12 December 2012
Greetings from Luanshya!
Occasionally we receive letter from children asking about what we do every day. They want to know if we "chase lions away from the church" or "do witch doctors come to your house."
Actually, much of our work is the mundane care of the Christian Resource Centre (CRC) and the chapel properties. Because the CRC is in the downtown business district of Luanshya we are expected to maintain the property in a business-like manner. The sidewalk in front of the building was damaged by a large truck that rolled up over the edge of the curb. We patched it temporarily, but it needed a more permanent repair. That is not the "romantic missions story" that makes the eyes of children go wide, but it is something that makes our ministry more inviting here because we are creating a more pleasant entrance to the CRC - and helping to make Luanshya more beautiful... in our small way. When our business neighbors see that we have renovated the front of our building they realize that we are a part of the community - not just temporary residents. While not necessarily related to the renovation, it is interesting to note that in the last two days Sherry has enrolled five new students in the Source of Light Bible Correspondence School bringing her total registered students to 3,711.
Last week we mentioned Alex, the young man that was being helped by Fellowship Chapel and who came to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ while helping me repair the fence. His mother - a widow living in Lusaka - called him and said she needed help on the family farm. He has been staying with his sister and her family while going to high school here. So, he left for Lusaka last week. Before getting on the bus he came to the CRC to say good-bye to Sherry. He told her that he appreciated all that we had done for him, but what he appreciated most was being introduced to the Lord Jesus Christ. He asked her to send him her youth lessons so he could keep up with the rest of the young people. We will miss Alex, but we are pleased that he wants to grow. The farm is some distance from Lusaka and to the best of our knowledge there is no Bible-believing church in the area. Please pray for Alex as he studies God's word and shares it with his family.
Sunday morning I returned to the Kafubu Dam "village" on the edge of rural Ndola. It is a 25 mile drive that takes nearly and hour to reach. They have been meeting "off and on" for ten years, but they have not progressed in the Lord's work. Several of the villagers have come to know the Lord, but they have not had a baptism or a communion service in all that time. I have been teaching about baptism and last week I explained - in painstakingly detail - what the "Lord's Supper" was. Obvious questions: What kind of bread? Does it have to be wine? Do we need a white table cloth? (Did I say "obvious?") We walked down to the dam and they decided that the water was just too polluted. They said they would "prepare" a place in a nearby stream for us to baptize. They need a few weeks to get this done because of the heavy rains so we are planning a baptism service on 19 February. Please pray for this "young" (in Spiritual things) congregation as we teach the believers and train to leaders.
On Monday we had a very unusual visit from a student of mine in 1999 when I taught Religious Education at one of the local primary schools. Dean came "just to say thanks" for the challenge I presented to the class and for encouraging him to get involved with the discipleship lessons even at his young age. He has finished high school and has a certificate in electronics. He is active teaching the young people at his church and asked if he could bring some of them in to enroll in the SOL program. Of course the answer is yes! On Tuesday he brought his younger brothers in to sign up for the courses. The seeds that we planted over a decade ago are bearing precious fruit today. We are so glad that we stayed in Zambia when so many told us that our ministry was over.
So... No lions to chase or witchdoctors at the door, but God continues to give us challenges and blessings to share. Thank you for your prayers and support as we continue...
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
