Elias, Isabel Teresa Tchimbwondu

God has used men and women in his harvest. In His sovereignty, He enables people who make themselves available to step into the breach. Many of these are known across Angola and the world today for their dedication to the work of the Lord. God is praised and glorified because of this.

Still, others of these are anonymous, unmentioned and almost forgotten. In this vein, we don’t flee from the story of the call of Teresa Elias, a woman who dedicated herself during her whole life to the work of the Lord.

She was the daughter of Mateus Chivela Nanga and Esther Vondila. She was born January 8, 1919 in Kalupele, Kalukembe, Huila province. She was baptized in 1945 in Vionga, Kalukembe in the Evangelical Synod Church of Angola (IESA). She was the first sister of six brothers. Her parents were Christians and she married a man who was devoted to serving the Lord as she was. Her parents moved the family from Kalupele to Chisseia, seeking better living conditions. Chisseia is where she spent most of her life.

She went to elementary school in Kasseque. She did a required domestic course at the Kukala mission. At that time, it was required to take women’s studies and learn to read and write in order to have missionaries give testimony at a wedding. As a teenager, she was very dedicated to knowing God’s Word and having good relationships. She traveled with missionaries in her area. She was known as being committed to her faith and eager to learn from older Christians. This reputations helped in her wedding and marriage to Elias Muhanda. In 1948. He was from Sussangue and had graduated from a Bible course and a carpentry course in 1947. She and her husband both studied a Bible course to qualify as catechists in Kukala, Kalukembe and they were sent as the first catechist couple to Chilueyo. She added Elias to her name when they married.

The people in Chilueyo spoke Tchokwe and were called the Nyemba people. Their first months there were not easy. But the intervention of the Holy Spirit helped the couple to adapt quickly to the customs of the Nyemba people.

They were known as a Christian family. She was a great help in evangelism and known as welcoming, joyful and easy to get along with. They were transferred to Chinguidi and there their 7 children were born. She was a dedicated and zealous mother.

. In 1971, her husband went to Mulondo, Matala to buy cows for farming. Sadly, he did not return as he died there. This was the most difficult moment of her life. The first eight months were the worst, because of losing her husband and learning he had been poisoned.

Her husband’s family took from her most of her possessions. She sent to Chisseia for help from her parents. They sent her elder brother to bring her home in June 1975. She returned to the family home, expecting to stay there.

But she did not abandon her work for the Lord. She taught the domestic course to young girls and became an assistant to the wife of Pastor Katekave in Ganda in women’s ministry there. Eventually, she decided to return to Kalukembe for her childrens’ education as there were no schools where they had been. She was concerned to educate her children so they could have a brilliant future. Her character and her virtue contributed a lot to her childrens’ development.

She was full of life and vision and was not intimidated by being poor. She encouraged her children to get a good education, even when it was hard for her to clothe or feed them. She sewed, she sold things and she made sure her children were dressed adequately.

Her children were enrolled in schools in Kalukembe. One was invited to live with one of his teachers in town and she allowed it, reluctantly. Later, this same son was offered the chance to study in Portugal. But she refused this, because she was afraid he could be eaten. In colonial times, people were mistreated by the Portuguese and some people thought white people could eat people.

She never gave up on God, becoming a counselor of women, encouraging Christian homes, due to her advancing age. She never remarried and never had any boyfriends, after her husband died. She felt that marriage should be once in your life and that to marry again would not be respectful of her children. She was afraid to risk her faith in Christ by pursuing temporary pleasures. When her children wanted to marry, she chose to find a partner for each one, rather than risk causing tensions in the family and having members who did not fear God.

What she did in her free time was read the Bible. She had little formal education, but she had enough to give her the skills to read.

During the war, which was the most difficult time for all Angolans, she gathered all of her children and their spouses together. Even so, two of them were drafted into the army. She was a woman who took care of her grandchildren and taught them to life in the fear of the Lord. As a result of her teachings, three of her grandchildren are in leadership in local churches and one of them is a leader in an IESA church.

As time passed, her age advanced, like it does for all human beings. She went to live with one of her daughters in Kalukembe in 1998. She lived with this daughter 6 years. She had difficulty watching her daughter suffer the abuse of an alcoholic husband. But even so, she encouraged her daughter to trust the Lord, praying always for Him to change the direction of her son-in-law. Sadly, he did not change and ended up dying from alcohol.

In 2002, after the weapons were silenced, her oldest son decided to move to Benguela to live with her. She lived simply depending on her children after the death of her husband. She dedicated herself to investing in her children. She lived with this son, except for visits to the homes of other family members where she was always warmly received. She was a lively lady and never left a home without saying a prayer. She said she had to leave a blessing in each house where she was warmly received.

Then in 2008, she returned to Kalukembe to live, because she said she did not feel settled living on the coast and in a city, without farming, because farming is good for you. She stayed in Kalukembe with her youngest daughter for four years. She always wanted to see her children and her grandchildren. She was a great evangelist and prayed for the conversions of many of her grandchildren. Her prayers were heard and after some of the grandchildren converted, they became pastors. In her later years, she received the great-grandchildren she asked the Lord for. Once, she said in Umbundo: “God is so good and marvelous, I never expected to know the child of Esperanca, but He gave me this gift.” Many more great-grandchildren were born, and her greatest joy was seeing her children and her grandchildren persevering in the Lord.

In 2018, she began to have cardiovascular problems and to have less energy. She complained about this and sometimes could not get up. She did gain some energy back but it was clear that the plans of God were already laid out and she would not live much longer. By 2019, she was no longer healthy. Her days were counted out like a clock. She got worse when she heard that a sister of her husband had died. She felt unwell and did not get better, being very sensitive. She stayed in her room and only came out to get warm in the sun.

On December 12, 2020, she was conversing and suddenly felt ill. Her son took her to the hospital to get medical care. Her children foresaw that she was near to leaving them for Glory, and decided to be together earlier than usual for December. They kept her company in her last days and she was able to recognize people, converse and remember things and see clearly. Just before she entered into a coma, she felt she needed to sing. She grabbed a hymnbook and sang a hymn in Umbundo. After singing, she was still able to converse a bit with her great-grandchild. Then she could not speak, but only gesture. Her children took her to the hospital again, but the nurses said it was time now for her to rest. That was how she died peacefully on December 15, 2020.

After her death, her children and grandchildren were left with good memories of her life. She inspired many of her grandchildren and many of the women around her to remain strong in the Lord. She is much missed and remembered for her good works in serving the Lord.

Domingas Chilobo Elias Chau

Sources:

Catequist Henrique Chivinda Elias, son of Isabel Teresa Elias and member of the Evangelical Synodal Church of Angola (IESA), interview with the author, March 27, 2024.

Isabel Teresa Elias Munjanga, member of the Evangelical Synodal Church of Angola (IESA), communication with the author, March 27, 2024.

This biography, received in 2024, was written by Domingas Chilobo Elias Chau, candidate for the Master’s degree in theology at the Instituto Superior de Teologia Evangélica no Lubango (ISTEL). This biography was written under the supervision of Sindia Foster, instructor at ISTEL and missionary to Mozambique with Serving in Mission (SIM).