Thank you sincerely for praying concerning my recent short visit to Malawi – my second of this year, so far. It has been good to see the literature work moving forward, and we continue to be really encouraged by the number of contacts generated – some expressing interest in salvation and others looking for supplies of literature to distribute themselves. As mentioned in previous correspondence, we estimate that around 500,000 items of Gospel literature have been published and distributed over the past couple of years, and we praise the Lord for making this possible, and for the promised blessing upon His Word. I will shortly be turning my attention to the publication of the 2016 Gospel Calendar, and the next edition of Exploring God’s Word which I hope to ship to arrive in good time for my November visit, DV.
In between my two most recent visits I have been glad to give a little help in Gospel and Ministry of the Word in various areas. In March Gail and I were involved in a Seed Sower distribution in Datchett (Berkshire) and I was in Birmingham for similar distribution in May. It was a very special joy for me to join Bro. Jonathan Black for a special effort in Bexleyheath (London), when the Lord was pleased to bless, and which appears to have been a real encouragement to the tiny assembly there.
Gail and I enjoyed the Eastbourne Bible Readings again this year, and it was a pleasure for me to proceed from there to Saltash (Cornwall) where I had responsibility for their annual conference and a further series of ministry meetings. It was my first time in that area, and I felt very much at home among the saints, and the Lord graciously gave help in the meetings.
From Saltash I continued to Malawi, and it was good to enjoy the fellowship of the saints there who have become so dear to us. A good deal of my time on this occasion was spent dealing with a number of important practical matters, and I was very pleased to be able to oversee the printing of the Seed Sower materials which we hope to use during our distribution in August, Lord willing. I believe I have also found a reasonably good local solution to our Gospel Tract printing needs, and although it will still be more cost-effective to do larger print jobs (Calendars and magazines) here in the UK, this should enable me to keep a much better supply of tracts flowing to those who need them regularly. Until the present the supply has been quite start-stop.
As you are aware from a previous email, a series of severe storms earlier in the year caused a lot of damage to many homes and crops in Malawi, and it was a privilege for me to be able to set in motion a program for the construction of a simple dwelling for 6 vulnerable families, as well as one for my dear friend and faithful helper, Goodson Chintanda, who with his family has been living for the past months under a plastic shelter we provided for him in February after his own house collapsed. These homes are very basic, but will have a cement-built foundation, cement for mortar, and a weather-tight roof, rather than merely mud for mortar and a grass roof. I mention this only because a number of saints have expressed prayerful and practical interest in this issue, and it is right that they should know the outcome. Lord willing, we hope to accompany the “hand-over” of a couple of these completed homes with a time of Gospel preaching for the local communities involved, when we return in August (DV).
I was very pleased to be able to spend two weekends with the fledgling assembly at Nsanama, the result of a number of years’ labour of Bro. Emilian (Emi) Marianciuc. Emi and his wife, Loredana, have worked hard, in spite many disappointments, and we try to encourage the work there. Bro. Emi’s exercise is that we should arrange a conference gathering later this year (probably November – before the start of the rains) and has suggested concentrating on teaching Assembly Principles. I was, of course, delighted about that, and we will both appreciate your prayers for guidance concerning this. Emi is presently constructing an additional building adjacent to the hall to accommodate others whom he hopes to invite to this event. Most will have no previous exposure to assembly truths.
Finally, we will really appreciate your earnest prayer concerning the forthcoming Outreach trip in August. There will be fewer participants this year, and we have had a couple of brethren withdraw at short notice on account of health problems, however we have still increased the number of texts this year by almost double, and look to the Lord for His help and blessing.