CHIKWINA SECOND LEADERS’ TRAINING

August 29-September 2, 2016

We had a successful trip to Chikwina. We left on Monday, our official travelling day, and we travelled safely and arrived safely at Chikwina.  We were welcomed at the house of Pastor Andrew Banda of Assemblies of God church who accommodated us last time.  Andrew and his wife welcomed us with joy and they were happy to have us as their visitors. We were given a room to sleep and we used our camping mattresses and our sleeping bags. In the same evening pastor Governor Chunda, the coach, came to welcome us in the same house of Andrew Banda. We had a very good interaction, hearing stories of Chikwina area.

The following day the trainings started well and the leaders were happy for the trainings. During Lunch breaks and during sessions we got so many comments on how the work is growing.

Andrew Banda;  said, more people are accepting Christ through these teachings and are being encouraged, and more are so appreciative for the gifts of the booklets as well as the NT Bibles.   (The photo to the right is pastor Andrew Banda and his family.)

Dyson kamanga; said, I belong to New Apostolic Church where usually we are not encouraged to have a Bible, and most of the time they do discourage us to attend trainings like these. For example, after they heard that I attended the first DCI trainings last time, they called me in a tough  meeting for elders where I was asked so many questions, but I stood at the truth that I know about DCI ,that it is there to teach about salvation and discipling people and it is not a church.

I added by saying that, the way I have been taught, what will happen is that I will be teaching people and bring them into this church. They understood, though not satisfied .But after some days as I was discipling people through one to one discipleship, it happened that 4 people accepted Christ and I placed them into the life group, but they had no church, so as I was discipling them I encouraged them to be coming to my church. Now I went again to the elders to confirm my words that the people whom I am teaching will be coming with me into the church, and now their mentality has changed.  For this I believe that many people in my church will know the truth about the Lord Jesus, and now they are appreciating what God is doing.

Governor Chunda; said that the work is growing and many people are coming to Christ.  One very interesting thing is that in our village we have a group of people gathering as a village bank group where people meet every week for their savings.  I shared with them about DCI teachings and they welcomed it.  Now the discipleship is in progress so far. People are accepting Christ and many are happy upon discovering that they are new creations in Christ and they are having a good understanding of their faith.

Chikwina:  At this place more people are involved much in immorality, witchcraft and polygamy, and more of them are illiterate so they do live a typical local life hence practicing witchcraft.  Usually they do target to kill one another by  witchcraft. The one who has gone far with education, and sometimes even the one who has gone far with business become targets. And in the past years, they could even target the one who builds a big house especially when you have used iron sheets for the roof. They had a mentality of seeing anyone going above them financially but all of them should be at the same level of having small houses with grass thatched roofs. But nowadays by the help of different NGOs most of the people are somehow developed and many are able to build houses with iron sheets. And now the leaders we are training they are so encouraged that through DCI teachings the area will continue to develop as well as having love towards each other; hence no killings by witchcraft.

Because it is a place with a good availability of water from the Chikwina hills, people from this place found it as an advantage for growing Indian hemp, (chamba) in a local term, and they could cultivate in a large quantity.  It was for commercial trade and it was an illegal business. After the police discovered them they were sent to jail. And now some are still growing in a small quantity but usually in a hiding places like in a very tip of mountains where they only visit their farms once a week. It is very far, and even when the police reach the farms, it is at their own risk.

The leaders from this place are so appreciative of the trainings we do.  They do believe that their community is going to benefit a lot, for they have already started seeing the fruits of the teachings from the people of this community For example, pastor Andrew Banda is discipling Zabron Nkhata, who at first was a chamba grower and smoker but he was born again through the DCI approach of one to one disciple making.

The leaders from this place do expect that their community will soon be transformed for the power of the gospel is at work in this area. And they added by saying that they know for sure that the lord is using them to change things in their community.

This is how we travelled to Chikwina for our second leaders’ trainings.

Andrew

submitted by Hans and Elly Timmermans:

Hi Friends,

It is so exciting to receive the reports from our team in Northern Malawi.  The work of the Discipleship and Leadership training which they do in the remote northern villages is bearing fruit!  Many are coming to Christ and many are learning for the first time what it means to be a “Christian”.

The letter above was received from Andrew (one of our team members).  Other than a few simple grammar corrections, it is as is was received.

I think that you will be very encouraged to read it.  We receive reports and stories like this one every 2 weeks.  I wish we could pass them all along, but I know that your time is limited.  We appreciate your partnership – your interest in this work; and thank you for your prayers and/or financial support.

We thank God for you!