Its never too late for one to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. This is a living testimony coming from North Zambia Union Conference, one of the Unions in the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division. Mr Edward Tembo and Joyce Zulu Tembo have been married since 1942 and have been together, giving us a shining example that love indeed lives in their home.
Joyce is now 98 years old and Edward 109 years old, giving them a combined age of 207 years. What is even more exciting is that Mr Edward Tembo fought in the Second World War and despite his age, he is still active and still able to cycle to the fields. The couple received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior this year and were all baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit at Ndola Adventist Church. Mr Edward Tembo, a man of few words says, “I am very happy that today I was born again. My secret in life comes from above. I always ask God for wisdom, just like Solomon”.
Mrs. Joyce Zulu Tembo says, had it not been for their good neighbor Mrs Mudenda, they would not have known anything about the sabbath and the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ. “We are happy to know the Lord and I thank my neighbor for sharing the love of Christ with me and my husband. Today we were baptized and we thank God for His love. A lot of people don’t believe we are so old, but we are very active and we eat healthy too and that is what keeps us strong”.
Pastor Kalima Chimba the Kensenshi SDA district church pastor in Ndola says that he is elated to baptize the oldest couple in his district, a sign that when it comes to the matters of salvation, there is no age group. “Its an honor for me to baptize a centenarian. As a church we need to reach out to the less privileged members of our community. That is our duty as a christians.”
Mrs Mudenda, a neighbour, who has been very instrumental in pointing them to Christ, testifies that indeed the couple have a combined age of 207 years and are very dedicated to the word of God. “I got to know this old couple when I assisted them with transport and I was inspired about their energy, so I introduced them to Jesus. I have been nurturing them for three years and today they were baptized and it makes me very happy, because it is our duty as christians to tell others about God’s love.”
Despite their combined age of 207 years, the couple don’t look that old. There are still active not just in the ministry, but in their farming activity as well and what a joy to serve the Lord all the way till their twilight years.
The secret behind their longevity is staying close to God, keeping busy and eating healthy. As we live in the last days, the church members in Ndola are on fire for Jesus, as they champion the church’s Strategic Plan of “I Will Go!” Hebrews 3:15 says…As has just been said: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”
Article by: Daddy Chatalu and Noel Sibanda
Photography: Peter Chulu, Lloyd Ngosa Kalumba & Mwape Mwansa