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McLoughlin Mission Outreach to Zambia Final Reportby Mike McLoughlin, April, 1997This report has been a long time in coming! My plan was to write it as soon after we got back as I could, however, circumstances and family priorities intervened so that here I am 15 months later. So here it is. Better late then never! The McLoughlin Family visited Zambia in South Central Africa from 1994 to 1995 to build relationships with African Christians and reach out to the local people with practical helps in business and primary health care. We lived in the city of Ndola in an area in northern Zambia called the Copperbelt. Mike McLoughlin developed a seminar "Planning A Successful Small Business" that he presented on 15 separate occasions in seven different Zambian cites throughout the country training more than 1,000 business people.. Dr. Sue McLoughlin did volunteer work at a rural medical clinic and taught children the basics of primary health care. The McLoughlin children, Sam, Ben and Stephanie attended a private primary school. We were sponsored to Zambia by our local church, New Life Vineyard Fellowship and other individuals who supported us financially and in prayer during our time there. The mission organization covering us was Youth With A Mission Zambia and we served under the leadership of Randy & Jane Rhoades, the National Directors and Stanley & Priscila Banda, Lusaka Base Directors. We ministered from the city of Ndola and served at a local evangelical church, River of Life Ministries, that was pastored by our long time friends, Derek & Gladys Mutungu. We had six Mission Goals as set out in our 1993 Mission Proposal
Our time in Zambia was a tremendous success. We accomplished far more than we expected we would and we developed relationships with many more people than we thought we could. Some of the more significant accomplishments were: We developed many close relationships with Zambians through our involvement in ministry, in the local church and in the community and neighborhood watch. Planning Successful Small Business Seminars A 21 hour seminar that taught Biblical business principles and small business skills was developed for Zambian Christian entrepreneurs. The seminar was presented 15 times in 7 cities in Zambia and over 1,000 business people were trained. The seminar was also published in a written set of notes; an audio tape version and a video version. The Christian Enterprise Trust of Zambia A venture capital company was organized with several leading Christian entrepreneurs. The purpose of the organization was to provide small start up capital loans to business people and to provide training and counsel. CETZAM would continue the work that I began in the Zambian marketplace. Please peruse Appendix A for a comprehensive review of our mission activity. What some Zambians have said about our visit. Some comments from letters written by Zambians to us were:
Only God knows the long term impact of our time in Zambia. Many seeds were sown and much fruit will arise because of those seeds. Pray that God will water and watch over the growth of the work in Zambia. There were quite a number of factors that contributed to the success of our mission: Before we left for Zambia we prepared "A Proposal for a Mission Outreach to Zambia." A number of individuals read the proposal and commented on it. The advice was helpful and sometimes challenging. A common comment was that we had set our sites quite high in what we wished to accomplish. And that to do it in two years was unrealistic. One person said two years was enough to be a missionary "tourist" and not much more. I agree that we were quite ambitious, however, we held our plans loosely and we lowered our expectations before we left. I planned to conduct only six seminars and train about 150 people. I actually conducted 15 seminars and trained over 1,000 people. Even much more than that was accomplished. However, in contrast we were aware of missionaries who required two years to just make the transition into a foreign culture before they could begin ministry. God blessed the ministry and made a way for its success. We were hosted by a Zambian Christian family: the Mutungu’s. Because of our prior relationship with them and because they had established relationships in the community we were immediately accepted into the local church and community. We could begin ministry much sooner than if we had to develop a lot of new relationships. Our children were able to move right into the same school system as the Mutungu children. We were covered by a mission agency that was flexible and willing to take risks on pioneering initiatives. Only Youth With A Mission would allow unknown missionaries to arrive in the country and live and work in a new operating location with a different mandate and without an initial period of relationship. Prior Short Term Mission Experience in Africa We had a prior short term experience in Zaire in 1984. Thus we were better prepared to face the cultural challenges and living conditions in Africa. We had spent two years in preparation for our trip. In 1992, we wound down our business activity and prepared for the move from our home in Kelowna. In 1993, we did a Crossroads DTS in Kona Hawaii and a Missions Outreach in Okinawa and the Philippines We ministered in arenas that were familiar to us: Mike in business and Sue in medicine. We had to adapt to the different circumstances but were able to use that which God had already put into our hands instead of attempting a new unfamiliar activity. I was able to invest in ministry all of my business education, and experiences in small business rather than abandoning it to attempt something totally different. As Peter said to the lame beggar, "Gold & Silver I do not have, such as I have I give to you." (Acts 3:6) We were covered by a prayer shield. We had over 100 intercessors praying for us. We communicated regularly with them concerning our prayer needs (6 newsletters in two years.) We had a measure of maturity in our Christian faith. Sue had been a Christian all of her adult life and Mike had been a Christian for 11 years. We were steadier on our feet when it came to the ups and downs of life on the mission field trusting God without the normal supports of family and friends. We were commissioned by our church in Kelowna, sponsored by our old church in Vancouver, Granville Chapel and involved in a local church in Ndola, River of Life. We were flexible in our ministry activity and able to adapt it to local constraints and cultural considerations. We were teachable and willing to learn from our mistakes. We had a game plan and a budget and a limited time frame. We had a track to run on that we had envisioned but that was also adaptable to the local situation. We had a list of mission values that we would uphold in our relationships with our Zambian friends. We respected and honored their input into our lives and readily submitted to their counsel. We learned many lessons in our experience: We can trust God to prove himself faithful.
We could have benefited from a team approach to the ministry. As a family we could support each other but having more team members would have been better. Examples of Zambian Graciousness We learned many lessons from the gracious example of our Zambian friends.
We would have been better prepared financially for the trip if we had started our fund raising efforts earlier, even in 1992. It was not until November, 1993 (2 months prior to departure) that we began to approach people to support us. We could have set a target earlier and approached people and updated our friends on how we were doing in raising our support level. Missionary families need to have 80 to 90 percent of their support level committed before leaving for the mission field, otherwise their ministry could be severely limited by a lack of finances. The Lord provides support through his people and that support can be committed in the form of pledges before leaving for the mission field. Once on the mission field it is much more difficult to communicate your needs to your supporters over a long distance. Yes, God does provide in miraculous ways, however, the Bible teaches we are not to put the Lord to the test. I believe traveling to the mission field without proper support may be putting God to the test more than it is an act of faith. From our experience we discovered that there is a false economy in certain financial decisions on the mission field. In the area of buying and selling it was very apparent that low price meant low quality and usually resulted in having to replace the item. We had friends, who supported us, wondering why we could not live more cheaply since Zambians seem to survive on a lot less income then we needed. Most Zambians spend most of their time doing just that -- surviving. It is a real grind for them just to put food on the table. The average bank clerk makes the equivalent of $160 a month. So they also moonlight with small business and small farming. They work very hard to just feed their family, which does not leave them a lot of time to do anything else. If we had to concern our selves with income generating activity we would not have much time to do the ministry. Some people believe it is better to invest missions support in local missionaries rather than fund a foreign missionary because that support would help more people. I agree with this idea for certain areas such as evangelism. However, I was able to impart business skills and principles that have a tremendous potential for multiplication. There is lack of depth in maturity in the Christian faith in Zambia precisely because there are so few missionaries with the ability to properly disciple believers in the context of their faith which in my case was the marketplace. Foreign missionaries have a role to play in specific situations in which they can impart specific expertise’s that are not available form the local church. Also, the local church needs to learn to give and to fund their own missionaries rather than depending upon western donors to support local missionaries. There is a role for targeted mission support to Zambian Nationals who have the potential for a national ministry. Derek Mutungu, who spent seven years in Canada studying at Regent College, has a vision for the nation of Zambia. He understands that Zambian Christians must grow in their Christian faith in the context of their culture and develop a faith that is truly Zambian in its expression and not borrowed from western forms of Christianity. Only then can African Christians grow deep in their faith and walk in maturity with the Lord. Previously it was British Christianity that dominated the expression of faith, now it is American Pentecostalism that dominates. Zambians need a model of the faith that is distinctly Zambian rather than denying their cultural identity and borrowing western cultural values. For Derek to develop his vision for the nation he must have the resources to travel and meet with church leaders. He needs to be free to write and publish on issues relevant to Zambian Christianity. To make an impact on the nation he needs a level of support that is far greater than what his local church family or farm could provide. Remember the poor. (Galatians 2:10). Even in Zambia it is easy for missionaries to isolate themselves from the poor who are constantly after them for a handout. Our house was targeted by these people. The word was out on the street that people could find help at our address. It sometimes made me mad but it forced me to do something about it. Every day we had opportunity to remember the poor from giving a packet of milk to a boy begging outside of the grocery store or giving a ride to school children who had no school bus to take them to school. Don’t let the Devil stop you with idle negativity. Before we went to the mission field we had several people write to us or speak to us in a negative way with respect to our venture to Zambia. Some did not want us to go, others were concerned that we have a profitable experience. Some people wrote to us and encouraged us to come home early. However, whenever one attempts great things in the Lord the enemy will sow doubts and bring frustrations to tempt you to pull back. We persevered and gained the victory. Although we knew it would be difficult we were not as prepared for the shock of re-entry into North American culture as much as we were prepared for entry into a new culture. When we got back to Canada although we received a warm welcome back from our church and friends, we did not have much opportunity to tell our story. Our home church did not provide us such an opportunity and we found that friends were more interested in telling us what happened to them while we were away then in listening to what happened to us. People in Canada do not take time to greet you as Zambians do. They want to get straight to the business at hand. Also, they are not as gracious in their dealing with you. I found this offensive and hard to cope with when I arrived home. Also, we did not return to our original home, we lived in a basement suite for three months, we renovated a house and moved in and then promptly sold it and moved into another house. So it was quite an unsettling re entry and I feel that I lacked a sense of closure. I believe that writing this report will help to bring closure on this period in our lives and focus us on the next stage of the ministry. Face to face meetings will settle conflict in relationships. We had a dispute with our landlord that threatened to get out of hand. However, when I made the effort to travel 60 KM to another town to visit him and discuss the problem he was very impressed and we quickly settled our differences. Even now this lesson stands me in good stead whenever I have a problem. I know that it is much better to talk face to face than to try and sort it out through written letters or making phone calls. Life is Uncertain, but God is good Another profound lesson was in the uncertainty of life. In Canada with our great health care system we do not face death very often. In Zambia, we faced death regularly. Several Zambians that we knew died. A missionary was killed in a car accident. A young boy who was being supervised by one of our expatriate friends was taken by a crocodile while playing at the bank of a local river. We witnessed the death of a neighbor, befriended his teenage son, only to lose him to malaria several months later. We learned to hold our lives and the lives of our children loosely trusting God that he would prevent calamity. Missions are more than a place or a position. It is a mindset. When we went to Zambia we were officially commissioned as missionaries, now that we are back we will stay in missions even though our work activity might not be officially classified as missionary work. For Sue it is as a medical doctor in a local walk in clinic. For me, it is as a staff person with the Winfield, BC, Youth With A Mission base working on a new ministry: Marketplace Ministries. So after two successful years in Zambia, I felt that God was calling me to continue to minister in the business community. Youth With A Mission is a very large Mission Agency with over 586 permanent ministry locations in over 132 countries. However, despite its large size and staff (over 9,500 Long Term Workers) and the potential to reach almost every country in the world, it has no marketplace ministry. A majority of the world’s population survives by means of micro enterprise. The number of people earning a living by small business will grow exponentially as the world's population grows. For example, in Zimbabwe, the population is growing at a higher rate than the economy. It is estimated that the formal sector of the economy can only absorb one third of the estimated number of new people on the job market. Many unemployed end up in the informal sector operating small businesses. The result is a flourishing of micro enterprise in developing countries especially among young people. People in small business are desperate to receive training and encouragement in their small business activity so as to improve business performance. Missionaries equipped with small business development skills and an understanding of the foundation for true success (a relationship with the living God through his son Jesus Christ) have a wide open opportunity to communicate the gospel in a culturally and economically relevant method via a small business development platform. Youth With A Mission is strategically positioned to meet the need for training and discipleship in the small business context. It has strong programs in evangelism and training in the Christian faith. It is experienced in cross cultural communication. Finally, in many countries it is staffed by missionaries who survive through micro enterprise tent making activity and are experienced with the local market place environment. Equipping in Small Business the Key The missing ingredient for realizing this potential is equipping YWAM staff and bases with a small business component that will facilitate their ministry through increased finances and the ability to minister directly into the local marketplace with teaching in biblical principles and training in business skills. With the blessing of the local YWAM Winfield Base and Paul Martinson, YWAM Western Canada Director, YWAM Marketplace Mission was launched in September, 1996. The kick-off event was the unveiling of an Internet Web Site for Marketplace Christians named SCRUPLES. The SCRUPLES Web Site is dedicated to equipping Christians in the marketplace with helpful information, biblical principles and business skills. The word SCRUPLEs is an acronym for Serving Christ Radically in an Uncompromising People Loving Entrepreneurial Spirit! Located at http://www.netshop.net/~scruples, SCRUPLES provides a wealth of resources for Christians in business; professional practice or career employment. Visitors can browse a library of teaching resources, explore a network of marketplace ministries offering help and fellowship, pick from various Christ centred company policies or check out the FAQS Mailbox for answers to common dilemmas and questions. Also available at the site will be the seminar, Planning A Successful Small Business in written form. People from all over the world are interested in hosting this seminar: Zimbabwe; Tonga; Samoa; Philippines; Mainland China and other places. At first I will start at home in Kelowna with a Canadian Version and conduct seminars as God leads. Please pray for the success of this ministry and for the finances for travel. As we did in Zambia the seminar ministry must be self financing from student fees, sale of seminar materials & voluntary contributions. Anyone interested in donating to Marketplace Ministries can send their gift to Youth With A Mission, Winfield Base, 2725 Dick Rd, Winfield, BC, Canada V4V 1L9 for YWAM Marketplace Mission. Thank you. Our experience in Zambia was very profitable for us as a family, for the organizations we worked with: YWAM , River of Life Church; Theological College of Central Africa; Kaniki Medical clinic and the Christian Enterprise Trust of Zambia; and for the people of Zambia that we learned to love. Relationships were built that will last for eternity. Seeds were sown that will have a lasting impact on the country. Lessons were learned that will forever change our life. We are thankful to the people who supported us financially and to those prayed and provided a shield in the heavens above us. We are most thankful to our Lord Jesus Christ who inspired our mission to Zambia and who protected us and energized to accomplish His purposes for us. He promised us success and He was faithful at every step of the way. To Him be all the glory. Amen! APPENDIX A: McLoughlin Mission to Zambia Achievements I. To Build Relationships with African Christians. A. To support & Assist & Encourage Derek & Gladys Mutungu 1994/95:
B. To Participate in the Life of the Local church 1994:
1995:
C. To Encourage the faith of those serving at the Theological College 1994/95:
D. To Develop Relationships that will last a lifetime 1994/95:
E. To Participate in and support the local Youth With A Mission Work 1994:
1995:
II. To Minister in the Marketplace and in the Community. A. To Re-Evangelize Zambian Christians 1994:
1995:
B. To Disciple Zambian Christian Business people in the Christian faith 1994:
Note: Student attended minimum 5 sessions to complete the seminar.
1995:
C. To Assist Zambian Entrepreneurs in the development of Small Enterprises 1994:
1995:
D. To Participate in the Community 1994:
1995:
III. To Teach Zambian Children about the gospel and good health care. 1994/95:
A. To Face life in a Different Culture 1994/95:
B. To Maintain & Strengthen Family Unity 1994:
1994:
1995:
1994:
C. To Learn History and observe Geography & culture
VI. To be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. A. Encourage & Help in existing Projects 1994:
1995:
B. Preach the Gospel & Share from God’s Word 1994:
1995:
APPENDIX B: Income & Expenses for McLoughlin Mission to Zambia
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