The Passion of Mwansa Ndemi Mbewe
“…So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life.” ~Judges 16.30
Mwansa Mbewe lived his short life with a sense of urgency almost as though he knew he would not have very many years on earth. The result was a life lived to the full and for the glory of God. He set himself an annual target of 50 books a year which he would meet in part by walking 40 minutes to work while reading! When he prepared to move into his parent’s unoccupied house with his new bride and renovated it, he used fine furnishings and fittings suited for homes in much more affluent areas of the city. He did not wait for a future time to enjoy a comfortable and beautiful home. Perhaps it helped that he paid for most of it from his parent’s pocket! His home was filled with innovation and seemed to go through an overhaul every few months from elaborate shelving for his books, to water recycling systems so that tap water was reused and not lost down the drain, to breeding of expensive dog breeds and to gardening projects.
As for his love for the Lord and his church, he did not wait for a big platform or for a church leadership office to begin using his gifts and ministering to people. He and his wife opened up their home to countless people from his church family who enjoyed their hospitality and discipleship. A few years before his death, he surprised everyone when he announced that he was leaving his promising career job as an Architect, in which he was excelling to join the African Christian University and run their Student Labour Program where students were taught the discipline of hard and excellent work. He felt that discipling the students would be far more fulfilling than making money in the corporate world. In his own small way, Mwansa wanted his life to count for something that would transcend this world. At the time of his death, he was studying a Master’s degree in Pastoral Theology and gearing up to get into pastoral ministry.
His wife, parents, siblings, friends and wider church and biological family have been surprised to see how many people continue to be touched by his life. No doubt, he has also been pleasantly surprised as he has looked down from heaven. Many people have been convicted about the need to live for something more than what this passing world has to offer. Like Samson, he has made a tremendous impact in death on the lives of people who have heard his story and testimony across the country and across the world. Those of us who loved him dearly thank God for his 32 years on the earth and expect that through our common faith in Jesus, we will see him again, in a little while.