Together for Zambia!

What a glorious privilege it is to join with you in building a strong spiritual foundation here at the Foursquare Gospel Church Ndola Central. Although it may seem a small thing to give Bibles to those in the congregation who have none, I believe it is actually one of the most life-changing events that "we" (meaning our family and ALL of you in America who support this ministry prayerfully and financially) will ever be involved with here in Zambia.

A few Sundays ago, Jason asked how many in the congregation had no Bible of their own. Almost every hand went up! Some have tiny little versions of the New Testament but very few owned a copy of the complete Bible with which to read and study during the week.

Jason was able to find NIV Bibles at a small Christian bookstore here in Ndola at a reasonable cost. Thank you JESUS! Inside each one, I wrote the following:

A gift for

(first and last name)

From SibZam Ministries
and
Foursquare Gospel Church
Ndola Central

Above, Jason explains the value of daily study of the Bible coupled with its application to every day life. It is important to know the scriptures and to do what they say.

As you can imagine, many Zambian names are difficult to pronounce. So Jason asked Pastor Mwanza to read the names. Pastor Mwanza said "No, you must read the names." Everyone chuckled as the pastor shared Jason's struggle to correctly pronounce Pastor Stanley Mwaba. Now it looks easy on paper, but the "b" is almost silent. Have you ever tried to barely pronounce the letter "b"? It comes out like "m".

The funny thing is that Mwama means "robber" in Bemba. Everyone laughed and laughed.

Just a side note: Jason and I have tremendous respect for Pastor Mwanza. He truly is a man who devotes his life to serving Jesus no matter what trials come his way. We love and admire him for standing firm in what is right even when the culture he was born into says it is foolish to do so.

Do you all recognize this lady? This is baby Mary's mother. She was in tears when Jason presented this Bible with her name written in it.

Several youths also received Bibles of their own. Isn't it awesome to partner with God in touching the next generation?

Okay, this is yet another time when Jason bungled the name. Pastor Mwanza and the whole congregation found his attempts at pronunciation very entertaining.

Here, a mother shows her Bible to her daughters. I love this picture!

After all the Bibles were handed out, everyone began singing thanks to God for His Love and for His Word. Sincere rejoicing continued for several minutes. What an honor it is for us to be a part of what God is up to in Zambia. Truly there are no words to describe our gratitude.


I hope you all enjoy your Sunday! Watch a football game for the Sibleys. We MISS football a lot!

Blessings and joy,
Beckie