“If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8v 31,32
God is for us! As I reflect on all God is doing in Mwana Ministries I can confidently say, He is for us, and He graciously gives us all we need for doing His work! What a mighty God we serve!
Since December 2023 Zambia has suffered its worst drought in 20 years. But this week we saw the welcome arrival of rain! I love the rapid change that comes with the rains; everything turns from browns to greens. The fresh smells of flowers, the sweet ripe mangos, and the skies displaying the glories of God!! Just as Zambia has changed seasons, so is Mwana Ministries!
In February of this year, I took some time aside to pray and fast, particularly seeking the Lord about the future of Mwana Media. The Lord spoke to me about training missionaries in the field of media to reach more children for Jesus. There are increasing trends for children and young people in Zambia and across African to be accessing social media sites like YouTube, Snapchat and Tiktok. Most content producers are not professionals anymore. However skills training, equipment and software resourcing and network building are some of the challenges that hinders passionate believers from using media as a means to sharing the Gospel. I believe this is one of the reasons the Lord has us building a multipurpose facility for media.
As I have prayed this year about how the Lord will make this dream a reality, the Lord has connected me to an organisation called Taglyn. Taglyn is a recently established group of passionate Christians, who are seeking to “nurture the talents of emerging digital artists and creators, by providing access to top-tier training, state-of-the-art resources, and a robust network of industry professionals, they aim to help artists achieve sustainable livelihoods and break the cycle of poverty”.
As such the Lord has lead me to join the team of Taglyn, to aid them in their vision, whilst establishing Mwana Media on a similar track. This step is not to distract from what the Lord has asked me to do, but to propel me into all that the Lord has in the future for Mwana Media.
As we step into this new season, I need to relinquish myself from some of the day to day running of the ministry so I can have more time for Mwana Media. Please pray with us as Phaidess Nyirongo comes onto our staff to join Rabson Banda and Gift Sikoma in the running of Mwana Mission. Whilst taking on their new roles, they will be facilitating the further growth of Mwana Mission. This month we have started three new schools, taking the total to 23 schools/locations. We are also happy to welcome 6 new volunteers onto the Mwana Mission teams. One of the schools we work in is called Home of Happiness, we have seen such a positive impact on the children there, watch below.
Just as we have waiting longingly for the rains, so we have been waiting for the progress in our building project! This week has brought great development – finally the electricians have completed their work. This will allow the ceilings to be completed, then the floors, doors and so on. I must give a mention to Jerry Musonda, who has been a God send. He first assisted us as the structural engineering for the drawings, then he took the project management of the construction. He has poured his time and energy into our project. I pray God to bless him for what he has done to help Mwana Ministries. The windows and our sound proofed ceiling in the filming studio have also been completed. We look forward to opening the Mwana Studio in 2025. We thank God for the financial miracles that have made all of this possible!
The drought that I mentioned above has had a devastating effect on Zambia’s hydroelectricity production. Load shedding is used to control the demand and supply of electricity and has become a common phenomenon in my 21 years of life in Africa, but this year has been by far the worse! Currently we are getting only 3 hours of power every day! Obviously alternatives have to be used, and thankfully in July we were able to install solar panels, a lithium battery and an inverter. Sadly for many Zambians this alternative comes at a cost that they cannot afford and it is particularly difficult for those running small businesses. The drought has also had a devastating effect on food security, with many in the rural areas now eating only one meal a day, even turning to eat the roots and other indigenous vegetables and fruits. Malnutrition in children is widespread.
Daniel and Kimberly turned 7 years in June. Kimberly had her tonsils and adenoids removed two days after her birthday, and Daniel had the same surgery last month. I am happy to report they have both made good recovery from the surgery. Daniel has still to return to full activities but Kimberly is doing well with bi-weekly swimming training along with many of the kids in our school. Our little school has 15 children and we continue to see them all flourishing. We have two new teachers who have become a great asset to the school, I love watching the children developing and seeing them growing in their love for learning.
In September we had a special visit from my brother and his oldest son Sandy. This was the first time a family member has come to visit me Africa! We spent four days in Livingstone, seeing the Victoria Falls, followed by 10 days in Lusaka. Stuart, a civil engineer, and Sandy a future engineer took great interest in the building project and had some good advice to offer. They also contributed to some fun STEM activities at the school. We were all sad to see them leave!
With so much uncertainty in this world, I count it all joy to continue to serve Jesus with all my heart, soul and mind. I want to thank all those who continue to financially and prayerfully support Mwana Ministries, may God bless you in your service for Him.
With Love in Christ Jesus,
Janey, Kimberly and Daniel
Praise Points
- Financial provision for building project and good progress in construction.
- Growth in Mwana Mission to 23 locations every week. .
- God’s faithfulness over all the Mwana activities.
Prayer Points
- Pray for the remaining building work to be completed in early 2025.
- Pray for provision to meet the increased financial needs as the Ministry rapidly grows.
- Pray for God’s leading with the future collaboration with Taglyn.
- Pray for Phaidess Nyirongo as she steps into greater responsibilities in Mwana Ministries.
- Pray for Janey, Kimberly, and Daniel for continued health, protection and provision.