Innocent Lubumbe Mwansa

Please meet Innocent Lubumbe Mwansa who is a school teacher placed at Chafye Primary School which is in the Bangweulu swamp lands. Innocent is 29 years old, has a young family and is passionate about the gospel and the local church. He is on term break at the moment and is studying at Samfya Bible School in the new Distance Learning programme, so I have the privilege of teaching him during my two weeks in class.

                                                                 Innocent

The journey back to Chafye takes three days – the first day by whatever transport you can possibly get to the edge of the swamps. The next day is 9 hours paddling through the swamps and the third day is 6 hours paddling to the Island of Chafye. Not many school teachers are willing to be placed in such isolation, however Innocent has understood the leading of the Lord to this place.

There was no evangelical church on this Island, so with the encouragement of the Bible School staff, Innocent has planted a church which began in April- they now have 25 members. Chafye is a hard to reach place – would you please pray for this new church. The needs are great to see well equipped teachers to help the church grow and to see the Island evangelised. Chafye means “nothing” – it seems that there used to be no one living here but now there are many people with over 250 children in the school and Innocent is one of only three teachers in the school!

Samfya Bible School continues to train and equip church leaders for the rural Bemba speaking church – if you are interested in partnering with this work, please email me on pastor@fpbc.org.nz

Here are my five Distance Learning students who are good English speakers, so my teaching needs no translation. Pray that the lessons they are learning would have application back in their home churches.