Dear Friends,
Greetings from Kagoro! Praise the Lord with us for a safe and smooth journey back. There were no problems getting through the airports, our luggage arrived safely and the road trip to Kagoro was uneventful. All of these details were answers to prayer. Thank you!
It was a real blessing to enjoy the sunshine in Northern Ireland!! We also enjoyed the warmth of God's love expressed through family, faithful friends as well as our supporting churches. It is such a privilege to be surrounded by so many caring and supportive people who are committed to praying and sharing their resources. We thank God for you.
Now it's time to focus on the new semester which begins on the 12th August. Next week David will be involved in the orientation programme for the new intake of students as well as the registration process on Thursday. We will have to travel to Jos on Thursday afternoon so David can attend the SIM Area Council meeting on Friday. It may be a public holiday which means more traffic on the roads and the need for much prayer for protection.
David will be teaching a new course and would value prayer for the Exposition of a New Testament Book. The other course he will teach, Acts and Pauline Epistles, has a lot of students which means a lot of work. This year he is the chairman of the Graduation Committee - an additional responsibility. Please pray for good health, strength and wisdom for the challenges ahead.
Thank you for praying for my (Debbie's) studies at the Irish Baptist College. I really enjoyed the classes but now have a lot of work to do by the beginning of December. I was able to spend some time in the library gathering information for my assignment but a lot more has to be done! The Academic Dean was unable to reduce my teaching load which means I will have two large classes and possibly one small one. Thankfully, I have taught all these courses before: Old Testament Introduction, Old Testament Poetic Books and The Pentatuech. I will need much prayer for strength and the ability to use the time well during the next semester.
Dr Dennis Shelly hopes to have surgery on his back on the 8th of August. Please pray for a successful procedure and a return to good health.
Thank for your prayers and fellowship in this ministry. Romans 15:13 is an encouragement as we trust the Lord for all that lies ahead.
Yours in Christ,
Debbie and David
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
Tuesday, 2 July 2013
Update for July
Dear Friends,
We send you greetings in the Name of Jesus our Lord.
Thank you for your prayers for us at the 'Breathe' conference in Switzerland. We enjoyed the contemporary worship, focused messages, casual interaction with other cross-cultural missionaries, and the opportunity to see some of the beautiful Swiss scenery (Heb. 10:24-25). The weather wasn't as warm or the sky as clear as we would have liked but the weather is one of those things one cannot predict or change.
I (David) have been able to complete the marking I brought back to the UK with me through Debbie still has some marking to do. Debbie will also be working on her D.Min. module this month and would value your prayers for this study. She will spend some time in the library at the Irish Baptist College in connection with this study. I am planning to use this month to develop the material I use in some courses I teach at the Seminary and help one of my thesis students. He has sent me two chapters of his work by email so I will have to check those soon since he hopes to graduate in November this year.
Since coming to the UK I have been checking out whether the inexpensive 'Raspberry Pi' computer could be used in our Internet room at the Seminary for browsing and such. The 'Pi' uses very little power which is good given our lack of mains electricity at Kagoro but it runs on the Linux operating system and seems a little slow for our intended use. Netbook computers are, I think, the best option. One goal is to reduce the total power required to run the computers in the Internet room so we can run them using a battery/inverter system for some hours each day.
It has been great to catch up with family and friends here in the UK. There are some people we really need to see this month who are unwell and/or facing major challenges in life so pray our Lord will use us to minister to them. Thanks. We are booked to return to Kagoro on 31st July so please pray for a safe journey back.
Our colleague and neighbour at Kagoro, Dr Dennis Shelly, has had to go to the US since he is suffering from constant pain in his right leg and lower back. He had an MRI scan last week and is scheduled to see a specialist on Friday 5th July. Pray for an accurate diagnosis of the problem and effective treatment. He and his wife Coletta would like to return to ministry at Kagoro as soon as possible.
Yours in our Lord,
David and Debbie Colvin
Tuesday, 28 May 2013
Prayer letter for May
Dear friends,
We send you greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Travel and study
We are back in Northern Ireland for a couple of months. Thank the Lord for the provision of a place to stay and a vehicle to use. Debbie has been given admission into a Doctor of Ministry programme which is offered by the Irish Baptist College and accredited by the University of Chester. She will be working on the module on Theological Reflection for which course work has to be submitted by September this year. Pray for her as she studies this summer. It is a part-time programme which should take a few years to complete. We plan to return to Kagoro at the end of July.
Generator
Those of you who get our monthly email updates will know we purchased a new generator. We thank the Lord for this provision since the local electrical supply is very poor these days. Our next challenge will be coping with the fact that our Kerosene fridge is no longer working well. When we get back we will have to set up an alternative system that will allow us to keep food frozen.
Kaduna trip
We were in Kaduna city recently and had the opportunity to catch up with two of our graduates: Nehemiah and Justina Maikai. Nehemiah is one of the pastors in a church which about 2,000 people attend on Sundays. That church is ‘planting’ two more churches in the city. It is always great to see our graduates in the ministry (cf. 3 John 4). At the church we go to at Kagoro both of the pastors are also graduates of the Seminary. We have the problem at Kagoro of not having enough space in the building to get everyone in on Sunday mornings.
Missionary Conference
In late June we are going to a 10-day conference arranged for missionaries who are working in stressful situations. The venue is a Christian guesthouse near Interlaken in Switzerland. We are looking forward to that conference. Some of our fellow SIMers have been to the conference in the past and highly recommended it to us.
Highlights of the January to May semester
Thank you for praying for us during the semester. It was a demanding one in many ways. Debbie was teaching two courses she had not taught before and one she had not taught for nine years. I was teaching courses I had taught before but I was quite busy in the registry since we didn’t have a deputy provost at the Seminary. Thankfully, a new deputy provost has just been appointed which will help to share some of the administrative tasks. We had 350 students register for study which was more than usual. In April our Provost arranged for a two-day retreat at Miango for all the members of the faculty. We studied a devotional book together and it gave us all the opportunity get to know each other better.
Hajara’s wedding
One of the former students we are close to, Hajara, who comes from Niger, just got married to one of our students: Daniel. The wedding took place here at the Seminary with many of the students and Seminary staff present. Pray for them as they start their new home and for guidance as they plan for future ministry together. Daniel has a few more courses to take this summer and hopes to graduate later on this year.
Thanks for your prayerful support.
In Christ,
David and Debbie Colvin
We send you greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Travel and study
We are back in Northern Ireland for a couple of months. Thank the Lord for the provision of a place to stay and a vehicle to use. Debbie has been given admission into a Doctor of Ministry programme which is offered by the Irish Baptist College and accredited by the University of Chester. She will be working on the module on Theological Reflection for which course work has to be submitted by September this year. Pray for her as she studies this summer. It is a part-time programme which should take a few years to complete. We plan to return to Kagoro at the end of July.
Generator
Those of you who get our monthly email updates will know we purchased a new generator. We thank the Lord for this provision since the local electrical supply is very poor these days. Our next challenge will be coping with the fact that our Kerosene fridge is no longer working well. When we get back we will have to set up an alternative system that will allow us to keep food frozen.
Kaduna trip
We were in Kaduna city recently and had the opportunity to catch up with two of our graduates: Nehemiah and Justina Maikai. Nehemiah is one of the pastors in a church which about 2,000 people attend on Sundays. That church is ‘planting’ two more churches in the city. It is always great to see our graduates in the ministry (cf. 3 John 4). At the church we go to at Kagoro both of the pastors are also graduates of the Seminary. We have the problem at Kagoro of not having enough space in the building to get everyone in on Sunday mornings.
Missionary Conference
In late June we are going to a 10-day conference arranged for missionaries who are working in stressful situations. The venue is a Christian guesthouse near Interlaken in Switzerland. We are looking forward to that conference. Some of our fellow SIMers have been to the conference in the past and highly recommended it to us.
Highlights of the January to May semester
Thank you for praying for us during the semester. It was a demanding one in many ways. Debbie was teaching two courses she had not taught before and one she had not taught for nine years. I was teaching courses I had taught before but I was quite busy in the registry since we didn’t have a deputy provost at the Seminary. Thankfully, a new deputy provost has just been appointed which will help to share some of the administrative tasks. We had 350 students register for study which was more than usual. In April our Provost arranged for a two-day retreat at Miango for all the members of the faculty. We studied a devotional book together and it gave us all the opportunity get to know each other better.
Hajara’s wedding
One of the former students we are close to, Hajara, who comes from Niger, just got married to one of our students: Daniel. The wedding took place here at the Seminary with many of the students and Seminary staff present. Pray for them as they start their new home and for guidance as they plan for future ministry together. Daniel has a few more courses to take this summer and hopes to graduate later on this year.
Thanks for your prayerful support.
In Christ,
David and Debbie Colvin
Saturday, 27 April 2013
Update for May
Dear friends,
Greetings in the Name of Jesus our Lord.
We are nearing the end of the January-May semester here at the Seminary. Though all of the teachers and our students are tired, pray that we will finish the semester well. The exam week is set for 6 to 10 May so there will be some more marking to complete after that week.
The provost of the seminary arranged for all faculty members to go away for a couple of days to the SIM-run guesthouse at Miango. While we were there we studied a devotional book together and it was a time of great blessing (Heb. 3:13). Thank the Lord for giving the seminary a provost who has a strong vision for the spiritual development of the faculty.
We are using a new generator purchased using a gift from Coagh Baptist Church. Though this gift was given before we returned to Kagoro last year, we didn't buy a new generator right away since the local mains supply was reasonably good back then. Unfortunately, the local supply is now very poor and we go for literally days without any mains electricity. This means we have to run the generator most evenings from about 7 to 10 pm. Thank the Lord for the provision of this new generator.
Over the last 14 years we have been using a kerosene fridge but it is not working well these days. This is not good news since the ambient temperature here is high and without a fridge to keep food items cold and a freezer to keep meat frozen, things go off very quickly. They say laying the fridge on its side, then upside down and on the other side for an hour each time can help so we tried that this morning. We have yet to see if it solves the problem. If not, then we will have to set up a different system.
Debbie has been accepted into a Doctor of Ministry programme of study. This part-time study is offered by the Irish Baptist College and the award is accredited by the University of Chester. Pray for Debbie as she studies. One module is being offered in early June so we will be flying back to the UK on 22nd May (D.V.). Our Lord is once again providing a vehicle for us to use and a place to stay in Northern Ireland. Praise Him. Pray that we will be able to get most of the marking done before we leave and pray for the people who will handle the work in the registry while I am away.
Thanks.
David and Debbie
Greetings in the Name of Jesus our Lord.
We are nearing the end of the January-May semester here at the Seminary. Though all of the teachers and our students are tired, pray that we will finish the semester well. The exam week is set for 6 to 10 May so there will be some more marking to complete after that week.
The provost of the seminary arranged for all faculty members to go away for a couple of days to the SIM-run guesthouse at Miango. While we were there we studied a devotional book together and it was a time of great blessing (Heb. 3:13). Thank the Lord for giving the seminary a provost who has a strong vision for the spiritual development of the faculty.
We are using a new generator purchased using a gift from Coagh Baptist Church. Though this gift was given before we returned to Kagoro last year, we didn't buy a new generator right away since the local mains supply was reasonably good back then. Unfortunately, the local supply is now very poor and we go for literally days without any mains electricity. This means we have to run the generator most evenings from about 7 to 10 pm. Thank the Lord for the provision of this new generator.
Over the last 14 years we have been using a kerosene fridge but it is not working well these days. This is not good news since the ambient temperature here is high and without a fridge to keep food items cold and a freezer to keep meat frozen, things go off very quickly. They say laying the fridge on its side, then upside down and on the other side for an hour each time can help so we tried that this morning. We have yet to see if it solves the problem. If not, then we will have to set up a different system.
Debbie has been accepted into a Doctor of Ministry programme of study. This part-time study is offered by the Irish Baptist College and the award is accredited by the University of Chester. Pray for Debbie as she studies. One module is being offered in early June so we will be flying back to the UK on 22nd May (D.V.). Our Lord is once again providing a vehicle for us to use and a place to stay in Northern Ireland. Praise Him. Pray that we will be able to get most of the marking done before we leave and pray for the people who will handle the work in the registry while I am away.
Thanks.
David and Debbie
Update for May
Dear friends,
Greetings in the Name of Jesus our Lord.
We are nearing the end of the January-May semester here at the Seminary. Though all of the teachers and our students are tired, pray that we will finish the semester well. The exam week is set for 6 to 10 May so there will be some more marking to complete after that week.
The provost of the seminary arranged for all faculty members to go away for a couple of days to the SIM-run guesthouse at Miango. While we were there we studied a devotional book together and it was a time of great blessing (Heb. 3:13). Thank the Lord for giving the seminary a provost who has a strong vision for the spiritual development of the faculty.
We are using a new generator purchased using a gift from Coagh Baptist Church. Though this gift was given before we returned to Kagoro last year, we didn't buy a new generator right away since the local mains supply was reasonably good back then. Unfortunately, the local supply is now very poor and we go for literally days without any mains electricity. This means we have to run the generator most evenings from about 7 to 10 pm. Thank the Lord for the provision of this new generator.
Over the last 14 years we have been using a kerosene fridge but it is not working well these days. This is not good news since the ambient temperature here is high and without a fridge to keep food items cold and a freezer to keep meat frozen, things go off very quickly. They say laying the fridge on its side, then upside down and on the other side for an hour each time can help so we tried that this morning. We have yet to see if it solves the problem. If not, then we will have to set up a different system.
Debbie has been accepted into a Doctor of Ministry programme of study. This part-time study is offered by the Irish Baptist College and the award is accredited by the University of Chester. Pray for Debbie as she studies. One module is being offered in early June so we will be flying back to the UK on 22nd May (D.V.). Our Lord is once again providing a vehicle for us to use and a place to stay in Northern Ireland. Praise Him. Pray that we will be able to get most of the marking done before we leave and pray for the people who will handle the work in the registry while I am away.
Thanks.
David and Debbie
Greetings in the Name of Jesus our Lord.
We are nearing the end of the January-May semester here at the Seminary. Though all of the teachers and our students are tired, pray that we will finish the semester well. The exam week is set for 6 to 10 May so there will be some more marking to complete after that week.
The provost of the seminary arranged for all faculty members to go away for a couple of days to the SIM-run guesthouse at Miango. While we were there we studied a devotional book together and it was a time of great blessing (Heb. 3:13). Thank the Lord for giving the seminary a provost who has a strong vision for the spiritual development of the faculty.
We are using a new generator purchased using a gift from Coagh Baptist Church. Though this gift was given before we returned to Kagoro last year, we didn't buy a new generator right away since the local mains supply was reasonably good back then. Unfortunately, the local supply is now very poor and we go for literally days without any mains electricity. This means we have to run the generator most evenings from about 7 to 10 pm. Thank the Lord for the provision of this new generator.
Over the last 14 years we have been using a kerosene fridge but it is not working well these days. This is not good news since the ambient temperature here is high and without a fridge to keep food items cold and a freezer to keep meat frozen, things go off very quickly. They say laying the fridge on its side, then upside down and on the other side for an hour each time can help so we tried that this morning. We have yet to see if it solves the problem. If not, then we will have to set up a different system.
Debbie has been accepted into a Doctor of Ministry programme of study. This part-time study is offered by the Irish Baptist College and the award is accredited by the University of Chester. Pray for Debbie as she studies. One module is being offered in early June so we will be flying back to the UK on 22nd May (D.V.). Our Lord is once again providing a vehicle for us to use and a place to stay in Northern Ireland. Praise Him. Pray that we will be able to get most of the marking done before we leave and pray for the people who will handle the work in the registry while I am away.
Thanks.
David and Debbie
Tuesday, 26 February 2013
March update
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
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
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