December update

Dear friends,

Season’s Greetings in the name of Jesus.

We have felt the benefit of your prayers during this busy time. Thank you for your faithfulness.

David has been at the computer fairly constantly as he continues to write up his dissertation. Thank the Lord for progress as he has now submitted two chapters. Please pray for positive and speedy feedback from his supervisor.

Almost three weeks ago we submitted our documents for the visas we need in order to travel on the 19th of January. We would value prayer that they would come through in good time.

It was a real blessing and encouragement to study God’s Word with some of the ladies from Coagh Baptist. The Bible Study finished last Thursday evening and I am thankful to the Lord for the great fellowship and all He taught us during that time.

On Monday evening I will take the ladies’ meeting at Cookstown Baptist and Tuesday will be the final evening class at Belfast Bible College.

Ballynahinch Congregational Church will hold a farewell service for us on 28th December at 6.30pm. If you can attend, it would be great to see you. David will preach at both services of Coagh Baptist Church on 4th January, 2009. We would value your prayers for this and all the preparations to return to Kagoro.

Please pray we would do everything in the Lord’s strength (1 Pet. 4:11).

We have been saddened to hear of the recent riots in Jos, a city one and a half hours from Kagoro, where we normally travel every three weeks to do our shopping. The following report came from SIM on 3rd December:

Jos City is still very tense after rioting last Friday and Saturday. There are rumours of reprisal attacks and some reports of armed personnel attempting to enter the city. Presently the police and military have control of the situation and we pray that there will be no further violence. Many of the SIM personnel are moving out of Jos for the weekend which is also a Muslim holiday. Hillcrest School has closed till next Wednesday.

There are ten to twenty thousand displaced people in refugee camps around the city. SIM is providing food for one of these refugee camps. SIM has a funding project for relief, medical care and rebuilding destroyed church facilities as a result of the crisis. Donations are welcomed to this project and can be sent to any SIM office earmarked with project number NG96038.


Debbie and David

Prayer Letter

Dear Friends,

We send you greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus.

PRAISE

As we near the end of our extended time in the UK, we have many reasons to praise the Lord and would like to list a few: 1. We thank the Lord that our college fees were provided in full. 2. The four-star accommodation we have been using is great. Praise Him. 3. Throughout this time, we have had access to two vehicles provided freely by relatives. 4. It has been good to have had extra time to spend with family and friends. Renewing fellowship with our main supporting churches has also been a joy. 5. Our support levels with SIM have been high so we thank the Lord and all others who were involved in meeting that need. 6. During this time we have been able to attend some conferences such as Mandate, New Horizon and Keswick (see photo links). It has been great to have had these opportunities to worship at such events. God is Good (Nahum 1:7).

PLANS

We are planning to return to Kagoro Seminary on 19th January 2009. Please pray for the preparations and especially that visas will come through okay. You are invited to a farewell service for us at the Ballynahinch Congregational Church on Sunday evening 28th December.

As usual, there are some things to be done before we leave. I am still working on my 20,000 word dissertation and would like to have that finished before we travel. Debbie is teaching First Peter in six evening classes at the Belfast Bible College and also leading a Bible study for a group of ladies at Coagh Baptist Church.

SARAH YOO

We just heard that one of our SIM colleagues at Kagoro, Sarah, has returned to Korea. She has been battling with malaria throughout this year. It looks like she will not be returning to Kagoro. Pray for her. She will be greatly missed at the seminary. By the way, the Seminary is still looking for someone to teach New Testament who has a doctoral level qualification in that area. Pray the Lord will send us someone with that training (Matt. 9:38).

As ever, thank you for your faithful prayers.

David and Debbie Colvin

Contacts (until we leave): Tel 02887752120, Debbie 07810203459, David 07833145995

Update for October

Dear Friends,

We send you greetings in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Many thanks for your prayers. We enjoyed our week of holiday in Portugal (see photos in the links section) but now its back to work. Debbie has many meetings booked this month and would especially appreciate your prayers.

Debbie leads a Bible study for a group of ladies at Coagh Baptist Church on 2nd, 9th, 23rd, and 30th. She is using a Beth Moore study called Living Beyond Yourself.

She is also speaking at ladies’ meetings on 6th at Bangor Congregational Church, 7th Hamilton Road Baptist, 16th Lambeg Baptist, 21st Portadown Baptist, and 27th Cairndaisy Baptist.

I am preaching at Cairndaisy Baptist on 16th and at the Stewartstown Baptist Hall on 26th.

Both of us are involved in the following meetings: 5th Missionary Meeting at Shankill Baptist, 14th GB at Ballynahinch Congregational, 18th Ballycrochan Baptist missionary meeting, 24th SIM Conference, and 28th SIM prayer group at Whiteabbey.

My Dad is enjoying being back at home and recovering some movement in his right arm. He still needs assistance when walking but there is gradual improvement in this area also.

September was a month for reunions. Debbie and I were both at a celebration at the Belfast Bible College which has been at Glenburn House for 25 years. (I was studying there when the college moved.) It was good to meet former students some of whom we hadn’t seen for over twenty years. Then on 27th Sept, I was at a reunion at the Rainey Endowed School. Again it was fascinating to meet classmates I hadn’t seen for over thirty years. While external appearances have, of course, changed a little, basic characters seemed to be much as I remember them.

Reunions remind us we have a limited amount of time to worship God on earth. Let us all make the best use of the time (Eph. 5:16).

In Christ,

David and Debbie

September Update

Dear friends,

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus.

We thank the Lord for answered prayer during this past month. Praise the Lord with us that David’s dad is now out of hospital. We are thankful for the level of care he is receiving at home. Please pray that he would regain a measure of mobility as the physiotherapists and occupational therapists work with him over the next three months. Pray too for David’s mum as she helps care for his dad. Thanks.

David’s preaching engagements went well which once again is an answer to prayer. He is continuing to do research for his dissertation so pray that the time spent in study would be productive.

On Saturday, 6th, we will travel to Glasgow where David will preach at the anniversary services of Harper Memorial Baptist Church on Sunday. I will give a short presentation of our work in Kagoro and we will take part in a meeting after the Sunday evening service. We would value prayer for safety in travel and for the Lord’s help in the services.

The ladies of Kilrea Baptist have invited me (Debbie) to speak at their meeting on Thursday, 11th September. Please pray for the Lord’s guidance in preparing and giving the message.

In two weeks’ time (18th Sept.) we’re travelling to Portugal with my parents for a week’s holiday. We thought it would be good to see the sun again!

In our calendar, September appears to be the calm before the storm of activity from October to December when there are many meetings to take and preparations for our return to Nigeria in January.

Thanks for upholding us in prayer. May we continue to remember that without Him we can do nothing but with Him we can do all the things He has called us to do.

Yours in Christ,

Debbie and David

August update

Dear friends,

We send you greetings in the Name of Jesus.

Thank you for praying for health and safety in July. We had a great time in England visiting friends and enjoying their hospitality. The week at the Keswick conference was well worth attending. Charles Price was the main speaker in the morning meetings and we appreciated his accurate exposition and practical application of the book of Colossians. Keith and Kristyn Getty led most of the times of worship and we enjoyed that aspect of the conference also (check out www.gettymusic.com).

The weather for most of the trip was excellent and we were glad the car we were using had air conditioning! We have uploaded a few photos of the trip with captions (see links section of this blog) but no photos of the conference since no one was allowed to take photos during the meetings. (No doubt Keswick Ministries will add some more to their own web page: www.keswickministries.org)

August offers several opportunities to take Sunday services (10, 24 & 31) and we would appreciate your prayer for those times. I (David) will start work on the dissertation this month and hope to have most, if not all, of the work completed by the end of the year. I plan to study African views of Christology (the doctrine of Christ). A number of African theologians have addressed the subject in recent years and it would be helpful in my teaching to see what can be learned from these authors.

My Dad is supposed to be returning home from hospital soon. He has recovered from the stroke to some extent but still has difficulty walking and has only limited use of his right hand. Please keep on praying for him.

The new semester will be starting at Kagoro Seminary this month. Pray for the teachers and students. We heard from Sarah Yoo that work has started on a new student accommodation block so we praise the Lord for that development.

Thank you for your prayerful interest in our lives.

In Christ,

David and Debbie

July Update

Dear friends,

Greetings from us both.

Many thanks for your prayers over the past month. We really enjoyed our break in Prague and the fact that the sun was out most of the time made it special! You can check out some of our photos and captions on the ‘links’ section of this blog.

Praise the Lord that David completed his essays for the Masters’ last Friday which just leaves the dissertation. He is now recovering from a throat infection so please pray for restoration of health and strength. Thanks. Unfortunately, he had to cancel a speaking engagement at Dungannon Baptist on 6^th July, but hopes he will have another opportunity to be there later in the year.

The month of July looks like it will be quite busy. A friend of ours from Kilkenny is coming to visit for the week 14^th-21^st. She has been off work for several years due to a complex health problem. Pray she will enjoy the time with us and that we would be an encouragement to her. On 22^nd July we will travel to England to renew fellowship with some friends, visit SIM HQ in Suffolk, and attend the last week of the Keswick Convention (26^th July-1^st August). This will mean a lot of driving so please pray for protection on the unfamiliar and very busy roads. Pray too that we would benefit from the messages and worship at Keswick. We are thankful for the bursaries made available to missionaries to cover the cost of accommodation.

Thank you for praying for David’s dad. He is making slow progress but has come a long way during almost three months of being in hospital. Please pray with us for further improvement so he can return home.

Thanks for praying for the ‘matching gifts’ opportunity for the Seminary at Kagoro. Dennis Shelly says the portion that had to be raised through the Seminary has come in and the matching gift should be raised this month.

In Christ,

Debbie and David

Update on 3 to 1 matching gifts challenge

Dear Friends,

Just a quick update on the fund raising for the Seminary at Kagoro. Praise the Lord the required amount has been raised according to Dennis Shelly. Thank you for praying and/or giving.

In Christ,

David and Debbie

David and Debbie in Prague's Old Town Square

Here is a link to some other photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/davidanddebbiecolvin/PragueTrip

June update

Dear Friends,

We send you greetings in the Name of Jesus our Lord.

Many thanks for your prayers for Debbie as she completed her course. See a photo of Debbie, her fellow graduates, and Graham Cheesman who runs the course below.

I have one more essay to submit, ideally by 20^th June, so pray I can get that in on time. I thought I would have had more time to work on it but it needs to be back so it can be marked and, hopefully, I then get permission to proceed with the dissertation.

As far as meetings go, Debbie has a meeting to take on 14^th and I will be preaching on 15^th and 22^nd (D.V.).

My Dad is making slow progress after the stroke he had seven weeks ago and he is still in hospital. Thank you for your prayers and keep on praying for his recovery.

Our colleague, Dennis Shelly, sent us an email about a ‘matching gifts’ opportunity for the development of the facilities at Kagoro Seminary. (See more about that below).

Debbie and I are taking a ‘city break’ to Prague for three days next week so we are looking forward to that. (Hope I can put aside essay writing and sermon preparation for those days!)

Thanks again for your partnership in the Gospel,

David and Debbie

Debbie's graduation

Debbie's Postgraduate Certificate in Theological Education graduation. Dr Graham Cheesman, who runs the course, is in the front row, second from the left. Other graduates are from Burundi, Romania, India, Kenya, Malawi, and Slovakia.

Matching gifts opportunity

Dear Friends,

We would like to make you aware of an opportunity to help the ECWA Seminary at Kagoro. Our SIM colleague Dennis Shelly, who is teaching there, has set up a project with SIM to raise funds for the development of the seminary's library and computer facilities. He writes:

"Greetings in Christ from the ECWA Theological Seminary, Kagoro. Thank you for your prayers and support as we move into the last month of our January to May, 2008, semester. It has been a good semester of teaching, studies, and outreach...
We write to share one most encouraging opportunity that has just come before our Seminary. We've been seeking assistance to strengthen our Seminary's library and technology sections with more computers and resources for our Old and New Testament departments, along with our Missions department.
One group of Christian friends has just responded with a '3 to 1 challenge' to us. This means that if we can find Christian friends, churches, and groups from Nigeria and overseas who will promptly help us to raise cash up to $15,000 (fifteen thousand dollars), this Christian group would give us a matching gift of $45,000 (forty-five thousand dollars). We've heard of 2 to 1 challenges, but this '3 to 1 challenge' is even better."

Debbie and I have sent a gift to this fund and invite you to consider helping. In a recent email, Dennis wrote they have about $6,000 either already given or promised. Gifts should be made through any SIM office (see links) for the Nigeria project number 85600 and marked: 'Matching Lib. & Res. Gift.'

Yours in Christ,

David

May Update

Dear friends,

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus. Today the blue skies and warmth remind us of Nigeria. It also reminds us of ‘study weather’ as we are both keeping close to our books and computers as we work to meet the deadlines for our assignments.

Please pray for David as he finishes up his assignment on the Pastoral Epistles and gets ready to do another module of study starting with classes on 19^th and 20^th May.

I would really appreciate prayer also as all my assignments have to be in next week and I have lots more work to do as well as attending classes.

Thanks so much for your prayers for the various meetings we’ve taken over the last few weeks. We’ve really known the Lord’s help. We will be taking the SIM prayer meeting in Ballymena on the 16^th May and then on the evening of the 18^th I (Debbie) will be speaking at the Ladies’ service at Lisburn Congregational. I will also be speaking at the Armagh Baptist Ladies’ Fellowship on 30^th and David will be preaching at a CWU meeting in Ballynahinch on 1^st June.

Almost three weeks ago David’s dad suffered a stroke which has affected his right side. He is in hospital and getting better slowly but is also struggling with a chest infection. We would value prayers for his recovery, especially that he would be able to return home in the near future. Pray for comfort for him and for David’s mum. All the family need prayers as we seek to give the support necessary. We are thankful that, in God’s timing, we are able to be in the country right now.

We are thankful too for safety in travel these days as we are on the road so much.

Thank you for your faithful prayers on our behalf, Colossians 4:2.

Yours in Christ,

Debbie and David

Dear Friends,

We send you greetings in the Name of Jesus.

Thank you for your prayers for us in March. It was a busy month in terms of preaching and study but things seems to have gone well. We also sent out our prayer letter at the end of the month which is why this update is a later than normal.

Debbie would like you to pray for her as she works on two written assignments. Deadlines are approaching and the time seems too short to complete what she wants to cover. I submitted my essay on Romans and some assignments for the Study Skills module and the tutors are happy with these. I am, however, behind in writing the essay on the Pastoral Epistles so pray for us both as we tackle these things in the next few weeks.

This month marked our 10^th wedding anniversary. We thank the Lord for these years together. Although we were not able to get away to celebrate the day itself we have booked a city break in June. We have never been to Prague so it should prove interesting and, hopefully, provide a different venue for romance.

We are just back from a few days in London visiting friends. Although we have quite a number of other friends and supporters in England we would like to see, a longer trip will have to wait until later in the year (D.V.). It was great to have a total break from study and taking meetings and to have some time with David, Judy and their daughter Emily.

On 27^th we will be taking the morning service at Lambeg Baptist Church and we will attend the SIM conference at Magherafelt Baptist on 25^th April. Since our next update might not be sent out early enough, please remember the Sunday services at Carr Baptist on 4^th May during which I should be the preacher.

Thanks again for your prayers.

David and Debbie

Prayer Letter

Dear Friends,

We send you greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus.

Studies

Both of us are studying at present. David is working on three modules at the Irish Baptist College and I am taking a three-month course at the Belfast Bible College. This time around, David’s subjects are Romans, The Pastoral Epistles, and more work on the Study Skills module. (He is pictured here with some other students and staff at the college.) My course is a post-graduate certificate in theological education and I am the only British person in the group!

Blog

We have set up a blog. Our prayer letters and monthly updates sent out by email will be ‘posted’ to the blog and we will add some other items from time to time. Please feel free to visit the page which is available at davidanddebbie.blogspot.com.

Security at Kagoro

Since we wrote last year, SIM has been working on improving security for the missionary housing at Kagoro. A wall has been built to surround the house the Shelly family are living in and apparently a wall is also being constructed to surround the house we use. This should help but ultimately we depend on the Lord for protection and encourage you to keep on praying for that (Psalm 91:2).

Keswick Convention

We have never been to the meetings at Keswick but since we have the opportunity this year we decided to attend one of the weeks. The organisers of the conference have kindly made accommodation available to us free of charge since we are missionaries.

We praise the Lord for His help in our deputation meetings. Please pray that we would know the Lord’s strength and wisdom as we continue to have opportunities to share about God’s work at Kagoro.

Thanks again for your prayers.

David with some students and staff at the IBC

March update

Dear Friends,

Greetings in the name of the Lord. Thanks for your prayers during the past month as we have been involved in our studies and some meetings.

Praise the Lord for a good start to the course I (Debbie) am taking at Belfast Bible College. I am now in the fifth week of study and it has been both an exhausting and stimulating time. There are three Africans on the course, three from Romania, one from Slovakia and one from India so it’s quite a mix of nationalities. A major challenge last week was trying to explain to two of them what “craic” and “banter” mean!

David is making good progress in his studies and continues to prepare his assignments on Romans and the Pastoral Epistles. Please pray that this time of study would be beneficial for both of us and that the Lord would keep us safe as we travel.

The month ahead will be a busy one as each Sunday we have the opportunity to take part in church services. Please remember the Missionary Sunday at John White Memorial church this Sunday, 9^th March. The following Sunday morning, 16^th March, we will take the PWA Service at Sloane Street Presbyterian Church in Lisburn. David will be preaching at both services on Easter Sunday at his home church, Coagh Baptist and will take the services at Saintfield Baptist on 30^th March.

It’s been a joy to share in the study of God’s word with a group of ladies from Coagh Baptist Church. We are learning from the lives of some Old Testament women and our study will continue each Thursday evening until the 20^th March. Please pray that all who attend would be strengthened in their faith.

I would also value prayer for the Lord’s help as I speak at the Baptist Ladies’ Rally at Coagh Baptist on 19^th March.

With so many activities and lots of study to do we need much of the Lord’s help in using our time well.

Thanks for your fellowship in this ministry. May you know the joy of the Risen Christ as you celebrate His death and resurrection this Easter.

Yours in Christ,

Debbie and David

Update for February

Dear friends,

We send you greetings in the Name of Jesus.

Many thanks for praying for Debbie as she took the mid-week meetings. That series has finished and she received many positive comments about the material covered. Debbie has been asked to lead a ladies’ Bible study at Coagh Baptist Church starting this week and running until Easter. That will be on Thursday evenings (D.V.).

Debbie started her post-graduate certificate in Theological Education course at the Belfast Bible College today and has to decide on an essay title and a project title within the next week.

I am studying ‘Romans’ and the ‘Pastoral Epistles’ modules this time around. It is great to be digging deeper in the scriptures and I would appreciate your prayers as I work my way through the commentaries and other relevant books. I also have an assignment for the ‘Study Skills’ course to complete before the end of the month.

We have set up a blog: davidanddebbie.blogspot.com. We will post these updates and our normal prayer letters to that site and also add in some other things now and then.

Thank you for praying for the various meetings we take here and there. February isn’t too busy in that regard. We will take a morning service at Dungannon Baptist on 17^th and will be speaking at two SIM prayer meetings on 5^th and 15^th February. Sundays in March will be much busier so pray we will be able to get some preparation for those covered this month. Thanks.

Thanks for remembering us in prayer.

In Christ,

David and Debbie

Debbie teaching at the mid-week service

Update for January

Dear friends,

New Year’s greetings to you! May this be a very blessed year as you continue to serve the Lord.

It’s fun to look out at the snow that has just fallen as it’s the first we’ve seen in a few years.

Many thanks for your prayers for us during the last month. It was lovely to celebrate Christmas with our families and catch up with a few friends. Thank the Lord too for help given to David when he preached at Coagh Baptist last Sunday.

Now we’re getting prepared for the work ahead of us this month. I (Debbie) will continue the series of Bible studies on First Peter at Ballynahinch Congregational during the rest of January. I’ve really known the Lord’s help so thanks for praying. We will also take the Sunday morning service at the Congregational on January 13^th as part of their missionary weekend. The 11^th January is the Ladies’ meeting at Donaghy Congregational and on the 23^rd we’ll be at Carndaisy Baptist for their Ladies’ meeting. We would appreciate your prayers for these opportunities to share what the Lord is doing in Kagoro.

David will take another set of classes next week which should generate enough essays and assignments to keep him busy for the next three months. I plan to start the Theological Educators course at Belfast Bible College on 4^th February.

The new MA in Theology programme starts at Kagoro this month so pray for those teaching in that course and the new students who have been admitted into the programme.

“Blessed (happy) is he that has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.” Psalm 146:5. May we be encouraged as we enter 2008 that our help and our hope is in the Lord.

Yours in Christ,

Debbie and David