My Preparation for a Ministry of Teaching: Lovemore

2019 alumnus Lovemore Sianyama shares this about his journey:

My journey at African Christian College was nothing less than a divine direction. A testament that God has a plan for all of us and directs our paths based on the purpose laid before us.

I arrived in 2017 with a glimpse of what I wanted to do, becoming a theologian and using the knowledge I had to impact other people who wanted to preach the word of God. My expectation was limited to gaining biblical knowledge and going back home to teach and preach, but African Christian College exposed me to more than I ever imagined, and God had a bigger mission for my life.

My time was filled with memorable experiences that will forever define my identity.

I got to interact with fellow students and staff from other countries. We bonded despite stereotypes and learned that the Kingdom of God is about all of us coming together with the purpose of worshiping God and growing. We played, studied, and worshiped together, and the experience was precious. We could sing songs from other countries and even though at times I struggled with the meaning, the unity was splendid. We celebrated our differences and became one big family, so that we were there for each other during tough times.

All students worked on campus in various departments to pay for their fees. I worked mostly under Locavore Market doing farming. My tasks ranged from growing organic vegetables to raising free range chickens and pig production. It was a great on the job learning program and as early as my student years, I knew that even if I did not get the job of my dreams I would still be able to sustain my life and continue with ministry. I learned and grew both inside class through teaching and outside class through the lessons I gained while working in our departments.

I love singing, and it was a blessing to be in an institution that values worshipping God. On top of the singing during community gatherings, I had the privilege of leading the choir. We traveled to different congregations and sang at events. My highlight was when I was tasked to lead a worship conference we had in Pretoria, South Africa as a practicum project. The leadership experience that came from that opportunity and the memories will always remind me of how African Christian College empowered me to become a well rounded leader.

After graduating and returning home to Zambia, I was blessed with an opportunity to teach at Daybreak Bible College. It was a dream come true, but sometimes I doubted myself and wondered whether I was fit for the job. But from the lessons I learned in class to the outside class experiences at African Christian College, I had a strong base from which to draw knowledge and apply it to my students. I had been shaped by men and women of God, qualified lecturers who challenged me academically, socially, and intellectually. I am now capable of delivering high quality lessons to my students and evaluating them based on their understanding of the material.

I was mentored into the person I am today and strengthened my career. As a result, teaching at Daybreak College has been fascinating and encouraging. I have learned that the more you teach others, the more you gain understanding of the Word of God. With the work study experience I received at African Christian College, I am able to prepare students to be self supporting spiritual leaders for holistic ministry through several farming projects. We foster self supporting, spiritually mature servants of God who are capable of addressing both physical and spiritual needs in impoverished areas.

At Daybreak, I often find myself planning and leading campus worship services and frequently preaching. My community worship experiences in Eswatini provided a working framework for me to lead students into transformational experiences so that they can return home to their churches and become a blessing to the Kingdom of God.

As a husband and a father, I am also able to provide more than just the salary I receive. Having learned practical skills of producing healthy food for my family, I also run projects at home where I produce enough to feed my family. I have goats, rabbits, chickens, and a garden. All this is a result of the experience I received as a student at African Christian College and how it challenged me to think beyond the basic means.

I am thankful to God for the knowledge and experiences I gained from African Christian College. I can attest that God knew how I needed to be equipped in order to fulfill the tasks before me now at Daybreak. It is amazing how many of the things I did were a preview of what I would later do in my ministry journey.