here for the next 9 or 10 days in order to visit Lloyd's ministry to youth and to dream about what steps need to be taken next in Zambia. Lloyd is the director of you for Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (C.C.A.P.), so he has been working with the youth of Zambia for a while now and is connected with what their needs are.

- Please pray that our time here is effective and we are able to dream about what the next steps will be.
- Pray for Lloyd and his ministry to the youth. He is in need of a car in order to travel and be fully effective in his ministry to all of Zambia. God has blessed him with support from churches to meet he and his family's basic needs but he is also in need of funds in order to set up programs and projects to enhance the lives of youth here.
- Pray for Drew, Adam, Kristy, Lloyd and I as we travel around Zambia the next 9 days and for our trip back to Malawi after that.
Drew and I also finished up our term of teaching the students from Word of Life Bible College in Nsaru. Our time was really good with the guys and one of our last nights we held a "mock" youth meeting with the guys to show them what it could look like in Malawi. We started singing some worship songs and before we knew it there were about 15 youth that joined us!! It turned into a great night of worship, filled with a lesson on trust (including some "trust falls") and a game of musical chairs. We were all really encourage by the end of our time and feel the guys got some good ideas of what youth ministry can look like in Malawi.
I also wanted to write today about a change for the rest of our time in Malawi. We will be staying in Nsaure, where the college and demonstration is, until the end of our time in Malawi and not traveling to the village in Chichimayane at the beginning of October. This will give us time to finish the garden in Nsaru and hopefully begin to work with youth for the beginning of their farming season in November. We will also most likely be teaching another term at Word of Life Bible College, which will allow us to give the students a chance to run a youth meeting on their own. Drew and I have no doubt that they will do great! Thank you everyone for your continued prayer and support. I could not be here without it.
- Pray for Drew and I as we begin this term next month and for our continued teaching to the guys about youth ministry, figuring out how that looks in Malawi.
- Continue to pray for the Youth Leadership Conference that will take place from September 24-27
- Pray for the extended time Drew and I have in Nsaru, that we would be able to use it effectively, getting ministy to youth and Foundations for Farming off the ground here.


His hands and feet,

Josh Kaminsky