Team Work Makes The Dream Work 💪🏼
If I had to choose just a single word to sum up the month of May I would probably say: Growing…(or Learning). In so many ways this month we have been developing our own skills as well as equipping others in our team to grow God’s Kingdom. The ministry team here is certainly growing. We are intimately aware that you are a crucial part of the team that makes the dream work here in Zambia. In this newsletter we’ll update you on the following exciting happenings during this past month:
- The Entrust Course which Renee went on
- The Ministry Training Strategy which Michael went on
- Update on the GWC Explore Course students
- Discipleship and Growth Groups
- Training for Apprentices
- An exciting Vehicle Fundraiser #Run4Wheels
“And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses,
entrust to faithful men and women who will be able to teach others also.”
2 Timothy 2:2
Entrust it to Others
In the first week of May I left Michael alone at home and set off for a training course for women’s discipleship. The 7-day course was intense and by the time we reached the end of the course, I wrestled inwardly with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I felt so ready to be back home with my husband but at the same time I dreaded saying goodbye to these precious women I had bonded with. I had new sisters and mothers that I had met during the course and had influenced my life in such a special way. But it was time to leave and go out to entrust it to others. I had to put into practice what I had learnt. I wrote more in a blog on my experience at this course and you can read more about that here:
Explore Course Update
This month we also celebrate the successful completion of book 1 and book 3 of the GWC Explore Course. The course work has been completed and now the participants (including myself ) are eagerly preparing for the exams which we hope to write early in June. Please pray for us as we review our studies and get ready to write the exams.
Working through these courses together with the men ear-marked for leadership in Christ Church Lusaka has been a very rewarding exercise. Not only were we growing in our understanding of God’s Word, but we have grown in our relationship with one another. It has opened opportunity for friendship and discipleship.
In celebration of completing their Explore workbooks, Michael took the four men out to watch a very exciting soccer match between the Barcelona Legends and the Zambian team: Chipolopolo. They had been very blessed to receive complementary tickets for the game and what an experience it was! Michael had never been to a live soccer match so it was a first for him in Zambia and the first ever. They had so much fun and he enjoyed the experience of spending time with the men in a relaxed environment.
Growth in Discipleship
Michael has been making time weekly to meet with some of the men one-on-one with the purpose of discipleship and mentorship. It has served him well as he now has a better understanding of where each of them are coming from. This has been so valuable to them and some of them have expressed their appreciation for the time and effort that he has invested into their lives.
Michael has also been meeting weekly with a young man who declares that he is an atheist. This young man knows his Bible well but he is a critical thinker and hungry to know the truth. They have had many good conversations around the Word of God so please pray for this young man that he may come to know the truth that he seeks.
There has also been growth in the number of small groups or Bible studies that have started up. There are now a total of 6 Bible studies that have started meeting weekly and are being led by various men being trained as church leaders. Michael and I attend most of them while Michael helps in leading or mentoring the leaders of these growth groups. It has been a joy to see the men in training stepping up and taking initiative to start their own groups in their areas.
Training for Apprentices
Pastor Paul Kayumba arranged for Michael and the other church leaders to attend a 2-day training done by an Australian professor here in Lusaka. This session was mostly a preamble for a more in-depth training on the need and methodology of training apprentices in your church. We are so aware of the value of apprenticeship because this was a practice taken very seriously by our church back home. We have seen the benefits and far-reaching impact that apprenticeship has for the ministry and the Kingdom of God.
#Run4Wheels
A beautiful thing is happening right now and you can be a part of it. Denzil Abrahams has decided to run this year’s Comrades Marathon (88 km) on the 11th of June, as a fundraiser to purchase a vehicle for our work here in Zambia. (Read more about the fundraiser on this blog post). Here is a link for the google form where you can pledge your contribution to this fundraiser #Run4Wheels
We are so blessed by this initiative and the best thing about this is that you can also be a part of it. Every little bit helps and your contribution, no matter how small, could enable us to get a mission vehicle to do our work here in Zambia. Here is a short video where Michael and I describe our vehicle needs:
Thank You from the Bottom of Our Hearts! 🙏🏼
It cannot be said enough: we are a team. You are a part of this team. Nothing that we do out here in Zambia can be done without the help, the prayers and financial support of people like you who come alongside us to enable us to serve here in Zambia. We do not take it for granted and we are grateful that you give so that we can be here to serve where God has called us. Thank you to each and every one of you that are a part of our team.
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.”
Hebrews 10:24-25
Please Pray:
Thanksgiving
- Opportunities for personal growth and learning.
- Interim church venue provided by SIM.
- Successful completion of the two Explore Course Modules.
- The #Run4Wheels Fundraiser.
- Discipleship opportunities that we have been given in our ministry here.
Prayer Requests
- The unbelieving young man whom Michael is meeting with weekly.
- Explore students writing exams in June.
- A suitable (and affordable) venue for CCL.
- The weekly Growth Groups for consistency and spiritual growth.
- That the #Run4Wheels fundraiser will be successful and that we will be able to get a vehicle soon.
