Leaving a Legacy in Zambia

In 2006, at the age of 60, Richard Myers went on his first mission trip with a medical missions team to Africa. He’d witnessed many missionaries and ministers travel abroad over the years, but never quite felt the tug to go on a mission himself until later in life. Myers sat quietly for most of the trip, watching more than participating, until one of the team leaders, David French, asked him to come see the farm on the property.

His interest was piqued, and he began viewing the farm and learning about the difficulties of farming in Africa. Myers had come from a farming family. Agriculture and gardening are a large part of his heritage, and hearing that the people of Africa struggled with successful crops pulled on his heart. Richard wasn’t able to visit Zambia again for another two years, but this time he prepared himself to bring “survival gardening” to the country. Myers began teaching workshops on survival gardening and sharing his knowledge with the people of Zambia.

“Red meat is nice, and filet mignon is wonderful, but you don’t have to have it. You can feed people with beans, maize, and other filling crops,” Myers explained, “It’s about survival, and you’ve got to teach them how to grow in a land that doesn’t have a lot of rain. It’s possible, but you’ve got to make the right choices.”

Over the new few years, Myers realized that in order for these gardens to thrive, he needed to teach the women how to manage the garden. After all, it was the women who stayed home, gathered the food, and prepared the meals. They were much more invested in growing a successful garden with a variety of vegetables than the men.

As Myers began sharing his farming knowledge with the people of Zambia, he became close with a man named Thomas Simubali. Simubali came to Myers to discuss farming, but as the Holy Spirit would have it, their discussion and relationship developed into much more.

As it turns out, Simubali’s desire was to preach the Gospel to the people, and he knew that Myers had the ear of the people of Zambia. However, Richard’s advice to Simubali was not quite what he expected to hear from an American missionary.

“It’s fine to preach, Thomas, but the first thing you’ve got to do is feed the people. They’re hungry—so hungry, in fact, that they can’t hear you.” Myers continued, “We’ve got to teach them about Jesus, but if they don’t have enough to eat, they will turn to other things for comfort.”

Over the next several years, Myers and Simubali worked together to develop gardening workshops across the country. As irrigation continued to be a problem, Myers developed a “yellow bucket” program to teach people how to effectively water their gardens throughout the dry season with bucket drip irrigation. Over time, the yellow buckets that popped up in villages began to represent much more than just a garden—it represented the long-term impact of Simubali and Myers across the region.

Myers’ dream was to see a thousand buckets hung in gardens across the region, and he saw it come to fruition. As Simubali worked alongside Myers, Richard discipled him to take over the work and the ministry once his time in Zambia was over.

“Feed the people, educate the leaders, and equip the mothers,” Myers said, “That’s what I taught Thomas to do, and he is still doing it.”

While Myers has not been able to travel to Zambia over the last few years, Simubali, now a partner with One Kingdom, is continuing the work and discipling more men to follow in Myers’ footsteps. Simubali now preaches the Gospel to the villages in Zambia and continues to teach survival farming and bucket drip irrigation.

The impact of Myers on Zambia cannot be measured. The patches of green, lush, gardens with yellow buckets propped up for irrigation now dotting the land represent his love for the people there. Myers began mission work at 60, but over the last two decades he has used his wisdom and lifetime of farming knowledge to change the trajectory of countless villages. While the gardens and irrigation systems will have a lasting effect, what will have the greatest impact on the country is Myers’ discipleship of Simubali, who he left there to carry on his passion project.

“What I hope for Zambia is that Thomas will provide the education that is needed to continue what we’ve built,” Myers said, “He has to teach others to do it. Zambia is Thomas’ now, but it won’t be forever. Somebody has to be there to carry it on.”

Myers doesn’t seek out credit for what he built in Zambia. His only desire is for the work to continue.

“One hundred years from now, I want there to still be fifty churches, or maybe more, in southern Zambia, and I want the people to be fed,” Myers said, “In that time, you’ll go through two or three generations of leaders, and that takes discipleship. That’s all I want my legacy to be.