Caren wants nothing to do with Christianity—until she meets believers who are different.

There’s no use going to church, Caren had always told herself. There in Gwembe, where she had been born, the Catholic Church dominated. The Catholics claimed to be Christ’s followers, members of the true church, yet they used alcohol and tobacco like everyone else. How could people say they worshipped God and still drink and smoke? There seemed to be no difference between Christians and non-Christians, except in talk. Perhaps the churches bewitched people who attended, and charmed them into religious devotion. Caren shuddered. I will have nothing to do with religion, she told herself.

My team and I had been praying and fasting about where to conduct our next outreach program, and we settled on the Gwembe area. Eager to find out whom God was calling to Himself, we started visiting homes. Some people seemed receptive, some uninterested, but one woman in particular seemed to be shunning us. Whenever we visited her home and tried to share the Word of God with her, she would tell us, “I am not feeling well,” and shut the door. After three such refusals, we decided not to visit her again. 

Our ways are not God’s ways. One day as we visited homes, a family welcomed us in, happy to receive us. Inside, we found the woman who had been avoiding us! As we began to share the Word of God, the lady tried to excuse herself, but the homeowner motioned her to stay. “Why don’t you sit down and listen to the Bible with us, Caren?” 

God led us to John 4:23, “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth.” “God is looking for true worshippers,” we pointed out. Then we read Matthew 7:21–23 and stressed the fact that not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” shall enter the Kingdom of God. We further read John 14:15, where the Bible says, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” We ended the study in Revelation 14, the Three Angels’ Messages. 

Caren kept smiling during our Bible study, and when we finished, she raised her hand. “Three times you visited me, and I tried to avoid you. I could not see what good it did to believe in God, because the Christians I know live no differently from me. But these verses answer my questions. God does want His followers to be different.” She paused. “Would you come to my place for more Bible studies? I promise not to run away this time.”

For ten days in a row, we visited Caren at her place, sharing more of the Bible with her. Then, Caren started attending our public meetings. Two of her daughters, both staunch Catholics, started joining our Bible studies, eager to learn how to worship God in spirit and truth. In time, as they studied what the Bible really says, both daughters accepted the Three Angels’ Messages. 

At the end of the evangelistic campaign, Caren and her two daughters were baptized along with 52 others. In September 2022, a new church opened in Gwembe, with 140 attending every Sabbath! We thank God for answering our prayers for guidance and for answering Caren’s objections perfectly. Please pray with us that He will continue to lead His work so that many more can prepare for His coming!  

Location

Zambia

Author

Hilary Moonga pastors 31 churches in the Monze district of Zambia.

How You Can Help

Pray for Pastor Moonga’s evangelistic work in Zambia. 

Pray for Caren’s faith as she grows in the Lord. 

Give to purchase Bibles, fund evangelism and build churches in Zambia by sending your check marked “Zambia” to: 

Mission Projects International 

PO Box 151

Inchelium, WA 99138

To give securely online, visit: 

www.missionspro.org/donate