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New Season – January 2016

Written by Cornelius Chapewa Ngosa on . Posted in Stories.

Life in Zambia

With just about a week left of our stay in Zambia, we moved house to spend a few days with Mum Cathy (Prima’s mother). Now that the therapy sessions for Mum Mary (Cornelius’ mother) were over, we tried to squeeze in visits with the people we hadn’t had a chance to meet while we were preoccupied. The few days with Mum Cathy were endearing. We spent our mornings helping Mum to fetch water for our daily use as there was no running water at the house. The lack of access to something as vital and basic a need as water reminded me to be thankful that I live in a house with running water.

„Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap, if we do not give in.“

Galatians 6:9

Since we arrived in Zambia, our daily bread was what everyone calls; load shedding. This is the average 8-10 hours that the power supply is cut off on a National grid, several suburbs at a time. As a result, in the 6 weeks we visited Zambia, we only had on average 21 hours a week of power supply. That’s less than a full day of power supply in a week!!! And that says a lot about the productivity of our Nation. Please kindly bear with us for being off the communication radar. The power supply and the erratic internet connections did little in aiding us to stay connected with the rest of the world during an already critical time. We try to live a simple life in South Africa. But the weeks spent in Zambia last Christmas, humbled us and gave us a deeper appreciation for where God has us at right now. When we mirror physical water and power to the spirit, it is true that we need Holy Spirit to quench our spiritual thirst. Holy Spirit also empowers us. The Lord showed me that this is the ministry we gave our family while in Zambia. We ate organic food, nutritious, traditional Zambian food (Cornelius’ favorite). In contrast to developed Countries, Organic food is the cheaper option in Zambia. So, we plucked juicy ripe mangoes from the trees and ate vegetables straight from the backyard garden or the market. The Lord is our sustenance. With not much upkeep money left after Medical bills and travel expenses, and a crippling Economy… we just trusted the Lord for continued provision. Wherever we visited, we just ate what He provided, however, He provided.

While in Zambia, we went to fellowship at my home church; MLFC (Miracle Life Family Church). We enjoyed the Sunday services and they encouraged and challenged us constantly. However, we also realized that we have a real lack and longing for community in Zambia (Lusaka). We often left church yearning for deeper connection but not having any solid relations with anyone to pursue. We are in Zambia so seldom that we have not had ample time to build relationships with people but our prayer is that God will bless us with godly relationships and a supportive community here too. I hope we can plug into something so that we can connect with that community every time we visit.

Gratitude

For our last night in Zambia, we took the 6-hour bus ride from the capital in Lusaka to Livingstone. In Livingstone, we spent the night with our dear friends the Mwanza’s (Hope and Musa). We got to briefly visit with Bruce, and Eyram (LXP Family and colleagues). We also dropped in to see my older sister and her family who just moved to Livingstone for work.
Lastly but not the least, we made a stop at Kwathu Children’s Home to send our love to Agrippa and Jeanette and the kids.
Although our visit to Zambia was entirely different from our projected itinerary, we have peace that we went and did what the Lord had us do as a couple. This was a hardcore adventure in many facets. Some moments were very lonely, some very precious and yet others were a near breaking point. But when I look at what the Lord has changed and grown in us through the time away, I just praise Him. By availing ourselves to help care for Mum, our family members who live with her could get some much-needed rest. In exchange, we had the privilege of loving on her in a way we don’t get to because we live so far away. This experience has given me a new found respect for our friends who have special needs children and family members. And of course I must add, these are things I deeply appreciated in retrospect. God has a way of solidifying the lessons for us when we sit in reflection rather than in the heat of the moment when we’re trying to keep ourselves from jumping out the purification furnace.

As soon as we landed in Johannesburg, we headed to our lovely friend’s home the Van der Merwe’s (Juanita and Wynand and Lian). They are our ‘transit angels’, gracefully hosting us when we are exiting and arriving in the country. They treated us to a day and 2 nights of baby laughter and authentic friendship. By the time we flew to Port Elizabeth the next day and arrived in Jeffrey Bay that evening, I had no idea what awaited us at home.
We spent the first week of being home, fumigating the house and camping out in our backyard. We were welcomed home by an army of COCKROACHES!!! For those of you who are yet to visit us, we live at an apartment complex, in a small gorgeous tourist town that gets over-crowded in December. Anyways, Praise the Lord we are pest free and are now trying to start settling back into our home.

I am thankful for Jesus and for all season friendships we have here. I’m thankful for prayer supporters; your faithful prayers carry us through it all. And for face time and Skype for far away friends who make time in their busy lives to connect. I am thankful for The Holy Spirit; our constant water and power supply. I am thankful for you taking the time to read our update.
I am grateful for my uncommon, often unsung hero; Cornelius. I give God glory for the gift of a man who is yielded to be shaped for the Masters Workmanship and Worship. I am blessed to be led by such a godly husband and such a humble, integrity-filled lifetime adventure partner.

Praises

  • Friendships and Community in South Africa
  • Local volunteers/open doors for Beats and Books

Prayers

  • Rest and Renewal
  • Ministry Fundraising
  • Ministry kids School Fees
  • Beats and Books opening on February 8
  • Monthly personal financial support

Cornelius Chapewa Ngosa

Cornelius is the founding director of Beats and Books. He has served on The Leadership Experience (LXP) Trust's Board and is currently on the Global Challenge and Oakridge Academy Advisory Boards. He co-leads the Global Community Church in Jeffreys Bay. Cornelius is married to Primadonna and they have three adorable children.