Some more highlights...

1. Handing the books donated by Dr. Craig Keener over to T.T.C. was a definite highlight moment.

2. Dinner in Lusaka with the Kerrs on my final night.

3. Marking the papers and reading one student's top-rate book reports.

4. I think I already mentioned attending the 4 1/2 hour church service with signs and wonders following. One fellow had been in chains in a mental institution. He had been prayed for in Jesus' name (African-style!) and stood before the congregation completely normal, sane and articulate.

I thank God for safe travel. Driving on an African road is a dangerous action. On the road down to Lusaka from Kitwe, we saw one freshly over-turned truck still on the road, a recently derailed Mercedes (lost a wheel), and one or two other accidents of various vintage.

In Africa, you realize how tentative and provisional life is. Our life is contingent -- that is why we look to the One whose life is eternal -- necessary, and necessarily eternal. The Great One!

2010: It's a Wrap

I'm sitting in the Kilimanjaro Cafe in the Manda Hill Mall in Lusaka, capital of Zambia. The Presidential motorcade went by on the way -- we were stuck in traffic with a Zambian truck in front of us spewing its noxious fumes on us for at least ten minutes. I tried breathing through my Tilley hat. It didn't hurt; it may have helped.

What was accomplished?

25 students have received up-to-date training in Christian Apologetics, including some recent DVDs. African worldviews differ from western views, but "the West is coming" and encroaching upon traditional African beliefs -- so they need to be prepared.

Apologetics is all about training in how to think, as well as providing actual content. Strobel's The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith are always highlights of the class for the students, and I always try to bring enough copies so they can purchase their own copies if they wish.

This year, we added in the Holman QuickSource Guide to Apologetics, which is like an Apologetics Course in a book. Really well done, with lots of value-added pictures and the like.

In addition to the training, I was able to bring the students some supplies -- a backpack, a music CD, an MP3 CD on Romans 6-8, a pocket Bible commentary, vitamin pills, and a small anointing bottle. "The equipping of the saints" writ small!

Highlights:

1. The Sunday service in which numerous persons testified of dramatic miraculous healings. The anointing breaks the yoke! (The service lasted 4 1/2 hours.)

2. Watching "Miracle on Ice" with the Kerrs. I always try to bring a hockey video if I can. Hockey night in Zambia!

3. The enthusiasm and general joie de vivre of the beleaguered Zambians.

It has been challenging, from a health standpoint. I'm feeling a bit woozy right now, so I'm hoping it's not a spot of malaria. Probably just the cold bug I picked up earlier and which attempted to make my time here miserable. With the Lord's help, I prevailed!

Tomorrow, I head up to London on British Airways and on to Oxford for a week.

Over and out.

Thursday

Exams are marked. We're going for a braai (a BBQ) at "the dam". Looking forward to it. Tomorrow, we head down to Lusaka (the capital city). Saturday, early am flight on British Airways (yeah!) up to London, and then by bus up to Oxford for a week.

My faith has been greatly strengthened this past 10 days. Better to be centred in God than self.

Internet is spotty. Gonna try to get this out.

Wednesday: Exam Day

The internet has been down since Sunday morning. I'll try to get this post out. The students are writing exams today. We are showing videos on Jehovah's Witnesses and the Marks of Cults.

Day Four - Friday

Yesterday we finished watching "Ben Stein's Expelled", and we started listening to Greg Koukl's "Answering the New Atheists". We are continuing to discuss epistemology -- how we know what we know -- as well as the relationships between science and Christianity and science and atheism.

For textbooks, the students are reading Lee Strobel's "The Case for Christ" and "The Case for Faith". In addition, we are using a new textbook this year -- the Holman QuickSource Guide to Christian Apologetics -- a marvelous condensation of Christian Apologetics -- an Apologetics course in a book!

The students have papers due on Monday.

We have several topics remaining to cover, including:

* Christ -- Christian vs. non-Christian views; his resurrection, etc.

* Faith vs. Reason

* Christianity vs. Other Religions and Cults

* Miracles

* Theodicy -- Justifying God's Ways, including

* The problem of pain/evil

* God's hiddenness

* The scandal of the particular

* Evidential vs. Presuppositional Apologetics

Please continue to pray for strength, clarity, and anointing.

Thank you.

Day Three - Thursday

Yesterday we took a look at the Ontological, Cosmological, Teleological, and Moral Arguments for God's existence. We watched Lee Strobel's The Case for Creator DVD, and a bit of Ben Stein's Expelled. We also covered a bit of epistemology (how we know what we know) and the relationship between the Christian faith and science.

At chapel, I passed on the books kindly donated by Dr. Craig Keener. The student body was very excited and appreciative to receive them. Thank you, Dr. Keener!

Day One - Tuesday

I woke up at 4:30am. after a fitful night, and put the coffee on. The water's a bit brown, but a good boil should help things. And, I brought some strong, fresh COSTCO Colombian coffee.

* * *

I introduced the class to western Christian apologetics, and then had the class compare/contrast with the situation on the ground in Africa. In Africa, belief in God is a "given", and the question becomes which religious view of God represents truth. The Church also suffers from syncretism where Christians attend Church but continue with other practices, including witchcraft, which they hope will "work".

Each student received a snazzy backpack from Canada -- pictured above. "Equipping the saints" -- in more ways than one!

* * *

Tomorrow, I plan to show at least one DVD.

The Eagle Has Landed

The Thursday night flight on BA to London Heathrow (LHR) didn't happen -- mechanical problems. I arrived back home in Toronto at 2:30am. after eight hours at the airport. Left again on Saturday, and made it to Lusaka Monday morning. Met by the Kerrs, my missionary friends. Drove up to Kitwe, Zambia.

All set to begin classes tomorrow (Tuesday). I've arrived with gift backpacks for each student, along with a fresh supply of textbooks and other various items. When you come to Africa, you try to bring a "drop in the bucket"!

Please pray for strength, health, and anointing.

Right now, we've got a solid internet connection -- let's hope it holds!

Hanging At YYZ

My boxes for Zambia were all overweight -- but British Airways check-in lady graciously whisked them through. I think it was because I was on a missionary/charitable trip.

X-ray guy made me open up one of my taped-up boxes because I could not tell him what a shape was. We had to cut the box open and take everything out. It was granola in a plastic shoe box!

Security guy checked all my stuff and confiscated my spray-on deodorant, and my little pocket knife that I used to cut the tape.

Oh yes, and, previously, taxi-guy dropped one of the big boxes, smunching an end.

So, taxi-guy, BA check-in lady, X-ray guy, and security guy -- I'm good to go. This should be a video game!

Right now, I've got a strawberry blueberry yogurt parfait and an Odwalla Berries GoMega happening.

Life. Is. Good.

And I am on my way!

Mission to Zambia 2010

I'll be heading to the U.K. on B.A. Thursday evening, and then a 10-hour flight down to Lusaka, Zambia on Friday evening. Saturday morning, breakfast and then a 5-hour drive up to Kitwe, Zambia and the Copperbelt. What a privilege to be invited once again to teach Apologetics at the Trans-Africa Theological College.

I'll be taking three 50-lb. boxes with me -- books, supplies, and food.

It is a joy to go, and an even greater joy to be "sent".

Please pray that the Spirit of God will move to make this a fruitful visit.

Internet is spotty; I will post if I can.