Sunday, October 14, 2007

The Zimba Pilgrim Wesleyan Church has a new pastor since we were here last and there have been a few changes in the Sunday services as a result. Worship service started at 9 am followed by Sunday School at 10 followed by the church service and preaching at 11. In practice, things don’t start or stop quite according to clock time and the different parts of the Sunday service aren’t as separate and distinct as it might sound. They tend to blend together. But they are all very spirited. The singing is wonderful, the prayers are passionate, the preaching is intense. Nearly all the teaching a preaching is done in English and then translated immediately into the local language, Tonga. Those who do the translation on the fly are really good at both translating the words and relaying the tone and emotional content of the speaker’s words. A portion of the service was devoted to welcoming visitors, including us, and a special welcoming to a new baby.

After the four hours of church service, many of us looked over progress on the construction of their new church. We gathered for a wonderful Sunday dinner and then half the team (Barbara, Andy, Dianna, and Ann) rode with missionary Joan to the Sons of Thunder orphanage down near Livingstone. Kari and Larry had been there in February. There are about 50 children up to the age of 6 who are being cared for by the orphanage. Nearly all the children have been orphaned by the HIV-AIDS epidemic in this area.

Those who stayed at the mission house were able to participate in a vespers service. The group has been working their way through The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, a book all of us are quite familiar with. The speaker for vespers had also preached during the morning service. He is an evangelist from the area who has helped plant 58 churches in Zambia and several surrounding countries. He is hoping to be able to plant churches in Botswana, Namibia and Angola over the next few years and the Zimba church has a growing interest under the new pastor in missions as well.