The Zambian summer is officially past and temperatures are dropping into the 60's at night. We know it is cold when we have to break out the sweaters to go out in the evenings. This may not sound like cold to many of our friends North America, but after two decades in Africa anything below 70 degrees is considered cold.
Last Friday representatives from the Ministry of Community Affairs (Social Welfare) came to visit the Lighthouse Children's Home for an official inspection. They examined every room, every bed and every kitchen appliance to make sure all was in order. They were very pleased that each of the children had a comfortable bed but also an insecticide treated mosquito net to cover each sleeping child. The fact that there was running water, 24 hours a day 7 days a week and that electricity was available on demand was an "added bonus" to the report. When they left the facility, they were "very happy" with what they had seen. We strive to maintain "model status" for the Lighthouse Children's Home. We appreciate those who have designated gifts to this ministry.
On Sunday I travelled to the village of Kasongo, about 25 km. from Luanshya. This was my first time to speak in this rural church on a Sunday morning. I have been to the village several times and have met with church leaders and members, but conflicting schedules have prohibited me from being there on a Sunday morning. Witchcraft plays a big part in Kasongo village life so I stressed the fact that believers are not bound by witchcraft and have been delivered from the power of Satan by knowing Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. After the meeting, I spoke to several of the men who asked me to come back and speak again. I will be going out there in the next few days with my calendar to set up future meetings. Please pray for this small rural congregation as they share the Light with their neighbours.
This morning Mr. Kamanga came to see me. He has been a long time student in the Source of Light Bible Correspondence program. He has completed nearly every book printed. We will be starting a series of comprehensive studies to equip this brother so his ministry (borders) can be expanded. Please pray for brother Kamanga as he begins this series.
We were shocked early this week when fuel prices jumped drastically around the country. We were paying over US$5 a gallon. Now we are paying US$6.90 per gallon. This means that it costs US$93 to fill my fuel tank. We pray for two things, that the dollar will grow in strength again the Kwacha and that the price of oil goes down. Neither seems likely in the near future. This is a major concern for us as rising travel costs determine the extent of ministry in remote areas.
Thank you for your prayers as we continue...
In His Service,
Patrick & Sherry
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
This is a regular (almost) update of the multi-faceted ministry of Patrick and Sherry Coleman who serve the Lord in Zambia, Africa.
About Us
Patrick was born and raised in the Los Angeles area of California. He moved to Lubumbashi, Zaire, (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) in 1985. In 1991 he was evacuated from Lubumbashi because of civil unrest. Patrick based his family in Luanshya, Zambia.
Sherry was born and raised in a Jewish home in New Jersey. She came to know the Lord as her Messiah and personal Saviour when she was 17. She came to Zambia in 1990 to administrate a correspondence Bible school. She also taught in area schools and in churches.
They met and were married on August 1, 1997.
Today both Patrick and Sherry Coleman serve the Lord together in Zambia. Their ministry responsibilities have grown. They own and operate the Lighthouse Children's Home with six AIDS orphans, they have opened their personal library to the public in Luanshya through the Christian Resource Centre, Sherry still has a correspondence Bible school and Patrick still works with local church leaders as well as serving in leadership at Fellowship Chapel in Luanshya.
Note from the Web Guy
Greetings from the Web presence of the Coleman Ministry. Please check the archives for any posts you may have missed.
This is the Colemans' oldest son, who is responsible for this website. My father refers to himself as "Technologically Reclined". Despite my best efforts to make posting to this site as easy and quick as possible, he insists on using the worst method available and occasionally forgetting to notify me for more than a year.As a result, sometimes posts get added in the background. They do not hit the front page, which only shows the latest update I have received, reformatted, and republished. As of this writing, I have a dozen posts to put up and back-date, and more coming in. I estimate that I will finish this effort by late July. Maybe not this year, but it will be a July.
So please, peruse the archives.