Happy 40th Independence Day Zambia!
Today was the 40th anniversary of Zambia’s independence  as a nation. Before 1964 it had been a British colony, as was a large part of Africa. There were many celebrations around the city including one at the state house with visiting heads of state. President Mbeki of South Africa was staying at our hotel so we got to see a bit of the pomp and circumstance surrounding these state events – red carpets and motorcades, security officials everywhere and formally attired policemen. For the average Zambian, it was a day for church and watching a soccer game in which the national Zambian team actually won, so spirits were high.  We can’t help but think of this 40th year mark, as it recalls so many passages in the bible like Moses forty years in the desert tending sheep and the Israelites forty years in the wilderness. We pray that Zambia will emerge from these forty years by taking possession of the promised land and lifting up the name of Jesus in the continent of Africa.

Some will be Preachers, Some will be Teachers
Today is Sunday and the outreach teams were split up to go to churches in the four quadrants of the city – north, south, east and west. The teams had been warned in New York that they would all be expected to preach, teach or share their testimony, so many came prepared, prayed up and having studied their bible passages diligently. But many were also nervous as they had never shared in public much less preached a message to a whole congregation!  All were trusting in the Lord as they boarded their buses excited at the prospect of what the He had in store for them. Some of the teams visited large churches (more than 300 people), while others visited very small neighborhood churches that had no more than 50 people. They were received in the manner of Africans, with warmth and very gracious hospitality. In some of the churches the women were greeted with flowers given by the children, who were all dressed-up for the event. But the best part for many was the worship. The joy and exuberance with which these churches in Zambia worship the Lord was inspiring. The presence of the Lord was in these churches and we all felt right at home. The team members returned overwhelmed with the generosity they had received and rejoicing at God’s faithfulness in giving them a word and enabling them to share their hearts and their testimonies without fear. All in all it was a marvelous day in the house of the Lord.

A Man of God
One outreach team member preached to a small congregation for the very first time ever! Although he has been on thirteen missions trips while attending Times Square Church, and had been a leader for many of them, he had never been asked to preach, so he was somewhat nervous! The pastor of the church he visited introduced him as “a man of God,” which pleased and embarrassed him at the same time, but to his chagrin this became his name for the day for all his teammates.  Not only was the Lord faithful in giving him a word and taking away his fear, but six people accepted the Lord! No one could wipe the permanent grin from his face that entire day. His first sermon ever and somebody actually got saved! Clearly God is with us!

Full Restoration
One team member gave her testimony for the very first time in public. At 48 her husband left her and her 12 year-old daughter to fend for themselves, so she moved to New York from Mexico to make a new life for herself and her daughter. God was faithful and brought her full restoration. In the process he drew her to Times Square Church and she has been faithfully attending and serving at the book table ever since. Her daughter is now in her early twenties and is with her on this trip. Her testimony struck a chord in many of the women present who were single moms struggling to put food in their children’s mouth. After the service the team at her church was whisked away to teach and play with the children. Underneath a glaring, mid- afternoon sun, the team member rejoiced as she sang London Bridge is Falling Down with the children. She couldn’t remember the last time she had sung this song, and here she was, surrounded by these beautiful children in this far away country in the heart of Africa. God’s ways are so much higher than ours. 

Remain Spirit-Led
The orange team which came to Zambia to minister to the youth, visited a church in the north region of the city. Four team members were scheduled to preach and share testimonies, but the team leader was not. As usually happens on the mission field, the Lord had other plans and the team leader was asked to preach. She panicked, thinking, “Lord, I don’t have a word! It’s all up to you now!” Before she went in, however, the pastor took her aside and explained that women were not allowed to preach in that particular church, but she could “teach.” She shared a a four-point word the Lord gave her right then and there from Matthew 16, where Jesus tells Peter that flesh and blood had not revealed that He was the Messiah, but His Father in heaven. Present at the service was a youth leader that had been really discouraged and was ministered to by the word she gave. She spoke with him for an hour encouraging him to believe God for his ministry. He made plans to attend the youth seminar the team was hosting the next day at the University Christian Center. The team leader encouraged all of us at dinner that night to remain Spirit-led throughout this trip, because the Lord always has a plan.

Coming Home: A Zambian Among Us
Of the 210 people who are coming to Zambia with Times Square Church, one was born in Zambia, who had long prayed that TSC would one day go to her country. When Pastor Carter announced during a service that we might go to South Africa, her heart leapt at the news but at the same time wishing it was Zambia. Some time later he announced that TSC would go to Zambia. The team member, who was in the choir nearly jumped for joy in the choir loft. Her prayer had been answered, and here she was,  witnessing the merging together of her two homes -- Zambia and TSC. Today she was asked to share a word at the church she was visiting. Nervous, and experiencing a perennially dry throat at the prospect of sharing, she kept drinking water. When the time finally came she shared a beautiful word from Deuteronomy 7 that the Lord had put in her heart for her people. As she spoke, the Holy Spirit gave her boldness, and she challenged the congregation to seek God, turn-off the TV from false teachings and acknowledge their sin so the Lord would forgive them. Many responded to her challenge and answered the altar call. Today was a day marking freedom for many!