“The Lord gives and the Lord takes away”.
Job 1:21
Taste and See 👀 that the Lord is good!
God has truly displayed his goodness to us this past month – the Lord is good. We are overflowing with joy and thanksgiving for the many blessings He has given us. We are bursting at the seams and can’t wait to share all that the Lord has done this month.
Headlines of the month:
- Personal development and training
- Michael’s Ordination
- Visitors from the South
- Abraham’s tough journey
- God gives and takes away
“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”
Psalm 34:8
Facilitation Relational Learning
I returned from Nairobi, Kenya on November 8th after a week-long intensive training module as part of the Entrust program. In this module, we learned how to facilitate relational learning. It was a truly life-changing experience that equipped me with valuable skills and tools to better serve in my ministry roles. I have written a blog about my experience that I encourage you to read if you would like to know more about Entrust and the course I completed in Kenya.
Learning how to Train Apprentices
A few days after I returned from Kenya, Michael joined 13 other pastors in Zambia for a very engaging and helpful workshop training in Leopard’s Hill, Lusaka to learn how to train ministry apprentices. Tim Thorburn taught them for 3 days (08:00 to 16:00, Monday-Wednesday) on the importance of developing character in apprentices. Michael really appreciated the training along with the great opportunity to connect and network with other ministers of the Gospel. For more detail on his experience, feel free to read his blog called ‘Learning how to Train Apprentices‘
Michael's Ordination
On November 18th, a significant event occurred as Michael was ordained into the holy office of Presbyter. This momentous occasion signifies a new chapter in his spiritual journey and emphasizes his dedication and commitment to serving others. God has been hard at work to bring us to this point. We are so grateful for all that He has done in Michael’s life to prepare him for this new role of service. (for a picture-rich blog post click here).
As the big day approached, there was a lot of planning to be done. We were not sure about the number of people expected at the ordination. Pastor Paul Kayumba had urged the entire church to attend and encouraged them to bring their friends. (Side note”: ‘RSVP’ is not commonly used in this culture.) It was nerve-wrecking and exciting all at once. We decided to serve boerewors rolls in true South African style and bought enough for 200 rolls, just in case. However, on the day of the ordination, we only had about 50-60 people in attendance. Thankfully, everything went according to plan, but we still have leftover boerewors rolls that we’ve been enjoying since that day.
Visitors from the South
The highlight of this special event was the arrival of our beloved visitors from South Africa. They came specifically to attend Michael’s ordination and we are so grateful that they traveled all the way from South Africa to support and encourage us. Their arrival brought so much joy and excitement to us, strengthening the ties that bind us together.
Our special guests were Glenn Lyons, our senior pastor and outgoing presiding bishop of REACH, Denzil Abrahams, our dear friend and assistant pastor at TCC, Bryan and Sharon Moyles, dearly loved friends from home, and Martin Morrison, the area bishop overseeing Christ Church Lusaka. Their presence added such value to this event and reminded us of the importance of unity, support, and shared faith within our community.
Equally deserving of our gratitude is our home church, Tokai Community Church, for nurturing such a strong bond between us. Their support and encouragement have played a crucial role in making this visit possible.
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
Ephesians 2:19-22
Abraham's Tough Journey
The best thing about our visitors being here at this time was the encouragement they provided during our time of sorrow. They arrived the day after we received the sad news that our ‘new’ vehicle, which is being transported from Tanzania to Zambia, was involved in an accident.
Unfortunately, Abe (or Abraham, as we fondly named our new mission vehicle) was involved in an accident with a motorcycle while being transported through Tanzania. This accident caused significant damage to the vehicle. However, the most important thing is that the injuries sustained by the men involved were not life-threatening (read more with pictures here).
We feel disappointed that we weren’t able to celebrate the safe arrival of this vehicle here in Zambia while our people were visiting. It’s also sad that there will be more delays before we can use Abraham as the vehicle is now damaged and in need of repairs, but we are confident that the Lord is in control. None of this was a surprise to Him and we can’t wait to see how the Lord uses this to work in our lives and draw us closer to him.
The Lord is good - He gives and takes away...
On the 19th of November, two very significant events took place. One event caused great sadness while the other was cause for celebration.
At 14:40 Mwansa Mbewe (the son of Conrad Mbewe) went to be with the Lord after a very sudden and unexpected stroke. He was only 32 years old, on fire for the Lord and very active in ministry. His passing is a great loss for his family and for Africa Christian University and all who were working with him.
On the same day a beautiful little girl was born to the Mulenga family whom we have been closely working with at Christ Church Lusaka. This little girl is the first girl in this family of four boys and the best part of the story is that her name is ‘Renée’! She has been named after me and that is a very precious gift from God to encourage me. Pray for little Renée, that she will grow up to know Jesus and that many will come to Christ through her.
Thank You from the Bottom of Our Hearts! 🙏🏼
Thank you once again for all your prayers and financial support this past month. God is at work here in Zambia and you are a part of what He is doing through us. We don’t take it for granted. You are in our prayers continuously and we pray that you may be strengthened and encouraged through what God is doing through your gifts.
Praise God For:
- the successful applications of Titus and Rasford to GWC
- Michael’s Ordination
- The special visit of friends from South Africa
- the many great training opportunities that we have been able to take advantage of while in Zambia.
- the safe birth of little Renée
Pray For:
- successful visa applications for Titus and Rasford to go to South Africa to study
- the one-to-one discipleship ministry we are involved in
- the negotiations regarding the 2024 contract for the Church venue at Golden Peacock
- the ‘safe’ arrival and repair of our mission vehicle
- The Mbewe family and Africa Christian University in their time of grief.
We are missionaries serving with SIM-Zambia. We rely totally on donor support to keep us in the mission field.
Please would you prayerfully consider supporting us financially. You can direct your support to us through SIM or directly to our personal South African bank account. Find out how you can support us here: