Missionary profile – Paul Mawaya

By Mercy Kambura

I was ordained as a Presbyterian Reverend when I was 29 years old. For 16 years, I served as a pastor in both rural and urban areas. Three years ago, I migrated from pastoral work to mission mobilization. When I was a little boy, I dreamt of encountering Christ. When I shared it with my mother, she was perturbed and asked me not to share it with anyone. In December 1995, I failed my exams miserably, and in my frustration, decided that death was my only way out of this failure. A family friend challenged me to consider Christ instead of suicide, and after 5 months of meetings with him, the dream came to pass, and I gave my life to Christ. My heart was constantly stirring for the lost. I was asked to be the director of missions in my church, and I was aware of my inadequacies where mission understanding was concerned. I attended a conference organized by SIM, where pastors got a set of books on ministry and discipleship, and I understood missions better. After that, I just wanted to be a mission mobilizer. I had interacted with CAPRO missionaries, and they were a massive inspiration for me. I felt I was not reaching where God wanted me to while doing my pastoral duties. I was itching to reach the lost. Christmas is an opportunity created to help us minister God’s love to the world. As believers, we haven’t shown the love God desires of us. We have always been showing love within our communities instead of beyond our communities. How do we demonstrate love, especially at Christmas? How can we use this season to spread the love of Christ?