25 May 2006

Consider the Alternative!

Greetings from Luanshya!

Sometimes God just sends somebody along to encourage us. This week I met Henry. He is a Zambian who teaches in a university in Texas. He married an American girl a few years ago and brought her to Luanshya to meet his family. They were walking by the front of the Christian Resource Centre and saw the window display. It says: Things You Will Not Find in Hell. In the window I have placed a number of items. There will be no light - it is called "outer darkness" in Matthew 8:12. There will be no water - even Lazarus could not dip his finger to comfort the rich man in Luke 16:24. There will be no clock - it is everlasting punishment according to Matthew 25:46. There are another dozen items in the window that portray the emptiness of hell. We were closed that evening so Henry came by to see us the next day. He told me that he went to the United States to go to university and was hired to teach after he completed his masters degree. Henry and his wife attend a small Baptist church in College Station, Texas, and he wanted to come in and see just what we were doing. It was an encouragement to see this young Zambian Christian come in and visit with me for over an hour. God has been using him both in his church and in his profession. He thanked me for sharing the Gospel with his countrymen and we prayed together that God would bless him in his life and ministry in the States. He did mention the fact that his wife had fallen in love with Zambia after only an few short weeks here on her first visit, so who knows what God has in store for this young couple. Please pray for Henry and his wife (I cannot recall her name) as they continue to grow together in Christ.

This week we will be showing the documentary film: "The Bible Versus The Book of Mormon" at the Chapel. The film goes step-by-step through the proofs that the Bible is historically and archaeologically true while the Book of Mormon has not one shred of evidence that it is anything but a collection of fabricated stories. It is amazing that a book like this can be presented as "the most correct book on earth" (according to Joseph Smith) when it is literally filled with errors and unsubstantiated fiction. One example in the book of Mormon is that Joseph Smith says Jesus was born in Jerusalem instead of Bethlehem. The film is one-hour long and should help to initiate questions from the community about the fact that the Mormon church is simply a man-made cult. Please pray with us that people will come with open minds so we can show them the truth of the Bible and the one and only Word of God.

This coming Sunday I'll be returning to the Kafubu Block church 20 miles from Luanshya. The rains have stopped (though we did have a surprise shower on Monday) so we can remove the grass roof of the chapel there and put on the metal roof that has been so generously provided by a church in Southern California. I'll take pictures of the progress and send them in the weeks ahead. The congregation made their own bricks and built the chapel using their own resources, but the roof is out of their reach financially so we are going to help. This church had all but died a few years ago, but Bro Katandula has been working with them over the past year and a half and they have found a new energy and purpose in this rural community. Pray for the
service on Sunday and for the labour as we begin this work.

It has been a great week and God has blessed in so many ways. We certainly appreciate your prayers on our behalf as we remain...

In His Service,
Patrick & Sherry

PS: I celebrated my 52nd birthday last Sunday. Thank you to all who sent cards. My father says getting old isn't too tough when you consider the alternative! - PC