Meet Esau Phiri from Zambia
by Esau Phiri
My name is Esau Phiri, and I am from Lusaka, Zambia. I lost my mother at the age of four, and my father remarried while becoming an elder in the Reformed Church in Zambia. Growing up in a village in the Eastern Province, I was responsible for caring for cattle from ages 10 to 12. I also joined the church choir and participated in various programs. At 14, I moved to Lusaka, where I continued my involvement in the church and was appointed choir master, despite not yet being born again. During this time, I struggled with drinking and smoking, but one night, I heard a voice calling my name, saying, "Esau, one day I will call you to preach my word." This transformative experience led me to give up those habits and walk faithfully with the Lord.
In July 1992, I married my wife, Ethel Ngoma. We have five children: two daughters (Marlvine and Annie) and three sons (Samuel, Gideon, and Jonathan). I am immensely grateful for my wife, who has been a blessing to me, our children, and the church. I currently serve as pastor of a church with about 250 members, but the total number of members in our 14 branches across various locations is around 800.
Esau and his wife Ethel in the center and Pastor Raphael Mwale the second from the left.
I heard about Disciplers International through a fellow pastor in Lusaka named Edward Phiri. Although we share the same last name, we are not related. Edward is a Ministry Partner with Disciplers International and through his mentorship I have grown from a Disciple of Christ into a Discipler for Christ. I have been involved with Disciplers International as a Ministry Associate for almost one year now, and I hope to become a Ministry Partner very soon!
Disciplers International (DI) is impacting a lot of lives in Zambia, with many people attending discipleship training. The photos below are of those now attending discipleship training in Lusaka. At our main church in Lusaka the training sessions are gaining a lot of momentum. With discipleship now as a church priority, I have deliberately introduced a one-hour training class every Sunday before our main church service at 9:00 a.m. Doing so has caused a keen interest on the part of those attending to share with other church members what they are learning.
During a training session, one of the disciples named Happy Simwinga took the class through the Guide to Worship. He even composed a song from it! Then, on the following Sunday another brother in Christ named Daniel shared the Prayer of Commitment with the group. It’s very encouraging to see disciples in training already training others. This is what it means for a Disciple of Christ to become a Discipler for Christ!
Our goal is to spread the gospel throughout Zambia; recently, we introduced the Discipleship Training Process to church leaders from one of our rural branches in Mazabuka (Southern Zambia). We were greatly encouraged to see them receiving our presentation with joy. The photo on the right shows me (on the left) and my wife with some of the leaders after the presentation.
Our main challenge in advancing the ministry is the lack of printed materials for disciples. This is an ongoing problem because many Zambians don't have access to cell phones or the internet to access online training. Additionally, transportation is a difficulty because some branches are far away, making visits costly and logistically challenging. We ask for your prayers to help overcome these obstacles and advance the ministry for God's glory. Amen!
Pastor Raphael Mwale, one of the pastors Esau is mentoring, shares about how much he appreciates the ways that the training sessions are impacting his life and equipping him for Great Commission work according to the command of Jesus in Matthew 28:19.
Thank you, Disciplers International, for giving us this privilege to serve with you in the ministry of training disciples, who do likewise!
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Esau Phiri
