1st September 2010
Greetings from Luanshya!
It is hard to believe that this year is already two/thirds finished! With the arrival of September here the students are entering their third and final trimester of the academic year. This brings incredible pressure upon the exam classes (grades 7, 9 and 12) because failure to score good marks means failure to advance to the next grade. Add to this that we are entering the hottest season of the year (hot and dry) and this is traditionally the time when teachers begin the bargaining for their annual contracts and often spend several days on strike leaving the exam classes stranded without teachers. Please make this a matter of prayer as we enter this season.
Sherry has been working closely with the Lighthouse Children’s Home wards this past week. Nancy is 19 and “officially” allowed to leave when she wants to go, but she has opted to remain in the home in order to finish grade 12. She is currently in grade 10. Shadreck (17) and Dickson (16) are also in grade 10. Andrew is the youngest of the “family” at 14 and in grade 9 (an exam grade). They have been given the task of planning their own grocery shopping – with “Aunt Sherry’s” over-sight. They planned their menu for the week, researched the costs of the items on their shopping list, then went shopping for their weekly requirements. Sherry is guiding them as they make their decisions and select their favourite foods. So far so good as of this evening. We’ll know more after the week is up and they plan for week 2. We are proud of their careful consideration of both nutrition and flavour.
This past Sunday was my monthly visit to the Kafubu Block Chapel. I always enjoy going out to this farming block because there is such a desire to learn. While I was there one of the men mentioned a particular need in his section which is about 8 miles from the church – quite a bike ride on a Sunday morning. He said, “Almost all the men there are drunkards. They need a church!” He did not say, “They would never go to church.” He made it clear that there is a need for an evangelistic outreach in that area where there is no school, no market and no gospel-preaching church. So... Next week we will make a trip to “Village 2” to begin a Bible Study with “the drunks” of the village. This promises to be interesting! Please pray!
Tomorrow evening we will be meeting with the Tembo family for discipleship. They have been “in church” for many years, but said they would really like to know more about what the Bible says. Though they are professing Christians we will be starting with the “basics” and helping them grow together spiritually. It is an exciting journey and we are looking forward to working with them. Please pray for this very young couple!
New adventures, new experiences and new challenges! As we walk through the doors that God opens to us we are excited about being here and thankful for your prayers and support!
Together 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
