Zambia is a country that is largely reached with the Gospel. The constitution declares the country a Christian nation and more than 90% of the country’s nearly 18 million residents are professing Christians. Yet, even with so many believers, the church in Zambia has yet to become a major sending force for missions. African missionaries face many challenges, and financial support is one of the biggest.
Meet Peter Kapinga, a missionary from Zambia.
Humble beginnings meet ingenuity.
He doesn’t have a large financial support network to pull from, but he has felt God’s call to tell his fellow Zambians of their role in the Great Commission.
"I have seen and discovered that many churches today have not put care into the mission work. Their focus is on beautifying their churches and there is little knowledge of God's mission." -Peter Kapinga
This deep conviction has led to incredible ingenuity. He knew he would need a way to provide for his family, while still having time to devote to the work of mobilizing the Zambian church into missions, so he came up with the idea to start a pig farm.
The Pig Farm
Why a Farm?
A pig farm is not your typical missionary endeavor, perhaps, but Peter is determined to make it successful. The continued consumer demand for pork meat means the pig business can be quite lucrative in Zambia, and Peter has a great team of people in place to help him run things when he’s out mobilizing the church to missions.
He’s starting small, with just three pigs on a portion of his wife’s family land. But the hope is that as these pigs give birth to more pigs (in fact, nine little piglets have just been born!) and those pigs give birth to even more pigs, that Peter can then purchase a larger piece of land to continue growing the business. Eventually, the dream is that the pig farm will bring in enough income to help support other Zambian missionaries as well.
They will be Sent
The Next Generation
"The young people in our local assemblies- they have the opportunity to serve and go beyond the church, beyond the denominational lines, beyond the boundaries of our nations." -Peter Kapinga
Peter prays that the younger generation can utilize their zeal and energy to go beyond the church, beyond denominational lines, and beyond the boundaries of their nation. Peter has big dreams for not only Zambia but for all of Africa to become a missional force. He devotes his days to teaching churches about God's mission as well as hosting Bible studies throughout town. He is determined to see Africans living a sent life, on mission.
From Africa to the Nations
Africa is shifting from a major mission field in the 19th and 20th century (from about 9 million Christians in the early 20th century) to potentially one of the major global mission forces in the 21st century. There are now 685 million Christians in Africa. In 2018, Africa became the continent with the most Christians in the world, and Zambia has the potential to be at the forefront of a new movement of African missionaries.
Peter knows this. He feels it deep inside himself. The Holy Spirit is moving, and Peter won't rest until he’s told as many Zambians as he can about their role in reaching those who have yet to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.
There is a lot of potential for what this little pig farm can become. Maybe three pigs and a missionary are all that’s needed to start a movement.
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Pray.
Pray for Peter to abide in Jesus in all of his efforts. Pray for his pig farm to thrive and for God to grant him wisdom in its development.
Pray that the churches Peter is meeting with in Zambia would be receptive to the message that God's heart is for all nations. Pray for a missional movement to catch fire in Zambia, in Africa, to the ends of the earth.
Interested in serving?
Africa is still home to nearly 1000 unreached people groups, we need to work together with our African brothers and sisters like Peter to reach them. There are open opportunities we are looking to fill today that play a part in coming alongside them to see the unreached in Africa have access to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
About the Author: Jordan and Kristin Andre serve with AIM Stories. Their focus is on storytelling through video production, photography, and writing. Their work takes them all over the African continent and into every kind of environment—from the inner city to the ends of the earth. They rub shoulders with other missionaries, getting an intimate look into their ministries and into the lives of the people they serve. As Missionary Storytellers they serve to tell the stories of the unreached, the missionary, and ultimately of God's redemptive work among Africans.