JULY 2016
AFRICAN HARVEST
FEATURING: Rachel Lungu and the origins of the Malawi Women Project. Kakamega Mission - Kenya Patricia’s Story: Abused, Beaten & Left for Dead
SCANDALOUS GRACE REACHING AFRICA'S PROSTITUTES & VULNERABLE WOMEN
FROM THE CEO/ITL
UNITING A CITY
“The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” ... Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” ... But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go,
KAKAMEGA CITY-WIDE MISSION, KENYA
I’m proud to say that together, we have been changing lives in Africa for more than 50 years. From Gospel crusades to medical camps and everywhere in between God is taking us on an incredible journey. One of AE’s ministries that has a special place in my heart is AE’s work with vulnerable women. To me, the passage above communicates God’s kindness toward His children yet his desire for us to be holy so clearly. Our teams in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi are passionate about giving women a chance at a life of dignity. A life that can honour God. It’s because of you that thousands of women over the last few decades have been given that chance. Thank you! As you read the stories in this newsletter, I hope you’re encouraged and spurred to pray for our programs and these amazing women who have said YES to changing their lives and have been met with the open and forgiving arms of the Father. TOGETHER We Can! In Christ,
Stephen Mbogo, AE CEO/ITL Cover Photo: Women dance at an open air Gospel rally in Eldoret, Kenya
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and from now on sin no more.”]] Jn 8:3-11
here is nothing we love more than seeing a city catch fire with the Gospel of Christ and churches working in unity. During the first week of July nearly 600 local volunteer evangelists and 500 others from Eldoret, Isiolo and other cities who have caught the vision of reaching the whole nation for Christ. Over the 10-day mission, these volunteers will proclaim the Gospel to every school, prison, and on every street corner. African Enterprise Kenya has been working hard in Kakamega to educate local churches on the importance of evangelism and to equip them with the knowledge and skills to evangelise effectively. With over 150 churches expected to participate in the mission, we had a lot of training to do! AE Kenya’s Mission Coordinator, Edward said of the mission training course, “The pastors were so excited to learn new ways of reaching out to the people in Kakamega. They told us that this model of evangelism was new to them and they were ready and eager to participate so that they can apply the these ideas in their neighborhoods. During the mission planning phase, many churches have worked in unity for the first time and have created stronger relationships. Edward told us, “Some churches abstained from joining the mission initially because of local politics or differences in theology. But when we went to visit them they came on board,
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SYNERGY BETWEEN CHURCHES REMAINED STRONG THROUGHOUT THE PLANNING PHASE AND CHURCHES FOUND IT EASY TO WORK TOGETHER.
Kakamega pastors pray for their city ahead of the July Mission realising that our intentions are good. They are now open to working with other local churches and the church leaders relationships have been restored.” Some pastors have truly caught the vision of this mission, particularly Rev. Martin Okello. Rev. Okello knows that this mission can change his city and has personally visited local churches and pastors to convince them to take part. Because of Rev. Okello, synergy between churches remained strong throughout the planning phase and churches found it easy to work together. Please join us! Take time to pray for Kakamega this month. Ask for God’s favour and guidance over this mission and pray that those who come to Christ would experience God in a way that will change their lives forever. It’s because of you, our partners and co-laborers in Christ, that the population of Kakamega will be rocked with the Gospel in July. Join us in thanking God for everything He will do and continue to give so that other people can know the amazing truth of the Gospel. Find us on facebook for mission updates!
Reaching Africa’s prostitutes and vulnerable women
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THE VULNERABLE WOMEN PROJECT HAS SEEN ABOUT 600 WOMEN GO THROUGH THE PROGRAMME IN MALAWI AND HAS SPARKED SIMILAR PROGRAMMES IN AE KENYA AND AE GHANA.
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Rachel took that to heart and continued to wait on God’s timing. “15 years later, in 1998, a friend of mine invited me to help her with a Bible study with women who didn’t have access to the church. Many of them were prostitutes,” she said. Rachel remained part of that Bible Study for two years and created strong friendships with the women who came. During a visit to a church in the US with her husband, Stephen shared about the study to some of the women. “He appealed to the ladies of the church, telling them about the Bible study and how I had a desire to provide them with some life skills” After the service, during a small prayer meeting, four ladies came to us saying that God had spoken to them and had asked them to give. “They each gave about $300!” Rachel said. “I was so excited! When we got home we bought two pedal machines, some tape measures, some needles, materials and other supplies – everything that you need to do tailoring – and I hired two tailors to come teach. “Then I called the women and told them, ‘Come here and learn how to be a tailor!’” All in all, about 40 women came. Every day they set up those two sewing machines in Rachel’s garage and learned how to sew. Over the next six years, the women kept coming and Rachel kept teaching them about sewing and sharing God’s love with them.
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I’M NOT GIVING YOU THIS TAILORING SCHOOL TRAINING FOR YOUR OWN SAKE BUT BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO HELP OTHER WOMEN
“Eventually, it grew too big for my little garage,” Rachel said. “So AE Malawi took it on as a full-time project and it’s only kept growing!” Enoch was excited to take on such a dynamic work. He dubbed it the “Vulnerable Women Project” because of varied backgrounds of the women. Today, thanks to the faithful support of people like you, the Vulnerable Women Project has seen about 600 women go through the programme in Malawi and has sparked similar programmes in AE Kenya and AE Ghana. “They all come from different places,” said Enoch. “Some of them have never even used a flushing toilet or a shower when they come to us so we teach them about proper hygiene and home economics as soon as they arrive. Then every morning after Bible Study they start learning tailoring, about the parts of a sewing machine, how to cut cloth, how to make a straight line, how to pedal the machine, how to repair the sewing machine, how to make dresses and so on.” Rachel and Stephen Lungu moved to South Africa in 2014 but she visits Malawi twice a year. Her commitment to follow God’s leading and the faithfulness of others to give have left a legacy that provides a safe place for the vulnerable women of Malawi, giving them a chance at a new life with freedom in Christ.
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ixteen years ago, a young Malawian woman called Rachel Lungu (wife of Stephen Lungu) set up some sewing machines in her garage and started teaching prostitutes how to sew. It was the first step in a mission that had been in Rachel’s heart for a long time. “In 1983, I dreamt of a girl who gave birth to a baby and she couldn’t take care of the child,” said Rachel. “I wasn’t sure what it meant but I kept waiting for God to tell me.” About two years later, she decided to take a sewing course for her own interest when she felt the Lord speak to her again. “He said ‘I’m not giving you this tailoring school training for your own sake but because I want you to help other women’.”
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SCANDALOUS GRACE
W W W . A F R I C A N E N T E R P R I S E . C O M O N L I N E U S V I S I T T O
A former prostitute finds hope with the help of a modern-day Good Samaritan she took me to my mother’s home and gave me a Bible and hen Patricia, lost her husband in 2004 she was just some money.” 26. She and her children moved in with her mother but With kindness and gentleness, Agnes visited Patricia and Patricia was unhappy and turned to some new friends who told her the good news of salvation. “She prayed for me and I eventually pulled her into prostitution. They would stand along committed my life to Jesus.” Patricia said. the road, waiting for clients. It was a dangerous, frightening Agnes promised to find her something to do to keep her line of work. But Patricia was hooked. safe from prostitution. “Amazingly, she secured me a place at “Some days could pass without being picked up by a a vocational school where I was going to learn sewing skills!” man,” Patricia said. “We would stand in the rain and get wet. she said. It was cold at night waiting for customers.” This vocational school is a tailoring program run specifically Soon, it got even worse. for former prostitutes, by African Enterprise Malawi. “Sometimes I was taken by men from the trading centre On the first day of her new training program, Agnes picked and brought to their homes where their wives would beat me,” Patricia up from her house and took her to the school, leaving she said. “One night, two men took me to a place far away, her with groceries and paying her registration fee. “She is where they pressed me down, beat and harassed me, doing my spiritual mother. “I am happy to be here because I can whatever they wanted to me until I fainted.” sleep with a free mind and be served Patricia almost died that night but she was I AM QUITE CERTAIN THAT IF I HAD NOT with food kindly by the school staff. Indeed, Jesus has transformed my found and taken to her LEFT WHEN I DID, I WOULD HAVE BEEN life!” mother’s home. There Patricia knows that she has she slowly recovered her physical DEAD BY NOW been rescued from the fatal strength but emotionally she was clutches of prostitution. “I am quite certain still in turmoil. that if I had not left when I did, I would have “I went back into prostitution and this time, I was like a been dead by now.” mad person,” she said. The abuse from clients continued; Her relationship with her mother has improved, she has one beating was so bad that Patricia told her mother she had new Christian friends and now attends church. She has even been in a car accident to hide the shame of what had been been joined by one of the women she used to work with on done to her. the streets. Several people tried to convince her to stop. “My friend As Patricia’s sewing skills increase and as her knowledge visited me and told me that the Lord spoke to her, telling her of the Lord and what He has done for her grows, so does her to warn me,” Patricia said. “Some days later, another woman hope for the future. She plans to set up a tailoring business came with the same message.” But none of these words with her colleague and be self-sustaining. reached Patricia’s heart and she refused to leave prostitution. “I am so thankful for Agnes who pulled me out of the life She was lost in terrible darkness and turned to alcohol to of darkness and despair and shared Jesus with me. May numb the pain. God still use her to bring the lost souls back to Him! I am so “I will never forget the third of September, 2015,” Patricia thankful for you as well. This school is leading my life and said. “The previous day I got so drunk that I could not rise to many others to spiritual and economic transformation. Thank go back home, I was deep asleep.” She slept on the sidewalk you for making this possible for me and may you continue for the entire day and night and on the morning of September to do this generous work for others to whom your hand can 3rd was found by a woman called Agnes. “She was a Good manage to reach!” Samaritan,” Patricia said. “She covered me with a cloth and took me to her home where I was cared for and dressed. Then
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ABUSED, BEATEN AND LEFT FOR DEAD: