“All in all, things are going well. God is on our side and souls are getting saved. Churches are taking responsibility. HBE is a great tool.”
– Dr Cornelius Huwa, AE Malawi Team Leader
AE’s strategic mission to the city of Zomba is not what we expected it to be. The pandemic has forced this mission to take a different approach – that of Home Based Evangelism (HBE). And yet, HBE is proving an exceptionally effective tool for evangelism.
In Zomba, over 500 leaders have been trained in Home Based Evangelism, and AE is partnering with over 150 churches to reach the city with the Gospel. With each local church taking ownership of HBE, the follow-up of new believers is greatly simplified, and the impact thus far has been profound. HBE is gaining momentum in Zomba, as testimonies are encouraging more believers to participate in evangelism.
Pastor Suwedi describes how “before sitting under the home-based evangelism training, I could barely stand in front of a crowd. I was immensely drenched in fear, the best I could do in my church… was to carry chairs and tables”. Subsequently appointed to lead a home church, Pastor Suwedi’s fears soon dissipated. His home church attracted people from a village 10km away, Mdera, and he has since planted a small, but thriving church there.
Miss Saidi is one person whose life was transformed while attending Pastor Suwedi’s home church. Abandoned by her husband and left to fend for her family, her life was filled with bitterness. She describes that “my anger would spiral out of control”, and admits that she became abusive towards her children. Tormented by horrific nightmares, rest was elusive.
After accepting Christ, Miss Saidi is surprised by the peace that she has discovered. She mentions how the Lord has used her as a peacemaker in her family: “my brother and parents were not talking to each other due to an argument… the peace I found in Christ helped me mediate their conflict towards resolution”.
And so this great message of reconciliation is spreading, one life at a time. Replacing turmoil with tranquility, and leaving restoration in its wake.
“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” – 2 Corinthians 5:18