August Mission Report Supplemental:
On Sunday, August 11, which was to be our last full day in Zambia, we arose about 5 AM. Thankfully the power had come on during the night, so we were able to prepare breakfast with little trouble. Most of our time in Zambia, the power grid was working about 7 to 8 hours per day. The rest of the time one had to use battery powered lanterns for light and bottled gas for cooking.
Herbert Mhango (a former student of ours and nephew to our co-worker Sydney Mhango) came to get us at 8:00 AM. He took us to the Chilenje Church of Christ for Bible class and worship. The adult class has been studying Leviticus and Numbers. They were up to Numbers chapter 9, so Thayer gave a lesson on that. The Bible class is team-taught by Herbert and one other brother (whose name I did not catch). They use God’s Mission Begins (Vol 2) as a guide in preparing their lessons. So, there was no difficulty fitting in with their series.
The attendance at Chilenje on Sunday morning was 232. The collection was over 72,000 Kwacha (nearly $3000 USD). That is a huge figure for any African congregation.
The song leader gave an invitation near the end of the service. There were two responses: a woman asking for prayers of thanksgiving that she had been led to a new job and a young man (late teens) asking to be baptized.
L to R: Chery, Catherine Mozha. Thayer, Thayer Mozha. Emmanuel Mozha
Seven elders normally lead the church, with our former students (Herbert Mhango and Obert Mozha) serving as co-preachers. This Sunday only four of the elders were present, but they asked to meet with us just to give us a word of encouragement and to let us tell them about our work. It was also mentioned by one of the elders that one of Thayer’s lessons given in Lusaka many years ago led to a modification of the church’s mission statement (which previously had not emphasized the glory of God adequately).
We had lunch at the home of Herbert’s mother, Regina. After eight years she is still grieving the loss of her husband. Rabson Mhango and one of their daughters were riding in the lead car. Regina Mhango was in the second car. She saw the car carrying her husband and daughter roll over five times before it came to rest at the bottom of a ravine. The daughter lived but was seriously injured and horribly traumatized by the event. Regina moved in with the daughter and helped care for the grandchildren, she never really had a chance to mourn in the usual way for her husband. It was good for her to have old friend to whom she could recount the story. We had always admired Rabson Mhango and were glad to let her do her delayed grieving.
In the evening, we went to the home of one of the elders, David Kalaba. We have known the Kalabas since 2003, when we led a marriage seminar in Lusaka. They now have 11 children – their four biological children plus five more that they have adopted. We had a wonderful meal with the family. Peter Setimela (at whose home we would sleep) and Herbert Mhango were also present. After the meal David led the group in a song and in a prayer. We felt greatly blessed.
David Kalaba and Peter Setimela both hold PhDs. Peter’s is in genetics (from the University of Nebraska). I am not sure about David’s field or alma mater. Peter was, briefly, a member at Timbutini. But his employment in Eswatini did not work out, so he moved to Lusaka – accepting a job with an intergovernmental agricultural program that advises and trains farmers in many different African nations.
Early Monday, Peter fixed a nice breakfast of Tilapia and scrambled eggs and dropped us off at the airport. Two flights later, Sydney Mhango collected us at the airport and drove us home.
Catching back up with our tasks and getting back into our normal routine will take the rest of this week. But Sunday was a highlight of our trip.
African Textbook Ministry, %Church of Christ, 5130 Flanders Road, Toledo, OH 43623
Note: “Gospel Herald readers may be interested to know that the headmaster of Sister Mhango’s secondary school, during her last two years of school, was Eugene Perry.”