September 9, 2023

Hello Grace Vineyard and Friends of Grace Vineyard,

We’re in Zambia!  That means I’m going to keep this edition of my weekly update fairly short!  The internet is not very great here, so that makes it complicated to put together one of these emails.  And we are 9 hours ahead of you, so it’s already very late on Friday night here, so I need to hurry up if I’m gonna get something to you.

Here’s just 3 pictures from our trip so far.  On the left is Alyssa Schoonmaker, me, and Traci Blagg.  I didn’t really know Alyssa before this trip, but she is a really great travel partner and minister.  She is 24 years old, and she officially became a Physicians Assistance 3 days before we left.  The very first patient she got to see as a P.A. was a Zambian! How cool is that?!  Most of you would know that Traci is also a Physician’s Assistant, and she played a role in Alyssa’s training.  Traci also is the one who had the vision for building the medical clinic here. In that left picture we are on our way here, stopping over in Doha, Qatar after our first 15 hour flight.  We had about a 7 hour layover there, and then flew another roughly 7 hours to get to Lusaka, Zambia.  In the middle is Alyssa getting to know some of the Zambian kids at Breath of Heaven Children’s Village.  And on the right is Traci presenting an Ultrasound Machine that was donated for our clinic here. They are elated, and will be able to provide so many medical services with this machine.  Still to come is a centrifuge that is being donated to Breath of Heaven, and a future team will have to carry it with them (it’s small enough to fit in a suitcase). We arrived just yesterday, and are having such a great time with the kids and staff here.  On Sunday I will be preaching at  the Vineyard church in Lusaka. Please pray that the Lord gives me a timely word of encouragement and instruction in the Word for this precious congregation.  The pastor’s family has become great friends of ours, and I look forward to connecting with Pastor Siseho, his family, and this wonderful congregation of Jesus Followers.

Then on Wednesday of next week, our “son” Mika, Katongo, the Breath of Heaven Village Pastor (they do have a church in the village, serving the children and the surrounding community), and I will be flying  North to a city called Ndola, where I will be one of 3 teachers at a school of ministry for the Zambian Vineyard churches.  Please pray for that time too — I have a course to teach from an excellent text book on church leadership , but as always I am praying for a fresh word from the Holy Spirit that meets the specific needs of the specific people that will be attending.  We are expecting about 45 students at this school, and I believe most of them are planning on planting churches or being involved in other ministries.  I already have a great relationship with some of the students that I know will be coming, so I am anticipating a great reunion with them.  I wish you could meet them all – really wonderful people exuberant in their love of Jesus and their desire to build His Kingdom in Zambia.

Just a couple other things to note for you in Oceanside:

“Snake” (Richard) Ertel is Speaking Sunday

This coming Sunday, our own Snake Ertel will be bringing the Word in my absence, and his message is titled “What if”.  You know it’s going to be great.  The following Sunday Steve Rogers will be bringing the Word.  I’m so proud of these two men we are blessed to have in our congregation, and the way they wait on the Lord with everything they have in order to serve our congregation with the Word of the Lord.  Have you noticed how every time they speak the sense of anointing on their preaching increases?  The next 2 Sundays are going to be outstanding experiences at Grace Vineyard with the Lord and His Word.

Men’s Breakfast and Ladie’s Walk on September 9

I also want to encourage you to mark your calendars for our monthly Saturday morning fellowship opportunities for the men and the woman coming up next week.  At 9am on Saturday, September 9th, the ladies will meet in the grassy area at the corner of Pine and Carlsbad Blvd.  It’s a great walk in a beautiful setting.  As always, please call or text Kathy Green at 760-583-1779 if you plan on joining the ladies.

At 8:30 on Saturday the 9th, the men will be meeting for our monthly Men’s breakfast at Ty’s Burgerhouse at 8:30.  This month our speaker is Ted Lawler!  If you don’t know, Ted is the founding director of Breath of Heaven Children’s Ministries here in Zambia.  He’s a powerful preacher, and you guys are going to be mightily encouraged.  I wish I could be there with you, but I’ll still be here in Zambia, so please make Ted feel very welcome for me!

New Monday Night Chosen Season 2 Zoom

Robin Spillman will be leading a new study Monday nights 6:45-8:30pm as we watch The Chosen Season 2 and discuss it via Zoom, starting September 18th.  Please email kimohst@gmail.com or sign up in the church lobby if you plan to attend.  For more information you can contact Robin at 760-583-3677.

And that’s it for this week’s update email.

God bless you each richly.  Please keep our team in your prayers as we keep you in ours.

Much love in Christ,

Ron Ohst