Dear Friends.
Greetings to you in the Name of Jesus our Lord.
Thank you for praying for the various meetings in February. They all went well. In March I (David) have been asked to preach at the Seminary's Church on Sunday 24th so pray for that service also. Thanks.
We are now almost half-way through the semester. During the one-week break the Seminary conducts more entrance exams and interviews. This involves most of the faculty members, including us. Normally about 100 people come during the break to write the exams, etc. Then the Admissions Committee has to meet and determine who should be offered admission into the various programmes of study. We also have some marking to complete and would like to do some of that in the break. So it is not a really a break for the members of the faculty. The students should get a break, though, and ask us to pray for them as many still owe fees and will use the time to contact donors in the hope that they can complete the payment of their fees when they return.
It is getting hotter. March is our 'hot season'. The temperature in the shade was 38C this afternoon and the humidity has been up and down in recent days. As we near the start of the rainy season, the humidity will increase which, in conjunction with the heat, tends to sap one's energy and makes it hard for students (and teachers) to concentrate. This is especially true during the afternoon classes. Your prayers for stamina would be appreciated.
Some of you may have heard about terrorist groups kidnapping expatriates in the North-East of the country. We pray for the safe release of those kidnapped, that this practice would end, and that peace and security would soon return to the region. Please join us in prayer for these things.
Overall, things are going well at the Seminary. The new members of staff are settling into the work well and getting involved in the various committees. We thank the Lord some funds have come in to help renovate some of the student dorms and staff housing. A recent gift will be used to roof one section of the new married students' dorm. Debbie and I have just purchased a new generator to replace one we had that has worn out. When we returned to Kagoro in August the electricity supply was on about 30% of the time but is has worsened over the months. We have to run a generator most evenings. It gets dark here around 6:30 pm all through the year. We were able to purchase the new generator through a gift we received for this purpose and we thank the Lord for this provision.
We enjoy teaching here. It is great to see the students learning the Word of God as they prepare for more effective ministry (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Thank you for helping to make this possible. Both of the pastors at Fada Gospel Church, where we worship, are graduates of the Seminary and it is encouraging to see them actively in the ministry.
Yours in our Lord,
David and Debbie Colvin
Showing posts with label preaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label preaching. Show all posts
Tuesday, 26 February 2013
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Prayer Update for May
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
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
Saturday, 2 April 2011
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
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
Friday, 1 October 2010
October update
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
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
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Update for September
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
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