A Sad Week

It has truly been a week of sadness. On Tuesday we went to the funeral in our village, and on Wednesday we received sad news from home. We got a call from my father telling us that my Uncle Menno had passed away. I knew he had been sick, but I really wasn't expecting this news on this day. Why? Because last week we had learned that another uncle had been diagnosed with leukemia and didn't have long to live.

While we were still processing my Uncle Menno's death, the phone rang again. I asked Wes to get it, because I knew in my heart that my Uncle Don had also passed away.

I'm still in shock as I think about the fact that in one day, two of my uncles went to be with the Lord. The good news is that they both had their house in order. If you haven't read my previous post, you need to do so. The sad thing is that they will be missed by so many.

I think of my Aunt Vi who lost both her husband Don and her brother Menno in one day. I can't even imagine her sadness. She's my very special aunt who prays for us all the time, makes us homemade jam to bring back to Zambia, and always makes sure we come for dinner when we are home. Now it is our turn to pray for her.

Although we are so far removed from our families, I remember both of my uncles with fondness. My Uncle Menno owned a small country grocery store when we were kids. He spoiled us with goodies from the store every time we came to visit. He was a big man, with a big heart. My Uncle Don was a quiet and gentle man. I never heard him raise his voice or say an unkind word about anyone. I doubt if anyone could ever say that about me.

Wes and I are reading a book together called, "A Life God Rewards" by Bruce Wilkinson. Have you ever thought about the fact that this life is like a little dot on a page, and eternity is a line that goes on and on forever? Wilkinson says, "Jesus' teaching shows us that what happens inside the dot determines everything that happens on the line." Most of our life happens after our physical death. This is a sobering thought for us who are still living.

Well, two great men are gone, two families are grieving, but in heaven, two men are rejoicing with their Savior and just beginning their life on the line.

Get Your House in Order

The sad news came to us that the headmistress (principal) of the main school in our village, had suddenly lost her husband when he did not recover after an asthma attack.


We went to the funeral in our village where hundreds of people had gathered to honor the life of a man who had touched their lives. We learned at the funeral, that he himself had been the head master before his wife, many years back. Both he and his wife had invested in many lives in the community, especially through the avenue of education.


The funeral message was good, but it fell short of the truth. The young pastor talked about how Hezekiah of the Old Testament was told he was going to die, and to get his house in order. The point of the message was, "Get your house in order because you do not know when you are going to die." Sadly, the message focused on works. To get your house in order, the pastor implied that you must make sure you are doing enough good works to ensure you are righteous enough to enter into the Kingdom of God.


I wanted so much to stand up and say, "Yes, faith without works is dead, but it is by grace that we are saved through faith." The Bible plainly tells us that we are not saved by our works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Salvation is a gift of God to all those who confess Him as Lord and believe on His name. (Romans 10:9-10). If we try to work our way to heaven, we will always fall short. (Romans 3:23). We can NEVER do enough good works to deserve God's favor. To get our house in order, we must first put our lives into the hands of the only one who was ever without sin (Jesus). He died that we might have life. We are put right with God (justified), not by our good works which are like filthy rags to Him (Isaiah 64:6) but by faith in His Son Jesus (Romans 5:1).


The message was good, but the most important thing was left out. To get one's house in order, one must first enter into a relationship with God through believing in His Son Jesus. We have all been created by God, but not all have a relationship with Him. John 1:12 tells us that, "Yet to all who received Him (Jesus), to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." It is not the ones that have done enough good works that are children of God, but those who believe in Jesus-- that He died for their sin, rose again (proving that He is God) and are willing to confess Him as their Lord (the master of their life).


Death is always an opportunity for the living to look at their lives. Is your house in order? Have you entered into a relationship with God through His Son Jesus? If you have not, read Romans 10:9-10 and 13. You can also email us at wilcox@zamnet.zm and we can share more with you. If you are already a child of God, are you living the godly life that you have been called to live? Perhaps you need to get your house in order in other ways, by living the life God intended for you.

A Time for Everything

Last August a pastor friend from America, who visited us in Zambia, told us we needed margin. He saw that we were tired, working too hard, and needed some down time. When he returned to the states he sent us a book titled, "Margin." We got the message.

Well, there is a time for everything, and coming home to America has provided us with that much needed margin. We've had a great time being with family, and thoroughly enjoyed the cold and the snow. I know, we are crazy, but you would understand if you lived in Africa.

It has been a great holiday, although we really didn't do much. I guess that is what made it so great--we actually relaxed. We slept in if we wanted to, stayed in our pajamas til noon sometimes, watched football and almost every Hallmark Christmas story there was, caught up on the news, played games, and just hung out with family. We shopped, but not as much as we usually do, and we only ate out a few times--imagine that! Don't worry, we had plenty of good food--mom's fudge and cookies, turkey and dressing, and bagels with cream cheese nearly every morning.

Well, there is a time for every thing, and now it is time for us to return to Zambia. We are excited about what the new year holds. We look forward to getting back and seeing our friends and family in Zambia. We look forward to getting back to work and seeing more of what great things God will do this year. We feel rested. We have had enough margin for awhile. May God give each of you a blessed New Year!

A Fun Week

Don't Give Up, Pray!
Persistent prayer was the theme of this year's mission prayer retreat. We had an awesome time with our mission family, sharing, praying, praising, and even a little playing. God is so good!

One of the highlights of this year's prayer retreat was a look at the persistent prayers of the past, as we celebrated 50 year of Baptist missions in Zambia. Two of our seasoned missionaries, Franklin and Paula Kilpatrick, shared the many answers to prayer throughout our history. It was a good reminder that many of us are in Zambia today because of the persistent prayers of those who came before us. We are thankful for those who prayed and did not give up!

As you can see in the picture, we have a large mission family in Zambia these days, and many of them are truly "young." Wes and I are now among the "older" missionaries--where have the years gone?
After the prayer retreat, we headed back to Lusaka to celebrate Thanksgiving with our mission family. We were truly a close-knit family as we met together in a small conference room. Although we did not have turkey, we had roasted chicken and all the trimmings.

It has been a great week, and ended with a graduation ceremony where two of our missionaries walked across the stage with their Zambian brothers and sisters receiving their diplomas, while Wes received his degree in babysitting--read the next article!


Who Me? Baby Sit?

Wes did'n't hesitate when I asked him if we could carry MKS, Lily and Easton, to the graduation ceremony. Their daddy, Kendall, was graduating and mommy, Joy, needed some assistance. She thought Easton would listen to Uncle Wes.

On the way to the graduation we enjoyed a detailed description from Lily of what everyone in the family was wearing. She informed us that her daddy was wearing a suit and "Zambian" shoes. It was the beginning of many smiles for the day.

When we arrived, Joy asked if Easton could stay with his Uncle Wes. Sure, no problem. We decided that the back row of the sanctuary would be best. I sat down, but Wes and Easton decided to wander around a little bit until things got started. They disappeared for awhile, but it wasn't long and they came back in. Wes was carrying a pair of little boys undies, and Easton had a wet backside. Wes didn't know that Easton had his own style of using the potty. Needless to say, things got a little wet.

I made room for the two guys on the bench, and the program began. I could see that Easton was going to be restless, so I suggested to Wes that they might want to go outside where he could move around. Wes thought this was a great idea; I don't think he was too keen on sitting there for three hours either.

After two hours of sitting on a hard bench, I got up to go check on Wes. He was outside in the parking lot playing with Easton. I asked him if he was okay, and he assured me that he and Easton were having a great time, so I left the "boys" alone.

I decided not to return to the sancturay, but stood outside visiting. Suddenly a Zambian friend came and told me I was needed by "Dad." A bit confused, I followed her to a forlorn looking Wes who was in the doorway of the Men's Room cleaning up a little boy who had made a big mess of another kind. Thankfully, another missionary who had a lot of experience with kids, came to the rescue.

I asked Wes at the end of the day if he would baby sit again. He said, "Sure, Easton and I are buds."