Wednesday, August 4, 2010

KABWE Conference and HOME

Melinda teaching the Pastor's wives in Kabwe

The Pastor Trainers/Disciple Makers

One of the pastors in Livingstone teaching from a story illustration The Graduates in Lusaka
I want to bring you all up to date on the last week of our trip and the great things that the Lord accomplished when we finished the Livingstone outreach!

We (Matthew Daka, Sinoya Sakala, Melinda and Amy Dykestra and myself arrived in Lusaka early on Monday the 12th and traveled north to Kabwe to conduct a combination Leadership, Ladies and Marriage seminar. It proved to be an excellent event. 12 of our key leaders with Hope Builders Ministries in Zambia gathered with their wives for training. This was a first for all of them to be together in a conference! The ladies were especially happy and excited for this. Melinda and her daughter Amy conducted our first ever ladies conference while I did leadership training focusing on disciple-making. In the evenings Melinda and I taught on "marriage and the family." It was wonderful to be a blessing to these dear husband and wife leaders in the church planting disciple making ministry in Zambia!
We returned to Lusaka on Saturday morning and continued to take advantage of the Daka family hospitality. I had been staying with the Daka's in between events for the entire 6 weeks of this trip. They also hosted travelers coming in from the States. It was incredible to have the privilege to live with this dear family and be loved by them.
That Saturday Matthew and I joined Sakala and his men for their graduation ceremony from the 3 year Bible course. I had the privilege to don cap and gown and deliver the "charge" to these dear church planting pastors who had diligently studied under the tutelage of Sakala these past years. They made their own cap and gowns and made a real celebration or this special occasion. The event started at 2 and finished around 6 with over 100 family and friends attending. These brothers are working in the compounds around Lusaka where hundreds of thousands of people live in very impoverished conditions.
The next day the Daka family and us joined Pastor Modguy at his HUB church in the Chipata Compound for church. Over 150 souls gathered in a small school room to worhip the Lord, hear the Word, fellowship and pray together. Most of you have not experienced a Zambian church service. These brothers and sisters sing and worship the Lord in a way that I think we will experience in heaven! Such singing to the Lord! Such exuberance and sincerity in worship! Such enthusiasm for the preaching of the Word! Wow! Men, women, boys and girls, little children everywhere. It is beautiful to behold. I know the Lord is pleased with such worship.
Monday morning we traveled to the airport and began the long journey home. The time home was a time of reflection and praise anticipating the next trip to Zambia to be with these dear brothers and sisters to share with them in the saving of souls, planting of church and training men and women as they make disciples in Zambia.
God bless you! Thank you for being partners with us!





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