Hope in a Refugee Camp

by Erin Ensinger

Sometimes ABH books sprout wings and fly farther than we dared dream. We may never know how a copy of Shepherding God’s Church travelled from Tanzania to Malawi’s Dzaleka Refugee Camp, but Pastor Jacob prays for hundreds more books to follow.

A refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pastor Jacob is one of over 50,000 people crowded into a camp designed for 10,000. Refugees from Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, and Somalia have called this former political prison home since 1994, according to www.dzaleka.com. The camp sits forty-one kilometers from Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital city, according to unhcr.org.

Five hundred churches also make their home at Dzaleka. But few of the pastors know Scripture or understand their pastoral role. Some participate in adultery. Pastor Jacob possesses a generous vision but few resources to help them.

With a PhD in theology and church planting, Pastor Jacob has already planted the Berea Pentecostal Mission Church in various regions of Malawi. Classes began in September at his Berea Pastoral Training Institute of Africa. He plans to teach—and feed—thirty pastors for free over the next two years. Each pastor will receive a certificate at the end of their training course.

But what is school without books? In a series of text messages, Pastor Jacob pleaded with ABH President Fran Joslin to send books for his students.

 “I have seen your books are very good and can help pastors and church leaders here in Malawi,” Pastor Jacob texted Fran.

Without a printer at the camp, the project of supplying books seemed doomed. Pastor Jacob could ask his students to download the books to their phones—if only they had a good Internet connection. Hope dawned when a pastor in Tanzania offered to get the books printed and send them on the bus route to Dzaleka. He also agreed to make his location in Tanzania a printing hub to send ABH books throughout southern and eastern Africa.

Within days, 250 copies each of Shepherding God’s Church and Discipleship: Following Jesus rode the bus to Malawi. Pastor Jacob announced their arrival with a text to Fran exclaiming, “”Praise the Lord, Fran! I received books. God bless you. I am very grateful.”

Future shipments will include A Walk with the Wounded (a book about pastoral counseling) and Widowed, since Pastor Jacob said many widows live at the camp. He also hopes to use ABH books at a conference this fall for 300 pastors across Malawi.

“Our God is great! We continue to pray for Satan to be defeated in Jesus’ name,” Pastor Jacob concluded in a text to Fran.