26 January 2005

News from Zambia - 26th January 2005

Greetings from Luanshya!

Good news, bad news. We have asked you to pray for John and Sarah Bwalya concerning their placement by the Ministry of Education. They have both been placed and moved on site today. The really good news is that they have been posted at the same school. The really bad news is they are 30 miles away. We do not know if they are going to be able to commute on the weekends, but it looks doubtful especially during the rainy season. We are excited about their new life. Nevertheless, this means they will not be able to teach in the Sunday School and that is a major blow for Sherry. Please pray for John and Sarah as they begin their teaching career. Please pray that God will provide more Sunday School teachers to take their places here in our church.

Brother Silungwe is thoroughly enjoying his discipleship lessons. It is always exciting to see a senior saint getting involved in Bible study. The other day he said, "This is good stuff, this is really good stuff. I am enjoying my study." Another young man is showing interest in discipleship studies and we will be looking into that in the next few days to see when it will fit into both of our schedules. Pray for this ministry and for those who are endeavouring to grow in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Sherry's College and Career class studied the life of the prophet Elijah last week. The theme of the lesson was "Changing Our Schedule." The idea of being busy and keeping ourselves occupied 24/7 is a common mantra. This study focused on the need to prioritise and make sure that sufficient "quiet time" is programmed into our daily schedules. The example from Elijah's life is that he was so busy for the Lord, he failed to take time to rest. When the threats of Jezebel were made concerning his life, he ran in fear instead of taking a stand and resting on God's promises based upon previous experiences. Pray for the group as they look at the life of Moses this Friday and how he served as a leader among the people.

We would like to ask you to pray for Mark. He is one of our students in the correspondence school and has been for several years. He brought me a paper that he wrote having received a "vision". In his paper he states that Christ was the first creation of God. This is obviously heresy from any number of cults that are present in Zambia today. I made a few notes and gave him some scriptures to cross-reference. He came in and spoke with Sherry today, as I was out of the office. He does not go to any particular church but goes "where the spirit leads". He says that he is now an apostle. Mark's church background is Baptist but his current theology is rubbish. Please pray for him and for us as we talk with him concerning what the Bible says as opposed to what men say.

It has been a busy week. We enjoy busy weeks because we know we are having an impact on the people with whom we come into contact. Thank you for having a part in this ministry.

In His Service, Patrick and Sherry