LUSAKA, Zambia (BP) — Ricky Wilson, founder of the multifaceted Africa Partnership, tells a story he describes as “remarkable.”

Bishop Kasongo Malemba told it to him on the mission trip Wilson led to Zambia April 26-May 4, involving 29 volunteers in gospel-based educational, motivational and humanitarian outreaches.

Malemba invited individuals from surrounding cities to attend conferences Wilson’s team offered, with members of Malemba’s Gospel City Church providing free room and board. Attendees, who were total strangers to those whose homes they would inhabit, would only have to cover their travel.

“That’s what born-again believers do,” Malemba said, “show hospitality.”

Wilson’s team, composed of pastors, Southern Baptist denominational leaders, pastors’ wives, teachers, nurses, housewives and retired personnel, saw a clear biblical expression of hospitality in caring for strangers.

“It was a remarkable thing for us to see what hospitality really looks like, where they opened up their homes, fed the people, provided accommodation, and then were able to celebrate them going back home,” Wilson said. “And I said, ‘I wonder how many churches in America would just open up their doors like that?’

“And we shared with our team: ‘We’re going on mission and we’re serving, but be observant because there are some things you can learn from our brothers and sisters in Zambia and with the African culture,’” Wilson, senior pastor of Christian Faith Fellowship in Downingtown, Pa., told Baptist Press. “Because one of the things that a number of our team members expressed and that was, well they love praising the Lord.”

Kyle Canty, a North American Mission Board (NAMB) Send City missionary and assistant pastor of Great Commission Church in Philadelphia, noticed the Zambians’ joy of worship while co-leading workshops in homiletics and church planting.

They walked miles to church. It was nothing to worship for hours, even before the sermon began. It was only the believer and God, no pretense whatsoever.

“And so they take worship very seriously and they take the community of faith very seriously,” Canty observed. “Worship did not have a set time limit. They understood that it was a privilege and opportunity to worship the Lord. And so they took full advantage of it.”

Canty described “a very expressive worship style that engages the whole person. Every worship experience I’ve had in Zambia,” he said, “has been an incredible experience.”

About 100 or more pastors attended the workshops, all English-speaking and multi-lingual, gathering adequate printed and digital teaching materials to share what they learn with pastors in surrounding communities in the various dialects spoken there.

“They soak up the Word. They soak up these lessons. They make it their own,” Canty said. “I mean it’s just such a privilege to be able to teach them and to know that they’re taking that back and putting the lessons that they’ve learned into action right away.

“I mean, they came between Monday and Thursday. We trained them. And Sunday,” he said, “I’m sure many of these individuals put the lessons to work on Sunday sermon and are doing outreach within their context.”

The trip engaged several churches from the Baptist Resource Network (BRN) of Pennsylvania/South Jersey in missions, including Vacation Bible School (VBS) that drew over 1,100 children daily, a multi-night revival, a marriage enrichment conference, a women’s conference, a water well construction and dedication and a Labor of Love community engagement outreach to clear debris from a public roadway leading to a local church, all in addition to the workshops Canty helped lead.

At least 50 salvations were counted during the entire trip, Wilson said, with others counting more than 80 salvations and more than 50 rededications at VBS alone, BRN United reported.

Women’s conference team leader Andrea Blount said the tight bond the women shared, transcending cultures, was palpable.

“As far as the conference, the ability to share, it transcended language barriers,” she said. “It transcended where you grew up or where you were from. It was just at that point in time, we were all women worshiping the Lord as one, as sisters.

“The tight bond that we all felt, it was palpable,” said Blount, a registered nurse and wife of Rock Community Baptist Church Senior Pastor George Blount Jr.

“I will cherish, I will never forget those experiences,” Blount said. “The women, we not only enriched their lives, but we were enriched by them as well. It was bidirectional blessings.”

Participating churches included Sharon Bible Fellowship, Lanham, Md.; Emmanuel Baptist Church, Laurel, Md.; Ezekiel Baptist Church and Third Eternal Baptist Church, both in Philadelphia, Pa.; Rock Community Baptist Church, Landsdowne, Pa.; New Growth Church, Cape May, N.J.; New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church, Harvest, Ala.; and Mt. Wolf Community Church, Mt. Wolf, Pa.; in addition to Great Commission Church and of Christian Faith Fellowship. Shannon Baker, director of communications and editor of BRN United, joined the team to document the work.

Africa Partnership takes a mission team to Zambia every other year and focuses on dedicating water wells on other years.

The roadway cleanup led to an unexpected mission opportunity, Wilson said. As the team began to clear debris from the roadway on a four-day assignment, local community members — most of them Christians — spontaneously joined them in the work.

Wilson invited them to the Saturday community barbecue, where two cows were prepared for the feast. About 2,500 people attended.

“We told them, y’all eat it until it’s all gone. And they took care of it. And it was our outreach” Wilson said. “We preached. Pastor Victor Kirk (Sharon Bible Fellowship Church) was our preacher this year for that service. And the community came out to enjoy a barbecue and our team was a part of the team that served the people. And it was a great time.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Diana Chandler is Baptist Press’ senior writer.)