September update

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

Prayer Update for April

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

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