Meet the Mohlkes

The Mohlke family lived in Zambia from 1991-2000. This picture was taken in the town of Ndola

Twenty-nine years ago, my wife Leslie and I were preparing to go to Africa to serve as a newly assigned missionary. We had three children ages four, two and four months. The other two children would be born a few years later while living in Zambia. We were young, and excited. I was eager to start working as an African Missionary and my wife was wondering how best to care for our young family, knowing that her skills as a RN would come in very handy.

Now, all the kids are grown, four of the five children are married, and five grandchildren have been added to the family; and Leslie and I are getting ready to move again to Africa. This time I am going to serve as the Leader of WELS World Mission’s One Africa Team (OAT). The OAT consists of all the missionaries serving in Africa who work with various sister synods in Africa to share the good news of Jesus throughout the continent. Now days this work usually takes the form of offering training and encouragement to those who serve as ministers of the gospel in our sister synods.

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Cross the River in a Crowd

“Cross the river in a crowd,” an African proverb says, “and the crocodile won’t eat you.”

That is, teamwork tends to work better than individual effort.

Recently Mr. Banda and Mr. Zulu, two veteran workmen for our mission, and I teamed up. From Lusaka, Zambia, we headed east together. We crossed the Luangwa River and drove all day to Chipata in Eastern Province.

The bridge over the South Luangwa River. Traffic is allowed to cross in only one direction at a time.

From Chipata the next two days we headed north to villages in the areas of Lundazi and Mfuwe. There we installed solar panel systems at the homes of Pastor Lewis Mbewe and Pastor Edward Nyirenda.

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Our Mission is to Spread the Word of God

What a story— and you are in it. One part of the story starts when Bright Pembeleka was young.

A bright student, Pembeleka lived up to his name. As he finished high school, he considered studying to be a medical doctor. He could help so many people in his country, Malawi.

Medical maladies often multiply in modern Malawian stories. Think HIV, TB, malnutrition, diabetes, mental illness.

In the U.S., UNICEF says, the under-five mortality rate is 6.5 per 1,000 live births. In Malawi, though, Partners in Health estimates 55 child deaths per 1,000 live births. Every statistic is a story, too.

So wouldn’t it have been good if Bright Pembeleka had served others medically? Sure.

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