Greetings from Luanshya!
"If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." 1 John 1:10
Confession is the first step toward defeating sin. It is often true that the hardest part of dealing with a problem is admitting that you have one. Beginning with Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:11-13), people have denied responsibility for their sins, and our generation is no exception. To acknowledge that one is a sinner, guilty of breaking God's holy law, is not popular. People call sin by a myriad of other names, futilely hoping to define it out of existence. They do so, motivated by their innate awareness that there is a moral law and that there are consequences for violating it (Rom. 1:32). But God's people have always recognized the necessity of confession.
This past week, before, the Sunday communion service, a young man came into the church with a letter for the leadership. In it he had written his confession for sins committed against us and the need for forgiveness by not only the two of us but also by the local church. He knew that his penitent heart was understood and accepted by the Lord but he also knew that it was necessary to confront those whom he had wronged and he did so, humbly and tearfully just before the fellowship took part in the communion service. It was a time of healing for this young man as well as a time of renewal for others as they contemplate their standing before God and man. May we be mindful of the need to maintain a clean heart.
Today we celebrate the 11th birthday of one of the children at the Lighthouse Children's Home. Andrew has now been with us for more than half his life! He does not recall much of what happened before, but he does know where he is today and where he is headed tomorrow. While chatting with Sherry in the library this afternoon, he happened to mention some of the things he is learning at school on computers. Andrew is a gifted artist and now that he has access to a computer, it will be interesting to see how he develops this talent in another medium. This is a bright and talented little boy and we thank God for the privilege of bringing him up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We your help and prayers he has a future. Thank you for remembering our children.
In other areas, the library has been relatively busy over the last week. More and more adults have been taking advantage of the computers that have been donated. We have numerous Bible study helps on each unit making it possible for people to do in-depth Bible study without spreading books all along the tables. Having various resources available at their finger tips has been a real joy and created new excitement in their study habits. Thank you to those who have been so kind as to donate their old pc's to this task.
Zambian elections have come and gone. President Levi Mwanawasa has retained his post as leader of the country. There was some unrest in the capitol and larger towns but overall, the political stability of the nation was maintained. Not only were citizens voting for their President, but also for Members of Parliament and local town councillors. Please continue to pray for the stability of Zambia as she continues to go through the growing stages of democracy.
On a personal note, I made a quick trip to South Africa for a medical check-up regarding my cancer surgery last year. The doctor gave me a "clean bill of health" and does not want to see me again until next March. He said that after the first 18 months the possibility of a recurrence "drops significantly." That is good news indeed! We appreciate your prayers on our behalf. Without your support we would not be able to remain...
In His Service,
Patrick & Sherry
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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.