OM Equips 'Fishers Of Men'

David Livingstone longed to see the Kingdom of God established around central Africa’s lakes. Continuing this vision, workers with Operation Mobilisation (OM) in the area are identifying individuals in local villages who have a desire to share Jesus. The OM team knows that these men and women are able to reach their own people more effectively than foreigners, because they understand the cultures and languages spoken in Zambia, Congo and Tanzania, which border the southern part of Lake Tanganyika.

To gain further understanding and skills to spread the Good News, training at the OM Zambia mission base in Mpulungu is offered to these individuals. Classroom topics include discipling others, supporting the local church, roles in marriage, evangelism training and more. In the first few days, the participants also go fishing together on the lake to practice sharing the Gospel with each other, an exercise they can reproduce on their own when they spend long hours at night working with fellow fishermen.

Those invited to the two-week course have shown a tremendous amount of commitment by attending the training; Life for these men and women generally revolves around fishing, and most live a life of subsistence. The OM team was astonished when one of the participants arrived on foot, having walked eight hours over difficult terrain to get to the base.

After the training and further follow-up sessions, these people will become self-sustaining missionaries, equipped to bring light to the hundreds of village communities around Lake Tanganyika. They'll work not only as fishermen, but also as fishers of men.