Rodrick Phiri and Mildred Phiri Weds - 09/06/2012

The newly weds with me and my wife

Saturday 9^th June 2012 was a joyous moment when Rodrick and Mildred had their wedding in Kitwe. Having known both as good friends in our Youth Meetings and NARBYC Committee meetings, it was such a good moment for me. Mildred became my niece when I married her aunt, Racheal last year though I knew her even before I knew my wife; as for Rodrick, he became my son in law. It was such a great moment for the Phiri families. The wedding was officiated by our Pastor at Emmasdale Baptist Church, Pastor Isaac Makashinyi.

At Sherbourne Guest House for Photos

The church service or marriage blessing as others may call it, was held at Nkana East Chapel a church where we had our wedding in November last year and also a church I used to go to when I just started College in Kitwe. The service started around 11 hours and the reception at 15 hours

Rodrick Phiri

I came to know Rodrick Phiri for the first time during our Annual Reformed Baptist Conference by then my dad was Pastoring Choma Central Baptist Church, I cannot remember the exact day but it must have been sometime in August 2001. My dad was Pastor from the year 2000 to 2005. He became one of my good friends at my first ever Reformed Conference to attend in Lusaka.

Mildred Phiri

I first met Mildred Phiri in 2005 when I was just starting my tertiary education at Zambia Institute of Business Studies and Industrial Practice (ZIBSIP); she was working for Stanbic in Kitwe. In my second Semester at ZIBSIP, I went into boarding and become a member at Trinity Baptist Church. I served as the Chairman for the youth meeting and Mildred was the Vice Chairperson. She then got transferred to Chingola and again got transferred to Lusaka. We met again when I found a new job in Lusaka at Tata Zambia.

At the Lusaka Show Ground in 2011

We took this opportunity while on the Copperbelt to visit my parents in Chingola as it was a special day for my mum as she celebrated her 51^st birthday on the 3^rd June 2012. We had a good time to catch up on family issues.  We again met with my parents at Rodrick and Mildred’s wedding.

Me and my niece Mildred

Me and my wife at the Phiri's Wedding

We finally traveled back to Lusaka on sunday 10th June 2012.

Mum celebrates her 51st Birthday today - 3rd June

Mum

Its obviously one of those days when I sit down and write about a mother who will continue to be so caring and loving. She turns 51 today…

It’s a blessing indeed to have such a wonderful mother as you. You have been such a pillar of strength to all of us and you continue to open your heart to us even when we are sincerely undeserving and sometimes turn out to be ungrateful. That doesn’t seem to stop you from being the best mum of all times. 

  

Mom, on your 51^st birthday, I want to thank you for all that you have ever been to me and my sisters and to the family at large, you have been such an inspiration to many of us and indeed a rock of strength that God Himself has placed in our family. Mom, I cannot repay you for all that you have ever done for me, I can’t even begin to count the many times that you have made life to be so meaningful and easy for us. You carried us in your womb for nine long months, you went through all the complications and changes associated with pregnancy and yet with love, you carried us and brought us forth into this world. Then came the many sleepless nights you spent when we were sick, the many times you carried us on your back even when you were tired, the many times you had to force us to eat for our own good, the many times you bathed and dressed us for church and school and play, the many times we took you for granted and yet your motherly heart still loved us unconditionally…

Family Picture

Mom you continue to be so loving, caring and supportive throughout the years. I really thank God Almighty for you and for a chance to be called a son of such a great woman. Many queens the world has known and surely many queens the world will know but mom, you need not wear a crown to be identified as the greatest queen who ever lived to me. You love even those who are seemingly undeserving in the opinions of many of us, you help those you know will never extend a hand to help you and you hold out to anyone in need.  You are really a channel of blessing. As long as you have the capacity to help, to extend a kind hand, to say a kind word, you have never been short or held back but you always go all-out to fulfill your Christian duty. Many women do noble things, but you really do surpass them all. You have always been the perfect Proverbs 31 woman to us your family, you have always been a great mother and friend and you are surely a great example of what a true Christian should be. 

My late elder sister Precious with mum

Me and mum in Chingola - July 2010

Ruth my young sister with mum in Chingola - May 2012

Phoebe my youngest sister with mum - Feb 2011

It is my prayer that God may add more years to your life and indeed make your remaining years even more fruitful and plenteous. May He see you through in all that you do and light and guide your path that you may continue to minister to many lives through your life. Your own life is a great testimony of the love, impartiality, kindness and faithfulness of our God whom you have continued to serve meekly. May the God that you have served so faithfully satisfy you with good things and grant you the desires of your heart. May He forever meet you at your point of need and give you even a bigger heart to keep accommodating all of us as you have always done.

Family picture

Mom, to have turned 51 today is a real blessing. May the God whom you have served diligently see you through the many more years to come and may He continue to preserve your life. May He continue to protect you and grant you perfect health. May you see His greatness in this land of the living and may He grant you the courage and perseverance to hold on to Him and to your faith at all times and in all things.

Mum with Racheal my wife

Continue to be the way you are and surely you’ll always be near and dear to the people who love you so much. Mom, I love you and will always do. As I said earlier, I can’t repay you but God Himself will repay you. I want you to know that I am very grateful and continue to be very thankful to your kindness and indeed to all that you have done for me in the past and what you will do for me in the future. You have always shown us a love so amazing and its truly inspiring, challenging and its evident that its all the work of God. 

Mum with her mother and my cousins in Lusaka

Mum holding her grand child Melissa

I will always love you….

28th April My Birthday and full of memories

Its 28^th April again and two things that always come to my mind. Firstly, it brings sweet memories as it’s a day I celebrate my birthday and secondly, it brings bad memories as on my 10^th birthday in 1993, we got the sad news of the football team that perished in Gabon. I was never a fan of soccer until my 10^th birthday. All I would hear of is mum talking about Derby Makinka as he was mum’s favorite player in the Zambia National Team.

Fallen heroes at Independence stadium (28.04.1993)

President Chiluba mourns with the relatives of the heroes

19 years have passed since the tragedy happened and we were robes of great players that would have lifted the Tunisia 1994 Africa Cup of Nations trophy. God allowed such a tragedy to happen and one thing we should always remember is that God is all knowing and nothing takes Him by surprise. He is sovereign in all His dealings. It may not be easy for us to dust off everything that happened on that material day in 1993 especially those that were related to the fallen heroes. For me it did not make much sense when I saw mum shading tears while watching TV as the remains of the heroes were landing at the Airport in Lusaka and taken to Independence Stadium. I was only turning 10 years at the time and there was little that I could understand but as years moved on reality caught up with me as we kept watching the memorials of the fallen heroes year after year. I happen to share the same birth date with Dr Kenneth Kaunda (First President of Zambia) who was born in 1924 and also Saddam Hussein who was born in 1937

Dennis Liwewe and Kalusha Bwalya at the Airport

On this fateful April 28^th, 1993, Zambia lost one of the greatest footballers, Godfrey Chitalu. He was a Zambian footballer who is regarded as the greatest Zambian player ever and holds the national team goal-scoring record. Nicknamed 'Ucar', he was a forceful and often temperamental target man who was Zambian footballer of the year a record five times and in 1972 rewrote the record books by scoring 107 goals in all competitions in a single season.

Chitalu in action in 1972

After his retirement, Chitalu went into private life for a while until he resurfaced in the mid-80s as Kabwe Warriors coach. In 1984 he received a life ban after allegedly punching referee Kabalamula Chayu during an abandoned league game which was later scrapped after an appeal. He led the team to the 1987 Zambian league championship and was appointed assistant to coach Samuel Ndhlovu for the national team in the same year and was on the technical bench during Zambia’s 1988 Seoul Olympic Games exploits.

Godfrey Chitalu's grave at Independence stadium

Disaster struck Kabwe Warriors when they were demoted from the top league in 1990 but Chitalu made sure that none of his established team members including Zambian internationals left the club, leading to a swift return to the Super League and he was subsequently crowned 1991 Coach of the Year.

Following Zambia’s surprise defeat to Madagascar in a World Cup Qualifier in Antananarivo in December 1992, coach Ndhlovu was sacked and Chitalu became national team coach with Alex Chola as his assistant. The two put together an exciting team which was tipped to make it all the way to the 1994 World Cup but as fate would have it, Zambia’s incredible goal king perished along with the rest of the team off the Gabonese coast in the horrific air disaster. Chitalu had a record of 5 wins and 1 draw with 14 goals scored and 3 conceded.

Kalusha Bwalya visits the graves of his teammates

In 1994, I then began to fall in love with football and it was the first time I was watching the Africa Cup of Nations which took us to the Finals where we lost to Nigeria 2-1 though we scored first with a nice header from Elijah Litana. I started following football news and everything that surrounded football, I even reached a level of knowing personal information of Zambian players and from which club each player came from. Kalusha Bwalya, Johnstone Bwalya, Kenneth Malitoli and Elijah Litana were my favorite players when I just started enjoying football. 


Other than Zambian football, I am also a big fan of Manchester United Football Club in England and I like watching them play. Right now we are on top of the Barclays Premier League and hopefully we shall get the trophy at the end of the season.

Zambia National Soccer team (1988)

Zambia National Soccer team (1993)

Zambia National Soccer team (1996)

Zambia National Soccer team (1998)

Zambia National Soccer team (2000)

The current Chipolopolo - Zambia National Soccer team that brought the trophy to Zambia (2012)

Other events in history about April includes:

American April assassinations:

Abraham Lincoln

 

Martin Luther King Junior

Martin Luther King Junior and former president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, these supported people with African origin living in the United States. President Lincoln did not support slavery and he is best known for that. 

He was assassinated on 15^th April 1965. Martin Luther King came on the scene and he spoke for the African-Americans which forced the then president, Lyndon Johnson to sign a civil right bill into law that gave the people of colour the right to vote. Martin Luther King did not live to see his dream come true, he was assassinated on 4^th April, 1968. 

James Monroe

I happen to share the same birthday with James Monroe who was the 5^th President of the United States of America, he was born on the 28^th April 1758 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He served two terms from 1817 to 1825 and is best known for the Monroe Doctrine which declared the U.S. would not permit any European nation to extend its holdings or use armed force in North or South America. 

The Titanic Disaster, one of the worst maritime disasters in history. The luxury liner Titanic (46,000 gross tons) on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City struck an iceberg about 153 km south of the Grand Banks off Newfoundland just before midnight on April 14, 1912. Of the more than 2,220 persons aboard, about 1,513 died, including the American millionaires John Jacob Astor, Benjamin Guggenheim, and Isidor Straus. The Titanic sailed under British registry as part of the White Star Line, which was owned by a United States company controlled by the financier J.P. Morgan.

The ship had been proclaimed unsinkable because of its 16 watertight compartments. Nevertheless, the iceberg sufficiently damaged the Titanic to make it sink in less than three hours. Subsequent investigations found that the ship had been steaming too fast in dangerous waters, that the captain had ignored radio transmissions warning of ice, that lifeboat space had been provided for only about half of the passengers and crew, and that the Californian, close to the scene, had not come to the rescue because its radio operator was off duty and asleep. These findings led to many reforms, such as lifeboat space for every person on a ship, lifeboat drills, the maintenance of a full-time radio watch while at sea, and an international ice patrol.

The sinking of the Titanic has been the subject of several books and films, including the Hollywood blockbuster, Titanic (1998). It was not until September 1985 that the actual wreck was found resting under about 3,800 m of water. The area was photographed by a joint French-United States expedition through the use of robot submersibles equipped with television cameras. In July 1986 the U.S. researchers, led by American deep-sea explorer Robert Ballard, explored the Titanic in the three-person Alvin submersible; they took pictures of the interior, but recovered no artifacts. The following year a controversial French salvage effort retrieved dishes, jewels, currency, and other artifacts, which were exhibited in Paris in September 1987 and in Hamburg in 1997. In August 1998 a substantial section of the ship’s outer hull was recovered from the sea floor. Surveying and investigation of the wreck continues.

 

Come, ye sinners, poor and needy - William Walker (1809-1875)

William Walker (1809-1875)

Musically gift­ed, by age 18 Walker was lead­ing con­gre­ga­tion­al sing­ing at the First Bap­tist Church in Spar­tan­burg. He col­lect­ed and ar­ranged folk tunes, and with his brother-in-law, Ben­jamin Frank­lin White, par­ti­ci­pated in sing­ing schools and com­pil­ing mel­o­dies from south­ern Ap­pa­la­chia and camp meet­ings. Af­ter mov­ing to Hart­ford, Con­nec­ti­cut, Walk­er pub­lished The South­ern Har­mo­ny and Mu­sic­al Com­pan­ion in 1835, but gave no credit to White, who pub­lished The Sac­red Harp, a com­pet­ing vol­ume, in 1844. Both used the shaped note music nota­tion system.

Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,

Weak and wounded, sick and sore;

Jesus ready stands to save you,

Full of pity, love and power.

I will arise and go to Jesus,

He will embrace me in His arms;

In the arms of my dear Savior,

O there are ten thousand charms.

Come, ye thirsty, come, and welcome,

God’s free bounty glorify;

True belief and true repentance,

Every grace that brings you nigh.

Come, ye weary, heavy laden,

Lost and ruined by the fall;

If you tarry till you’re better,

You will never come at all.

View Him prostrate in the garden;

On the ground your Maker lies.

On the bloody tree behold Him;

Sinner, will this not suffice?

Lo! th’incarnate God ascended,

Pleads the merit of His blood:

Venture on Him, venture wholly,

Let no other trust intrude.

Let not conscience make you linger,

Not of fitness fondly dream;

All the fitness He requireth

Is to feel your need of Him.

Some birds of the Bible - Doctor Grave Singogo

The birds of the Bible will teach us who the Lord Jesus Christ is. There are some birds that are never attributed to Christ or human beings. A good example is a BAT, it is a mammal and a bird at the same time, and it is a hypocrite. It is not a good bird to associate a human being with.

We shall consider six (6) birds of the Bible.

1. The Dove

-The terms dove and pigeon are used interchangeably, although smaller species are more likely to be called doves. Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere.

Song of songs 5: 12 says “His eyes are as the eyes of the doves by the rivers of waters, washed with Milk, and fitly set.” This verse is talking about one who is describing her beloved one

-The dove is the most important bird in the Bible. It is gentle and so is Jesus Christ our Lord and savior.

Matthew 11: 28 says “Come unto me, all ye that labour and I will give you rest.” This was Jesus speaking to His disciples. Christ is ever so tender and yet He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. As Christian we need to be like Christ, let us endeavor to be tender.

Galatians 6: 1 says “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself lest thou also be tempted.” We must be like Christ when it comes to correcting others. We must have the spirit of Gentleness. If you are not gentle, then you are simply not a Christian because you must have the fruit of the spirit

-What about the eyes of the dove? If you keep doves at your home and everyday you quarrel, the doves will leave your house, they are peaceful birds.

Mark 10: 21 says “Then Jesus beholding him loved him and said unto him, one thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shall have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.” Jesus looked at him and He looked at him with love. The eyes of the dove speak of love.

2. The Eagle

-The eagle has been used by many nations as a national symbol, depicting power, beauty and independence. It is also part of the Coat of Arms of Zambia and the nation’s flag. Like all birds of prey, eagles have very large powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs and powerful talons. They also have extremely keen eyesight to enable them to spot potential prey from a distance.

Proverbs 30: 18-19 says “There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yeah, four which I know not: The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.” An eagle, when it flies, it goes very high up in the sky but its eyes are sharp that it can see a fish down in the sea and quickly get down to capture it.

-An eagle is the only bird that can fly against the storm.

Luke 8: 22 – 25 says “Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. But as they sailed he fell asleep and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was calm. And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to the other, What manner of man is this! For he commandeth even the winds and waters, and they obey him.”  The storm in this context is a picture language of the troubles and tribulations.

-If one has money problems, it’s called a financial storm. If one has a terrible marriage experience, it’s called a marriage storm…etc

3. The Hen (Chicken)

Matthew 23: 37 says “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! All this is picture language. The Hen speaks of the protective and caring nature of Jesus Christ.

-Jesus died for us, He sacrificed his life, nobody can care and protect like Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 5: 6-7 says “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

We quote this verse but many times we miss the text point.

-Jesus protects us, verse 8 the bible says “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” From Satan we would be demon possessed if it’s not for Jesus Christ.

-God put a hedge on Job – what happened when the hedge was removed? Satan brought sickness and all the suffering that befell on Job.

4. The Owl

Owls are a world-wide order of birds known as Strigiformes and the 216 species range in size from the tiny, sparrow size, Elf Owl to the Eurasian Eagle Owl which has a wing span of nearly 2 meters and can weigh almost 5kg.

Psalm 102: 6 says “I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert.” Here in this psalm, Jesus is being referred to as an owl. In our tradition today, an owl is associated with witchcraft and bad things but that should not be so for a Christian.

Three (3) things about the owl:

(i) It’s the only bird which stands upright – It speaks of the uprightness of Jesus Christ. It speaks of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. He is our savior and sinless was he.

Hebrews 7: 26 says “For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;” Jesus Christ was sinless. Hebrews 4: 15 says “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

(ii) It has big eyes – yellow and big – The owl is the only bird that can turn its head 270 degrees and its vision is excellent. Our Lord Jesus sees everything and he knows everything. Whether we are winning or losing, may we trust in God and do the right.

(iii). It has a big head – The big head speaks of two (2) things:

-The knowledge of God – There is nothing that God does not know. Everything lies plain in the eyes of God

-The wisdom of God – It is putting into action the knowledge that one has in Christ like.

In Proverbs 8, Christ is referred to as wisdom, we need wisdom in everything we do.

5. The Sparrow

The sparrows are indigenous to Europe, Africa and Asia. They are generally birds of open habitats, including grasslands, deserts, and scrubland. The sparrows are one of the few passerine birds that engage in dust bathing. Sparrows will first scratch a hole in the ground with their feet, then lie in it and fling dirt or sand over their bodies with flicks of their wings.

Psalm 102: 7 says “I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.” The sparrow is the cheapest bird but that’s not the message here. Sparrows are never alone, they always flock together. When you see a sparrow alone, it means three (3) things:

1.       It is not well

2.       Its nest has been destroyed

3.       It has lost its colleagues.

A lonely sparrow in verse 7 symbolizes the Lord Jesus when he was alone in the garden of Gethsemane. We must always remember that Christ died for us, he took our place. He carried the disease of sin, that’s why he was alone.

6. The Pelican

There are more than half a dozen species of pelicans, but all of them have the famous throat pouch for which the birds are best known. These large birds use their elastic pouches to catch fish—though different species use it in different ways. They store some of the fish in their famous throat pouch.

Many pelicans fish by swimming in cooperative groups. They may form a line or a "U" shape and drive fish into shallow water by beating their wings on the surface. When fish congregate in the shallows, the pelicans simply scoop them up.

It speaks of two (2) things:

(i) Fishers of men – making evangelists. Jesus is known to be a great evangelist, he was a great pelican. As Christians, it is our duty to spread the word of God, we ought to be fishers of men.

(ii) The pelican reminds us that Jesus will provide for us – He provided for Elijah using the Ravens when the prophets of God were being killed in the time of King Ahab

Genesis 22 – Remember the story of Abraham when God commanded him to sacrifice his one and only son Isaac. God provided Ram just when he was about to strike his son.

John 14 – God provided for the five thousand people with only 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread. It was a miracle and God works in ways we cannot see or understand.

Matthew 17: 24 says “And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?” The bible is full of picture language; they had no money to pay Tax.

Matthew 17:27 says “Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first comes up: and when thou has opened his mouth, thou shall find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.” This was a miracle.

Indeed God is Jehovah Jaire – the Lord provides

By Doctor Grave Singogo

ZAMBIA’S AFCON VICTORY MEAN MANY THINGS TO MANY PEOPLE

To some it is a game played and a game won. Since in every competition at least one team should emerge as a winner and the victorious team has to go away joyously. So, the Zambian team went away jubilating for having won the game and never loosing in all the games they played.

Mwene saving Zambia at the AFCON cup final

To others this was a Southern African ‘small team’ that survived the jaws of the giants; Ghana, Cameroon etc… in as far as football was concern. The Zambian players were called ‘Under Dogs’ but to the surprise of many people, it turned out to be the other way round.

But what else could be said about the AFCON with the Zambian team emerging as the winner?

Herve Renard talking to Nkausu

We can actually talk about hard work and determination that the boys portrayed during the matches. They devoted themselves to prayer and devotions to God while in camp and they also trained very hard with the coach Herve Renard. Memories about the Zambian football flashes back: I mean good and short passes that characterized Zambian football back in memorial when players like Derby Makinka, John Soko, Estone Mulenga, Timothy Mweetwa, Wisdom Chansa, were in full form and Dennis Liwewe could not help it but make a chorus out of the boy’s names as the ball passed from one man’s skilled legs to the other, running upfront to the opponent’s goal post with the necessary stubbornness.

It was once again happening with the Zambian new team spear headed by Christopher Katongo, showing what the world had almost forgotten about Zambian football. Indeed the Zambian footballers stood against their competitors with enthusiasm and triumphed. They had a tough game with Ghana in the Semi Finals and we were really outplayed but we indeed managed to win and move to the finals. I could hear the Zambian coach Herve Renard shouting on top of his voice as Zambia was playing trying to instruct the players on what to do as I watched the match with my wife and young sisters at home.

Drogba, after missing a penalty

 May I mention here that at this moment, the names of those who died in a plane crush suddenly registered in my mind as they died on my 10^th birthday in 1993. Yes, so vividly that I felt like ‘the boys’ were playing that I …and I…as I watched the match. I couldn’t believe it, but the salt taste in my mouth. Indeed the boys brought the trophy home in memory of the 18 players that perished on the 28^th April 1993 in Gabon.

The other thing that can be said about the last match when Zambia finally played Ghana is that, this time around the team was not ready for anything less than a win. They showed a unity of purpose. Chamanga was made to play in the first half and Mayuka was brought in the second half as a substitute and he is the one that scored to take Zambia to the finals.

Zambian players, waiting as they take penalties

The boy’s achievement can be defined as the total some of every player’s effort. Here we can stress the point that unity of purpose is not only about the common task at hand but how the members of a team or a group believes shall all be when the team overcomes the challenges or the opponents. The team ‘won’ before it could actually win so that it was not read to lose the won. In case you are wondering what I mean here dear reader; you see, there must be harmony between what you are thinking and how you feel and how you act. The leg must be well informed, and well energized to kick the ball in the right direction. But to do this in a team it entails one to think about what to usher in at the right time. Thanks to the motivators of this team.

Zambian players celebrating

The nation felt more united and for those who could not talk to each other at least postponed their grudges. The victory fever intoxicated everybody and the lesson was learned; that the common good can be used to make people more united if there is any chance to do so.

2012 AFCON Winners (Zambia's Chipolopolo boys)