“Therefore, brothers, be patient until the coming of the Lord” (James 5:7a EHV). This is a timely section of Scripture for us all but especially for those of us involved in worker training.  Back in March of 2020 most all of us throughout the world were beginning to experience the different challenges of the COVID 19 pandemic. At the Seminary here in Lusaka, Zambia and at the Lutheran Bible Institute (LBI) in Lilongwe, Malawi it meant the closure of our two worker training schools. They work closely together in training up future pastors for the Lutheran Church of Central Africa (LCCA).  Little did we realize that for all the challenges the closure of the schools would bring, trying to open up our LBI and Seminary would bring even more.

James in his Epistle uses two analogies to explain what it means to be patient. One analogy is that of the farmer. “See how the farmer waits for the valuable harvest from the ground, patiently waiting for it, until it receives the early and late rains” (5:7b) A farmer is a good example of patience because he has to work with things that are beyond his control and completely in God’s hands—things like the rain.  Already in October the government allowed schools to open. Where the government became strict was in the opening up of its borders.  Our LBI and Seminary are made up of about half Zambian students and half Malawian students. This was where we encountered challenges beyond our control as half of our respective student bodies needed to cross borders that were closed. We asked for the help of Pastor Chisankulo who is an LCCA pastor who lives close to the Zambia/Malawi border. He made more than a dozen visits to the respective Malawi and Zambia borders and their offices to try and find out when and how we could get our students across.  Most frustrating for him was that the border peoples themselves couldn’t give clear answers.  Eventually, Pastor Chisankulo worked out a test run of two brave students and their families closest to the border in the Eastern Province of Zambia to make the trip.  It proved successful!  We had our first group of students across the border paving the way for five successive groups of students and families from Zambia and Malawi to make the crossing.

The Epistle writer James also uses the Old Testament prophets as exemplars of patient endurance. Many of the pre-LBI students in preparation for going to school had sold everything. In a place where a $70 COVID 19 test is near a month’s wages for the average Zambian, these students were now being asked to live on the margins for the four to six months it took to get them to school.  Like those prophets of the Old Testament they were asked to endure for the chance to serve their Lord.  How happy they were by mid-December to finally be at their schools to begin that anticipated journey in preparation to become LCCA pastors. What a beautiful lesson in patient endurance for us all as we serve our Lord in whatever way he asks of us!

Missionary Philip Birner lives in Lusaka and is the Acting Principal of the Lutheran Seminary of Lusaka

Please pray for those working in fields that are ripe for harvest. Share their story, engage with future news and receive updates. Learn more about our mission fields in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts at https://wels.net/serving-others/missions/africa

“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.

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.

The workmen nailed together a simple shelf for the battery and inverter.

Here is what the system inside looked like, once hooked up.

Mr. Banda and Mr. Zulu connected that system with wiring to a 120 watt solar panel on the roof.

The system also connects to a wall-mounted controller and to a small set of LED lights which we attached by clips to the exposed trusses inside the home. One light went outside.

We brought along a ladder for interior use, but outside our main ladder was our Land Cruiser.

The week before we had done the same in two villages closer to Lusaka. For instance, here is a photo of Pastor Godfrey Matina (the tallest man) and members of his congregation.

During two of our four installations, many people gathered to see what we were doing.

Meals were cooked and shared, always centering on nshima, a Zambian staple made from maize.

You might wonder who paid for the diesel fuel to get us to the villages—our Land Cruiser has two tanks—and for the solar panels and systems.

You did.

That is, you and others did, through the WELS Africa Special Projects Fund, one of many projects you can learn about in the Home and World Mission Projects Fund booklet. Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society (LWMS) and the WELS Mission Office prepares the booklet.

If you look up the Africa Special Projects Fund, you read, “There are many other project requests across Africa that enhance our gospel ministry efforts. One particular need is to identify and fund volunteers who can work temporarily in our mission fields. Project requests include improving communication, publications, materials, and ministry tools.”

Now you know one example of such materials and ministry tools. It is hard for a pastor to communicate with other pastors, for example, when he cannot easily charge his cell phone.

Likewise, when he was at seminary, an LCCA pastor got a laptop with many biblical resources. But unless you can charge your laptop, how can you use it? How can you study for post-seminary classes in our new African Confessional Lutheran Institute (CLI)?

The Projects Fund booklet has dozens of worthy projects. Perhaps you are part of a WELS school group, men’s group, or women’s group. Over time, you could pool your funds and give to a project of your choosing: giving teamwork!

Such projects also involve teamwork on the receiving end. If you give to the Africa Special Projects Fund, for example, you don’t get to direct exactly where offerings go. Maybe they will go to solar panels. Maybe they will go to CLI, or somewhere else more needed.

You might not know until the last day how you helped—until you cross “the Jordan River,” as some hymns picture it.

Imagine the scene, in the final Promised Land. You hear the most royal, beautiful voice say (Matthew 25:40), “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

But even now, here is a voice for teamwork you can overhear. Rev. Davison Mutentami wrote this to our Operations Director, Stefan Felgenhauer. Pastor Mutentami, chairman of the Lutheran Church of Central Africa — Zambia Synod, emailed about this solar project:

“Empowering pastors is and will remain my dream.

“Please go ahead and implement the project. Don’t hesitate sir. God bless you for considering the vulnerable servants of God.”

Rev. Dan Witte lives in Zambia and coordinates Formal Continuing Education programs for the CLI

Please pray for those working in fields that are ripe for harvest. Share their story, engage with future news and receive updates. Learn more about our mission fields in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts at https://wels.net/serving-others/missions/africa