Pedro's testimony - November 2017
Pedro Trigo and I were fasting for two days this last Thursday and Friday, and now, the next day, he writes me: "“The Lord challenged me to be first to humble myself before the local community leaders that I was training yesterday. During the time of prayer I shared about idolatry, pornography, ancestor worship, lying and stealing. I started confessing, and asking God for mercy. Everyone was silent, but one brother got up and came forward where I was and he said: “I want to confess too; “I have been sleeping out”; and then another one came and said: “I want to confess I have medecines from a witchdoctor. And another came and shared: “I have amulets”, and suddenly we were all crying and praying to God. Keep praying for us Kees.
On Sunday evening we will continue.
When you come we will have specifc sessons for healing as there are many hurts.”
And here is my answer to him:
“Oh, Pedro, it is all about humility indeed. That already immediately attracted me to you last year October when I first visited you. Our humility, continual and sincere humility, will draw many people close to our almighty but so loving God and Father. Only He can restore wholesomeness to anyone.
Let us keep on sharing, so that we will keep on praying for Father’s glory to rise over Niassa.”
Kees Hoek
Amos travels from Malawi to Mozambique - October 2016
There has been a great impact, among the Yao people, both young and old. Some of these through listening to the Way of Life radio programme and many have come to faith in Christ. Among these there are teachers.
While in Lichinga Amos had to do numerous things, like to be on air live for three days and the response was overwhelming. Amos received 72 phone calls in the three days he was on air at FOT FM radio station. Many were coming in person to visit him and some wanted Amos to remain in Mozambique since the programme is life saving.
Amos’ visit to Mozambique was an eye opener, since there are many opportunities there and the people are so eager to hear the Word of God. Again seeing how poor the people are Amos had to distribute the Audiobible Teachers which he had taken with him. Many were very happy to receive the ABT since they cannot read and write so to them it is a great blessing to be able to just listen to the ABT and hear the word of God. This is something completely new.
Some of them asked Amos if he could extend his programs to Tunduru where there are many Yao people and they have invited Amos to be at the launch of KLM FM radio in Tunduru which is going to take place in November this coming month. Amos hopes this will be an opportunity to share and distribute the ABT’s at the same time.
There is a great impact among the Yao today with the Way of Life radio programme that is aired on FOT radio in Lichinga. Amos reports that people are hungry for the Word of God these days. Please continue to pray for Amos and the partnership of bringing the Yao to Christ. Together we can make great things!
Forgiveness - 19 October 2016
Bishop Livingstone, who leads 17 rural churches in Malawi and across the border Mozambique writes the following: "FORGIVENESS: It has been discovered, in a number of listening groups, that many people had secret enmity with others without knowing it. As they have heard from ABTs on Healing of the Wounded Heart, it has been noted that we hinder ourselves from being forgiven by God the Father. May the good Lord continue to give you more revelations. Love from your Brother in Christ Jesus, Livingstone."
Pedro reports from northern Mozambique - 12 November 2016
"Aleluia... I think it is time for harvest in our region. We see many Yao leaders coming and asking to follow Jesus and others asking for prayers. Last week we had a meeting and people started confessing their sins, some brought the medicine from witchdoctors and they burnt them. Many village leaders are asking for us to send to them the AudioBibleTeachers so the people can start house churches in their villages. People are hungry for the word of God. Last year I sent teams to Macua metto villages and now we have 7 house churches. We praise God we have people ready to be trained and go to the isolated villages.
Amos visits some villages - 29 October 2016
Amos writes from Malawi "I am here in Balaka where I am visiting Mbatamila, Bonongwe, Njambawe, Lupanga, Njelenje, Utale, Nkaya, Phimbi, Chelile, Maganga, Manjawila, Chimpakati, Mboma, Mseche, Kachenga, Sinya, Magombo and Chitalo.
All these villages I tell God was really blessed for those who have given their lives to The Lord as their Savior. Today I am still going about telling people about Jesus and the response is so huge. Apart from visiting them I also distribute ABTs. I took about 70 ABTs with me on this trip and people are hungry for the word of God.
Please may you speed up sending me the SD cards so that I can start putting the cards in the units so that many more can find Jesus Christ. I am praying to my Father to help those who have given themselves to the Lord that they may grow spiritually fit for Him. I thank our Father for all of these happenings, it is because of Him. Yes, there is a great demand of ABTs among the people here in Balaka and Mulanje where I received a good report from Bishop Patrick where two Sheikhs have accepted Jesus as their Lord through the ABTs."
An important person accepts Jesus after listening to the radio
September 2016
Amos shares a report he received a report from one of listener from Machinga says: 'I was really a man who was proud of being a Sheikh and I was so zealous in worshiping the unknown God. I used to hate Christianity but from nowhere one day I came across a friend of mine who introduced me to AudioBibleTeacher that he was listening to.
"But while listening to this radio station I found the Way of Life radio program which touched my heart for the first time in my history since I was a hard liner in those days and nobody would come near me since I was a high profile person in my Religion. But the Way of Life radio program has reached me today thru the airwaves and now I know the truth about Jesus through listening it. And then there is nobody who can fool me today since Jesus is in me and He is mine"
A trip to Niassa - October 2016
It is interesting that at this same moment in time when one door seems to close for a while, God opens another door increasingly wide for ministry; this time among other prisoners, the Yao population of Malawi as well as the much larger Yao population across the border in Northeastern Mozambique. The capital of the Yao people, is in the small rural community of Chikonono in Niassa Province of Mozambique. Their tribal king even lives there, in his “palace” and he is called Sultan.
Kees was invited to come to Lichinga, the capital of Niassa Province, to work with the staff of the one-year-old FOT radio station. This station is in the middle of an almost entirely Muslim world. Amos has known the founder of FOT Radio, Bright Sonjera, for a number of years through a common connection of TWR. Since FOT started broadcasting on FM with powerful equipment and a 45-meter-high antenna, they have used Amos’ programs with a tremendous impact. The station has a staff of about ten Christians who are all just volunteers without any pay.
Kees and Amos went visiting a number of FOT’s “listener clubs” which became a real eye-opener. People were excited to meet Amos, and when Kees was allowed to preach about God’s love and introduce the ABT, the people everywhere became very happy; they wanted to know that God LOVES them, and long to get to know the Jesus of the Qur’an.
Twice Kees stopped the car along the road just to ask an Imam, or just three older Muslim men, if they had listened to FOT Radio, and if they would like to be able to listen to the Bible about God and Jesus. The people always responded with excitement.
We returned to Blantyre, Malawi on Friday, 7 October, and Amos wanted to meet up yet with a couple of YWAM people along our path who have been working in a rural chiefdom Itepela of fifteen smaller villages with some 11,000 people; for ten years now. The chief has become a Christian while he initially had fought hard against them About 300 other Yao people are members of house churches in these fifteen small villages. The pastor, one of the YWAM-ers and Pastor Pedro, hold frequently classes for the local Mosque teachers so that most, teach about the Jesus of the Bible in the Mosques. Pedro just about wept when Kees offered him the assistance of the Audio Bible Teachers. Kees and Amos gave him the last 12 of ABT's they still had as they can use them with high results in large quantities. Kees plans on bringing them another 300 of ABT's. These will be programmed for Mozambique with the Chichewa and ChiYao programs, while adding a Portuguese Bible.
There is A sense that a huge revival is brewing here among the people of Niassa Province as each ABT can do just about the work of a missionary.
October 2016
A tough mission trip to the North of Malawi
Pastor Danileck Mitepa and Kees Hoek returned Sunday night from two weeks in the far North of Malawi and had a very fruitful ministry among prisoners, teaching them about Healing the Wounded Heart, helping them with individual personal prayers for forgiveness for not having forgiven in the past those who hurt and rejected them, rather than loving them. Also instruction was given everywhere about God’s plan for men to be Prophets, Priests and servant Kings of their families.
The response has been overwhelming with the tip of the iceberg showing 279 inmates who Danileck could baptize. Satan’s hand was however again clearly visible. The evil one hates what we are doing in Jesus’ name to the people he used to be able to fool. The first visit was planned to be in Chitipa in the NW tip of Malawi, but the car could not negotiate the incline of the road, so they had to back down hill and first minister in Karonga, where the engine thermostat that controls the radiator fans was disabled. When the team went up hill to Chitipa and they had the biggest challenge of this two week long trip. In the middle of the night a very drunken man tried to back his car out of the parking lot first ramming the entire side of the car of the owner of the lodge, who was with him in the car, then he made a violent turn hitting the left front wheel of Kees’ car so hard that the front of the car was pushed over 1.5 meters, pushing it into a wall. The shock absorber was bent and needed to be replaced. So Kees wondered how and when the car would be drivable again out of this highly rural area. Kees also suspected that the drive shaft to the wheel had to be damaged. They prayed and prayed some more. In the morning they had to go first to the police station to report the incident. This all was biting into the time for ministry at the prison.
Kees had an opportunity to counsel this drunken driver whose breath twelve hours later still was heavy of alcohol. Yes, our Father God is teaching Kees now to try to love our enemies as it is a major part of teaching about Healing the Wounded Heart. When we came back to the lodge a spirit-filled man was waiting for us as the Lord had told him to go and see how he could help us; amazing. He is the local hardware store owner and next to it a carpentry business and a restaurant; quite a businessman. And on top of that he goes weekly into five small rural communities to teach people God’s Word. He has an automotive parts dealer friend 350 km away in the Northern Region small city-capital who happened to have the shock absorber in stock and shipped it without delay before payment could be made; amazing. The time that was lost Saturday morning at the police station was made up Sunday morning at the prison where Danileck could baptize 45 men after the seminar, while the shock absorber was being replaced. The team left Chitipa without any time loss as God did the miracle of providing the urgently needed repairs promptly; amazing. Satan did not stop our God.
But the broken fender could not be replaced there, and the drive-shaft to that wheel was obviously damaged and could not be repaired there, and yet had to complete ministry in Rumphi, Mzuzu, Mzimba and Nkhata Bay, and then back to Blantyre a total of about 1300 km. Danileck and Kees had no choice but to ask Father God to please allow them to make it home before the drive-shaft would fall totally apart. All the way Kees remained apprehensive as a lot of vibration came out of that wheel. The Lord had to be trusted as Kees had no spare time left before he must return to Pretoria by mid-October.
The team made it, and as Kees dropped Danileck off at his home at 8 pm a rapid clicking came from the wheel; would Kees make it back to Wenela Lodge? Just then, Danileck’s new son-in law from Zimbabwe, a person Kees could trust with repairing the car arrived. The wheel was removed and grease was found dripping from the gearbox. The drive shaft bearing was in four small pieces; amazing again. Is our Father good and are Jesus’ words totally trustworthy that we may step on serpents but they cannot harm us? Satan attempted twice to stop us, but ended up the big looser, only because of a God and His Son Jesus Christ who has BEEN GIVEN ALL AUTHORITY IN THE SPIRITUAL REALM AS WELL AS HERE ON EARTH. Oh, how blessed we are by our Father and acknowledge freely that it is the prayers of many of you that make us so fruitful and allowing our Father to glorify His name.
Kees Hoek
23rd August 2016
10 new cell groups in Malawi
At least ten cell groups have been formed through these ABT’s. Even the Prison Commissioner’s wife, who was from another faith, after hearing the teachings on ABT has started her own cell group.
hese ABT are playing a greater role and right now many from another faith have joined Christianity in different churches.
Pastor Danileck baptized these new believers. The Chief Prison Official has granted Pastor Danileck permission to visit all the Prisons of Malawi to distribute the ABT’s, and to go visit especially, the Central and Northern Prisons of Malawi. - June 2016
An awaking amongst the Yao in Malawi
Amos in Malawi is requesting an additional 40 Audio Bible Teachers as soon as possible. Amos has established 6 more listeners clubs this year.
Amos is very thankful for the support for the radio ministry and the follow up is going on very well and the people are responding to our call. And is quite amazing to see how the Yao people are coming to know Christ through AudioBibleTeachers and that many are enjoying the lessons, especially those of the HEALING THE WOUNDED HEART. It is encouraging to note that some of these want to establish a Church in their village after they have listened to the ABT. In Chopi about 85 of them are said they have received Jesus Christ and at Chipande Village about 50 members of the Yao people have joined the club as a result of the lessons on ABTs.
There is an awakening amongst the Yao people. Please continue praying for them, so that many may come to Christ as result of our distribution of ABT’s.
15 May 2016
Pastor Mark visits a Prison
Pastor Mark, had never seen or experienced such thunderous, jubilation and excitement in the penal institutions when he arrived to minister to the inmates in a Prison in Zabwe. As Pastor Mark stood up to address the 2000+ inmates and introduced the newly programmed AudioBibleTeachers, just about all the inmates rose with shouts of joy as though they had received pardon, yes spiritual pardon so to say. The condemned men also got wind of Pastor Mark’s presence and went on to the balcony of the first floor to beckoned Pastor Mark to go and say something to them.
Did you know that these men have given Pastor Mark the Bemba nickname of Pastor UMUFUNGILO which simply means FOLDER or the well known Scroll with seals? Pastor Mark enjoys the name because our Father God has put in our team and also onto the ABT’s these amazing lessons that are turning the penal institutions upside down. 88 condemned men came down to hug Pastor Mark as he broke the good news of newly programmed ABT’s that were about to be distributed among them the following day.
Pastor Mark had difficulty leaving the prison and had to be escorted out as most inmates wanted a word with him for a personal ABT. Instead of leaving through the main gate, Pastor Mark had to be ushered out through the sick bay which is in the Chapel yard and just there he met up with inmate Lucky. Lucky had earlier given a tithe to Pastor Mark’s church and attributed his changed life to listening to the lessons on the ABT. Lucky had his sentence commuted to life and in less than a year had his sentence again commuted to a 25 years. Out of the 332 who had their death penalties commuted to life imprisonment, 180 have had their sentences once again commuted to a 25 year jail terms and out of those 180, 47 straight away walked to freedom.
This is the impact that Fatherhood Prison Ministry is having on the lives behind the walls.
April 2016
Delivered by Jesus from the hanging rope and discharged
Frank from a Zambia prison, was on death row for 13 years when his sentence was commuted to life. After that he spent 7 more years at B-farm prison and has just been released. He was giving an opportunity to preach in one of the churches in Zambia.
The congregation shed tears as he shared how Jesus delivered him from the hanging rope and discharged him. He finially said "FPMZ and the Audio Bible Teacher lessons have done a lot of cleaning inside me, I want to be like the one leper out of ten who came to say:
"Thank you Jesus", and I say "Thank you Church." The mood in church that Sunday morning was electrifying.
THANKS TO MALAWI BIBLE SOCIETY AND DAVAR PARTNERS INTERNATIONAL
With God's help we have just been able to complete new programming for the Zambia and Malawi Audio Bible Teachers (ABT) Thank you, Malawi Bible Society and Davar Partners International, for the complete Audio Bible OT & NT, in Chichewa and Yao. Besides the complete English programming we now have also all our lesson materials in Chichewa (also useable in Nyanja territories) and most of them in Bemba.
Tide turned for revival, "Our God is delivering Africa"
Two years after a dangerous revolt hit the Zambian Maximum Security Prison of Kabwe, the tide has turned for revival with the help of our Audio Bible Teachers. An Assistant Commissioner shared the following: "The content of these gadgets is turning our prisons upside-down."
In August 2015, the Zambian President entered this prison and commuted all 340 death sentences. Our God is delivering Africa.
...serves a life sentence in Zambia, yet gave k150($11.00)
Lucky serves a life sentence in Zambia, yet gave k150 ($11.00) to Katondo CMML Church. The congregation was amazed to receive such a Glorious gift. When Lucky gave me that money.
I first refused to accept it knowing that he needed even more help.
The young man wept and pleaded: "Please take it, I wholeheartedly give to the church that houses FPM- Zambia for the tremendous transformation in my life as a result of the ABTs and your presence."
Kamwala Remand Prison Testimonies
Unforgiveness in the heart toward people who hurt us causes us to repeatedly do what was done to us (Romans 2:1). Fatherhood Prison Ministries Zambia (FPMZ) baptized yesterday, 23 March, 2015, 59 inmates in the Kamwala prison of Lusaka.
First we helped the inmates ask God to show bitterness in their hearts they were not aware of, and then helped them to ask the Father to forgive them for having kept bitterness in their hearts for so long without forgiving the one who hurt them. We asked this morning if someone had a special experience with Father God following the prayer and baptism. One man shared a dream he had last night in which he saw a white fish and caught it. He then realized how the white pastor who had brought so much truth these last five days was that fish. He also asked forgiveness for bitterness toward his parents. This morning they had shown up for the first time ever for a visit at 9:00 am.
An older and gentle convict who is father to juveniles at Kamwala asked me for prayer. Until now none of his family and friends had visited him and this obviously upset him. I asked him if he had bitterness in his heart towards his family and friends and offered to help him pray a personal prayer to God. He asked forgiveness for the bitterness he had for so long stored up in his heart and for Father God to help him love his family and friends and bless them. The next day at 16:00 hours a friend from some 450 km away Livingstone had come especially for him. He shared this testimony with all the juveniles.
A Testimony from Banda, Kamwala Remand
Luke 17:15-19: “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God and fell down on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus said: ‘Were there not ten cleaned? But where are the other nine? Did none return to give glory to God except this foreigner?’ Then Jesus said to him: ‘Stand up, go your way; your faith has made you well.’" And so also today few return to say “Thank you.” Here is Banda from Zambia:
“God is great and good all the time. I'm Banda in Lusaka, Zambia. I thank God for sending you to come in Zambian prisons. I was in Kamwala rimand prison in Lusaka, where you came and prayd for us and for me I'm now a born again, a full Christian, I was accuse of being a prohited immigrant by one of immigration officers because of my copper mine which he wanted to grab from me, but I'm a full Zambian, but my God who sent you to come and rescue me, said no, come out of this prison, may God bless you all the time and add many days to your life for changing numbers of people in this world and bless you for the doing the work you are doing. Thanks.”
Medium Security Prison, Kabwe, Zambia, Central Africa
"Servant of God, I thank God (Jehovah) who caused you to have a heart for prisoners. Prison is a condemned place; only those who feel they can share hardships with inmates can visit prisoners and encourage them with the Word of God."
"Servant of God, you always encourage me, and I’m inspired with the programmes I hear from the Audio Bible Teacher. You illustrate Jesus Christ when He spent time in the desert and was attended by angels. And it is an illustration of a Good Samaritan who found a Jew who was robbed by thieves .... Jesus taught us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. The Audio Bible Teacher is like an angel bringing comfort and strength, a spiritual life line that will help to keep me in Christ forever and ever. Amen.
Chrispin Nalumino
12 March, 2015
A Letter from Kabwe Mukobeko Maximum Security Prison
A letter from Kabwe Mukobeko Maximum Security Prison dated 30 March, 2015
"Beloved in the Lord, we are so grateful for the Audio Bible Teachers which have changed and won a lot of souls to Christ. Each time we play the ABTs we feel God speaking to us...
"We have also been helped as the PFZ sub-committee here in Maximum, as we had a big challenge with language; most of the inmates do not understand English, but we thank God that now all the common languages are in the ABTs. We deeply pray that you continue to reach many prisons throughout the world. May God richly bless you."
From Kamwala Prison, Zambia
It is a standard process for us to teach inmates about forgiveness for people who have hurt them in their past. Such unforgiveness in the heart causes us to repeatedly do what was done to us (Romans 2:1). FPMZ baptized yesterday, 23 March 2015, 59 inmates in the Kamwala prison of Lusaka...
But first we helped the inmates ask God to show bitterness in their hearts they were not aware of before, and then helped them to ask Father to forgive them for having kept bitterness for so long without forgiving the one who hurt them. We asked this morning if someone had a special experience with Father God since that prayer and baptism and one man shared a dream of last night in which he saw a white fish and caught it. He then realized how the white pastor had brought so much truth these last five days that he had “caught”. He also had asked forgiveness for bitterness toward his parents, and this morning they had shown up for the first time ever for a visit at 9:00 am.
This story is a repeat of what God did in 2013 in the Kalonga prison in Kabwe. Then a man who was already in prison for a second time, and for more than five years, had prayed the forgiveness prayer for bitterness toward his parents, and they had shown up the next day for the first time.
An older and gentle convict who is father to juveniles at Kamwala asked me for prayer. He never yet had any family or friends visit him and it obviously upset him. I asked him if he had bitterness in his heart for his family or friends, and offered to help him speak a personal prayer to God. He asked forgiveness for the bitterness he had for so long stored up in his heart, and for Father God to help him love his family and friends and bless them. The next day at 16:00 hours a friend from some 450 km away Livingstone had come especially for him. He shared this testimony with all the juveniles.
Mark's Testimony
Mark in his very early life grew up in Chingola, Copperbelt province of Zambia. He was the youngest in a family with six children. At age five he lost his father and his mother moved with her three younger children to her own home town of Mwense in Luapula province where Mark grew up. She was in the Christian Brethren church, so Mark grew up in that same environment and came to love God at early age.
He almost completed High School, but lost support for his schooling and could not finish his senior year. Then going back home to Mwense he met a Scottish missionary with the Christian Brethren, who chose him as his assistant because of Mark’s sharp mind. Mark assisted him in the mission work; teaching him Bemba, doing translation work for him from English into isiBemba, running a book-store and learning from this missionary the house building trade. After the missionary had left, Mark found employ as the local water supply system maintenance man in which capacity he was highly appreciated and honored. It changed him into a proud man, proud of being asked to do important community work because of his sharp mind. That hindered God from being able to use him any longer, though the Father still had big plans for him. God cannot use proud people. It seems to be just like in the case of Jacob’s proud son Joseph, who became under-king of Egypt. He too was proud, yet God had chosen him to save his family and through it preserve His plan for the coming of our Savior. To prepare Joseph’s heart, God had put him through 13 years of slavery and prison. And so God caused Mark at age 46 to go to prison for five years.
As soon as Mark was arrested he cried out to God with all his heart, recommitting his life to Him and offering his entire life in his Father’s service if He would just give him that opportunity, and from the moment he was in prison Mark became an effective witness for his Lord, preaching and teaching other inmates daily. In time he was even allowed to baptise on two occasions a total of 24 inmates.
After two years in prison, one night, an amazing calling came in a dream or vision, or was it maybe even more than a vision? Here is what Mark shared about it.
Mark and his entire cell-population of 75 inmates, like a church, one night sang worship songs, did Bible study together as usual, and prayed fervently. Afterwards Mark just could not sleep; he saw a man stand beside his bed who had tapped him on his shoulder, and reached out to take him by the hand. "He told me to follow him and we passed through the solid wall of our cell." When Mark looked backwards to see what had happened with the wall it was just in tact.
"Looking ahead again", Mark said: “I found myself flying with him, he was still holding my hand. He took me to a place that I have never ever seen in my life. He stood me on a high rock and showed me a very beautiful land. Green grass, trees with different kinds of fruit and crystal like streams and waterfalls. Then I said to him: ‘What a beautiful place.’ While I was gazing at all this I saw a dove descending from heaven; it was continually changing colours and pointing to the dove I asked this man: ‘What is this dove like, changing in all these colours?’ But he looked at me and said: ‘You have seen enough, let me take you back.’ So we flew back to the prison and entered through the top of the roof to my mattress. And standing next to my bed he looked at me with deeply piercing eyes as if looking right through me, and said: ‘Do you see all these people asleep here?’ And, yes, they were all soundly sleeping. And he continued: ‘I will come back to you at the appointed time so that you can take these people also to the place we have just visited.’ When he had left me I woke up and found my fellow inmates still fast asleep. I shivered at what had happened and said: ‘Lord, if this is You, will You reveal what this all means?’”
Mark was released from prison after three years and four months and remained in Mansa, working as a home-builder and visiting the prison every Saturday, ministering to his friends. Then one day, five years later, Pastor Aaron Mataka and Kees Hoek, showed up at Mansa prison for a three day seminar and met Mark. Kees noticed Mark’s love for the Lord and was surprised to find so much zeal in this man. When they left Mansa, Kees looked at Mark and said "I felt that maybe should work with us nationally." A month later Mark called and asked if he could join the ministry. Mark told: "when I had looked at you that time we parted in Mansa I saw in your eyes that same penetrating expression of the man in my vision as if you were looking right through me, and wondered if you were this man who would return at the appointed time."