December 26, 2013

Merry Christmas to you from Malawi from our Family to you and yours.

    As this year draws to a close, we are continually thankful to be blessed with such amazing friends. To be in your hearts, thoughts, and prayers is a blessing that can never be measured; yet we see the results here everyday. Here are some recent stories from people in our church and Bible school that really encouraged us.
   The first example is from our own family. Today as we sat for prayer with Julie and Pr. Albert I could hear our children playing in their room in the background. They were singing worship and praise songs. That brought a smile to my face and later I asked them what game they were playing. They responded, “church”. I came to find that they had built a stage with Legos and were making their Barbies lead the Worship service. What a great encouragement to see God make His way into their little lives. I can imagine Jesus right there in their midst smiling with them as they glorify God with their joy.
   I think again of a visit we made to one of our church members home’s a few weeks ago. This is a member that has been with us from before the beginning. He came to Bible studies that we did here when we first visited 3 years ago. Upon moving here and visiting his home for the first time, we found he was living with another woman without being married. The visit was awkward and we could feel tension as we sat in his home. Later we found that his girlfriend was skeptical of us as foreigners and I’m sure under conviction. Within a month or two without any direct exhortation from us, this man broke off the relationship citing that he didn’t feel that his girlfriend wanted God. Another 6 months passed and he mentioned that he was moving back in with his girlfriend. We said to him why not marry her and we as a church could do the wedding. What a transformation came as a result. His fiancĂ© started coming to church, her skepticism was washed away as she drank in the love from the church and the Word of God. Over the past weeks as we planned the wedding, her face glowed with a smile that was opposite of the way we first met her. Yesterday, we did their wedding during the Sunday morning service. It became an evangelistic event since some of her family members are Muslims. It was awesome, we had ladies with Burkas in the church; and we just poured on the Love of God and presented the clear Gospel.

                                 Our church members coming to take pictures with the new couple!
                                                      Lukia witth her daughter, Sarah and Joseph!

   The last example was also another wedding (Rededication actually) we did on Saturday – It is the month for weddings apparently. This ceremony was for one of our church members who previously lived in England. He and his wife have been married for 7 years but living apart for a few years due to visa problems. His wife came to visit for the Christmas holidays and he asked if we could do a rededication of their wedding vows. We had a great time of fellowship in the days leading up to the ceremony. His wife was really searching for God, and said that she feels God ministers to her especially when she visits Africa. We just encouraged her in God’s plan for her and the providence of God putting us all together. Their ceremony was this past Saturday; it was a simple and beautiful one. After the ceremony we were invited to the reception at the family’s home. I was in awe to see the great reverence of the Word of God. To open the reception, I was asked to share about the importance of the family. Every person in the reception, 60 people, gathered in the Living room of the home and we shared the Word of God, it was a full weekend.
                                     
                                   KENNETH AND CHRISTINE'S RENEWAL OF VOWS

May God bless you this Christmas and New Years Holiday!