Vine and Branches
Volume 8, Issue 2
April 2008
“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
SINCE WE LAST WROTE
David (Theological College of Central Africa) …
• learned to adjust to continuing power cuts. Improvement may come in early 2009.
• completed his first term as TCCA’s academic dean (see below).
• watched with sadness and prayers as Zimbabwe, our neighbor to the south, descended into even greater chaos.
• pulled some near all-nighters as he typed up notes for his class on Old Testament Wisdom Literature.
• got malaria for the first time and memorized verses from the book of Revelation.
Terri (Wife, mother, homemaker) …
• hosted several missionary gatherings at our home, including monthly meetings of the Ndola Missionary group.
• continued to walk or bike nearly every morning with a friend named Sue.
• began praying every Thursday morning with Luella, an older friend from South Africa.
• prepared to celebrate her 25th wedding anniversary on 7 May.
Lizzie (Senior, Bloomington South High School) …
• brought back a hammock from her spring break trip to Mexico with the Bayly family.
• started tutoring two girls (a 7th and a 9th grader), mainly in math.
• anticipated her HS graduation in May.
• spoke briefly at a Missions Conference in Medina, Ohio at Harvest Presbyterian Church.
Mary (Sophomore, Simba International School) …
• was saddened when her good friend moved from down the street to the other side of town.
• played in a country-wide volleyball tournament in Lusaka with her school team. They lost in the semis.
• struggled with math and science classes.
John (Grade 8, Simba International School) …
• said good-bye to the rainy season in Ndola. We received nearly a record-breaking amount of rain. Cause: La Nina? With April begins our Fall. Blue skies, puffy white clouds, “cooler” temperatures.
• still comes home and gives dad a report about the goals he scored that day during break.
• watched as a huge swarm of thousands of bees settled into one of our neighbor’s trees.
• has started shooting baskets outside after school. It’s about time the Hoosier comes out in him.
Sarah (Grade 6, Simba International School) …
• was awarded the part of Helen of Troy in her class play to take place in May. Sarah is very excited.
• pretended (with Mary) she was eating Chinese take-out up on our roof. Our dogs looked at them very strangely.
• had to deal with boils breaking out on her legs, one right after the other. Unsure of the cause. It’s not diabetes.
Please PRAY for the Wegeners, serving in Zambia with Mission to the World:
1. For David's father. His health has deteriorated quite a bit lately and has been in and out of hospital and a nursing home.
2. For our children's spiritual development, especially in the context of the (non-Christian) school they attend.
3. For endurance and joy as we encounter obstacles and afflictions and our own sin.
Patriarchy, Discernment and Jail
One of the joys we get to experience here in Zambia is hosting short-term missionaries in our home. We’ve had a number live with us, and deep and lasting friend-ships have been formed.
Sometimes the encounters are more brief. The pastor of our church in Zambia, Kabwe Kabwe, recently started a small school to train ministers here in our area (the Copperbelt Ministerial College). Pastors from the States come for a week and teach the men short, intensive courses, on topics like Introduction to Preaching, Ephesians, the Theology of the Reformation, and Pastoral Theology.
Two men came this past week; we’ll call them Paul and Simon, from Kentucky and Michigan. We had them over to our home for dinner at the beginning of their teaching time and just before they left to return to America. Let me relate a few things we discussed.
Paul mentioned that he was teaching on the book of Ephesians and asked for any tips to help with that. We talked a bit about marriage in Zambia (see chapter five of Ephesians). I mentioned how Zambia was a patriarchal society but that it was not a patriarchy under the discipline of Scripture. Lots of problems come up as a result. Believers and Christian leaders are trying to address the situation but it is not easy.
Then Simon made an interesting observation. He asked if incest was a problem here. We said, yes, it was a real problem and asked why he thought that. He said he was watching the young girls walk home from school down the road past our church property. And he was pretty sure by looking at some of their faces what they had experienced; the light was gone from their eyes and he had seen the same “look” in his pastoral ministry in America as he counseled women and girls who had gone through the same thing.
Please pray for TCCA, that we could train pastors who would convey the healing that only Christ can give. Pray especially for the Rev. Joe Simfukwe, our principal, who teaches the Counseling and Pastoral Theology courses.
Simon also had a different story to tell. He was out for an early morning walk and happened by the large home where the president of Zambia stays when he is in our area. He took a few pictures of the house and was promptly arrested and taken to the local jail. It took the better part of the morning to get sorted out but it showed the kindness of so many Zambian believers, their affection for those who come to teach the gospel and the importance of relationships.
So … What Exactly Does The TCCA Academic Dean Do?
He figures out which courses need to be taught … Lines up lecturers to teach those classes, either from our staff or visiting lecturers from Zambia, the U.S., or Australia, etc. … And if they’re from overseas or out of town, where will they stay? And how will they get around? And what will they eat? … Puts together the class schedule so that students and lecturers aren’t required to be in two places at the same time. Kinda tricky, that … Helps students figure out which classes they need to take … Makes sure that students are on track to graduate when they’re supposed to … Gives and approves independent studies classes to help students fulfill their graduation requirements … Oversees the evaluations that students give of our lecturers and courses … Makes sure we offer some evening courses for community residents to take … Deals with cases of plagiarism or cheating … Disciplines … Extends grace … Gives advice and Dutch uncle talks … Shepherds the students through tough times … And about six other things I forgot.
Labels: missions
