Prayers for Christmas: Witness of Love

“This Christmas I am grateful that the love God showed the world in sending His Incarnate Son has been shown again to me personally in the grace of His sending me to witness to that Love, Jesus Christ, in Africa.” – Sandra Bradford, missioner, Zambia

Sandra serves with her husband Bryce through a partnership with the Province of the Franciscan Protomartyrs, OFMConv of Zambia. They are involved in a variety of ministries run by the friars of St. Francis Friary, including teaching at a local Franciscan high school of 700 students and helping prepare rooms and lead food safety lessons at the retreat center.

Through her teaching ministry, Sandra has learned that a dictionary is a precious thing in Zambia, costing three days’ wages of a common laborer. The only dictionary in her English classroom is the one she carries so that her 100 students can look up the meanings of hard words they encounter in their brand new textbooks or magazines.

One morning, a bright student asked, “Mrs. Bradford, do you know the definitions of all the words in the dictionary by heart?”

Sandra answered that she knew most of the words in the articles and stories they were reading together. But just like her students, she had to use a dictionary to look up words used in science, math, economics and government. The girl said, “That’s a relief. I was afraid I would have to memorize the whole dictionary, because I want to be an English teacher like you some day.”

Help support Sandra and Bryce on mission in Africa by making a gift to FMS this Christmas.