04 January 2006

First of the Weekly Updates for 2006

Greetings from Luanshya!

We hope your 2005 ended well and your 2006 began well. We had a bit of excitement at the end of last week when the entire country of Zambia lost power for over an hour. Not just our province, not just our town but the entire country. There have been a number of reasons (excuses) given by the Zambia Electrical Supply Corporation, but all we customers were told was "there was a problem due to an electrical storm." Last night there was yet another nationwide hiccup. The lights were not out for an hour, but there was obviously some problem with the infrastructure in the electrical system around the country. We appreciate your prayers in this situation. The unstable electrical current has already cost us one freezer this past year and we hope not to lose any other major appliances in the coming months. The rains are still upon us for the next 3 1/2 months.

Last Wednesday we studied the creation of man in our Firm Foundations small group Bible study. Have you ever wondered about the color of the first man? This is often a question raised by Africans who have seen pictures of Adam and Eve in art books or in some cases pictures in their Bibles. Adam and Eve always seem to be pink. Everyone here knows that the best soil for your garden is black soil. So... was Adam made from the best soil? Where would God have found pink soil? It is an interesting questions and I have to admit that I just don't know. These are not always the kinds of questions you might hear in a Sunday School class in North America, but then again, we don't live in North America and our Zambian friends often ask questions that cause us to look outside our "North American box." Whatever color Adam was, we know that he is the physical father of all of us. Fortunately, the sins of the first Adam were washed away by the blood of the second Adam (Christ). This lesson won't be covered for several months, but we are stressing the fact that all men came from the first Adam in order to lay the foundation for full understanding of the work of the second Adam. Please pray for the young men in this small group Bible study and pray for me as I endeavor to find the answers to their questions using the Word of God.

SCUBA comes to an end this coming Friday. The children that have been attending SCUBA were sitting in the second and third row of the main church service on Sunday. In the course of my introduction I made reference to the fact that we love God. The words "we love God" are key words in the lesson on Friday to which all the children shout "OK". The children forgot it was Sunday and not Friday and in the middle of the
service three of them shouted "OK". The adults and older young people were a bit shocked but Sherry and I enjoyed knowing that our teaching was sinking in to their young minds and hearts. We are also encouraged that they are listening intently to the Sunday morning message. Pray for this final session and that the children will take their knew knowledge with them as they return to school next Monday.

Sherry and I spent a big part of today making preparations for the children from the Lighthouse to begin school next week. We spent US$241 so far just for notebooks, pens, pencils and backpacks. We still haven't finished paying for uniforms and haven't paid school fees. We appreciate, beyond our ability to express it, those who have assisted particularly in this ministry. The Lighthouse Children's Home is a major challenge for us because we are raising children whose foundation has been severely damaged. God is rebuilding that foundation one brick at a time. Please continue praying for these little ones and for those of us overseeing their upbringing.

Together in His Service,
Patrick & Sherry