No coincidences with God (stories behind the pictures of the following post)

Hello from Malawi. 

It has been a great start for our new year. We began with a visit from Pastor Enock from Zambia and Anthony from the church in South Africa for a week. We accompanied them part of the way as they went back to Lusaka to Zambia’s 4^th largest city, Chipata, on a mission trip. Chipata is about 2 hours away from us and is a good target for the future. We found a great openness among the people there with the continual question, “When are you coming?” and our answer, “Soon.” We made some tracts putting a Zambian phone number that we can use while in Malawi. One brother named Mbewe was very interested in the church and Bible college and has been calling us every week to ask us when we are coming again. People were so refreshed to hear that God’s love is limitless.

This past week we enjoyed Matt Roberge from Baltimore. Matt is an amazing musician, but an even better preacher. His messages were filled with depth, content, and anointing. Matt was with us as we did our Bible College Registration. We set up the room and waited to see how many new students would enroll. The beginning started slow, but we were amazed to have 17 new students enroll with more calling us. The church was doubly blessed to have him lead worship and then preach the main message (I told him we would put him to work). The day before he left we had a free outdoor concert at the Post Office where we do most of our evangelism. It was a day of fellowship and fun as we did sketchboards and had Matt sing a plethora of music.

    Lastly, This month was a month of divine appointments. Many people would call them grand coincidences, but we see the hand of God. The first was when bringing Pr Enock and Antony to see Lake Malawi. We usually go a hotel restaurant that is right on the lake shore to order something and then go swimming. As we were ordering, I ran into a familiar face. It was Thomas, a Swedish business man that had been a member of our church in Lusaka, Zambia. He was at the Lake with his family for Christmas and new year and we were just there for a few hours.

The second amazing encounter was with a young man from Malawi named George that had been a student in Greater Grace International School in Budapest, Hungary in 2005. I was given his details by my brother in law Joe Cerquitella, who was the principal of GGIS during that time. Although I initially had problems connecting with him, finally we met up and his story was an amazing one. He and his brother had been having trouble in school in Malawi, so a friend of their mother, who happened to be a Hungarian lady, offered to bring the boys to Hungary for a year. Providentially they came to GGIS, were accepted as students by, Mr. C (Joe Cerquitella), and eventually ended up moving in with one of the teachers, Mr. Matt. Julie and I shook our heads with awe as we heard about George’s gratefulness for the time God had given him in Budapest as a landmark in his life. Now George is running a medical clinic in a rural, western Malawi. “How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” Rom 11:33.

Prayer Requests

-         Continued interest in Julie’s English class for Ladies (one of the great fishhooks of the church)

-         Health and Reconciliation of Marriages of families in the Church.

-         The beginning of our 2^nd year of Bible College

Our New Year's pictures of the month

Playing "Chipball' with our visitors from South Africa, Antoni and Pr Enock from Zambia

Us with George (a malawian who was a student at GGIS Budapest)

Matt Roberge's visit! Yes we put him to work with our blue guitar Lol

Matt leading the worship team with some English songs they know

 Matt known as "Is it true" singer by some of our church members sang it LIVE at our Sunday morning service (Matt had sang it at Zamcon 2013.)

 Outreach with Sketchboard and concert!

Our new "pet" from our back yard. 

 Don't worry we let it free after playing/torturing it, lol for a few hours :)

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 fiancé 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!