Jesus said, “Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields’! They are ripe for the harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages; even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so the sower and the reaper may be glad together.” John 4:35-36 (NIV)
One thing is certain. My eyes have definitely been opened while living in Zambia for the last nine months. I understand the words of Pope John XXIII when he said, “I have looked into your eyes with my eyes, and I have put my heart near your heart.” During my time here I have looked into hundreds of Zambians eyes. I looked into the eyes of a five-year-old boy, nicknamed “Blessings,” a few days before his death from cerebral malaria. I have looked into the red eyes of a friend named Watson who was recently hit in the eyes with cobra venom. Looking into the eyes of many, I have seen a hunger and thirst not only for the ground-up maize called “Mealie Meal” that is their staple food, but also for greater knowledge of Jesus Christ. I have been with Zambians who thirst, not only for clean water, but also for the Living Water promised by Christ to sustain them during days filled with hardship and their struggle to stay alive.
There is a great thirst in Zambia, and I have witnessed the power of the Holy Spirit quenching this thirst as hundreds of people at a time responded to the biblical teaching, prayer, and worship at New Life Center (NLC) near Kitwe, Zambia.
I serve at NLC with United Methodist missionaries (appointed by the General Board of Global Ministries) Delbert and Sandy Groves, along with the assistant to the bishop of Zambia’s United Methodist Church, Pastor Jean Kalonga. NLC serves both Zambia and the southern part of D.R. Congo. (See www.NewLifeZambia.com.) The area surrounding the NLC is called the Copper Belt, because most of the copper mined in Zambia comes from this area. The Copper Belt has seen massive unemployment as the price of copper has declined and the mines have closed down. Many without jobs lost hope, yet hope has been rekindled as Zambians hear that God has not forgotten them.
Before coming to Zambia last October, I had only seen pictures on television of the haunting, hungry African eyes, and I must confess I could not place Zambia on the map. Zambia is not often mentioned on the news, since there is no war here, and they have not experienced raging famine. It took coming to this country, which I now know is located in South Central Africa below the Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R. Congo) and above Zimbabwe, to discover that this is the time Christians should reach out to Zambia. The field is ripe for the harvest. Zambians are hungry and thirsty for Jesus Christ, and they long to know how to have a deeper relationship with God.
From the blue mini-buses that zip around sporting sayings such as “God’s will” and “God is my shield,” to the schools allowing children to pray aloud using the name of Jesus, Zambians are open to hearing more about Jesus Christ. Zambians are ready to move beyond knowing they will have eternal life with God. They are now hungering and thirsting to know how to live Christian lives. Zambian men with deep wrinkles in their dark skin and cataracts in their eyes have begged me for Christian educational material. Zambian United Methodist pastors who work with very little pay say that their greatest need is wisdom.
It is probably not surprising that the children of Zambia are the ones who really grab my heart. The feeding program for children started by Community Health Educators in Zambia Compound, an impoverished community approximately 10 kilometers from Kitwe, is a powerful reminder of the need here in Zambia. Two work teams from the United States recently saw with their own eyes the work being done here. Tears came quickly as the precious children who had come to receive porridge greeted them with smiles and handshakes. The feeding program started in October with 20 malnourished children, but when some local business women agreed to provide porridge, the Community Health Educators found they did not have to turn any child away. Eyes now shine with gratitude and voices of children are raised singing, “Everything is double, double.” The meaning of these words as they were explained to me is that God gives double blessings. These words come from children who were malnourished and who make their toys from discarded cartons and bottle caps.
It’s all in the eyes. If we open our eyes as Jesus has suggested, then we will see that Zambia is ready not only to hear the teachings of Jesus Christ, but also to act on them. When we open our eyes we are also blessed, because as the children said, “Everything is double, double.” See. Zambia is ripe for the harvest.
Rev. Tamlyn Collins is a pastor in the North Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church. For more information about the mission in Zambia email Tamlyn.collins@ngumc.net.
