Meet Joseph Zulu

"Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?" 1 Peter 3:13

If there is one thing that you need to know about Joseph Zulu, it is the fact that he is a passionate follower of Jesus Christ. Not only in his preaching, but also in his everyday conversation, Joseph exudes a contagious zeal for the word of God and a love for the unreached which challenge as well as inspire. Even in the midst of discouragement and difficulty it is easy to see that Joseph is truly zealous for what is good -- for a life of obedience, for the unreached, and for the unity of his church.

Joseph, his wife Docas, and their two year old son Joseph Jr. currently live in Garden Compound, which is a very poor suburb located to the Northeast of downtown Lusaka. Joseph takes a bus into the city five days each week to teach Religious Education and Geography at a private high school. Public schools in Zambia usually require that their teachers obtain a university degree before teaching, but to teach at a private school only a basic teacher's training is needed, which Joseph was able to complete at a young seminary in nearby Kanyama compound. He has been thankful for the past few years to have a job where he can regularly speak the about the gospel to his students in an educational setting.

Joseph became a Christian on November 17, 1991, at the age of 21. There is a reason he remembers the exact date: that morning one of his good school friends told him that he needed to be "born again." Having been raised as a Catholic with his older brother Peter, he didn't quite know what that meant, but he thought about it for much of the day until he received a letter from Peter in the afternoon. The only thing that Peter said in his letter to Joseph was that he needed to be born again! "I don't know how God planned for it," he says. "It was a miracle." That night he went to a Bible study at his school where the topic was, again, the new birth. Joseph became a believer that evening, surrendering his life to Christ.

Ministry has been a hard road since then, but Joseph feels compelled by the Lord to shepherd a flock of believers. In 1998 he became a pastor, but discouragement and trial have twice caused him to want to quit. Each time, however, his call to ministry has been confirmed, and today Joseph is the preaching pastor at Triumphant Bible Church in Kanyama. Joseph is a zealous preacher with a heart for God's truth, and he preaches passionately about the need to share the gospel with those in Kanyama who have yet to accept Christ.

Thank you for supporting Joseph as he has opportunity to learn God's word more deeply through his ABI classes. You can be praying that Joseph would have continued wisdom and strength as he works a full time job, pastors a church, and takes classes from ABI three times each week. Please also be praying for Joseph's family, that God would continue to provide encouragement for them as they travel across town to attend church every Sunday.

Here is a brief introduction from Joseph himself: if you are reading this post via email you may need to click here to see the video. Thanks!

Meet Pastor Mwanza

"...make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need." 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

Alfred Mwanza is a quiet man. He is not the first to speak up in class, to readily share his personal thoughts and opinions, or to be the life of the party. But Alfred is a man with tremendous wisdom and humility -- he has a heart for the poor and the unreached, he loves the Word of God, and he works hard every day to provide for his family.

Alfred and his wife Satilda became believers together shortly after being married, when Alfred was working in a factory. He soon realized that his work left him little time to serve the Lord, so he quit his job and learned to work in construction for a living. Although he had no formal training as a builder, the Lord was gracious to provide enough work for Alfred as he learned on the job. After several years as a builder, he began to learn how to work with metal, and to this day he works in metal fabrication and as a general contractor. Between these two specialties, Alfred still has time to care for his congregation.

Alfred and his wife have five children and two grandchildren. They live in Garden Compound, a very poor suburb to the Northeast of downtown Lusaka, where they began a church in their home. This church, Eternity Global Ministries, recently planted a daughter church in, so that now Alfred walks for more than an hour every Sunday to pastor this young church plant. Please pray for Alfred as he leads his young congregation, that he would have the wisdom to balance his responsibilities both a businessman and as a pastor. Please also be praying for Alfred, as he takes an ABI final exam this upcoming week, and for his children as they prepare for their own final exams in the weeks to come. Thank you for your all the ways that you are supporting Alfred and his family as they further the gospel in Zambia!


Above is a video of Pastor Mwanza introducing himself: if you are reading this post via email you may need to click here to watch the video. Thank you for your support!

Meet Peter Zulu

"Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability." 1 Corinthians 8:2-3
Peter Zulu and his wife Adelesi have two children (nine-year-old Gabriel and almost-three-year-old Theophilos), and are expecting a girl to enter their family very soon. They currently live in a small two-room house in the heart of Garden Compound, although the property on which they live has a small, additional room built back-to-back with their home. Over the period of several years Peter built this extra room -- not for his family or for any business interests, but rather that he might start a church and a school for his community. This year, with the help of two teachers, Peter and his wife will see 80 students, from kindergarten to grade nine, pass through the 9' by 15' classroom on their way to an education that otherwise would not be available to them.
Peter's story is one of God's generosity, so that he can now in turn be generous to others. Now 43 years old, he came to know Christ at age 20 after trying to seduce one of his high school classmates. When she refused, telling him that she was a believer and that she was going to save herself for her husband, Peter was amazed. He had never heard of such a thing -- "I started thinking of the God who makes her like that," he says. "This is the true God." After becoming a believer, Peter strengthened his faith for many years before beginning his ministry, and only recently started Pillar of Truth Church. His young congregation has already planted two churches in Eastern Zambia, and has recently been blessed by the Lord with a new plot of land just down the street from their current location, where they hope to construct a new set of school and church buildings in the next few years.
Please be praying for Peter and his family as they continue to support both a school and a church out of their own home. Please also be praying that they be able to fight through the many discouragements that they face daily, and that they would continue to trust in the Lord for the daily provision of their many needs. Please also pray for Adelesi as she is expecting a new addition to their family in September. Thank you so much for all that you are doing for Peter and his family as he continues to take classes from ABI on top of a busy schedule with many other responsibilities!
Here is a brief video of Peter introducing himself; if you are reading this post via email you may need to click here to see the video. God Bless!