Slow. That’s the story of our lives at the moment.
We moved to Mkushi in December 2023, from just outside Kitwe, where I was teaching Bible handling skills to mostly young people at a small residential Bible college. I am now aiming to teach the same skills, but to local church leaders in a particular group of churches. The aim is to go to where they are and to work with them at their pace, in their setting and in their language – because we’re desperate for people in Zambia to go to a local church and hear the good news of Jesus Christ explained and applied faithfully. Sadly, Zambian churches have become a home to prosperity teaching with an African lilt to it, Word of Faith theology, motivational talks (think ‘success’ and ‘destiny’) and personality cult theology (spiritual fathers – ‘Apostles’, ‘Prophets’, ‘Bishops’ – whose ‘grace’ you walk in).
But it’s a slow work at the moment. Why?
Well, I am trying to learn Bemba, the language spoken by most people in this area. I’ve never seriously tried to learn a language, nor seriously needed to learn a language in order to work effectively. And learning a new language, for me at least, is slow going! There is an American missionary in the area who is fluent in Bemba and a great teacher, so I meet with him once a week to learn some Bemba. I also have little flashcards with vocabulary, which I add to as regularly as possible, to practice and grow my Bemba vocab. I have tables to try and learn different tenses, possessives, noun classes in the singular and plural and more. And I try to hear and use Bemba in town and at church, when visiting local churches. But it’s not fast work!
As well as that, there is the slowness of getting to know who I am working with. There are 28 churches with pastors, elders and deacons in each of them – so there are lots of people to meet! That takes time. Then there’s going beyond just meeting people to actually forming relationships with people. Then add to that the prayerful seeking of establishing strong relationships with strategic people who can help me to better serve the churches here. The result is lots of conversations and meetings and meals spent trying to get to know who I’m working with.
Lastly, there’s the slowness experienced in family life. We’re all getting used to new things with school and friendship and church. We’re getting to know a new area, new shops, new neighbours. And that all takes time. It’s slow.
But, like slow food, I think this slowness is good. I’ll be honest, it’s frustrating to know that there’s a deep need to teach people to handle the Bible faithfully and not being able to do it properly yet. But the slowness is necessary. It reminds me that this is God’s work, God’s timing, God’s purposes. And the slowness will build a foundation upon which, God willing, I can serve the kingdom of God here in Zambia in a way which will bear fruit that lasts because it is embedded in heart language and relationship. It’s worth going slowly for that.
By Andy Symons, serving in Mkushi, Zambia