/MY-MISSIONARY-TRIP-2-ZAMBIA by Thomas Bloem

MY MISSIONARY TRIP

“I beg to direct your attention to Africa; I know that in a few years I shall be cut off in that country, Which is now open:

Do not let it be be shut again!

I go back to Africa To try to make an open path For commerce and Christianity; It is for you to carry out the work Which I have begun. I leave it with you!” - David Livingstone

TO ZAMBIA AND THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

INTRODUCTION In the amazi ng pr ov i dence of G od I am ab le t o v i s i t i nto A f r i ca ag ai n. I w i ll b e v i s i ti ng Z amb i a and s pendi ng ti m e w i th A nder s on Mw i la i n Ki tw e w her e w e ar e planti ng a new chu r ch in M as onda. F r om ther e I h ope to g o i nto t he D em ocr at i c R epu b li c of C ong o and s pe nd ti me w i th M u ku mb o M ay amb a and P i er r e Kab ang e i n Lu mb u mb as hi . T hes e ar e pr eci ou s b r other s and I am cer tai nly l oo ki ng f orw ar d to s eei ng the m . I als o hav e t he g r eat pr i v i leg e of b eing Bi s hop to A fr i ca, the co nti n ent I l ov e and w ant to s er v e . G od i s at w or k i n A fr i ca and i t i s thri lli ng to exp er i ence w hat the L or d is doi ng and to tr ead the pa ths o f mi s s i onar i es w ho lai d dow n thei r li v es f or the G os pel es p eci ally i n the C ong o . In pr ep ar ati on f or thi s tr i p I r ead 2 amazi ng b ooks on A f r i ca. 1. N O CR OS S MAR KS TH IS S POT (b y Stella Ki lb y ) In a me mor ab le s peech w hi ch he d eli v er ed i n Camb r i dg e on Dece mb er 1857, Da v i d L iv i ng s tone end ed w i th a ri ng i ng challeng e

“ I b e g t o d i r e c t yo u r a t t e n t i o n t o A f r i c a . I k n o w t h a t i n a f e w y e a r s I s h a l l b e c u t o f f i n t h a t c o u n t r y wh i c h i s n o w o p e n – d o n o t l e t i t b e s h u t a g a i n . I g o b a c k t o A f r i c a t o t r y t o m a k e a n o p e n p a t h f o r c o m m e r c e a n d C h r i s t i a n i t y. D o yo u c a r r y o n t h e w o r k wh i c h I h a v e b e g u n ? I l e a v e i t w i t h yo u . ”

Camb r i dg e di d take u p the challeng e and the U ni v er s i ti es M is s i on w as f or med i n 1860 . A par ty led b y Bi s hop F r eder i ck Char l es M cKenzi e ar ri v ed on th e Eas t Co as t of A f r i ca i n F eb r u ar y 1861 t o op en u p a new mi s s i on i n t he new ly exp lor ed ar ea of the S hi r w a. S adly thi s mi s s i on ended i n trag i c ci r cu ms tances . A ls o i n 1860, ei g ht people di ed i n the mar ches of L i ny ati i n Centr al A fr i ca i n w hat w as des cr ib ed as the w or s t di s as ter in mi s s i onar y endeav ou r . T hi s b ook “N o cr os s mar ks the s pot ” i s Hollow ay and A nne H elmor e’ s s tor y . I t i s a s t or y of i ncr edi b le cou r ag e, f ai th and endu r ance as they s u r v i v e a long , h azar dou s jou r ney acr os s the Kalahar i Des er t on ly to f ace deat h a t the end . T he b o ok n ot o nly r ecor ds thei r r emar kab le s tor y bu t als o s u g g es ts that the mi s s i onar i es di d not di e f r om f ev er as w as pr ev i ou s ly thou g ht, b u t the loca l chi ef i n f act poi s oned th em .

It w as s ti rr i ng r eadi ng of men and w omen w ho lai d d ow n thei r li v es f or Chr i s t i n Af ri ca … . How I long t o foll ow thei r ded ication and courage. L o oki ng f orw ar d es peci ally t o g oi ng i nt o Cong o … my f i r s t ti me and f ollow the s teps of s ome g r eat mi s s i onar i es .

2. AG AIN S T TH E S TR EAM ( Dav i d S mi th) T hi s amazi ng b ook s peaks on “M i s s i on A fr i ca – T hen And Now ” i n w hi ch he s ays the follow i ng ab ou t Af rica: “W h e n t h e W e s t e r n m e d i a r e p o r t e v e n t s f r o m t h i s g r e a t c o n t i n e n t t h e f o c u s i s a l m o s t a l w a ys o n h u n g e r , v i o l e n c e o r n a t u r a l d i s a s t e r s r e s u l t i n g i n t h e displacement of thousands of people. As a result, the dominant image of Africa in W estern popular consciousness is one of a continent in almost perpetual crisis, ravaged by the AIDS epidemic, governed by megalomaniacs w h o b l e e d b r o k e n n a t i o n s o f t h e i r we a l t h , a n d s p l i t a p a r t b y e t h n i c a n d t r i b a l t e n s i o n s t h a t t h r e a t e n ye t f u r t h e r g e n o c i d a l c o n f l i c t s . W e m a y a s k w h e t h e r t h e s t e r e o t yp i c a l V i c t o r i a n c o n c e p t o f t h e ‘ d a r k c o n t i n e n t ’ i s s t i l l a t w o r k h e r e , s o that the plight of Africa is blamed, at least by implication, on the assumed backwardness of its people and attention is thus diverted from any responsibility which the W estern nations might have for the troubles. It is not uncommon to come across statements like this one from a W estern ‘expert’ on Africa: “Below the paper-thin veneer of civilization in Africa lurks a savager y t h a t wa i t s l i k e a c a g e d l i o n f o r a n o p p o r t u n i t y t o s p r i n g . I n s u c h s t a t e m e n t s the world is still being divided into two great categories, with Africa as a hopeless case and the W est as the guardian and exemplar of all that is civilized and decent. Africa is seen as:

a) The dark con ti nent A t the 19 10 W or ld M i s si onar y Conf er ence i t i s s i g ni f i cant that th er e w as not a s i ng le r epr es entati v e f r om A f ri ca pr es ent a t Edi nb u r g h. T he mai n f ocu s of attenti o n and i nter es t at thi s ti m e w as A si a r ather than the A fr i can conti nent and, des pi te t he i mpact of pi oneer s li ke Dav i d L i v i ng s tone and Mar y S les s or , i t w as Chi na and Indi a that cau g ht the i mag i nati o n of the mi s s i onar y mov ement and attr acted i t’ s mos t g i f ted and ab le per s onnel . We m ay w onder w hether thi s w as du e to t he pr ev ai li ng per cepti ons of the peopl es of A fr i ca and of thei r r eli g i ons , w hi ch, as the r es u lt of the i nf lu ence of ev olu ti onar y th eor i es of r eli g i on, w er e w i dely r eg ar ded as ‘ b ackw ar d’ , i n a w ay that the r eli g i ons f ou nded b y Bu ddha or Conf u ci u s w er e not. T he ‘ heav y ar ti ller y ’ of the mi s s i onar y mov emen t w as b es t conce ntr ated on the dau nti ng tas k of conf r onti ng the anci e nt tr adi ti ons of the E as t, w hi le mi s s i on among mor e ‘ pr i mi ti v e’ peopl e i n A fr i ca mi g ht b e lef t to th e f oot- s oldi er s of mi s s i on. T hi s leads u s to

an i mag e of the A f r i can conti nen t a nd i ts p eopl es t o b e f ou nd i n cou ntl es s mi s s i ona r y r epor ts , hy mns , and i n th e w i der V i ctor i an cu ltu r e, t hat of t he ‘ dar k co nti ne nt .’ T he ter m w as u s ed b y the expl or er H .M . S tanley w ho r etu r ned f r om hi s tr av els acr os s the conti n ent and clas s i f i ed the r eg i on as ‘dar kes t A fr i ca’ . b ) The wrong ed c onti nent Wi thi n the ev ang e li cal m ov em ent i n Br i tai n i n the ni ne tee nth c entu r y ther e w as a deep and per s i s tent aw ar enes s that a g r eat wr ong had b een done to A f r ica and i ts peoples thr ou g h the terr ib le tr ade i n s lav es that had b li g hted the con ti nen t. In a ten- y ear per i od at the end of the ei g htee nth centu r y ov er 300,000 A f r i can s lav es pas s ed thr ou g h the p or t o f L i v er pool en r out e to the A mer i cas and the to tal nu mb er of A fr i cans s old i nt o s lav er y has b een co ns er v ati v ely es ti mat ed at 2 0 mi lli on . A t a ti me w hen w e ar e u r g ed to r ememb er the J ew i s h holoca u s t i n Eu r ope, per haps w e mi g ht als o r ecall thi s ear li er , A fr i can holocau s t and th e hav oc i t b r ou g ht to lar g e ar eas of the w or ld. c) The con tes t ed con ti nent In the c ou r s e of the m oder n er a of mi s s i ons the r eali zati on g r ew that Chr i s ti ans w ere not the o nly pe op le w i th mi s s ionar y inter es ts i n A fr i ca. Is lam had b een v i ew ed i n many di f f er ent w ay s i n the ni nete enth cen tu r y , i nclu di ng a te ndency to di s mi s s i t as an i rr elev ant and s p en t f or ce . T he f u tu r e s ee med to b e s o ob v i ou s ly i n the hands of th e W es t tha t a r eli g i on g ener ally r egar ded as f ou nded b y an i mpos ter nee d not b e ta ke n to o s er i ou s ly . H ow ev er , as mi s s i ons came i nto di r ect e ncou nt er w i th Is lam acr os s th e S u da ni c b elt , the r eali zati on g r ew that M u s li ms had b een v er y ef f ecti v e at pr opag ati ng thei r f ai th and th at they w er e moti v ated b y a mi s s ionar y f er v our that cou ld ext end the h ou s e of Is lam deep i nto s u b - S ahar an A fr i ca. Is lam w as not tai n t ed w i th the leg a cy of col oni ali sm i n th e w ay that mi s s i onar y Chr i s tiani ty cou ld b e , an d i t appear ed t o b e ab le to pr es ent i ts elf ef f ecti v ely as an A fri can r eli g i on r ather than as a f or ei g n i mpor t. T hi s clear ly acted as a f u r ther i ncenti v e to mi s s i on i n A fr i can and i n places li k e Nor ther n Ni g er i a larg e chu r ches came i nto exi s te nce as a di r ect ou tcom e of thi s aw ar enes s . A fr i ca w as a contes ted c onti n ent i n another s ens e . When th e mi s s i onar y mov eme nt b eg an, the Eu r o pean pr es ence on t he conti n ent w as mi ni mal, w i th the ex cep ti on of Br i ti s h contr ol ov er the Cape

Colo ny i n th e s ou t h. By the ti me of the Edi nb u r g h Conf er ence i n 1910 , th e en ti r e conti nen t, w i th th e s i g ni f i cant exce p ti on of th e anci ent ki ng d om of Ethi opi a, w as u nder ali en r u le, s har ed b etw een P or tu g u es e, Br i ti sh, F r ench, Belg i an , G er man, S pani s h and Itali an coloni a l pow er s .

So how do I respond to Africa ….. In the light of the above … why do I need to be so passionate for Africa? I’m off into Africa and here is the record of my trip … hope you enjoy it ……

MY DIARY FRIDAY, 26 MARCH T he day has f i nall y daw ned w hen I c an f ly u p nor th i nto c entr al A f ri ca to v i s i t Z amb i a and the D .R .C ., t he p laces I ha v e r ead s o mu ch ab out. G ot u p at 3: 30a m, lef t f r om P i e ter m ar i tzb u rg at 4: 15 am and heade d dow n t o the Du r b an ai r por t w her e Chi co v er y kindly dr opped me of f . We had a g r eat f li g ht up to Johannes b u r g and f r om ther e f lew to NDOL A i n Z amb i a ar ri v i ng i n s cor ching heat . It’ s f antas ti c to b e b ack – t he mu s i c b lar i ng , the mar kets hu mmi ng , the poth oles even b i g g er and ther e w as A nder s on Mw i la w ai ti ng f or me, g r i nni ng f r om ear to ear . P eter M oor e i n hi s b ook ‘ S WA H IL I F OR T H E BR OKEN H EA RT ED’ s aid thi s of Z amb i a (w hich i s s o tr u e) :

“I liked Zambia. It was humid and dank, with crumbling roads lined with e n o r m o u s B u n ya n t r e e s . W om e n d r e s s e d i n b r i g h t l y c o l o u r e d k a n g a s b a l a n c e l o a d s o n t h e i r h e a d s a s t h e y d o d g e p u d d l e s f u l l o r o r a n g e - b r o w n wa t e r . T h e r e were hand painted road signs rather than mass produced ones, and the cars t h a t d r o v e o n t h e r o a d s l o o k e d l i k e t h e y h a d b e e n s t o l e n f r o m a wr e c k i n g ya r d . I t w a s l a i d b a c k , a lm o s t t o t h e p o i n t o f b e i n g c o m a t o s e , w i t h o u t t h e angst Zimbabwe suffered because it had once been something better. In Zambia I got the feeling that nothing had changed since the British left.” (My room definitely has not been painted since then)

We b ar g ai ned f or a taxi and w e s et of f f r om the ai r por t i n thi s r ams hackled ta xi w i th the petr ol on r es erv e. A t the b u s ter mi nu s jammed w i th hu ndr eds of b u s es headi ng f or all ov er A fr i ca w e b oar ded one f or K i tw e and ar ri v ed at 3: 00pm . F r om t h er e I w as tak en t o th e h ome of A nder s on’ s par ents i n th e t ow ns hi p w her e I w i ll s pend the ne xt 2 ni g hts . T hey ar e s u ch w ar m, lov i ng hos pi tab le peopl e, on ly th e A f r i cans s how s u ch hos pi tali ty . S adly ther e i s no elec tr i ci ty … .. s o m u s t g et my l ectu r es r eady f or tom or r ow q u i ckly . I alw ay s br i ng a f ew b ooks w i th me and th e one i s magni f i cent “M i s s i onar y P au l T heol og i an”, b y R ob er t R ey mond . L i s te n to how he i ntr odu ces P au l – “ P a u l w a s a m a n C h r i s t p o s s e s s e d , a m a n i n t o x i c a t e d w i t h C h r i s t , wh o had resolved to know nothing among men but Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2), who declared that for him to live is Christ (Phil. 1:21) and what is m o r e , wh o c o n s i d e r e d e v e r yt h i n g a s l o s s c o m p a r e d t o t h e s u r p a s s i n g greatness of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord, for whose sake he said “I have suffered loss of all things …. I considered them loss that I may gain Christ. Q u i t e e v i d e n t l y, a l l o f t h e n a t i v e g i f t s , w o r l d l y l e a r n i n g , p h ys i c a l a n d m e n t a l e n e r g i e s , t i r e l e s s wo r k , p e r s o n a l g e n i u s a n d u n f l a g g i n g p e r s i s t e n c e w h i c h h e had directed earlier to the spread of the traditions of Pharisaic Judaism …. He now consecrated to serve Jesus Christ …”

Oh …. how I long to be like that – a man Christ possessed and intoxicated with Christ. It i s dar k now , s o I mu s t g o and s ee i f I can b u y a cand le s o that I can co nti nu e r eadi ng thi s pheno mena l b ook . L i s ten to t hi s on the doc tr i ne of ju s ti f i cati on w hi ch i s amazi ng ( ev en b etter r eadi ng u nder a candle!) “the doctrine of justification means then that in God’s sight the ungodly man now in Christ has perfectly kept the moral law of God, which also means in turn that in Christ he has perfectly loved God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength and his neighbour as himself. It means that saving faith is d i r e c t e d t o t h e d o i n g a n d d yi n g o f C h r i s t a l o n e a n d n o t t o t h e g o o d wo r k s o r inner experience of the believer. It means that the Christians’ righteousness before God is in heaven at the right hand of God in Jesus Christ and not on earth within the believer. It means that the ground of our justification is the v i c a r i o u s wo r k o f C h r i s t f o r u s , n o t t h e g r a c i o u s w o r k o f t h e S p i r i t i n u s . I t means that the faith righteousness of justification is not personal but

vicarious, not infused but imputed, not experiential but judicial, not p s yc h o l o g i c a l b u t l e g a l , n o t o u r o w n b u t a r i g h t e o u s n e s s a l i e n t o u s a n d outside of us, not earned but graciously given through faith in Christ which is itself a gift of grace.”

It i s la te b u t w hat an ama zi ng day … . Oh g u es s w ho has j u s t dr opped i n to s ay he llo , J O H N CH IM U , a lov el y pas tor I me t las t ti me I w as her e. W e s pok e w ell i nto the ni g ht; m y candle i s almos t dead … .. s o ti me t o s le ep … . W i th i njec ti ons f or y ellow f ev er , pi lls f or M alar i a and Cho ler a, I s h ou ld s leep li k e a log . BU T as I lay aw ake I thou g h t her e I a m i n ce ntr al A f r i ca, i n an A f r i can tow ns hi p, no elec tr i ci ty , and no hot w ater … . Bu t … i t i s w onderf u l … . S u ch w ar m lov i ng people . I s pent K80 , 00 0 on tr ans por t w hi ch s how s y ou that t r ans por t i s expens i v e . T o mor r ow w e ar e of f the MA S ONDO, l oo k a t a pi ec e of land and g i v e 2 talks on Colos s i ans w hich s hou ld b e exci ti ng .

SATURDAY, 27 MARCH Aw oken w i th the r oos ter cr ow i ng b u t mu s t w ai t ti ll the s u n r i s es to do my r eadi ng s … . It i s now 5: 30 and I r ead f r om M CCHEY NE’ S dai ly r eadi ng s i n Exodu s , John , P r ov er b s and w e s tar ted P hi li p pi ans . What a r emi nder that “He who began a work in you will bring it to completion on the day of Christ ….”

F or the pas t 43 y ear s I hav e als o r ead Os w ald Chamb er s – “MY U TM OS T F OR H IS H IG H ES T ” and li s ten t o w hat h e w r ote f or today : “an elevated mood can only come out of an elevated habit of personal character. If in the externals of your life you live up to the highest you know, G o d w i l l c o n t i n u a l l y s a y ‘f r i e n d g o u p h i g h e r ’ – t h e g o l d e n r u l e i s … . go higher.”

Yes Lord th at’s me I want to go h igher . T hen r ead f or 2 hou rs f r om my b ook. L i s te n to thi s challeng e … .. ‘FIRST, only a flourishing spiritual life and a genuine walk before God in holiness will fortify the missionar y in times of discouragement. The ministerial ‘burn out’ about which one reads and hears all too often today is to be traced directly to the minister’s failure to maintain personal intimate f e l l o ws h i p w i t h t h e t r i u n e G o d . B e c a u s e o f t h e d e m a n d s o f s o m a n y o t h e r d u t i e s , a l l t o o o f t e n h e a l l o ws t h e c u l t i v a t i o n o f h i s s p i r i t u a l w o r k wi t h G o d – this training of self in godliness – to drop out of his daily vocational routine … the burdens are so great, the pressure so constant, the failures so painful, that unless he is personally thriving in his devotion to the Lord, delighting in h i s S a v i o u r ’ s l o v e a n d f e l l o ws h i p , e n j o yi n g i n t i m a c y w i t h H i m i n p r a ye r , a n d

generally having the Gospel proven to him again and again in the secret places of his own heart, his ministr y will not well endure the shocks that will c o m e t o i t . B U T i f h e i s wa l k i n g c l o s e l y w i t h h i s L o r d , h e w i l l f i n d s t r e n g t h t o endure ever y trial and to overcome ever y obstacle and his ministry will not be undone by the discouragements, but rather he will persevere in the midst of difficulty and in this way bring even greater honour to Christ.”

Wow … . tha t i s cha l leng i ng … can’ t w ai t f or s ome tea , h av e a w as h and then h ead of f to ou r meeti ng s , s o t hr i lled to b e b ack i n ce ntr al A fr i ca teachi ng the pr eci ou s Wor d of G od… . F ou nd a b u s , pai d K5000 and head ed f or M AS ONDA . It i s the mos t amazi ng pla ce t o v i s i t b ecau s e 98% o f the pe ople ar e u nempl oy ed – the p ov er ty i s hear t w r enchi ng . Whi le A nder s on g ot ev er y thi ng r eady I w ent acr os s the road to p lay s ome s occer w i th a gr ou p of ki ds and thi s ju s t dr ew a hug e cr ow d of ki ds –

they th ought I wa s Rooney! F r om ther e I w ent f or a Co ke at the T av er n ( s heb een) and s at w i th the me n as they dr ank th ei r Chi lu kas , tr y i ng to per s u ade them t o joi n u s f or our meeti ng s , b u t no one pi tch ed. We had ou r f irs t mee ti ng w her e I s poke on T H E P R E- EM INENCE OF CH IR S T ( Col . 1: 15- 23) . T he hou s e w as packed w i th pe opl e, w hi ch g r eatly encou r ag ed A nder s on. A f ter s ome g r eat s i ng i ng w e had lu nch w her e ever y one w as g i v en a g ood meal . A f ter lu nch, i n the s cor chi ng heat, I s poke o n L IV ING T H E CH RIS T IA N L IF E f r om Co l . 3: 1- 15 . T h ey w er e s o appr eci ati v e and s l ow ly w e then w ou nd ou r w ay to the b u s i n ti me b ef or e a hu g e s tor m b r oke ou t … . S o coo l af ter a h ot day . What I f ou nd s o v er y i nteres ti ng on ou r w ay back hom e w as to look i n at T H E CENT R A L AF R ICA BA P T IST COL L EG E. It has f ant as ti c b ui ldi ng s and loo ks v er y i mpr es si v e; I ju s t w ondered w her e all the money ca me f r om to pu t u p s u ch f i ne b u i ldi ng s . S o her e I am now at home at 4p m and af ter a C ok e, s ettl ed dow n t o r ead my b oo k ti ll s u pp er at 7pm – w hen the s u n g oes dow n. R ob er t R ey mond wr ote the f ol low i ng as he conclu d ed thi s amazi ng b ook – w hat a r emi nder : “The missionary m ay have the highest academic and professional competence, but his labours cannot be sustained by any aggregate of natural gifts, however splendid. Such gifts alone cannot compensate for the lack of a s p i r i t - k i n d l e d h e a r t … h e k n o ws t h a t b e f o r e e v e r yt h i n g e l s e h e n e e d s a d a i l y p e r s o n a l w a l k w i t h G o d – a wa l k w h i c h w i l l s o i n s p i r e h i m b y t h e a we s o m e n e s s o f t h e d i v i n e f a c e t h a t n o h u m a n f a c e w i l l f r i g h t e n h i m ; a wa l k which will so fire him up by the divine holiness that he will hate sin as God

h a t e s s i n ; a w a l k wh i c h w i l l s o t h r i l l a n d e n g a g e h i m b y e v e r - n e w r e v e l a t i o n s o f G o d ’ s i m m e a s u r a b l e l o v e a n d g r a c i o u s w a ys t o w a r d s m e n t h a t h e w i l l p r o c l a i m wi t h r h a p s o d i c d e l i g h t b o t h t o G o d ’ s f l o c k a n d t o t h o s e o u t s i d e t h e c h u r c h t h e m e r c i e s o f G o d i n C h r i s t ; a w a l k wh i c h w i l l s o h u m b l e h i m b e f o r e t h e d i v i n e m a j e s t y t h a t h e w i l l a l w a ys g i v e a l l t h e g l o r y t o G o d f o r w h a t e v e r h e e n a b l e s h i m t o a c c o m p l i s h i n a n d t h r o u g h h i s l a b o u r s ; a wa l k wh i c h w i l l e n a b l e h i m t o s a y w i t h P a u l ‘ n e i t h e r c o u n t I m y l i f e d e a r u n t o m ys e l f , i f o n l y I may finish m y race with joy and fulfil the ministry which I received from the Lord.”

It w as an ama zi ng b ook and chall eng ed m e de eply . S o as dar knes s b eg an to f all , I w ent t o b u y an other candle and w i ll s p e nd ano ther per f ect ev eni ng i n Z amb i a. What a pr iv i leg e to b e tea chi ng the Bi b le i n A fr i ca, I r eally lov e i t! Mr s . Mw i la br ou g ht me my s upper , a f i s h ( head and al l) w i th chi ps and t ea … . S o now I g o t o b e d f eeli ng s o v er y fu lf i lled BU T I hav e a hu g e day ahead of me tom or r ow as I try to g et i nto th e Co ng o … . I am a b i t appr ehens i v e I mu s t admi t … ( s orr y Dav i d L i v i ngs tone) !!

SUNDAY, 28 MARCH Wo ke u p e ar ly to a nother mag ni f i cen t mor ni ng i n Z amb i a. A s s oon as the s u n came u p I w as ab le to do my r eadi ng s f r om Exodu s , John , P r ov erb s and P hi li ppi ans Chapter 2. A g ai n s o challeng ed b y Jes u s : “but made Himself nothing taking on the very nature of a servant …”

Os w ald Chamb er s ag ai n s poke s o s tr ong ly to me w hen he wr ote “the only thing that will bring dishonour is not obeying Him. Obey Him with glad, reckless joy.”

A f ter my r eadi ng s w hi le I w ai t f or A nder s on to co me and pi ck m e u p , and af ter a g r eat w as h, I b eg an a new b ook enti tl ed P R INCES OF T H E CH U R CH b y W. R ob er ts on Ni col l . It cont ai ns came o s ketc hes of s ome of t he g i ant s of the pas t . L i s ten t o how he de s cr i b es tw o b r other s : HORATIUS BONAR - “what impressed ever yone was his unslackening toil. The l i g h t b u r n e d l a t e i n h i s s t u d y w i n d o w , h e w a s a t h i s d e s k e a r l y, a n d a s h e w a s p h ys i c a l l y v i g o r o u s , a n d p o s s e s s e d o f a r e s o l u t e w i l l , t h e w o r k h e accomplished was marvelous. He was constantly preaching and was as much at home in speaking to a little gathering at a cottage fireside as in a large Church.”

A N D R EW B O N A R – “ u n l e s s I g e t u p t o t h e m e a s u r e o f a t l e a s t 2 h o u r s i n p u r e p r a ye r e v e r y d a y, I s h a l l n o t b e s a t i s f i e d . I wa s , h e s a ys i n a n o t h e r p l a c e , l i v i n g v e r y g r o s s l y, l a b o u r i n g n i g h t a n d d a y i n v i s i t i n g , v e r y l i t t l e p r a ye r f u l n e s s . I d i d n o t s e e t h a t p r a ye r s h o u l d b e t h e m a i n b u s i n e s s o f e v e r y d a y. "

Now w e s et ou t f or the s er v i ce at Mas onda – and hopef u lly i nto th e Cong o . I had an i ce cold b ath w hi ch wi ll ke ep me aw ake f or the day and a g r eat b r eakf as t w i th eg g s on b r ead w i th s ome tea , s o I’ m s et f or one of the m os t e xci ti ng day s i n my e nti r e li f e . We had a n exce llen t s er v i ce wher e I s poke f r om A cts 16 on the co nv er s i on of the P hi li pp ean j ai l er . T he L or d i s s o g r aci ou s , H e ev en u s es u s to dr aw people t o Chr i s t and w onder f u lly at the end of the s er mon, 5 peopl e s t ood u p a nd g av e thei r li v e s to Chr i s t. Is n’ t that ju s t w onder f u l, pr eci ous nev er dy i ng s ou ls s av ed f or eter nity . S adly w e had to r u s h of f to cat ch a b u s to Ki tw e then anot her one to CH ING OL A . F r om Chi ng ola i ns tead of catchi ng another b u s to KA S UM BA L ESA w e b ar g ai ned f or a taxi w hi ch g av e u s a c heaper r ate to the b or der . Nothi ng w ou ld ev er y hav e pr epar ed me f or w hat I encou nt er ed at the b or der at KA SUM BA L ESA !!! A b ou t 5kms f r om the b or der the tr u cks w er e li ned u p on b oth s i des of a narr ow r oad w ai ti ng at some ti m e to enter Cong o , ther e w er e 1000’ s . T hen w e arr i v ed to b e g r eeted b y tens of thou s ands of peopl e f r om all ov er Af r i ca and li ttle m e … the only w hi te i n s i g ht!!! S u ddenly I r e ali zed I cou ld b e i n tr ou b le b ecau s e men w ho w anted to ta ke u s thr ou g h Cu s toms mob b ed A nder s on and me. In my has t e I c ou l d not g e t a V i s a b ef or e comi ng s o I w as taki ng a chance I kn ow , and sadly M u komb o w as not ther e to mee t u s . S o w e proceed ed to the C o ng o s i de to tr y and g et a V i s a w i th thes e m en h an g i ng on, b u t w hom I di d no t tr u s t . Ev e n tu ally t hey b r ou g ht an of f i ci al w ho as ked f or U $50 and my pas s por t . I g av e i n … and of f t hey w ent only t o com e b ac k 1 hou r lat er to s ay I had t o p ay a f i ne of an addi ti onal U $ 100, w hi ch I di d not hav e . P r ai se the L or d, M u komb o then ar r iv ed w i th 2 hu g e A fr i can men, one r eal l y a H U L K of a man . H e to ok ov e r i mmedi ately , r es cu ed me f r om th e li o ns den, and af ter s ome heav y bar g ai ni ng , g ot me a V i s a f or U $ 100. It w as s car y … .b u t af ter 2 hou r s w e headed of f i n a taxi f or L U B U M BAS H I w her e I w i ll b e s peaki ng 4 ti mes a t a conf e r ence. On ar r i v al I f ou nd tha t they had b oo ked m e i nt o a B & B w hi ch I b eg g ed t hem not to do , I w anted to li v e i n t hei r homes . Bu t i t i s clean and has el ectr i ci ty b u t … w ai t f or i t … . the w ater is not w orki ng !!! Bu t I am g ratef u l f or a clean r oom s o n ow I w i ll g o and tas te my f i r s t meal i n the Cong o .

S adly M u komb o s ai d I mu s t not le av e the r oom b ec au se i t is dang er ou s to w alk a r ou nd … s o af ter s u pper I w i ll r ead ti l l I dr op and g o ov er my 4 ta lk s . W hat a g r eat s u pper af ter a v er y emo ti onal ly dr ai ni ng day . T hey pr es ented me s ome s pi nach, po tat oes and a w hol e Br eam f i s h, fr om tai l to ey es to head . I hav e lear nt now how to eat i t. It i s a mazi ng b u t one ju s t long s f or a cu p of t ea … hopef u lly tom or r ow at the conf er ence! S o her e I am i n LU M BU M BAS H I, s afe and now r eady to r ead and pr epare. M anag ed to f i ni s h thi s b ook on ‘ P R INCES OF T H E CH U R CH ’ and li s ten to a las t s ni pp et f r om the li f e o f R OBER T S ON SM ITH : “even then his health was indifferent, a n d d o u b t l e s s h e o v e r wo r k e d h i m s e l f . H e would come to his class often the very personification of we a r i n e s s and exhaustions. But generally he revived as he poured forth the treasures of his thought a n d k n o w l e d g e . H i s m e n t a l a l e r t n e s s a n d v i v a c i t y, w e r e i f p o s s i b l e e v e n m o r e astonishing than his attainments. BOOKS instead of extinguishing now kindled the flame of his thought.’

T he other b oo k tha t I had s t ar ted b ac k ho me b u t w anted to f i ni s h on thi s tr i p w as i ncredi b ly helpf u l . It i s enti tled ‘ OBS ER V A T IONS F R OM A FR ICA ’ b y Dav i d E. M ar antz. L i s ten to w hat he s ay s : “ A c r o s s A f r i c a s i n c e a t l e a s t t h e ye a r A D 1 0 0 0 t h e r e h a v e b e e n c o n t i n u a l h a r d s h i p s … wa r s a n d c o n q u e s t s , s l a v e r a i d i n g a n d s e l l i n g , droughts and famines, a multitude of rampant diseases for both man and beast, a chronic shortage of population, a ver y destructive and disruptive colonial histor y and countless other misfortunes. All the happenings have moulded African culture. Present day social and family organization, values a n d e c o n o m i c p r i n c i p l e s a l l m o s t n a t u r a l l y r e f l e c t t h e i r c o l l e c t i v e h i s t o r y. T h e s e a r e n o t j u s t e v e n t s o f l o n g a g o , b u t a r e p a r t o f A f r i c a n l i f e t o d a y. T h e effects of these conditions live on in many of the problems and attitudes that continue to the present time. The African traits of building broad relationships, and the openness to sharing food and other essentials were s t r a t e g i e s t h a t we r e d e v e l o p e d i n o r d e r t o c o p e w i t h c o n t i n u a l t r a g e d y a n d loss.”

Its w ay af ter midni g ht, I’ m exhau s ted … b u t w hat a day acr oss A fr i ca. S o her e I am s af e i n L UM BUM BA S H I wi th a v ali d V i s a i nto the D .R .C . hav i ng a hu g e day ahead of me of b r i ng i ng 3 lectu r es . H ow ev er , ju s t s een my m edi cal r epor t has 2 s tamps add ed t o s ay I

r ecei v ed Cho ler a i n jecti o ns … b u t I di dn’ t!!! plu s I n ev er f i lled i n 1 f or m f or thi s V i s a; nev er g av e a ph oto g r aph… b u t I am i n… w i th a v ali d v i s a!!

MONDAY, 29 MARCH Wo ke v er y ear ly to the r i ng i ng of b ells f r om the Catholi c Cathedr al and i mmedi a tely s tar ted my r eadi ng s f or the day f ollow i ng M cChey nes ’ dai ly readi ng s . F i ni s hed Exodu s , c onti nued w i th John, P r ov erb s and P hi li ppi ans – how pr eci ou s i s the Wor d of G od. Os w ald Chamb er s alw ay s cuts me to the b one , l i s ten: “the battle is not against sin or difficulties or circumstances, but against being so absorbed in work that we are not ready to face Jesus Christ at every turn.”

Ju s t b ef or e br eakf as t f i ni s hed r eadi ng a lov ely li ttle b o ok b y L or na Eg li n ca lled ‘ M IS SIONA R Y S T OR IES ON S A F A R I’ . I w as g i v en i t s ome ti m e ag o and I f ou nd i t s o r efr es hi ng , eas y to r ead and kep t the f i r es f or mi s s i ons i nto A f r i ca b urni ng . It r ela tes to her w or k i n Keny a f or many y ear s . F antas ti c, f ou nd s ome ho t w ater … s o had a g r eat s hav e and was h … r eady now for the day … . Inte r es ti ng that the b r eakf as t w as 4 s li ces of b r ead w i th mar g ari ne and a cu p of cof f ee … .. A f ter br eakf as t, I s tar ted my othe r b ook f or thi s tri p, enti t led ‘ P A UL T H E M IS SIONA R Y ” b y Eckh ar d S chnab el. H e made thi s f antas ti c s tate men t w hi ch w e s o need to s tr es s today : “the cause of missionar y success is not rhetorical brilliance, refined communication strategies or any other method or technique of evangelism or church administration. The effective cause of people coming to faith in Jesus Christ and becoming active members of local communities of followers of Jesus is the power of God and of the Holy Spirit. Content is more important than rhetoric, substance is more consequential than form, the presence of God is more effective than the communication techniques of the preacher or m i s s i o n a r y. ”

Now of f to th e c on f er ence and to v i s i t a li ttl e Bi b le Col l eg e … . Wi ll b e one of the hi g hli g hts of my li f e t o b e tea chi ng th e Bi b le i n the cou ntr y w her e s o many mi s s i onar i es g av e thei r li v es f or Chr i s t, li ke

C.T . S tu dd, H . R os e v ear e, H . Dav i es and thou s ands of them w ho di ed du r i ng the S IM BA u pr i s i ng . It i s an aw es ome pr i v i leg e f or me to b e her e. Bu t f i r s t I mu s t g et an oth er S IM car d to S MS home b e cau s e M ar y and my M om w or ry that I am du cki ng the landmi nes … . Both v er y appr ehens i v e. Ju s t r ecei v ed an sms “please get out now… .” M u komb o has s tar ted a s mall Bi b le Coll eg e call ed C .M .B.C . ( Cong o M i s si onar y and Bi b le Coll eg e) and i t made me s mi le t o s ee how he has du pli cated s o mu ch of w hat w e do at K.M .B .C . T hi s mor ni ng I w ent i nto L U M BUM BAS HI f or the f i r s t ti me on the w ay to the Chu r ch f r om w hi ch he als o r u ns the C olleg e . In all my tr avels i nto A f r i ca I hav e nev er s een thi ng s li ke thi s , the b u i ldi ng s hav e not b een pai n ted or r enov ated s i nce the Belg i ans l ef t , the p ot h oles h av e b ecom e cr ater s and the area ar ou nd the Chu r ch i s s o des per atel y poor … i t is des per ate, t he tax i s and komb i s ar e li ter ally s tr u ng tog ether w i th w ir e .. i t i s a s ham b les . Bu t t he p eopl e at th e Chur ch ar e w onder f u lly f r i endly and u nb eliev ab ly w ar m. A f ter thi s cu ltu r e s hock I g av e 2 lectu r es to ± 25 s tu dents . T he f i r s t one w as on M i s sions and the s econd on T H E L IF E OF M A R T IN L UTH ER, and i t i s s o hu mb li ng to s ee how g r atef u l they all w er e f or the tea chi ng . F or lu nch w e had s ome m eat , pu tu an d s pi nach w hi ch w as v er y tas ty . In th e af ter noon I then s po ke to th e Chu r ch, w hi ch w as packed , on 2 T i m othy 4: 1- 3 “P R EA CH T H E WOR D”. Cam e b ack t o my r oom exhau s ted b u t s o u nb eli ev ab ly f u lf i lled, tea chi ng the Wor d of G od acr oss Af ri ca. A t the end of my s er mon 8 s ou ls ca me f orw ar d to g i v e thei r li v es to Chr i s t, that i t ju s t too w onder f u l f or me … s ou ls s av ed f or eter ni ty . Ju s t to g et me s ti rr ed ag ai n I r ead my b oo k and li s ten to h ow he wr i tes on methods of f ollow i ng Jes u s : “missionaries and evangelists, pastors and teachers should not be m o t i v a t e d b y w h a t t h e y s e e e v e r yo n e e l s e d o i n g o r w h a t w o r k s i n t h e m i n i s t r y of a successful colleague. They should not be motivated by mere novelty or by what seems attractive to the greatest number of people. And they should certainly not become dependent on some particular method, on a specific communication strategy in the sense that they become convinced that a particular method or strategy guarantees success. Missionaries and church planters from the technological societies in the W est face the temptation of placing their confidence and faith in methods and techniques. The first and the main question is not which method promises the best results, but which m e t h o d c o r r e s p o n d s m o s t c l o s e l y w i t h t h e n e ws o f J e s u s t h e r i s e n a n d crucified Messiah and Saviour.”

H ad s ome s u pper and r ead f or the r es t of the ev e ni ng . I r eal ly b attled t o f all as le ep as the exp er i ences and s i g hts I hav e had her e i n the D.R .C . ar e qu i te di s tu r b i ng and y et … the 3 lectu res w ent s o w ell and 8 s ou ls w er e s av ed … ..w onder f u l … .w hat a pr i v i leg e to b e i n the D .R .C .

TUESDAY 30 MARCH A g ai n w oke u p ear ly s o cou ld g et i nto my Bi b le r eadi ng s f or the day . I s tar ted L ev i ti cu s today and con ti nu ed w i th John, P r ov er bs and f i ni s hed P hi li ppi ans . It w as f antas ti c to b e r emi nded “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

T oday I head b ac k to th e b or der at KA S UM BA L ESA s o mu s t admi t t o b ei ng a bi t appr ehens i v e. If they as k f or money I hav e nothi ng lef t … s o P hi li ppi ans w as for me. Os w ald Chamb er s then r emi nded me r eg ar di ng i nter ces s i on: “Get into the real work of intercession, and remember it is a work, a work that takes every power, but a work which has no snare.”

Bef or e I g o dow n to b r eakf as t, Eckh a r d S chnab el s ays : “missionar y work and pastoral ministr y that acknowledge the authority of Scripture and want to pay more than lip service to the centrality of the Gospel o f J e s u s t h e c r u c i f i e d a n d r i s e n S a v i o u r w i l l a l wa ys r e c o g n i s e t h e p o w e r o f God as the primary cause of repentance and conversion, of change and transformation.”

S o now I am r eady f or the day . A f ter b r eakf as t I hav e one mor e tal k to g i v e to the Chu r ch, hav e lu nch w i th Mu komb o and the l eader s and they w i ll then ta ke me to t he b or der at KA S UM BA L ESA wher e I hope all w i ll g o w ell and I can th en f i nd a taxi t o CH ING OL A w her e A nder s on wi ll b e w ai ti ng f or me a nd f r om ther e w e g o on to Ki tw e f or my las t ev eni ng … a long day li es ahead .. b u t s o ver y exci ti ng ! A f ter br eakf as t of 4 pi ec es of b r ead and a cu p of cof f e e, w ent i nt o the t ow n and f ou nd the R oman Catho li c Cat hedr al w hich is celeb r ati ng i ts cen tenar y thi s y ear . What s u r pr i s ed me w as to s ee

how s i mple i t w as , ju s t per f ect t o s p end s om e ti m e al on e w i th G od, thank H i m f or b ri ng i ng me to the D .R .C., g e tti ng m e ov er the b or der and s av i ng pr eci ou s s ou ls . As I knel t before God, I really asked

that I might be us ed for His gl ory f or th e r emaining y ears of my life esp ecially in serving Africa a nd training pastors for this Continen t. It w as a s peci al mo men t f o r me … all my li f e I have lov ed g oi ng i nto thes e Ca thedr als to pr ay … s omehow i t s ti r s m y i nner mos t b ei ng !!! L ef t ther e f eeli ng v er y mov ed and s ti rr ed. T he Chu r ch w as w ell attend ed and I pr eached on T H E F OU R CER T A INT IES fr om H eb r ew s 9: 26- 27. H ow s o v er y gr aci ou s the L ord i s b ecau s e af terwar ds a fu r ther 8 dear people s u r r ender ed thei r li v es to Chr i s t . T o s ee s ou ls s av ed f r om he ll i s alw ay s of tr emendou s joy to me . T hei r lov e and s end of f f or me w as q u i te ov erwhelmi ng and they pr ov i ded the mos t ama zi ng lu nch f or ou r f ar ew ell. F r om ther e w e took a taxi to K A S UM BA L ESA to cr os s ov er the b or der . A long the r ou te w e w er e s top ped b y a tr af f i c of f i cer b u t af ter s ome s hou ti ng and a ha nd ov er of s ome mon ey , w e w er e allow ed t o pr oc e ed!!! A long the r ou te of 1½ ho u r s long ther e ar e no pe tr ol s tatio ns , ou r petr ol g au g e i s on r es erv e … . Bu t … ev er y now and then pe opl e al ong the s i de of the r oad s ell f ru i t and 5- li tr e contai ner s of petr ol. S o w e w ou ld b u y one and of f w e w ou ld g o … amazi ng ! Arr i v ed at 2pm . A s alr eady menti oned thi s i s hor r if i c, I can o nly t hi nk tha t th e r eas o n ther e ar e no w hi tes ar ou nd i s b ecau s e they f ly i n to L U M BUM BAS H I and g o thr ou g h cu s toms at the ai r por t. Bu t the 1000’ s of tr u cks gr eet y ou and 10’ s of 1000’ s o f peopl e and s o man y cr ooks w ai ti ng to es cor t y ou thr ou g h cu s toms makes y ou v er y ner vou s . Bu t … M u komb o and hi s 2 henchm en too k my P as s por t and 30 mi nu tes la ter I w as allow ed to pr oceed to th e Z amb i an s i de. T he Z amb i an cu s toms off i cer w as s o ki nd and s t amp ed e v er y thi ng s o all th a t w as now needed w as f or u s to f i nd a taxi g oi ng to CH ING OL A and neg oti at e a f ai r pr ice . Now w as the ti m e t o s ay g o odb y e to M u komb o and hi s 2 men w ho had cater ed f or my ev er y need and es cor ted m e thr ou g h the b o r der . A s I emb r aced thes e pr eci ou s b r other s my emoti ons g av e in and I w ept, I cou ldn’ t s ay g oodb y e … ju s t embr aced ag ai n and g ot i nto the ta xi . H ow I lov e thes e m en, they hav e s o li t tle and ju s t g i v e a nd g i v e and conti nu e to pr each Chr i s t ag ai ns t all t he odds . 6 of u s pa cked i n to a s mall taxi , w i th the w i nds cr een s hatter ed and headed f or CH ING OLA w her e A nders on s o f ai thf u lly w as w ai ting f or me. We cau g ht a b u s to Ki tw e, b u t I w as d r ai ned! On ar r i v i ng i n KIT W E I w a s i mmedi at ely tak en b y A nder s on to hi s li ttle home i n the P ar klands su b ur b w her e they had pr epar ed my f av ou r i te meal. It w as the per f ect w ay to end

of f one of the mos t amazi ng w eeks i n my li f e . A f ter s u pper f ou nd ou r w ay home, b ou g ht a candle and n ow I can f i ni s h my b o ok b y Eckhar d S chnab el . L i s ten to how he conclu des : “ t h e s u c c e s s o f m i s s i o n a r y w o r k a n d o f p a s t o r a l m i n i s t r y, t h e c o n v e r s i o n s o f u n b e l i e v e r s a n d t h e g r o wt h o f t h e l o c a l C h u r c h , i s a l w a ys t h e result of the gracious presence of God and His Holy Spirit. Evangelicals need t o s t o p p a yi n g l i p s e r v i c e t o t h i s c o n v i c t i o n wh i c h t h e y g e n e r a l l y h o l d . T h e y need to retool their strategies and reformulate their methods so that their p r o p o s a l s a r e n o t o n l y s o m e h o w , s o m e w h e r e , B i b l i c a l l y b a s e d . T h e W or d o f God forms not only the basis of the Church but also the centre of the Church and the content of what is being preached and taught. Missionaries and C h u r c h p l a n t e r s f o r w h o m t h e W or d o f G o d i s b a s i c a n d c e n t r a l m a k e s u r e t h a t t h e t r u t h o f t h e G o s p e l o f J e s u s i s t h e c o n t e n t o f wh a t t h e y p r e a c h a n d t e a c h and also governs the strategies and methods they formulate.”

A s I g o b ack to m y home Chu r ch i n P i netow n that i s ex actly w hat I b eli ev e and w ant t o do f or as long a s they w i ll w ant me to s er v e them . Wow … w hat a day … i ncr edib le joy s of s eei ng s ou ls s av ed, tear s s ay i ng g oodb y e to my 3 Cong o b r other s , an u nb eli ev ab le ev eni ng w i th A nder s on and M ar gar et … now my candle i s almos t at t h e end s o I’ l l hi t the pi ll ow … b u t wi ll take a long ti me to f all as le ep , i f ev er … too emo ti onal ly dr ai ned.

WEDNESDAY, 31 MARCH Di d not s lee p w ell las t ni g ht s o w oke u p ear ly and di d my r eadi ng s . F i ni s hed P r ov erb s w hi le conti nu i ng i n L ev i ti cu s and Col os s i ans . A s alw ay s Osw ald Chamb er s challeng ed m e w hen he s ai d “we see where other folks are failing, and we turn our discernment into the gibe of criticism instead of into intercession on their behalf …”

Dear M r s . Mw i la brou g ht m e s o me b oi l i ng hot w ater at 6: 30, enjoy ed a s hav e and w as h and then h ad my las t b r eakf as t w i th Ander s on, tw o pi eces of b r ead w ith an eg g on and … s ome t ea w hi ch was g r eat. A t 7am th e of f i ci al p hotog r apher ar r i v ed to ta ke pi ctur es of m e w i th the f ami ly . Y ou f ee l s o ov er w helmed b y the thou g h tfu lne s s of thes e peopl e and then the f ar ew ell. Oh de ar , w e hu g g ed, pr ay ed, s hed tear s and I w as ab le to g i v e M r . M wi la 2 s hi r ts and M r s . Mw i la enou g h money t o cov er all my expens es . T he y then es cor ted m e to the b u s ter mi nu s w her e A nder s on and I cau g ht a b u s to NDOL A . Z amb i a i s a lov ely cou ntr y , the peopl e ar e f r i endly and w ar m and alon g the r ou t e

a y ou ng man s tands u p and g i v es a f u ll s er mon. A f ter w ar ds I w ent to thank hi m b u t di d s ay I w as di s appoi nted that he nev er men ti one d the na me of Jes u s once . W e th en ca u g ht a ta xi to th e ai r por t and dear A nder s on and I ju s t w alked aw ay … . T oo choked u p to s ay any thi ng … cer tai nly cou ldn’ t s ay g oodb y e … . A t the cou nt er w her e I b ooked i n th e lady as ked w hy my b ag w as s o li g ht … all I hav e le f t i s my toi l etr y b ag . I came w i th 2 s ets of the 6 v olu me M atth ew H enr y Com ment ar i es , a s e t each f or A nder s on and M u komb o, t og eth er w i th other thi ng s f or them . A t s uppe r las t ni g ht I g av e A nder s on e v er y b i t of clo thi n g I had b r ou g ht wi th m e, my s hi r ts , tr ou s er s and ev en a lov ely G AP jacket w hi ch M urr ay ki ndly g av e me and my new s et of Ni ke r u nning s hoes . H e w as ov er the moon and s o w as I! S o all I hav e lef t i s w hat I hav e o n my b od y , the b o oks and cloth es all g i v en aw ay … . and … . all the b oo ks I had br ou g ht to r ead f i ni s hed and di g es ted … T he hu g e b enef i t f or me on thes e t r i ps is to r ead, and I g o b ack hav i ng r ead all th es e f antas ti c b oo ks w hi ch s ti r me g r eatl y and s hap e my thi n ki ng . I a m at th e ai r por t now , g on e thr ou g h cu s toms s o can now b eg i n my las t b ook enti t led “BIB L E A ND M IS S ION” b y R i char d Bau ckham . It w as one of th os e b o ok s that r eal ly e xpr es s ed y ou r thou g hts f ar b ette r than w e cou ld ev er do, li s t en car ef u lly , thi s i s mov i ng … “it required but a short time in a countr y like Ethiopia (for me Zambia a n d C o n g o ) t o s e e t h a t p o v e r t y i n t h e d e v e l o p i n g wo r l d e x t e n d s we l l b e yo n d e c o n o m i c d e p r a v a t i o n . I n s o m e wa ys w a n t o f m o n e y i s b u t a s y m p t o m . M o r e fundamental is the poverty of resources, education, and access to ideas; and opportunities to engage in conversation about the things that matter most. The isolation these poverties produce impoverishes us all.”

A fr i ca has one thr ow of the di ce lef t … w e w er e ab ou t t o g et r eady f or home w hen the annou ncer s ay s the plane i s to b e del a y ed 3 hou rs du e to t echni ca l p r ob lems . No u s e c omplai ni ng i t d oes mean I can f i ni s h thi s b ook . L i s ten to w hat Bau ckham s ay s on Jes u s and P au l: “ P A U L i d e n t i f i e s a c o n s i s t e n t d i v i n e s t r a t e g y, a c h a r a c t e r i s t i c w a y i n w h i c h G o d wo r k s , t o w h i c h , t h e o r i g i n s o f t h e C h u r c h i n C o r i n t h c o n f o r m . T h e God who chose the first Corinthian converts is the God who chose the least significant of all the peoples (Israel) for His own. This is Hannah’s God who e x a l t s t h e l o v e l y a n d h u m b l e s t h e e x a l t e d ( 1 S a m 2 : 3 - 8 ) , j u s t a s H e i s M a r y’ s G o d wh o f i l l e d t h e h u n g r y a n d d i s m i s s e s t h e r i c h ( L u k e 1 : 5 1 - 5 3 ) . T h i s i s t h e G o d w h o c h o s e t h e yo u n g e s t o f J e s s e ’ s s o n s , D a v i d , t h e o n e n o o n e h a d e v e n t h o u g h t t o s u m m o n ( 1 S a m 1 6 : 6 - 1 3 ) . T h i s i s t h e G o d wh o h a b i t u a l l y o v e r t u r n s s t a t u s , n o t i n o r d e r t o m ak e t h e n o n - e l i t e a n e w e l i t e , b u t i n o r d e r t o a b o l i s h

privilege over others and all gladly surrender privilege for the good of others. W e could trace this theme also through the Gospel teaching and actions of Jesus. Modern writers have often spoken of JESUS’S option for the marginalized.”

Ev entu al ly w e f lew dow n the Joh ann es b u r g , mi s s ed my conn ecti ng f li g ht to Du r b an b ut w as pu t on the lat e f li g ht ar r iv i ng home at 1 1pm , hav i ng exper i enced one of the g r eates t tr i ps of my li f e. Dav i d M ar antz i n that b ook I m enti oned “ OP ER A T IONS F R OM A F R ICA ” conclu d ed the b oo k w i th thi s las t s entence: “Last of all experience Africa b e a p a r t i c i p a n t a s we l l a s a n o b s e r v e r . ”

I am s o v er y g r atef u l f or another op por tu ni ty to hav e exper i enc ed A fr i ca. When I c ome ho me f r om thes e mi s s i o nar y tr i ps i nto A f ri ca I s har e my hear t and s ome per s onal thou g hts , s o her e g oes …

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS FROM MY TRIP 1.

A F R ICA

I lov e v i s i ti ng Af rica; I lov e her people, h er v ib r ant li vi ng and the w ay they ar e s o open to t he G os pel . I lov e li v i ng w i th the Mw i la f ami ly i n the tow ns hi p of Ki tw e w i th no ele ctr i ci ty and r eadi ng all ni g ht w i th a candle , to exp er i ence th e lov e f r om A nder s on, M u komb o and Ki zamb i , c om es once i n a li f eti m e . T o r i de i n her taxi s on r es er v e all day , i n the b u s es packed w i th pe ople i s an exper i e nce . T o f eel ov er w helmed and af r ai d at the Cong o b or der w as s car y â&#x20AC;Ś b u t A fr i ca i s w her e I w ant to b e . Z AM BIA par ti cu lar ly b ecau s e s he i s compl et ely landl oc ked and s u r r ou nded b y 8 centr al, eas ter n and s ou ther n A f ri can cou ntr i es mak es ou r b as e ther e cr i ti ca l. A f r i ca i s now leadi ng the Ev ang eli cal w or ld s o i t mak es ou r inter es t i n thi s Conti n ent of t op p r i or i ty . T he L or d has enab led me t o v i s i t Z amb i a, Z i mb abw e, D.R .C ., Nami b i a, M ozamb i q u e and M alawi and i t has b een w onder f u l.

KIT WE EV A NG EL ICA L CH U R CH / L IG H T BIV L E CH U RCH OF L UM BUM BA S H I

T hes e ar e tw o s ma ll Chu r ches w e ar e s ee ki ng to plan t a nd g r ow . In A nder s on and Mu komb o w e hav e 2 ou ts tandi ng , g odly men b oth tr ai ned at K.M .B .C . What can w e do f or thes e pr eci ou s peo ple?

a) KIT WE Next y ear w e need to ta ke u p a s mall t eam and hea d u p a cr u s ade i nto the ar ea w i th open- ai r meeti ng s and chi l dr enâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; s mee ti ng s i n or der to dr aw mor e people i n. A ls o ther e i s a pi ec e of land w e ca n pu r chas e f or only R 5000, s o may b e s ome one w ou ld w ant to don ate s om e m oney f or thi s pr oject, t hen of cou r s e at s om e s t ag e to pu t u p a s mall s tr u ctu r e. Bu t than k G od f or A nder s on.

b ) L UM BUM BA S H I M u komb o has tr ai ned u p s ome g r eat men ar ou nd hi m an d the u r g ent need h er e i s to s ee k s o me s u p por t f or hi m b ecau s e at the mo ment h e li v es b y f ai th w i th no salar y .

Both of thes e men ar e i n poor ar eas b u t I lov ed pr eachi ng ther e . Bau ckham e ncou r ag ed me w hen he w r ote:

“this means that as well as the outward movement of the Church mission in geographical extension and numerical increase, there must also be t h i s d o w n wa r d m o v e m e n t o f s o l i d a r i t y w i t h t h e p e o p l e a t t h e b o t t o m o f t h e social scale of importance and wealth. It is to these – the poorest, these with n o p o w e r o r i n f l u e n c e , t h e wr e t c h e d , t h e n e g l e c t e d – t o w h o m G o d h a s g i v e n priority in the Kingdom, not only for their own sake, but also for all the rest of us who can enter the Kingdom only alongside them.”

M ay w e keep g oi ng w i th thi s i n mi nd.

K.M .B .C .

Tw enty - f ou r y ears ag o I f ou nd ed K .M .B.C . as a mi s s ionar y and Bi b le Coll eg e to tr ai n p as tor s f or Af ri ca. Bu t I w anted to f ocu s on es peci al ly A fr i can men w ho w er e g odly b u t b ecau s e of thei r lack of f i nances and di s ad v antag ed edu ca ti on al opp or tu ni ti es ca n not ent er i nto many Bi b le Co l leg es t oday . In t h e g ood nes s of G od alm os t 30 0 hav e now g r adu ated f r om K.M .B .C . an d ar e s er v i ng ar ou nd the w or ld. T he L or d has s ent u s s tu dents f r om M or occo, E th i opia, T og o , Bu r u ndi , Rw anda, T anzani a, Keny a , Nami b i a, Z amb i a, and D.R .C ., Z IM BA BWE. S ou th A fr i ca, Bots w ana. S w azi land, Ca mer oon, Ni g er i a as w ell as P aki s ta n, Ind ones i a and Kor ea – i t has b e en a dr eam . A cr os s A fr i ca there ar e 1000’ s of s m all Chu r ches w ith 65% of t he pas tor s hav i ng had no f or mal the ol og i cal tr ai ni ng . W e mu s t k eep g oi ng , k eep tr ai ni ng , k eep s endi ng me n i nto A f r i ca w i th a pas s i on t o pr each th e Wor d o f G od and I w ant to g i v e the r es t o f my li f e t o thi s w or k.

R ES OU R CES

R ememb er w hat Baucham s ai d ab ou t pov er ty : “more fundamental is the poverty of resources, education and access to ideas ….”

A f ew y ear s ag o w e s tar ted BOOKS F OR AF R ICA w hich T om and G lor i a Dav i es loo k af ter . W e r ai s e f u nds and s end a New Bi b le Di cti onar y and Ne w Bi b le Comme ntar y to pas tor s i n A fr i ca. Now I w ant to add to thi s and collect s e c ond- hand b ooks f o r the li ttle Coll eg e M u ko mb o h as s tar ted i n L u mb u mb as hi . H op ef u lly w e wi ll s end u p hu ndr eds i n the f u tu r e. M ar ti n R ob ins on w as ri g h t “if I were to start all over again, I would spend 50% of m y time in preparing and training other leaders.”

P OV ER T Y

Bei ng i n Ki tw e b u t es peci al ly i n th e D.R .C . exp os ed me s o mu ch to t he poor and w hether i t i s ou r w or k i n thes e 2 cou n tr i es or b ack home a t ou r Colleg e , K.M .B .C, I am f oc u s i ng mai nly on t hes e pr eci ou s s ou ls . P leas e li s t en to Bau ckha m one m or e ti me: “without international solidarity with the poorest of the world’s poor the Church’s mission in many parts of our globalized world is not only c o m p r om i s e d b y s i m p l y I N V A L I D A T E D . I t h a s d e p a r t e d f r o m t h e B i b l i c a l centers of God’s way with the world”.

T hi s i s a demandi ng s i tu ati on of o ppor tu ni ty Chr i s ti an w i tnes s . It mu s t s end the Chu r ch b ack ou tw ar d i n s oli dar ity es peci al ly w i th the v i cti ms f orw ar d i n hope f or the comi ng of the Ki ng dom of

and ch alleng e f or to the S cr i ptur es , and ne g lect ed, and G od.”

F r ed Ar not, a mi s s i onar y to C entr al A fr i ca wr ote on 18 S epte mb er 1881 – “ I d o n o t f e e l a s i f I w e r e i n a s t r a n g e c o u n t r y, o r a m o n g a s t r a n g e people, and I can say with m y whole heart that I love these Africans and long f o r t h e i r c o n v e r s i o n … n o w i s a g o l d e n o p p o r t u n i t y, G o d h a s o p e n e d a d o o r and the time is short. It does not seem too much to say that scores of true servants of the Lord are needed in this part of Africa …. May He send them forth.”

CONF ER E NCE

A t the mo men t I w ant to dr ea m and s ee i f I can s et u p a conf er ence next y ear to con nect all thes e w or ks – e.g . Jo e M u ndamau i n Z i mb abw e, Char les T emb o i n M alawi , M u komb o M ay amba and P i err e Katang e i n D .R . C ong o, A nder s on M w i la and S tephe n Kang w a i n Z amb i a. G od w i lli ng thi s “C entr al A f r i can Conf er ence f or P as tor s ” w i ll s eek to e ncou r ag e expos i t or y pr eachi ng , tr ai ning of leader s and encou r ag i ng each other i n the w or k . Dr eam w i th m e, i t cou ld b e s omethi ng u nb eli ev ab le… .

M Y ONE S A DNES S

I now w ant to cl o s e b y r elati ng a s tor y f r om the f ilm “S chi nler ’ s L i s t, the S tev en S pi elb er g s tor y of Os kar S chi ndler , t he Nazi w ar pr of i teer , w ho s hor tly af ter the G er man i nv as i on of P o l and i n 1939 b eg an to u s e th e J ew s of the Kr akow g hetto as w or ker s i n hi s pots and pans f ac tor y . A t f i r s t he s aw the m on ly as cha tt el t o b e u s ed to li ne hi s ow n pock ets , w hi ch h e di d q u i te s u cc es s f u lly , b eco mi ng exce edi ng ly r i ch. B u t as the w ar dr agg ed on, and as he i ncr eas i ng ly w i tnes s ed Nazi atr oci ti es b ei ng i nf li c ted ag ai ns t the Je w s of P oland, i ncr eas i ng ly di d he b eg i n to u s e his ow n w ealth to b r ib e Nazi of f i ci als and ar my of f i cer s to g i v e hi m m or e and mor e J ew s f or hi s f actor y w hi ch the Nazi s had tu r ned i nto a mu ni ti ons f ac tor y , w hi ch b ecame a mode l of non- pr odu cti v i ty i n the Nazi w ar ef f ort. T hou g h i t v i r tu ally b ankr u pted per s onally , he s a v ed ov er tw elv e hu ndr ed Jew s f r om cer tai n death i n the g as chamb ers . I r ecou nt thi s s t o r y li ne only to s a y and I w as s tru ck b y s ome s tatem ents i n hi s mou th tow ar d the end of th e m ov i e . T he w ar has ju s t ended, and ha v i ng w or ked f or the T hi r d R ei ch, b oth he and his Jew i s h f actor y w or ker s r eali ze that the A lli ed au thor i ti es mi g ht s ear ch f or hi m. A s he b i ds f ar ew ell to them, t hey pr es en t hi m w i th a lett er s i g ned b y each of them , w hi ch they hop e, w i ll help hi m b ef or e the A lli ed au thor i ti es .

A t thi s moment S c hi ndler s u ddenly b ecom es v er y s ob er and q u i etly s ay s ‘ I cou ld hav e done mor e . I cou ld hav e done mor e!” H e b eg i ns to s ob . ‘ I cou ld hav e d one m or e. I di dn’ t do enou g h . T hi s car – w hy di d I kee p the car ? T en peopl e r i g ht ther e. T en peopl e . Ten m or e peopl e .’ P u lli ng of f hi s lape l pi n, he exclai ms , ‘ T hi s pi n. T w o peop le . T hi s i s g old. T w o mor e peo ple . On e mor e . I c ou ld hav e b ou g ht m or e peopl e! Bu t I di dn’ t.’ H i s knees cr u mb le and he s ob s heav i ly .”

I feel so much …. I could have don e more … but that morning in the Cath edra l in Lumbumbashi I knelt down and asked the Lord t o use me for th e res t of my life as a servant for Afri ca!

NKOS I S IKEL EL E A F R IKA