11th August 2010
Greetings from Luanshya!
Last Sunday was one of those experiences we have from time to time that stretches our resources. I was invited to preach at one of the oldest local churches in the Copperbelt. It was founded over 50 years ago and has been led by Zambian leadership for decades. When I arrived just after 9 am we began the morning with communion – and I was asked to preach. This was not a problem. Then the worship service started and I was ready to start in English, but the interpreter was struggling. One of the men suggested that I preach in Swahili and the message would be translated into Bemba. No problem... except my notes were all in English as was the Bible I took with me. So... I translated the message from English to Swahili as I spoke and Bro Kafwanda interpreted it into Bemba. THEN there was a request for a Q&A session that lasted over two hours. Most of the questions pertained to practical Christian living, but there is always one about “should we use leavened or unleavened bread for communion?” The Q&A sessions was in Swahili, Bemba, English and Lunda (another commonly spoken language in our area). I returned home after 3 pm. It was a great day!
There seems to be a recurrent problem with the youth group. The seats keep filling up! Since Sherry's return to leading the class, more young people are incorporated into the lessons by their school friends and neighbours invitations. Some don’t' attend the hour or so of games in the Youth Centre. They are attending purely for the Bible lessons. The seating is the sort of problem we can easily deal with by purchasing additional chairs or even bringing chairs in from the library. It's the other sorts of problems that tug our heart strings as we sit with the youngsters and assist them in overcoming life's daily decisions and pressures. We praise the Lord for the continued growth in the youth work and that so many are finding comfort and counsel in a safe place. This past weeks' lesson was on "Confrontation" from 2 Samuel 12. Confrontation in the sense that sin is sin and the need to confront it head on will save us from a whole lot of heartache. That does not mean we do not suffer the consequences of our actions. But, through early intervention, by godly men and women, the effects can be limited. This week the topic is: "Trouble At Home". Parental passivity can lead to calamity in the home (Galatians 6:7,8; 2 Samuel 12-18).
A number of past students from the Source of Light Bible Correspondence School, which Sherry continues to oversee, have visited. One such student was Ben. Ben is now studying at university and came through the Christian Resource Centre to get some advice on how he can learn about evangelism technique. He was guided to some books on personal evangelism and Sherry suggested that he get together with me on the possibility of running another course on: "Evangelism Explosion". If Ben had a couple of friends who wanted to learn along with him, we would be more than happy to run a week-long series. Pray for this possibility.
One of the most difficult parts of the work – as in parenting – is letting go of “babies.” With each of our children we struggled with letting them go when they reached the “ripe old age” of 18 and the draw of adulthood called. The same is true of a “baby church” that is about to move forward without our leadership. I began to step back from the English-speaking church several months ago and watched as they took their first few faltering steps. With our recent absence in June and July they were compelled to run or trip. They ran! In fact, the men of the church have been taking turns leading Bible studies and preaching. I am looking forward to this opportunity to train even more preachers for the furtherance of the Good News of Jesus Christ.
We appreciate your prayers on our behalf. We know that it is because of you that we can remain...
In His Service,
Patrick & Sherry
Dr. Patrick & Sherry Coleman
P.O. Box 90010
Luanshya, Zambia Africa
tel: (h) 260-21-2510033
(w) 260-21-2512359
(w) 260-21-2512539
(fax) 260-21-2510718
cell: (Sherry) 260-96-6780112
cell: (Patrick) 260-96-6780113
Skype: patrick.g.coleman / sherry.i.coleman
