September 8, 2003
Editor: Kandus Thorp, Assistant to the Director, Adventist Television Network
THE 'IMPOSSIBLE' IS ACCOMPLISHED IN ZAMBIA!
"Something great is happening here!" enthusiastically reports Pr Mulambo, ATN Satellite Coordinator for Zambia Union Mission, on the opening night of "Hope for a Troubled World," a satellite evangelism program with VOP which is being uplinked from Lusaka, Zambia, August 29 to September 20. Yes, something great really is happening, but not without a "Red Sea" experience for leaders and members of Zambia Union Mission.
For nearly two years, the Zambia Union dreamed of having 500 church downlinks participating in this event. With over 150 sites already equipped, the members pooled their resources; VOP added an incentive, and 300 churches ordered the necessary equipment--months ago. The order was placed with a supplier outside of Zambia. Patiently the churches waited for delivery of their equipment. The IRD's [receivers] came, but no satellite dishes and no LNB's [feedhorns]. Weeks passed with no sign of the long-awaited goods. Meanwhile, time was getting shorter and shorter.
After intense investigation by Pr Musonda, Treasurer of ZUM, it was confirmed that the company responsible for the sale of the satellite equipment had not acted honestly. Instead of being shipped by air from Asia, the satellite equipment was on an ocean liner and could not possibly arrive in time for the satellite event. The devil was indeed busy making mischief to disrupt this evangelistic series!
With less than three weeks left before the start of the event, leadership of the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division immediately went into action along with ATN leaders to find a solution to this crisis. The success of the series in Zambia was in jeopardy unless equipment could be found and installed. But to find a source for that much equipment in Africa quickly and at a reasonable cost was a major challenge. With prayers, tears, and hard work, the team rallied together, imploring Heaven's intervention as they sought to accomplish the impossible!
Some satellite dishes were purchased locally; additional dishes were purchased from South Africa, along with 300 LNB's. And remember the lay brother from Kenya who builds satellite dishes? ATN sponsored him to come to Lusaka, bringing along some of his equipment. Under his direction, lay members worked around the clock to manufacture dishes from locally available materials.
And the miracles happened!
ONLY 12 DAYS before the beginning of the event: Br Errol van Eck, Technical Information Coordinator and Africa Representative for ATN, says, "I believe it was providential that our leaders found a local layman who had a metal workshop available which he immediately offered for the dish-making operation. He had tools we needed and particularly a compressor for the spray painting, which would have been expensive to hire. In many other ways he helped us and showed an interest in what we were doing. The day before traveling to Lusaka, I went to the nearest hardware store and bought 16 high-speed titanium-tipped drill bits. Later I heard that the square tubing available in Zambia was much heavier and difficult to drill…. Those bits turned out to be invaluable and stayed sharp for much longer than those available locally, helping to keep the operation going."
JUST 8 DAYS before the start of the program: Pr Musonda, and Dr Chikwekwe are returning from South Africa by air with 60 LNB's that the church has not had time to pre-clear. After fervent prayer, with no money in their pockets to pay the expected high customs charges, at the last possible moment, providentially the Lord provides. All of the equipment is cleared with no charges!
On the same day, a truck heavily loaded with 120 satellite dishes and 240 LNB's leaves Johannesburg, South Africa, bound for Lusaka. Because of the condition of the roads and the excess weight, the driver has seven flat tires! Finally arriving at the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, he is told the truck and all the goods will be impounded because of a problem with the paperwork. After a day-long delay, the missing paper is faxed, the load cleared, and the truck grinds into Lusaka TWO days before the start of the satellite series. Church members from all over Zambia are camped in the yard at the Union headquarters awaiting its arrival. Rapidly equipment is dispersed for immediate installation.
In the latest report from Zambia, Dr Chikwekwe reports, "Technicians have worked day and night--literally! And in five days all 114 downlinks in the city of Lusaka are up and running, with one site reporting a viewing audience of three thousand! We believe 85% of the over 450 sites in Zambia are up and running. A few rural locations we are not sure about because communication is quite difficult, but we have seen miracle after miracle. It is truly amazing what God has done!"
In the face of this crisis, what the Lord helped our church to do is truly extraordinary! Zambia Union sets a new record worldwide for ATN with the most installations in a 35km radius. In the city of Lusaka, with a population of 1.2 million, 114 downlinks now help to spread the Gospel. Each one stands as a testimony of triumph against the adversary who tried hard to prevent earnest seekers in Zambia from hearing the message of "Hope for a Troubled World." May the Lord be praised!