Whew!

The last two weeks have been intense for us, good but intense. Following our jaunt into Namibia, we returned to Livingstone for about a week before driving to Lusaka (Zambia’s capitol), then flying to Mfuwe and then overland over a terrible road to Lundazi in Eastern Province near the border of Malawi, then back to Lusaka by land and air, then on to Mumbwa where we arrived yesterday afternoon. So, yes, whew! With a smile!

Over the last couple of years, we’ve had the privilege of getting to know Pastor Esau and his wife, Mirriam, who lead Multiply Church in Livingstone. Esau is the volunteer Prayer Coordinator for our dear friend and Zambian director, Percy Muleba’s, Biblical Worship Training Centre (BWTC). They’ve attended both Boot Camps we’ve run for BWTC staff and volunteers and have been delightful and insightful students. As a result, we were delighted to have the opportunity to train Esau and Mirriam’s leadership team during our week in Livingstone, and what a team it was!

We spent the week digging deeply into the book of Nehemiah to discuss the nature of Visionary Leadership. This was especially appropriate because Multiply is in the process of procuring land to build a worship and ministry center. Nehemiah’s leadership in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem seemed to tie in rather nicely!

Our study, discussions, and break out sessions went really well. The leadership team was unified and each member was engaged and eager to contribute. There’s no doubt that Esau and Mirriam have gathered committed, competent and caring leaders, from his associate pastor, Zulu (who is Zulu!) to his elders and deacons, Webby, Nama, Mildred, and Lucky. We thoroughly enjoyed training them!

This experience, like so many others through the years, reinforced some key principles we’ve learned to practice in our training. The principles of going where we’re invited, training students who are already multiplying their ministries, building relational connections through multi-phase small group training, adding value to what students are already doing, using an outcome based curriculum which we’ve developed and continually refined over time, releasing our curriculum to be used freely by our students to train others, and following our Zambian director, Percy Muleba’s, lead have all proven invaluable.

In the end, as we always tell our students, we are only giving them what we have been blessed enough to have received from others over the years. What they have given us in return has changed our lives. Our understanding of the Gospel and its implications for life and ministry, and above all our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ have been dynamically transformed through our relationships with these amazing students. What a joy it is to see our efforts multiply through them because of their deep love for Jesus and others.

So, thank you for supporting us, praying for us, encouraging us, and listening to our stories. We are forever grateful. And, remember, where we go you go!

L to R: mirriam, esau, nama, mildred, lucky, and webby