Enock Sakala

Enock is being sent by Trinity Baptist Church in Livingstone, Zambia to establish Hope Reformed Baptist Church in Kalomo. Kalomo is the first town north of Livingstone along the major road to the capital city, Lusaka. Enock studied in Lusaka Ministerial College, which is supported by HeartCry, and was a member of former HeartCry missionary Lichawa Thole’s church. Enock’s wife, Hellen, was a member of HeartCry missionary German Banda’s church. Obviously, we are excited to see so many of our relationships produce yet another church planting family in Zambia.

Testimony of Conversion

Before Conversion

I was raised by religious parents, though my father was not a very committed member of the church. Because of that I grew up as an obedient child in the eyes of my parents and the community. On many occasions, parents to my friends would refer to me as a role model of a well-behaved child and encouraged their children (my friends) to emulate me. When I was 7 years old, I underwent infant “baptism” and was committed to Sunday school.

But as I grew older, I envied friends at school who would come with money and buy food. This made me to start stealing money from my parents, and later I begun to seal other people’s property (and I was never caught). One day I went with a friend to steal some property in the neighborhood. When asked about it later, I denied being involved in the theft. But my friend admitted being guilty and cited me as his partner. This revelation angered my mother who was sure of my innocence. I felt so bad about this incident, but my sorrow did not lead to salvation.

Conversion

In August 2004, when I was in my 10^th grade and schools had just closed for the second term school holiday, my aunt, Mrs. Thole (wife of former HeartCry missionary Lichawa Thole) invited me to an evangelistic Youth Tea Party organized by her church (Chisomo Baptist Church – Matero). It was at this event that the Lord was pleased to save me from my sins. Pastor Lichawa Thole preached from Ecclesiastes 12 and the closing verses of this chapter struck me, and for once I thought of my hypocrisy and how it was going to be exposed on Judgment Day. I feared for my soul and I was so disturbed that I couldn’t eat my snack during the event until I talked to Mr. Edwin Mwale (now an elder at Chisomo Baptist Church). He explained the gospel to me further and prayed for me. Mr. Mwale challenged me to repent of my sins and have faith in Jesus Christ for my salvation and this I did immediately.

After Conversion

After my conversion, I continued attending our “family church” and became more committed. I also served in different leadership positions before I finally decided to join Chisomo Baptist Church due to doctrinal convictions in January 2010. While at Chisomo Baptist Church, I was properly baptized, i.e. immersed, and then served as youth chairperson. I was also privileged to be part of the organizing committee for the Vernacular Reformed Baptist Churches Family Conferences, and worked with Scripture Union as a volunteer staff before I moved to Kalomo.

Call to Ministry

Before I joined Chisomo Baptist Church the only time I would grab a book to read was only when an exam was around the corner. But when I joined Chisomo Baptist Church, I had to step up my doctrinal understanding, so I had to learn the discipline of reading doctrinal books. But for one who is not cultured in reading, I found Richard P. Belcher’s theological novels easy to read and understand. I sensed the call to pastoral ministry in 2013 while I was reading a theological novel by the same author, “The Journey in Missions and Evangelism.”

The author in this particular novel passionately tells of how C. T. Studd and William Carey answered the call to missions. I particularly felt challenged by the life of Charles Thomas Studd famously known as C.T. Studd – raised in a well to do family, well educated, famous in the cricket world, and wealthy. But he left it all to serve his Lord in missions. This made me to ask my self how I was to be of more use to my Lord and Savior. I read the book through twice in a week and I had the conviction the Lord was calling me into ministry.

Before this I preached twice at Chiyanjano Baptist Church and twice in Petauke, and the brethren in these churches urged me to go into ministry. I never thought I was a ministry material, though when I was 12 years old I remember telling someone that I wanted to become a pastor because I wanted to preach to my father so that he could stop drinking beer! When I had this conviction I went and shared with my pastor and the elder under whose oversight I was. They both told me to pray about it but they didn’t tell me when to get back to them. After some months they got back to me to find out if I still felt that the Lord wanted me in ministry and my answer was ‘yes.’ Thus I enrolled for theological studies at Lusaka Ministerial College and started my internship program at Chisomo Baptist Church after being interviewed by a panel of elders from Chisomo Baptist Church and Kabwata Baptist Church. Today, I am still convinced that that the Lord wants me in the ministry.

When I was born, my mother was thirteen years old and my father denied being responsible for my mother’s pregnancy, and so I grew up lacking a father. I used to admire my friends who had fathers and would talk about their fathers buying them gifts while I had no one to buy me gifts. When I was six years old and living in Mtendere Township of Lusaka, my mother got married, but my step-father didn’t like me and would not treat me like his own child, so the “father” vacuum was not filled. I used to bother my mother concerning my real father, but she could only tell me “God is your father.” I could not appreciate this because I wanted a physical person to look up to.

One day my mother located my biological father and introduced me to him. I was very happy to meet him, and he filled up the “father” vacuum. He would buy me gifts and sometimes he take me out. One day he picked me up and never returned me home. My mother never bothered to look for me, and my father took me to the Copperbelt, and later to Tanzania where his parents stayed. After two years my mother’s relatives started looking for me and reported my father to the police for child theft. Hence my father was pressured to return me to my mother. My mother loved my step-father very much, so that she didn’t pay much attention to me. This made feel so unwanted because my step-father didn’t like me.

While living with my mother and step-father in Mtendere, I attended a Bible club organized by the Jesus Army Church. There were visiting missionaries from America who were conducting open Bible club programs in our community. That’s were I got converted. I can’t remember very well the potion of Scripture they read from, but I remember the lesson was about “God the Father.” After learning about God being a loving father and that His love surpasses human love, I then connected it with what my mother had told me “God is your father.” I had faith in God the “Father” who loved me more than a human father could and I wanted to know more about Him. We were then challenged to repent of our sins which I sincerely did after I lent of Romans 3:23. I was ten years old when I got saved.

Later on in 2003, my parents shifted from Mtendere to Ng’ombe Township, and the following year my step-father died which made me change homes. During this period of changing homes, I was introduced to Kabwata Baptist Church (Pastor Conrad Mbewe) by my aunt, and to John Laing Reformed Baptist Church (Pastor German Banda) by my other aunt. While at John Laing Reformed Baptist Church, I was part of the Youth Ministry and also worked in the Children’s Ministry. I also did voluntary services with Scripture Union Zambia before I joined ACTION Ministries Zambia. In 2016 I got married to Enock Sakala who is now serving as Missionary Pastor in Kalomo at Hope Reformed Baptist Church, a church plant of Trinity Baptist Church. With my husband the Lord has continued to shine His love upon us. To Him (God the Father) be the glory now and forever!

Hellen Sakala

Wife's Testimony

Hellen Sakala

Hellen Sakala

Testimony of Conversion

Before Conversion

Conversion

After Conversion

Call to Ministry

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