No Secrets

Greetings from Luanshya!

This past weekend I was invited to go to a conference in the Drakenberg Mountains in South Africa. Initially I was asked to speak twice, but when I arrived the convener of the meeting asked me if I would fill in two more "spaces" that were left open by speakers who were unable to come. I am always thrilled to speak and talk about the Lord so this was not a problem except that the early Sunday morning slot was at 6:30 a.m. Still it was an opportunity to share and I took advantage of that opportunity. After the service, one man came up to me and said that he did not know why he came to
the conference because he was really too busy to be away for a weekend, but the message about Gideon and "every man standing in his place" was exactly what he needed to hear. Sometimes we do not know why God allows us, or pushes us, into certain circumstances. Yet, we know that God is sovereign and it is always exciting to see Him use what we allow Him to use in our lives.

Meanwhile, back in Luanshya, the youth on Friday began their new series on "Great Words from God's Word". Sherry began in Psalm 147:5 "I will speak of the glorious honor of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works." The lesson focused on three personality traits of God: His Omnipresence, His Omnipotence and His Omniscience. The young people were astounded by the fact that there are "no secrets" with God. A lively discussion ensued. Next week they will look at "The Grace of God". Pray for the class and for Sherry.

This evening in our adult Bible study we studied the second half of 1 Peter 4. It was a continuation from last week's lesson on "Suffering". Suffering is a very difficult topic to discuss with people who really feel that they are suffering because of their poverty. In actuality, they do suffer more than the average North American Christian but the suffering we are discussing is that which pertains to persecution for being a Christian. Ironically, Christians in Zambia are not persecuted for being Christians and this makes it almost too easy to proclaim faith in Christ. It is a very strange thing to say. However, Christian's who do not experience suffering, very often become complacent in their daily walk. I used the example of a church that was closed in Zaire because a government official did not get his "gift" when the building was completed. That particular church grew because it meant something to be a Christian and there was a price to be paid for proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord. The challenge here in Zambia is to go beyond the complacency and reignite the fire of the early church. Please pray for those in our Bible study that they might take the message to heart.

Thank you for having a part in our lives and ministry.

In His Service,
Patrick & Sherry