Day 17– It’s a lifestyle, not a once off event

Life here is very different to one lived in town – or mine anyway. It’s much more relational.

I’m talking about Christian hospitality and discipleship.

At home, I can often bounce between activities that really don’t matter in the bigger picture, so worried and wrapped up in my own stuff that I forget (most times selfishly ignore) the more important things to do in that moment.

The Schaefer house is very often full of friends or travellers staying for the night or longer. It’s all been happening this week. We’ve had a German missionary family from Burundi en route to SA (practically strangers to the Schaefers), another missionary (an awesome, really interesting German woman) working with Grant and last night an unbelieving friend with her children.

The majority of these days are taken up by sewing into the relationship. Grant and Lynne spend precious hours talking at the kitchen table, growing friendships with their visitors. It’s about talking and sharing.  There’s always something pressing for them to do on the farm, but it’s a case of prioritising and using the time and resources they have wisely.

They’re living a lifestyle of true hospitality and discipleship. I’ve never seen anything like it before – what an example.

Then He said to them all,”If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his own life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it for a man to gain the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?” Luke 9:23-25

Day 11 – Mwenda Conference

Over the past few days, the annual Mwenda Baptist Church Conference has been on with Grant as main speaker. The whole family and I went yesterday. It’s about a 12 Km gravel road in onto the middle of nowhere.

There were lots of new sights and experiences to be had there for me! People were living in grass enclosures with the fire as the centre of each camp. There was lots of dust and dirt. This is their Summer Camp or Into the Son except for the whole family and they LOVE IT!

Grant gave very good sermons. Sundays was on witchcraft and demons, preached from Mark 5:1-20 (demons being cast out into pigs). The spiritual world and witchcraft are a big part of Zambian tradition especially in the rural villages.

Most times, a person will know they have demons in them. Seeing the pastor as a ‘good witchdoctor’ they’ll come for prayer, wanting the demons to leave their lives but unwilling to accept Christ in their place – very dangerous.

Grant really laid down some great Holy Sprit inspired truth, and people sat quieter than they had the whole camp.

The children (and some of the adults) were so inquisitive of us msungus and just sat around and watched us the whole time we were there. For this photo below we didn’t organise anything, Lynne just looked back and clicked! There’re all very friendly and funny!

Joel, Stevie, and I were going to be baptised as well! Stevie’s nephew Friday also came.

Stevie has worked on the farm for the past 9 years and is practically a son to Grant and Lynne.

When he was a teenager he was tormented by demons. He shook and got bad headaches, they even stunted his growth.

They came from his grand mother (being involved in witchcraft) and when she died they went straight into him.

He was prayed for by one of the pastors from Mbala Baptist and 40 demons left him!

He’s a totally changed person and a mighty Christian now say the family.

What a testimony!

 

 

 

The baptism is held in the Lunzua River every year, a short walk away from the Conference. About 30 people were due to be baptised so we went in three's’, three pastors in the water.

Joel went first.

Then Stevie and I.

It was an amazing experience to be baptised in such a great setting by such a mighty man of God as Grant with such awesome brothers in Christ!