David and Debbie

February update

2012-02-09T19:02:00.001Z

Dear friends,

We send you greetings in the Name of our Lord.

Thank you for praying for the meetings we took in January. All went well. The following are ones we have still to take this month:

Sunday 12th evening service, missions conference, Lurgan Baptist Church
Wednesday 15th Baptist Women’s Fellowship meeting at Coagh Baptist Church
Monday 20th prayer group at Ballymoney
Wednesday 22nd mid-week service at Spamount Congregational Church
Sunday 26th Bible Class at Ballynahinch Congregational Church
Tuesday 28th SIM prayer group at Whiteabbey
Wednesday 29th Mission Africa prayer meeting near Kilkeel

We thank the Lord that my home church, Coagh Baptist, has called David Causby to be the pastor. He will start full-time ministry in May this year and we are looking forward to meeting him and his wife and family (D.V.).

In our last prayer letter we mentioned Rick and Alanna Creighton who were planning to move to Kagoro to work at the Seminary this month. With the recent unrest in Nigeria, they have decided they will look for another place of service. We are disappointed they will not be living and working at the Seminary but join us in prayer for them as they determine where our Lord would have them settle. Also, please continue to pray for peace and stability in Nigeria.

We are planning to sit in on some classes nearby which have an emphasis on expository preaching. Debbie is also attending a ladies’ Bible study class on Tuesday evenings being run by the Bible Study Fellowship just down the road from us. As teachers it is good to get some fresh input to help us.

Next week we are having some friends from London come over and visit for a couple of days: David and Judi Naish and their daughter Emily. Debbie and Judi were missionaries in Brazil and have been friends ever since. We have stayed with them in London when we are over there on deputation. No doubt we will take them along the Antrim Coast to the Giant’s Causeway at some stage (weather permitting, of course).

Thank you for your prayers.

David and Debbie

January update

2012-01-04T19:34:00.001Z

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! We trust it will be one of blessing and increased joy in the Lord.

Thank you so much for your prayers for us over these past weeks. We praise the Lord that we were able to finish our marking and submit our grades before leaving Kagoro. Then we quickly packed up most of our household things before going to the airport. We had a good journey and are enjoying our new temporary home on the Ballygowan road.

It's a treat to drink water straight from the tap not to mention having constant electricity. I (Debbie) am happy that I don't have to soak all fruit and veg in a bleach solution. David is excited to have better internet access.

Since arriving we have had lots of rest and special times with family over this holiday period.

Recent events in Nigeria are very disturbing. Please pray for Christians who are under threat that they would know the Lord's peace and protection. Pray too that they would be salt and light in the midst of increased tensions.

The new Provost will be 'on seat' by now. He needs prayer as he faces the challenge of leading the Seminary in Kagoro.

Our deputation schedule begins on the 16th January with an SIM prayer meeting in Belvoir Park. We will be with a group of ladies from the Belfast Bible College Women's Study Fellowship on the 23rd. The next morning we will share with students at the Irish Baptist College. Coleraine Baptist have invited us to take part in their missionary conference on the 28th. I (Debbie) will take Ballykeel Baptist Ladies' meeting on the 31st . Please pray for safety in travel and that the Lord would help us as we share about the ministry in Kagoro and encourage more to be involved in mission.

In these times of uncertainty and instability in the lives of individuals and nations the words of Psalm 62:1-2 are a great encouragement.

We continue to appreciate your faithful prayers.

God Bless,

Debbie and David

December update

2011-12-02T09:42:00.000Z

Dear friends,

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

There is an air of excitement at the Seminary today. Everyone is busy getting ready for the baccalaureate service this evening and the graduation tomorrow (3rd). The baccalaureate service is when all the awards are given to the students who have excelled in one area or another during their studies. It is more like a family get-together whereas the graduation is more formal though still enjoyable. This year we will only have 65 students graduating. Normally it is a larger number than this but many of the degree students were unable to complete writing their theses on time. This probably means the number who graduate next year will be larger. Pray for our graduates as they plan what they will do next.

Since our prayer letter sent out last month, our provost has written to the Board of Governors requesting he step down from the position of provost. He will have been there for nine years by the end of this year. Normally ECWA (Evangelical Church Winning All), which owns the Seminary, gives people such appointments for six years but some people go beyond that as is the case here. Our provost has helped the Seminary to develop in terms of structures and starting higher level programmes of study. He still wants to stay here and teach at the Seminary. The ECWA executive has agreed he should step down.

We are expecting Dr Sunday Agang to come as the new provost. He is presently the Academic Dean at the ECWA Theological Seminary at Jos (JETS). Pray for him as he takes on this new responsibility and for JETS as they select a new Dean. Assuming Prof. Kafang stays here, pray for a good working relationship at the Seminary.

November seems to be a month when people like to visit! We have had visitors from Canada, Australia, the USA and Northern Ireland in the last few weeks. It is great to enjoy the bond that unites us in Christ and we are always happy when people visit the ministry here so they can pray for the work and, possibly, encourage others to join us in missions.

In less than two weeks we will back in the UK. As I look out the window the sky is that continuous blue you often have in jigsaw puzzles. You know the kind where it is easy to put in the pieces where the tree branches are but the rest is more challenging since there are no clouds. The temperature here starts at a modest 22C in the morning and rises to 33C by mid-afternoon. We will be saying goodbye to both these circumstances soon but it will be good to be back in the UK. Seeing family and friends will more than compensate for those cold, dark, winter days.

Now we just have to tackle the marking and packing things away. Pray we get most of the marking done on time and for Debbie who has two meetings in Jos next week in connection with the Africa Christian Textbooks ministry (ACTS).

Thanks for your prayers and we wish you all a happy Christmas and New Year. (2 Cor. 9:15).

In Christ,

David and Debbie

November prayer letter

2011-11-02T19:19:00.005Z

Dear friends,

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

Colleagues
Dennis and Coletta Shelly will be spending Christmas in the US with their son and daughter but be back in time for the new semester to start in January. We are expecting a new family to join the work at Kagoro soon. Rick and Alanna Creighton are originally from Northern Ireland but have been living in England for some years. They have three young children (the youngest, Jack, was born in October) and SIM is renovating a house at the Seminary for them to use. They hope to arrive in mid-February so pray for them as they make this relocation. Though both Rick and Alanna have been to Nigeria before for short trips, moving here to live will be a major adjustment. Rick is presently completing a doctorate in ethics and theology and will be lecturing at the Seminary. We expect Alanna will be fully occupied at home.

Another answer to prayer for teachers is the arrival of Dr. Gabriel Olaniyan who had been in pastoral ministry for some years and has recently completed a doctorate in Christian Education. We have needed and were praying for someone in this field of study so he will definitely strengthen the faculty in his area of expertise.

Home assignment

We will be back in the UK in December and start taking meetings in January 2012. Pray for the Provost as he selects someone to take on the work of the registrar while I am away. During this time of ‘home assignment’ we will be staying in a house on the Ballygowan road out of Belfast owned by our friends Rev. Mark and Elaine Shaw who are in the Presbyterian ministry in Strabane. We thank the Lord for this provision especially since the apartment we have been using in recent years isn’t available.
We are looking forward to seeing many of you soon. Our contact details will be the usual ones for our times in the UK with phones being: 07810203459 for Debbie and 07833145995 for me. You should be able to contact us on these numbers from 15th December. Apart from these, our usual email addresses will work such as david.colvin@sim.org but if you want to send large attachments (i.e. greater than 1M) please use colvin@runbox.com. Please address any normal letters for us to my Mum’s address: 29 Woodvale Crescent, Moneymore, Co. Londonderry, BT45 7PT. Thanks.

Graduation

Our last few weeks here will be busy as we try to finish teaching, marking and packing some things away. The graduation is set for 3rd December and the semester ends just one week later. It is always great to see our students graduate and go off into full-time service. Pray for them as they each seek God’s guidance for the next step (Psalm 31:3).

Curriculum review

Thanks for praying for the curriculum review. Our committee of eight spent three days at the SIM guest house in Miango to work on this. We were able to finalize the contents of the new post-graduate diploma (PGD) in theology and the PGD in Christian Education. These are for people who have a first degree in another discipline and want to switch their specialization. For those who want to study at the master’s level, the PGD can bridge the gap between previous study and the MA programmes offered at the Seminary. The committee also streamlined the design of the five MA programmes. While we were doing things like this, Debbie was catching up with some marking.

Building projects

A Nigerian businessman is sponsoring the construction of a new multi-purpose hall. (It hasn’t made it onto Google Earth yet but you can see some Seminary buildings at 9º, 26”, 25N and 8º, 23”, 15E.) When it is finished, we should be able to hold the graduation services inside. The Seminary Chapel seats only 500 people and the attendance at the graduation is over 1,000 people. The two-storey, 16-unit, married students’ dorm is still under construction and a recent gift from the US should finish the walls. If you want more information on these and other projects check the Seminary’s web page www.kagoroseminary.com and its links.

Visitors

We are happy to receive visitors here at Kagoro. Malcolm and Liz McGregor of SIM International were here earlier in the year. Recently Mary Crawford, who is one of the regional representatives for SIM in England, was here to see the work of SIM in this country. Dr. Paul Todd was also in Nigeria at the same time. He is back with SIM and works with the Africa Christian Textbooks (ACTS) ministry. Debbie is on the ACTS Board, by the way.

As always, thanks for your prayerful support and please keep on praying for us as we travel and take meetings in the next few months in the UK (Acts 14:27).

Thanks again,
David and Debbie Colvin

September update

2011-09-02T09:37:00.001+01:00

Dear friends,

We send you greetings in the Name of our Lord.

Thank you for praying for the start of the August-December semester at the seminary. We had 318 students register for study this time which is above average. Debbie has three classes to teach and I have only one (but with 80 students!) since I will be extra busy in the office this semester. Our seminary catalogue needs to be updated and we have scheduled the curriculum review for the 'mid-semester break' in October. As the secretary for the academic committee I have some work to do in preparation for that review and, no doubt, much more work to do after it.

SIM is concerned about security here and is using various methods of keeping the missionaries up to date with information about disturbances in Jos, for example. The latest channel being tried is Twitter since 'tweets' can be sent and received from ordinary mobile phones. The recent bomb at a UN building at Abuja marks an extension in the violence here and we would appreciate your prayers for peace and stability in the nation.

During the semester we have 'chapel' services at 11:00 am Monday through to Wednesday and then group prayer times on Thursday. The seminary also runs two services on Sunday. This semester the theme is 'Make every effort ... to be holy' from Hebrews 12:14. Our Lord has been using the speakers thus far to challenge us in this area and some people have been staying after services for counselling. Please pray this trend will continue as we all want to pursue holiness.

Thank you for praying for the SIM area council meeting. We had both the international director of SIM, Malcolm McGregor, and the SIM Deputy International Director for this region, Joshua Bogunjoko, with us. The main focus for discussion was strategy for the work of SIM in this country and good progress was made. We were delighted Malcolm and his wife Liz were also able to visit the seminary yesterday. Malcolm spoke on 'Jonah the reluctant missionary' during the chapel service to encourage everyone to have concern for the lost (cf. Jonah 4:11). Though only a few of our students are specifically training for mission work, everyone should be missions-minded.

Thanks again for your interest in us and the work here.

In Christ,

David and Debbie

August Update

2011-08-04T14:36:00.000+01:00

Dear friends,

Greetings from a very cool and wet Kagoro. We are hurtling towards the beginning of a new semester at an alarming rate! We can't put on the brakes but we know with the Lord's help and your faithful prayers we will do all that's necessary to get off to a good start.

Praise the Lord that I ( Debbie) have finished my marking. It's a great relief. Thanks for praying. Please pray for David as he still has some papers to mark. Thankfully his secretary is back from leave which reduces the workload in the office.

This week we have been enjoying the company of Rick Creighton who hopes to come to Kagoro with his wife and family in January. Rev. Alan Purser, the director of Crosslinks mission, was with us for two days at the beginning of the week. Please continue to pray for the Creighton family as they make preparations for this new adventure in serving the Lord.

Yesterday afternoon we had a meeting of all the SIM missionaries in our region. A grand total of seven! We had a good time of prayer and fellowship together which was definitely enhanced by the consumption of a terrific selection of donoughts made by Donna Pridham, our Canadian friend and master baker!.We were discussing some strategy issues so that David could present them at the area council meeting on the 26th August when the International Director will be visiting. Pray for beneficial discussions and wise decisions.

A Theological Educators' conference will be held at the Seminary from this evening until Saturday morning. Many of those involved in the various levels of Theological Education in the denomination will be attending. Please pray for safety in travel and helpful presentations. The time of interaction with teachers from other institutions should also be encouraging.

Next week the orientation programme for new students will be on Monday and Tuesday. The registration process for both the new and returning students begins on Thursday. This is a very busy time for David and his secretary as well as others involved in the necessary administration. Classes begin on 15th and we all need prayer as we start the academic year. Pray especially for a peaceful environment. We are so thankful that our area is still calm. The beginning of the semester means a steep learning curve for new students so pray for them as they adjust to the discipline of study and the routine of Seminary life. Pray along with us that they will have teachable hearts and that we will too (Matthew 22:37-40).

Thank you again for standing with us in this ministry.

Love and God bless,

Debbie and David

July prayer letter

2011-07-18T16:30:00.001+01:00

Dear praying friends,

We send you greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus. Thank you for your faithful prayers for us. We have seen the Lord at work in some difficult situations in the last few months.

During the elections David preached on ‘Surviving the Storms of Life’ from Mark 6:45-52. We were challenged to think about who we turn to in times of crisis and reminded to turn to Christ who alone can help us. Then we were tested to see if we put it into practice. The next day, there was a lot of violence in the far north of the country and in our local market town, Kafanchan (see the picture of the burnt out market). Some of it reached the outskirts of Kagoro. There have been hot spots elsewhere in the country and both Christians and Muslims have been affected. Please pray for the nation and for our local area that peace would reign and that those who plan and carry out acts of violence would come to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. The recent events have certainly hindered the work of spreading the Gospel.

We were thankful to the Lord for His protection and help as we finished the semester and then had a lovely one month holiday in Northern Ireland. However, we are concerned about the health needs of our mothers. Pray they would know the Lord’s help.

Presently, the storms we are facing are the usual ones that go with the rainy season, making the temperatures cooler and everywhere muddy. We are trying to complete our marking and get ready for the new semester which begins 15th August. David is in the office each day as his secretary is on leave. His office will be busy with the registration both of new students and returning students the week before we formally resume.

Rev. Alan Purser and Rev. Rick Creighton from Crosslinks mission will visit us at the beginning of August. Rick, his wife and their three preschool children plan to come and serve at the Seminary in January, 2012. Thank the Lord for this answer to prayer and please pray for them as they prepare. We are also expecting two more new faculty members to join us in August.

Micah Bulus, a former student we mentioned in our previous prayer letter, called us yesterday. He is adjusting well to the ministry and was excited to report that 28 people made decisions for the Lord after he spoke at a week-long programme in a different church. Praise the Lord for how He is using him. He will have two more week-long programmes in the next two months so please continue to pray for him.

In December we will return to Northern Ireland for our official home assignment and will be available for meetings from January, 2012.

Thanks again for your prayers.

Debbie and David Colvin

July prayer update

2011-07-03T18:10:00.000+01:00

Dear friends,

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

Many thanks for praying for our time in the UK. It was great to visit close relatives and some friends in the four weeks. The time just flew past and we were not able to visit everyone we wanted to see but should be back in the UK for some months early next year on home assignment. Pray for our mothers both of whom have ongoing health concerns.

While in the UK, we purchased about fifty books for the library and put them in the two extra suitcases we mentioned last month. We thank the Lord that someone in the US has promised to send a sizeable donation (about £3,000) to the seminary for library books so we hope we can reclaim the cost of the books we purchased from that gift once it comes through.

We would also like to thank people for their generosity. Several people gave us financial gifts and Debbie's home church paid for our flights to and from the UK. This is especially touching since we know the economy is not as strong as it used to be in the UK (Phil. 4:19).

My secretary is on leave in July so I will have to spend quite a bit of time in the office running the registry. Both Debbie and I have a lot of marking to do and need to get that completed this month. This is an aspect of teaching we do not particularly enjoy but it needs to be done. Pray we will be consistent in marking the assignments. Normally it would take several working days to mark an assignment since the classes are so large. The new semester starts in mid-August and we need to take time to get ready for that.

This morning the service at Fada Gospel Church lasted three and a half hours. That is longer than usual but it reminded us we are definitely back in Africa!

Please keep on praying for peace and stability in the nation. On our way back to Kagoro from the airport there were noticeably more 24-hour police and army check points along the road.

Thank you again for your prayers.

In Christ,

David and Debbie

June prayer update

2011-05-27T18:18:00.000+01:00

Dear friends,

We send you greetings in the Name of Jesus.

We are going to be in the UK for June on holiday. Pray for a safe journey on 30th and 31st May. Hope the weather isn't too cold. It will be good to see our relatives again and renew fellowship with many others. While we are in the UK we are not planning to take any meetings but will be buying some books for the library since the travel agent (Thirftway Travel) arranged with British Airways to let us have two extra suitcases free of charge. This is granted as long as we put things for the library in them so we want to get some up-to-date books especially for the post-graduate programmes.

Things have been tense at Kagoro since there was trouble in Kafanchan. Some people were unhappy with the way the elections went and responded by destroying property and killing those who supported the winning party. The situation is still volatile and many people are afraid of what may happen next. Pray people will trust in our Lord for protection rather than relying on human resources or charms to keep them safe. Pray also for peace and stability in the country and for the government officials being sworn into office on 29th May.

The Summer Programme at the Seminary has started with registration. During the next nine weeks our colleagues will be teaching about 300 students in three intense, three-week modules. Pray it goes well.

Our second year students will be starting their two-month long practical placements at churches and mission stations this coming weekend. Please pray that they will have opportunity to use their gifts during this time and that they would be growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ as they serve Him (2 Pet. 3:18).

Many thanks again for your faithful prayers.

God bless,

Debbie and David

Prayer Update for May

2011-04-30T16:47:00.002+01:00

Dear friends,

Greetings from Kagoro in the name of our Lord.

Thank you for responding to our urgent prayer request. Praise the Lord for the way we felt the impact of those prayers as we experienced the Lord's peace and protection. Classes were cancelled last week and many students travelled home. Classes resumed this week but most of the students have not returned. They should be back by Monday now that all the elections are over.

We never expected the post-election violence to come so close to our area. In our local market town of Kafanchan, 85 people are said to have lost their lives and many properties, including churches and mosques, were destroyed. Hundreds were killed in a town about 20 miles from us and close to Kagoro, others were killed. In this region, reportedly those who initiated the violence came off worse. Pray with us that there will not be revenge attacks. The level of security has been strengthened in the past week and now there is an army checkpoint on the main road just outside our gate.

Further north, many churches and Christian homes have been burned. Some lost their lives because they refused to renounce their faith. The nation still needs much prayer now that the elections are over.

We were thankful that we had planned to spend Easter weekend at Miango, the SIM-run guest house outside Jos. The Shellys and about a hundred other missionaries were there. We really enjoyed the break from the tensions in Kagoro as well as the fellowship and good food.

Thanks for praying for the various speaking engagements last month. They all went well. Please pray for David as he will be preaching on Sunday, 15th May at the Seminary church.

There are only two more teaching weeks before the final exams. There is a lot to get through as we need to do some extra classes because of the time we lost.

Please pray for wisdom for the Seminary Board which is next Friday, 6th May. David and the Provost are busy getting things ready for that.

It will be great to have the opportunity to travel to Northern Ireland for our month's leave. We plan to arrive on 31st May and we'll be glad to be back whatever the weather!

Thank you again for standing by us in prayer. Pray for all of us at the Seminary that we will keep trusting in the Lord, Nahum 1:7.

Yours in Christ,

Debbie and David

Prayer Update for April

2011-04-02T17:09:00.001+01:00

Dear friends,

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

Thanks for praying for our mid-semester ‘break.’ We were able to get some marking done but not to get it call cleared. Pray we will be able to catch up in this second half of the semester.

Thanks also for praying for the curriculum review. In the end it was postponed until later in the year but we did have some meetings for processing those who have applied for admission to study here. 237 people applied this year. About 100 people have been given admission letters and another 100 are still being processed and will probably be offered admission also. Not all those who get admission letters actually come to study here but these numbers are normal for this period so we thank the Lord people are interested in studying at the seminary.

Debbie has several meetings to take this month so pray for her. Dates are 6th and 11th at the seminary and also a women’s meeting on 8th April at our local church. I am taking the evening service on 17th at the seminary. While we enjoy these opportunities they are in addition to our normal duties at the seminary and this is the hottest time of year. The heat and humidity tend to sap one’s energy.

The people who drilled the borehole returned and installed a manual pump. This has proved very helpful since the local water supply is not good at this time of year. We have purchased a 24 volt d.c. submersible pump and solar panels to power it but have not installed these yet. The plan is to use this system to provide safe, clean water for ourselves and other seminary staff and students living nearby.

One of our former students was preaching at the church recently. The Lord used him as a missionary to plant several churches in Sierra Leone. It is always encouraging to receive such news from former students. He is on home assignment now and plans to return to Sierra Leone in a few months.

There are several elections taking place here this month. Pray it will be a peaceful process and that those elected will discharge their responsibilities as those assigned their tasks by God (Rom. 13:1f ).

Thanks again for your prayers for us and may our Lord bless you in your walk with Him.

In Christ,

David and Debbie

Prayer Update for March

2011-03-03T08:40:00.001Z

Dear Friends,

We send you greetings in Jesus' name. We would also love to share some of the warmth and sunshine we have here with those of you who are just thawing out after such a severe winter. Hot season has arrived.

Thanks for your prayers for David's trip to Ghana where he joined with over a hundred other missionaries and church leaders from West Africa and Europe for the leadership conference. Everything went well and the journeys were uneventful. I (Debbie) decided to stay in Kagoro instead of going to Jos but I slept over in our neighbours' house each night which helped me feel a bit more secure.

We are praising the Lord for seeing us through this part of the semester which has gone well. Our two-week mid-semester break begins 14th March. During that time we will be busy with the supplementary admissions process which means a lot of work for David's office. Faculty members are involved in interviewing prospective students and some of us will mark the entrance exams. Pray for the Lord's guidance in this process.

Marking papers will be my main task during the 'break'. David will spend the second week of the 'break' taking part in the curriculum review. This takes place every five years and is a good opportunity to evaluate the subjects taught and implement any changes necessary. It's a major challenge needing much wisdom as the seminary seeks to fulfil its goals and remain relevant to the needs of this generation. Pray that the decisions made will strengthen the preparation of the students in the areas of their spiritual formation, academic development and practical training.

I would appreciate prayer for the opportunity I will have to take a Bible study at our Women's Fellowship meeting on Friday, 11th March. The subject is 'Caring for Widows', an important issue in this context where there are many widows both young and old.

Campaigning for the series of elections to be held in April will intensify this month. Please pray for peace in the nation, wisdom for those voting and for God-fearing leaders to be chosen at every level of government. Continue to pray for peace in and around Jos.

Thank you for encouraging us by your faithful prayers. We are dependent on the Lord for His help in all our activities (2 Cor. 3:4-5).

Yours in Christ,

Debbie

Prayer letter

2011-02-04T16:41:00.003Z

Dear friends,

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

SIM area conference

Thanks for praying for the SIM spiritual life conference. It was definitely one of the best we have ever attended. There was good teaching from the book of Jeremiah, the singing was excellent, and even the food was great! I particularly enjoyed being part of the worship team (Psalm 92:1).

Sadly, just over a week after conference one of our missionaries, Anne Burke, passed away suddenly due to an aortic aneurism. Pray for her husband, Peter, who has returned to Australia for an early home assignment, their two daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren, and other members of the family.

Trip to Ghana

A number of SIM missionaries and church leaders from West Africa are meeting for a conference arranged by SIM. The conference will focus on discipleship and be held in Ghana from 20th to 24th February. I, David, have been invited to attend while Debbie will stay in Jos during that week. Pray for everyone travelling to and from the conference and that the conference will help everyone in their different ministries.

The new semester

Dennis and Coletta Shelly are back from their home assignment in the US. Both their son Dwight and their daughter Stephanie are now studying in the US so they will miss having them nearby. The provost was also in the US for eye surgery which was successful and he is back at work. Most of the full-time students have returned to the seminary and we are teaching again (Matt. 28:20).

Micah Bulus

One of our November 2010 graduates has been called to pastor a church in Kaduna city. Micah was the valedictorian at the graduation service. He did some work for us around the house while studying here so we know him well and are delighted he has this opportunity to be in the ministry. Pray for him and his wife and family as they settle into life in the city and work with other believers there.

Thanks again for your prayers.

David and Debbie Colvin

2011-01-04T18:58:00.001Z

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! We pray it will be a year of learning more of the Lord and increasing in our love for Him, Phil 1:9-11. Pray along with us that it will be a year when more people will be won for Christ and the church worldwide will be strengthened in spite of all the enemy is doing to try and destroy it.

We are praising the Lord that one of our students who just graduated, Micah Bulus, has been appointed as Associate Pastor of a church in Kaduna. We are so impressed by his godly character and his commitment to Christ. At graduation he received the award for best all-round student and last week he brought us a list of names of those he has led to the Lord recently. Please pray for him, his wife and their four small children as they adjust to a new environment. Pray for a fruitful ministry for him and other former students who are beginning pastoral ministry.

Sadly, there were bombs in Jos on Christmas Eve and one in Abuja on New Years' Eve. Many have lost their lives and many were injured. The nation needs much prayer for peace and stability in this election year. Pray that God's people would maintain their witness and be kept safe. Thankfully, all is peaceful in Kagoro.

I wonder what kind of gifts you received at Christmas? We were blessed to receive a live chicken, eggs, yams and coffee!! We enjoyed celebrating the greatest Gift of all with Canadian and Korean friends. We also had visits from some of our students who didn't go home for the break. Between Christmas and New Year we were marking papers. There are still more to mark but we've made good progress and should finish before the beginning of the semester.

We arrived in Miango this morning so the worship team can practice for the conference which begins tomorrow afternoon. David and the others are singing their hearts out! We are looking forward to the times of Bible teaching, worship and fellowship. Both David and I are leading small groups after the main sessions in the morning. These times will be spent in discussing the message and in prayer.

Our neighbours in Kagoro, Dennis and Coletta Shelly, return from their home assignment on Saturday morning. Please pray for them as they set up home again and get ready for classes which begin on the 17th January.

The Seminary's admissions process begins on Monday, 10th January. Pray that it will run smoothly and those that the Lord has called to train for service will be accepted for studies. The returning students should be back by the 14th.

Thanks so much for you faithful prayers during 2010. We continue to need them.

Love and God Bless,

Debbie and David

December Update

2010-12-08T08:34:00.001Z

Dear friends,

We send you greetings in the Name of our Lord.

Some semesters seem busier than others and this has been one of them. Thank you for praying we would get through November. Both preaching engagements at the seminary went well. One Sunday sermon was from Revelation 17 and the other chapter 18. I have never preached from those chapters before so I learned something and hope people in the congregation gained something also. Next week is exam week after which we will not be teaching but need to mark the exams and written assignments.

Graduation

One hundred and twenty students graduated on 27th November. About one half of these were at the B.A. level but we had our first seven master’s graduates this time. The service was well attended and surprisingly short at less than three hours. Pray for the graduates as they plan what to do next. Many of them are already pastors, missionaries, or teach the Bible in schools, but some will be looking for their first work assignment.

ACTS board

Debbie is on the African Christian Textbooks (ACTS) board. She has a meeting on Monday 6th which prepares for the board meeting on 13th December. The director of ACTS is Dr Sid Garland of Mission Africa. ACTS has been very helpful by importing theological books for sale here and also publishing and printing books written by mainly local authors. Many of the books in our seminary library have been purchased through ACTS.

Outreach teams

As usual, a number of our students will be away over the holiday to preach the gospel. Some are going to Chad, others to Cameroun and some will work in this country. Pray for safe travel and fruitful ministry (Col. 1:6).

Christmas

This year we will spend Christmas at Kagoro. Cheryl and Donna Pridham will join us for the main meal on Christmas Day. Our neighbours, Dennis and Coletta Shelly, are still in the US and will be spending the season with their son and daughter. Dennis and Coletta are booked to return in early January 2011 so we look forward to having them back at Kagoro.

Thank you again for your prayers and we pray you will enjoy the Christmas season.

Yours in Christ,

David and Debbie

November prayer letter

2010-11-05T15:39:00.002Z

Dear praying friends,

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

We are rejoicing that the Lord has met our support needs for the year and that He has also provided the spiritual resources for the demands of ministry. Thank you for partnering with us through your sacrificial giving and the sacrifice of time spent in prayer. The semester has been full of activity especially in terms of speaking engagements for David. We have also proofread huge amounts of our colleagues’ written work for books and Ph.D. and Master’s theses. This year the denomination’s theme is 2 Corinthians 5:7 and we are continually challenged to “walk by faith, not by sight.” Pray we would stay connected to the Vine (John 15:5) and maintain our focus on Him in the midst of our busy schedule.

Otukpo

Praise the Lord for answered prayer for the conference in Otukpo. We were kept safe on the long journey and the response to the messages exceeded our expectation! We were very conscious of your prayers. Thanks. Please pray that those who committed and recommitted their lives to Christ would grow in their faith and stay strong in the Lord. Pray too that the Prayer and Witnessing Team would see many more come to Christ through their outreach programmes.

Graduation

Preparations for graduation on 27th November are underway. Please pray for those who are working hard to get everything in place. Pray that the students would know the Lord’s guidance as they serve Him (2 Tim. 2:15). It is expected that 118 students will graduate, among them the first to gain Master’s degrees from the Seminary.

December Outreach

This is the time of the year when the students are being mobilised for involvement in various evangelistic programmes during the Christmas break. Two groups of students plan to go to Chad and Cameroon and one group will work locally alongside missionaries from the denomination’s missions wing. The teams need the Lord’s protection and empowering as they share the Gospel in new places. Pray for a fruitful ministry.

SIM Spiritual Life Conference

We always look forward to our times of prayer, Bible teaching, worship and fellowship at our annual conference in January (5th-9th). The great food (especially freshly made donuts) is also a highlight! This year David will be part of the team leading the worship. They would value prayer as they select songs, practice together and lead us in worship.

Thanks again for your prayers.

Debbie and David

October update

2010-10-01T17:31:00.001+01:00

Dear friends,

Greetings from Kagoro in the name of our Lord Jesus.

I, (Debbie) have been teaching Psalms to two classes so the subject of praising God is much on my mind. Join with us in praising the Lord for answered prayers last month. We praise the Lord for good health and His protection on the roads, in our home and in this community. We are praising Him for help given in the preaching engagements, meetings and classes we were involved in. We praise Him for the way He uses His people to encourage us and bless us through their faithful prayers and giving. We praise Him too for the joy of serving Him in the seminary. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Psalm 150:6.

The calendar for October is full so we are asking for more prayer and reasons to praise the Lord in the month ahead. Next Tuesday, our SIM Director and his wife, Phil and Janne Andrew, are coming to visit for the day. Please pray that this visit will be helpful in giving Phil insight into the nature of the ministry in Kagoro. We also seek prayer for more people to join us in serving the Lord at the seminary.

On Friday, David will attend the Seminary Primary School Board meeting and on Saturday he will take part in a sub-committee of the Seminary Board. The good news is that we will have our one week mid-semester break from 11th-15th October. We plan to go to Jos for a couple of days and do our marking. It will be good to have a break from teaching.

Saturday 16th October will be a fund raising event for the Primary school. David will take the devotions at one of the singles' dorms on the 18th and will preach in the seminary on the 25th on Daniel chapter 8. A staff member will get married on the 30th but we haven't decided if we will go or not. Here, everyone is invited to the wedding.

Meanwhile, David and his secretary need the Lord's help as they make preparations for the graduation which will hold on 27th November. This is a busy time as a lot of details have to be in order before the event. We expect 122 students to graduate including our first group of Master's students.

One of our faculty members has written a book on African theology and I am in the process of doing the proofreading. A 100 pages down (after 3 weeks), 100 to go!

Much prayer is needed for the nation as preparations are made for elections at the end of this year and early next year (1 Tim 2:1-4).

Sadly, one of our students was killed in a road accident as he was returning to the seminary last Sunday evening. Pastor Emmanuel was a Master's student and he leaves a wife and five children. Please pray for God to comfort the family and keep us safe as we, and many of our students, travel.

Thank you for your fellowship in this work.

God bless,

Debbie and David

Update for September

2010-08-31T20:20:00.002+01:00

Dear friends,

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

Thank you for praying for the conference at Otukpo. It rained for almost all of the 240 mile drive there and we saw several recent accidents along the way. The conference went well with a large number of people coming forward for counselling after the Sunday morning service. Others were also counselled after the other sessions by members of the Prayer and Witnessing Team (see attached photo). We believe some people at Otukpo came to faith in Christ and others put some things right in their lives as a result of the conference. Praise the Lord! The journey home was mainly dry and accompanied by some great African scenery along the way. As we neared Kagoro, the evening sun illuminating the mountains of Plateau State was magnificent.

We arrived back at Kagoro right at the start of the new semester. Debbie has fewer students to teach this semester and she is thankful this should make it easier to keep up with the marking. Debbie has three courses to teach and I have two since I am still working as the registrar at the seminary.

Preaching opportunities seem to arrive like buses: you see none for ages and then several all come at once. In August I was asked to preach twice at Fada Gospel Church and I have three preaching engagements lined up for September. The Bible passages to consider on each occasion have already been set by other people so I know where I am supposed to preach from but I haven’t done the preparation yet. Please pray as I work on these while also carrying a full load at the seminary.

Other meetings I am involved in have to do with administration. On 8th we have a long-overdue full meeting of the Academic Committee. I am the secretary for that committee and am working on the agenda right now. SIM has its area council on Friday 3rd and I have a another meeting in connection with SIM on 24th (D.V.).

This month Debbie prepared a meal for a Mission Africa team which is working in the area for two weeks and we had Donna Pridham over for some meals since she has just returned from Canada. On Sunday we were visited by a total of 17 people. Some of these were small groups of children and teenagers who wanted to report how the recent CEF camp went. We don’t normally have quite so many people come on the same afternoon.

As always, we appreciate your partnership with us in prayer (Rom. 15:30).

In Christ,

David and Debbie

Update for August

2010-08-04T16:09:00.002+01:00

Dear friends,

Greetings in the name of the Lord.

Many thanks for your prayers as we've settled into life in Kagoro after our time in the UK.

The past month has been characterised by an abundance of rain but we are not complaining even though it means an abundance of mud!

There has also been an abundance of visitors both local and international. Many friends and students have come to sympathise with us and pray for us which has been a comfort and encouragement. A team from the USA (mostly former missionaries) and Africa were based in Kagoro for a writer's workshop and we had them over for a meal one evening. I got a friend to cook up some local food and I made the western food. It was an example of international cooperation to feed an international group of 19 people. Two weeks later, Alan Purser, the team leader of Crosslinks, came to take part in some seminars for pastors and we had the opportunity to enjoy fellowship with him during the meals we shared together.

An abundance of disruption was a feature of two days last week when the Local Government came to drill a borehole just beside our house. It is intended to supply water for the seminary students and staff who live on this side of the road. This means we will not struggle to get water during the dry season. Praise the Lord for this provision and pray that we will be able to work out the logistics of getting the water to all who need it.

The pile of marking is gradually going down but not as quickly as we had planned. We're nearly there!

One thing we have been concerned about is the number of armed robberies in the area during the last two weeks. Last week the chief of Kagoro was robbed which was a huge shock to the community. Two other homes were targetted the same night. Please keep on praying for God's protection.

This Friday I, (Debbie) will travel to Miango for a Board Meeting and David will be taking part in the Primary School Board Meeting. Please pray for safety in travel and wisdom in discussions and decisions.

As well as trying to get ready for the beginning of classes on 16th August, David will be busy with the orientation of new students and the registration process next week.

The date of the conference we're taking part in has been changed to 13th-15th August. David will be speaking twice on 'Knowing your Position as a Child of God' and I will a give a seminar on prayer. Again we need prayer for safety in travel and for the Lord's help in the programme.

I am marking assignments on the book of Zechariah and have been reminded that our work cannot be accomplished by human effort but by reliance on the power of the Spirit (Zech. 4:6). May you know His empowering in all you do.

Thanks again for keeping us in your prayers.

God Bless,

Debbie and David

July prayer letter

2010-07-09T17:32:00.003+01:00

Dear praying friends,

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

UK Trip
We thank the Lord we were able to spend a month in the UK. The plan was to have some holiday time and visit our parents. As the Lord would have it, my father (in photo) passed away while we were there. Many people noted that it was God’s timing that we should have been in the UK before my Dad passed away, be there for the funeral service, and still have some time afterwards with my Mum and other family members. We praise the Lord my Dad was ready to go and we are confident we will see him again when our Lord returns or calls us home (1 Thess. 4:13-18). Thank you to all who communicated expressions of sympathy and for your prayers for the family circle.

Coagh Baptist Church
Please pray along with us for my home church: Coagh Baptist. It has been several years since pastor David Scott retired and though he has been helping with visitation, preaching occasionally, and such, the church needs a full-time pastor. It has not become clear whom the Lord would have minister in that capacity so we are asking the Lord to guide the members as they seek His will.

Work at Kagoro
Now that we are back at the seminary, the stacks of assignments to be marked are calling out for our attention. The new semester starts in mid-August so we need to get ready for that. Thirdly, we have been asked to take part in a conference organised by one of our students. That is scheduled for 6-8th August and is about four hour’s drive from here. Pray we would know what the Lord would have us say at that conference, for the event itself, and for safety in travel to and from the conference venue.

Thanks again for your prayers.

David and Debbie Colvin

June update

2010-06-07T21:42:00.000+01:00

Dear friends,

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

Just a short update this month since we are on holiday in the UK! We flew here on 3rd June and will be in the UK for a month. It is great to be here and see our parents again. As time permits, we will also visit other relatives and friends though we cannot visit everyone in this short period.

Our contact phone numbers for our time in the UK are Debbie: 07810203459 and David 07833145995.

We are staying in an apartment near Dungannon provided by a family for missionaries to use. We are enjoying this luxury, having fast internet access, and constant electricity. Our relatives have lent us two cars to use. The Lord is good (Nahum 1:7).

While we are here the Summer Programme is still running at the seminary. Pray for Dennis and Coletta who are teaching in this module before flying to the US for home assignment towards the end of June.

Thanks for your prayers.

Yours in Christ,

David and Debbie

May Update

2010-05-03T13:59:00.001+01:00

Dear friends,

We send you greetings in the name of our Lord.

Praise the Lord with us that the rains have started and we are feeling a bit cooler. Inside two weeks the grass has grown and it’s time to exercise the lawnmower again.
Thanks for praying for David’s speaking engagement in Kaduna. It went well and they had a safe journey there and back.

Thanks too for praying for the Five Year Development Plan Committee. It was with a great sense of relief that I (Debbie) handed over the plan to the Provost last Thursday. He will take it with him when he travels to the US this Thursday.
This is our last week of teaching before the final exams. We are thankful for the way the Lord has sustained us throughout the semester. Please pray that both staff and students would finish well.

We will go to Jos this weekend as David will attend an SIM Area Council meeting on Friday. Sometime in May I will be involved in a Guest House Board meeting. Please pray for safety in travel and for good discussions and decisions in these meetings.
We’re really looking forward to our month’s holiday in NI beginning on the 3rd June. It’ll be great to see family and many friends again although it’ll be a flying visit. Please don’t laugh if we’re wearing jumpers when you are sweltering in the heat (surely it’s time for a warm summer!!). Our lowest temperature has been 21 C!

Please continue to pray for the peace of this nation and that the Lord would protect and strengthen His people as they face so many difficulties (Heb 10:23-24).

Thank you so much for your faithful prayers on our behalf.

Yours in Christ,

Debbie and David

Update for April

2010-04-06T21:14:00.000+01:00

Dear friends,

We send you greetings in the Name of Jesus and thank you for your prayers.

Electricity
The local mains supply is on about 5% of the time. It is also impossible to predict when it will be on and for how long it will be on each time. Hence, we thank the Lord for the diesel generator we have, the kerosine fridge, and the 12 volt DC system, all of which help us to run our home.

Easter break
We spent the Easter holidays at the conference centre run by SIM at Miango. There was an evening campfire service on Good Friday and an Easter service on Sunday morning. It was great to get a short break from normal routines, eat some great food and spend the time with a number of other missionaries at Miango.

Extra duties
Pray for Debbie as she chairs the five-year planning committee and produces a report by the end of this month. The provost is hoping to travel to the US in May and share this plan with supporters of the seminary. I (David) am booked to speak on 11th April in a church in Kaduna city and on 29th April at the seminary.

My Dad
Dad was able to get home some weeks back and seems to be stable. Thank you for praying. Thankfully, we are in good health here though finding this hot season hotter than most.

Anniversary
We celebrate twelve wonderful years together this month. Praise the Lord!

In Christ,

David and Debbie

Prayer letter, March

2010-03-03T15:02:00.003Z

Dear praying friends,

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

Thank you for being a source of encouragement to us through your faithful prayers and financial support.

The Chad outreach was successful. They were kept safe on their long journey and had the joy of seeing many come to faith in Christ during that time. Pray for good discipleship of the new believers and that the students would continue to have a vision for mission and evangelism.

Paul

Paul , one of our students who went on the Chad outreach, has a gift for evangelism. While he was on his practical assignment with a church last June and July he led five people to the Lord. Last semester, the young man he was discipling introduced him to a lady who was dying of HIV/AIDS. Paul led her to Christ a few weeks before she passed away. While in Chad, he discovered that the man assigned as his interpreter was not born again and Paul led him to faith in Christ. When I get discouraged in the work here, I remember students like Paul who make our work a joy and privilege (Heb 10:24). Please pray that Paul would continue to develop his gifts and that the Lord would use him to win others.

Evelyn

Another source of encouragement is the visit of friends. Evelyn, from Windsor Baptist Church, visited us for a week in February. As well as being blessed by her company we were blessed by her lemon meringue, cinnamon scones and other goodies which are NEVER on the menu in Kagoro!

Daunting Tasks

Teaching the largest classes we have ever had is a daunting task. David has 75 in one of his classes and I have 80 in one class and 70 in the other. We would really value prayer not only for the teaching but also for the marking.

I (Debbie) have been made chairperson of a committee to create a five-year development plan for the seminary. Pray for wisdom in our discussions and decisions.
Jos

Many people lost their lives as a result of religious conflict in Jos in the middle of January. Please pray for the success of the relief effort as many also lost their homes and all their property. Pray too for peace to reign in Jos and the nation as tensions are still high.

Thanks again for your prayers.

Debbie and David Colvin

February update

2010-02-20T11:00:00.004Z

Dear friends,

Greetings from hot and humid Kagoro. While most of you have been experiencing one of your worst winters for many years, we are having an early hot season. Thankfully, it still cools down a bit in the evenings which is a help. During the day it is over 35 degrees C!

Thank you so much for your prayers as we are now three weeks into the new semester. The students are all back now as well as the new ones who were admitted in January. David is thanking the Lord for a successful admissions process especially as the numbers of students has increased.

David is happy about this but it means I have two of the biggest classes ever and I really do not know how I will cope with the marking as well as managing the classes on a weekly basis. One class has 68 students and the other has 79! To balance it out I have one class with only 8 students, most of whom I have taught before. At least I know the names of this group. David has one class of 73 and another one of 22. Please pray for us and the rest of the faculty as we face the challenge of teaching such large groups.

We really appreciate your prayers for David’s dad. He got out of hospital but had to return a week later. Please continue to pray for him. Thanks.

Our friend, Evelyn Greer, will arrive on Saturday morning to stay with us for a week and then she will go to Jos to stay with another friend. Pray for safety in travel as well as a good time of fellowship together.

Many of you may have heard of the recent violence in Jos. Our hearts go out to the people who lost loved ones, their homes and all their property. Pray for those involved in the relief effort that they would be able to assist those most in need. We are thankful that we were not affected directly but we would value your prayers for peace in this region as well as the rest of the nation.

This semester we are studying James in our devotional services. We need the wisdom James talks about in 3:13-18. Taming the tongue (3:1-12) is even more of a challenge!!

Thank you again for your fellowship in this ministry.

Debbie and David

January update

2010-01-12T08:16:00.001Z

Dear friends,

May you grow in the knowledge of our Lord this year.

SIM Conference

We are looking forward to the annual SIM conference at Miango this year (6-10 Jan.). The speakers are Charles and Hilary Price from the People’s Church, Toronto, and the conference topic is ‘press on’. We heard Charles at Keswick in 2008 and appreciated his ministry from the word of God. It will be great to receive some good teaching and also renew fellowship with our SIM colleagues.

Chickens

This Christmas was the year for live chickens. After one of the weddings I spoke at, we were given two live chickens to put in the car and take home! Then one evening a member of staff came to the house and presented us with another one. The fourth came from one of our students. Thankfully we have a student who helps us with gardening and he knows how to slaughter and divide up chickens. We appreciate the generosity of all these people since chicken meat is much more expensive than beef here.

New semester

We have entrance exams and interviews for prospective students this month. These are set for 11-13th January. Then registration for study in the new semester is on 14th and 15th. We will be teaching familiar courses in the January to May semester: I have been assigned Hermeneutics and Third World Theologies; Debbie is teaching Interpreting Parables, Old Testament Prophetic Books, and Pentateuch. Pray we will be able to keep up with the marking as well as our teaching this year.

Please pray we get some more suitably qualified teachers for the seminary. The areas of need are in Education, New Testament, and English.

Outreach teams

The students and staff who went on missions trips in December have given reports of many people coming to know Christ and individuals being restored to fellowship with our Lord. Praise the Lord. The team that went to Chad isn’t back yet so we will send you a report from them later.

My Dad in hospital

My Dad was in hospital for a few weeks with a chest infection. He is back home but still quite weak. Pray for greater strength.

Thank you for your prayers as we remember many of you regularly in our prayer times.

In Christ,

David and Debbie

Us with Dr and Mrs Shelly

2009-12-08T08:32:00.001Z

December update

2009-12-08T08:28:00.000Z

Dear friends,

We send you greetings in the Name of our Lord.

Thank you for praying for the baccalaureate service. David was asked to preach at that and it went well. The graduation service also went well with 105 students graduating in the end. It only lasted three hours so it was a relatively short service for the seminary here.

David is speaking at another wedding on Saturday 5th December. No more meetings arranged after that and we are looking forward to the Christmas break. Exams are next week so pray for the marking of those. Thanks. We plan to spend Christmas here in Kagoro and have a get-together with other SIM missionaries in the area on Christmas Day.

As mentioned in our prayer letter, don't forget to pray for the team of students and staff going to Chad over Christmas. The seminary is also arranging two other missions trips to local areas during the break.

Thanks again for your prayers and we trust you have a great Christmas and happy start to the new year.

Yours in Christ,

Debbie and David

November Update

2009-11-10T09:37:00.000Z

Dear friends,

We send you greetings in the Name of Christ Jesus.

Thank you for your prayers for us here at Kagoro. The teaching is going well as are the other meetings we take from time to time. This month Debbie is leading staff prayers on 10th and 12th and speaking at a youth meeting on 23rd. I am giving a talk to the students in the education department on 17th and am the guest speaker at the wedding of one of our former students on 21st.

The baccalaureate service is scheduled for the evening of 27th and the graduation service for 10:00 am on the 28th November (D.V.). Please continue to pray for the preparations for these and for the events themselves that the Lord will be honoured as the 103 graduates celebrate the completion of their studies.

Our climate here changed almost overnight last week from heavy rain and humidity one day to hot, dry and a bit dusty the next. We had one more short rain through the week but think that is it until March/April next year.

Thanking you again for your help.

In Christ,

David and Debbie

Update for October

2009-10-13T11:27:00.002+01:00

Dear friends,

Greetings from Kagoro. David and I arrived safely on Friday and are thankful to the Lord for a safe journey. Our hearts are full of praise to the Lord for the special time of holiday in Northern Ireland. The family celebrations went well. We thank the Lord for giving David's parents sixty years together. We also had an advance birthday celebration for my dad who reaches a landmark in November. Our three weeks were a welcome gift which allowed us precious moments with family and many friends. It also meant we got to enjoy lots of delicious food which is unavailable here but maybe that's just as well. As well as the great food, the weather was warmer than expected. When we went to the nearest town to shop the temperature was 29 degrees centigrade.

We have been so conscious of your prayers as we worked through the experience of the robbery. Our time in the UK has certainly helped our recovery. Before we left the police gave us armed night guards for two weeks and we now have two night watchmen (students) patrolling the missionary compound instead of only one. While we were away a stronger door was put in the kitchen. We would value prayers as we take measures to play our part in strengthening security. Praise the Lord that the gang leader was caught the Sunday after the robbery. He is a young man from the local area who is now in police custody in the state capital. This is an answer to prayer as few criminals are apprehended so quickly. Please pray that the young men responsible would repent and be brought to justice. We have no other information as the police are still investigating the case.

In the midst of our struggles the Lord has graciously encouraged us through His people.

It was a great honour to be visited by the local chief who is the traditional leader of the community and a committed Christian. He came with three vehicles, a police guard and colourful entourage. The District Head (a member of our church), along with some village heads, came to the morning service at the Seminary and presented us with some locally made craftwork to take as a gift to David's parents for their anniversary. We had many visitors.

A friend kindly sent money to replace the stolen items and others have encouraged us with gifts, e-mails, hospitality and giving their time to see us.

God's word has also been a source of great encouragement. Psalms 27:1 and 28:6-7 have been a real help.

The remaining weeks of the semester will be particularly demanding as we need to do a lot of extra classes. We weren't fit to do all we had planned before travelling because of the robbery. David will be busy finalizing the list of those who are qualified to graduate. He also has an SIM meeting in Jos on the 16th Oct and will be speaking at the evening service in the Seminary on the 25th. It's David's turn to speak at staff prayers at the end of the month. I will be occupied with teaching, marking papers and making sure food is on the table!

Thank you being among those who continue to encourage us through your faithful prayers and concern for our needs.

Yours in Christ,

Debbie and David

P.S. Some people have been asking about our phone numbers. We have been able to get the following number back from the company: +2347069258996 (where the +234 is the country code).

September update

2009-08-31T11:29:00.000+01:00

Dear friends,

We send you greetings in the Name of our Lord.

Armed robbery

As you know from an earlier email, thieves broke into our home at 3 am on Wednesday. We were wakened by the noise of them trying to force open the metal door into the kitchen. I was able to set off the alarm but that didn’t deter them. After breaking in they took cash, our notebook computer and our mobile phones. Although the experience left us shaken, we thank the Lord they didn’t threaten or harm us in any physical way and didn’t take everything they could have stolen. They were armed since they let off a couple of rounds while leaving to keep people from pursuing them. Thankfully, we had a reasonably recent backup of our computer files but I had to spend some time changing passwords and sending out emails so they could not benefit from identity theft. Although there were only two people who entered our home, we found out there were others outside keeping anyone from interfering with their plan. Pray for the salvation of these men and that they will be caught. The police are following up a lead. As the Lord would have it, we have both been going through the book of Job in our morning devotions. Two things which struck us before the robbery were: (1) God does not often tell His people what will happen them in advance and (2) Chuck Swindol advised his readers to hold onto things lightly since we came into this world with no possession and we will leave without any material possessions. How true.

UK Trip

We are going to be in the UK for three weeks to celebrate my parents’ 60th wedding anniversary and have a break while there. Although this is during the semester, we intend to make up the missing classes both now and after we return. We had this trip planned long ago and it is timely. It will be good to meet family and friends again.

Seminary news

We have had over 300 students register for study this semester. We thank the Lord that this is more than normal but it does mean some of our classes are large! Our Provost will be stepping down from that position at the end of the year so pray for a suitable replacement.

Thank you for your prayers.

In Christ,

David and Debbie

Us with our neighbours on their 20th wedding anniversary

2009-07-31T08:47:00.001+01:00

Prayer letter, August 09

2009-07-31T08:43:00.001+01:00

Dear Friends,

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

Praise

Praise the Lord with us for all His help in the past few months. Once the semester ended, David was able to concentrate more on his studies and completed his dissertation. Thank you for praying him through this process. We each taught an exhausting three week intensive module for the part-time students, managed to finish our marking and then enjoyed a few days rest in Jos in May and in July which has helped to recover our strength.

Challenges

More challenges are ahead as we prepare for the new semester beginning 17th August. Two new staff members have been appointed and it’s likely that there will be more staff changes by the end of the year. Please pray for the new staff as they adjust to their roles and for the rest of us as we adjust to a new dynamic.
Both David and I have been given new courses to teach. I will teach Old Testament Introduction and David will teach Acts and Pauline Epistles. Preparation for these and our regular courses will keep us busy.
David is back in the Registrar’s office and is happy that his predecessor left everything up to date. Pray for strength and wisdom for David as he is once again fully involved in administration.

Parents’ anniversary

Praise the Lord for David’s parents who will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary in September. We plan to be with the family for that special event and will spend three weeks’ leave in NI. Pray for us as we have extra classes to compensate for those we will miss and also that we have special times with our families during our break.

Thank you for your involvement in this ministry through your prayers and financial support. Second Timothy 2:21 is the denomination’s theme for the year. Let’s pray we will be useful to God as we live for Him.

Thanks for your prayers.

Debbie and David Colvin

SIM-UK, Wetheringsett Manor, Wetheringsett, Stowmarket, Suffolk IP14 5QX
SIM-UK Irish Office, Unit 1, Ravenhill Business Park, Ravenhill Road, Belfast BT6 8AW

Update for July

2009-07-01T10:47:00.001+01:00

Dear friends,

Greetings from Kagoro.

Many thanks for your prayers for the programme in Kaduna. We praise the Lord for safety in travel and help for David as he preached twice on Sunday. We had good times of fellowship with our friends there as well as the chance to see some of our former students who are pastoring in that part of the city. On our way back we were able to call with another former student who is serving as an associate pastor in a town about forty minutes from Kaduna. It's an encouragement to see these young men engaged in ministry and we feel privileged to have had some input into their development. Thank you for your part in this process as you continue to pray for us.

We are so thankful that David has finished his dissertation and sent off the final copy. Thank you for your faithfulness in prayer during this time of study. While this brings great relief to David, more responsibilities await as on the twentieth of July he will be back in the Registrar's office. The teacher who took over when we left in 2007 has been granted study leave to do his Ph.D. Please pray that there would be a good handover and that David would also work well with a different secretary. David also has a lot of marking to complete after spending so much time working on his dissertation.

The first week of our intensive teaching module went well although it's more tiring. Having classes on the same subject each day sharpens our focus and means we move at a faster pace. Many of the students are serving as pastors while they study part-time. We will finish our teaching on 10th July and have a bit of time to do the marking before the new semester begins in mid- August.

There have been a number of changes in key administrative positions in the seminary. Please pray for us and the other staff as we adjust to these changes.

The rains have not been as heavy as usual for this time of year but when they come we are glad of the drop in temperature. We feel cold when it's 22 degrees centigrade!

I was teaching Jeremiah last week and was challenged by his commitment to the message he was given in spite of the opposition he faced. Pray that we would all love the word of God as passionately as Jeremiah (Jer 20:9).

Yours in Christ,

Debbie and David

June update

2009-06-01T09:40:00.002+01:00

Dear friends,

We send you greetings in the Name of our Saviour.

Thanks for praying about my dissertation. I have done some more work on the main chapters and sent them to the advisor by email. Pray I get feedback on those soon since I would like to submit the final version this month. While I have been working on that, Debbie has been tackling the stack of assignments and exams she needs to mark. My column of papers to mark has had to wait but I hope to reduce it a bit this month.

Debbie and I are travelling to Kaduna city on Saturday. I will be speaking at a church there twice on Sunday 7th and would value your prayers for these opportunities for ministry.

The Summer Programme coordinator has asked us to teach in the second module this year. We will be teaching one course each: Prophetic books for Debbie and Hermeneutics for me. The modules are intense since we will teach the same course content in three weeks as we would normally teach over fifteen weeks in a regular semester. That will keep us busy from 22nd June to 10th July and for some time after that marking the written assignments and exams.

Thank you for praying about the seminars in May. Quite a number of lecturers from the seminary at Jos came and some Bible teachers from local theological colleges were also present. A paper on the 'hidden curriculum' was especially interesting. As teachers we communicate more than the course content by our approach, attitudes and so on. It is a reminder that as Christians it is not only what we say but also how we say it and what we do that communicates our beliefs to other people. Pray that Christ will be communicated in this way also (Philemon 6).

In Christ,

David and Debbie

June update

2009-06-01T09:40:00.000+01:00

Dear friends,

We send you greeting in the Name of our Saviour.

Thanks for praying about my dissertation. I have done some more work on the main chapters and sent them to the advisor by email. Pray I get feedback on those soon since I would like to submit the final version this month. While I have been working on that, Debbie has been tackling the stack of assignments and exams she needs to mark. My column of papers to mark has had to wait but I hope to reduce it a bit this month.

Debbie and I are travelling to Kaduna city on Saturday. I will be speaking at a church there twice on Sunday 7th and would value your prayers for this opportunity for ministry.

The Summer Programme coordinator has asked us to teach in the second module this year. We will be teaching one course each: Prophetic books for Debbie and Hermeneutics for me. The modules are intense since we will teach the same course content in three weeks as we would normally teach over fifteen weeks in a regular semester. That will keep us busy from 22nd June to 10th July and for some time after that marking the written assignments and exams.

Thank you for praying about the seminars in May. Quite a number of lecturers from the seminary at Jos came and some Bible teachers from local theological colleges were also present. A paper on the 'hidden curriculum' was especially interesting. As teachers we communicate more than the course content by our approach, attitudes and so on. It is a reminder that as Christians it is not only what we say but also how we say it and what we do that communicates our beliefs to other people. Pray that Christ will be communicated in this way also (Philemon 6).

In Christ,

David and Debbie

May update

2009-05-04T16:36:00.002+01:00

Dear friends,

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

Thank you for your prayers for us over these past months. We are so thankful that the rains have started. It's great to have relief from the intense heat.

David has been busy attending several board meetings during these past few weeks. Apart from teaching, he has also has been busy processing the data from the questionnaires he sent out as part of his dissertation research. Praise the Lord for the overwhelming response as over one thousand questionnaires were returned. The questions were asking about views of Christ. Please pray for David as he incorporates the findings of his research into the dissertation and gets it ready for submission in June.

We have one more week of teaching before the week of final exams at the end of the semester. We would value prayer for the Lord's help for the students and ourselves that we would finish well. Once the semester ends we have to concentrate on our marking which will keep us busy for a few weeks.

Thank you for praying about Internet access at the Seminary. We now have a faster connection which makes it easier to receive our emails and for students and staff to do research on line.

Praise the Lord for the large number of new books that have been added to the library and for the shelving bought to store them.

On Friday, 8th May, the seminary will host a seminar on Theological Education for our faculty and our sister institution in Jos (JETS). Our faculty travelled to Jos in March for the first part of the seminar. Pray that this would be a helpful time for all involved and strengthen links between these two seminaries.

Many thanks again for your prayers. Colossians 1:28.

God Bless,

Debbie and David

Prayer Letter

2009-03-27T08:26:00.004Z

Dear Friends,

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

Toyota Camry

We thank the Lord for the provision of a 2002 Toyota Camry. It was manufactured in the US and shipped to Africa. One of the great things about this car is the air conditioner. That makes the trips more comfortable especially during this hot season. It also has automatic transmission and cruise control which make driving easier (For those who helped: Phil. 4:19).

Changes

To improve security, SIM has built a wall around the two missionary houses on our side of the road. The wall gives us a little more privacy and stops chickens, goats and other creatures walking through our gardens in the dry season looking for things to eat.

Concerning administration at the seminary, I have not returned to the registry since I am still working on my dissertation. A Liberian colleague, Momolu Massaquoi, will continue as acting registrar for now. Debbie is helping in the library one morning per week. We praise the Lord the library has 18,000 books now. Though this means we have fewer administrative duties, we are kept busy teaching since our classes are large this semester.

Missions week

We had a good missions emphasis week at the seminary. The speaker was Stephen Baba, the director of the Evangelical Missionary Society (EMS). Before taking on that job two months ago, he was the pastor of a missionary-minded church in Abuja which fully supports 30 Nigerian missionaries with EMS. Our students who went to Chad late last year also gave a report of that trip and we thank the Lord that hundreds of people responded to the gospel. Pray for their walk with the Lord and that more of our students will be open to serving in missions once they complete their studies (Is. 52:7).

Prayer letter distribution

We want to thank Ian Strachan for being willing to help with the postal distribution of our prayer letter.

Thank you for your prayers.

David and Debbie Colvin

SIM-UK, Wetheringsett Manor, Wetheringsett, Stowmarket, Suffolk IP14 5QX
SIM-UK Irish Office, Unit 1, Ravenhill Business Park, Ravenhill Road, Belfast BT6 8AW

March Update

2009-03-09T13:18:00.001Z

Dear Friends,

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

Car
We thank the Lord we have a Toyota Camry. (See picture below.) It is a 2002 model and has automatic transmission and a great air-conditioner which we have been using every time we drive since it is 36C and 70% humidity some of these days. Perhaps we will have our first rain soon? We have not seen any rain since we arrived.

Mid-semester
Our mid-semester break comes up next week but we have interviews to conduct for prospective students and marking to do. It is really a break for the students not the teachers but it is a welcome change in routine for a few days.

Missions week
This week we have a series of meetings at the seminary about mission. The speaker is Stephen Baba who is the head of the EMS (Evangelical Missionary Society) – an indigenous missionary society. Only a few of our students are planning to become missionaries after their time of study and we hope these meetings will help some more catch a vision for evangelism. Debbie is speaking on prayer at the student prayer group this week also.

Internet access
The seminary has been getting internet access via satellite but the company we were with shares the same channel with so many other people, the speed is much too slow. Some web pages will not even connect. We have been trying to migrate to a different supplier but this is proving difficult. Pray it will happen, though, and soon. Thanks.

In Christ,

David and Debbie

Our Toyota Camry

2009-03-06T13:59:00.004Z

Dear Friends, Here is a picture of our Toyota Camry. It is a 2002 model with automatic transmission and air conditioning. Thank the Lord for this provision.

February Update

2009-02-02T08:10:00.001Z

Dear Friends,

We send you warm greetings from Kagoro in the name of our Lord. Hopefully you won’t be too envious of the hot temperatures we’re experiencing. It’s good to see the sun again but it’s quite an adjustment to try and function in the heat. I suppose it forces us to slow down!

We have certainly been aware of your prayers as we prepared to leave the country, as we travelled and in this process of transition to life and ministry in Kagoro.

The Thursday before we travelled, David had to go to London to get our visas as it was obvious they would not have been granted on time otherwise. Extra copies of certain documents were needed and one page was missing from another document. David really saw the Lord at work to meet these needs and was able to collect the visas on Friday afternoon. Praise the Lord. We thank the Lord too that the expenses of the trip were covered by a generous gift.

Our return journey was surprisingly hassle-free. Again, we were very aware of the effect of much prayer on our behalf. In Dublin we didn’t have to wait for our scheduled flight. We were able to go straight from the check-in desk, through security and onto the plane because they wanted to fill up the empty seats! A new experience! We were on the runway waiting for take-off longer than we were in the airport! We got to see the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow and are happy to report that we had no problems with our luggage. It was good to see it again when we arrived in Abuja.

Our home in Kagoro is now surrounded by a wall and a strong gate. Apart from being more secure this reduces the amount of chickens and goats going through the compound. All the outer doors of the house are now metal and some other needed repairs were done to some windows before we returned.

We received a warm welcome from our colleagues, neighbours and students. The Shellys very kindly made sure we were fed for two days before we made a quick trip to Jos to stock up on food items we can’t buy locally. It took about a week to unpack enough to get the house up and running. We’ll unpack the rest gradually! It has been a joy to get to know Dennis and Coletta Shelly and we praise the Lord for all they contribute to the life of the seminary.

We thank the Lord that another significant gift came in towards buying a replacement car. Second-hand cars are much more expensive here than in the UK so pray we will know which one to buy.

Classes began last Monday although I (Debbie) didn’t do much apart from the introductions and giving of assignments as I was too exhausted. Please pray for David as he has been given a new course to teach at very short notice. The ‘Third World Theologies’ course overlaps with his recent studies but it is still a lot of work. Thankfully, another teacher who has taught the course has given him a set of notes which is a great help. I am teaching two courses which so far have almost sixty students each and one course which should have about ten. Please pray for stamina for us and the students during this hot season of the year.

We are now connected to two local mobile phone networks and our numbers (with international dialling codes added) are as follows: Debbie +2347069258996 and David +2348089522246. David’s receives texts but mine doesn’t for some reason.

Thank you once again for your faithful prayers.

Yours in Christ,

Debbie and David

Back at Kagoro

2009-01-24T11:12:00.003Z

Dear friends,

We arrived safely back at Kagoro on Tuesday 20th. Thank you for your prayers. I had to go to London to get our visas processed and, thankfully, they were ready on Friday 16th Jan.

There have been a few changes at Kagoro. SIM has built a wall around the compound and strengthened the security of the house. We appreciate this concern and acknowledge that no matter how strong our security measures are, our security depends ultimately on our Lord. A few things around our home have broken while we were away and we are in the process of getting them repaired.

The new semester starts on Monday 26th. This is later than normal since exams for the last semester had to be shifted to January. This means we have arrived back in time to start teaching. Debbie will be teaching three subjects and they are ones she has taught before. I have been assigned two courses I have taught before and one new course. It will be good to be teaching again and we look forward to engaging in that ministry. The new course will mean extra work for me but a colleage here has taught the course before and lent me his notes which I can use to structure my version of the course. Some of the things I have been studying recently will plug into this course.

Unfortunately, I was unable to complete my dissertation before leaving the UK so I will still be working on that but it looks like the provost understands the situation and will not put me back in the registrar's position since that would be quite time consuming.

Thank you for your prayers as we settle back into life here.

In Christ,

David and Debbie

January update

2009-01-02T20:37:00.002Z

Dear Friends

We send you greetings in the Name of Jesus and wish you a happy new year!

Thank you for praying for our farewell service at Ballynahinch Congregational Church. The meeting was well attended and thank you also if you were one of the people who was able to be there. The church forwarded a substantial gift to SIM to help us buy a replacement car and we thank them for this practical concern. (Our 21-year old Toyota Corolla at Kagoro is almost a ‘classic car’ and good spares are hard to find.)

I am preaching in both services at Coagh Baptist Church on 4th January so pray they go well (texts Psalm 95 & John 11).

We don’t have our visas yet so keep on praying they will be processed on time. We received a call from London and have posted some more documents to the High Commission. We hope to leave N. Ireland on 19th and arrive at Kagoro on 20th January. As I am sure you can imagine, there are lots of things to do before we leave. There will also be many things to do right after we arrive and the new semester will already have started at the seminary.

I am still working on my dissertation. I have received helpful feedback from my advisor which I will work on in coming days. It looks like I will not be able to finish the dissertation before I leave which is unfortunate but hopefully the bulk of the work is done.

Thank you for praying for the situation in Jos. It sounds like things are calm now. Pray for all those bereaved and for peace in that city. (More information can be found if you follow the links.)

Thank you again for your interest in the work at Kagoro. We look forward to being back there though it is always hard to leave family and friends, especially my father who still has limited mobility after his stroke in April.

As members of SIM we are supposed to produce an official prayer letter four times a year. Normally we manage three. We thank the Lord that people in our supporting churches photocopy and make these available to church members each time. We are, however, looking for someone to help us distribute the ones that are posted (approx 140). We thank Lyn at the SIM office for helping in this regard but we feel it is time to relieve her of that work. Anyone who would like to help should have a computer, some knowledge of word processing, and an email address. We will pay for the expenses involved. If someone reading this would be interested in helping with this task, please contact us using davidcolvi@aol.com. Thanks.

Yours in Christ,

David and Debbie

December update

2008-12-06T15:40:00.003Z

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

2008-11-05T17:45:00.003Z

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

2008-10-03T19:45:00.003+01:00

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

2008-09-05T14:16:00.000+01:00

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

2008-08-04T12:30:00.003+01:00

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

2008-07-03T14:12:00.003+01:00

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

2008-06-21T13:58:00.002+01:00

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

2008-06-12T12:06:00.003+01:00

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

June update

2008-06-06T17:42:00.002+01:00

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

2008-06-03T11:46:00.010+01:00

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

2008-05-27T10:35:00.004+01:00

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

2008-05-05T22:51:00.002+01:00

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

2008-04-15T12:27:00.001+01:00

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

2008-03-26T13:24:00.002Z

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

2008-03-08T11:39:00.003Z

March update

2008-03-04T20:02:00.002Z

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

2008-02-04T20:35:00.000Z

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

2008-01-14T12:41:00.000Z

Debbie teaching at the mid-week service

Update for January

2008-01-04T16:22:00.000Z

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