11 November 2020

Dear Partner in service,

On November 11, 1918, World War I, known at the time as “The Great War,” unofficially ended when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, took place between Germany and the Allied nations on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. World War I ended on paper when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. 

As believers, we realise that our freedom was purchased by the blood of our Saviour on the cross of Calvary, but the Gospel was propagated by regular people living extraordinary lives sharing the love of Christ through their lifestyle. Many people sacrificed their own lives to bring the Gospel to this generation.

I mention this because a few times over the past weeks have visited us or sent us notes thanking us for what we have done for them in spiritual teaching and counselling. We do not consider this to be a sacrifice. It is an investment in the lives of believers – young and old – who will carry this same message to places we may never visit.

In that same way, we want to say “Thank you” for the part you play in the work of the Lord here in Zambia and beyond. This month not only hosts Armistice Day (or Veterans’ Day). In a few days families will gather in various fashions (depending to Corona virus restrictions) to celebrate Thanksgiving. Our families are all thousands of miles away so “virtual” gatherings via ZOOM are already being organized.

However, our “thanksgiving” would not be complete without thanking you, our partner in service, for making this ministry possible with your faithful prayers and support. This ministry includes:

Christian Resource Centre Library, Reading Room and Counselling Centre

Fellowship Chapel and the various rural congregations

MMM VTC Bible Institute and the new YouTube Outreach

Oversight of the Carlton Cooper Learning Centre (Deaf Ministry)

And our Community Outreach

None of this would be possible without your partnership

Thank you!

02 September

Greetings from Luanshya, Zambia!

Whew! August has been an “interesting” month – and “interesting” is not always “good!”

Our winter – which is mild by most northern hemisphere definitions above Southern California or Florida – ended around mid-month with temperatures jumping from high 60’s to mid-80’s over night. We are not complaining…We actually LIKE warmer temperatures after a few decades in the tropics, but the abrupt change was a surprise.

Covid-19 challenges continue and restrictions have increased. While freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Zambian constitution, the freedom of assembly is not. Churches that have government registration (that is also a law) generally have blanket permission to meet, but that changed due to the Corona Virus Pandemic scare.

The English-speaking church has permission to meet on Sunday morning for one hour with no more than 40 people in attendance at one time, no children under the age of 13, all participants must wear a mask (which is actually a law throughout Zambia – though widely ignored) and proper sanitation and handwashing onsite. The Luanshya Department of health made two inspections and gave us approval.

Last week we requested permission to conduct a midweek Bible study, but the Department head said that the “increase in COVID-19 cases” in Luanshya meant that fewer meetings were allowed – not more. The official government announcements did not report an increase in Luanshya, but there is obviously more than meets the eye… So, we wait!

Meanwhile, Sherry continues her Zoom Bible discipleship classes, I have met with Bro Simwanza who visits local church leaders and members without causing alarm and I have been able to speak at two services in the USA via Zoom! In some ways, the introduction of ZOOM has made it possible for us to reach out even further – even to supporting churches across the sea – without time consuming and expensive travel.

Sherry is regaining her strength and is back to recording her YouTube Bible Study Series. If you would like the link, we would be happy to send it to you! 

Thank you for your prayers and support!

In His Service,

08 August, 2020

Dear Partner in service,

 

July was a very difficult month!

 

In the first week Sherry became very ill with what seemed to be the flu then a bronchial infection. Because of her severe asthma this happens every year at this time. The weather is colder, the air is dryer, smoke and dust fill the air from the winds and fires in the fields around us. Because of the ever-mounting Coronavirus infections in Zambia we have been extra careful especially as tests for the virus are not available close to us.

 

As her symptoms worsened (loss of smell and taste, coughing, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, severe fatigue and headaches) we began treating her for all of these symptoms and she stayed in bed for several days – completely unlike her regular program. Finally, at the beginning of last week she began to feel a bit better, but she is still weak and still has the nagging cough. Fortunately, she had recorded her YouTube programs three weeks in advance so they were still presented. Last week she recorded two more and she did another one this morning. She resumed her discipleship lessons with her two students online as well, but she is still not up to 100%. Your prayers for her are deeply appreciated!

 

Classes at the Bible school are still on hold. The Zambian government is being very selective about schools of any kind reopening. Exam classes (grades 7, 9 and 12) are allowed to meet but with restrictions of time and space. Three of the members of Fellowship Chapel are teachers and they are being extremely careful about social distancing for fear of taking the disease home with them from school.

 

Meanwhile, the cafeteria at MMM VTC (the Bible school) is progressing in preparation for students when they are able to return.

 

Ordinarily we would have had students working on this, but we cannot have them on campus at this time. They will be pleasantly surprised when they return!

 

In spite of the challenges we recognise Who is in control! His work is not limited by a virus. We just have to be prepared to adapt to the challenges and opportunities before us!

 

Thank you for your prayers and support. We know that we are all in this together…

In His Service,

08 July 2020

June was an incredible month here in Zambia! We are still experiencing a limited “lockdown” due to the Corona Virus, but some areas of our ministry have been allowed to open up with restrictions on time and participants.

Church services are resuming, but the local health department must inspect the facility for spacing and sanitation requirements. In addition, the service can only last one hour. We are allowed only 40 people in the sanctuary and all of them must:

Be over 13 years of age

Wear a mask at all times

Maintain a distance of at least 1 metre (3 feet)

Even with these restrictions we are seeing visitors coming (all adults). We look forward to the removal of all restrictions, but we have no idea when that may happen.

We created an outdoor “amphitheatre” seating area on the Chapel campus. This gives us an opportunity to expand the youth and children’s ministries. In addition to the benches, we have a small stage area, a “sand lot” for activities and a new area for cooking lunch during our church picnics. We initiated the facility on Monday with a Zambian Heroes Day Picnic (with permission granted by the Department of Health). We were allowed 40 people. We had 39!

Three weeks ago Milambo came to see me at the chapel. His wife has been attending, but he was hesitant to come. He wanted to know more before committing. As we sat on a bench outside (both wearing masks and maintaining our social distance) we talked about his spiritual life and history. I asked him a few questions. After hearing his responses, I opened the Bible and showed him how he could become a child of God. Milambo bowed his head and received the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour. This week he was baptised to declare his faith to his family and the community. He has already started the Bible study courses in the Christian Resource Centre. Please pray for Milambo as he grows in the Lord!

Sherry’s been using her afternoons, since the covid-19 pandemic, working on a YouTube channel for her students. Because classes at the Bible College are still prohibited, she thoughtfully considered how she could best reach out so the YouTube channel was born. She’s been teaching on How To Study the Scriptures as a measure to get young people into the Word. This Friday, the next lesson will be published and is titled: Observation: The First Step In Bible Study… She is already three episodes ahead in prep work and editing with our Zambian son, Andrew, who continues his studies in China for Mechanical Engineering and Robotics. He treasures these moments with “Mom” and counts this ministry as his reasonable Christian service. Once the lessons have been published, the students get onto Whatsapp and begin discussing the content and pose questions. It’s been an interesting journey and one that has been totally unexpected. Pray for her viewers, that those who have been sitting on the fence of faith will take a step onto the Lord’s side. Pray for those who have put off the study of Scripture out of fear of the unknown. Sherry also continues with discipleship via zoom meetings with students both local and well out of town. Opportunities abound and we continue to trust the Lord for guidance.

As was mentioned, the Bible Institute classes are still postponed “until further notice.” Exam classes in government schools and colleges have opened, but that does not include our school. This may be extended until September so we are simply waiting for permission to reopen.

We deeply appreciate your prayers. There is no mail service and writing conventional letters and getting them to the desired destination is questionable. You can contact either one of us at the email addresses below.

Together in His Service,

Patrick & Sherry

Insight on Christian Growth - Online Bible Study

With the changes brought by a global pandemic, Sherry has found a way to adapt, taking her Bible study online. Click the banner above or this link to follow along.

4 March 2020

Dear Partner in Service,

Not every plan works the way we plan. I took my JEEP to have new tires installed and was told that it would take “about 40 minutes.” 90 minutes later the manager of the shop came in to tell me that the back wheels could not be removed. Two of their wheel wrenches were broken in the process and the nuts on the wheels had been damaged. I took it to the mechanic and they worked for several days to remove the wheels. He got them off, but the bolts were damaged beyond repair. The new bolts and nuts were ordered and were to be delivered last Thursday. Sadly, they have still not arrived. So this has limited my travel. We don’t always know why these things happen, but we know that everything happens for a reason. Meanwhile… we are praying for nuts and bolts, literally!

Sherry continues teaching the ladies class on Thursday afternoons. Here is a snippet from this week’s lesson: The Bible is full of confidence-building stories about women who faced their calling alone and found God faithfully behind them, working out all the behind-the-scenes details so that His plan could ultimately be realized through them. One of those women is Esther. She considered the calling (Esther 4:14).

First, is this something someone else can just as easily do?

Second, is this something I have a strong heart’s desire to do?

Third, is this something I feel God prodding my heart to do?

When we take these questions to the Lord and say, “God, please confirm to me if I am the one to do this” and then wait for His answer, we can be more certain that we are called to something and not just following our own desires or running in to rescue someone. Esther gathered prayer support and she made a plan and carried it out. She trusted in the Unseen.

What’s amazing about this story is the way God worked in the background to make things happen the way they did. Esther was God’s willing servant, appointed by Him for a specific purpose at that time. God’s calling on her life was not so much a dream as it was a prompting to be an instrument of His work. And as a result of following the call He placed on her heart, she became loved and praised throughout history and known as the queen who saved her people.

The question posed to the class is “what is the dream that God has placed in your heart? The same God who went before Esther goes before you. The same God who fed 4,000 with seven loaves of bread still waits to multiply what you give Him. Why? Because He is a God of grace. “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8). That doesn’t leave much room for failure if you are walking in His will.

Challenges and victories are a part of life. We are assured that God is in control of every part of our lives. When things don’t go as planned, we rest in the fact that nothing surprises God and He works in every aspect of our lives and ministry.

Thank you for praying for us as we continue…

Together in His Service,

12 February 2020

Dear Partner in Service,

When I was a boy this day – Abraham Lincoln’s birthday – was a school holiday. Lincoln was a favourite president of mine because he valued both education and freedom. Our work here in Africa for the last three decades has included just that: Educating people about the Freedom they have in Christ!

Last week one of the fathers in the English church came to me very excited because after the Sunday service that week his nephew, niece and daughter had received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. He was thrilled to lead these three young people to a saving knowledge of the Lord! He explained that they were all talking about the service and the question just came up naturally. It is always thrilling to see parents and guardians lead their children to salvation! All three will be baptised in two weeks. (We’ll send photos!)

We have had some interesting discussions in the men’s Bible study concerning the distinction between temptation and sin. Some were guilt ridden because they had been tempted. I explained that the Bible teaches that temptation is normal (sadly), but sin was when the temptation was followed up in either thought or action. We discussed the difference between “trials” and “temptations” as described in James 1. It is refreshing to hear the questions from both new and older Christians – and often challenging to find the right answer from God’s Word.

Ladies Bible study class continues. Currently, Sherry is bringing the class through a series on “Walking Alone”. This week they will be discussing restlessness and desperation. The focus will be that if we just realized that God’s design for us is to learn that sometimes we can’t have exactly what we want right when we want it, our restlessness for something different can be directed toward a desire to learn what God wants to teach us about his grace, which can sustain us through whatever he allows to come our way.

One of our youngsters from the Lighthouse Children’s Home – Andrew Silungwe – is in China studying engineering at the Shenyang Institute of Engineering in Liaoning Province. It is located over 1,100 miles from Wuhan, the epicenter of the Corona Virus outbreak, but the school and students are being very careful. They are all wearing masks and classes were even suspended for a few days to ensure that everybody was safe. There have been a few cases of the virus in the province, but none reported at the university. Please pray for Andrew and the other more than 2,000 Zambian students studying in China.

As we continue to serve we remember this poignant quote from Abraham Lincoln:

“My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.”

Together in His Service,