Paroikos

An alligator in the Nesbit Castle Hotel

Conference with the men from around Bulwayo

Todd teaching the men from Bulawayo

On Sunday around noon we finally meet with the Apostle Liberty Atawa for the first time in person. We were speaking with him about the problems in Zimbabwe for the spread of the Gospel. He complained that no one wants to listen to teaching. “They will say, ‘yesterday we were dancing and singing and today we are only talking.’”

Liberty gathered twelve men for us to meet briefly with on Sunday night, and another five for a total of seventeen which gathered together on Monday for study. Again since it was our first meeting with these men we went through the CLC statement of faith and purpose. Already in our brief talk Sunday night many of the men were eager to be taught. (more…)

Pastor Ibrahim pretending a bowl is a hat

Victoria Falls

Todd Ohlmann, Ibrahim, Matthew Ude at Victoria Falls

Friday January 27^th we held a short conference with the pastors from Lusaka, and pastor Yumba from D R Congo. Pastor Yumba had accompanied us from Lubumbashi in order to meet the new pastors in Lusaka. As this was our first meeting with these men we took them through the CLC statement of faith and purpose. These men had already been studying with Ibrahim and were familiar with our doctrine. There were some questions, but not really any disagreement. The men seemed ready and eager to study and learn and join Ibrahim in working for the Lord in Lusaka, and throughout Zambia. (more…)

[ note: I updated the map "Central Africa Visits" ]

Thursday, our first day in Lusaka, we spent running errands trying to find tickets to Bulawayo, changing money, etc. Today we headed out for hospital visits and evangelism. We stopped briefly at an AIDS/HIV hospital but there was some program going on and we weren’t allowed in. We went down the road a little to a village and started visiting houses. At the bottom of this post is a map of the village and houses we visited along with a description of what happened at each place. There is also another map showing the various place in Lusaka mentioned here.

Pastor Ibrahim is a native of Tanzania. He went to the Bible School in East Africa before the trouble we currently are having there. He has worked with Nathanael Mayhew. He had some friends recently ask him to come teach in Zambia, so he came over to Lusaka and has been working hard here ever since. From the first moment we met Ibrahim he showed his love and zeal for Christ. He constantly talked about how we must not waste the Lord’s money. He always sought to find the cheapest way to do things, even though we were the ones paying not him. He also spoke about how many pastors are lazy but that we must work to support the work of the Gospel. He is planning to return to East Africa in time for the mission helper trip this summer, so that those of you who will be here this summer will get a chance to meet and work with him also.

(more…)

Wednesday January 25, 2012

This morning we packed up at 8am to head out. This time we left Congo for good and headed across the same border once again unto Zambia. We rented a Taxi to take us to the Zambia border. From the border we took a small bus ( really a big van stuffed full of people ) to Kitwe. Kitwe is the same city where we meet the Zambia pastors on Monday. In Kitwe we got on a big greyhound style bus for the six hour trip to Lusaka. This bus would have been comfortable except that they didn’t leave until every single seat on the bus was sold. And of course the seats were too small even for a normal person much less some of the bigger Africans. I had an aisle seat and spent the ride half off the seat. Todd was sitting on the back seat and was squished between two people.

We arrived in Lusaka around 8pm almost exactly twelve hours from when we started. The Kewelle Lodge where we are staying is a decent price and fairly nice, especially by the standards of most of the hotels we normally stay in. Apparently there is a big soccer match between the Zambia national team and someone else. So the bar and restaurant is packed full of people tonight.

We meet Ibrahim and received our marching orders for the next few days. We will be here at the Kewelle Lodge for the next four nights including tonight and then we leave for Zimbabwe. One of the first things we need to do tomorrow is look for tickets to Zimbabwe either by bus or plane.

Tuesday January 24, 2012

Monday morning we went through a large part of the Statement of Faith and Purpose. Todd was gone most of the morning trying to exchange money so that we could pay for our hotel. We started class around 10:30am and needed to leave around 1pm. Obviously we didn’t get a chance to talk to these pastors about everything but Pastor Yumba will continue to have classes with them every other month.

Two of the pastors Amos and Alexander drove us back to the border between Zambia and Congo in their car. It was probably about an hour to the border, and then another two to three hours from the border back to Lubumbashi.

The next day went really well. We had classes for three hours. After lunch we meet with various pastors and committee.

The translation committee has a number of new translations they have finished and published, as well as publishing a lot of other material which had been translated in the past.

Pastor Hubert, Pastor Muzukuza’s son is hoping to attend one of the bible colleges next year, perhaps the one in Tanzania if we get it up and running again, or the one in Nigeria.

In the evening we went out in search of a restaurant. Todd had mentioned one really good restaurant in the city that he and Nathanael had visited when they were here. Todd couldn’t remember the name and although he thought he knew where it was, we kept getting lost looking for it. That night we gave it one more try. When we once again couldn’t find it we ended up eating at the same place we had eaten at all week. It was a good restaurant though so it wasn’t any problem.

Friday January 20, 2012

Busy day.

I was unable to get my Zambia visa in the US, I just didn’t have time to get all of the ones I needed. So that was one of my first concerns on arriving in Congo. Thursday night we went to the Zambia embassy were I got the form and was asked to return tomorrow with $80 US dollars and two passport photos. The photos I had with me so that wasn’t a problem. The next morning we arrived handed over everything and were told to come back after noon. The lady who was helping us at the Zambia Embassy kept telling me, “I am doing you a favor.” She wasn’t really doing anything except what she was supposed to be doing but the Congo men explained this meant that I should give her a bribe. We came back around 2pm and after waiting for an hour finally got my passport with the visa back. TIA!

We were supposed to spend two hours in the morning and again two hours in the afternoon teaching the pastors and elders of the ELCC. The shenanigans with my visa cut into this time a bit so that both periods were only an hour and a half. Todd taught a basic overview of predestination and I went through the work of the Holy Spirit as described by Jesus in John 16. We also visited one of Muzukuza’s two churches in Lubumbashi that evening after class.

Thursday January 19, 2012

Arrived in Democratic Republic of Congo. The airport in Lubumbashi is undoubtedly the worst I have ever been in. Todd told me stories of him and Nathanael getting stuck here when they came through, but we didn’t have any real difficulties. There was one small door from the immigration office into the baggage claim area, with everyone pressing their way through. Three different times when I was just about to make my way through the door some official insisted on looking at my yellow fever immunization certificate pulling me out of line to do it, then I would have to turn around to try to push my way through again and get stopped right when I was about to get through.

Finally getting through to the baggage area we were met by a delegation from the ELCC and CCLC, seven or eight pastors in total. Arriving at the hotel we had a beer together and discussed our plans for the week.

The weather here in Congo is also quite pleasant. I didn’t realize this at the time but later in the week found out the Lubumbashi at least is fairly high in elevation about 4,000 feet. The sun gets a little intense around midday but the temperatures seem to be around low to high 70s, and there is no humidity.

Wednesday January 18, 2012

Flew from Nigeria to Ethiopia. I was here only for an overnight layover and to meet up with Todd. My flight landed around 8am but I didn’t get to the hotel until after nine, and I needed to leave for the airport again the next morning around 6:30am so I didn’t get much of a chance to see or enjoy Ethiopia. But the climate was certainly much cooler and more pleasant than Nigeria. Nigeria’s climate had been surprisingly pleasant for most of my visit, except the first and the last few days. The humidity and temperature had noticeably climbed.

. . . you know there is a big disaster. I can’t remember the ever seeing my grandmother run anyway.

This is one of the Nigerian sayings that Pastor Bassey quoted as the introduction to his sermon this last week.

I spent the last week near the city of Badagari in Nigeria. Here most of the pastors from Nigeria, Ghana, and Togo gathered together for a joint West Africa pastoral conference. This was caused mainly by the political insecurity of Nigeria. Since it seemed abnormally unsafe for me to journey to Efa we brought all the pastors together near Lagos, Nigeria. (more…)

Saturday evening. I’m in Atlanta Georgia about to board my flight for Nigeria. Usually I fly through London which means a seven hour flight to London then another eight or nine hour flight down to Nigeria. This time, however, I am flying through Atlanta an hour and a half from Chicago to Atlanta and then a ten hour flight across the Atlantic. It will be nice to cut so much time out of my flight.

I have spent a month back in that states hoping it was enough time to get all my visas for the Africa trip this January. I got them all except one, Zambia. However I should be able to pick that one up in Lagos while I am there.

There are many things to look forward to on this trip. The trip begins next week with a conference of all our West African churches together in Lagos Nigeria. There will be sermons and papers and I will have a chance to visit with and talk to most of the pastors in this part of the world. There will also be one or two new pastors interested in talking about the CLC at this conference.

After this week long conference I will be joining up with Pastor Todd Ohlmann and journeying down to the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is part of the world I have not been to before. I will meet new pastors, see a new part of Africa, talk to new (for me) churches, and then get a chance to visit some prospective new fields in the Congo area.

I’ll try to keep you all updated, but the internet in Africa is very spotty and I don’t know how often I will have the chance.

Keep the conference and our Africa brothers in your prayers.

“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving” – Colossians 4:2

Pastor Matthew Ude