Report from BHW Zambia Partnership Facilitator

Key people:
Melvin Chiombe – Africa Team Leader
Dan Bullock – Zambia Team Leader

We have received the following report from OM Zambia, sharing some of the stories from the field. Bright Hope World contributes funds towards the National Workers Fund pool to help support these missionaries.

Missionary Support Report from OM

The church in Zambia financially reflects some of the problems seen in the national economy. Often churches do not have the financial capacity to support all their missionary’s needs. There is also a misunderstanding of the church’s responsibilities towards mission. There are national workers who are either already serving as missionaries or who want to be sent to the mission field and a lack of resources is hindering them or stopping them even going. 

In OM Zambia we have missionaries who are struggling with their income being around the poverty line. Some of our missionaries need specific training so that they can have the tools and platform to enter a country and earn a living. We face specific issues with immigration and racism for our National Workers to cross borders, we must apply for visas multiple times, get extra certificates and medical tests. This means that we must spend substantial finances to send National Workers. Often these one-off costs and flights cannot be met by the local churches. 

In all these situations we are very grateful to donors that have pledged towards this cause, so that we can allow them to continue their God given calling. Above all, we praise the Lord for His provision.

The following are some reports and stories from the field (note names and photos are not mentioned where it is not appropriate to do so). 

Wake up we pray it is Ramadan 

Every time I visit the village (Jarrow), I stay with one uncle who is Muslim, an amazing man full of historical stories about the Gambia. One morning during this period of Ramadan I realized that he had overslept and time to start the fast was about to clock. I got out of my bed and went to wake him up that it was time to pray. The shock on his face spoke a lot until he cleaned himself and went for prayers at the mosque.

He started to prepare me breakfast and I told him sorry I am fasting; it is Ramadan time. The question he asked was "do Christians fast too?" I just got my Bible and explained what fast is according to the Bible and how we fast. I explained to him from the Book of God through his prophet Joel 2:12, which said, “yet even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning”. 

Uncle just said that in all my years I have never seen a Christian fast and pray, then he said please explain more about Christian fasting. Right now, we have finished the topic of fasting and now we are discussing the book of Joel as a study. Please pray for my Gambia uncle that God will reveal himself to him as he is seeking to know more about God. 

Just a single wake up call for fasting creates an amazing opportunity to seek God more. 

Story from ship

Dear family and friends, thank you so much for being part of my journey serving God on the ship for 2 years and 3 months. I am grateful to God for your prayers and support, my journey with God on the ship came to an end on the 15th of February 2024. 

Being part of different ministries every week like prayer walks, feeding programs, youth ministry and other ministries encouraged my walk with God as well as seeing how people's lives are changed through the ship's ministry. I experienced ministry in ways I never thought of in how people serve God in different cultures. I learnt to take advantage of small opportunities to share God’s love.

A great lesson I learned from being in the Middle East is presence and prayer being available to welcome people to the ship with a smile and praying for them knowing that our prayers can reach places we cannot even in countries where we are not allowed to preach the gospel. 

During my time on the ship, I served in three departments which were the library, ports engagement as an administrator, and project coordinator for the ship's visit to Mozambique. I was challenged a lot of times, but I saw myself grow in many ways after every challenge. 

Through this journey I also got to develop and learn new skills which will help me as I continue to serve God back home. When I reflect on the ship's ministry I think of people from every nation, tongue, tribe and colour coming together in unity all for one purpose which is Jesus. It was a great privilege to be part of what God is doing through the ship's ministry and all this would not have been possible without your prayers and support thank you so much may God continue to bless you. 

National workers support in Zambia 

Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”. 

Dear friends, I greet you all in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I thank God for all your prayers, moral and financial support to me and my family. Over the few years I have been with OM, I have worked under short term and local evangelism. Currently, I am serving under Hope on the Streets for Children, Africa Area.  

We conduct outreaches to street children who have left homes for various reasons and have taken the street as their home. There are different categories of children on the streets. Some spend the night on the streets while others come during the day and return home in the evening.  

During our outreaches we have sports and conduct bible reading where we divide into smaller groups, and through those groups, we also have one-on-one counselling and prayer. We also feed them at the end of the outreach. We do this because we know they have no money to buy food unless they beg or steal, or they do pet jobs where they receive small wages. 

 It is heart breaking to hear stories from children on the street who have run away from homes to make the street their home and created families from fellow runway children who bond for protection and support. Many of those we have spoken to come from broken homes where parents have divorced, or either of the parents is dead or both are dead, and they find themselves in a helpless situation. Some are on the streets because of abuse and mistreatment at home, poverty, or neglect. 

We are also training caregivers from churches, organizations and individuals who desire to work with vulnerable children found on the streets. Much more our desire is to see that in the first-place children do not end up on the streets. 

Relief work and medical support  

Many of our missionaries (partly because of the National Workers Fund) have a basic income to sustain their families. In the case of significant medical needs (e.g. hospitalization or surgery) the basic income is often not sufficient to cover these costs. The Zambian government-initiated health insurance is in place since 2023 but is not well established yet. Therefore, the person needing medical care often personally faces significant costs. Through the National Workers Fund, in 2023 we have been able to support several local missionaries that needed surgery, or significant health care support. 

Another driver of unexpected and usually significant costs is funerals. In Zambian culture, when a person dies, the house of the family will be open for visitors until the funeral. Many family and community members will be at the house frequently. It is the expectation that the family will feed all these visitors. Additionally, the funeral itself attracts significant costs, as also family members regularly are expected to organize transport for several visitors to the burial site. Thanks to the National Workers Fund we have been able to support 10 missionaries and their families in 2023 with finances, but also usage of our vehicles.

Income Support of OM Missionaries (ZAM13a)

Chad Fence

Last year 2023, Bright Hope World funded the construction of a fence in Chad to allow for security from grazing animals over the land, and protect the gardens and crops grown by the OM team.

They use these crops to support themselves, and to provide some employment opportunities to the local youth in the area. The gardens are close to the well that OM put in to help supply the community with fresh water. The well is used by people and for grazing animals and enables the OM team to build relationships with the community and share beliefs.

The fence has enabled them to employee six youths, and they have seen a big increase in the amount of produce grown.