Bear Creek Church partners with hardworking servants Sam and Mildred Machaka to assist very needy people outside Harare, Zimbabwe. Zim is recognized, by several measures, as one of the poorest nations on the planet. So the people who live in the area outside Kambezuma can be said to be among the poorest of the poor. Sam and Millie have catalogued the needs of many of these p
eople, many of them HIV/AIDS orphans and widows, and work hard to help them in practical ways.
Bear Creek Church Pastor Dale Meador recently visited South Africa and Zimbabwe with Sam, delivering valuable resources and evaluating the needs around the Machaka's home. Of that visit, Sam wrote to BCC's Pastor Brian Phelps:
Hi pastor Brian,
It is now exactly a month since Pastor Dale and I parted and what I had always suspected he would do he did; he came to the Joshua Nkomo area in Kambuzuma Harare, the poorest area and sat with us where no other (allow me to use this term for now) white man had come, at least in the last 10 years or so. But he was no ordinary white man, he was a loving man sent by a loving church that I also believe would have done the same. What praise we offer to the Lord Jesus for His grace.
Pastor Brian and the elders of BCC, I would like to thank you for your continued remembrance of us in the gospel. After a month I have had the time to reflect on the whole trip that I was privileged to undertake with Pastor Dale both in South Africa and in Zimbabwe and I have come to the conclusion that God is simply being gracious to a sinful man like me. He is just showing off His love and mercies just because he can. I have been asking myself: who am I that I should be invited to accompany Pastor Dale on this assignment if it is not His grace alone?
My family, the church, and the people we will be ministering to and I have been blessed from this trip because it is sure to change my life and my perspective of God.
What have I benefitted from this trip? Well to start with, I enjoyed the food, the accommodation, the travel, and the fellowship was quite refreshing to me. I lived like a king those 2 weeks but more than that I got the opportunity to hear God’s word which is so precious to me. What’s a king without God’s precious word? I get so jealous when such stuff is delivered and I am not there. Thank God for His provision you graciously provided for me to travel to South Africa and back to Zimbabwe so that I could also hear God’s word. I think I benefitted the most because whatever point one could have missed in any meeting I got it in the next.
In addition to this, I am so blessed in that I and my family got books that included the ESV Study Bible. Mildred and the children also got books from Nancy and we are thankful. We love books and I have become a fan of Pastor John Piper. I have since last year been downloading his material from desiringgod.org and oh what helpful resources for my ministry. The ministry is blessed indirectly in that whatever I have learnt has been taught me first. For example, through the books you gave me I have also become an admirer of Jonathan Edwards who I heard little of at Seminary. Along with the Puritan tradition of self introspection I too have become more aware of my wretchedness and the great deliverance God has rescued me with.
Though I knew it I did not put much thought into it but 1 Cor. 10:31 is helping me seek for ways to glorify God in all I do. I am an impatient man but now at the grocery store (where I am most impatient) I have stopped the rush that always left a dark patch in my testimony and that of the Lord. I am more thankful for the Lord’s provision. Last night Mildred, Samantha, Josh and I thanked the Lord because we like Jacob do not deserve his favor yet he has loved us, given us a place to live, food to eat, clothes to wear, and he has given us each other as well as friends we do not deserve.
Mildred and I are slowly going through Piper’s ‘This momentary Marriage’ and what a teaching. I am very much in love with Mildred and want it to be like that the rest of our lives but I have learnt that marriage is not about staying in love. It is a covenant relationship that should reflect the love of Christ and his church. I now value the covenant I made with her more and how I pray the Lord will help me teach the same to other men and women in Zimbabwe.
It is now exactly a month since Pastor Dale and I parted and what I had always suspected he would do he did; he came to the Joshua Nkomo area in Kambuzuma Harare, the poorest area and sat with us where no other (allow me to use this term for now) white man had come, at least in the last 10 years or so. But he was no ordinary white man, he was a loving man sent by a loving church that I also believe would have done the same. What praise we offer to the Lord Jesus for His grace.
Pastor Brian and the elders of BCC, I would like to thank you for your continued remembrance of us in the gospel. After a month I have had the time to reflect on the whole trip that I was privileged to undertake with Pastor Dale both in South Africa and in Zimbabwe and I have come to the conclusion that God is simply being gracious to a sinful man like me. He is just showing off His love and mercies just because he can. I have been asking myself: who am I that I should be invited to accompany Pastor Dale on this assignment if it is not His grace alone?
My family, the church, and the people we will be ministering to and I have been blessed from this trip because it is sure to change my life and my perspective of God.What have I benefitted from this trip? Well to start with, I enjoyed the food, the accommodation, the travel, and the fellowship was quite refreshing to me. I lived like a king those 2 weeks but more than that I got the opportunity to hear God’s word which is so precious to me. What’s a king without God’s precious word? I get so jealous when such stuff is delivered and I am not there. Thank God for His provision you graciously provided for me to travel to South Africa and back to Zimbabwe so that I could also hear God’s word. I think I benefitted the most because whatever point one could have missed in any meeting I got it in the next.
In addition to this, I am so blessed in that I and my family got books that included the ESV Study Bible. Mildred and the children also got books from Nancy and we are thankful. We love books and I have become a fan of Pastor John Piper. I have since last year been downloading his material from desiringgod.org and oh what helpful resources for my ministry. The ministry is blessed indirectly in that whatever I have learnt has been taught me first. For example, through the books you gave me I have also become an admirer of Jonathan Edwards who I heard little of at Seminary. Along with the Puritan tradition of self introspection I too have become more aware of my wretchedness and the great deliverance God has rescued me with.
Though I knew it I did not put much thought into it but 1 Cor. 10:31 is helping me seek for ways to glorify God in all I do. I am an impatient man but now at the grocery store (where I am most impatient) I have stopped the rush that always left a dark patch in my testimony and that of the Lord. I am more thankful for the Lord’s provision. Last night Mildred, Samantha, Josh and I thanked the Lord because we like Jacob do not deserve his favor yet he has loved us, given us a place to live, food to eat, clothes to wear, and he has given us each other as well as friends we do not deserve.
Mildred and I are slowly going through Piper’s ‘This momentary Marriage’ and what a teaching. I am very much in love with Mildred and want it to be like that the rest of our lives but I have learnt that marriage is not about staying in love. It is a covenant relationship that should reflect the love of Christ and his church. I now value the covenant I made with her more and how I pray the Lord will help me teach the same to other men and women in Zimbabwe.
‘Brothers we are not Professionals’: it is difficult to say which chapter is the best but chapter 2 struck me the most because it has made me realize why God moves as he does; for his glory. It has made clear all the other difficult passages in Scripture. It is actually a chapter of God’s love. How could such a great God ever think of saving a selfish sinner like me, selfish people like us? It is only his love.
Wayne Grudem’s Systematic theology is also another priceless book you have blessed us with. I always refer to it every week. In fact 8 times out of 10 I have it with me with my Bible in the car. I got to understand more clearly the doctrines of election, perseverance of the saints and have lately been doing a study of Prophets and Apostles. Grudem’s teaching are simple but deep theology, always taking us to the Scriptures and exposing every text he quotes. Given the opportunity I would love to teach systematic theology to our lay leaders and pastors in our church and I believe the time is drawing very close for me to do so.
‘The Supremacy of God in Preaching’; where can I start? I think I underlined almost every second sentence of the book. I was struck most by chapter seven where Piper captured the essence of Edward’s preaching. I have learnt that I cannot afford as a husband, father and pastor to be lukewarm in my preaching. There must be heat and light, scripture and love oozing out of me. I had given up on deep emotions for the church after I was hurt some years back and ever since I do not think I was giving them the best but now through reading these books I now give more of myself to the Lord and to the flock He so loves. I thought I knew what love is but alas I did not.
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Lastly kindly send our gratitude to the whole church for their prayers. God will surely visit them. We love you all saints.
All our love,
Your African brothers and sisters,
Sam, Mildred, Samantha, Munashe and Joshua
‘The Supremacy of God in Preaching’; where can I start? I think I underlined almost every second sentence of the book. I was struck most by chapter seven where Piper captured the essence of Edward’s preaching. I have learnt that I cannot afford as a husband, father and pastor to be lukewarm in my preaching. There must be heat and light, scripture and love oozing out of me. I had given up on deep emotions for the church after I was hurt some years back and ever since I do not think I was giving them the best but now through reading these books I now give more of myself to the Lord and to the flock He so loves. I thought I knew what love is but alas I did not.
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Lastly kindly send our gratitude to the whole church for their prayers. God will surely visit them. We love you all saints.
All our love,
Your African brothers and sisters,
Sam, Mildred, Samantha, Munashe and Joshua