Fibungu West

For one reason or another, we have some churches that do not have a pastor. This last Sunday was such the case. I decided to take one of my third year students to Fibungu West Baptist church and candidate for the position.

Even without a pastor, the deacons had things well in control. There were about 60 members still attending but of course some had scattered when the former pastor left. Excitement was in the air as our student pastor gave his message and exhorted the people from Acts 3. My wife was able to spend time teaching the children a short lesson on the six literal days of Creation.

Please pray for Bro. Luke as he will be cycling the 35 kilometers twice a month for the next few months... these people are ready to by led forward and challenged to a greater walk of faith!

for of such is the kingdom of God

On Friday, a 2 DAY old child was brought to the mission station. As the story unfolded, we found out the mother of this child died the day after giving birth. The family had no where to turn and in two days time could only feed the little girl water. We were able to purchase some dry baby milk that should last for the next month.

Upon checking my email later that day I was notified that someone in the States would be sending $100 that they wanted specifically used for feeding someone in need... hmmm... I think this qualifies. With that $100 - we should be able to now feed this little girl for the next 6 months! It is always a thrill when seeing God's sovereign provision take place.

Please continue to pray for this little child --- her name, Charity.

Ipumbu BBC

As an addendum to the last post I wanted to briefly highlight the efforts of this church. The church at Ipumbu is deep in the bush/rural area of Mpongwe. The Pastor cycles roughly 60km each month to the mission station in order to learn more of God's word. After meeting him, one quickly enjoys his humility and desire to serve the LORD.

The church is full of life as the members were singing, dancing, learning, and responding to the knowledge of God! I have posted a couple pictures - one is a before picture of their old church and one is an after picture of their new church. It still may not look like much - just slow down and see the vast improvement that has been made by no small effort on the part of these committed church members. Please continue to pray for this church and works just like it!

All too familiar

When I talked to another missionary about visiting Ipumbu BBC he warned me about the road during the rainy season. I figured that after being stuck the week before, it was not likely to happen again the very next week. After all, besides last week - rarely in all the years of navigating dirt roads have I ever been stuck... surely it couldn't happen two weeks in a row.

I was WRONG! I was told there were two roads to this church - one very bad, one that was just ok. It turned out we chose the very bad one.

As we began down the last leg of our journey I snapped my trusty Nissan into 4x4 knowing it could handle almost anything. We began down a muddy trail that began to get worse - finally we were pushing through 6-10 inches of water. I increased my speed as I knew my only hope was momentum!! As we spotted the church just off the very wet and muddy road, I had that feeling of relief... I turned the wheel and cut through the water/mud. As I made the turn I spotted the pastor who with a big smile was welcoming us to the church. We made it about 10 feet off the mud/water road before sinking into THICK mud just to the entrance of the church.

We all knew we were in trouble... oh well, we got out - sang some songs, prayed, preached God's word, and had some good fellowship. Four people in this small church made life changing deicisons. As soon as the service was concluded - we all immediately focused on removing the vehicle from the mud... it took us almost 2 hours but we made it!! Praise the LORD!! The church members didnt complain or murmur - they just worked to get us out... amazing!!

Always an adventure

On our way back from Lusaka last weekend we decided to stop at a church in the town of Kabwe. It is a fairly new church with one of our Bible Institute graduates (Thomas Mwansa) leading the charge! Things went well as we ministered to the people and really were able to encourage and show the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ. The original church was blown down by heavy winds and rains and so now the people were meeting in one of the deacon's home. After the service, they took me to the middle of a field in which they are hoping to contruct a new church! Please pray for this work - the city of Kabwe is called "the city of salvation" but truly darkness is having more of an impact than light currently.

After leaving the church, we spent about 1 1/2 hours getting unstuck. A poor decision on my part left our vehicle on the side of a very swampy road - lesson learned... next time, engage head on!! We had about 15 men from the community pushing and pulling to get us out. I was covered in mud, hot, and ready to get back... yet, these 15 men had no avail on us getting out. It wasnt until a truck came along and pulled for about 1 minute that we were eventually released from our muddy prison! Praise the LORD!!!

Elvis is Back!

On Jan 24th, we went to preach at a fairly new church... actually, the church is not so new but there is a new pastor that has really sparked a fervent excitement in the people. Of course - the Pastor's name is Elvis!!

We had a great time as we sang, dance, and enjoyed digging into God's word. After the preaching many came to the Cross - actually, it was amazing how many in this small church came to the altar. Praise the LORD! Pastor Elvis seems to have these people truly hungry for God's word. I was able to pray with one man that was formally a part of "End Times Church" that got saved and my wife was able to lead another woman to Christ.

Please continue to pray for Pastor Elvis and the members of Kapupulu Bible Baptist Church. It is a small church out in the bush but has a pastor with a big vision - I read somewhere, that with God, nothing is impossible!