27th August 2010
Greetings from Luanshya!
It has been said that you can’t keep a good person down, but if she eats a bad peach in a great peach cobbler it can really make her sick! Last Saturday I picked several peaches from our trees in the garden. On Sunday afternoon I cleaned them and Sherry made a delicious cobbler that evening. Sherry enjoyed it only for a couple of hours, however, and spent much of Sunday night and Monday in great distress. On Tuesday – still not feeling great – she went to her office, but by the end of the day she was again feeling bad. She tried again on Wednesday to go to her office, but by noon she was back at home and in bed. It has taken five days to get over this “adventure” and she still has a “sensitive” stomach. We appreciate those who remember us in prayer. Sometimes the smallest thing can have huge consequences.
By the way, I polished off the cobbler over the next three days without any ill effects. It is nice to know that one bad peach didn’t spoil the whole cobbler! J
Sometimes in our interaction with Zambian believers we come across some interesting issues. Last Thursday I was meeting with a young man in our discipleship class and he asked me about “retaliatory prayer.” I asked him if he meant “intercessory” prayer, but he explained that there were pastors who were praying for the deaths of individuals who were not in complete agreement with their particular denominational or specific congregational standards. This apparently includes those of their own members who are not giving enough toward church building programs or – in one case – the church’s television broadcast. These are some of the same pastors who will not allow their congregants to immunise their children because it demonstrates a “lack of faith” on their part. The desire for power within the religious world is a frightening and disappointing development. It is especially sad to see men who claim to be “men of faith” use their influence to intimidate people and enrich themselves. Pray for those who really are preaching the truth in both word and deed. Many of them have been “targets” of some of these “retaliatory prayer” services.
This past week I was able to spend several hours at a Deaf School and Vocational Training Centre in Luanshya. Approximately 700,000 of the 11,862,740 Zambians are “functionally deaf” (no hearing or have serious hearing loss). This is nearly 6% of the total population. When we compare this to the .3% deaf rate in the United States we see a serious difference. The primary cause of deafness is exceptionally high fevers in children often resulting from malaria, measles or flu. One purpose of the school is to help deaf Zambians learn a trade so they can be productive citizens in society. The primary purpose, however, is to reach out to this ignored– and all to often unwanted – segment of society with the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The school and VTC will invite deaf (and “functionally deaf” – Zambians from all over the country to come, learn carpentry, bricklaying, tailoring and other trades as well as learning sign language so they can communicate with each other. All of this will be happening as they “hear” about God’s love and the Lord’s Jesus’ Christ sacrificial death on the cross for their salvation. We were pleased to help them acquire a building in a township near Luanshya and give two bicycles to two evangelists who are working with the deaf students. We appreciate those who made it possible for these bicycles to be purchased and given to these two dedicated servants of the Lord. Your gift will enable the message of the Saviour to go where I cannot go. There are pictures attached. One of the two deaf evangelists and one of Richard Jarvis (Deaf School Dir) with watching as the bikes are fitted with tool kits and pumps.
More good news! We have been praying for John and Sarah Bwalya to be able to return to Luanshya after teaching in rural schools far away for five years. It is with great joy that we can say “They are home!” – Hopefully for good! They are both still “officially” stationed at a rural school, but they have been working on their degrees by “distance learning” for the past several years and they are doing their “practicals” at high schools in Luanshya. At the end of this term (December) they are scheduled to be permanently assigned to Luanshya. We are very pleased and want you to pray for this situation. The principal of the school where they have been does not want them to transfer out because they both have an excellent record with passing students. I have spoken to the local Ministry of Education representative in Luanshya and “explained” that we need good teachers here, too, and this couple was born and raised in Luanshya. Everything looks good at this point!
It has been an up-and-down week with Sherry’s illness, “retaliatory prayer” meetings and great successes and opportunities. We have seen God work in so many ways and we appreciate your prayers and support as we 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
