When I arrived at my mission station in Jeffisi in August 2024, I was handed the official District notes to read before the welcome service. One section immediately caught my attention: Elders – 0, Deacons – 0, Deaconesses – 1.
I paused. Out of the entire District, only one ordained officer was serving across six local Assemblies. Her name is Zanabu.
Meeting her, I began to understand something powerful — sometimes God sustains His work through one committed heart.
Zanabu cannot read or write, yet she carries responsibilities that would overwhelm many educated people. She serves as District Women’s Leader, Presiding Deaconess, District Executive Member, District Youth Leader, and coordinator of numerous ministry interventions. Personally, she is my chief interpreter and prayer warrior.
In a District where very few men are actively engaged in church life due to deep cultural and religious traditions, Zanabu has become a pillar sustaining God’s work.
Behind this strong faith is a difficult story. Zanabu is a widow with two children, and life is not easy financially. Yet she never complains. Every time I call her, morning or night, her response is the same: “Daa, me ba sesia”, translated, “Daddy, I am coming right away.”
Her decision to follow Christ has also come at a personal cost. Coming from a strong Muslim family background, she has faced rejection, mockery, and ridicule from some of her own people. Yet her faith remains unshaken.
Her dream is simple: she believes that one day the entire land of Jeffisi will come to know Jesus Christ.
As I write this, I feel deeply moved. Zanabu may never read this post, but I pray that the God of The Church of Pentecost will bless her and her children for generations to come.
Sometimes I quietly ask myself: What would this mission work have become without Zanabu?
As we celebrate Missions Week, let us remember the quiet heroes like her — faithful servants who work often unnoticed, facing struggles, yet refusing to give up on God’s work. Wherever you meet them, support them through prayer, encouragement, or practical help — it strengthens those who carry so much for the Kingdom.
May God bless every faithful servant.
