Starting Strong in Mumbwa!

Somewhere in my past, someone wise told me that in life you tend to finish the way you start. Poor starts are hard to overcome. It can be done, but it is difficult. Just watch how long it takes sprinters to adjust their feet in the starting blocks, and how disciplined their starts are. Life can be like this in many ways. If you start something poorly, you’ll find yourself trying to overcome your poor start throughout the “race.”

This principal of strong starts also applies when it comes to a new class of students. We’ve discovered that how we start is crucial. Expectations must be clear, and so must our purpose which is to deepen their relationship with Jesus so that he is the foundation, the center, and the goal of their lives. And, we seek to do this by the renewal of our minds (Romans 12:2) in a strong relational setting.

In this regard, we have to say that our start in Mumbwa was just wonderful. We think that, perhaps, this was the strongest Phase 1 training we have ever experienced. It was Jesus-centered, relational, and transformative both for our students and for us.

One student summed it up with these words: “Under your mentorship…my life has been flawlessly transformed…I want to be a pipeline for God to those who are thirsty for God, wherever that is.”

We can’t wait to get back to Mumbwa in late August to move into Phase 2. We’re grateful for the leadership of Dan and Nanah Mayeya and Bishop Bishop who gathered our class with a clear expectation of our approach and focus.

We hope the pictures below give you a flavor of our experience. Thank you for sending and supporting us, and remember, where we go you go!