Yesterday was our first official day of ministry with JZone in Livingstone, Zambia. The schedule is relaxed here, and our host mentioned the phrase “slow down” at least 10 times during orientation. We were taught a few Zambian cultural norms as well as some common greetings, and then told about our ministry for the next day.
This afternoon, half of the team will be splitting and going to the Bush to conduct some leadership training for pastors in the field. I’ll be part of this group, and I’m really looking forward to it. It will be interesting to teach, though. Typically churches here will not allow women to preach or to teach. Our contacts told us to say we are “sharing”.
You’re preaching as a woman? No! Absolutely not!
Oh, you’re just sharing? Why yes, of course that’s fine!
The other half of the team will be staying back for two ministry opportunities. They will be teaching computer class in a local school today. Tomorrow, they will visit an orphanage and teach a Q&A session on relationships. Most of these orphans are teenagers, so I’m pretty sure “relationship talk” is really just a code word for “sex talk.” AIDS / HIV is a big concern here, so the physical consequences of sex are dramatic.
We started ministry yesterday morning with a widow’s Bible study. It was held in a small back office of a local school and our bodies dripped with sweat the entire meeting. We joined about 5 older women sitting on fabrics on the floor. Each had on a tchengeh, a fabric wrap worn like a skirt, and held a tattered Bible. We were excited to be involved. The meeting started first with singing; the women picked four songs and sang together. I harmonized and sang with the tune, even as I lacked words, and really enjoyed the time. My teammate Jenna led us in 2 English worship songs before starting the study.
Deuteronomy 17 was on the docket for the day. It is from the Old Testament, and instructs on the old way of doing things. The Bible documents these ideas of “old covenant” and “new covenant”. In essence, God created humans to live in relationship with him. In the times of the old covenant (agreement between God & his people), God was prescriptive about how to live in his way. This included detailed instructions on relationships, food, celebrations, work ethic, governments, and just about every other aspect of life. In the old covenant, avoiding evil and purging of bad was a main focus. In the new covenant, God created a way for us to live the “spirit of the law” rather than the “letter of the law”. Aka— actually being a nice person versus just doing nice things because you’re told to. Jesus offers his life as a sacrifice on behalf of each of us so we can have the spiritual full-body-transplant that we need that allows us to live as his children, unhindered by sin.
This little backdrop is important to understand Deuteronomy 17. It is a detailed version about what to do in response to ungodliness in a town. As we moved through the verses, cultural questions bubbled up. Our widow friends told us that many men (especially in the villages) have upwards of 20 wives and 90 children. (!!!!) This is pretty socially acceptable here. One woman, Gladys, told us a story from a nearby village: upon coming to faith in Jesus, one man with twenty wives gathered his harem of women together. He suddenly had conviction about this family structure, and knew there needed to be a change. After several days of thinking, praying, and seeking counsel, he gathered all of his wives together. He shared with them, “Before, you were my wives. But from today forward, you will be my sisters and I will be your brother”. His first wife was to remain his romantic partner; all the other women would no longer be enslaved to this polygynous affair. “I will help you to establish your families as a brother but any issues you may have need to come through my wife”.
My eyes were wide listening to this story for many reasons. The normalcy of this family structure, the dramatic change in response to the word of God, and the multiplication of grief by not living God’s way stuck out poignantly. “Normal” daily life in Zambia looks markedly different than in the states in some ways. I am learning more and more, though, how we all—whether in Zambia, Malawi, Romania, Albania, or the U.S.—simply need God in every area of our lives. We can so often take for granted the morality given us from our culture and family without a second thought and be living in ways that destroy ourselves, our families, and our communities Help us, Lord.
Search me, oh God, and know my heart; Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. –Psalm 139: 23-24
