Mwauka Bwanji (Good Morning) from Zambia! God has been doing some miraculous things over the last couple of months. Most of the time, we are sharing about the work within the villages, but this month we wanted to share a little about the work within Livingstone itself. Our heart in ministry has always been to reach all of the people, everywhere, and now in Zambia, no matter where they may be found. Regional Coordinator for South America and Africa Johnmichael Poulin preached a sermon at the 2022 BMAA National meeting last year and challenged us to “take all of the Word, to all of the people, in all of the world.”
I remember that sermon well as God spoke to Sharon and I in a powerful way. We began to seek out ways that we could do just that — take the gospel of Jesus Christ to all of the unreached areas of Zambia and not pass any opportunity that God put before us. Isaiah 55:11 says, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” So many times, we focus on the “not returning void” (which is a very exciting promise) but skip past the second half — it will accomplish what God pleases, and it will prosper where He sends it.
We were invited by the owner of a local lodge to come and bring the Word of God to his employees, so we did. We have been continuing our Bible study group at the White Rose Lodge with their employees since October 2022. Our intention was to reach the staff there because, due to their work hours, most of them never have the opportunity to attend a church service. Many people here in Livingstone are working 12-14 hours per day (or more), 6 or 7 days per week. We have been walking them through “The Story of Hope, Discovering the Provision in God’s Plan.” This is a chronological study of the Bible beginning with creation and ending with the believer’s reward of eternity in Heaven with God. This is an excellent small group study for new believers or anyone wanting to discover more in God’s Word. If you are not familiar with this study, contact Eliezer Semedo, the regional coordinator for Portuguese-speaking countries, at the BMAA Missions office in Conway. (eli@bmaam.com) He would love to share more about this study with you.
This group started with only four or five employees, but has now doubled in size. One of the men named Chanda, who works down the road as a “garden boy” taking care of all the property and grounds, heard about the study and asked to join. A woman that lives two houses down was walking to the store and heard me teaching (I must have been using my BMA pastor voice), and she stopped and asked if she could join in. The next week, she joined us and brought her daughter and her friend that lived down the road. Then again that week, a man rode up on his bicycle selling dried macaroni and stayed to listen. He is now a faithful member of our group. During our study, Godfrey, one of the workers at White Rose pointed out two men in the field across the road who had been stealing corn. Godfrey stood to get their attention to run them off and I asked him to wave them over. To everyone’s surprise, they walked over and I asked them to sit.
One of the first things we have told everyone we are teaching here is we want them to have a Bible in their own language that they can read. I do not want them to just take my word that what I’m saying is true but read what God’s Word says about it. So, we gave everyone a Bible, a pencil and a notepad to aid in their weekly and daily studies. As the two “maize thieves” sat down, I handed each of them a Bible, pencil and notepad. For the rest of the study, I was receiving strange looks from the regulars, and I could tell the two men were also uncomfortable.
After we had finished our study, everyone began to leave, and I was quickly pulled to the side and was informed of what the issue was — these two men would just take the things we gave them, and we would not see them again. My friends in the group did not want to see Sharon and I being taken advantage of but we quickly used this as a teachable moment and told them to just pray for these two men. The following week as we were preparing to pray and begin our study, Sharon looked over to see a man on the other side of the fence listening. As she beckoned him over, we realized it was one of the men from the week before. He is now a faithful member of our group — he is one of the first to show up and he always has questions from the week’s study. In fact, he has attended so regularly, that we traded his regular Bible to one of the more expensive study Bibles. The group joked with him that he “got a promotion.”
We have not seen his friend, we are all praying for him, and Godfrey has said no more corn has been stolen. You see, God’s provision is not just for those who are “good,” but His provision is for all — even “corn thieves.” In Matt. 9:12-13, we see Jesus being questioned about the same things, “But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, they that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Please continue to pray for this group of young believers in Christ and for those that are listening and watching “beyond the fence” that we may continue to reach the unreached in Zambia.
Join us in praising God for the new believers who were recently baptized in Chibinga, the study group at White Rose and our transmission has been replaced on the 4×4.
Please pray with us for Chanda as he shares the gospel with his family, Godfrey to be reconciled with his wife and family, Headman Raymond’s son Andreas (epilepsy) and a baby boy in Chibinga with severe umbilical hernia and other medical issues. We also ask you to remember our needs for funding for our monthly support and the remaining balance for tires on the 4×4. Zikomo Kwambili (Thank you very much)!
