visit to a student's church (7)

with part of the congregation after the service

 On Sunday the 12th we visited a student named Fastem, who is the pastor of a Baptist church in a village close to the main road, only about 10 kilometers from the College.  Fastem told us that the service would start at 10am, so we left the house about 9:40.

We had been told to pick up Alex (whose pentecostal church we visited before- he seems to be joining us on a lot of these church visits because the other students are inviting him around! popular guy!) on the way as he would be joining us.  When we phoned him to say we were leaving he said, 'I'm almost at the place.'  When we reached the main road, where we expected to meet him, he wasn't there so we called him again and he said he was only a couple of hundred yards away.  So we pulled out to meet him, and found that there were 2 men joining us!  Alex was joined by Moses, who is a recent graduate of the College (2011) and who now serves as the College librarian.  Fastem happens to be Moses' uncle, so Moses had been invited along.  So Alex climbed into the bed of the truck and Moses got in the front seat to direct us to the village, and off we went.

Fastem was supposed to meet us by the main road, but we didn't see him anywhere.  Moses and Alex didn't know exactly where the church was, so we asked a couple of passers-by and eventually were headed in the right direction, when Fastem showed up next to the car.  Apparently he had been beside the road, and we just missed him.  There were 3 churches lined up in a row on this road which was apparently "Church Road."  :)  First the Catholic church, then the Reformed Church in Zambia (RCZ) and lastly the Baptist church.

And.... so we pulled up in front of the church at a couple of minutes before 10am.  And the door was locked.  And there was no sign of life.  And we had been told that the service would start at 10!!  Immediately we realized we were in for a wait.  :)  Fastem unlocked the door and welcomed us in.

As you can see the building was constructed of brick with a metal roof, and the seats and floor were of mud.  The kids spent the next while climbing on everything and having a great time.

still waiting....

still waiting....

We waited for a long time.  After 10:30 a few people started trickling in.  The service finally started at.... 11:00am!!  :)

 They greeted everyone and then said, 'Now it's time for Bible study.'  Oh no, I thought, please don't tell me that I've got two bouncy children who have been really unsettled for an hour, and they aren't just starting the service now!!  They introduced Moses as the one who would lead the Bible study.  So I settled in to wait and keep the children as settled as possible.  :)

Moses leading the Bible study - sorry it's blurry

Thankfully Moses kept his Bible study brief and was finished in about 10 minutes!  Then they started the main service.  It was a very simple, reverent service without any dancing or wildness.  :)  They sang hymns from the hymnbook in the local language, had a prayer and offering, welcomed us as visitors, and the choir sang 2 songs from their seats.

Then David was welcomed up to preach.  He asked Moses to read the Scripture passage in the local language and then Alex translated for him during the sermon.  David was re-using a sermon he has preached in other village churches, from Romans 3:23.

Elijah sitting with the choir who were directly in front of me - I was facing the congregation

our student, Fastem, the pastor of the congregation

his wife Mary

Ketzia's turn to sit with the choir

After the service, but before we got up from our seats, the congregation greeted us by introducing their 'leaders'... i.e. their pastor, pastor's wife, congregational secretary, choir leader, etc.  It was a very friendly touch which we appreciated.  Overall we were impressed by their humble yet sincere welcome and gratitude for our visit.

The service ended around 12:30.  After taking a photo and saying goodbye, Fastem and Mary directed us back to their house, which was back out at the main road.  They live in a little brick house with a red door.

Behind their house was a watering hole so you can imagine what a busy area this was - every herd of cows within miles was directed here!  In the photo above you see a group of cowboys.  These young boys are responsible for taking care of the herds of cows.  They don't get to go to school like other children, or even go to church.  They stay with the cows all day long, every day.

 

Ketzia LOVES cows!! All she wanted to do was chase them and touch them (NOT a good idea!)

behind their house- the cooking hut is on the left where they prepared the meal

Ketzia being 'herded' away from the cows again!!

We didn't have to wait long before the food was served -- nshima, chicken, and beans.  It was tasty.

about to eat together - Fastem, a man from church?, Alex, Moses, and David

Their house was very simple and very poorly furnished.  As you can see they don't have much furniture!  I was amused by a tattered picture hanging on the wall from the 'Titanic.'  :)

During the meal we asked Fastem how his harvest was this year.  'Not good,' he replied, 'We will not have much.'  He mentioned how thankful he was for the recent Farming God's Way class taught at the College in the local language for the first time by Jackson, the new Farm Ministry leader.  This class was taught to both the students AND their wives, together, so that they can benefit as couples and know how to work together to apply these Scriptural principles of agriculture and work ethic in their own fields.  Fastem said, 'We were so grateful to learn these things.  And next year, we are going to plant better because now we have learned Farming God's Way.'  It is good to see him with hope for the future!

Not a good photo but you can see what a Zambian kitchen is like - the tub in the middle where she washes dishes, the pots on the right are full of water for use in cooking and cleaning (cooking is done in a separate hut)

After enjoying our meal, it was time to head home.  We got a photo of some of Fastem's family first:

We left around 2:15 and drove Alex and Moses most of the way home so that they wouldn't have to walk all the way back into town.  Elijah and Ketzia fell asleep on the way home, of course, so there was no rest for Mommy and Daddy that afternoon!  :)  We got home around 3pm.

Fastem told us that there were a number of folks missing from church because they were too busy harvesting their crops to honor the Lord's Day.  He seemed very grieved about this and it was good to see a village pastor who has not only an understanding of the Lord's Day but a desire to teach his people to honor it.  Fastem also asked us to come to his village to provide teaching to his congregation.  'They need someone to teach them how to live according to God's Word,' he said.  We hope that the more we visit our students in their homes and churches, the more encouragement and support we can give them in their ministries as they seek to lead their congregations in the truth.