Dear friends,
We send you greetings from a bright and sunny Kagoro. The rains are gradually easing off and the temperatures are rising.
Thank you for your prayers for us. It's been a busy month especially for David, with many committee meetings and minutes to record. Thank the Lord for the health and strength to serve Him here at the Seminary.
Our mid-semester break went by quickly. In Jos I got part way through the process of renewing my driving license and will hopefully get a bit further on our next trip. It was good to get the car serviced although it meant David had to sit at the mechanics for the whole day! They were very busy.
As we look ahead, the diary is full of activities alongside our normal teaching responsibilities.
David is preaching tomorrow, Sunday, 28th October, in the Seminary church. He will also give a paper on Thursday during our morning service with the students. There will be a management meeting on Monday morning as certain things have to be in order for the Board meeting and Graduation.
On Wednesday afternoon we are having a time of food and fellowship as a community. Coletta Shelly is chairperson of the committee in charge of this huge event which means organizing the purchase, cooking and distribution of food to hundreds of students, staff and their families. Please pray that everything will go smoothly and that we enjoy our time of fellowship together. There will also be games and our normal morning service.
Our good friend, Dr Paul Todd, who is serving with SIM and is Senior Editor for ACTS (Africa Christian Textbook Service), is visiting in November so we plan to go to Jos to see him and do our shopping during the weekend of the 9th November.
David will be taking the minutes of the Seminary Board meeting on the 16th November and the following day going to Jos to take part in the SIM Group Board meeting. SIM Group is SIM's in-house vehicle insurance organization.
Plans are underway for the Graduation exercise which will take place on the 24th November. Committees are working on the various details and I am working with Dr Dennis Shelly on the production of the annual Seminary Newsletter. We would value your prayers for the students to have everything done on time so they are eligible to graduate. This is a lot of work for David and his secretary as well as for the Academic Dean's office. It is always a great day of celebration for the graduates and their families.
The ACTS Board meeting will be held on the 29th November and I will travel for that and the executive meeting on the 28th.
That's a lot going on in a short time! We are much in need of prayer for successful meetings, safe travels and stamina to keep going. Please continue to pray for peace in the nation. We are thankful that our area remains calm. It is a great answer to the prayers of many. Thank you.
May you know the Lord's peace and the abundant supply of His grace as you face the challenges of life (John 1:16).
With Love in Christ,
Debbie and David
Sunday, 28 October 2012
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
October update
Dear friends,
We send you greetings in the Name of Jesus our Lord.
Thank you for praying for use as we settled back into life at Kagoro. It has been six weeks and things are now starting to settle into a familiar pattern.
I have been quite busy with administration since our deputy provost flew to South Africa to pursue further study and our provost went to Oxford for three weeks to attend a conference and conduct some research. Since the registrar is the third in line, administratively, I have ended up doing parts of all three jobs. Thankfully the provost should be back soon and please pray for him as he selects a new deputy provost.
The total number of students registered for study this semester has increased slightly to 335 for which we thank the Lord.
On 15th October Dennis and Coletta Shelly, Debbie and I are to give a report to the Seminary community of our time back in our home countries earlier this year so pray that goes well. One other meeting I have this month is the SIM Area Council on 5th October. Debbie and I will go up to Jos for that and stay for a few days to get some things sorted out like the renewal of her driving license.
Things have been peaceful here in the Kagoro area but there are still occasional attacks on Christian churches elsewhere in the country so keep on praying for peace and stability here. Thanks.
It is good to be back and we especially enjoy the teaching (Rom. 12:7b). Thanks for praying.
David and Debbie
We send you greetings in the Name of Jesus our Lord.
Thank you for praying for use as we settled back into life at Kagoro. It has been six weeks and things are now starting to settle into a familiar pattern.
I have been quite busy with administration since our deputy provost flew to South Africa to pursue further study and our provost went to Oxford for three weeks to attend a conference and conduct some research. Since the registrar is the third in line, administratively, I have ended up doing parts of all three jobs. Thankfully the provost should be back soon and please pray for him as he selects a new deputy provost.
The total number of students registered for study this semester has increased slightly to 335 for which we thank the Lord.
On 15th October Dennis and Coletta Shelly, Debbie and I are to give a report to the Seminary community of our time back in our home countries earlier this year so pray that goes well. One other meeting I have this month is the SIM Area Council on 5th October. Debbie and I will go up to Jos for that and stay for a few days to get some things sorted out like the renewal of her driving license.
Things have been peaceful here in the Kagoro area but there are still occasional attacks on Christian churches elsewhere in the country so keep on praying for peace and stability here. Thanks.
It is good to be back and we especially enjoy the teaching (Rom. 12:7b). Thanks for praying.
David and Debbie
Sunday, 26 August 2012
Update for September
Dear friends,
We're in the middle of a thunderstorm right now and I'm glad I made a pot of soup yesterday to warm us up during the rains! You can gather from this that it hasn't been too hard to adjust to the rainy season temperature in Kagoro!
Thank you for your prayers for us as we travelled and got our home in order. Everything went well. Most of the unpacking is complete, the kitchen is functioning and the cook is on duty (most of the time)! We thank the Lord for answered prayer in this transition process. It wasn't as difficult as we anticipated and we are happy to be back.
Thank the Lord we have completed our first week of teaching successfully. Our workload will be a bit lighter this semester as we are both teaching one course less than expected because there were not enough students for these courses.
By next week, David will be back in the Registry office. Please pray for a good handover process with the Acting Registrar. David would appreciate prayer for his new course on Expository Preaching. Pray for good understanding for the students. Pray for David as he preaches on the 4th September at the Seminary devotional service. The theme is 'Fix your eyes on Jesus' (Heb 12:2).
On Mondays I (Debbie) teach 57 students Old Testament Poetry at Diploma and Degree level and on Tuesdays I teach 3 students the same subject at Certificate level. Pray for the Lord's help in communicating His truth to the different groups of students.
At the end of September we will observe Spiritual Emphasis week where there is usually an invited speaker. Please pray that the Lord will make an impact on all our lives as we hear what He has to say to us.
For the first time in many years we have six missionaries and three children at Kagoro. This is a great answer to years of prayer for the growth of the missionary team here. Thank you for praying. The Creightons are settling in well and Dennis Shelly's health is stable. There are also new national colleagues so we praise the Lord for strengthening the faculty at the Seminary. Please pray we would work well together as a team for the progress of God's Kingdom.
We value prayer that we would 'fix our eyes on Jesus' in the midst of our busy schedule.
Thanks again for your faithfulness in prayer.
Debbie and David
We're in the middle of a thunderstorm right now and I'm glad I made a pot of soup yesterday to warm us up during the rains! You can gather from this that it hasn't been too hard to adjust to the rainy season temperature in Kagoro!
Thank you for your prayers for us as we travelled and got our home in order. Everything went well. Most of the unpacking is complete, the kitchen is functioning and the cook is on duty (most of the time)! We thank the Lord for answered prayer in this transition process. It wasn't as difficult as we anticipated and we are happy to be back.
Thank the Lord we have completed our first week of teaching successfully. Our workload will be a bit lighter this semester as we are both teaching one course less than expected because there were not enough students for these courses.
By next week, David will be back in the Registry office. Please pray for a good handover process with the Acting Registrar. David would appreciate prayer for his new course on Expository Preaching. Pray for good understanding for the students. Pray for David as he preaches on the 4th September at the Seminary devotional service. The theme is 'Fix your eyes on Jesus' (Heb 12:2).
On Mondays I (Debbie) teach 57 students Old Testament Poetry at Diploma and Degree level and on Tuesdays I teach 3 students the same subject at Certificate level. Pray for the Lord's help in communicating His truth to the different groups of students.
At the end of September we will observe Spiritual Emphasis week where there is usually an invited speaker. Please pray that the Lord will make an impact on all our lives as we hear what He has to say to us.
For the first time in many years we have six missionaries and three children at Kagoro. This is a great answer to years of prayer for the growth of the missionary team here. Thank you for praying. The Creightons are settling in well and Dennis Shelly's health is stable. There are also new national colleagues so we praise the Lord for strengthening the faculty at the Seminary. Please pray we would work well together as a team for the progress of God's Kingdom.
We value prayer that we would 'fix our eyes on Jesus' in the midst of our busy schedule.
Thanks again for your faithfulness in prayer.
Debbie and David
Friday, 3 August 2012
August update
Dear friends,
We send you greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus.
Thank you for praying for Debbie. Her nose is healing well and we are able to return to Kagoro leaving Northern Ireland on 14th, flying overnight from London to Abuja and then being driven to Kagoro arriving mid-morning on 15th, God willing. Our colleagues, Dennis and Coletta Shelly, will be on the same flight from London and the journey by road to Kagoro. We thank the Lord Dennis does not need surgery and that his health concerns are not as serious as earlier thought. Thank you for praying.
We have two farewell meetings at our home churches. The evening service at Ballynahinch Congregational Church on 5th August (6:30 to 7:30pm) is the first of these with Mike Ewan (SIM Ireland director) speaking at that service. On the following Sunday (12th), there will be a short farewell service at Coagh Baptist Church at 7:45pm right after the evening service. There will be tea after each of these services, we hear. Our role at each service will be to give a short update including prayer requests. Everyone is welcome at these services and we look forward to seeing you there if you are able to attend.
The academic dean at the Seminary has let us know which courses we will be teaching. Debbie will be covering three courses all of which she has taught before while I have been asked to teach a new course on spiritual formation and one on expository preaching. Although this second course is not new, I have not taught it before so I have been working on both courses and look forward to teaching them this semester. The Provost wants me to resume work as the registrar at the Seminary so I will have to find out from Dr. Paul Bidoli what has been happening in the office while I have been away.
We would appreciate your prayers as we pack (six suitcases to take with us on this trip, two of which are full of things for the seminary). It is always hard to say farewell to family and friends and we would appreciate your prayers for us and them as we head off to Africa again. Pray also for our adjustment to being back at Kagoro. It will take some time to get our systems up and running again.
Thank you to all who have been praying for us and contributing towards our financial support. We could not continue our ministries without you and are confident our Lord will reward those who are seeking the extension of His kingdom (Col. 3:23-24).
Yours in our Lord,
David and Debbie
We send you greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus.
Thank you for praying for Debbie. Her nose is healing well and we are able to return to Kagoro leaving Northern Ireland on 14th, flying overnight from London to Abuja and then being driven to Kagoro arriving mid-morning on 15th, God willing. Our colleagues, Dennis and Coletta Shelly, will be on the same flight from London and the journey by road to Kagoro. We thank the Lord Dennis does not need surgery and that his health concerns are not as serious as earlier thought. Thank you for praying.
We have two farewell meetings at our home churches. The evening service at Ballynahinch Congregational Church on 5th August (6:30 to 7:30pm) is the first of these with Mike Ewan (SIM Ireland director) speaking at that service. On the following Sunday (12th), there will be a short farewell service at Coagh Baptist Church at 7:45pm right after the evening service. There will be tea after each of these services, we hear. Our role at each service will be to give a short update including prayer requests. Everyone is welcome at these services and we look forward to seeing you there if you are able to attend.
The academic dean at the Seminary has let us know which courses we will be teaching. Debbie will be covering three courses all of which she has taught before while I have been asked to teach a new course on spiritual formation and one on expository preaching. Although this second course is not new, I have not taught it before so I have been working on both courses and look forward to teaching them this semester. The Provost wants me to resume work as the registrar at the Seminary so I will have to find out from Dr. Paul Bidoli what has been happening in the office while I have been away.
We would appreciate your prayers as we pack (six suitcases to take with us on this trip, two of which are full of things for the seminary). It is always hard to say farewell to family and friends and we would appreciate your prayers for us and them as we head off to Africa again. Pray also for our adjustment to being back at Kagoro. It will take some time to get our systems up and running again.
Thank you to all who have been praying for us and contributing towards our financial support. We could not continue our ministries without you and are confident our Lord will reward those who are seeking the extension of His kingdom (Col. 3:23-24).
Yours in our Lord,
David and Debbie
Saturday, 7 July 2012
July prayer letter
Dear praying friends,
We send you greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus. Thank you for your faithful prayers for us. Our Home Assignment has been a time when we've been very aware of the importance of family in times of celebration and struggle. We are thankful to be part of our biological family as well as our church, mission and seminary families.
The 31st of March was a great time for my (Debbie) parents as we joined together as a family to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary. It was a joy to see many relatives and friends who we hadn't seen for some time and to be reminded of the strength we gain from family. It has been special to spend a bit more time with family members while we've been here.
The family we are part of in Kagoro has grown with the arrival of the Creighton family. Please pray for their adjustment to a new environment and their new roles within the Seminary community. However, our Kagoro family is also hurting because of the health problems of our colleague, Dennis Shelly, who is in the US with his wife, Coletta, for a series of medical tests. Please pray for an accurate diagnosis and plan of treatment which will enable them to return to their ministry.
Our family in Nige ria has been suffering because of the activities of terrorists against Christians especially as they worship together on Sundays. Please pray for God's people to stand strong in the Lord and also for protection against the Enemy. Praise the Lord for the truth of Matthew 16:18.
Numbers in the wider SIM family and mission community have reduced owing to the security situation and the retirement of some members. Please pray for wisdom for the leaders as they evaluate the events in recent months and plan for the future.
One of the features of this Home Assignment has been dealing with health issues which has resulted in a record number of hospital appointments. We thank the Lord for the NHS! I had a small non life-threatening piece of skin cancer removed from the tip of my nose two weeks ago. The healing process has not been straightforward so please pray that everything would be in order for our return to Kagoro on 14th August.
We enjoyed spiritual refreshment through the ministries of the ladies' Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) and sitting in on some of the Cornhill Belfast classes. I attended the BSF meetings on most Tuesday evenings at the Castlereagh Gospel Hall. It was great to study the Word of God with a lovely group of godly ladies. David sat in on most of the Cornhill classes on Friday mornings and we both enjoyed some other classes we were able to attend on the Psalms and the book of Judges.
We were blessed by having a wonderful week of holiday in Menorca at the end of May.
It's been encouraging for us to meet with our family of prayer and financial supporters
while we've been in the UK. Thank your for being a part of what the Lord is doing in Kagoro and the nation as a whole. Classes will have already started when we return to Kagoro so we anticipate a stressful few weeks as we get our systems up and running as well as begin teaching again. There will have been many changes in the months we've been away so pray for grace to adjust to the new dynamic in the Seminary as a result of a change in leadership. Please continue to pray for good health for us and our colleagues, protection and a fruitful ministry as we help prepare God's people for ministry (Eph. 4:12).
Thanks again for your prayers,
Debbie and David Colvin
We send you greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus. Thank you for your faithful prayers for us. Our Home Assignment has been a time when we've been very aware of the importance of family in times of celebration and struggle. We are thankful to be part of our biological family as well as our church, mission and seminary families.
The 31st of March was a great time for my (Debbie) parents as we joined together as a family to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary. It was a joy to see many relatives and friends who we hadn't seen for some time and to be reminded of the strength we gain from family. It has been special to spend a bit more time with family members while we've been here.
The family we are part of in Kagoro has grown with the arrival of the Creighton family. Please pray for their adjustment to a new environment and their new roles within the Seminary community. However, our Kagoro family is also hurting because of the health problems of our colleague, Dennis Shelly, who is in the US with his wife, Coletta, for a series of medical tests. Please pray for an accurate diagnosis and plan of treatment which will enable them to return to their ministry.
Our family in Nige ria has been suffering because of the activities of terrorists against Christians especially as they worship together on Sundays. Please pray for God's people to stand strong in the Lord and also for protection against the Enemy. Praise the Lord for the truth of Matthew 16:18.
Numbers in the wider SIM family and mission community have reduced owing to the security situation and the retirement of some members. Please pray for wisdom for the leaders as they evaluate the events in recent months and plan for the future.
One of the features of this Home Assignment has been dealing with health issues which has resulted in a record number of hospital appointments. We thank the Lord for the NHS! I had a small non life-threatening piece of skin cancer removed from the tip of my nose two weeks ago. The healing process has not been straightforward so please pray that everything would be in order for our return to Kagoro on 14th August.
We enjoyed spiritual refreshment through the ministries of the ladies' Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) and sitting in on some of the Cornhill Belfast classes. I attended the BSF meetings on most Tuesday evenings at the Castlereagh Gospel Hall. It was great to study the Word of God with a lovely group of godly ladies. David sat in on most of the Cornhill classes on Friday mornings and we both enjoyed some other classes we were able to attend on the Psalms and the book of Judges.
We were blessed by having a wonderful week of holiday in Menorca at the end of May.
It's been encouraging for us to meet with our family of prayer and financial supporters
while we've been in the UK. Thank your for being a part of what the Lord is doing in Kagoro and the nation as a whole. Classes will have already started when we return to Kagoro so we anticipate a stressful few weeks as we get our systems up and running as well as begin teaching again. There will have been many changes in the months we've been away so pray for grace to adjust to the new dynamic in the Seminary as a result of a change in leadership. Please continue to pray for good health for us and our colleagues, protection and a fruitful ministry as we help prepare God's people for ministry (Eph. 4:12).
Thanks again for your prayers,
Debbie and David Colvin
Tuesday, 5 June 2012
June update
Dear Friends,
We send you greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus.
Thank you for praying for our trip to England. We drove about 1,200 miles but had many stops along the way with friends and supporters. It was great to see people again and catch up with things happening in their lives.
Deputation meetings are almost over with only two meetings booked for this month: Debbie taking part in the Women's programme at Lambeg Baptist Church on 13th and myself speaking at the prayer meeting at Cairndaisy Baptist Church on 28th.
We would appreciate prayer as Debbie has minor surgery to remove a non-life-threatening bit of skin cancer (basal cell carcinoma) from her nose on the 14th June. Please pray for a successful procedure and a good recovery.
We are just back from a one-week package holiday in Menorca. It was very relaxing.
Please pray for our preparations to return to Kagoro. We are planning on flying in August for the start of the new semester at the seminary.
Nigeria has been in the world news again with the tragic plane crash in Lagos. One incident not so well reported was a bomb detonated near a church in Bauchi. Join us in prayer for the relatives of those killed and let us keep on praying for peace and stability in the country (1 Tim. 2:1-4).
Thanking you again for your partnership in the ministry by prayer.
David and Debbie
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