“We will not keep this for ourselves!”

“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” 2 Timothy 2:2

When we returned to Livingstone on April 22, we had a few days to rest and prepare for our trip to Lusaka. We did, however, train for three evenings with the leaders of Multiply Church, led by Pastor Esau and his wife, Mirriam. Pastor Esau is the prayer coordinator for Percy Muleba’s Biblical Worship Training Center (BWTC). They are an awesome couple and it’s our privilege to know them and to add value to their fruitful ministry. Through Percy’s connection, they are in a working partnership with Multiply Church in Davidson, NC.

Our focus this time was on “A Biblical View of Submission” and the training went really well. We established a proper biblical understanding of the word submission, that it is relational, mutual and voluntary, and that the lack of any of these three is problematic. We then looked at examples of good submission in every area of life, and finished by discussing examples of bad submission, including the itinerant self-styled prophets (“propheliars” Percy calls them) who are wreaking havoc in Southern Africa churches. Interestingly, the early church faced a similar problem, and in the Didache (an early second century Christian handbook for ministry) reasonable parameters are set so that legitimate prophets might be identified and charlatans rejected. We included these Didache parameters in our training.

Our class was spirited and engaged, and our time together mutually encouraging. As our final class ended, one of the students thanked us for our efforts with these encouraging words: “Don’t worry, we will not keep this for ourselves!”

On Friday, April 27, we traveled to Lusaka to begin two weeks of relationship building and training with the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP). It was a tedious and tiring road trip due to very heavy traffic, multiple truck breakdowns in our lane, several police checkpoints, etc. Nevertheless, the Lord encouraged us along the way through two unexpected encounters.

The first occurred when we stopped for lunch at our favorite restaurant, Coffeeberry, in Mazabuka, when our old friend, Scottish missionary Keith Waddell, happened to be sitting at the table next to ours with his kids! Keith and his wife, Ida, had hosted Doug on his first trip to Zambia in 2006 at the Simba House in Mwandi village. Keith has been a great friend and mentor to Percy through the years, as well, and it was wonderful to see him!

The second was equally “random” and involved Percy’s friend Kongwa. When we stopped for a bathroom break about ninety minutes from our hotel on the outskirts of Lusaka, it was rush hour and traffic was building quickly. Just as we turned into our parking space, who happened to walk directly in front of our car but Percy’s old friend, Kongwa. He “just happened” to have had a meeting with a client nearby and was walking to the bus to Lusaka, his home. After a warm reunion, Percy, dreading the crazy streets of Lusaka at rush hour, asked Kongwa if he would drive us in to our hotel. He was glad to do so and negotiated rush hour like a hometown pro.

These two encounters were an affirmation to us from the Lord, two little “love gifts from Jesus,” as an old dear professor of ours used to call them. We tumbled into bed after a delicious dinner, keenly anticipating what the coming two weeks would bring. But, that’s a topic for another blog!

A very special thanks is due from us to you, for your partnership, prayers, and encouragement, indeed for your love. We are so very grateful. And remember, where we go, you go!

Pastor Esau (all black in front) and mirriam’s (black with red and yellow) church leaders were wonderful students!