To visit bush congregations in Africa requires miles and miles of travel on indescribable roads, trails, and paths.  As a first time visitor to Africa, let me try to help you envision several typical scenes one sees as he rattle over the roads:  lines and lines of people walk or bike on the edge of dusty roads, goats and chickens regularly dart in front of traffic, an occasional ox-cart hauls people or goods, fires burn and recently charred ground create an almost constant smoky smell, a specially built Toyota Land Cruiser bumps and bounces mile after mile, grass and mud hut villages suddenly appear along the road or on a hillside, a boy tosses a rock at a vehicle because it did not stop and pay him for shoveling some dirt and stone in one of the many thousands and thousands of potholes (some more resemble ditches or sink holes), other vehicles approach head-on until the last moment as they try to avoid the holes on their side of the road, worn grass trails, stick huts, a man on a roof replaces his thatch roof, banana trees, sugar cane fields, driving through flames along the side of the road, dust clouds make the people we pass invisible behind us…  This only begins to scratch the surface of how different life is in Africa. We observed these things during just a few minutes of travel.  The list could go on and on!  We saw scene after scene that one cannot even imagine in the United States.

Africa also appears to be a land of interesting contrasts.  While a national pastor rides in our vehicle talking to or texting someone on a cell phone, a woman 100 yards away is washing clothes in the river. People walking, biking, and using an ox-cart contrast with an occasional motor bike. A family sits under a tree (which serves as their sitting or living room) next to a grass hut, while a short ways  down the road we see a mud hut with an attached satellite dish (although this is quite rare).

A woman tries to dip out the last of what water remains in the low spot of a drying river. In Zambia, WELS humanitarian aid gifts have supported approximately 70 bore holes. There are 120 congregations spread throughout the country.  A common scene etched in my mind is that of a woman and children pumping a well, filling their wood or plastic containers, and walking off across a field carrying them on their heads and at their side.  Without boreholes, many people would have to walk up to two miles to find a water supply, which would likely provide them with unclean water.  Placing a bore hole at a church provides for a physical need as well as creates opportunities for many of our African congregations to build bridges (relationships) that can lead to spiritual conversations.

We visited an Eastern Province congregation, St. Barnabas Lutheran Church, at a village in Misolo. Misolo might be compared to a county in the United States.  It is made up of about 350 villages, with an average village population of 350 to 400.  A village consists of grass hut clusters where one or more families live. Pastor Mvula serves five congregations besides St. Barnabas. The members of St. Barnabas are thankful for two active bore holes and a tailoring project that serves members and non-members alike.  Toward the end of our visit congregation members served us a generous lunch consisting of Nshima (maize or corn meal cooked to look something like thick mashed potatoes), sauce (tomato and onion), and pieces of cooked goat or beef, likely goat. Very filling…

After traveling about 12 hours, we neared the end of this day’s journey, only to be reminded once again that we were far from home. We hit a couple of deviations” (detours) and signs that warned us, “Go Slow, Flying Stones.”  There were many rocks and boulders along the road due to hillsides and an absence of road barriers or railings.

Sunday was a wonderful and memorable experience. We attended Mt. Olive Lutheran in Chipata, where Pastor Mweete led us in worship. Although the service was in the native tongue, we could easily recognize the various parts of liturgy and follow the Scripture readings and sermon text with an English Bible.  And then there were the choirs!  Holy Angels children’s choir, Mt. Sinai mixed choir, and the women’s choir. The gorgeous voices, rhythmic movements, and accompanying bongos created a beautiful and worshipful experience. After nearly two hours the service ended and we were invited to introduce ourselves to the congregation and to greet each of the approximately 80 worshipers.  We then viewed their bore hole which, in addition to providing fresh drinking water, is helping them to make bricks to they can construct an outhouse for their congregation.  Most don’t seem to have one.

The work of the African pastors is demanding.  They will walk or motor bike many kilometers to serve their numerous congregations. Pastor Cappy Shamwango, during one of our long drives, described another challenge for many African pastors. While serving in a former congregation in Lusaka, he would sometimes perform 3 to 4 HIV Aids funerals in a week.  He would write the first funeral sermon of the week and then find that he would just have to keep preaching funeral sermons the rest of week. No more writing, just preaching!

With all the many differences between the United States and Africa, there is still a major similarity.  People are dying every day without faith in Jesus.  We’ve observed how humanitarian aid is helping build bridges for gospel outreach in Africa. Gifts you give to the WELS Humanitarian Aid  Committee are carefully used to support such efforts here and around the world.  May the Lord also bless your efforts to build loving relationships with family and friends who do not believe in Jesus, that you might share the good news of salvation with them.

Go to Part 4

Tom Hering