Officially Inducted

A letter from Charles and Melissa Johnson serving in Zambia

November 2016

We are writing to wish you a very merry Christmas as 2016 comes to a close. What a year it has been! In March we arrived in Zambia and began the daunting task of learning Chitumbuka. While we’d like to tell you we are fluent after eight months, that would be a lie; even though our other duties occupy much of our time now, we continue to work at Chitumbuka and have accepted the fact that we will be learning the language for as long as we are in Zambia.

You may recall from our last newsletter that our other work commenced in September. In October Charles began teaching Agricultural Science I at Chasefu Theological College and Model Farm. Chasefu is 44 km north of Lundazi (about 27 miles), but the road is bad, making commuting difficult. Because all lecturers are visiting faculty, most stay at the principal’s house when they are teaching. Charles’ class consists of two one-week blocks. The first week began on October 17, with the second taking place a few weeks later, during the week of November 7. In addition to his teaching, Charles is working to implement the agricultural income-generating activities (IGAs) on CCAP land at Chasefu. The first project/crop is red onions, grown and marketed in cooperation with Cross Border Network Africa (CBNA). For a small registration fee of 250 kwacha (about $25), a farmer can participate in the program, with one packet. The packet includes seed, fertilizer and a guarantee that CBNA will purchase the farmer’s onions at harvest. CBNA is marketing the onions in both Zambia and other countries in Central and Southern Africa. The Chasefu IGA participated with two packets, planting the seed in seeding beds during Charles’ first teaching block. Later, in early December, the seedlings are to be transplanted in the field, and a February 2017 harvest date is projected.

Charles is researching other crops to be grown in the IGA program during the rainy season and hopes to be able to begin the incremental installation of a drip irrigation system as the dry season arrives in May. Such a system will allow the farm to extend growing beyond the rainy season. He is also researching solar/wind-powered submersible pumps, with the hope that such a system can one day replace the hand pump currently installed on the borehole serving the farm. Of course funding for such a system will need to be identified in the future.

Work is also under way on a five-year strategic plan for the Health Department. Some of the items that are being considered for inclusion in the plan include the construction of a new clinic in Phalaza, infrastructure improvements at the two existing CCAP clinics in Egichikeni and Ndaiwala, and a variety of educational programing opportunities. Mr. Willima and the Health Department Board Chairman, Rev. Justine Zimba, are both very excited and have big dreams for the department. Funding for programming is always a challenge for CCAP, so the Health Department is researching ways to develop partnerships, write proposals, and possibly create an income-generating activity to get the programs started and to sustain the hopes and dreams of the department to improve the health of the people of Zambia.

Following Charles’ first week of teaching at Chasefu we took a few days of vacation and traveled to North Luangwa National Park, located west of Lundazi. It isn’t far to the park, but the roads aren’t very good, and that, combined with our getting turned around a couple of times, made for a long drive. But it was well worth it, as we were able to relax and enjoy God’s amazing creation while we stayed at a bush camp on the banks of the Mwaleshi River. We saw lots of lions, buffalo, elephants, hyenas, puku, impala and birds. Most of the safaris were walking safaris, so we got lots of exercise, too. We returned to Lundazi from the park late in the week, just in time for a busy weekend with lots of activities centered around our Induction Service, which was held on Sunday, October 30.

The Synod leaders traveled from Lusaka to Lundazi to preside over the service, along with Nancy Collins, PC(USA) Regional Liaison for East Africa, Diane Cusick, mission co-worker with the Presbyterian Church of Ireland, and Dr. Karl Klontz, as well as guest pastors from Zambia and Malawi. One of the highlights of the weekend was hosting dinner at our house on Saturday evening for the CCAP Zambia Synod leaders, Nancy, Diane and Karl, when we got to know the recently elected Synod leaders much better.

The induction service was wonderful, with lots of singing and dancing. During the induction service, which was conducted by the Synod, we were inducted as mission co-workers with CCAP Zambia. We responded to the induction questions asked by the Moderator of CCAP Zambia, Reverend Able Banda, and were then welcomed as mission co-workers. And then the gifts began! We can’t list them all, but they included items for the house, agricultural items, and even a goat! We were overwhelmed by the generosity of the church and the community. Afterwards Charles and Melissa each made comments in Chitumbuka (which absolutely thrilled those in attendance), and presented carved wooden crosses to the Synod and David McConaghy Congregation. The service was a beautiful event, which was the product of hard work by those organizing it, and we will always remember the love and generosity shown to us. This YouTube link is to a video which was shared on Mission Co-Worker Sunday, an event organized by Mission Presbytery, on November 13, in support of our work in Zambia: https://youtu.be/GMNbk6UHkII. The video includes photos and video clips about our work and the induction service.

As the 2016 draws to a close, we want to thank all of you for your prayers and financial support for our work in Zambia. We have made great headway as we work toward our goal of being fully funded, but we haven’t reached it yet. Please continue to pray for us, those we serve here in Zambia, and if you feel called to do so, help us reach our funding goal by year’s end.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,

Charles & Melissa