Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. September was a busy month for me. It is so wonderful to see how God is working in the lives of the people here in Kalulushi. Trials have come, but it is exciting to see those that are persevering.

LIBERTY LADIES
Many of the ladies have been very faithful to come to the Ladies Bible Institute. Sometimes as the teacher, I wonder if they are really grasping what I am saying. The other day, there was the start of a dispute amongst some of the women over a small issue. The dispute did not get far before they started reminding each other as to what I had taught the previous week I was even more surprised when they started quoting some of the Scripture that had gone along with the lesson. What a joy it was to see how these women are growing in the Word of God.

The ladies have also gained confidence in asking questions about each lesson. Most of the time, many of the other women jump in to help me answer the question. We have had wonderful discussions the last few weeks. The ladies also have been enjoying learning the Bible verses that I have assigned them. They have a good time laughing at each others attempts. When someone says the verse properly, a great cheer goes up from the other women.
Ladies' Bible Institute: Pictured left to right - Bana Kantalomba, Bana Pastor (The wife to Pastor Frazer), Bana Kaputula, Bana Adrian, Bana Lufunda, Bana Doreen, Bana Musonda (this is her house that we meet at), Bana Grace, Bana Mwila, Bana Mambwe, and Bana Banda

 

This picture is of a recent Friday when we met. In the Bemba language, women are referred to as Bana Mayo. "Bana" is the title used when referring to each woman. Some woman are called by their child's name while others are called by their surname. They are rarely referred to by their own name. There are also many women who attend class but are not pictured here because they were out of town. The faithful women who are not pictured are Bana Mercy, Bana Tasila, Bana Lacky, and Bana Ruth. There are also some other ladies that hope to join us soon.

Ladies Visitation
Every week on Tuesday, they ladies go for visitation. I have been going with the ladies on this visitation. We make a list of all the ladies that did not attend church on Sunday. Then we add the names of any ladies that visited church. Then we list anyone who is sick. Last week, we ended up with a list of over 20 names. We start off around 2:30 p.m. from the whichever meeting place we chose. As we go along visiting people, we are joined by other ladies that would go visiting with us. This last week, 6 of us went on visitation, and we visited 9 homes before we were forced to stop at 6 p.m. because it was dark. Zambians are very gracious in welcoming visitors. We don't have to worry about getting a door slammed into our face. At each house we visit, either Gaudencia or I would read some Scripture to the woman. We then try to meet the need of the woman we are visiting. If the lady missed church, we see if she has a problem that we can help with. Usually, they miss because of sickness. Sometimes, women have become discouraged for one reason or another so we try to counsel them. Every situation is unique. We then spend time in prayer before we leave.
This is a typical road where we go visiting in Kalulushi.

 

Liberty Baptist Church
The church continues to grow. Pastor Frazer has been very faithful in going on evangelism. I often see him walking around town with other men from the church. This last Sunday, we had 13 adult visitors and 7 children. There was not an empty seat in the whole room.

I want to thank you all for your continued prayers. It is not always easy to walk around in 100 degree weather for 3 hours on visitation. I often wonder if I'll make it without getting heat stroke. But once I start going, I soon forget about the heat and find myself enjoying the company of the other ladies. I have been in good health the last few weeks. Please pray that I will be able to continue on in good health.

Praise be to God,

Jennifer Townsend.