Monday, July 20, 2015

Jesus Film, New Church Plant, and Team Reflections

Saturday

If you are wondering why we haven’t posted anything in the last couple of days- it’s because I have succumbed to what we sometimes call traveler’s sickness (also called Chazanga’s revenge). I do not think I have been any sicker on any international mission trip ever. But it was nice that it happened late Friday and only affected our day off. I am feeling much better but while I was sick I took my glasses off at VBS and - they were gone. Thank God Jesus came to minister to the sick and the blind! 

Our team never missed a step and we had an amazing time showing the Jesus Film in Nyanja, the local language. We arrived at Kamrise School at around 5 pm to find mostly children but as the evening progressed and darkness fell many adults came as well. We ended up with over 300 people. Our team led some songs before the film and the one deacon that has been assigned to the new church also led the kids in some songs in Nyanja. It is hard to believe that for many of them this was the very first time they heard the story of Jesus and for most the first time they would have seen a movie.  There were many great opportunities during and after the film to talk with people who were considering trusting Jesus as Savior. 


Sunday

This morning, Sunday, we attended the very first service of the New Living Word Baptist Church.  It was so gratifying to look out into the crowd and see the faces of people we had led to Christ while walking the streets of the compound this week. It was an honor to preach the first sermon at the church. After church we did the traditional African benediction which involves the preacher for the day leading everyone in attendance out the back door to form a receiving line in which every person comes down the line and greets each other. 














Reflections from Team Members.

I thought it might be good to get some quotes from our team while this experience is still fresh:

Brittney- “The team really got to know each other at our late night talks…in fact maybe a little TMI at times.”

Abigail- “If it was up to me, my family would pack up and move to Zambia”

Rachael- “I really grew in my own walk with the Lord this trip and I took a huge leap forward in sharing Jesus in Zambia.”

Wayne- “There is nothing that can compare with watching your own child leading people to Jesus.”

Micah- “Even with the cold showers that trickled down my back and the power outages this was an amazing experience.”

Claudia: “I’ve heard Acts 1:8 for many years but living it out was great…and I loved being called ‘granny’ by the kids in the compound.

Ashlyn- “I’m planning on going into teaching as a profession- believe me working with 400 kids in this environment has helped me see education in a whole new light.

Laura- “I’m coming home with a fresh spirit and a renewed sense of why God has called me to Africa…where I am moving in 3 weeks.”

Libbie- “Despite almost being mauled by a group of children on several occasions, I got to see the Holy Spirit work up close and touch people’s lives.”

Helen: “I learned a great deal through experiencing a little bit of the lives of the people in another country.”

Thinking back over the whole experience there are a few things that people might find interesting such as the food. As a team we enjoyed the fish: eyeball, tail, and all. We also liked the charcoal grilled chicken that some of the team saw very freshly made (from the chicken to the table).

Another thing we find interesting is that pants are slowly becoming more common among adult women in the compound. Skirts are still worn by the vast majority of women in Africa, but everyday we saw a few women wearing pants which was surprising. 


 Our team also found it interesting that many of the houses in the compound were made out of cinderblocks and had modern touches such as satellite dishes and cell phones. This is in contrast to all the previous years of  mission trips in Africa where the homes have been mud huts with thatched roofs.  

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