Greetings from Luanshya!
Few things are more disappointing than when family members interfere with the spiritual growth of a new believer. The young man (age 24) who came to know Christ as His personal Saviour last week, has encountered a great deal of pressure from his family and friends. He grew up in a very strong denomination, which holds to the idea that the denomination saves. When he shared with his family that he had come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour and knew for a fact that he had eternal life, they became incensed. He actually left his parents home and went to stay with a friend in Kitwe (40 miles away) over the weekend. Consequently, he could not be baptized on Sunday. This afternoon he came to see me and said that he really missed not only being in church on Sunday but also having a chance to read and study in the Resource Centre for the last few days. He said that being away from home gave him time and opportunity to consider whether or not he had made the right decision. He is more convinced than ever that he did, in fact, make the right decision and will follow the Lord in believers baptism this coming Sunday. Please pray for J. K. as he deals with the external pressures. That he will be able to withstand and continue to grow.
This morning a 39 year-old man came to see me concerning "emotional and spiritual problems" that he has been experiencing. D. C. is actively involved in another church in Luanshya, but he has serious questions about eternity. After going through the Source of Light Bible Correspondence School curriculum and comparing scripture with denominational dogma, I asked him if he knew that he had eternal life. His answer was, "Yes, I hope so." When I asked him what he would tell God if he were to face Him today, he said, "I have trusted in Jesus and I am obeying the 10 Commandments." I explained to him that mixing faith and works to obtain eternal life is like mixing flour and poison in order to make bread. It does not take a lot of poison to make the whole loaf poisonous. We went through the scriptures and I explained that a gift could not be earned or deserved. After about 45 minutes, he looked at me with watery eyes and said, "I need to know." At 10 o'clock this morning, D. C. became a child of God. He has a number of other issues with which he has to deal including a very severe health problem. Please pray for D.C., his wife, and three children.
Sherry continues discipleship with Mrs. Lukonde. This past week they discussed "Conversing with God." She struggles with the language that slows down her pace. It is also challenging to Sherry since Mrs. Lukonde cannot read or write Bemba but can speak it. The lessons take twice as long but by the conclusion of each session, they know something has been learned.
The Bible Institute classes continue. Two of the students have finished the Book of Judges. One student is doing the final touch-up on his final paper. The students have written over fifty pages concerning the character of the Judges. This is an incredible amount of copy especially considering that it is all being done by hand. Please pray for our students a they continue in their studies.
The young people are out of school and Sherry has resumed the Youth meetings. As this letter is being typed, our puppeteers are working on this Sunday's presentation.
It has been a very full week and God has blessed tremendously even in the face of opposition. Thank you for being a part of our lives and ministry.
In His Service,
Patrick and Sherry
Dr. Patrick and
Sherry Coleman
Luanshya, Zambia Africa