Khamisi Kwela’s father was a strong Muslim believer who took his 8 children to the mosque and made sure they attended weekly Islamic classes.
“My dad was very strict when it came to religious matters,” Khamisi said. “There was only one religion allowed in our family.”
But when Khamisi was 10, his dad died and the family lost their way.
“We became completely financially incapacitated,” Khamisi said. “My older siblings and mum worked hard to ensure we had food, but we struggled to put a meal on the table. Poverty was part of us.”
It was a hard life. But it was also brought a little freedom to Khamisi’s mother and she started going to church.
“My mum had wanted to know Christ for a long time, but due to the restrictions of our dad, she would not have even dared,” Khamisi remembered.
Soon Khamisi’s mother and older brothers all started going to church and soon became Christians. But Khamisi and one of his younger brothers, didn’t
“We wanted to maintain the religion of our father,” he said, “so we continued to attend our mosque.”
Khamisi knew about Christianity from his friends at school and from the Christian Religious Education classes there. But still he lived in darkness for five years after his father’s death.
This all changed one Sunday, when he went to pick something up from one of his brothers at his church. When he arrived the church service was still going.
“I sat in the last row, waiting for the service to end. As the worship was going on, I felt as if something was burning within me,” he said. “I was glued to my seat and listened attentively to the Word of God as if that is what I had come to do.”
When the pastor asked if anyone wanted to come forward and become a Christian, Khamisi couldn’t resist.
“Whatever was burning within me became stronger,” he said. “I was pulled to the altar by the power of Holy Spirit and for the first time in my life, I felt the need for Jesus.”
The pastor prayed for him and his family were overjoyed.
Khamisi joined the discipleship class and was mentored by the senior pastor to help him grow in his new faith.
“Today I call him my spiritual dad,” Khamisi said. “When he leant about my story, he took over paying my school fees. I went to a school in Malindi town, which even in my dreams I never thought I would do! I had never seen such demonstration of love.”
Khamisi read his Bible with an undying fervor and did all he could to learn about prayer and ministry in the church. In his last year of high school, he became leader of the Christian Union, sharing his testimony with as many people as he could.
But in 2017, tragedy struck his family again.
“The death of our mum last year was the lowest moment of my life after salvation,” Khamisi said. “Her sickness took her when we needed her most.”
He and his siblings have struggled with this loss but are leaning on the love of their church community.
The light of Christ still shines brightly within him despite these difficulties. He joined the AE Kenya Foxfires this year after seeing last year’s team minister at his school during the Malindi Mission.
“I look forward reaching out to young people with the Word of God in 2018. Through our interactions, I want them to know and experience the love of God as I have.”
We invite you to urgently pray for governments’ right across Africa after the month of February saw great political unrest in many nations.
Several Presidents resigned, Ethiopia called a State of Emergency, and large-scale protests against the government occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
South Africa’s President, Jacob Zuma, resigned on the 14th following a string of corruption scandals that have followed the 75-year-old for much of his eight-year presidency. Cyril Ramaphosa was sworn in on the 15th and has so far made optimistic promises to cut unemployment and revive the economy.
Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, also resigned and the country has gone into their second State of Emergency in two years. Desalegn’s resignation came after large protests held in the Oromia region shut down all traffic. Demonstrators demanded political reform and for the government to release an opposition leader from prison. All political protests have been banned for six months.
There are fears of political unrest in Zimbabwe following the passing of iconic Opposition Leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, on the 14th. Zimbabwe is expected to have a national election in four to five months, which will be the first national election in two decades that won’t feature Robert Mugabe or Tsvangirai on the ballot. There’s hope for great change in Zimbabwe.
On the 25th, security forces in Kinshasa surrounded churches and blocked roads to prevent Christians protesting against President Joseph Kabila. One protester was killed and two were injured in the event as live ammunition and tear gas were fired into the crowd outside of a major church in the capital. The protests come as Kabila has refused to stepdown as President following the end of his second term in office in December 2016.
AE will be carrying out evangelistic missions in Zimbabwe and Ethiopia later this year. AE’s stratified approach to evangelism not only focuses on salvations, but endevours to meet with political leaders to encourage social change.
Please continue to pray with us for the political sector in Africa. Please pray that the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will transform nations.
We’re excited to announce that our first ever mission trip to Togo will be happening in 2019 in the capital city of Lome.
Our Togo team, led by Emmanuel Kwizera, will be holding their first preparation meetings this month to dream and plan how AE can transform Togo for Christ. The team are hoping to run three large-scale evangelistic missions between 2019 and 2021.
Togo is one of the few West African nations AE has had the opportunity to launch into and represents a strategic launch point into the Muslim north.
AE has seen a great receptivity to the Gospel in the neighbouring country of Ghana. The mission to Accra in 2017 saw over 67,000 people reached with the Gospel, and another 4,082 people make a decision for Jesus. AE have also run the Pastors Training Course in the Ivory Coast.
AE’s presence in the North and West of the continent is vital, as we aim to bring hope in a region that is gripped by a strong Islamic presence.
In Togo, roughly 13.7% of the population is Muslim, 27.8% are Roman Catholic, while a staggering 33% of the population follow various forms of ancestral beliefs including Voodoo.
Togo has a population of 7.6 million people. 40.6 % of the population are under the age of 15!
The small West African nation, which also borders Benin and Burkina Faso, has experienced a great deal of political turmoil since its independence in 1960. The nation has been ruled by the same family for the last 50 years.
Gnassingbe Eyadema was President for 38 years and became Africa’s longest ruling dictator at the time, before he passed away from a heart attack in 2005. His son, Faure Gnassingbe, was quickly installed by the military and has ruled the country ever since.
Several large-scale protests occurred against Faure’s presidency as recently as October last year, before security forces had to shut down the capital city of Lome to prevent further anti-government demonstrations.
It’s estimated that upwards of 13 protesters were killed during the events.
Please be praying for our Togo team across the month of March. Pray Emmanuel, Bernard and the AE evangelistic teams will be led by the Holy Spirit to effectively evangelise in Togo.
Please also pray that the Good News of Christ will bring peace to Togo and transform the nation.
We’re excited for our first Pastors Training Course (PTC) of 2018 to be starting in Kenya this month.
PTC will be running in Kenya, Ghana, and Rwanda this year and will operate as a two-week intensive course.
The 2018 courses will be teaching a similar cohort to previous years. Many of the pastors have already completed introductory subjects to the Old and New Testament, and are set to expand their biblical knowledge even further.
The first course will launch in Kenya next Monday on the 5th of March, and is expected to have over 50 students.
This will be held in the coastal city of Malindi, which is located 120km northeast of Mombasa. This is a strategic location for AE as we aim to minister to the city’s growing Muslim community, which now account for over 50% of the population.
Pastor Stephen Dunlop and Dr George May from Australia have already arrived in Malindi, and are prepared to teach the course with the help of two lecturers from Carlisle College in Nairobi.
Our second ever PTC in Ghana will operate later this year, after we saw a very positive impact in 2016.
This year’s course will be the first time the course has run with all local lecturers. It will be led by our AE Team Leader in Ghana, Ben Sachie, and is expected to have close to 40 students.
The 2016 training in Ghana proved to be very effective for the mission we ran in Kumasi. We’re hoping and praying this training will see similar fruit when we run a mission in the capital city of Accra in November.
Our Rwandan PTC will also be launching shortly in the capital city of Kigali and is expected to have around 35 students.
This will be a similar cohort of pastors who were trained in May last year by Pastor Jack Normand and Pastor Greg Ball from Australia.
Some of the course has been translated into Kinyarwanda and has been used as discipleship training material in several church congregations across Rwanda.
The Rwandan course will be timely preparation for this year’s mission to Kigali in the middle of June.
We’re still looking to close our PTC funding gap of $49,000 by the 31st of March. If you’re passionate about equipping the new generation of African pastors with sound biblical training, please check out the link below.
Together we can empower them to strengthen and transform the Church in Africa.
https://africanenterprise.com/donation/
In 1991, the first democratically elected Zambian President, Frederick Chiluba, dedicated the nation to Christ. “I declare”, Chiluba said, “that Zambia is a Christian nation that will seek to be governed by the righteous principles of the Word of God. Righteousness and justice must prevail in all levels of authority and then we shall see the righteousness of God exalted in Zambia. …The time of corruption and bribery is over.”
Sadly, 26 years on, corruption is at an all-time high in Zambia. In 2014 it was estimated that 78% of all business transactions in involved a bribe payment. They are a nation that has forgotten where the roots of its democracy were planted; in the good soil of integrity.
In November 2017 African Enterprise challenged the leadership of Zambia to return to their roots and let justice and righteousness prevail. Leaders from all walks of life were gathered together and challenged to submit their lives and their industries to the Lordship of Christ.
Over the course of a week, government officials, business executives, media personalities, medical personnel and more were gathered together to hear the simple truth of the Gospel. They were challenged to be shining beacons of integrity in a nation darkened by corruption. Many hearts were changed and we in AE are excited about what God is beginning to do in this nation.
Godfridah Sumaili, the Minister of National Guidance and Religious Affairs attended as the official government representative. As the guest of honour present at the Executive Leadership Dinner, he said, “Zambia has been declared a Christian nation but there is a need to make that sentiment a reality. I am so pleased that the Lusaka Leadership Initiative has made that happen. I believe this is the beginning of new things for Zambia. Reaching leaders with the Gospel will transform this nation. Integrity is in our constitution, but it needs to be our value. Thank you, African Enterprise!
I believe this is the beginning of new things for Zambia. Reaching leaders with the Gospel will transform this nation. Integrity is in our constitution, but it needs to be our value. Thank you, African Enterprise!
Following the events, fellowship groups have been created which will advocate for godly values within local industries. The business people, journalists, professional women and local clergy have all established fellowships which will meet regularly to encourage each other and reach out to others within their industry.
While the leadership events were taking place, the AE team along with volunteer evangelists from around the city took to the streets to share the Gospel. The city-wide mission began with service ministry by cleaning the streets of Lusaka. AE partnered with an existing organisation called ‘Jesus Cares Ministries’ which proved to be very effective in reaching the city more effectively by using existing channels.
During one of the Foxfire performances, four young men came through the crowd violently and shut off the music, arguing that they were disturbing the community. They were challenged by other young men who wanted to hear the message and the program resumed. The four listened intently as the gospel was preached and they were the first to come forward to commit their lives to Christ.
Another person in the crowd told us, “I am so glad you chose to stay despite the locals giving you trouble. I was very encouraged by the word that God is able to overcome any storm in our lives. My life has been hard since my family broke up. I was convinced that nothing good could come out of my poor conditions. However, I am very encouraged! You’ve brought joy to my heart today and I have received Christ. I am so happy.”
Over the course of the 10-day mission, over 14,639 were reached with the Gospel and 8,212 people made confessions of faith.
Over the course of the 10-day mission, over 14,639 were reached with the Gospel and 8,212 people made confessions of faith.
Please join us in thanking God for his amazing faithfulness during our mission. Please pray for those who heard the Gospel throughout our ministry. Ask that God would continue to minister to their hearts. Pray for the nation of Zambia, that it would be the beacon of integrity that it was declared to be.
Thank YOU for partnering with us in our mission to impact the continent of Africa with the Gospel. Visit our website to see what missions are coming in 2018 and how you can help.
Dear Friends,
We are watching the situation in Zimbabwe very closely and we are praying that peace reigns as the situation continues to evolve. We remain in close contact with our AE team in Harare. Thankfully they are all safe and well. Please pray for them.
As we watch events unfold, we are continually astonished at the providence of God throughout our ministry.
In 2015, African Enterprise held a Presidential Prayer Breakfast in Harare which was attended by Emmersen Mnangagwa. During that event, we were able to preach the simple Gospel to many of the people directly involved in the events of the past few days. Vice President Mnangagwa (whose firing and replacement with Robert Mugabe’s wife has led to the current state of affairs) was challenged by Michael Cassidy with the question, “Who leads you? I don’t care if you’re rich, wise, clever, or powerful,” Cassidy said; “it’s not enough to be patted on the back by society and have nice big cars and houses unless you know Christ. That’s what really, really matters.”
“Who leads you? I don’t care if you’re rich, wise, clever, or powerful,” Cassidy said; “it’s not enough to be patted on the back by society and have nice big cars and houses unless you know Christ. That’s what really, really matters.”
Later, when VP Mnangagwa took the podium he said, “Dr. Cassidy has just shared that people need to ask who it is that leads 
their leaders. “I had never thought about it myself; I thought it was enough that we simply led them!”
Since that event, AE has continued to engage with Zimbabwean leaders as well as training high school and university students in the value of righteous leadership.
We are praying that those involved in recent events will remember AE’s challenge to lead with humility and righteousness. We hope they will remember the simple Gospel of Christ’s love. As the proverb says, “When the righteous rule, the people rejoice, but when a wicked man rules, people groan. (Proverbs 29:2)
“When the righteous rule, the people rejoice, but when a wicked man rules, people
groan. (Proverbs 29:2)
Following that Presidential Prayer Breakfast, the AE team went to Harare City Hall and cleaned the streets as a symbol of new beginnings. Those in attendance sang, “Tsvaria Moyo” which means “Sweep my Heart, Sweep my Soul”. We are singing that song now and praying for God’s blessing in the future of Zimbabwe.
Join me in a prayer for the nation of Zimbabwe
Dear Loving Father,
We come to you in this hour of uncertainty for the nation of Zimbabwe.
Thank you for holding all things in your hands, even times like these.
Bring peace and calm to the people of Zimbabwe. Strengthen their hearts.
Thank you for the opportunity to have preached your simple Gospel of love to the leaders of Zimbabwe. We ask that they will remember that message now.
We ask that the powerful in Zimbabwe would lead the nation with godly righteousness during this time of change.
Dear Lord, comfort your people in this hour of uncertainty and bring peace to their hearts.
We thank you for your Sovereignty over all these things
In Jesus Mighty name
AMEN.
