Unexpected Pregnancy đź‘€

Greetings from Lusaka, Zambia!

What a glorious month June has been. Our hearts are overflowing with joy and gratitude as we have so much to be thankful for. It has been a super busy month filled with lots of ministry, spiritual growth, meaningful relationship and exciting developments. 

In this newsletter we will share our exciting news with you regarding:

  • Relationships and Discipleship
  • Entrust course in Action
  • Run 4 Wheels fundraiser
  • Transport developments
  • Explore Course Exams
  • Church Venue progress
  • Unexpected Pregnancy

Relationships & Discipleship

Just this past week Michael commented to me that the most rewarding part of his ministry here in Lusaka, has been the relationships that he has built, and continues to build with the men that he meets with one-on-one. Every week Michael meets with them over a meal or a coke and it has become the highlight of his week. Sharing life with them and seeing their growth and progress gets him so excited for what God is doing in and through them.

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
Galatians 6:9

Rasford Zulu, Felix Mulenga, Titus Chifita and Paul Ngoma, these are the four men who are being trained for pastoral leadership in Christ Church Lusaka. Please read their names again and remember to pray for them and their families regularly too. These men feel called to serve God in ministry. They desire to grow into strong leaders who can teach the Bible effectively and faithfully. Please remember them and pray for them.

Michael meeting one-on-one with one of the men
Michael teaching the Simeon Trust material to Paul Ngoma, Titus Chifita, and Felix Mulenga
Renee Watson, Paul Ngoma, Rasford Zulu, Felix Ngoma

Entrust Course in Action

Michael’s excitement over the relationships developed with the men in training inspired me to also initiate one-on-one meetings with the ladies at Christ Church Lusaka. I felt a bit intimidated to start but I decided to apply some of the skills I learnt at the Entrust Course I attended last month. 

It took a bit of time getting past all my lame excuses to eventually get the ball rolling. But praise God I have finally established one regular weekly meeting with a lady in our church whom I now consider a friend and dear sister in the Lord. We met every week this past month and have been working through the Entrust Course material together. I have really enjoyed the time with her and I can say confidently that there is much joy in studying God’s Word with a sister in Christ. Please pray for me for boldness to keep on reaching out to the women in this Church and Community.

Renee with sister Agatha, wife of Mr. Felix Mulenga
Bible study in our home
Tuesday Women's Bible Study Renee co-leads with Rose Shaffer

#Run4Wheels Fundraiser

We praise God this month for the successful completion of the Run4Wheels Fundraiser.  This initiative of our brother Denzil Abrahams to run the 2023 Comrades Marathon to raise funds for a vehicle for our mission work here in Zambia was such a blessing to us. We were overwhelmed by his love for us and the generous support that so many of you poured into the fundraiser. 

On the 11th of June, Denzil ran and completed the 88km run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. The pledges that came in exceeded our expectations and we thank you all for sowing into the Kingdom of God in this way. It was such a powerful reminder that although Michael and I are far from home serving here in Zambia, we are not alone. We are part of a team who are just as invested in this work as we are. We felt honoured to be a part of this team. We just heard last night that the latest figure raise through this fundraiser is: R94,120!!! We are so grateful to God for all who have contributed to this cause.

The funds may not be enough yet for the vehicle we need for Western province, but we are happy to wait until we have raised the sufficient amount for the right vehicle. In the meantime, we are considering getting something practical to move around with in Lusaka which we can sell again easily on completion of our term here.

Vehicle Exchange

We thank SIM members Darren and Sarah Bauman for generously making their vehicle available for us to use from January until the 21st June when they arrived in Lusaka. This vehicle has been such a blessing to us and we thank God for their kindness in allowing us to use it while they were away.

The best part of this story is that God did not leave us without support in our time of need. On the very day that the Bauman’s arrived in Zambia, we were offered the use of another loan vehicle from Flying Mission. This Toyota Noah suits our current ministry needs very well and is truly an answer to prayer in many ways and came at just the right time. So for now we have a means of transport to get to all our ministry appointments in Lusaka. Very grateful indeed.

Toyota Noah on loan from Flying Mission
The Toyota Noah loaned to us by Flying Mission

Explore Course Exams

This month we also successfully completed two modules of the GWC Explore Course and wrote the exams. The two modules completed were, Book 1:Explore the Bible and Book 3: Explore the Acts of the Apostles. Once the exams were done and dusted we wasted no time and jumped right into the next module which is Book 4: Explore the World’s Creator.

During this coming term, Michael has decided, instead of doing two more modules of Explore, we would only do Book 4 while he also introduces the Simeon Trust Course material with the four men being trained as Church Pastoral staff. This will benefit them greatly and shape their preaching and Bible handling skills.

Dr. Paul Kayumba preparing us for the Explore Exams
Writing the Explore Exam for Book 3

“Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.”
1 Timothy 4:15

Church Venue Progress

Thank you so much for praying with us for a church venue for Christ Church Lusaka. As I write this, Christ Church Lusaka is on the brink of possibly signing a 1-year contract with The Golden Peacock Hotel, which we hope will be a good option. We have looked around and despite knocking on many doors, we have not been able to find any other suitable venue that will accept our limited budget and facilitate growth and community. Please continue to pray for us that God will guide us in this decision and shut this door firmly if it’s not the right place for us.

Our first church meeting at the Golden Peacock Hotel
Renee doing the children's slot

Unexpected Pregnancy…

Michael and I are going to be grandparents! Our little teenage fur-child, Lucy, turns out to be expecting a litter of kittens. We don’t know how this happened because we were assured that she was most certainly spayed and that no babies would be on the way. But a week ago our colleagues pointed out that she seems to be picking up a lot of weight. On closer inspection I discovered that she was in fact pregnant. Once the shock had subsided, we started feeling excited to see what our fur-grandbabies are going to look like. We will keep you posted and post photos once she gives birth.

Our little kitten is having kittens

Please Pray:

Thanksgiving

  • Thank God for the use of the Bauman’s vehicle from 18 January to 21 June.
  • Thank God for the use of the Flying Mission vehicle from 21 June till we get our own vehicle.
  • Thank God for the successful #run4wheels fundraiser and all those who generously contributed.
  • Thank the Lord for the meaningful relationships that we are developing here with members of Christ Church Lusaka.
  • Thank the Lord for Rasford Zulu, Titus Chifita, Felix Mulenga and Paul Ngoma who have a deep desire to be trained for pastoral ministry.
  • Thank the Lord for the progress we have made in our search for a venue for Christ Church Lusaka.

Prayer Requests

  • Pray that God will guide us to the right vehicle to purchase for our longterm mission work here in Zambia.
  • Pray that Rasford, Titus, Felix, and Paul will continue to grow in their theological journey. 
  • Pray that we will be able to find funding to take on one of these men as a full-time Ministry Apprentice.
  • Pray that God will give the Christ Church Lusaka leaders wisdom as we make final negotiations with the Golden Peacock Hotel where we have found a suitable venue for the church.
  • Thank God for the provision of financial commitments from donors for the next 12 months to cover the venue rental costs.