“If you can’t see His way past the tears, Trust His heart (Charles Spurgeon).” I didn’t understand this saying until something stabbed at my back and stayed in agony for a year and this was on 7th April, 2018 at Nalikule College of Education in the city of Lilongwe in Malawi where we were holding a three -day annual church student’s conference. I was shocked and nearly fainted to hear soon after a wonderful performance by the Magnetic Band and the Lilongwe Praise Team having heard that the senior leadership of the youth ministry of the church has forced some individuals in the Band and praise team to leave the conference and never come back because they ever quarreled a previous year. It was shocking because it was unexpected for the so-called Christians having no spirit of forgiveness nor discipline to such a historical conference. It was historical because on that day I was launching the concept of Business and Entrepreneurship to the youth of the church. The guest artist we invited left immediately and it disturbed the conference for about two – hours as some youth left the hall and went to pack up their luggage in order to leave. They took over all the control of the conference in the name of seniority. I was consoled by Tendai my then girlfriend and today is my wife as we married on 4th August 2018. She encouraged me and said, “Don’t worry my dear, I know how you have labored to have this conference and how painful you feel of this incident but please don’t react because one day you will be honored by God.” The words couldn’t make sense to me by then, as there was fire burning inside my heart and to avoid uttering any word I asked her that we leave the place and come back the next day just to finalize the conference and we left. I was depressed for two months and I failed to attend any youth program for a year. It was in 2016 that I formed a church student organization called Zambezi Evangelical Church Student’s Organization (ZECSO) with the aim of encouraging my fellow youth who are pursuing studies at high school and university levels to be visionary and how to become independent soon after graduation. By October, 2018 a new leadership for the church synod was elected and by May 2019 I was called to the synod office to be asked what made me to take a break in youth activities. Jim Rohn once said “The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; Be bold, but not a bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor but without folly.” I saw this becoming true in my life as I wasn’t rude to the new leadership and I humbled myself and went to meet and discuss with them. I felt mysterious strength in my life and I was speaking to them with boldness and I was proud to meet the synod office to share the vision I had for the youth.
It was on 11th May 2019 a day that I call my “turning point.” I was told that I have been appointed to be the new National Youth Director for the youth and further asked me to choose my own senior leadership team to work with. They assured me that they will provide full support and that I have launch again the concept of Business Development and Entrepreneurship but now to the whole youth of the church and not students only. They asked me to continue with my student’s organization and I make sure that it should be launched in all the public universities in the country and flood it in private universities and high schools at large. I was greatly encouraged and motivated with these words and I assured them to have a conference for my student’s organization in November, 2019 in order to assure that I am back to fully continue with the program and it really happened. I further assured them that in 2020 I will have a grand conference for the youth in the country where I will introduce Business Development and Entrepreneurship subject. The dates for the grand conference is 27th 30th August 2020 in Ntcheu, Malawi and I have invited also my fellow youth from Mozambique and South Africa to witness the Grand Conference. John Adams once said “The furnace of afflictions produces refinement in states as well as individuals.” I will never lose hope, never stop being involved in youth activities and training when the season is to my disadvantage because it is a season of refinement. “Most of the grand truths of God have to be learned by trouble; they must be burned into us with the hot iron of affliction, otherwise we shall not truly receive them (Charles Spurgeon).” I really agree that there is indeed no reward without afflictions.