Greetings from Luanshya!
Sherry reminded me that it has been four weeks since our last update! Time literally slips away from us!
In the past four weeks the Mukolwe congregation has finished making the bricks for their building and the walls have gone up to "ring beam" level. The ring beam is a band of concrete that encircles the structure to add stability to the walls. The members of the church are working with the students at the Mobile Mission Maintenance Vocational Training Centre students from the nearby village of Kafubu Block. They do not have much money, but they have worked to make the bricks, carried sand in sacks on their bicycles and cooked meals for the students who were working. We deeply appreciate those who have contributed to this construction project. This past week the ladies of the congregation have cultivated about 3 acres of land to plant beans, okra and egg plant so they can sell these to held pay for benches and doors for the new building. I am reminded of the generosity of the Macedonian believers who, in their deep poverty, gave themselves to the Lord's service.
The Lighthouse Children's Home students (Nancy, Dickson and Shadreck) are in the midst of their final exams for grade 12. In fact, the Christian Resource Centre has become a hub of study groups for Luanshya. At any given time there are between 5 and 30 young people huddling in small groups talking about history, mathematics, civics or science. We are pleased that the CRC is available for these young people to have a quiet place to prepare. Almost all of these young people are part of Sherry's Friday Youth Meeting. Please pray for them as they proceed through the exam period.
The photo attached is of Sherry's grade twelve students. (She is hiding behind them!)
This week we commemorate "Remembrance Sunday" in Luanshya. I have been a part of this service for the past 17 years (committee chair for the past 8) and it is always a privilege to honour the few remaining veterans of World War 2 who served in North Africa and Burma. The "baby" of the group is 89 years old and the "old man" is 95. These men call me their "nephew" and they ask about the "boy (Colin) who accompanied us to the service while he was here. While working with these ex-servicemen I have been able to connect with the current military leaders based in Luanshya. I spent an hour talking with the Staff Sergeant who serves as the liaison officer between the Zambian army and the Remembrance Day Committee. He is a professing Christian, but he said his church is "a bit weak" in teaching. Pray for my new friend as he continues to seek to know more about our Lord.
Finally, the election in the USA has been a major topic of conversation all over town. As the only American living in Luanshya at the time, everybody wants to know for whom we are voting. Our answer is always "The secret ballot is called 'secret' because it is a secret." Still, people here are intrigued that the United States can have elections without riots and bloodshed. We praise the Lord for the privilege of having the right to vote - which we did several weeks ago - and for the liberty that we as American enjoy even as we live far from the borders of the United States. Now that the election is over and the the results are in, we set our eyes on the goal ahead - beyond politics, beyond human promises and beyond self-proclaimed "experts" on television - and look to the Author and Finisher of our faith. Our mandate has not changed and our commission has not diminished.
We deeply appreciate your faithfulness in prayers and support which keeps us...
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
