Greetings from an unusually sunny Wednesday afternoon!
The rains have been a tremendous blessing this year with downpours almost daily. In fact, this is the first afternoon for several days without rain. There are clouds gathering so I expect a shower this evening.
This is good news! The water at the Kariba Dam and the powerplant there is filling meaning that the power outages should be fewer in the weeks ahead, or at least we are informed. We haven’t experienced any improvement yet but time will tell. It also means that farmers are anticipating a bumper harvest after a couple of years of drought conditions! This is truly an answer to prayer!
In my first meeting with the Luanshya United Football team I spoke from Hebrew 3:13 and admonished the players to encourage each other! Many of these young men (18-23 years-old) have little to no role models. Stepping into that role is both a challenge and an honour. The “boys” (as they are known) have responded well to my messages.
For the past few weeks I have been involved with the renovation of the Football Club house. This is where out-of-town players stay when they have games. The house was so dilapidated that just being there was an emotional disaster for players. It is hard to be a spiritual encouragement when young men are sleeping in a place with no water, electricity or proper toilets! I was able to get support from members of the community and repaint the building and restore the electrical power. (All of the cables and fixtures were stolen!) The players are encouraged by the fact that their emotional and spiritual care is being considered. This also provide me with an opportunity to share the Lord with local businessmen and passerby.
This past weekend I was at Chengelo School for the triannual Board of Governors’ meeting. We were encouraged by the restored emphasis on the spiritual care for students. At the meeting we announced the head of secondary as well as the installation of the chaplain. I would ask for your specific prayers for John Ngulube – our chaplain – as he counsels and leads the nearly 500 students and staff members from all over the African continent. As you might understand, many of these students come from homes that are not founded on Biblical truth. One of John’s challenges is to present the Gospel while the students are in class – hundreds of miles from their homes. Please remember John in your prayers!
Sherry’s various ladies meetings continue. Pray for her as she shares the Word of God and deals with the personal issues of each household represented. One of the women just learned that her youngest son has autism and ADHD, a bad combination. Pray for Lewasuka and Luka as they seek answers, a school that will accept their child, and balance in their home as they have three other children, one of whom just graduated grade 12 and is preparing for university.
Wednesday evenings, Sherry has her discipleship class, in the dark, using her phone and WhatsApp Conference. Pray for the class as they discover new truths from week to week. Additionally, her community service with the local Member of Parliament continues to bear fruit as she meets with dignitaries from around the country and lives her testimony of hope, faith and trust in the Saviour. Many questions have been asked and they are astounded by her integrity in dealing with community matters.
Finally, we were blessed to have our youngest biological child, Colin and his family, for a brief visit. Having grown up at Fellowship Chapel and one of the first children in the Sunday program, obviously, he was afforded the opportunity to preach to the current congregation. A few of those present were his contemporaries while others have only heard of him through us and in prayer. He spoke from Micah 6:8 with the question: “What does the Lord require of you?”
It was quite the challenge and encouragement. They were with us for only a week—far too short, but it was great to see Colin, Erin and the grandchildren. Pray for him as he continues his service in the US Air Force as a Senior Master Sergeant.
We deeply appreciate your prayers on our behalf as we remain…
