6 August 2014
Greetings from Luanshya!
Over half of Zambia's population is under the age or 15 years of age. Many of these children are being raised by extended family members or older children in the family because of the death toll caused by AIDS, malaria and other causes. Hence, many of these children are growing up without a positive, consistence role model. As we travel through the villages and township around Luanshya we see hundreds of children playing in the streets, roads and streams without any parental or adult supervision. It is a major concern for us.
Bro Simwanza has a real burden for these children and enjoys teaching them Bible stories when we visit these rural churches each week. In the photo he is using a Bible storybook from Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF).
A few weeks I met with the regional coordinator of CEF for Southern Africa. He is based in Luanshya and an elder in his church. He is also a very good friend of ours. I took him out to three of the rural churches where we teach and he met with the parents and church leaders with a plan to extend the CEF ministry there and to train Sunday School teachers in those congregations.
This week he and his team are meeting participants from all three churches at a centrally located home every morning. In a few weeks CEF is hosting an international training course and at least one delegate from each of these congregations will attend that conference. We are VERY excited to see Zambians training Zambians to teach Zambians! Please pray for Stephen Kabamba as he leads this vital ministry in cooperation with us.
Early this week Richard, the Luanshya District Police Chaplain, visited the Christian Resource Centre. He had heard about the facility and walked by the building often and on this day decided it was time for him to enter. He said to Sherry that he was wondering if he was allowed to access the study materials and be able to prepare Bible lessons for the police constables. Sherry encouraged him to visit and use the materials whenever he was in town. Richard left greatly encouraged after taking a walk through the Reading Room and seeing the wealth of literature available at no cost.
The high school class has gone on break giving Sherry a couple of weeks to relax on Friday's. Of course she'll actually be preparing more lessons for the young people having finished a series on character studies. Pray for the teens as many prepare for their exams in grade 9 and 12. This will deplete the class greatly but may encourage those lost in the midst to speak up and participate more willingly. Pray for Obed and Nathan in particular. Both are young men without fathers and are finding the temptations of being a male youth in today's society particularly trying.
We appreciate your continual prayer on our behalf and the many projects under our direction. Your prayer and support encourage us to continue…
In His Service,
Patrick & Sherry
