9 November 2011
Greetings from Luanshya!
October was traditionally hot and November is getting wetter. The good news is that the October heat and dust from six months of no rain is gone for another year. The "bad" news is that we get to start mowing the lawns at home and the church property every week.
Last Sunday we had a dedication service for Faith Bwalya, the one-month-old daughter of John and Sarah, our adopted son and daughter-in-law. It is so encouraging to see the next generation of believers in Zambia dedicate "their" next generation. Faith slept through the whole service, but the dedication was more for her parents than for her. Please pray for the Bwalya family as they raise their four daughters in the nurture and admonition of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Our Lighthouse Children's Home wards are maturing incredibly. All three of the boys are spending their free time working odd jobs making a bit of money for their "fun" stuff. They have realised that "stuff" costs money and if they want it, they have to work for it.Nancy has been helping Sherry with a few special tasks for the same reason. The three older children (Nancy, Dickson and Shadreck) are about to start their final year of high school in January. Pray for them. This is traditionally a stressful year for grade 12 students because the end-of-year exam will determine their future occupational possibilities. Please remember these young people especially in your prayers!
This week's youth lesson finishes Romans 12:14, 17-21- "They've Gone Done Me Wrong." Sherry asked the young people if they wanted to take a break during the school holiday which starts in three weeks. They decided that they really want to continue the weekly classes and are inviting more and more of the friends to the Friday afternoon class. Sherry has her outlines sketched out for several weeks into the new year. The will be surveying the books of Ezra to Malachi. For many believers these books are a real mystery, but the history of Israel leads up to the coming of the Messiah.
Tomorrow the Women's Fellowship will study Ruth chapter 2. They meet in the home of one of the ladies for tea and snacks. The atmosphere is more "homey" and the ladies are encouraged to invite their friends to come.
This afternoon Sherry had a visitor from the Central Statistics Office wanting to know about our "business." They are doing a survey of local business enterprises asking about employees, products and income. when she explained that we have no employees, sell no products and do not charge for anything he became intrigued. and began asking more questions than were on his form. He lives in Kitwe (35 miles away) and asked if we would come and speak to his youth group about the Gospel and the things of God so they could understand how to know the Lord. We will be arranging a time within the next week or so. Please pray for this new opportunity!
As God opens doors, we walk through them! We appreciate your prayers!
In His Service,
Patrick & Sherry
Patrick & Sherry Coleman
P O Box 90010
Luanshya,
Zambia
Off: 260 212 512359/512539
Res: 260 212 510033
Cell (P): 260 966 780113
Cell (S): 260 966 780112
