SOWERS Central Africa Newsletter September 2015

Greetings from Zambia. Since we last wrote we have spent time in Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and now Zambia. We are so thankful for good health and safety in travel as we have driven many hundreds of kilometres over good and bad roads.

In our last newsletter we concentrated on Uganda and Kenya. This time we will focus on the four other countries where we work. Zambia has seen a dramatic increase in traffic and major road works are being carried out in many places causing long delays. Huge trucks are now travelling on the often narrow highways especially in Zambia and Zimbabwe. All this is making journeys take so much longer.

Electricity has been restored in Malawi after the serious floods earlier this year. Now Zambia and Zimbabwe are experiencing electricty load-shedding due to insufficent water in Lake Kariba. This results in eight or more hours each day without power and is seriously impacting their economies as many businesses are not able to operate when there is no power. There is a serious shortage of water in many parts of Zimbabwe which is resulting in poor sanitation and an increase in such diseases as diarrhoea.

Recent Events

Mozambique

Getting visas for Mozambique was a real challenge this year as the requirements for visas were changed just before we applied. We were so thankful when they were issued at the last minute.

Our short visit to Mozambique went well. Amos from Malawi came to interpret and he was a blessing. He was well accepted everywhere and a real help practically. In the photo right he is under the car adjusting the jack as a punctured tyre was changed.

We met with the Niassa and Zambezia Provincial Committees and then with the National Committee. The last meeting finished after dark and much was discussed. The work is growing and being led by competent Committees who are working well together. 

Malawi

18 senior Sowers attended a two day conference in Lilongwe in mid July. It was so good to hear what God is doing through their ministry. Godfrey and Selwyn shared the teaching. The topics covered were “Managing Your Ministry, Yourself, Your Time, Your Resources and Your Family”. The teaching was very practical and greatly appreciated.

With Godfrey and Amos we spent one morning trying to locate cardboard to make into practise boards for sketchboard workshops. In the end we found some large boxes which made 46 practise boards which we took back with us to Zambia. 

Zambia

This year our time in Zambia has been spent in Lusaka and on the Copperbelt with short visits to the Eastern and Northern Provinces. The work is really going ahead in Zambia and the Provincial Committees and Coordinators are working well together to expand the work in their Provinces. In the past year 144 seminars were conducted and 277 teams held 1030 open air meetings. Many thousands heard the Gospel and hundreds were counselled. The photo right was taken at an open air meeting on the Zambian Copperbelt in August. 

Zimbabwe

We spent ten days in August in Harare at a Level 2/4 seminar and meeting the Board. Musa and Emmanuel did a good job teaching the Level 2 seminar and were provisonally awarded their Level 4 certificates and will soon be able to teach on their own. This means the work will grow in Zimbabwe as teams can be trained more quickly at Level 2.

Income Generation

SOWERS Headquarters has been encouraging the National Boards to look for ways to raise funds for the work locally. In Zambia and Mozambique, Provincial Committees are leading the way;

In Zambia the Luapula Committee has been running a pilot chicken project for a year now and this is being expanded as funds have been sent from SOWERS HQ to enlarge the project. The Luapula Committee has run workshops for chicken projects in four districts and they are now in the process of sharing the funds from the original project with these districts. Nchelenge District received the first funds and has sucessfully raised and sold its first batch of chicks.

In Mozambique, funds from SOWERS HQ have been sent for a Soya Bean Project in Zambezia Province and a Timber Production Project in Niassa Province.

Designated Gifts

Recently designated funds were sent for items, such as Bibles for new churches, bicycles for Level 3 trainers, Printing and Sketchboard Kits. Those receiving them are very thankful.

Bibles in Rutoro, Chichewa and Bemba have been given to new churches in Uganda, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. Deo wrote, “In all the 4 churches planted through SOWERS, I have supplied Rutoro Bibles. The leaders had very worn out and torn Bibles with missing pages. I have given two copies to each congregation.”

Bicycles have been supplied to Level 3 Sowers in Uganda, Zambia and Mozambique. It will now be much easier for them to do the work of teaching seminars and encouraging teams.

Printing of Manuals, Digests, Follow-up Lessons, Contact Tracts and Counselling Booklets have been printed in Swahili, Luo, Rutoro, Alur, Luganda, English and Chichewa and will be used in Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. They were badly needed and are already being used.

A big thank you to all who made this possible.

Prayer and Praise Points

1) Good health and safety
2) Wisdom and discernment
3) Additional funding for the work
4) Provincial Projects
5) Level 4 training in Zimbabwe and Zambia and Level 4 and 5 in training in Malawi.
6) Registration of SOWERS in Mozambique, Kenya and Uganda.
7) Senior Sowers and their families:
Zambia: John, Stephen, Titus, Puta, Wallace
Malawi: Godfrey, Blackson, Mateyo, Amos
Zimbabwe: Edmond
Mozambique: Macheso, Ibrahim,
Uganda: Deo, Richard, Mary, Ronald
Kenya: Emmanuel
8) Funds for printing, Bibles, bicycles, and sketchboard kits

Thank you for your prayers and support in so many ways.

With our love and grateful thanks,

Selwyn & Christine Sexton
Working with Sowers International in Central Africa