Fobby’s Village
When church planters visit his village, Fobby’s fervor is unmatched!
When the church planters scouted out Fobby Chakaale’s village as a prospect for an evangelistic series, they found the village headman eager to find out what they had to share. Far from offering resistance, Fobby gladly agreed for the workers to hold meetings in his village. He even decided to go door-to-door with them, advertising the meetings and looking for people who would like to study the Bible.
“What are the needs in your village?” the workers asked. “What do the people here believe?”
“It is like most villages,” Fobby shrugged. “The people honor the ancestral spirits. Even at the churches, when people go and ask for prayer, the leaders use traditional charms to treat them. I do not like it, but that is what they do.”
“Would you like to join our Bible study class each afternoon?” the workers asked. “It would encourage your people to attend, if they saw their village headman there.”
“Yes, I will join,” Fobby nodded. “Actually, would you be willing to study the Bible with my family early each morning? I would like some time to think about what you are saying before I join my villagers in the main Bible class.”
From then on, Fobby and the church planters shared busy days together! They would study at Fobby’s home from six to eight o’clock each morning, and then head out for visitations in the village. Fobby encouraged his people who attended the Sunday-keeping churches to join the Bible study class and attend the upcoming evangelistic meetings. “These people have a new message for us,” he would tell them. “They call it the Three Angels’ Messages. They are teaching us from the Bible.”
“I have never heard of the Three Angels’ Messages,” the people would often say. “Where is the Bible study class?” As more and more people became interested, Fobby helped organize additional Bible study groups around the village, until there were 15 groups meeting in various homes. All the while, Fobby himself was being introduced to the fundamental beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in his morning studies!
After two weeks of door-to-door work, the evangelistic campaign started. Fobby never missed one sermon. He even moved out of his home for the duration of the series so that he could camp out with the Bible worker team. “I am so glad to be learning the Three Angels’ Messages,” he told them. “I am so glad you came!”
At the end of the campaign, village headman Fobby, his wife and four of his children received Jesus through baptism along with 49 other souls. Fobby offered a piece of land for the new church, yet without funds to erect a building, the congregation had to worship under a tree.
After the initial evangelistic campaign and baptism, the number of converts only kept increasing. Today, about 100 people meet every Sabbath for worship. They continue to study the fundamental beliefs of Seventh-day Adventism to grow in their faith, and new people from the Sunday-keeping churches keep joining every Sabbath. Many are yet in the valley of decision, but once the Word of God is proclaimed, the seed does germinate!
Many of the new believers still need Bibles of their own so they can study and grow in the faith. Please pray about what you can do to give the newly baptized their own copies of the Word. And please pray for the new church in Fobby’s village!
Location
Zambia
Author
Hilary Moonga is a pastor of many churches in the Monze district of Zambia.
How You Can Help
Pray for the evangelistic work Pastor Moonga is doing in Zambia.
Pray for Brother Fobby as he continues to tell others about his newfound hope in Christ!
Give. Funds are needed to provide Bibles to new believers, build churches and provide support for church planters. Send your check marked “Zambia,” “Zambia Bibles” or “Zambia Workers” to:
Mission Projects International
PO Box 151
Inchelium, WA 99138
To give securely online, visit:
www.missionspro.org/donate