On Mission to the BaTonga People of Zambia

August 2010

“Prayer is the key that unlocks all the storehouses of God’s infinite grace and power.” R.A. Torrey

We met Cosmos in Livingstone when we took FBC Clanton, AL team members to see Victoria Falls. Just outside the Falls is a craft market. While we waited for team members to finish viewing the falls, Wes and I walked around looking at the crafts and talking about Jesus to whomever would listen. One man, who has AIDS, ac-cepted Christ, and Wes said, “We probably won’t see him again.” We walked on a little further and met Cosmos and we struck up a conversation with him about his relationship to the Lord. He admitted that he did not have one, and that he had a problem with drinking. We left him a booklet to read, and told him we would return the next day.

After sending the team off to America, we went back to visit Cosmos. He had read the book and was serious about accepting Jesus as his Savior. Cosmos was young and looked healthy, so, in our minds, we had plenty of time to help him grow in his new life. We left him a book titled, “I’ve Been Born Again, What Next?” and told him where the closest Baptist Church was located to his home.

In mid July, Wes made a trip to Livingstone to meet with the church leaders. While there, he decided to visit Cosmos at the market to see how he was doing. He found that Cosmos was in the hospital, so he went to visit him. They had a good visit, and Wes met his wife. It was then that Wes realized that Cosmos was a very sick man.

A week later, on a Sunday night, we received a call from Cosmos’ wife saying he had died. She asked Wes to please come to the funeral and say a few words because he was the only one who knew about Cosmos accepting Christ. Wes traveled to Livingstone the following morning, and that afternoon shared the gospel with around 600 village people, mostly Catholics. After the funeral, Cosmos’ sister said to Wes, “I saw my brother change so quickly after he accepted Christ, and I want my family to hear the truth. Please come back some time and share with us.” Pray that Cosmos’ family will also come to know Christ, and pray that we will be faithful to share the good news wherever we go!

It was time for women’s visitation, and Norah and I were planning to visit a new believer. However, when we went to her village, she was not home. As we walked down the path that would take us back to Gwembe, we met a man who greeted us and said he wanted to talk to us. The Lord opened the door for us to share the gospel, and we discov-ered that this man was a traditional healer/witch doctor. He said he knew that he was a sinner, knew he was going to hell, and knew that if he followed Jesus he would need to give up his witch doctor prac-tices. He said he wanted to talk more and asked us to return with Wes the next week. Wes was at a funeral, but Elizabeth and I returned and shared the story of the Rich man and Laza-rus with him and his family. When we re-turned this past week, he came out with his witch doctor hat on. Wes talked to him, but he was still not ready to give up his old life. See the prayer request for Dixon below

Please notice the change to our blog address: www.wilcoxzambia@blogspot.com

“Prayer is not difficult to understand, but it is difficult to do. We are a generation that avoids pain at all costs. This is why there are so few intercessors.” Henry Blackaby.

Ranulf Vincent is a white farmer who is probably in his 70’s. He is married to a very lovely Zambian lady named Kathryn. For many years they have lived and worked on “Kapapa Farm” here in Southern Zambia. Up until recently, we had never met them, but our friend Jesper called and told us that this family was in the process of losing their farm and their son’s farm, and had been evicted from their homes. Jesper, having gone through a similar experi-ence for over three years, felt for this family. He asked Wes to go and visit Ranulf who was suicidal. Wes went and found them literally living outside. As we shared in our prayer up-date last month, Wes was able to share the gospel with both Ranulf and Kathryn, and although they did not accept Christ, they were very appreciative of his visit.

At the end of last week, this family faced yet even another tragedy, far greater then losing a farm—they lost their second son in a horrible automobile accident (the son who was also los-ing his farm). Ranulf and his son, Bruce, were traveling back from the capital city after trying to secure a better lawyer to help them with their case. They had hitched a ride with a friend who was also traveling to pick up his two children from the airport. On the way home, the ve-hicle in which they were riding was traveling at a high speed. They had a blow out and the driver lost control. The vehicle flipped approximately five times and in the process hit a tree. Ranulf’s son, Bruce, was killed instantly. Ranulf related this story to us today when we paid he and his wife a visit. He said, “It was a miracle, I know I should have been killed. I know that someone (God) spared my life.” Please pray that God will use this tragedy to bring Ranulf and Kathryn into a personal relationship with Jesus, the only one who can give them true rest for their souls.

In addition, continue to pray for the farm issue. This Thursday, Ranulf and his son were sup-posed to be meeting with a government official to discuss their farm situation. Although we don’t know the details, they feel that corruption is behind the taking of their farm. Bruce will not be able to attend this meeting with his father. Kathyrn has asked that we pray for Ranulf as he and a son-in-law travel to Lusaka for this meeting. She asks that you pray that the government official will see what is happening and will help them in getting possession of their farm again. Please pray for Wes and I as we continue to minister to this family. Pray that God will open their hearts that at the right time, we might once again talk to them about their spiritual condition. Today when we visited them, the time was not right. They needed to talk, and we needed to listen. “It Was a Miracle That I Lived”

Prayer Requests

We have already given you a few prayer requests. Here are a few more.

• Dixon is the name of the witch doctor. His is a sad story. He knows that he is a sinner. He knows that he will spend eternity in hell. He knows that he must give up his evil ways if he wants to follow Jesus, but he is not willing at this time. His story reminds us of the rich young ruler who knew the way of salvation, but refused because he did not want to give up his riches. Dixon told us if we will pay him that he will follow Jesus. We told him it does not work that way. Although we will not return to his village unless we know the Spirit is telling us to “Go,” we are committed to praying for him until we feel that it is time to stop. Please pray with us for Dixon’s salvation. Pray that he will realize the full extent of his sin, and the full ramifications of his separation from God. Pray that he will want to be set free from the sinful life he is living, no matter the cost.
• The Gwembe Church, a small church of about 40 people, is hosting the annual youth confer-ence for the Southern Province of Zambia. This means about 200 youth from the different churches will be coming to Gwembe for five days. We had planned to have the meeting on our church plot, but have changed to the school and community center for reasons of logis-tics. This is a big undertaking for such a small church and we have much work to do before the conference, August 18-22. Please pray that all the members will do their part and that God will be glorified through this conference. Pray that God will give us wisdom as a church as we handle all the logistics. Pray for strength for this great task for all involved.
• In September, we will host a small team from Oklahoma, Lance and Staci Norton. Our plans for this team are to work with reaching out to the youth in Gwembe. Although we are host-ing the youth conference, our youth are small in number and the commitment is low. Al-though we have “our” plans for this outreach, we are asking the Lord to show us “His” plans. Please pray for God to give us His wisdom as we make the plans and prepara-tions. Please pray for the Nortons as they prepare to come, that God will make the way smooth, prepare them spiritually and physically, and that God will be glorified through this joint ministry.

Answers to Prayer and Praises:

We’ve added another page so that we can update you on the answers to previous prayers, and to give praise to the Lord for how He works through your prayers. If we fail to update you on a spe-cific prayer request, please feel free to write and ask us what is happening. In Tonga, we often say “Twacembaala,” when we forget something. This phrase means, “We are growing old.” It is true, as we grow older we are more forgetful, but we should not forget to praise the Lord for what He is doing and to thank you for praying for us and the needs of our people. Thanks so much for supporting us in prayer!

Praises and Answers

Last month we asked you to pray for two women in the Gwembe Church who had a problem be-tween them. Although they have not been able to come together and talk about the problem, as one has left for a month for work, the other woman who has remained behind is moving forward in her relationship with the Lord. She was the one that was so angry, but seems to have dealt with the issue in her heart. We praise the Lord that He is at work to bring peace in a bad situation!

Last month we asked you to pray for teams that were coming to work with some of our missionar-ies. The team that came from Wynne, Arkansas to work with the Langstons touched many lives. As a result of prayer walking and evangelism, a new Bible study has been started in a place called Zubadeenda. We praise the Lord for the new believers that have been added to the Kingdom!

In a recent prayer update, we also asked you to pray for one of our leaders, Passmore, whose had nearly been killed for taking a stand of integrity. For some time, he and his family were liv-ing in fear. We asked you to pray for his protection, and that God would use he and his wife in a mighty way. God has restored Passmore and his wife as they are no longer living in fear. Pass-more was able to share his story with some of our young churches in Sinazongwe when he went to be an interpreter for the Wynne, Arkansas team. We praise the Lord that God is using this bad experience for good.

Thank you for your prayers.

In His Love,
Wes and Laurie Wilcox