Southern Africa Part II of III: South Africa

The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) conference is what brought us to Durban, South Africa. Tina is a midwife and had been to the previous one three years ago in Glasgow. This was my first one, and although I am not a midwife, I was still excited for an excuse to go to South Africa. The conference was truly an international event which brought together 3,000 midwives from over 100 different countries. The opening ceremony was reminiscent of the Olympics. Many were dressed in their native garb or carrying flags from their home country. We promptly went and bought an American flag and carried it proudly. The ICM site has great pictures of the whole event and points to the role of ICM "to advocate for the critical role of midwives in reducing maternal and newborn mortality, and to share best practices, experiences and knowledge."
Bridget Lynch, the ICM presidet, has done an outstanding job continuing to unite forces and concluded her term by passing the torch to Frances Day-Strik


Durban provided not only a great time of education, but also some time for relaxation and seeing the sites. South Africa is beautifully nestled between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Durban's Indian Ocean waters are relatively warm and oh so beautiful. We didn't do much more in the water than stick our toes in, but we enjoyed the view from our beach front hotel. This was truly a good time of rest that God provided between our two mission countries of Zambia and Malawi.

Southern Africa Part I of III: Zambia

By the grace of God we have been to Zambia, South Africa, and Malawi and returned with stories to tell of God’s work and faithfulness. We departed June 7th from the USA and returned July 1st, spending roughly a week in each of these three countries. Along the way we saw God’s hand at work and were encouraged by the advancement of the gospel that we saw happening through the perseverance of our brothers and sisters over there. The encouragement I think was mutual as it always seems to be in God’s family as they were glad to know they were being thought about and prayed for by their American brothers and sisters.


In Zambia we spent time with Rev. Mumba and his wife Bertha and their beautiful family. Rev. Mumba pastors Church on the Rock (Lusaka) and it was a privilege to help them host an equipping conference for Zambian pastors led by Pastor Will Langstaff from Dallas, TX. The men and women who attended were Zambians serving/pastoring in local churches. They were taught from the word and challenged to persevere and hold up the standard of truth. These were men and women of remarkable faith who are leading the people of God by the power of the Holy Spirit, but who grow weary just like the rest of us. For them, this time of fellowship was a cool drink of water for their soul.


Some of these pastors accompanied us to Livingstone, a city in the south of Zambia where Compassionate Professionals put on a two day medical clinic. The clinic was successful in addressing the needs of the people in a holistic approach. The five station process that CPGM uses includes not only stations for addressing physical needs but also spiritual. To be honest there were many physical needs that went unmet. We used to the fullest what resources we had, but there was more physical needs than our finite materials and energy could meet. But God is infinite and not a limited supply and when it came to the gospel going forth there was no shortage of hearts being healed and lives being changed. Jesus will carry them through long past when their short supply of medicine has run out and He will also carry them on into eternity. The memories of those souls added to the kingdom is precious. Church on the Rock (Livingstone) worked alongside CPGM and is providing for their follow-up and discipleship.





And if that wasn’t enough to make us in awe of God, our time in Zambia concluded with a trip to Victoria Falls on the mighty Zambezi River. The Zambian name for it is “Mosi-oa-Tunya” which fittingly means “the Smoke that Thunders.” Our God is an awesome God!