Rest and Relationship

Greetings from warm, hot and sticky Zambia.

If I could bottle the heavenly fragrance coming from the citrus blossoms, I would send it to you so that you can also be blessed with the joy that it brings to us. It is a beautiful reminder that we are in the month of spring and new life is all around us. 

In this newsletter we will update you on:

  • Fellowship around God’s Word – a great encouragement
  • Our time in Durban for SYNOD and family
  • Gratitude for the care package and prayers
  • Our vehicle purchase update
  • Training opportunities for growing the church
  • Our support needs

“May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father
when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.”
1 Thessalonians 3:13

SYNOD in Durban

We thank God for this past month where we got an opportunity for rest and reconnection with family and friends back in South Africa. The SYNOD for the REACH churches was held in Durban this year and took place from the 10th till the 13th of September. I was especially grateful for this venue because it would lend us the opportunity to spend some time with my family in Durban and even take advantage of our holiday club points to take a break in the Drakensberg.

Opening night at SYNOD 2023
Renee and sister Nadia
Family time in the Drakensberg

Encouragement from Food and Fellowship

The week before leaving Zambia to attend the SYNOD, our Matero Growth Group decided to have a fellowship dinner together. In true Zambian style, the fellowship grew to include all the neighbours in the block. Among the neighbours that joined in the fellowship, was one who appeared to be enquiring about the Bible, but it later became evident that he was just trying to challenge or sow doubt. What was so encouraging to us was how the men in training were responding to him. They were equipped through the Explore Course materials to have answers to his questions. They used Scripture to refute his arguments and carefully pointed him in the right direction. Michael just sat back and watched these men defend the Gospel accurately using the Word of God.

Ladies chatting over food preparation
Cleaning rice for the fellowship meal
Teamwork makes the braai better
Michael the Braai Master

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,”
2 Timothy 3:16

Friends and Family

It is hard to describe the joy we felt in seeing the familiar faces from home in Cape Town and getting those encouraging hugs from our loved ones at the SYNOD. Although it was a busy time, we had many meaningful conversations and built valuable relationships that will hopefully lead to partnership for the Gospel of Christ here in Zambia. Our hearts are that many people would be able to have the privilege to become a part of the work God is doing here through prayer and financial partnership.

Joyful fellowship and reunions at SYNOD

Deep Gratitude

We would like to express our deep gratitude for the loving care package we received from our church family through the hands of Alison and Alistair Lee. The coffee, nuts and yummy chocolates will encourage our hearts over the next month or two and we will certainly remember you all every time we indulge. Thank you also for the lovely little notes, cards and prayers. We will cherish all those thoughts and words. A special thank you to those who heard our need for cell phones and donated phones for us to use for the church communications. It will most certainly make our work so much easier.

Special gifts from our Church family in Cape Town
Special time in Durban with the Lee family

We bought a Vehicle!

There is also good news on the vehicle front. We have finally purchased a vehicle that fits our needs and our budget with the funds that were raised during the #run4wheels fundraiser. We are excited about this vehicle as it is just what we need for mission work in Zambia. The vehicle has been ordered from Thailand and will arrive in Zambia towards the middle of November. We thank God for His provision and guidance in the purchase of this vehicle.

Thank you so much to each and every one of you who contributed towards the cost of this vehicle. We have decided to name this vehicle “ABRAHAM” since it will be a blessing to many people. This will also be in recognition of Denzil Abraham’s who ran4wheels in the Comrades Marathon fundraiser. 

GWC applications are in

The applications for Rasford Zulu and Titus Chifita to study at George Whitefield College  are in. While at the SYNOD we were so thankful to hear that there would be scholarships available for both of them to study at GWC. Now that the lengthy and complicated process of application has been concluded, we appreciate your prayers for successful applications and their fundraising efforts for transport to college etc.

Growing Young Disciples

We arrived back in Zambia just in time for the first session of the Growing Young Disciples Academy term. GYD Academy trains people internationally for children’s and youth ministry through a three-year program. Children’s Ministry has been a major part of the vision of Christ Church Lusaka and a great need in Zambia. We have been blessed to receive sponsorship for three of our members to be trained through GYD. Felix Mulenga, Paul Ngoma and I were the ones chosen to be trained over the next three years. We are so excited to be equipped in this way and look forward to using the training to help children to understand the gospel in an age-appropriate way.

Online training through GYD

Personal Support and Supporters

We are so thankful to the many of you who support us financially and through prayer. Your financial support has carried us through to this point, but we are seeing a deficit in our monthly support. Currently our support only meets about 64% of our budget. we are concerned that if our support does not increase, we may need to return home in order to do more fundraising. We are encouraged by the fact that God knows all these things and is able to take care of us, but we ask you to prayerfully consider supporting us if you’re not already doing so. To those who are supporting us, we would like to say thank you and ask you to pray that God will raise up an army of supporters to partner with us in this ministry.

Our annual income is 64% of our budget needs.

Our monthly income is 51% of our budget needs. 

Please pray that we will continue to find our rest and peace in Jesus as we serve Him with depleted bank accounts and are running at a deficit. Pray that God will give us the right words to communicate our financial need to our supporters.

Praise God For:

  • Good networking opportunities at SYNOD;
  • Scholarships to train three students through GYD;
  • Scholarships to train two students at GWC;
  • The purchase of the vehicle from Thailand;
  • A wonderful time of rest with Family in Durban;

Pray For:

  • That we will rest in God as we trust for funds;
  • Successful applications to GWC for the two students; 
  • The growth of the children’s ministry;
  • This safe delivery of the vehicle from Thailand.