“I used to be violent and difficult.”
For Suria Malambo, just about everything in her life was a struggle. Pregnant by a man who refused responsibility, Suria spent the next few years moving from place to place, looking for work and means to survive.
Suria and her son, Palo, live in Kalomo, Zambia. Once the capital of Zambia, today Kalomo is a large commercial farming area. The community where Suria lives, however, has a lot of crime.
In addition to providing for her son, Suria also cares for her mother, who is regularly ill. Though they had access to running water, finding food was a constant struggle.
Suria had lots of reasons to be upset about her life and no one to show her a different way of thinking.
Until she met Pastor Enock.
Enock Sakala is the pastor of Hope Reformed Baptist Church—a church belonging to the Children’s Hunger Fund Mercy Network in Zambia.
“We prayed for the growth of our ministry,” Pastor Enock shared about his church plant in Kalomo, “and CHF coming along was a clear answer to prayer.”
Pastor Enock heard about Suria through a relative of hers who attends his church, and he began to visit Suria and her family with Food Paks.
A year later, Suria is nothing like the violent, difficult person she was before. No longer compelled to keep moving around in search of work, Suria has become much more settled. She is now selling corn at the local market and, thanks to the regular delivery of food, can use that income to cover other necessities. She has plans of growing her business in the future.
But even more important than finding the solution to her physical situation, Suria has experienced spiritual healing. She loves her new church community and the many ways her life has changed.
Now that Suria is growing roots in Kalomo, she is starting to have an influence in her community. She is helping in the children’s ministry at church and has even brought several more children to church from her neighborhood.
“Her influence in her community has a lot of promises for the future,” Pastor Enock shared. “She is a gem.”
Palo’s health has improved since they began receiving Food Paks from the church. At five years old, he helps the family by drawing water from the well. He enjoys singing at church and loves when Pastor Enock comes to visit his family and proudly tells his friends that Enock is his pastor. Palo doesn’t know what he wants to be when he grows up, but—like many young boys—he wants to do something that involves driving a vehicle.
Suria has acknowledged the changes she has experienced in her life and in her faith and credits them to the way the church treated her. This was not her first experience with church, but it has certainly been the most positive.
“I have been in many churches where I did not see what I have seen in this church,” Suria shared. “I am very happy when I am visited.”
Pastor Enock is grateful for the Food Pak program that has helped his church community understand and participate in mercy ministry in Kalomo. He sees it as a fulfillment of the Lord’s ministry and is thankful for the positive response of the congregation. He sees the potential for growth—both within his church and with the Food Pak program—and is hopeful that God will provide improved transportation for the ministry.
The faithfulness of our ministry partners like Pastor Enock and the prayer and support from our CHF friends mean that food and the hope of the gospel are being shared in Zambia and beyond.
Thank you for your vital role in this ministry, and please pray for our church partners around the world.
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