We spent the month of February in Kitwe, Zambia. We lived in our own tiny house for the month. We slept on mattresses squeezed together on the floor, leaving only enough floor space for the bedroom door to open. We cooked our own food on the one burner that worked and we bought groceries frequently (or pushed the normal shelf life) due to the lack of a refrigerator. We went for runs on the uneven, rocky, broken roads and did ab workouts with guard dogs crawling all over us.
However, for me, my month in Zambia felt the most normal. It had aspects that felt like real life, reflecting things that I want to be true of my life when I return home. Often on the Race we are serving in ways that, while fruitful, are not things I want to do for the rest of my life. But regardless of what I end up doing after the Race, I want the kind of ministry we were involved in in Zambia to be present in my life at home.
Ministry took on different faces this month.
Most often ministry looked like visiting members of the church we were working with, sitting down with them in their homes and having a relaxed conversation about life, what they do, what we’ve been doing, and whatever else conversation took us to. We’d encourage them and lift up the challenges they face in prayer.
Ministry looked like being involved in a church body…attending the Sunday service, Tuesday prayer meeting, Friday Bible study, and Saturday youth group meeting. Ministry included bringing our input to the discussion and listening to what others had to say.
Ministry looked like leading the youth group meeting one Saturday- sharing the importance of knowing the truths about God and of also knowing Him personally and intimately, and talking with them about what it looks like to grow in Christ.
Ministry looked like catching up with the people we saw at the various church gatherings or had visited earlier that week, simply remembering their names and asking how their day was.
Ministry looked like smiling and shaking hands with all 200 church members in attendance as they left the building.
Ministry looked like sharing experiences and lessons from the past 5 months with the congregation and singing a song as a team in front of the church. (Ha. If you know me, you know singing on stage is one thing that should never be part of my normal life)
Ministry looked like visiting two other churches and partnering with them for a week of door to door evangelism, leading conversations with people we met right into the Gospel and inviting them to come to church.
Ministry looked like waking up early to make eggs and pancakes for my team.
Ministry looked like choosing to spend free time chatting and playing games with the 12 kids, ages 12 to 20s, that Uncle Willy took in when they were abandoned as babies.
Ministry looked like yelling “Red light! Green light!” to a group of running kids, drawing hopscotch in the ground with a stick, and playing endless hand games with young girls.
And sometimes ministry even looked like going over to a church member’s house for a traditional Zambian meal. (Hard, I know…)
Overall, this month was about relationships and hospitality. Our Pastor told us on our first day that the key to successful ministry is building relationships, something I know is very true. The main thing Pastor Henry wanted us to do this month was get to know people and dive into their lives. He told us about how Christianity in Zambia is very wide, but not deep at all, meaning most people you meet will tell you they are Christians, but they don’t really know at all what it means to follow Jesus and they are not living their faith out. People might go to church on Sunday, but not think about Jesus again until the next Sunday. Jesus is quickly accepted, but just as quickly forgotten. Christianity is widespread, but the depth of faith is lacking. This is not something very unique. I couldn’t help but think about how similar this is to, not only other countries we’ve visited, but our very own United States as well. Lukewarm, uncommitted Christianity is taking over.
And relationships are the answer. Not just sharing the gospel and leaving, but making disciples. Living life with them, continuously encouraging them in their faith, feeding them knowledge and truth and enabling them to feed themselves. Showing the love of Christ through loving them in tangible ways and applying the gospel to their individual life.
This month reflected real life because I want to live a life focused on people, a life with visiting people, deep conversations, praying for people, and of course games, as the norm. I want to be invested in a church body and have younger people to pour into. Though door to door evangelism may not be my norm, leading conversations into the gospel and inviting people to church should be. And as the Zambians so kindly opened their houses to us and cooked amazing meals for us, I want to be in the habit of inviting others over to my house and showing similar hospitality.
What do you want to be true of your life?
What relationships do you need to pursue?
Update: I’m FULLY FUNDED!!!! Thank you all so so so much!!
