Change takes time...

Change takes time. (by my buddy Brad Livengood USA) Yet, each milestone is one step closer to reaching the goal and is cause for celebration and reflection. In the year 2000, Coen and Suria Scholz visited Lake Tanganyika for the first time. Soon afterwards, the Lord gave them a vision to reach the lost peoples in the villages along the remote shores of Lake Tanganyika.

In 2005, the first team, composed of only six people, went to Mpulungu to start a permanent ministry base. In 2007, the first Zambian missionaries were sent from Mpulungu to the villages of Tongwa and Nzovwe. In Tongwa, the Lord changed the hearts of many villagers and a church was planted.

Five years later, OM Lake Tanganyika celebrated when several members of the new Tongwa church answered the call to leave their homes and move to a new village to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

These individuals are the first missionaries of the Tongwa church plant along the shores of Lake Tanganyika. The Tongwa church has become the sending church, instead of the receiving church. Business initiatives like fishing and gardening are the means that provide the financial support these missionaries need to minister in the village of Kapembwa.

This is nothing short of ground-breaking. For generations the African church has relied on external funding for support, but now these indigenous churches are creating ways to accomplish their vision through their own efforts.

Aaron and Mary Mwila, along with Duncan and Prisca Chishimba, face a difficult task with many obstacles. Kapembwa is known as a stronghold for witchcraft, creating much spiritual opposition. However, the Lord is already working in Kapembwa, and with His help the Mwila and Chishimba families will succeed.

Please pray for these new workers, as this is a pivotal season for OM Lake Tanganyika and the emerging mission movement in Africa. Please pray for the safety of the families as they travel into remote villages. Pray for good health and success in business endeavours, which they need to survive. Pray for positive attitudes and perseverance. Finally, please pray against the spiritual forces that want to stop the spread of the gospel. Especially, pray that the hearts of the villagers will be open to the Truth and receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour of their lives.

Felix's house

He suffered with polio and is now unable to walk, he travels 6km each day to his office and is bringing transformation to the disabled population of Mpulungu. He has 700 members and I'm sure this is just the iceberg of the total population Mpulungu has 105,000.

Felix president of the disabled association in Mpulungu

Baby Moses

Baby Moses is 5 weeks old and born in Nsovwe village with no birth attendant, on a dirty floor in a hut, no clean water or towels to assist or sooth her delivery! After the excitement of the birth, Gertrude his mother spotted the cleft palate, he has struggled to feed and do she came on a 3 hour boat ride to Mpulungu. The clinic advised she go to Lusaka 1040km away, to UTH which is the only hospital in Zambia able to do the procedure. OM have been working in Nsovwe village for a few years now, knowing we are Christians she came to ask us for assistance. The bus ride return is $60usd and although a Zambian she has never been to the capital before! We helped her get to Lusaka and last week when I was registering the clinic I went to visit her. She was in good spirits and touched that I was visiting. The operation will happen when Moses hits 5kg so in 10 weeks or do after the opp they will return. Moses is being fed via bottled milk as Gertrude is not expressing milk, pray that she starts and that Moses begins to be able to drink her milk.

I hope to see them again in a few weeks on my next trip to Lusaka.

Justina

This is little Justina 3 weeks ago her teacher sent her to me in our partially almost complete clinic with a high fever, she tested positive for p.falciparum malaria. After three days of treatment she was much stronger. With out our clinic at the school she would have been off school sick for over a week and only received paracetamol if she was lucky!

I handed in our clinic licence last week and the Health Professions Council will soon be coming to inspect!

Thankyou for your love and support!