27 February 2015

News from Zambia - 26 February 2015

26 February 2015

Greetings from Luanshya!

The rains are torrential during this time of year. Trees fall, roofs are blown off and many roads are impassable without a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Fortunately none of the church buildings where we work have suffered much damage. My JEEP is struggling a bit, but it still makes it through the roughest of Zambian roads!

We are both enjoying lecturing at Mobile Mission Maintenance Vocational Training Centre. We have 37 students. They are interacting with us in our classes and it is encouraging to hear their questions and comments as well as see their progress in their studies. In addition to Sherry's class on Often Overlooked Lives of Significance (character profiles) and my Discipleship Class, the students are completing courses from the Bible Correspondence School which Sherry has overseen for the past 17+ years. The director of the school is very pleased with the progress of the students. This week Sherry will hold a certificate ceremony for those who have completed the first series of Bible lessons.

There are a few challenges at the school for which we appreciate your prayers. Zambia experiences power outages on a regular basis. Add to this the lightening strikes that damage or destroy power lines and work becomes difficult. We are praying about a generator for the school that would help us maintain a consistent power supply.

The second challenge is water. There has been no running water on campus for the past month. The borehole well has deteriorated over the years and is no longer functional. Water is being trucked in for basic sanitation and cooking, but it is both expensive and time consuming. A new well needs to be drilled and a pump installed. Please keep these needs in your prayers.

In partnership with an organization called "Roll Out The Barrel", which provides rolling water barrels to families in rural areas making water transportation easier and less stressful on women who carry water from the source to home, we were able to provide some of the families in Mwewa Village with this alternate source of transport.

They are looking for a permanent place to build a chapel and community school. A local farmer has offered a plot about half an acre. They are negotiating the price. We are praying for a miracle. We appreciate your prayers for this issue as well.

 

Much is happening! We are excited!

In His Service,

Patrick & Sherry