The Quillmans

Mistaken Identity

Have you ever walked up to someone and began a conversation with them, only to realize it wasn’t the person you thought it was? This can be quite embarrassing and leave the mistaken identity person scratching their head. Here in Zambia, it has happened to me so many times. On Monday of this week, I was standing outside of a local shop and a man came up to me and began talking like he knew me. Now, I know I “stand out” here so thinking it might have been someone I met but couldn’t remember, I casually chatted with him. Then came the question that so many of us dread in these situations, “Do you remember me?”. Now for me, I have learned long ago not to attempt to fake this and just apologize and say, “no, but please remind me.” The man seemed a little hurt that I wouldn’t remember him and began to recount our relationship. He began to tell me how he had waited on me at a coffee shop for the last few years almost on a daily basis. How we had talked about our families, my children, and grandchildren. At this point I began to be worried because I had zero recollection of who he was and we’ve only lived here for a year. I again apologized and said it still wasn’t clear. Then he began to tell me all about my tobacco farm and how he had even come to visit it once. It was then clear; he had mistaken me for someone else and I knew who it was. You see, since moving to Zambia this has happened many times to us. Once, while shopping at a local market, Sharon was approached by a woman selling blankets with “the blanket her husband promised to purchase”. Sharon was quick to assure her that “her husband” would not be wanting to purchase a blanket, and this was our first visit to this particular market. The woman then recounted the description of “her husband”, a big guy, tall, white with a big white beard. Well, that sounds like me, so Sharon began to reconsider her stance. Maybe her husband decided he wanted a blanket in this 100-degree weather for some reason. The woman then went on to tell her that I said when I returned from my farm with my wife, she would purchase it. There it was, the tobacco farmer once again. Even when I came over to see if Sharon needed help, the woman then began reminding me of my promise to her. This has happened so many times to us since we have lived here. We know so much about this other me, even though we have never met him. He is married, has children and grandchildren, has a long beard, drives a white Land Cruiser, a tobacco farmer in Choma, and comes to Livingstone regularly. I know all of these details, but I have never met him.

In Matthew 7:21-23 we see a picture of a mistaken identity from Jesus’ “sermon on the mount”. Jesus says that not everyone who calls Him “Lord, Lord”, actually know Him. He is telling us that not everyone who calls Him by name or even those who do things in His name, really have a relationship with Him. As the old English commentator Adam Clarke said, “They go to church, perhaps fulfill some daily religious duties, yet sin against God and man just as any other might. “There are those that speak like angels, live like devils; that have Jacob’s smooth tongue, but Esau’s rough hands.” Jesus doesn’t even seem to doubt the claims the people made about prophesying, casting out demons, or performing great miracles. Charles Spurgeon put it this way, ““If preaching could save a man, Judas would not have been damned. If prophesying could save a man, Balaam would not have been a castaway.” How many people will stand before Jesus one day and say, “don’t you remember me? I was at church all of time. I volunteered to serve in the nursery when no one else would. I taught a Sunday school class and even helped take up the offering each Sunday.” You see with Jesus, there is no mistaken identity. John 10:27-28, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”

My mistaken identity has only caused a few issues for me, and not cost me much, except for purchasing a blanket I didn’t really want, and a few awkward conversations. Not knowing the Son of God, has far more dire consequences. Matthew 7:23 gives us these consequences,^“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” English theologian Adam Clarke says, “What a terrible word! What a dreadful separation! Depart from ME! From the very Jesus whom you have proclaimed in union with whom alone eternal life is to be found. For, united to Christ, all is heaven; separated from him, all is hell.” But there is hope for all mankind. Titus 2:11-14 shows us a glimpse of this hope, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

“It is vain to expect eternal glory if we have not Christ in our heart. The indwelling Christ gives both a title to it, and a meetness for it. This is God’s record. Let no man deceive himself here. An indwelling Christ and GLORY; no indwelling Christ, NO glory. God’s record must stand.” (Clarke)

1 John 5:11-13,^“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”We don’t have to worry about an awkward encounter at the throne with the King of Kings, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. There will be no mistaken identity or trying to recall our name. John gives us the confidence that we CAN know, but only if our confidence rests in Jesus Christ alone for Salvation, and not in our own words and deeds. So while I know I will continue to struggle with being confused with a tobacco farmer in Choma, I have the confidence that Jesus knows my name, and I know Him.

Work While it’s Daylight

Many times in our life as Christians we can feel like our work for God is not enough. We look at other heroes of the faith and see the miraculous work God has done through them and begin to feel inadequate. I know there have been many times in my ministry over the years that I have fell into this trap. You preach the Word of God, share the Gospel of Jesus Christ clearly, and beg people to come to Christ, but they remain frozen in their seats. As a Pastor, so many of us take this as the only quantifiable means of justifying our ministry. If I fail to see the attendance of my church grow, then I must be a failure.

This trap can lead us to focus on some of the wrong things. How many programs does our church have? How many people are attending small groups? What is our average Sunday School attendance? How many people were in the church service this morning? Now, I am not saying that there is anything wrong these concerns. As a pastor, we should want more people involved in each of these areas of ministry. The bible even commands us to meet, “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is” (Hebrews 10:25). There is nothing wrong with counting and knowing the number of people who attend. I mean, Numbers is a book in the Bible after all. (Just an old pastor joke)

I want us to look at what is written in Revelation 2,

²“I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. ³I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. ⁴But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. ⁵Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first…”

It is so easy to become caught up in doing the “work” of God, that we fail to do the “Work” of God, the One who sent us. I have 2 favorite passages of scripture.

The first is John 9:4:

⁴I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

The second favorite of mine is Ephesians 2:10:

¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

You will notice in both passages we see the word “work”. One of the dictionaries definitions for “work” is this:

“an activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.”

The night is coming when no one can work: Jesus understood that opportunities for “doing His Work” will not last forever.

I must work is a marvelous statement of Jesus.

The Worker is “a well-earned title to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the worker, the chief worker, and the example to all workers.” (Spurgeon)

We are His workmanship, His creation – something new He has made of us in Jesus Christ.

“The spiritual life cannot come to us by development from our old nature. I have heard a great deal about evolution and development, but I am afraid that if any one of us were to be developed to our utmost, apart from the grace of God, we should come out worse than before the development began.” (Spurgeon)

I am not saying that I have never fell victim to this trap. In fact, I would say this is one of my biggest struggles in life. I feel the need to be constantly busy “doing”.

When I was younger, my dad Bro. Mike Quillman Sr., would often make the statement that he “relaxed” by working. For those of you who knew my dad, you know that this is the case. When I was a teenager, I thought this was the most insane statement I had ever heard. Let me give you a very clear picture of what I am talking about. We would go out very early in the morning and begin cutting down trees for firewood. As my dad used the chainsaw to cut down the trees, it was my job to cut them into chunks and then split them with a splitting maul. If you don’t know what a splitting maul is, it is very similar to an axe, but with the weight and girth of a sledgehammer. The one we used had a 12 pound head. I found out later in life that you can get them much lighter, but bigger is better right?

Then, it would be my job to take the wood and stack it in the back of the truck. This truck we used was called a bob truck and was equipped with a dump bed. Dad typically borrowed this truck from one of the farmers in our church when they were not using it to haul grain. Eventually we were able to purchase our own. The bed of this bob truck would hold 12 ricks of wood. Again, if you are not familiar with this term “rick”, it is a 4-foot high by 8-foot-long stack of wood. The bed of the truck was 8-foot-wide, and dad had painted a line on the interior of the bed of the truck marked at 4-foot-high. After stacking this wood to the correct height, we would then drive the truck to our home where dad would have me back the truck up and then dump, yes DUMP, the perfectly stacked ricks of wood into a pile in the backyard. So, what happens next? You may have guessed it. I would then have to restack all that wood back into 4-foot-tall by 8-foot-long stacks, again, between 2 metal t-posts. If I questioned my dad about the reason for doing this, his response was always the same, “Work is good for you, it builds character.”

As a teenager I didn’t understand the purpose of doing this “work” that my dad had set before me. I couldn’t see the end results or benefit to doing this his way. I just knew that I was commanded to do this, and I needed to do it the way I was told and trust in my dad’s guidance that there was a purpose behind what he was asking me to do.

With our Father in Heaven, He has given us some very specific commands of how He wants HIS work to be accomplished.

Matthew 5:16, ^16”Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Matthew 6:19-20, ^19 “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: ²⁰But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:”

Matthew 22:37-39, ^37 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”

Acts 1:8, “ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Matthew 28:19-20, ^19 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: ²⁰Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”

God has a specific purpose and plan for us, and that is to do His work. There will be moments in our life when we don’t understand why we are being asked to do things in a certain way. I will be very honest with you, I never thought that my wife and I would be living in Africa, far away from our children and grandchildren. There are days here when we struggle emotionally and even question if we are doing the right thing. But God… those 2 words are another message in itself…but God is always faithful to comfort and remind us why we are here. Many times, this comfort appears from receiving a phone call or a message of encouragement from someone back in the United States. A pastor, church member, or family member will reach out to us at just the right time.

My encouragement to you is this, be faithful in what God has called you to do and who He has called you to be. You are where you are at for a purpose and a reason. Your mission’s field may be to provide a smile, a hug, and a prayer for a patient who has just received a diagnosis of cancer.

It may be to meet your neighbors and begin to share your love for them as a person and open a door to share the love of Jesus Christ with them. (A recent poll showed that 1/3 of Americans have never met their neighbors and 2/3 of Americans are not friendly with their neighbors)

One of my favorite sayings is this, “most people will not believe that you care about them dying and going to a literal hell until they see that you care about the figurative hell they are living in here on earth.”

God has called us to work for Him. His work is for us to LOVE people, WALK alongside them, and LEAD them toward Him. Our job is to do the work that He has called us to do, while we still can. His job is to SAVE them. Salvation is way above our pay grade. So, when we begin to feel like we are failing, or not doing enough, let us remember what we read in Galatians.

Galatians 6:4, ⁴But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.

We should take a careful look at the work we are doing for God. We may think our works for Him are fulfilling what He has asked of us, but in the end, we may come up short of what He has really asked of us.

One Friday in July (yes, we cut wood in the middle of the summer) my dad allowed me to go and get firewood by myself. This was a way for me to make some money on my own. My dad said we needed 4 more truckloads of wood to fulfill the orders. I forgot to mention, we didn’t have a wood burning stove ourselves, but sold the wood to help provide for our family of 7. I went to the woods alone at around 4:00 a.m. and began to cut and split the wood.

Since I was on my own, I decided to try things my own way. After cutting and splitting the wood, I began to load it into the truck in piles instead of stacking it. I piled it up close to the line my dad had made and then set off to deliver it. This was so much easier! I piled it up and then took it to the customer. All I had to do was back up, dump the firewood, and leave.

a pile of wooden firewood and logs in an iron truck

I repeated this process 3 more times for the other customers and finished much quicker than I thought I would. This meant there was still plenty of daylight for me to go and do what I wanted do. For me, this was to go play basketball with my friends at the local YMCA on the outside courts. That evening when I returned home my dad called me in and asked if I had completed the work he had sent me to do. I happily explained that I had done everything he had commanded me to do. He then asked if I had done it the way that he had shown me, to which I said “yes”, knowing in my mind I did it, but my way was more efficient. Dad then asked me, “then why did I receive 4 phone calls from people wanting to know why when they stacked all of the firewood, we had shorted them.” It was then that I realized that I should have just listened to my dad and did it the way he had asked me to.

My dad had a purpose for asking me to do it his way. It was so that those who were needing the wood, would receive exactly what they were supposed to. Doing it my way, fell short.

God has a purpose behind asking His children to do what He commands. We may not understand why He is asking to do certain things or even in the manner He has asked us. He asks that we trust in His plan so that we do not come up short. For me, I was able to (told that I had to) go back and get more firewood, in the dark, no matter how long it took me.

When it comes to doing the work of God, night is coming, and we won’t be allowed to go back and work in the dark. Let us do the work that God has entrusted to us, in the way that He has called us to, and see His mighty hand complete the work.

Philippians 1:6, ⁶Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Dirty feet

Recently, Sharon and I moved into our rental home here in Livingstone, Zambia. Rent is collected a bit different here, as we were required to pay 3 months in advance as well as an additional month security deposit, 4 month’s rent in total. Even though some things are more inexpensive here in Zambia than the US (like food) other items like furniture and appliances come at a premium as they are considered luxury items. For Sharon and I, this meant that many things we might have “needed” in the US are put off for us to purchase sometime in the future. I don’t mention this for sympathy at all, because we now have a stove, a refrigerator, and a bed. This is more than many Zambians have, but I just wanted to give some form of reference.

Andy Neal, the Pastor from our sending church at Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Jonesboro, Arkansas, recently led a Wednesday night study on the movie series: The Chosen. If you have not watched this amazing new series, it is a depiction of stories from the life of Jesus. Sharon and I decided to start watching an episode on my laptop from this series every Sunday evening. As we were enjoying one episode, we noticed that there was a water bowl by the door; and before the people entered the home they would stop and remove their shoes, dip a cloth in the water, and wash their feet. Now, if I had viewed this while living in the US, it might not have caught my attention because it was not highlighted in the show, but only seen from a distance.

Living here in Zambia, my mind was blown away. I had to pause the show and rewind it as Sharon and I discussed the brilliance of this small detail. You see, Zambia is a very hot, dry and sandy place, and the wind seems to always be blowing the dirt everywhere. We are always amazed at how dirty our feet get, even wearing socks and boots. We are vigilant to take our shoes and socks off outside, but we still leave dirty footprints as we walk across the floor. Since this is our home, it’s not that big of a deal. We just grab a mop and wash them away, but it has made us more conscientious of our feet as we enter other people’s homes.

A few weeks ago we had a water line break in our bathroom, and it flooded our house. (4 inches of water standing) When the men came to help us repair it, they took their shoes off outside, but as they walked across the wet floor, their dirty footprints followed them. They were so apologetic, and we could tell they were embarrassed for leaving the dirty footprints. No matter how much we told them it wasn’t a problem and we completely understood, they still felt awful. Now I am sure these same men have the same issue in their own homes, and it isn’t embarrassing. It’s just a part of their life, as it is for Sharon and me.

Another side effect of a hot, dry, sandy environment is that your feet become very dry and can crack open, which is painful. Part of our morning routine after taking our morning shower is to apply lotion to our feet. Sometimes we must wash our feet again after walking across the floor from the shower to the bed,because the sand that blew in through the windows has made our feet dirty once again.

This brings me to the story in Luke 7:36 when Jesus is brought into the Pharisees home. A woman, or as the Pharisee is quick to point out, a sinful woman, came in and not only washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and dried them with her hair, but applies an ointment to them as well. The host of the home should have been the one to offer Jesus a bowl of water to wash His own feet at the very least, but they were either too preoccupied with feeding themselves at the table or felt it was beneath their position. Matthew 20:28 gives us the charge of our calling, to serve others. We even see Jesus living out His words among His disciples as He washes their feet. God has called us all to “wash” the feet of those around us and apply “the ointment” to the dry and cracked feet, or put plainly, to serve. Our prayer here in Zambia is for God to allow us to see the “sinful” through the same eyes that Jesus did, with compassion and love and serve. Luke 22:27 gives us a glimpse into the love of Jesus, “For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.” Please continue to pray for us as we Love the people of Zambia, Walk alongside them, and as we Lead them to Christ; no matter where we find them.

Prayer requests:

• Bible study groups in Livingstone and Chibinga village

• Our language acquisition classes

• Finances to replace gearbox on our 4×4 vehicle

National Holiday

The National Prayer Day (also known as National Day of Prayer, Fasting, Repentance and Reconciliation) is a Zambian public holiday celebrated on October 18 every year.

In Zambia, this is a government holiday. All the offices and banks are closed. It was set up as a day to remind the believers to take time to pray, but what should we be praying for?

“if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV

In 1927, B.B. McKinney pinned the words to the song “Lord, send a revival.”

Coming now to Thee, O Christ my Lord,
Trusting only in Thy precious Word;
Let my humble prayer to Thee be heard,
And send a great revival in my soul.
Send the Holy Spirit now within
Burning out the dross and guilt of sin
Let Thy mighty works of grace begin
Oh, send a great revival in my soul.
Send a great revival, Lord in me,
Help me that I may rejoice in Thee;
Give me strength to win the victory,
And send a great revival in my soul.
Help me go for Thee, dear Lord, today,
To some lonely soul that’s gone astray;
Help me lead them in the homeward way,
Oh, send a great revival in my soul.
Send a great revival in my soul
Send a great revival in my soul
Let the Holy Spirit come and take control,
And send a great revival in my soul.

So, what is this “Revival” we are singing about and praying for?

“God’s quickening visitation of his people, touching their hearts and deepening his work of grace in their lives.” J. I. Packer

“the sovereign act of God, in which He restores His own backsliding people to repentance, faith and obedience.” Stephen Olford

“times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19) J. Edwin Orr

“the awakening or quickening of God’s people to their true nature and purpose.” Robert Coleman

“the return of the Church from her backslidings, and the conversion of sinners.” Charles Finney

“an extraordinary movement of the Holy Spirit producing extraordinary results.” Richard Owen Roberts

“a community saturated with God” Duncan Campbell

“the work of the Holy Spirit in restoring the people of God to a more vital spiritual life, witness, and work by prayer and the Word after repentance in crisis for their spiritual decline.” Earle Cairns

Many times, as we pray for “Revival”, we begin by praying for God to change the world, our community, our family. These are things that need to happen, but it must begin with “me”.

Evangelist Gypsy Smith, was asked what the secret of revival is.
He said, “Go home. Take a piece of chalk. Draw a circle around yourself. Then pray, ‘O Lord, revive everything inside this circle.’”

A National Day of Prayer is an excellent reminder for us as believers to grab our chalk and pray for revival… and let it begin with me.

Living the Zambian Life

Time in Zambia is unlike anything we’ve ever experienced before. I would compare it to some time spent in Mexico, but even slower. I’m sure there are many cultures that live such a slower life, but we hadn’t seen anything like it until moving here. In getting our room ready at the Phiri home, we needed to install a shower into a bathtub. In the U.S. this process would have taken about 30 minutes to an hour because our house was about 20 minutes from the hardware store. In Zambia, it took 2 days. You begin by going to the “hardware store” and purchasing the shower head, pipe, and water mixer unit. While there, I picked up some thread tape. I’ve never claimed to be a plumber, but I married a plumber’s daughter, so I know a thing or two about installing the basics. There were no instructions with the kit, just some Chinese writing. 4 trips back to town for extension pieces because the pipes coming in the wall weren’t “standard”, and it was still leaking. One trip to town shouldn’t count because the shop closed from 12-2 for lunch, therefore not my fault, right? By the end of the second day, I gave up and hired an actual plumber. Joe had it fixed in less than an hour and he used 2 whole rolls of thread tape. He said call him next time before I try to fix it. Next, I fixed the toilet. No, I didn’t have to call Joe. I just had to go to town 3 times on 3 different days to get the right toilet float. Oh, and there are no returns in Zambia. So, if you need a toilet float for a front handle toilet, not the button on top kind, I’m your man.

We were generously donated money to purchase a vehicle and we’ve been searching high and low. We finally found a great deal, but it was in Kitwe, Zambia. That is about 837 km (520 mi) from Livingstone. It was too good of a deal for a 13-hour drive to deter us, so after having a man check it out for us, we made the trip to pick it up. We flew from Livingstone to Ndola, drove on to Kitwe, made the purchase, and began our drive back. The road from Kitwe to Lusaka is a toll road. That should make it a great road to drive on, right? No. Kitwe is in the Copperbelt, so the road is covered in 18-wheeler trucks carrying heavy loads of copper. I lost track after passing the 50^th truck. We knew the vehicle we had purchased had a water leak, but we were told it was a small drip and we would need to check it in Lusaka. I noticed the truck was getting very warm inside and decided to stop on the side of the road to check it out. What was supposed to be a small leak was now coolant pouring out of the engine. We were now stranded on the side of a very busy highway an hour and a half away from the capitol. Thankfully Josh knew people and we were able to be picked up and taken back to Lusaka to figure out what to do. Our 13-hour trip turned into 3 days with our mechanic from Livingstone driving our car to us in Lusaka and trading with us so he could fix it. That was 6 days ago. Our mechanic has now had to virtually rebuild the engine in a small village, and he should be driving it home sometime today. Regardless of the stress, drama, expense, and time; this vehicle is still exactly what we have been looking for. By the time he’s done, it will be like new and still under budget.

While we were dealing with the vehicle, the ladies had stayed in Livingstone. During their time alone, they ran out of internet and almost ran out of electricity. The blackouts started causing the generator to kick in and out which blew the motor up on our fan from our bedroom. Then the water shutoffs started. Water is so scarce that at different times of the day, the city will shut off water to neighborhoods or turn down the pressure to a trickle. With a garden, this can make things difficult. The soil here in Zambia requires gardens to be watered daily and sometimes even twice a day. When the water is down like this, water must be hauled to the garden by buckets to keep the veggies alive. Thankfully, it was just for a few days and the vegetables are doing okay.

This week, Sharon and I started our language classes. We found a teacher who lives in the same neighborhood as we do, so we pick her up and take her to and from class. Her family started a school on the other side of town called Bicrof Hope Academy. This school is in a very poor neighborhood and without it these kids wouldn’t be able to attend school at all. Since the school is allowing us to have our classes there, the Quillmans have adopted the school. The other day, we took the teachers all new chalk and brought suckers for the kids. We are also planning to purchase some paint to repaint their “chalk boards” this weekend. There are a lot of other projects we will be doing in the future, so stay tuned.

Our teacher, Carllene, runs Open Hearts Foundation. You may have caught our post about the little children who were left alone and needed to get transportation to a village here from Lusaka. If not, look back at our Pastor Quill Facebook page to catch up. These are the types of situations Carllene helps with. Her family has a home and school in Makunka village (which just happens to be close to the villages we are working in) as well as a farm. She opened her home to this family until the village can build them their own hut, as well as gave them free tuition to the school. The little family is now thriving in Makunka village with her help. We know that God brought us together for more than just Nyanja lessons.

This post was meant to give you a glimpse into what life is like here in Zambia. A lot of challenging things have taken place, and that’s okay. Missionaries don’t live pristine, perfect lives, and we are hoping to give you a true picture of some of the things we experience. This isn’t always the way things are or the way things are going to be, but it is a picture of what our first month has been. I’ve fully expected Sharon to be sad or cry, as everyone has warned me about. So far, so good. She is taking things in stride and rolling with the punches better than anticipated. I know it could still happen, so I’m not letting my guard down yet. I think having video calls with the family has definitely made the transition easier. There are still sad moments and times that we wish we could be there for the grandkids (and kids of course). Tomorrow is Grandparents’ Day for our oldest in Kindergarten, and we can’t be there. We are thankful for family who is stepping in and filling our shoes. This time it’s Sharon’s parents, Matt and Sue, and I’m sure in the future it will be others. Thank you.

God is blessing us in many ways. His hand is evident in the choice of teacher, the vehicle purchase (yes even with the issues), and even in a mechanic who was willing to drive 7 hours to bring us another vehicle and fix the other for a week. We’ve watched a temporary building be built in Delevu by Rudolf and other men from the church. We’ve began discussions with two gentleman who want to begin their studies to be pastors. We’ve made friendships with many here in Livingstone who are interested in what we are doing and want to help. We know that God is in control, and we wouldn’t want it any other way.

Things to pray for:
Our house in Arkansas to sell
Our vehicle to be repaired soon
That we find a site for the pastor training to take place
Our language classes and our old brains

On the Move

We have reached our last week in the United States and things are getting a bit crazy. We’ve been making the rounds to see all the kids and grands before we go. We took our oldest granddaughter Addi on a surprise trip to find a sandcastle. She was very surprised when she stepped off the plane and was in Las Vegas to see her Uncle “Man” and Aunt Maggie.

Addi got to stay in Vegas with them, while we had a trip out to Portland to meet our newest granddaughter Isla.

She kept us laughing with her little tongue the whole week we were out there. We had a special time with Matthew and Kallie. Then on our way home we picked up our oldest son Mickeal from Vegas. It was great getting to spend time with him and his wife Maggie at our home. It was also time to say goodbye to Samson. We adopted Sam as a family 8 years ago and he was the best dog we could ever ask for. This past year, he developed Degenerative Myelopathy and last week it became apparent it was time.

Saying goodbye to so many things is hard. Hugging our kids at the airport and kissing those grand babies “one last time” before they leave, giving that last hug, telling the dog he is such a good boy knowing you won’t see him again, leaving the house Sharon has lived in for 33 years of her life, it’s all hard: but it’s also worth it. Hearing our child tell us he’s proud of us for doing what God has laid on our hearts to do and knowing that our grandkids are in good hands and will grow up knowing their grandparents followed God makes it worth it.

People ask us all the time, “are you still excited?” Yes! We are emotional (Sharon the most), but we are excited to see how God is going to use us. We know that God has a mighty plan, and we can’t wait to watch what He does in Zambia using us. He has already done amazing things to make the separation smoother. One example, the house Sharon grew up in. We got a call while we were in Portland that a couple wanted to see the house so our daughter, Kaitlyn, let them in. They fell in love with the size and potential this house has as well as the fact it was out in the country and in the school district they wanted. They aren’t at a place where they want to build a house from the ground up, but they want to be able to put their touches and make it theirs. Since we were in the middle of a remodel on the older half, it’s perfect timing for them to do just that. Fast forward to last week when they want to bring by an offer, and in walks a young couple Quill married from Temple. We looked at them and they looked at us and were like “hey, I know you”. It’s exciting to see a young couple take the house Sharon’s family have owned for over 50 years and start their own family heritage with it.

So, now we will leave you to go back to packing and weighing bags in preparation for Thursday’s flights, but as we go just remember to pray for us. Pray for safety as we travel, pray for emotions and hearts as we leave, and pray for health as we enter this last stretch.

If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
~Psalm 139:9-10

The Final Countdown

Well, here we are, T minus 45 days to our move to Zambia. There are lots of things happening all at the same time. As we write this post, we are making a trip from Northwest Arkansas down to Central Arkansas to sign some legal paperwork before we go on to more churches. The whole drive has been spent praying our vehicle holds up for 45 more days. In this process, we never really thought about what all the miles could do, but in the end, we know His hand is on us and His protection is over us.

If you’ve been keeping up with us up to this point, we are happy to announce we got to meet our new granddaughter Aurora Renae in mid-May.

We will also be meeting our newest granddaughter, Isla Kate, on Wednesday! Please keep momma, daddy, and little baby Isla in your prayers this week. We have been scouring flights to get out to meet this new little one before we leave the country, and we can’t wait to get to hold her.

Although we know we are in the final stretch of this portion of the race, it feels more like a sprint to get everything done. From finishing a house remodel, to selling said house as well as most of the contents, to meeting with as many BMA churches as we can, to seeing our kids one last time, and so on. Through it all, we’ve not wavered in our knowledge that this is what God has told us to do. It doesn’t always make it easier, but it makes worth it. Part of our heart through this process has been transparency, and that’s what this is. Raw, unfiltered, life of a missionary. We don’t show this side for sympathy, but we want you to see all sides of what this life means. Right now, what you get to see is the pain as we leave and the stress to get it all done, but soon you will get to see the why. Who knows, maybe you are a church preparing to have a missionary come to meet your congregation. Maybe this will give a little perspective to what that family has been through and will help you to minister to them. Maybe it will influence you to pamper them a little. I know we have been pampered many times through this process by churches and it meant so much to know that church cared about our comfort and our rest.

So, for now, pray for us. Pray specifically for our vehicle to make it 45 more days, for our house to sell, for our children and our grandchildren to be prepared, and for our hearts as we leave them all behind to start this journey God has called us to.

Getting that Promotion

This is from Sharon’s perspective

quillswife

In life, I have been the assistant. I assisted my children when I was a stay-at-home mom. I took care of all their needs, made all their appointments, scheduled and prepared their lunches, and so much more. I assisted my husband when he was a youth pastor first starting out while I stayed home with my kids. I was the assistant in many jobs once my kids got in school and continued to assist my husband in his ministry as well as assisting my children. The life of a mom and wife can often be summed up as the assistant. Many women struggle with this, but this is where I thrived. I was one of those women who couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do with my life, besides being a mom, but being the assistant gave me a purpose. It became my ministry.

When your husband is a…

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The Quillman Life

Many of our followers already know our story or at least parts of it, but for those who don’t know us, we thought we should do a quick (or not so quick) recap of our life. So without further ado, here is the Quillman life…

Mickeal was born in a small town in Illinois. His dad was a Baptist preacher, and his mom stayed at home. When he was young there were many times that money was tight, and he can remember walking along the road with his mom to collect cans to recycle for money. This was the life he learned as a church planter’s son. You worked hard and did all you could do for everyone else, and you made the necessary sacrifices to reach people with the Gospel.

As he grew up, they moved around throughout Missouri planting churches and spreading God’s word. Their journey eventually landed them in a small town in rural Arkansas where he started the 7th grade. They stayed in that area for several years and Mickeal was active on the school basketball team. In his junior year of high school, he went with his FFA (Future Farmers of America) group to the Midsouth Fair in Memphis. This is where he met the love of his life (P.S. Sharon is writing this part).

Sharon had lived in the same house she was brought home from the hospital to, and knew nothing of what life was like on the move. She grew up in the Catholic church with a couple of older siblings and had mostly attended the same school all her life. She was active in school, singing in the choir and cheering on the sports teams. That fateful day, she attended the same fair, with the same school, but with her FHA (Future Homemakers of America) group. As she was walking with a friend down the midway she spotted the best-looking guy she had ever seen, carrying a huge pink lion and many other stuffed animals.

Being a junior high cheerleader, Sharon knew this good-looking basketball player, but he didn’t know her. They started talking that day and spent the rest of their time together at the fair. It took a few weeks for him to even realize she went to the same school. From there, they dated all through his time in high school and then her time. It was a whirlwind as she graduated high school and they married a few months later. Then along came the kids, a little thing called salvation (trust me it is one of the biggest things that happened to us), and a start in ministry.

In 2004, Mickeal took his first foreign missions trip with Larry Barker to Romania. During that trip, he fell in love with the Romanian people and felt a pull toward missions, but it seemed that God kept saying, “not yet.” For 20 years, Mickeal and Sharon worked in youth ministry and made that their mission field. They spread the Gospel to thousands of teenagers, discipling them to share their own faith.

In 2018, they made the hard decision for Mickeal to retire from youth ministry. He didn’t feel the call to become a lead pastor, but he began seeking Discipleship pastor roles. That’s when he got the call to Temple Missionary Baptist Church to become the Executive Pastor (or Execute Pastor if you saw the voting slip). He flourished in this more managerial role, being able to disciple other staff members and congregants.

In 2021, the church was taking a mission trip to Zambia, Africa, and for the first time, there were no kids at home. Both Sharon and Mickeal prepared for the two-week trip with excitement, to finally be able to go together. While they were there, both felt a stirring within their souls for the people of Zambia. Toward the end of the trip, Sharon voiced it to Mickeal and he asked her to continue to pray about it. He kept to himself that he felt God was finally telling him “Now is the time.” A few weeks passed with them praying and fasting together, as well as some close confidants. The answer was still “YES!” While they were in contact with the missions office at the BMA getting things prepared to start the process, two different couples asked Mickeal when they were moving. When he questioned them as to who they had heard that from their answers were the same, “God told us.”

So now, months after going through the interviews and processes, they are on deputation. Most weekends, you will find them in a church somewhere in rural Arkansas, Missouri, or Texas, telling how God has moved them in spirit and body to a place they never thought they would go, Africa. This time of support raising has been a wonderful time to get to know other believers, put faces to the prayer warriors, and raise the much-needed finances for this journey. If your church would like to have the Quillmans visit before they leave for Zambia in July, click the Contact link in the menu above. Most of all, they covet your prayers as they start this journey to love the people of Zambia, walk alongside them, and lead them to Jesus Christ.

January Zambia Update

Sharon and I made an unexpected, but welcome trip, back to Zambia. While visiting First Baptist Church in Springhill, Louisiana, we got a call from the missions office that the midwife BMMI was sending to assist in the birth of Joshua and Meagan’s second child, had tested positive for covid and strep. They asked if we would go and help the Phiri’s during this time. No, Sharon nor I have ever delivered a human baby before, but we were willing to help. I mean, it can’t be that different than helping deliver a calf can it? I’m just kidding here ladies, don’t string me up yet.

It took a couple of days to get back home and get everything settled to go. Our trip was going to have to detour through Atlanta to pick up the suitcase with all the medical supplies, so there were a few details that had to be ironed out as well. The night before we were ready to leave, Sharon got a message from Meagan that she thought she was in labor. Several texts and phone calls, and a few hours later, Meagan delivered a healthy baby boy. This was a big surprise to them. They were told by the staff at the clinic they thought the baby was a girl. Having an older daughter, Ashlyn (who is 2), they were prepared to pass down clothes and just let him wear what they had. Then came the question, do we still go or do we stay?

For us it was a no brainer. We still had things that we needed to plan for, the tickets were nonrefundable, and we had a missionary couple alone in a country who had just given birth in their home all alone. We were going! So we woke up on Wednesday morning and off to Walmart we went. We needed to get this boy some manly things to wear.

48 hours, 4 planes, and 3 airlines later, we arrived in Livingstone, Zambia. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a happier face than Joshua Phiri when he picked us up at the airport. We went straight to the house to check on momma and baby and of course little Ashy. Meagan was one tired momma. She told us how they had finally found a local midwife who could come, but she walked in the door just in time to catch the baby. Precious Zekani Truman Phiri was ready to meet the world whether the world was ready or not.

The suitcase full of boys clothes was such a happy surprise. Since Zekani had already arrived, our roles in this trip changed. We made our goal to help Josh and Meagan around the house as much as possible and help with little Ashlyn to ease their load. We got to go with them as they took Zekani to the clinic for the first time and had him checked out. We were also able to fix some things around the house to make things better for them, like fixing a fan switch and painting a room. A broken fan switch may not seem like much, but when the temperature in the house reaches 93° Fahrenheit, a fan becomes one of the most important things in the house.

During this trip we also got to assist Josh in taking food to the village teacher who hasn’t been feeling well. Please be in prayer for Mercy, the teacher in Mbangweta village, as she suffers regularly from this illness but still walks 2 hours to teach school every day. We also got to visit with a few villagers in Delavu. It was so amazing to watch Douglas, a little boy from the village, build an oxen cart out of a soda bottle, some sticks, caps, and a plastic container. We had to deliver some cooking oil back in the village the next day, so he was excited when we brought him an actual toy car. So many times we take for granted what a little twenty five cent plastic car can do to brighten someone’s day.

We have begun our trip home and as we sit in the Johannesburg airport people watching, one of our favorite things to do, we are reminded that we are examples of Jesus’ love no matter where we are. A gentleman (I use that term loosely), had sat at an empty table of the restaurant we were eating at. When he was told he had to order something to sit there, he begrudgingly ordered a cappuccino. Sharon and I then watched as he got up and walked away before receiving it. The young server was a bit distraught looking everywhere for the man when he went to deliver the order and he was no where to be found. We asked him to just bring us the check and we would cover the cost of the man’s drink. The boy brought the cappuccino as well and explained that once the order is put in, if it’s not paid for the server has to cover it. He was so thankful that we paid for the drink, because this one cup of cappuccino would be the equivalent of his days pay, and of course I wasn’t complaining that I “had” to drink the coffee.

I’m reminded that God calls us to serve people, no matter where we are. The great commission is all about making disciples “as you are going”, it’s not just something we do when it is convenient. In this part of the world, most people are not used to having people care for them without it costing them something in return. This makes the Gospel of Christ so compelling because it is not just a free gift, but the most important gift anyone can receive.

Please be in prayer for Sharon and I as we continue to build partnerships and raise support for our ministry to Zambia.

Until next time,
The Quillmans