August 2009

It is such a blessing to receive and read the reports from places around the world where the Live School is being taught. Allow me to share with you three short reports that I received recently from southern Africa.

From Zambia, David Newcombe writes about the Livingstone Mission School.

The Global economy may be faltering, governments shaken and toppling, businesses failing, violence rampant, but yet the “fields are white for the harvest”. The faculty and students of Livingstone Mission Center, past and present, have dedicated their lives to the task of taking the Gospel to the most difficult to reach villages and settlements of Africa. They have all endured hardships without complaint and laid down their lives to pursue the calling of God.

One of the student leaders in the Livingstone Mission School writes, “We have students from Botswana, Zambia, South Africa, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Malawi. I see God doing great things in His kingdom to prepare these young men and women for the mission field. We are praying for the building of the campus at Kazungula and that God will open special doors for the ministry this year and move in a way that we have never seen before. We keep hearing the phrase, “we are to be expectant.”

From the island of Zanzibar, just off Tanzania, Philemon Obeid writes that they started their fourth intake on the 1st of April, 2009. Lord willing the 30 students will graduate on the 15th of March, 2010. They are currently going through the Live School curriculum after which they will go on outreach to unreached areas in the country. Philemon also reports that the students are enjoying the training and that every day their lives are being impacted by the teaching they receive from Live School.

From Zimbabwe, the Ngandlwana Mission School reports that they just returned from an outreach to a part of the country that was not easy to travel to. Here are a few highlights of their outreach.

The mission trip was full of much difficulty. We started by waiting seven hours at the bus stop for the public transport. We eventually arrived at the first leg of our destination in the middle of the night. It was late and raining. We spent the night at the bus terminal where goats and all kinds of animals also slept. Early the next morning we set out walking to the village where we would work for the next few months. We walked 48 kilometers/30 miles.

The village was experiencing the same hunger and political upheaval that is happening all over Zimbabwe. These bad conditions had forced some of our converts from a previous contact/outreach to migrate to neighboring countries in search of work and food. Some of the people didn’t attend our services because of hunger.

We did however have 14 converts—most of them were youth. This prompted us to hold a youth service. We visited all the converts in our follow-up program and encouraged them in the Word of God. They openly shared their problems and weaknesses and difficulties.

Gogo MaMguni, who was once a witch doctor, surrendered everything and accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. Her decision caused her family to reject her. Her grandchildren, who used to help her in the field and with household chores, were taken away from her.

We undertook those tasks ourselves and helped her finish the work in her fields. Every day we had no breakfast, and our lunch was “ulude,” vegetables with milk. Sometimes our only supper was pumpkin mixed with milk and wild mushrooms. But we were happy to work for Jesus and to see the lives of people changed.

Just when the mountain looks formidable, and the valleys are deep and dark with evil, and we begin to doubt that God has chosen the right vessels to participate in His Kingdom work upon this earth—He does the unexpected…the improbable…the impossible!

What a privilege it is to hear how God is using ordinary people to do extraordinary work in His Kingdom. Thank you so much for your prayers and support that makes this all possible.

Please continue to uphold Live School in your prayers. And as the weakening economy touches this ministry, please give what you can to further the Kingdom.

Blessings to you,

Willie Crew
International Director

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