I’ve just returned from visiting the south central African state of Zambia. The first time I really took any notice of this country was when I heard in 1987 that four missionaries had been jailed in Lusaka Central Prison under the then dictator, Kenneth Kaunda. Kaunda, during his 27 years in power, managed to not only nationalise the copper mines but also bicycle shops and laundromats – know wonder the country fell into ruin.
Missionary Prisoners
But back to the prisoners: Peter Hammond and fellow missionaries were crossing the border into Zambia en route to a ministry outreach to Mozambique. The local customs officials demanded bribes but when these were not forthcoming started literally taking their car to pieces looking for illegal items; they of course found none but the missionaries were incarcerated anyway.
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher personally took up Peter’s case at the Commonwealth Conference in Vancouver. He was released with apologies.
Peter later returned to Zambia and preached in the prison and reached out to inmates with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He returned on many occasions to minister and deliver Bibles, soap, food and medicines to the same prison.
Samaritan Children’s Home
I’ve just ministered with my friends Bishop John and Joyce Jere of Zambia United Christian Action. John and Joyce run the Samaritan Children’s Home (SCH) near Lusaka. The orphanage cares for little ones who have lost both parents, mostly to HIV/Aids. Some of the children have been HIV positive since birth.
UNICEF and the Ministry of Community Development and Social Service have since 2005 been imposing all sorts of rules and regulations like minimum space, equipment and furnishings requirements on all local orphanages. The standards are foreign and very difficult for local Christian organisations and churches to meet. Strangely enough, SCH has never received the $1000 monthly government grant with which to feed the children.
SCH has to report every child that gets sick to government and detail all the action taken e.g. doctors visits, medicine taken etc. Government has warned those caring for orphans: The children belong to the state, not to you; you are just caring for them (obviously at your own expense!)
Government, under UN pressure, forced SCH to have older children reintegrated with any of their extended family members. Christians, and not Muslims or Chinese Communists, run most orphanages – and the UN is making it as difficult as possible for local Christians to run such institutions.
The children were devastated about being forced to leave; John even rented a house away from the SCH premises to accommodate those who had nowhere to go. The house is run by a 12 year old and the children are still fed by John and Joyce.
The ministry now has much higher costs because John and his team visit all the orphans at their new homes to make sure that they get fed and go to school. One young 13-year-old girl was raped by a neighbour of the family she was forced to live with – she has subsequently returned to SCH.
Joyce is running a Christian school at SCH for their children and others in the community. John also reaches out to the poor and suffering in Zimbabwe and Lukulu West areas and is serving on the National Constitutional Conference of Zambia: a body rewriting the national constitution.
Preaching
I was privileged to preach at the morning service on Sunday, which lasted almost 3 hours including question time.
Soon after the service another was held in which I was ordained a pastor and missionary of Zambia United Christian Action (ZUCA). It is has been a privilege for me to minister with ZUCA since 1993. The organization speaks out and is consulted by government on pro-life, Biblical justice and pro-family issues.
On this visit I delivered boxes of ministry materials to Zambia United Christian Action and to the World Baptist Evangelistic Association as well as a laptop computer to missionary Ps Somwe Fataki, to enhance his ministry amongst Congolese refugees.
Outreaches
Our National Day of Repentance outreaches and march to Parliament in Cape Town, including a time of prayer at the gates of Parliament, take place on 30 January and Sanctity Life Sunday on 1 February.
I’ve also been invited as a guest speaker to the Second International Congress of REDTCO in the Congo. The First Congress (2005) was exceptionally well attended by hundreds of Christian leaders from all over the Congo and Africa, including lawyers, judges and politicians.
This year I believe will be a great opportunity to minister at the Congress. The host ‘Come and See Church’ also has a citywide television and radio station.
Please pray for these events – that His kingdom will come and His will be done in Africa as it is in heaven.
Many blessings
Charl van Wyk
Missionary in Africa 