John Rowse Update – August 2022

Dear praying friends,

I want to thank you all for your patient support. I am finally about to head back for another three months in East Africa, mainly Tanzania. I would like to be leaving in September, but it is all subject to getting a Residence Permit. The Lutheran bishop who was going to help me get a residence permit is no longer in a position to do so.

The revised and extended version of our Swahili workbook on Biblical sonship is now done and is about to be submitted for printing in Tanzania.

I am right now trying to arrange a teaching itinerary with Anglican bishops and also Lutherans (from BOTH sides of the current split, if possible, which should help me to keep well outside of their conflict).

In the meantime, please be praying for my old student, Travol Muwapa, in Zambia. You may recall, that he was nearly murdered (for his teachings) about 10 years back in Kapiri Mposhi, and a small group from his church managed to have him removed. . He was left destitute for a good time until some in leadership in his Pentecostal denomination came to his rescue, and he has been having an effective ministry in Chirundu, on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe – in a church in the same denomination. Now, there, too, his Reformed teaching has come under attack, and he is under serious physical threat. The denomination has removed him, and, at 60, he is looking to the Lord for a fresh start in Kafue, on the way north to Lusaka, with a different Pentecostal denomination, in a church planted by one of his own ‘disciples’. Actually, it will be good for him, and especially for his not-so-well wife, Doris, to be out of Chirundu, which is an extremely hot (weather-wise) place to live.

In particular, please be praying for his new ministry and their housing. I have long thought he might be a strategic person to take on a new radio ministry in the south, such as Moses has in the north.

I have just received this latest (August 16) update from Moses.

With thanks for your continued prayerful backing.

John – with love from Kay.

__________________________________

Greetings.

Here is the latest update.

The Headwoman who had given her life to the Lord during the time I and my wife were in Mwansabombwe and has since been consistently coming to church had her house damaged by lightning a week and some days ago. This is strange and unusual because we don’t expect lightning to strike during the dry season in this part of the world. We thank God that no one in the house was hurt as it happened during the day when no one was sleeping in the house. When the report reached me by Emmanuel, I encouraged him to mobilise the brothers and sisters in the church to go and give support to the Headwoman who is also a widow. The poor woman was very scared when this happened. She was suspecting that maybe it could be the powers of witchcraft. The brethren went there and helped rebuild the rear part that was damaged. I also called her to comfort and encourage her to remain strong in the Lord, especially at this time when the enemy is trying to attack her.

The new church in Mwansabombwe has continued to meet at the same school every Sunday for church. They have also continued to meet every Friday to listen to my radio programs on ZNBC Radio.

After we had left Mwansabombwe another group of listeners at a place called Mununshi located between Mansa and Mwansabombwe, heard me on the radio thanking the people of Mwansabombwe for the warm reception that they gave to us. Then they realized that I had been to Mwansabombwe. The people there called me to go there and meet with them too. I then called Emmanuel who assured me that he was going to check with them to verify whether or not people were there. Emmanuel found a group of more than 30 people. They told him that they had been keenly following my programs on the radio and they have been meeting together to listen to it every week. Due to the challenges in my movements, I have only continued to do Bible studies with Emmanuel and Chibulu who in turn are using the same teachings to teach the two churches. Once the Lord provides the means, I will go and see them once again to encourage them.

Isoka, Mafinga and Nakonde districts have, almost on a weekly basis, continued recording cases of murder of people who are being suspected of practising witchcraft. Many people are living in fear. Senior citizens everywhere are not sleeping because they are the most targeted victims who are being suspected of being witches and wizards and are being killed by the so-called Majambazi (the hired killers). Cases of murder in relation to the same are being recorded almost on weekly basis, but the most unfortunate part of it is that the courts are failing to convict the suspects because people are not willing to testify in court. The rest of the people in these communities are living in fear of being killed by people who are practising witchcraft. The sad part of this development is that the so-called church leaders in these communities are working together with witch-finders to accuse their own members and putting them on suspension after being suspected of being witches or wizards by the same witch-finders.

This week on Monday, I received a seventy-year-old man who heard the gospel on radio ISO FM and gave his life to the Lord. He has been planning to come to church but had always been stopped by his son with whom he stays. He told me that he gave his life to the Lord when I was preaching from the book of Hebrews about the once and for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ which brings eternal forgiveness to a believer. From that time on, Mr Sikanyika has consistently been following my preachings on the radio. Now, this week when I was discussing the issue of witchcraft, Mr Sikanyika could not help it, he had to sneak away from home, breaking the rules of his son. When he came to our church, he found some ladies who were cleaning the surrounding. He then asked for me. One of the ladies then called me to come and meet the man at the church. After telling me everything about how he came to the Lord and how his son doesn’t want him to be coming to our church, Mr Sikanyika then told me about how he was touched by my message about witchcraft. The man ran away from his village about 50km away east of Isoka town to seek refuge at his son’s place in Isoka because the people in that village have been calling him a wizard and they were planning to hire the killers to eliminate his life. After a long talk with him, I realized that he had genuinely given his life to the Lord through the radio, but he was still living in fear of being victimised by the accusers. After praying with him, I also encouraged him to give me a call any time he senses danger so that I involve the police. I also promised that I was going to talk to his son about it so that together we can find a way to protect him from such a danger to his life.

For the next two Sundays, I will continue to address the issue of fear of witchcraft. My prayer is that those who have genuinely given their lives to the Lord from wherever they are, should stop believing the testimony of the devil who through the witch-finders and the so-called “prophets” accuse people in our community, and instead, they should protect everyone suspected of being a witch or wizard. The other prayer is that those who have genuinely given their lives to the Lord should no longer continue to live in fear of witchcraft because their lives are in the hands of God, they are totally protected.

My mother is still struggling because of a stroke. From the time we came back from Mwansabombwe, my wife has not gone out except on Sundays when she goes to church for one and half hours because she has to be at hand to assist her in eating, bathing and going to the toilet as she can no longer move on her own. Her legs and hands are paralysed. Pray for my wife for God’s grace to remain on her as she takes care of my 80-year-old mother who is not only paralysed but also completely blind.

Pray for the forthcoming trip to Mulanga mission in Shiwangandu. I will be there from next week Tuesday up to Sunday afternoon.

Thank you to the Lord Almighty for the support and prayers from our brothers and sisters in Australia. God is really working in the people’s lives on a daily basis as I keep receiving calls all the time from everywhere in Zambia, testifying about how the Lord is working in the people’s lives.

God bless everyone.

Moses