Ultimate Control

Greetings from Luanshya!

What a wonderful week this has been. Last Sunday I preached from Ephesians 2:1-10. There were several people in the room that I knew needed to know the Lord Jesus as their personal Saviour. The message was clear and hearts were convicted. Two of the young men, Patrick and Victor, spoke to me after the service and made appointments for Monday morning. At 9:30, Monday morning, Victor gave his life to the Lord Jesus Christ and became a child of God. One hour later Patrick also came to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Both of them have already started on the discipleship material and will, Lord willing, be baptized this coming Sunday. It is always exciting to witness the new birth of a believer. Please pray for these two young men and their families as they begin their new life in Christ.

On Friday the youth class continued in their study on the second coming of Christ. Sherry explained fact number one: The Lord Jesus will Return In The Air to Call Up The Saints and secondly, the Judgment of Our Deeds in Christ's Name. Many questions were asked and concerned faces seen. Pray for the young people as they consider their future both in deed and word. That same evening we showed the film "Apocalypse" which demonstrated the events that may occur immediately after the believers are caught up with the Lord in the air. The fear of those left behind and the deceit of the Antichrist were both portrayed realistically in the film. There were a number of new faces in the room and several people, not only asked specific questions but promised to return this Friday for the second film in the series. Pray for those who will come.

Last week we shared that John and Sarah Bwalya were going to be moving back into Luanshya. Sadly, they were told that their move would be temporary, two weeks, and that their advanced education would be by extension. They will return every few months for two weeks at a time for the next year or so. Even though we will not have them every week, we are happy to know that they will be with us periodically. We will use their talents while they are present.

I had a rather disturbing conversation with one of the leaders from a rural church. Next week there will be a leaders' conference for church leaders in the Luanshya district. It was organized by local Zambian church leaders and I was asked to participate as one of the trainers. The property on which the conference will be held is owned by another missionary in Luanshya. When that missionary found out that I was to be on the program, he told the conveners that either my name was removed or the conference would be canceled. The conveners were shocked at the attitude of the missionary, but he told them "If Patrick Coleman wants to have a conference, then Patrick Coleman can pay for his own venue". Since plans are already in an advanced stage, it would be difficult for this conference to be moved so I told the conveners to go ahead and have the conference and I will pray for the meeting. We do not want to cause a problem among the Zambian leaders. We always hope that our co-workers will work in unity, but petty jealousies tend to get in the way. Please pray for these church leaders and for the conference that they might grow in their knowledge of the Lord Jesus.

We are excited about what God has been doing in our lives and thrilled to see new believers come into the family of God. Even with the disappointments that we face, we know who is in ultimate control of our lives and ministry. Thank you for your continued support.

By the way, tomorrow (16th August) is Sherry's birthday. Don't tell her I told you, but her email address is scoleman@zamnet.zm

In His Service,

Patrick & Sherry