Photo Credit: C23 Project
You may remember the saga leading up to the shipping of this container of Bibles, discipleship materials and teaching supplies to Zambia.
This project was spearheaded by ITMI partners, Timothy and Ashley Keller as a part of their C23 Project.
Some of you may recall how – remarkably – God’s timing was perfect. You might recollect that – remarkably – the shipment was delayed due to lack of funds, and how that ended up being a huge blessing for the Keller family.
If not, you may want to check out the story of getting the container shipped before you continue.
In any event, the story of this container has been remarkably and unquestionably about God from beginning to end.
The Rest of This Remarkable Story
Timothy says:
The arrival of the container required a lot of co-ordination.
Because it was flagged at the border for inspection, we had to arrange for customs officers to be on-site when it was opened. Their station was over an hour away and their availability was somewhat uncertain.
There was the distinct possibility that they could tell the truck driver to wait another day…or days.
Aside from this making the container vulnerable to looting on the side of the road, it was also difficult to schedule and co-ordinate cranes and helpers to off-load!
The real icing on the cake was when I called the driver of the truck to arrange delivery – he didn’t speak a word of English or any Zambian language for that matter. He was from Tanzania and only understood Swahili. Conveniently, my neighbor is from Uganda and could interpret all the calls for me!
Finding a Crane
Finding a crane to unload the container was also challenging.
My choices were: pay $4000 for a crane that might be able to lift and move the loaded box, or pay less than $200 for one that could move ONLY the box (meaning the whole thing would have to be unloaded before the box could be lifted off the truck… and then REloaded again for storage.)
While the prospect of moving 18 tons of books twice was a little unnerving, I much preferred the $200 option!
Remarkably, the customs officials arrived on time and gave us zero harassment. This was a huge miracle.
We had a team of volunteers from the US arrive the day before the container came. They were invaluable in helping facilitate the unloading and sorting process. Incidentally, the very same people helped us load the container in Phoenix!
Photo Credit: C23 Project
Only God orchestrates such coincidences.
A Close Call
Once everything was unloaded and moved to one side, the crane (which remarkably arrived on time) offloaded the box onto the ground.
As the crane pivoted around the corner, it nearly took out a brick tower and 5,000 liter reservoir of water.
It swung clear with only inches to spare, delivering the box without incident (again remarkable- are you catching a theme here??).
We then sorted the materials and put them back neatly into the shipping container, making it easier for distribution in the coming months.
Photo Credit: C23 Project
It Was Beyond Me
The management of all of this was insanely beyond my abilities. Often I wonder if God is deliberate in placing us in these kinds of circumstances.
I believe He does this so that we fully comprehend that He is ultimately the One in charge, and so that He can receive all the credit.
At the end of the day I was utterly exhausted- mentally and physically wasted. But more than that, I was incredibly joyful because the day couldn’t have worked out any better than it did.
God’s ways are flawless. Remarkable.
The Fruit of This Labor
We have already distributed several thousand pounds of Bibles and discipleship materials.
The Word of God is already moving into the hands of new believers, village churches, young pastors-God’s people in Africa.
Their thanks are profuse and heartfelt, as are ours.
I’ll be taking the Bibles, school materials, and discipleship books all over Zambia and (Lord willing) into Sudan over the next year.
Students in Zambia are blessed by the C23 Project!
Photo Credit: C23 Project
Please commit time in prayer for the people who will receive these materials.
Pray for their hearts to be open to the Gospel and Good News of Christ and the life-transformation that He has for them.
Thank you for partnering with us – you are a significant part of this work.
Thank you for recognizing the value of this project and getting behind us with financial support, guidance, and encouragement.
Serving and Empowering National Believers
We are thankful to have quality workers like the Kellers empowering national believers all over the world.
Because of the Keller’s work, many believers will receive their own Bibles.
Empowered by knowledge of who God is, what He has done and the implications that has on who we are as believers, they’ll be equipped to live as His children in their families, communities and workplaces.
If you were one of the many involved with getting this container of Bibles, books, school materials and discipleship aids, thank you!
If you did not get the opportunity to participate in this remarkable project, check out the Keller’s blog.
While you’re there, make sure to subscribe to receive notifications when they publish updates so you won’t miss stories of the impact this shipment makes and how you can be involved next time!
