Categories
Literature Work

Frustrated again!

So, we arrived at the Printer’s in Blantyre at 11.30am, as instructed, to find that only 5,000 of our calendars were ready for collection! We’d been faithfully promised that we would be able to take delivery of at least 10,000, a quantity at the lower end of what would make the 520Km round trip to Nsanje district worthwhile.

Although we had good supplies of other Gospel tracts to distribute, it was evident that it would not be profitable to make the trip and not fulfil the demand of many of the contacts we hoped to meet, so we regrettably had to postpone the trip.

All of which means we haven’t really been able to make a start on the large distribution task ahead. I’m promised “a larger quantity” of calendars by Monday, but as we’ve only received 5% of an order placed a month ago, I’m not exactly sure what to expect.

We appreciate all who are praying about this situation, and are confident that the details are all in the Lord’s hands. Please continue to pray that, if it is the Lord’s will, the matter will be resolved in time to enable us to make a prompt start at the completion of next week’s Bible-teaching conference, Tues-Thurs (D.V.)

Categories
Literature Work

Update on Calendars

I called to see the printer today.

He had about 8,000 or so printed but not yet cut or folded. That’s progress.

On his assurance that the calendars already printed would be ready for collection first thing tomorrow morning we made plans to set off for the Lower Shire area, as they should be sufficient for the demand in there.

Just to be sure, I called again late this afternoon to check on progress. Guess what? They are still not folded, but will be ready “by 10 or 11.30 tomorrow”. My concern is that 11.30 will become 4.30 and….

Please keep the matter before the Throne of Grace. We know it’s all in the Lord’s hands.

S.

Categories
Literature Work

Please pray about calendar distribution

Excerpt from email from printer just received:

“My sincere apologies. Your calendars is scheduled to print tonight. The entire country has been in power cuts for the last 7 days. We are only getting power for 4-6 hrs a day which has effected our entire print schedules.”

We are hoping to distribute 100,000 calendars over the next three weeks so please pray earnestly that they will be produced tonight add promised.

Categories
Literature Work

Bible Teaching Conference and Calendar Distribution

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2016 Gospel calendar

God willing, I set off for Malawi this Tuesday for a time of Bible Teaching and literature distribution.

A 3-day conference has been arranged at the little assembly at Nsanama (Zomba district) and many people invited. Mostly, these people will not be familiar with “assembly” truths, and many may not even be truly saved, so a good deal of time will be spent on teaching the gospel, as we make our way through some of the key lessons of the Letter to the Galatians.

I am looking forward to the company of Stephen Marshall (Falkirk) on this trip, and it will be good to have his fellowship, not to mention help with driving.

Please pray that the calendars week be ready for distribution. I ordered 100,000 several weeks ago, but as of Wednesday past the printer had not started the job. As I’ve Bern saying, if things wrong in Malawi, they inevitably do!

More details to follow.

Categories
Malawi Gospel Outreach News Outreach 2015

Wonderful memories!

The paucity of posts over the 3 weeks we were in Malawi probably speaks for itself. We were busy!

As time permits, I’d like to catch up with the accounts of what we were up to, but in the meantime here is a rather eclectic assortment of memories from the trip. They’ll certainly mean a lot more to the team than to the rest of you, but I hope you’ll enjoy them nevertheless.

Categories
News

Going home today

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The remainder of the team head home today, after some left earlier on Friday past.

We have had the most incredible time, and can certainly trace the hand of the Lord.

With just a handful of Seed Sower texts remaining, we have managed to distribute almost 15000 packs this year, and it is remarkable to see already how the Lord had been using them – more to follow on that.

Categories
News Outreach 2015

Where He may send me, I will go…

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12 years ago today we left Northern Ireland as a very green missionary couple and young son for the beautiful land of Malawi.

Of course, there have been some problems, but I can truly days these years of service for the Lord have been the greatest of our lives.

I’m so thankful for a loving and supportive wife and equally understanding son, without which it would have all been impossible.

We are very glad to be celebrating this day with a great bunch of volunteer workers here in Malawi.

Praise the Lord for His goodness!

Categories
News Outreach 2015

Back to the bus depot

Today was our first day with the full team of workers in place. We are grateful for such a willing group, each of whom had really thrown themselves into the work without reserve.

We have been working today in Zomba, first in the town centre by the bus depot, where we have held open air meetings for three years now.

It was very encouraging to meet some of the truck drivers who wait there for a hire who remembered us from each of the former years. One told me her still has the texts from those visits.

From there we made our way to Mpondabwino FOR another open air meeting and text distribution. The uptake was typically overwhelming and we quickly exhausted the remainder of the 2000 or so literature packs we had brought with us.

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After lunch, and a restock, we returned to Mpunga, Zomba, where we distributed around another 800 or so packs.

A conservative estimate of the number of people who have heard the gospel today would be not less than 3500. Pray for blessing on God’s Word.

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People listening carefully add Euan preaches the gospel
Categories
News Outreach 2015

God with us!

As we were had to meet the final two team members (Ruth and Deborah) at Chileka airport (Blantyre) on Monday afternoon, we spent the morning in Blantyre with open air meetings at the main market in the city, and later at Ndirande township, “the Soweto of Malawi”.

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One of the vendors at Blantyre market

As always, the reception was extremely encouraging, with almost no refusals and many people lining up to receive the Word of God.

At Ndirande we were positioned about 10 feet from a Leaflet stands of the so-called Jehovah’s Witnesses, and as we preached it was wonderful to be able to emphasize the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the one called Immanuel, God with us.

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Categories
Outreach 2015

Sunday at Nsanama

We had an 8 o’clock start Sunday morning for the 30 minute drive to Nsanama for the meeting there.

Two funerals in the village meant that the meeting had to be kept quite short but we enjoyed the young people reciting their memory verses and singing a couple of the choruses they have learned.

I hoped to upload the video of the children singing but the file was too large for this internet connection.  Maybe later.

It was a good opportunity to preach on Romans 6:23, “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord” and we trust that some who attend the funerals in the village will consider the solemn reality of death, physical and spiritual, as the result of sin.

After the meeting we made the hour or so drive to Blantyre for lunch and then to the airport to meet the two latest arrivals, Ramona and Victoria.

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The team do far
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Packing Seed Sower texts for tomorrow's distribution.