Lynn Rhodes, a full-time lecturer at African Christian College, took a couple of trips to work with alumni in their home communities. He brings back his observations, reports, and photos from these trips to share with us. Lynn gives us a glimpse into the work being done by ACC graduates throughout Southern and East Africa.
This week, he reports on a recent visit to Malawi with 2012 graduate Mbwenu Chirwa.
On September 24, I left the African Christian College campus for a week in Malawi. I flew to Lilongwe, Malawi where Mbwenu Chirwa, a December 2012 graduate met me. We then took a 4 hour bus ride out to the city of Mzimba. From there we went 16 km out into the bush where Mbwenu lives.
Mbwenu had organized a 4 day workshop at the Tombolombo Church of Christ for church leaders. This church meets near his home. We had a good attendance the first two days, but the next two days were hampered by funerals. (The custom in Malawi is to bury people the day they die, so there is no way to schedule or work around a funeral.) I attended one of them and helped with the service.
Mbwenu had worked with this church before he left for 3 years at ACC and the attendance had dwindled considerably. It is now back up to an average Sunday attendance of 177 and we had 337 people the Sunday I was there.
The Tombolombo church has recently appointed 4 elders and they have a very aggressive plan for evangelizing their area. It was a great privilege to be in the home of Mbwenu and his family. It was especially good to see one of our recent ACC graduates leading a church in great growth. Two other ACC graduates are also living in that area and working with the same church. They are Jonathan and Justina Chuma. They are a great help to the Tombolombo church and also to the preacher training school in Mzimba.
I returned to Swaziland with an increased appreciation for the great good that is being done by African Christian College.
