A Time to Mourn and a Time to Dance

“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal, a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

Dear Friends and Family,
Over the five months since our marriage, the Lord has been with us through many adventures and challenges. It has been a time of both incredible joy and great sorrow. He has brought us through wonder and tears, laughter and mourning- He is faithful. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement, which increase the joy in our work as we serve the Lord together.

A Time to Dance
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is His reward… happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.” (Psalm 127:3-5) The Lord never ceases to surprise me with His love and His grace. Our loving Father knows what His children need… and when they need it. Sometimes we must ask and wait, ask and wait; sometimes He pours out His blessing instantaneously and beyond measure. The latter has certainly been true for us, as we recently discovered, and are thrilled to announce, that the first baby Keller is on the way! We are now eagerly counting the days to April 5, 2007! Dad is very happy, telling all his friends about his “promotion” to fatherhood. Mom and Baby are doing well and growing quickly. Baby greatly enjoys late night adventures and spicy food (definitely exhibiting Keller tendencies).

Time to Build Up
After the Biblical Worldview Summit and Great Commission Course in Cape Town, we packed the truck and headed for the field. This was Ashley’s first time to go on a field trip with Timothy. Having anticipated this event for many months, she was excited and ready to go… even if it meant bush toilets and field “accommodation”.

Throughout our first few weeks in the field, driving through South Africa, Botswana, and Zambia, the Lord blessed us with many friends, meetings, and ministry opportunities. We were able to see lives changed as people across southern Africa heard the Gospel and received discipleship and leadership training. Through Frontline Fellowship we were able to distribute hundreds of Bibles, as well as thousands of Christian discipleship materials and Gospel tracts. We were also able to give 5 bicycles to rural pastors, who walk many miles through the bush to minister and preach in their churches.

In Lusaka, Zambia the Bible Gospel Church in Africa hosted a conference for local pastors and church leaders. We expected 20 – 30 people, and were surprised when over 100 came from all over the region! Timothy spoke about God’s covenant with man, and what this means to us as Christians. Understanding the Covenant is crucial for all believers in forming a firm foundation in Christ. For Africa, this message is vital as the Christians struggle to understand how through Christ we can impact the world.

In Kabwe, Zambia we met with Eugene Kalunga of Excellence Christian Academy. We were able to give him several big boxes of textbooks, thanks to friends in the USA. ECA has demonstrated excellence in both Christian training and academics over the last 10 years. They are currently developing plans to build a high school- the only Christian high school in the area. We look forward to working with them in the future as we work together to raise a generation for Christ in Africa.

Eugene organized a meeting for Timothy at a student Bible study in a local business college. Timothy used this opportunity to speak about wisdom and how to pursue our dreams through Christ. There were over 300 young college students at the meeting, and they enjoyed what for them was a novel message: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7 After the meeting, the students had many questions about how to honor God with their career.

A Time to Mourn
While in Kabwe we received the devastating news that Timothy’s 22 year old sister, Amy, was killed in a head-on collision in Phoenix, Arizona. This came as a shock and blow to both of us. Timothy and Amy have always been close, and Ashley knew Amy as far back as kindergarten through homeschooling and 4-H. Our friends and family got together and made it possible for us to return to Arizona for a few weeks to be with our family during this difficult time. We praise the Lord for Amy’s life, which was lived for Him, and look forward to the day when we will praise the Lord together again. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers as we grieve with our family, and remember our beloved sister and friend.

In honor of Amy, ITMI has established a memorial fund through which we hope to purchase a new field vehicle. We praise God for this remembrance and blessing, as our faithful field truck is a little less than road-worthy!

A Time to Plant: Battle for the Minds
Africa has come a long way since David Livingstone first braved the heart of Africa in 1841. Now, over 160 years later, you will find an array of churches, hospitals, schools, and “organized” governments- institutions that the West eagerly dubs “advanced”. Tragically, most of them surrender all too readily to the pervasive worldwide socialist/humanistic agenda. Throughout nearly 10 years serving in Africa, I’ve seen a lot of change take place on this vast continent (I can even get ice cream in Uganda now!) As more and more mission groups and government organizations have moved in, I’ve often found myself asking a few questions common in missionary circles: how can we make a long term difference? How can we change a culture for Christ, rather than just tell a few people about Jesus? How is it that these countries, in which the Gospel is wide-spread, still subject themselves to governments and ideologies that hate Christ? Why do people go to church one day to praise God, and go on with their man-centered lives for the next 6 days? The answer I’ve come to isn’t new or revolutionary; in fact, the Psalms and Proverbs speak of this often: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

Cultural transformation has always been through the up-and-coming generation. That is why Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them, for such is the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 19:14) Theodore Roosevelt put it like this, “To educate a person in mind and not morals is to educate a menace to society.” Hitler too recognized this concept when he said, “When an opponent declares, ‘I will not come over to your side,’ I calmly say, ‘Your child belongs to us already… what are you? You will pass on. Your descendants, however, now stand in the new camp. In a short time they will know nothing else but this new community.’ ” How are we, as Christians, to respond to this?

How can we reach these children for Christ? A significant feature about culture is this; we are all influenced in five key areas: education, media, entertainment, government, and church. Now there is an interesting link here… the people running the last four spheres all had to go through the first- education. It is in the schools that the minds, hearts, and souls of our children are shaped, and they, in turn, shape the future of our society. Sadly, in Africa most of the schools and colleges are run by secular humanists, communists, and Muslims; their curriculums are atheistic and evolutionary (or teach of false gods in the case of Islam). While the public schools here in the United States are experiencing similar, fundamental problems, these issues are being addressed through homeschooling and family-focused ministries. However, in Africa precious little is being done when it comes to Godly education. Ironically, there is greater opportunity for advancement in this area in Africa than there is in the USA, for people in Africa are ready and anxious to see their culture transformed for Christ.

Have you ever considered what it would be like to live in a society in which the people think God’s thoughts after Him? In which the children are taught how to think instead of just what to think? Or learn how to correlate all knowledge into a consistently Biblical worldview? What joy could be found in seeing God’s little children filled with the wisdom, character, and fear of the Lord? “For such is the Kingdom of Heaven.”

We have seen Excellence Christian Academy succeed in many of their efforts in this area as they have trained their students academically, theologically, and morally. It is our desire to work together with schools such as ECA to enhance their current study program, while developing a curriculum that is consistently Biblical, academically sound, easy to teach, and practically suited for the African context. This could then be distributed to the many schools whose children are drowning in the socialist agenda. We depend on God’s grace in this matter, as this will be no small project! In the mean time, we hope to collect and distribute Christian textbooks throughout Africa in schools where there are no resources and very little teacher training.

It is time that we thoroughly educate this and future generations of Africa in the Lordship of Christ, as it applies to all areas of life. This way, the fullness of the treasures of the knowledge of Christ will be manifest in them, and the ends of the earth will know the salvation of our God.

“Look at the nations…” (Hab. 1:5)
Zambia, a landlocked country in the heart of southern Africa, is home to 9 major ethnic groups with 8 commonly spoken indigenous languages. It is probably most famous for Victoria Falls, or “Musi-o-Tunya”, meaning “smoke that thunders” in Lozi (Although if you ask us, it should be known for the friendly people and amazing coffee.)

Since they declared independence from the British government in 1965, the Zambian people have experienced many harsh and difficult realities. Despite incredible mineral and agricultural resources, the economy experienced a massive recession in the 70’s, sending over 70% of the population into poverty. Because there were few Zambians trained and educated to run the government, the bureaucracy and foreign debt increased while the economy continued to fall. With Kaunda as president, Zambia supported revolutions and terrorist activities throughout her neighboring countries, further increasing the national debt and oppression. Finally in 1991, after violent riots in the capital city, Lusaka, multi-party elections were held, resulting in a new government that looked with little favor on Kaunda’s communist practices. In recent years, Zambia declared itself a “Christian nation”- this makes it the only officially Christian nation in the world! Although it is still very far from a picture of a Biblical society, at least they are making an attempt in the right direction.

Today Zambia’s greatest need is not relief as in some war-torn countries, or massive church planting campaigns as in some of the deeper places in Africa. Zambia needs discipleship and direction. Having declared their country for Christ, many Zambians truly wish to see their children inherit a country that serves the Lord. Unfortunately, years of communist leadership and education have muddied the waters, leaving many confused about economic and social practices. In order for Zambians to successfully disciple their country for Christ, they need leadership training for those in power and education for those who will eventually direct this promising country. We pray that the Lord will use us to help these people develop their children and their nation to be dedicated to serving Christ in all areas of life.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers and encouragement. We love to hear from you! Please continue to pray for us as we serve the Lord together in Africa.

Please pray for...
· Ashley’s pregnancy and our newest, unborn Keller.
· Excellence Christian Academy as they train young Zambians to live their lives for Christ.
· The Keller family as they grieve the loss of Amy.
· Zambia, as the Christians labor to lead their country in Christ.
·
Pro Rege,

Timothy & Ashley Keller

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