A week of challenges and blessings

Greetings from Luanshya!

A week of challenges and blessings. We have been struggling for the past several weeks with chaotic water supply. Fortunately, this has been rectified. There are a few problems that remain, but that should be solved by the weekend. On Sunday the entire country of Zambia was without electrical power for two hours and our Province was dark for nearly four. This, too, has been rectified. However, we have received word from the electric company that there will be power outages from time to time over the next week while they run some maintenance checks and try to solve the problem that they discovered last weekend. With these problems we still had blessings.

Last Thursday four high school students stepped into the Resource Centre after reading some of the public notices we have displayed. The question asked is: Do you know you will go to heaven when you die? They came in and told Sherry that they did not know if Heaven even existed. They said that there are a lot of young people who have the same question. Instead of giving the answer to one or two people at a time, we suggested a youth bible study on the subject. So...on Friday afternoon, at 2 p.m., we will open the Youth Centre for those who want to come to play some games then we will delve into what the Word of God says about Heaven (where it is and how to get there). One young man came to the Resource Centre this afternoon to confirm that the meeting was still on. I assured him that it was and he is looking forward to being here. Please pray for these young people. Death is very real to them because they see it every day. To know the answer to the question "What happens after death?" will help them prepare for eternity.

This past Sunday the Sunday School completed their lessons "Living the Christian Life" and will commence with their Memory Verse Competition this coming weekend. The young people are keen to recite the last 13 weeks worth of scripture not only because this helps them to "hide God's Word in their heart" but also the incentive of receiving a bookmark and the accolades of their peers upon successfully completing the series. Pray for the young children as they grow through Sunday School.

In the afternoon I visited with Mr. and Mrs. Mwanza. They are new residents in Luanshya and have been visiting our services for the last several weeks. They come from a mixed religious background. They came to know the Lord just a few months before moving to our small town. Mrs. Mwanza was baptized but Mr. Mwanza was recuperating from an automobile accident and could not be baptized at the same time as his wife. Therefore, this coming Sunday I will be baptizing Mr. Mwanza and both of them will join the fellowship at Fellowship Chapel.

This afternoon we are beginning a discussion series on "Equal Yet Different" utilizing the book by Alexander Strauch. There has been a lot of debate in Zambia about gender roles and issues. The government has sponsored various seminars; the press has published numerous articles. We thought it was our turn to present God's perspective on gender roles. We will let you know how this unique presentation was received next week.

The Source of Light Bible Correspondence School has been quite active of late. Just yesterday Sherry enrolled a number of new students from various schools. We are pleased to see the continued interest in our material and praise the Lord for the many opportunities afforded to us. One young church leader in the Roan area requested if it was possible for him to send his leadership to us for enrolment. He has seen that their knowledge of the Word is limited. He is new to that local gathering and wishes to build God's Church.

It has been a very full week. We appreciate your prayers on our behalf.

In His Service,
Patrick & Sherry