God Still Answers Prayers

A special profile.

Gina Wahlen enjoys meeting people from around the world and has lived in many wonderful places, such as Russia, England, the Philippines, California, and Nebraska. She currently lives in Maryland, where she writes about people, adventures, and God. She and her husband, Clinton, have one son, Daniel, and one daughter, Heather.

Margret Mutembo Muzyamba Mulambo was born in a village of the Monze District of Zambia and grew up with her grand­parents, who were Seventh-day Adventists. She at­tended the Adventist church in Chipaba, where she was active in the youth group. During that time, Mar­gret became acquainted with Passmore Mulambo, who was a district youth leader and led the church’s singing group.

One day as she was walking home from school, Margret noticed Passmore seated under a nearby tree. Seeing her, Passmore got up and asked if he could accompany her home since “it was the same direction he seemingly was heading to,” Margret re­members. “To my amazement, before my acknowl­edgement, he was already following!”

On April 13, 1986, the couple were married at the Chipaba Seventh-day Adventist Church and held their reception at Passmore’s father’s farm near the village of Chitantalyafusha.

Early in their marriage, Margret developed the habit of praying for her husband as he worked as a literature evangelist, then regional publishing leader, a district pastor, the publishing director for the Zam­bia Union Conference, and eventually also a weekly radio and television evangelist.

Beginning in 2007, Passmore served as president of the Central Zambia Conference until he was called to be the Sabbath School and Personal Ministries di­rector for the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division in 2010.

The Mulambos have four children: Michelo, 24, a business/IT student at the University of Eastern Africa in Kenya; Miyoba, 23, a medical student at Lyceum University in the Philippines; Mutinta, 20, planning on entering university this year; and Mwaka, 11, a sixth grade student at the PRESDA School in Pretoria.

POWER OF PRAYER

As the children were growing up, Margret encour­aged them to learn the strength of prayer, and the family often sang and prayed together. The power of prayer was especially evident one time when Pass-more was away due to work responsibilities.

 “We had run out of food,” re­called Margret, “and I decided that we would not disturb Passmore with issues of food at home since he had done his best to provide before he left. I called my daughter Mutinta for prayer. I believed that God would act. After prayer, I said to Mutinta, ‘There will be enough for us tomorrow.’ The following day someone walked to our home with all that we needed.”

Reflecting on that experience, Margret reminds us that God still answers prayers. She also shares some advice: “As pastors’ wives, we should not only depend upon our spouse’s faith—we need to wrestle with God. He is ready to honor our little faith.”

TYPICAL CHALLENGES

Margret has also faced some of the typical challenges that pasto­ral families around the world seem to experience, including high ex­pectations from church members, and “yet you find yourself limited in some aspects.” Margret notes that “church members always look to see what a pastor’s wife is doing—how she looks and how she is dressed, the way you teach your children, watching to see if they have good manners, even though they face the same chal­lenges as other children.”

Other challenges include fre­quently having her husband away from home as he travels and cop­ing with a myriad of changes when transfers come. But “in all these challenges,” says Margret, “I have learned to pray, asking the Lord to guide me in knowing His will. God is faithful. He has seen us through, and we have been in ministry for 25 years.”

As a pastor’s wife, Margret be­lieves that it is good to love your church members, “and yet remain yourself and disciplined. Regard­less of where my husband is serv­ing, we have learned that we need to be there for each other.”

Margret expresses the joy of having an extended church family and acknowledges how being a part of ministry has expanded their world-view. “We have learned to live with and among people from different backgrounds, and eating strange foods.”

But most of all, Margret wants to encourage other wives to “love the Lord, not because you are a pastor’s wife, but because Jesus is your personal Savior. Getting involved in sharing the gospel with others in every way possible should characterize our lives. I also believe that it is very important to read and study God’s word and talk with Him every day in prayer.”

Gina Wahlen enjoys meeting people from around the world and has lived in many wonderful places, such as Russia, England, the Philippines, California, and Nebraska. She currently lives in Maryland, where she writes about people, adventures, and God. She and her husband, Clinton, have one son, Daniel, and one daughter, Heather.