In 2009 when Lydia was fifteen, I determined to take her to a third world country and serve Christ side by side with her as a part of my response to the Biblical mandate to disciple my children.\u00a0 New Priorities<\/strong><\/p>\n What I did not anticipate was the impact that being in Africa would have on me:\u00a0 I fell in love with the African people.\u00a0 This is Where It Gets Exciting<\/strong><\/p>\n Upon our return from Zambia, Lydia and I shared with our family our experiences, and God began working.\u00a0 By late Fall of 2009 I was deeply convicted about the tremendous needs of the Zambian people.\u00a0 At the same time I saw that God had blessed my household with strength and stability.\u00a0 At that point, I began praying about our going and serving for an extended period of time.\u00a0 By Christmas, Shelley and I knew God was leading us to move to Zambia for about a one-year mission.\u00a0 As we considered the needs of our family and the ages of our children, we focused in on going for the period from June of 2011 through April 2012.<\/p>\n Currently we do not believe God is leading is to serve as long term full time missionaries — but we would have never foreseen serving there for eleven months, either! \u00a0\u00a0Yet we do feel that God has blessed us with a heart for Africa.\u00a0 We hope by His wisdom, grace, and might to have an ongoing lifetime impact there.<\/p>\n Because I could write an entire separate letter as to God\u2019s work in my own life, I have instead listed some thoughts that I recorded in December of 2009.\u00a0 You can read these thoughts on separate link by clicking here<\/a>.\u00a0 These will communicate some of my heart to you, as well as a glimpse of how God has been removing blind spots in my life.<\/p>\n \u2026 that when Lydia and I returned from a 10 day mission trip to Zambia, Africa in June of 2009 that our entire family would be moving there for almost a year!\u00a0 Yes, you read that right.\u00a0 The Stearns family … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.stearnsinafrica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/AfricaImg02.jpg\" "\\"AfricaImg02\\"")
<\/a>That summer we went to Zambia in southern Africa, a country with 70% unemployment and where most people live on $2 per day in pitiful surroundings without good food and water.\u00a0 While we were on that trip, I could see Lydia grow in her trust in Christ daily.\u00a0 I was so proud of her and grateful to God for such an opportunity.<\/p>\n<\/a>I saw God moving in a way I hadn\u2019t seen before.\u00a0 I had the privilege of worshiping with Zambian believers who lived in material poverty yet possessed such spiritual wealth. \u00a0The minute I landed back in the U.S. and set foot on our soil I knew I was different.\u00a0 Twenty months later I still am.\u00a0 Since I have returned, I have looked at my life and its trajectory differently.\u00a0 In showing me that the Church in that part of the world needs so much help, God has massively rearranged the priorities of my life to the point that living in Zambia looks so good to me!<\/p>\n<\/a>My sweet wife, Shelley, was not only curious as to what the Lord was up to, but she very soon began seeing that He was uniquely at work in us\u00a0 and that perhaps our family might serve at some level in Africa in the future.\u00a0 Meanwhile, each of our six children separately came to me and asked if they could go to Africa, saying they were going to save all their money and asking how much they would need to go.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"