10 Jan Reflections on God Stories
As we come to our last month in Zambia with the IMB, I have been reflecting on the past two years. Culture, university students, prosperity gospel, church planting, leadership training, Covid, Zambia’s presidential election, Guesthouse, driving on the other side of the road, language, kidney stones, short-term trips cancelled, making disciples, rats, safaris, the bush, incredible relationships… It is difficult to process at this point, but I look forward to trying to put into context what God has done in my life, Kristi’s life, the Zambians we have walked with and love, and the ministries and churches that have been developed. Sitting here on the first day of September I am remembering some of the God stories that have tremendously blessed and sustained me during our time here. I thought I would share a few of these stories and thank all of you whose prayers and support made them possible.
Gershom Zulu
Gershom’s story is an amazing story with the best history. In July of 2019 when I was serving at Foothills Church, we brought a team to Zambia on a short-term mission trip. One of the things we did on that trip was go to a large university and greet students and families as they registered for school. We handed out water bottles and prayed for them. We recorded their names and phone numbers since Kristi and I would be moving here in December of 2019. One of the male students we met was Gershom. When we arrived in December we went to the same campus and found Gershom. He was a leader in the Student Union and his title was literally the Prime Minister of Levy Mwanawasa Medical University. He was our person of peace as we began our ministry on LMMU. We started a weekly fellowship on Tuesday nights, and it has been our primary ministry with students. I began to disciple Gershom through the Seven Patterns of Discipleship. When he began to write his testimony, he realized that although he believed that God existed, and thought he was a Christian, he realized he was not a follower of Jesus Christ and had not been born again. He told me that as he looked around at his country and saw all the pain, suffering, and poverty he thought this God could not be trusted. We had some deep conversations, and the Holy Spirit penetrated his heart and he repented of his sins and trusted Jesus Christ alone as his Lord and Savior. He was the first person I baptized in Zambia. After he finished the 7 Patterns, he gathered his “oikos” those close to him but far from God. On a Wednesday afternoon 25 people jammed into his family’s small house. Family, friends, and neighbors came to hear the gospel and hear how Jesus had changed his life. AMAZING! My only regret is that I did not get a picture of this momentous event. Gershom leads our Tuesday night fellowship and has discipled many students on his campus. He is studying to be a surgeon and I believe God is calling him to become a medical missionary. He is a member and currently serves at Tri Cities Baptist Church.
Shekinah Mapala
What a great name, right? I met Shekinah at the Tuesday night fellowship at LMMU. He was not a student but had been invited by a friend. He asked me for a ride since he was going close to where I lived. I dropped him off and didn’t know if I would see him again. However, the next week he was with two of our guys and they were beaten, almost to death, by violent political protesters. The three boys were thrown into a small prison cell while the angry mob chanted “burn them.” They began singing hymns and choruses and praying out loud. In a miraculous moment a large man came an unlocked the prison cell and escorted them through the crowd and helped them to safety. They were taken to the free government hospital. I met them there. They went through x-rays and scans and the doctors told them there was no broken bones or long-term problems. Shekinah as in extreme pain and his eye was completely shut and his face was swollen. I felt like they needed to go to a good private hospital and get the best care possible. The next day we took them to the private hospital. Shekinah had a fractured orbital bone under the closed eye, a fractured mastoid bone, a separated shoulder, and a perforated eardrum. The worst injury was his eye. The ophthalmologist said he would probably not be able to see out of his injured eye again. He said we would know in a week. As the days past and his eye began to open and he began to see shadows. A few days later he saw objects at a distance even though they were blurry. Finally, a week later his eyesight completely returned. PRAISE GOD! Thank you to the generous people who helped pay for their hospital care.
A month ago Shekinah said he wanted to talk to me. He shared his painful story of growing up and his mom dying when he was young boy. His dad remarried and she had a son of her own. Shekinah was ignored and lonely. He said he had been doing everything he could to prove that he mattered and was worthy of someone to care for him. He thought he was a Christian but realized he had never trusted Jesus as Savior and Lord. He prayed and begged the Father to forgive him for trying to find meaning, worth, and satisfaction in everything but Him. YES! He was baptized in August and last week he told me that God was calling him to start a non-profit to help the forgotten and under-resourced street children. Shekinah is starting the new members class at TCBC the Sunday.
Natasha Sakala
Natasha is one of our faithful students in our Tuesday night fellowship. She serves on the worship team and is a bold witness for Jesus and has been discipled in the 7 Patterns of Discipleship. She told us amazing story just this week on Tuesday night. The last two months she was doing her clinicals and was placed way out at a clinic in the bush to do her internship. She said a man was in a terrible accident and was brought to this very under-resourced clinic. The man’s leg was so damaged that the doctor was going to amputate it and there was no qualified specialist to help. Natasha was chosen to go in and tell the man that the doctor was going to remove his leg. She went in and she could not tell the man the bad news. She just began to pray and beg God to heal this man’s leg. She prayed and prayed and then left. She never told him about the need to remove his leg. She told the doctor she could not do it and prayed for God to heal him. The doctor was angry and really criticized her. It was late and they all went home, and the doctor planned to remove the man’s leg in the morning. However, the next morning an orthopedic specialist from Lusaka “just happened” to show up way out in this bush clinic. The specialist looked at the man’s leg and said he could save it. We did some celebrating Tuesday night after that story.
Justine Mpuye
I met Justine in the first month as we started our LMMU fellowship. After a few weeks he began to share the pain he has been through the last couple years of his life. He had lost his mom and dad within the last year. He asked for prayer every Tuesday. At his lowest point he told the group that he was going to have to leave school because he could not pay his tuition fees. We all prayed for Justine and I thought I would talk to Charis in Action about Justine’s situation. There are so many students who struggle financially but Justine’s story was different. Because of his devastating circumstances the school had given him a financial break and he just needed a little help to get permission to continue. It seemed like a mountain to him that he could not climb because he owed K2500, which is about $100. Charis in Action gave Justine the money and he was able to stay in school. In time, other family members and friends have come alongside Justine and he is now in his third year. Justine has been discipled and is one of our faithful followers of Jesus. During June and July schools were closed because of Covid and Justine went back to his village in the Eastern Province. Because of his spiritual growth he realized the people of his village were lost and did not know Jesus. He said the people knew there was a god but had never heard of Jesus. Justine began to share the true gospel of Jesus Christ and he told us Tuesday night that 10 people in his village came to faith in Jesus Christ. WOW! Justine just completed the new members class at Tri Cities Baptist Church and will be baptized this month.
Transfildah Kasiya
Transfildah is the biggest personality we have in our ministry. She is fun, loud, constantly laughs and has a phenomenal singing voice. She came into our ministry in January of 2021. She exploded on the worship scene. She consistently talked about God and when she led worship, she knew all the right words and how to create an environment. She was a pastor’s kid. While the American students were here, one of our girls from Foothills Church began discipling her through the 7 Patterns. Because of Covid schools closed and they did not get to finish all 7 patterns. I picked up where they left off. I asked Transfildah to share her testimony and tell me about her conversion. She confessed she did not have a born again moment. She said when she was 16 her dad told her it was time to get baptized and even though she did not understand she honored her dad. She shared that she knew about God, but she did not know Him. The Holy Spirit convicted her, and she said I am not follower of Jesus, but I want to be. Our most talented female worship leader prayed and said one of the sweetest, intimate and most transparent prayers I have ever heard. She asked Jesus to forgive her and confessed Him as Lord and Savior. She now knows intimately the One she sings about. She was baptized in August. She leads worship at the LMMU fellowship and TCBC. She also serves in our children’s ministry at TCBC.
The Antioch Church Network
Over the last two years I have been training young pastors and potential pastors and church leaders. The last Saturday of each month young leaders come to the Guesthouse to learn how to be a better leader and eat a great breakfast cooked by Kristi. The passion to make disciples and plant healthy churches has continued to increase over these years. The last couple of months the conversation has gone to creating a network of like-minded churches and leaders who will reach Zambia and the nations for Christ. A network of pastors preaching the true gospel to combat the false prosperity gospel. They want to be a church planting home base like the church of Antioch in Acts 13 sending out trained pastors to plant churches in Zambia, Africa, and the world. The last Saturday of August we met and talked about what this could look like. I asked the guys to text me if they were “all in” and 11 of the 20 guys have committed so far. Two of the core leaders are going with me to Nairobi, Kenya this month to a No Place Left Africa conference. These guys have never been outside of Zambia. This opportunity will be transformational for these guys and the development of the Network.
This is the future work in Zambia. Even though I am transitioning from the IMB, I am excited about walking with these guys in their vision to make healthy disciples and churches.
As I think back on our time in Zambia, it will be the life transformation that I will remember the most. Having a first-class seat to watch the God who loves the world actually love the people of His world. Watching Him rescue, restore, save, heal, encourage, and give purpose and hope to so many people are what gives meaning and fulfillment to my life. I am grateful and excited for the relationships the Lord has given us here and super thankful for the way the Zambians have accepted us and trusted us. I look forward to many more years serving with them and walking alongside them as we embrace the Kingdom of God together.
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