We cannot thank God and you enough for your prayers and gifts that make this vital and effective ministry work! In September we continued training over 70 HUB leaders to strategically plant churches in Zambia and to train the new pastors so as to make disciples of their own people.
We drove over 1500 miles and distributed more than 1500 Bemba Bibles to our leaders and the churches they have planted. Denson has since delivered another 1000 Bibles. Over 5000 more Bibles are coming soon. We were also able to give 12 new bicycles to pastors in rural areas that will help them be more effective in their ministries of training other pastors and helping to mentor them in their duties.
The following account is from the bulletin of a church that recently participated in a missions trip to Mozambique:
The theme this week is ‘What God lovesmost about us, moving beyond dutifulness’. We share with you some stories from our Mission team, having returned from Mozambique. We can be sure that they were willing to be obedient to the Lord, by participating in this outreach opportunity.
Before we left on the mission trip, Brian Smith prayed for the team and prayed that there would be signs and wonders.
"The success of the trip is a testimony of God's grace and love in Christ Jesus."
With these words, HIMAfrica Director Jeff Hawkins summed up his recent trip to Zambia, which ends tomorrow (Monday, Oct. 5).
"The Bible distribution was also incredible," he said. "We were able to deliver 1520 Bemba Bibles to our brothers in the Northern and Luapula Provinces of Zambia." These were delivered to nine distribution points, where 27 pastors representing 277 churches were able to pick they up.
The trip was not without its trying moments, however.
September 16, 2009
Update from Zambia: Robbers, Borders, and Books
But I trust in Your unfailing love,
my heart rejoices in Your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
for He has been good to me."
We continue to rejoice in the goodness of God! He has been good to US!
What a privilege to serve Him and His men being trained in pastoral studies and mentored by other pastors to shepherd the flock of God here in Zambia. Our 53 Hub Leaders and 6 District leaders have been focusing their hearts and mind upon the mission of HIM Zambia.
September 7, 2009
HIMAfrica heads to Zambia for pastors' conference
Zambia is one of the poorest nations on earth, ranking 117th out of the 128 nations listed in the 2007 Global Competitiveness Index. Per capita annual income averages less than $400. Well more than half the population lives on less than $1.25 a day.
Think about that... a Sunday newspaper here in the United States costs more than most Zambians can afford to spend for food, clothing, or shelter for an entire day.
Brother James is 52 yrs old and married to “one wife,” Agnes Nkandu. They have four boys and three girls and 11 grandchildren.
James was saved in 1971 and baptized with his wife the next year at Mpatamato Baptist Church. He followed the Lord’s calling in 1980, leaving the mines and attending seminary where he received a certificate in church ministry. In 1982 he located to a province in northeast Zambia and began 17 churches in there. He now pastors a church while training and overseeing the HUB Leaders who are planting churches and training more pastors in his district.
Dear Family and Faithful Friends, Supporters, and Prayer Partners,
Praise be to the Lord Jesus Christ who has done GREAT THINGS before my very eyes these past couple of weeks! Thank you to those of you gave sacrificially and who earnestly prayed for the safe travels of me and my mission team members to Malawi. We had a wonderful time and everyone made it to Bangula, Malawi and back safely. I think this was the best use of my time and money that I’ve ever made on any mission trip. We were out for 6-7 hours every day (except about 12 hours on Jesus Film day where approximately 400 people accepted Christ) training the local congregation in evangelism and some follow-up. We did have a break on Thursday and Saturday afternoons. The South Africans fed us well and I slept comfortably in a tent with a folding cot.
Malawi update: The missions group—including four Americans—that just returned from Malawi had some exciting news to share, according to Johan Gous, Africa Director for Hope Builders International.
“It’s been a long haul for [the team] but they are excited about the results of the outreach,” Gous said.
July 11, 2209
Malawi team reports “marvelous” experiences
A team of four American women is in Malawi now (July 2-16), working with other Christians working with the indigenous church there to evangelize new areas and plant new churches, reports Jeff Hawkins of HIM Africa, a partner ministry of Hope Builders International (HBI).
The visit began with their flight to Johannesburg, South Africa, where they were treated to the film “Faith like Potatoes.”
This documentary tells the story of Angus Buchan, a South African farmer who challenged other farmers to trust God rather than the weathermen. In faith, he planted potatoes and reaped a bountiful harvest which he was able to sell at a premium price… since most farmers—following the advice of meteorologists—chose not to plant that season. The money he earned was used to begin prayer groups all over the country. Angus became a speaker, invited by state agricultural committees to share his story of faith.
Since arriving in Malawi, reports have been trickling in (due to bad cell phone connections), but what has been reported is encouraging.
Beginning today (June 6), Denson Mushitala and Titus Shampande are taking a team of Hub Leaders to a remote area called Mufumbwe (Moo-foo-mm-bway). This is in the Northwestern part of Zambia west of Solwezi. They plan to return next Monday the 15th. I have attached some pictures of the men I know will be on the team. Pray for them.
They will be going into villages sharing the gospel one on one and in open-air preaching. They will camp out in tents, cook their own meals and basically rough it while they endeavor to share the gospel and plant a new church in this remote area. Pray for their health. Many of the men battle with malaria on a continual basis.
Jeff Hawkins of HIMAfrica—a partner ministry of Hope Builders—recently visited Chingola, Zambia. Here is his report:
This morning we concluded our first District Leadership Conference in Zambia. There were twenty HIM Zambia leaders present (six District Leaders and 14 Hub Leaders). We gathered for 10 hours each day, Monday through Wednesday. The HIM Zambia HUB church model was emphasized along with accurate reporting from the districts. Each morning began with quiet time followed by breakfast and then devotions before we began our day of work.
We are so thankful to Harvesters International Ministries (HIM) for its mission and vision. They are important and beneficial to the body of Christ.
It was very difficult in the past for the pastors to know each other or meet at one place for one purpose. HIM has brought unity among different pastors from different churches. The unity of pastors brings strength to Christianity and maintains its flavour.
All churches that are working with HIM experienced a surge in growth since last year when they came to Phalombe for an evangelistic campaign. The change is not only in quantity but also in quality.
Another fact of HIM’s importance is the Bible school which is enabling us to know how to live and do our work for the glory of the Lord Christ Jesus our Saviour. New churches have been planted. People are flocking in.
One way the “Jesus” film makes its way across southern Africa is on the ox-drawn cart of Mufasa. He loads the cart with all the needed equipment, then visits his “pastors-in-training” students, making the slow trip over treacherous terrain. After the formal class training is done for the day, Mufasa takes the students on a “hands on” evangelism outreach in their own villages. There, he shows the “Jesus” film and has the students work one-on-one with villagers who respond to the call to follow Christ.
Termo, pastor of a small church in southern Africa, is on his hands and knees far more than your typical pastor. And it’s not because he’s more “spiritual” than the rest of us.
You see, Termo was afflicted with polio as a child, and this has left him without the use of his legs. So, when he travels to and from his church—a small grass-roofed structure—he wears a pair of sandals on his hands and drags his limp legs behind him.
Yet, Termo refuses to let his disability hinder his work for the Lord.
“Termo leads the small church exceptionally well,” notes Johan Gous, Hope Builders International’s (HBI) Africa Director. “His messages to the congregation are always well prepared, and he leads his people with great joy in a life of devotion to God despite his handicap.”
Termo is one of many pastors throughout southern Africa being trained by Harvesters International Ministries, a partner ministry of HBI. Your love gifts to HBI enable us to train pastors like Termo… who will reap a bountiful harvest of souls because of his diligent service in the name of Christ.
April 20, 2009
District Leadership Conference in Zambia
Thirty-six new NET and Discipleship Study Bibles were brought to the conference thanks to the gifts of dedicated, caring churches and individual Christians in the United States. The 30 NET Bibles were given by Bible.org, and the six Discipleship Bibles were provided by Harvesters International Ministries. Study Bibles are not available in the country and must be shipped. The money needed to ship these to Zambia was provided by some of you. Praise the Lord for His bountiful gift. The men were overwhelmed with joy and thanksgiving to receive a new "study" Bible with the extra helps they need in preparing sermons and Bible lessons. [read more]
Bibles for Believers recently donated 90 used Afrikaans Bibles to a church in the South African town of Toekomsrus. The Bibles were donated by neighboring churches. The Emmanuel New Life Centre has about 200 members just outside the town of Randfontein, about 45 km west of Johannesburg. According to the senior pastor, Louis Adriaanse, the church is very involved in addressing crime and social challenges in their area.
20 January 2009 -- Everyone Can Help
Churches and denominations differ in structure, theology and practice. Yet there seems to be one thing they all agree on: believers need to have a Bible. Bibles for Believers received gifts from or were able to hold Bible Days in churches from 24 different denominations and several independent churches during 2008.
And in that same spirit of unity, Christians from all denominations can participate in raising funds to purchase Bibles for African believers. Your personal involvement can make a real difference and help provide many Bibles for our needy brothers and sisters. FULL STORY
30 November 2008
Local ministry working to put Bibles in the hands of African believers
“Africa is in harvest,” says Gous, “and people are stepping into a life of faith in Christ as their personal Savior in great numbers … thus the great need for Bibles.” Full Story.
24 November 2008 -- Street Children in Africa
"Children Harvest enables street children – who have often fallen into a life of crime and violence – to experience what it means to be part of a family . . . including being a responsible member of that family." FULL STORY
08 Nov 2008: HIM Africa Spreading the Gospel in Zambia Recent reports from Jeff and Lou Ann Hawkins of HIMAfrica, a partner ministry of Hope Builders International and Harvesters International Ministries, which plants churches, trains leaders, and makes disciples for the Lord Jesus Christ in Africa. Full Story.
21 October 2008 - An American In Malawi Part 2 Last week, we shared from the journal of Kimberley Daniels who, while in Malawi, met with Pastor Duncan, one of the leaders Bibles for Believers works with. This segment from her journal shows how events that the world sees as coincidence were used by God to put Kimberley and her team right where He wanted them: Full Story.
16 Oct 2008 - Outreach to Malawi, Part 1 Kimberley Daniels from The World Race program wrote the following after participating in an outreach to Malawi during July 2008. Pastor Duncan is one of the leaders who we at Bibles for Believers work with closely. Full Story.
Corn – a staple food in much of Africa – is rapidly escalating in price as more and more of it is diverted toward creating ethanol rather than being exported to Africa. Full Story
Spotlight on Zambia . . . facts and figures Located in southern Africa to the east of Angola, Zambia is a landlocked nation bordering Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. It is a tropical country, with a rainy season that runs from October through April...
Out of Africa At this hour last week, Dewey and I were in the air, traveling from Malawi to South Africa on our journey home. The journey covered 10,700 miles and six time zones, but it really covered much more than this. We were traveling from one world to another, worlds separated by 30 hours of flying but 2,000 years in culture...
Thollanders Report from Africa We are sitting in our campsite outside of Nampula, Mozambique where we are on an outreach organized by Harvesters International and its leader, Stephen Loots. It wasn't easy getting here. We've encountered canceled flights, stolen clothes and missing luggage. Still, God has covered it all with his peace and we are doing well. Our ministry time began Sunday when we attended our first African church meeting...
