John Rowse Update 2 – August 2022

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An Update from Moses – 22 August 2022.

Dear John,

Greetings to you and your dear family.

Here are some updates.

The killing of people suspected of practising witchcraft, especially in Mafinga District east of Isoka, has continued, the latest being a 59-year-old man by the name of Emmanuel Mugala, a Headman for Chitente Village of Chief Chifungwe. He was shot dead by unknown people on 24 August, at around 18hrs at his residence. This happened soon after the victim was accused of being responsible for killing one of his relatives in the same village by using witchcraft. The Police are on the ground to try and find the suspects, but up until now, no one has been arrested. People, especially those that have given their lives to the Lord during my radio programs are calling me for advice, especially since the leaders of the churches where they go, are not willing to stand up against this for fear of being attacked.

Last week on Friday, I was attending a funeral of a 77-year-old man in a community that is about 4km away from my home. The relatives of the deceased were fuming with anger against some member of the family who they suspected to have been responsible for bewitching him. Thankfully, when the person who was leading the funeral service noticed that I was there at the funeral, he requested the leadership of the church that was conducting the service to let me preach at the funeral. Every one of them agreed. When the mourners heard that I was the one going to preach, they all became quiet including those that were drunk. After preaching, the relatives who planned to attack the suspected witch changed. One of them, a family representative, confessed at the grave that the message had brought peace to the family that was planning something evil against someone who was being suspected to be responsible for the death. He commended me for the timely message to the bereaved family and the mourners in general.

As we were sitting at the funeral house after the burial, as per tradition, many people came and surrounded me. One of the old men, a retired Senior Police Officer asked me, “Pastor, we have seen that you are so passionate about what you preach on the radio about salvation and how believers should be handling the issue of witchcraft, what is your aim in this campaign?” “God wants people to be sure of their salvation before they die because there will be no chance for anyone to turn to the Saviour after that,” I said. I also told them that genuine believers need to prove that they are saved by stopping living in fear of witchcraft, that they should no longer be working together with the devil to accuse our people and that they should be at the forefront in protecting the victims who, in this case, are you the senior citizens, from being killed like animals. We had a long discussion with this big group at the funeral house as they brought a lot of very good questions about salvation and witchcraft issues. Finally one of the Elders in a United Church of Zambia congregation humbly appealed to me that we go and plant a church in his area and that he was ready to leave that church to join us because he has changed a lot for the better from the time he started listening to my messages on the radio.

Kindly pray for the following radio listeners:

    • Mwansa of Kanchibiya district. He came to the Lord
    • Emmanuel Mumba and Chibwili Castro, Mwansabombwe. We do Bible Studies together with them every Wednesday for them to teach the others in the church.
    • Headwoman Aginess Kalele, Mwansabombwe, to continue trusting God during this time as she thinks about the lightning that damaged her house mysteriously
    • Mwansabombwe : Mulenga Newton, Mulanga mission, focal point person
    • Pst Simwawa Amos, Apostolic Church in Zambia, Chinsali. He has embraced the teaching of salvation by grace wholeheartedly. He wants to learn more for him to teach the church the truth
    • Pst Evance Kafunda, Pentecostal Holiness Church, Isoka. He has continued learning more from me about the doctrine of salvation by grace. We do Bible studies together with him and sometimes with his junior pastor
    • Elder Poland Zulu, Christian Brethren, Isoka. He has been in this church as an elder for so many years teaching falsehood until about two weeks ago when he heard the truth of the gospel on the radio from me. He requested me to be doing the Bible study with him. He has been following and teaching JW’s teachings
    • Henry Mukungule, the Permanent Secretary, Muchinga Province, Chinsali. We have continued doing short Bible studies with him on the phone
    • Harrison Phiri, Proprietor, calls me and he tells me that he has embraced the truth about salvation, he misses the sessions that I used to do on his radio station
    • Simuchile, Driver of the PS Muchinga Province. We have continued shot Bible studies with him
    • Samson Sichela and Wantula Nyondo of ISO Radio seem to be growing very well in the Lord as we do together the radio programs as my technicians
    • Isaac Sikanyika, Isoka: After coming to the Lord through the radio, he has consistently come to church. He wants to start a fellowship where he stays about 6km from the town
    • 67-year-old Sikanyika, a former miner but stays in Isoka town. He has been a victim who is suspected to be on the list of those that are targeted to be killed for being suspected of practising witchcraft
    • Kelvin Mulofwa, an ECZ pastor who seems to be happy being in relationship with me. He is learning a lot from me about how to present the gospel truth.
    • Mwansabombwe church to remain strong
    • Mulenga Fredrick, the focal point person in Mununshi, where they want us to go and start a church.
    • Emmanuel Mulambia, State Lodge, Lusaka. He gave his life to the Lord and has consistently been following the program on ZNBC. He is planning to meet with me when he comes to Isoka for business
    • Francis Musoka, Pastor Kitwe. He requested I go and meet with him whenever I go to Kitwe. He heard me on ZNBC Radio
    • Pray against the escalating number of people that are dying as a result of being suspected of witchcraft in Mafinga.
    • My mission trip to Mulanga in Shiwangandu district, 200km from Isoka. For the travelling mercies and fruitful ministry. I will be with a Deacon, Stephen Kabansa from Isoka church from Wednesday, 31 August, to Sunday, 4 September 2022.
    • My mother’s health that it will not negatively affect my ministry. She turned 80 and because of the stroke that she developed, she is now in palliative care. My wife cannot go out because she needs to be there all the time to attend to her needs as she can no longer move on her own or bath herself. She has to be lifted even when going to the toilet.

Thank you my dear brethren for your continued prayers and support. We greatly appreciate your love for us.

Yours in Christ,
Moses