Update for October

Dear Friends,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In Christ,

David and Debbie

September Update

Dear friends,

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yours in Christ,

Debbie and David

August update

Dear friends,

We send you greetings in the Name of Jesus.

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you for your prayerful interest in our lives.

In Christ,

David and Debbie

July Update

Dear friends,

Greetings from us both.

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

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

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

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

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

In Christ,

Debbie and David

Update on 3 to 1 matching gifts challenge

Dear Friends,

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

In Christ,

David and Debbie

David and Debbie in Prague's Old Town Square

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

June update

Dear Friends,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks again for your partnership in the Gospel,

David and Debbie