EASTERN HARVEST TEAM'S AREA OF SERVICE
Residing in Lusaka gives Michael and Lindy the opportunity to reach out to many different people. Mainly they minister to: Zambians in the Lusaka area, Expatriate community, which includes: embassy employees, business men, farmers, and professional hunters.
BARRIERS TO REACHING THE EXPAT COMMUNITY
Expatriates are from all countries & backgrounds, most of them are "non-churched anywhere". The majority speak English--plus their native language. Religion is the last thing on their mind-- they enjoy their social life & do not like to be confronted about their sin. They think they do not need God or they know He is around if they need Him to be handy. Many grew up in "non-church going" families. It is not a "cool- thing" to be religious. Not culturally correct.
BARRIERS TO REACHING ZAMBIANS OF LUSAKA
Language can be a barrier in reaching those in Lusaka that do not speak Chichewa or English. They work 7 days a week to make ends meet & so going to church is low on their agenda. They do not see much difference in each religious group that surrounds them--so whichever one is close or looks/sounds good is OK with them. Traditional cultures are still embedded deep within their souls & minds--so even though living in the city & being more "civilized"--they still rely or return to what they know. Barriers to reaching the hairdressers, barbers, and vendors in the markets is that many of the ladies are prostitutes on the side and HIV/AIDS is a common trait among them. Many of the people in the market will say that they belong to a church, most of them are Catholic.
Pray that God would direct us where to go to meet & visit with the expatriates living in Lusaka.
Pray for them to be encouraged by the missionaries that they are serving.
Pray that they can receive the help that they need to complete their jobs with the assistance of missionaries and nationals alike.
Pray that God would send someone to be an assistant to Dwayne and his duties as Logistics Coordinator.
Pray that God would keep them in good health and grant them abundant strength. Van and Mary Thompson
Van is a teacher at various Bible Schools throughout the Eastern part of Zambia. Along with teaching at Bible Schools, he is a part time professor at the Baptist Theological Seminary of Zambia and teaches Theological Education by Extension at various locations throughout the Eastern area . Mary is the treasurer for the Lusaka Cost Center and a resource person for homeschooling families. She maintains financial records and provides support for missionary personnel through the Lusaka Cost Center . She is also organizing the resource room for homeschooling families and coordinates orders for home school materials.
Van and Mary serve the Lord Jesus Christ and His Church. Some of the people groups that they minister to are: Soli, Lala, Chikunda, and Nsenga.
BRIDGES TO REACHING THE LUSAKA PROVINCE FOR JESUS CHRIST
Practical acts of kindness, love in action (hunger relief projects, the “buckets of love,” etc.); an understanding of culture and a working knowledge of the language; a consistent Christian witness; the local church (churches should be planting churches); prayer; the presence of a missionary; etc. 
BARRIERS TO REACHING THE LUSAKA PROVINCE
Fear, superstition, and witchcraft are major barriers among the people groups living in the Lusaka Province of Zambia. Immoral church leadership is another barrier that makes developing strong churches difficult. A growing problem among Zambians is drinking/drunkenness.
PRAYER NEEDS FOR STUDENTS AND THE THOMPSON'S
Pray for those that are involved in one level or another in church planting throughout Zambia .
Pray for the Bible School , TEE, and Seminary students - particularly in the following areas of struggle:
(1) The level of support for many of those that will be pastors (or are serving as pastors) is quite minimal. Not only will they struggle with “feeding the sheep” but they will struggle to feed their families. Securing the basic necessities for life will be difficult, let alone any “luxuries” like school fees for their children, or new clothes, etc.
(2) Since they have openly taken their stand for the cause of Christ in their communities, they become the primary “targets” of the Evil One. Many are the object of false accusation and jealousy.(3) In spite of being “trained leaders” there is the ongoing pull of traditional customs and practices. The extended family exerts considerable pressure for conformity to tradition – i.e. ritual cleansing for new born babies, purchasing charms/medicines for protection and for the securing their position of leadership, etc.
(4) Some will be frustrated by “old leaders” who will not give the newly trained opportunities to utilize their training for fear that they are seeking their place of ministry.
Pray for the transition of the Lusaka Cost Center to the Regional Finance Center in Johannesburg .Pray that all of the orders for home school materials will be filled and that these materials will arrive in good time.
John McPherson
The people group that John serves are the men and women who have been obedient to God’s call on their lives to serve Him as a pastor or church planter in Zambia or other parts of the world.
Pray for the Local Bible School students as they leave their homes and families for a week of intensive classes at a "nearby" center three times each year. Pray for their families as they are away from home.
Pray for the Seminary students as they leave their homes and move to the capital city of Lusaka for 3-4 years of full-time study and ministry experience. Some come with wives and children and their household goods. Some come alone with a backpack, in hopes of finding the mate that God has created to be their partner in ministry.
Pray for ALL of the students to learn and apply all they know.
Pray for new graduates (from Seminary last November and from Bible Schools last December) as they put into use all the knowledge and skills they have gained. For example Francis is working with a new church back in his hometown. Chrispine is leading a Christian school in a strategic area of Zambia. Our goal is strong, growing churches. That requires your prayers as well as their efforts. Thanks for praying!
We have seen that solid church growth results from having mature Christian leadership and from spending time with the people to ground them in the Word of God. To work in an African context, there is no substitute for spending time with the people. They are communal and family oriented, and it is crucial to model a Godly life before the people and deal with the questions they have. We have implemented a strategy of planting churches and then immediately training those new believers. We also feel it is important to confront the syncretism that you so often find in Zambia, which combines pagan worship and Christianity. Such syncretism is prevalent among so called “Christians” in Zambia. Zambia is considered by some to be a Christian nation, yet you will find that this is simply a cultural term that people ascribe without understanding properly what it means to be Christian. We are encouraging our Zambian brothers and sisters to take responsibility in the work as well, and we feel that if they are trained to do the work of instigating and nurturing a church planting movement then we will be successful in seeing our area won to Christ. One last bridge would be incorporating Human Needs Projects as we are led. This past year we have been a part of a Hunger Relief Project and a "Buckets of Love" project to help those in our area with their physical needs as well as their spiritual needs.
PRAYER NEEDS FOR THE RODGERS AND THEIR PEOPLE GROUPS
Pray that Kevin and Suzie would be good stewards of their time.
Pray for the Christian leaders/pastors in our area to teach the Word of God correctly.
Pray that they would lead as true servants of Christ by being examples to those in their churches.
Pray for true salvation to come to all those who don't know Jesus. For changed lives to those who repent.
Pray for all those being taught, to catch the vision that they too can share Christ with others and even continue the work without the missionary's presence.
Pray that as a family we will be salt and light to the area in which God has called us to serve.
Pray for Kevin as he works on his PHD at Southeastern Seminary while on the field plus all of his other responsibilities. Pray he will be disciplined with getting everything done in a timely manner.
Pray for our whole family to grow more in love with Jesus each day.
Pray for Hannah's salvation. She has really been asking and seeking lately.
Pray for Suzie to have patience as she homeschools Justin and Hannah.
Pray for Zach as he is at boarding school in Kenya to do well in his studies, have fun, build relationships, and make lots of memories.
Pray for us as we are separated from each other while he is away. Pray for us as we prepare to take Justin to school in Kenya in August. This will be a big adjustment for all of us, pray for comfort, peace, and God's unending grace during this time of change.
*Last year during our virtual prayer walk we asked for everyone to pray for someone to come to fill a job request in our area...GOD answered this prayer with Kenny and Lesley Vines! They will be joining us in Zambia in July 2009!*
Church planting will be Kenny and Lesley’s primary focus, along with three other areas of ministry. First, they will be working together with existing churches to help strengthen them and to train them to start other churches in their areas. Second, they will be responsible for trying to implement and nurture a church planting movement in the Luangwa area, as well as across the Luangwa river in Zumbo district of Mozambique and across the Zambezi river in parts of Zimbabwe. Third, they will be working with the churches which are planted in these "pioneer" areas to help develop them through a variety of methods.
THE VINES' AREA OF SERVICE
The Luangwa district is a unique area of Zambia, situated at the confluence of the Luangwa and Zambezi rivers. It borders with Lower Zambezi national park and is renowned for it's wildlife and rivers. It also lies across the river from pioneer areas of Mozambique and Zimbabwe, where the gospel is just now beginning to reach. Because of its isolation and the difficulty in working and living there, it is truly one of the pioneer areas in the Eastern Harvest Team area.
THE CHIKUNDA PEOPLE
The Chikunda people have an interesting history in that they were not formerly a tribe. In reality chikunda is a word for soldier and the Chikunda people were the ones the Portuguese used as soldiers for their Prazos(or plantations). Over the years as the Portuguese influence waned between Tete and Zumbo, several slaves ran away and several of the warlike soldiers who had traded their services for helping theirmasters catch slaves also ran away. They banded together and moved to present day Zumbo and Luangwa in Mozambique. They were very warlike and over the years they raided neighboring tribes like the Nsenga and Soli and captured wives. They carved out a small section for themselves there on the confluence of the Luangwa and Zambezi and developed their own language which is very similar to Nyungwe of Tete where they came from originally. They are now a tribe in their own right, with their own Chief (Mpuka who lives in Zambia) and their own culture, language, etc. They were once the most warlike of tribes found in our area and David Livingstone tells of a frightful night he spent in present day Luangwa Boma negotiating with them for canoes. He says that it was the most afraid he ever was while traveling in Africa. Now, the Chikunda are some of the most responsive people to the gospel and are considered unreached. Having the Vines' there will be the last piece of the puzzle to seeing our area reached with the Gospel. They will work by boat and by land throughout Luangwa and Zumbo districts and also along the Zambezi and into Zimbabwe.
BARRIERS TO REACHING THE CHIKUNDA FOR CHRIST
The Luangwa area (and surrounding areas of Mozambique and Zimbabwe) are extremely receptive to the gospel. People there have a great desire to hear and accept the gospel, but there is very little gospel witness. The Luangwa and Mozambique areas are traditionally Catholic strongholds and cults are also prevalent, like Jehovah's Witnesses, New Apostolic Church, and Seventh Day Adventist. There is much syncretism and misunderstanding about Christianity, which have lead to the implementation of a Chronological Bible Storying approach.
BRIDGES TO SHARING JESUS CHRIST AMONG THE CHIKUNDA PEOPLE
There are a few strong churches in the area and several preaching points and churches are coming into being on a regular basis. Recent surveys of the area have revealed that it is one of the most unreached and yet most responsive areas in Zambia. For this reason, the Eastern Harvest team is delighted to have Kenny and Lesley Vines answer the call to serve as church planters to live in the Luangwa Boma (town) and implement a Church Planting Movement in Luangwa District and across the rivers in Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
Pray for them as they say their goodbyes to friends and family that they would be sent away with peace and words of encouragement.
Pray for Kenny and Lesley as they come to Zambia in July and begin orientation then move to Chipata for language school. Pray for smooth transition, good health, and nationals to encourage them in their new home in Chipata.
Pray for a home to be secured in Luangwa near the river for the Vines' to live in. Pray that all of the logistics such as: housing, work permit, and vehicle can be taken care of without much problem.
THE NSENGA PEOPLE OF ZAMBIA AND MOZAMBIQUE
BARRIERS TO SHARING JESUS WITH THE NSENGA
The Nsenga are still steeped in tradition and witchcraft and need the light of the Gospel to break down this barrier. Alcohol is a barrier to sharing Christ in both women and men. Polygamy and promescuity are two barriers that can only be broken by true repentance and a life dedicated to following Christ. HIV/AIDS, malaria, and TB are diseases that take hundreds of lives each day. All of these and many more are barriers that can hinder us in sharing the Gospel and seeing a church planting movement among the Nsenga people.
BRIDGES TO SHARING JESUS WITH THE NSENGA
Quality time and the development of relationships is a huge bridge to sharing Christ with the Nsenga people. Learning and speaking their heart language, Chinsenga or Chichewa is a vital bridge into this culture because it demonstrates commitment and devotion to them as people. Studying and understanding the cultural trends of the Nsenga is important in order to be effective in relating to them cross-culturally. Another bridge into the Nsenga culture is songs of worship and praise. They hold singing dear to their hearts and in high regard. When there are meetings or even small gatherings of Nsenga believers singing and worshiping has a high value in the eyes of these people. As missionaries, our goal is to disciple new believers in order that they may grow in their walk with Christ, learn more about God's Word, and be willing to be missionaries in their homes and villages, even neighboring countries! We desire to see the Nsenga believers reach their tribe for Christ!
