2-13-09
To all of our loved ones:
Nora & I arrived at the airport from South Africa on 2/9, greeted by Pastor Tom & members of his congregation. As we came out of customs, they broke out in songs of praise for us arriving to join them. That was followed by lots of hugs from everyone, & then we loaded a bus to drive to their church location. They sang the entire trip (30 minutes); you cannot envision the beautiful sounds they are able to make without any instrumentation. Absolutely marvelous and I know that it must have been pleasing to our Lords ears!! It sure was for Nora & I, as we made our way back into Lilongwe proper.
Their church facility is in the middle of their village, and it is able to seat over 200 people. Pastor Tom indicates it is full every Sunday & Wednesday for the services. There are several buildings on the property that house a Christian School, from K through 8 and also a High School 9-12. These buildings are very simple structures, but functional for their purposes. It is also where the Pastoral Training & Discipleship School will be located. We will be sending lots of pictures soon.
Pastor Tom is so organized as well as excited about what God seems to be preparing us all for in expanding the ministry into many parts of Malawi. Their needs are many, but they make use of what they have and do not let their lack from stopping them from sharing the gospel wherever they can get to, to do so. Pastor Tom and a group of other Pastors have planted 29 small little churches through out the surrounding areas. We will be updating what their needs are specifically, so if anyone who may be interested and able, might want to contribute towards. Lack of Bibles is a major issue. Any gifts toward any specific need can be handled through CCMB with a note attached stating what area of ministry their gift is to be directed. Please know all designated gifts are used only for that purpose and not used for general expenses. Getting to these places is very difficult and gasoline is roughly $10.00 per gallon. The necessity for a good 4 wheel drive or comparable vehicle is a real & current need to be able to travel in difficult terrain. Their roads are primarily very rough dirt roads and it is the rainy season right now, which starts in November & runs through March. Efficient/safe transportation is high on the prayer list in or out of the rainy season.
I taught this past Wednesday night at their mid-week service, followed up by Nora & I having dinner with all the fellowship. They are such a gracious people, full of the love of God! Our goal is to get to know them well as soon as possible, for in Africa, not much can be accomplished without first establishing a good relationship with the people. They are so ready to be taught in the depth of the Word, and Pastor Tom is so open to having that done in his fellowship.
The team from South Africa, led by Pastor Demitri from Cape Town, along with several other Pastors are coming to do a four day Pastor Seminar in early March. In addition, Laura Bomarito and Laurel Fuge will be arriving on March 28th and will stay for two weeks, using their medical skills within the church at CC Lilongwe as well other places. We are so blessed and excited about their upcoming trip, & they are taking their shots right now and have already purchased their airline tickets. PTL !!! We have also had some others tell us they might be coming in April and others in June.
So as one can see, God is not wasting any time getting more people involved in giving away the gifts they have been given by the Lord, to share with those who have so little. Both Nora & I are so extremely blessed that HE has allowed us to come & serve here in Malawi. After being picked up at the airport, we drove to Pastor Tom’s church facility, where we met yet additional people from the church, and both Nora & I had the opportunity to share with them through an interpreter, and to see their joy in their faces is a sight we will never forget!
We were then driven to Annie’s Lodge where we will be staying for a while until we have housing, which we hope & pray God will provide for us at a rental rate we can afford. We want a home where we can put up teams coming to minister here, so please pray that God will show us where and how! Later that evening a couple we met in 2007 while in Lilongwe invited us to their home for dinner. They are a Belgium family, Christophe & Sabine Horvath, along with three beautiful children, Jonas, Lila & Katayana. They are a most gracious and hospitable family. We were truly blessed by the whole day of events; God is truly blessing us and showing us we are just where HE wants us to be for this season.
Today (2/10) we are resting, praying and studying for tomorrow night at CC Lilongwe. We are at peace with our Lord and with each other, ready to begin in earnest this new chapter of our lives & ministry. Our entire trip over to both South Africa and now Malawi has gone without a problem. All of our bags were there when we arrived at each location, although one of them has been ruined due to hard handling, but we have not lost any of our belongings. Quite different than in our last trip here when our bag with all of our valuables was stolen in Johannesburg.
Oh, we have a wonderful story to share. When we were here in 2007, the manager of Annie’s Lodge, who is a Christian brother, attended all of our sessions we held there and was full of questions on each session. He shared with us that his heart was to be a full time minister of the gospel. So we prayed over him and asked God, if it was HIS will, to grant Joel the desires of his heart. Well, we just learned that he is now a full time minister, traveling all over Malawi as an evangelist and teacher! God is so good, praise HIS Holy name! We will be meeting with Joel in person on 2/13 to get up to date with he, his family and his ministry. His prayer for us in 2007 was that we would return to Malawi to teach his people, as he was so encouraged through our teachings. And lo and behold, here we are!
Thank you for your prayers and support, we have seen so many answers already. Continue to pray for open doors and receptive hearts as we move forward. God bless each one of you and we remain,
In HIM,
Steve & Nora Braselton
Steve & Nora
Monday, February 16, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Arrival In Africa
Well, after flying 27 hours, we arrived safely in South Africa. We are currently staying with Pastor Chad & his family of CC Johannesburg. They are great hosts and we have truly enjoyed our time of resting & fellowship. They got back at about the same time we did after their two month furlough in CA.
We will be leaving for Malawi in a few days and start our new life & ministry in Lilongwe. Both Nora & I are in good health and excellent spirit, looking forward to complete our trip to Malawi.
Please be praying for us to find a home to rent, a good deal on a purchase of an automobile, and our ability to get settled quickly in our new surroundings. That we will be well received by all and that God would help us to find favor with the people, so we can move quickly & smoothly in the areas of ministry. For the Pastor Seminar to be held March 4-7th in Lilongwe as Pastor Tom Mambo hosting the seminar, with Pastor Dimitri of CC Cape Town South Africa as well as other South African pastors including Pastor Chad doing the teaching.
Continue your prayers for us & all our brothers & sisters in Southern Africa as we reach out to the needs God has shown us. That we follow closely HIS directions and not get side tracked with other needs revealed to us. That we stay on course with HIM & HIS agenda, not ours! We love you all and you are in our prayers. More to follow as we proceed on The Road to Malawi.
Steve & Nora
We will be leaving for Malawi in a few days and start our new life & ministry in Lilongwe. Both Nora & I are in good health and excellent spirit, looking forward to complete our trip to Malawi.
Please be praying for us to find a home to rent, a good deal on a purchase of an automobile, and our ability to get settled quickly in our new surroundings. That we will be well received by all and that God would help us to find favor with the people, so we can move quickly & smoothly in the areas of ministry. For the Pastor Seminar to be held March 4-7th in Lilongwe as Pastor Tom Mambo hosting the seminar, with Pastor Dimitri of CC Cape Town South Africa as well as other South African pastors including Pastor Chad doing the teaching.
Continue your prayers for us & all our brothers & sisters in Southern Africa as we reach out to the needs God has shown us. That we follow closely HIS directions and not get side tracked with other needs revealed to us. That we stay on course with HIM & HIS agenda, not ours! We love you all and you are in our prayers. More to follow as we proceed on The Road to Malawi.
Steve & Nora
Monday, January 26, 2009
Dovojana
Well, the day has arrived as we leave tonight for S.F. to spend the night & then to the airport at 6am to check-in & are scheduled to depart at 8:30 am on Tuesday. We fly to Minneapolis-St.Paul, then to Amsterdam, & then on to Jo-Burg South Africa.
(27hours flying time) We will stay with Pastor Chad & Heather for a few days to rest before flying on to Malawi.
We enjoyed our last Sunday for a while at CCMB with Pastor Nate and the fellowship. It was one of those bittersweet days, joy in receiving all the love & prayers of the saints we so love, but very difficult in saying "Dovojana" (Till we meet again") to all of our love ones! Nora & I have been blessed to serve at CCMB these past 29 years at CCMB & having the privilege knowing so many wonderful people. We too shall miss all of you so very much, but GOD.....
Once we arrive in Malawi, we will bring all of you up to date on the trip and what we have gleaned from the Lord in HIS direction for the immediate future as well as all of our prayer needs. In the interim, please be praying for a safe trip, good health, and that our Lord will be speaking to both of us as we travel! Also be praying for the widows & orphans of area 44 in Lilongwe & Pastor Tom of CC Lilongwe as they prepare for our arrival & the start of the new Pastoral Training & Discipleship School.
May our Lord bless you & keep you, may HE lift up HIS countenance upon you & give you HIS peace. We love all of you and appreciate all your love & support so very much!!!!
(27hours flying time) We will stay with Pastor Chad & Heather for a few days to rest before flying on to Malawi.
We enjoyed our last Sunday for a while at CCMB with Pastor Nate and the fellowship. It was one of those bittersweet days, joy in receiving all the love & prayers of the saints we so love, but very difficult in saying "Dovojana" (Till we meet again") to all of our love ones! Nora & I have been blessed to serve at CCMB these past 29 years at CCMB & having the privilege knowing so many wonderful people. We too shall miss all of you so very much, but GOD.....
Once we arrive in Malawi, we will bring all of you up to date on the trip and what we have gleaned from the Lord in HIS direction for the immediate future as well as all of our prayer needs. In the interim, please be praying for a safe trip, good health, and that our Lord will be speaking to both of us as we travel! Also be praying for the widows & orphans of area 44 in Lilongwe & Pastor Tom of CC Lilongwe as they prepare for our arrival & the start of the new Pastoral Training & Discipleship School.
May our Lord bless you & keep you, may HE lift up HIS countenance upon you & give you HIS peace. We love all of you and appreciate all your love & support so very much!!!!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Time is short before departure
We have just recently returned from the International Missions Conference at the Calvary Chapel Bible College in Murrieta, Ca. It was a wonderful conference, great speakers, wonderful fellowship and the ability to meet new friends & co-laborers.The food wasn't bad either, good job Bible College staff!
There are just 14 days left before we get on that airplane to head to South Africa first before heading on to Malawi Africa. There is yet so much to get done before we leave, but God.... HE never lets us down as long as we are cooperating with HIM. Last night at CCMB's Missions Prayer Meeting, we were blessed by the people whom we love so deeply, were able to express their hearts toward Nora & myself. It was as sweet and as encouraging as it possibly could have been for us!! Thank you all who are praying for us as well as those who are helping in our financial support, who likewise are praying for us. God has demonstrated HIS love towards us in each of you and both Nora & I want to express our sincere love & appreciation to all of you!!!!
The next two weeks before departure will be consumed by DE-junking our house, cleaning out the loft & garage, moving much of personal belongings into a storage unit and helping our son Tom & his family move into our home in order for them top assume the care responsibilities of Nora's mom while we are away. We are so blessed to have such a great family who look out for one another in times such as these.
Our current plans are to go to South Africa, first to meet with several of the pastors in South Africa, who have expressed a desire to come with teams to Malawi to assist us & the national pastors to grow stronger in the Lord and to plant more churches in Malawi with strong leadership, fully trained to be shepherds to their flocks so they are ready for the work of the ministry. Then by early February, we will be in Malawi, working with Pastor Tom Mambo of CC Lilongwe and all his leaders.
Current prayer requests are as follows:
1.Getting the Embassy of the Republic of Malawi do complete our extended stay visa's on time so we can depart on schedule.
2. Sale of our two auto's - 2006 Ford 500 & 2002 Ford Explorer Sports Trac
3. Sale of our Newport Beach Villa's Timeshare weeks.
4. Complete all that is necessary around our home before we leave.
Thank you all for your love & support, we both appreciate it more than you could ever imagine.
There are just 14 days left before we get on that airplane to head to South Africa first before heading on to Malawi Africa. There is yet so much to get done before we leave, but God.... HE never lets us down as long as we are cooperating with HIM. Last night at CCMB's Missions Prayer Meeting, we were blessed by the people whom we love so deeply, were able to express their hearts toward Nora & myself. It was as sweet and as encouraging as it possibly could have been for us!! Thank you all who are praying for us as well as those who are helping in our financial support, who likewise are praying for us. God has demonstrated HIS love towards us in each of you and both Nora & I want to express our sincere love & appreciation to all of you!!!!
The next two weeks before departure will be consumed by DE-junking our house, cleaning out the loft & garage, moving much of personal belongings into a storage unit and helping our son Tom & his family move into our home in order for them top assume the care responsibilities of Nora's mom while we are away. We are so blessed to have such a great family who look out for one another in times such as these.
Our current plans are to go to South Africa, first to meet with several of the pastors in South Africa, who have expressed a desire to come with teams to Malawi to assist us & the national pastors to grow stronger in the Lord and to plant more churches in Malawi with strong leadership, fully trained to be shepherds to their flocks so they are ready for the work of the ministry. Then by early February, we will be in Malawi, working with Pastor Tom Mambo of CC Lilongwe and all his leaders.
Current prayer requests are as follows:
1.Getting the Embassy of the Republic of Malawi do complete our extended stay visa's on time so we can depart on schedule.
2. Sale of our two auto's - 2006 Ford 500 & 2002 Ford Explorer Sports Trac
3. Sale of our Newport Beach Villa's Timeshare weeks.
4. Complete all that is necessary around our home before we leave.
Thank you all for your love & support, we both appreciate it more than you could ever imagine.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Happy New Year!
We hope & pray that all of you enjoyed a glorious Christmas celebrating our Lord's Birth with family & friends. We are already 3 days into 2009,with much to do that we are aware of, and so much more we have no idea what the Lord holds for us. But lets all remember, we cannot redo yesterday, tomorrow is never promised for any of us, so today let us be about HIM in all we do, for today is all we have to be obedient to HIS calling!
Nora & I leave for the Missions Conference in So. Calif. from January 5 to 8th and then visiting other churches and ministries there before heading back home to wrap all the last minute details before we leave for Malawi on January 26th. Time is growing short, but with God's help we will get all done before we leave.
Have received three e-mails from from Malawi concerning our anticipated arrival, expressing their joy in our soon arrival! God is so good to us, preparing the way for us, setting up new friends and co-laborers for the gospel of Jesus Christ, We are truly blessed!!
Our prayer needs are many, but are a few:
1.Missions Conference
2.Finalize support raising activities
3.Ability to wrap up all last minute details
4.Sale of two auto's & our Timeshare in Newport Beach
5.Safe & enjoyable 27 hour flight to Africa.
We want all of you to know how much we appreciate you and love your prayer & financial support. We will be attempting to keep you informed on this blog, over the next 23 days before we depart as well as when we arrive in Africa.
May our Lord continue to bless all of you as you serve HIM, we remain,
In HIM,
Steve & Nora
Nora & I leave for the Missions Conference in So. Calif. from January 5 to 8th and then visiting other churches and ministries there before heading back home to wrap all the last minute details before we leave for Malawi on January 26th. Time is growing short, but with God's help we will get all done before we leave.
Have received three e-mails from from Malawi concerning our anticipated arrival, expressing their joy in our soon arrival! God is so good to us, preparing the way for us, setting up new friends and co-laborers for the gospel of Jesus Christ, We are truly blessed!!
Our prayer needs are many, but are a few:
1.Missions Conference
2.Finalize support raising activities
3.Ability to wrap up all last minute details
4.Sale of two auto's & our Timeshare in Newport Beach
5.Safe & enjoyable 27 hour flight to Africa.
We want all of you to know how much we appreciate you and love your prayer & financial support. We will be attempting to keep you informed on this blog, over the next 23 days before we depart as well as when we arrive in Africa.
May our Lord continue to bless all of you as you serve HIM, we remain,
In HIM,
Steve & Nora
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Merry Christmas
Nora & I want to wish all of you a very Christ filled holiday celebration of our dear Saviors birth with your family & friends. As we all know, "Jesus is the reason for this season"! It is HIM we celebrate and the gift HE has provided to all of us who have accepted Jesus as our personal Lord & Savior.To HIM be the glory, both now, and forever!
We have been experiencing some wonderful opportunities this past week as we have seen Jesus continue to be faithful to us over & over again in so many different wonderful ways.Today, we were blessed to attend the wedding ceremony of a precious couple from our fellowship at CCMB, Jeremiah Cheatum and Angela Park who have been in our fellowship for about 2 - 3 years. We have seen our Lord bring them together to become one flesh in Jesus Christ and they made their covenant with each other for the rest of their lives to love & cherish each other, forsaking all others,& making Jesus Christ the center of their lives and marriage. The ceremony was absolutely outstanding, a most beautiful bride and a very handsome groom, but most of all seeing first hand their love for each other and their total commitment to Jesus Christ. My good friend and former Senior Pastor, Bill Holdridge, performed the ceremony and as usual did a masterful presentation of the sanctity of a marriage commitment, as they made their vows before God and the witnesses in attendance.
New news, we have now booked our flight to Africa and will be leaving from San Francisco on Monday January 26, 2009, flying to South Africa to visit our friends and fellow colleagues there, before traveling on to Malawi.The time is rapidly passing us by, with the holidays before us, then to the Missions Conference at the CC Bible College, visiting additional churches and friends in Southern California before returning to Monterey to wrap up the last of the details necessary to allow us to depart on 1-26-09.
Our fund raising is going well as we are approximately 75% completed for 2009, so please keep praying for God's provision for us. We desire to focus entirely on the ministry duties prior to departure. We are also waiting for the Malawi Embassy in Washington D.C. to respond to our inquiry regarding obtaining all the required documentation to allow us to obtain an extended multiple entry visa's. As Americans, we are allow to go and stay up to six months without any visa, but our plans are for us to live there and to come home every 12-18 months over the next 3-5 years, so this presents a different need for the visa's.
We wish to thank each of you who have already given sacrificially to our ministry efforts for Malawi, words cannot possibly express properly how much your love & support has meant to us as we have stepped out in faith to follow HIS call on our lives! You are are a vital part of this work to be done in Malawi,as you hold the rope on this side of the world as we become your eyes, hands, legs,& ears, as we listen to God's sweet voice as to what HE desires us to do upon our arrival. We think we have a handle, but we also know we know very little, so we desire to be led by HIS Holy Spirit in all we attempt to accomplish in HIS name.
May our Lord bless you all real good and always remember, HE is God and we are not!! Let us be the Ephesians 3:20 Christians who truly believe HIM to do "exceedingly, abundantly above all we can ask, think, or imagine, by the spirit that dwells in us."
Steve & Nora
We have been experiencing some wonderful opportunities this past week as we have seen Jesus continue to be faithful to us over & over again in so many different wonderful ways.Today, we were blessed to attend the wedding ceremony of a precious couple from our fellowship at CCMB, Jeremiah Cheatum and Angela Park who have been in our fellowship for about 2 - 3 years. We have seen our Lord bring them together to become one flesh in Jesus Christ and they made their covenant with each other for the rest of their lives to love & cherish each other, forsaking all others,& making Jesus Christ the center of their lives and marriage. The ceremony was absolutely outstanding, a most beautiful bride and a very handsome groom, but most of all seeing first hand their love for each other and their total commitment to Jesus Christ. My good friend and former Senior Pastor, Bill Holdridge, performed the ceremony and as usual did a masterful presentation of the sanctity of a marriage commitment, as they made their vows before God and the witnesses in attendance.
New news, we have now booked our flight to Africa and will be leaving from San Francisco on Monday January 26, 2009, flying to South Africa to visit our friends and fellow colleagues there, before traveling on to Malawi.The time is rapidly passing us by, with the holidays before us, then to the Missions Conference at the CC Bible College, visiting additional churches and friends in Southern California before returning to Monterey to wrap up the last of the details necessary to allow us to depart on 1-26-09.
Our fund raising is going well as we are approximately 75% completed for 2009, so please keep praying for God's provision for us. We desire to focus entirely on the ministry duties prior to departure. We are also waiting for the Malawi Embassy in Washington D.C. to respond to our inquiry regarding obtaining all the required documentation to allow us to obtain an extended multiple entry visa's. As Americans, we are allow to go and stay up to six months without any visa, but our plans are for us to live there and to come home every 12-18 months over the next 3-5 years, so this presents a different need for the visa's.
We wish to thank each of you who have already given sacrificially to our ministry efforts for Malawi, words cannot possibly express properly how much your love & support has meant to us as we have stepped out in faith to follow HIS call on our lives! You are are a vital part of this work to be done in Malawi,as you hold the rope on this side of the world as we become your eyes, hands, legs,& ears, as we listen to God's sweet voice as to what HE desires us to do upon our arrival. We think we have a handle, but we also know we know very little, so we desire to be led by HIS Holy Spirit in all we attempt to accomplish in HIS name.
May our Lord bless you all real good and always remember, HE is God and we are not!! Let us be the Ephesians 3:20 Christians who truly believe HIM to do "exceedingly, abundantly above all we can ask, think, or imagine, by the spirit that dwells in us."
Steve & Nora
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Update as of 12-9-08
It has been a very full two weeks since we last updated all of you, and there is still so much be be accomplished. Our support continues to come in and we are about 74% funded at this time and our goal is to be fully funded by 12-20-08. So please continue to pray for us in this arena as well as getting all the rest of the details accomplished before 1-15-09.
Nora & I both have been extremely blessed by the warm responses we have received, both from those at our local church(CCMB), as well as many other churches we have had the honor of sharing about our ministry to Malawi Africa. God is just blowing our minds as HE opens doors no man can open and HE keeps reassuring us that we are in the center of HIS will! God is so good to us and we truly are blessed by all of HIS people.
The Compassion Pregnancy of the Monterey Peninsula, where Nora has served the past 25years, gave her a going away celebration this past week. It was so good to see and fellowship with so many people who have served at the CPC over the past years as well as those serving today. It seems to very hard to realize that Nora will not be an active part of this ministry since she has been involved since its inception.... but God! Thank you Debbie Jones, Terrie Bennett, and the entire volunteer staff for your love and support all these many years. We will miss you a lot, but plan on keeping in touch by e-mail & skype.
We want to wish all of you a very blessed Merry Christ mas and an extremely Happy New Year. We will be in our prayers and please keep us in yours.
Steve & Nora Braselton
Nora & I both have been extremely blessed by the warm responses we have received, both from those at our local church(CCMB), as well as many other churches we have had the honor of sharing about our ministry to Malawi Africa. God is just blowing our minds as HE opens doors no man can open and HE keeps reassuring us that we are in the center of HIS will! God is so good to us and we truly are blessed by all of HIS people.
The Compassion Pregnancy of the Monterey Peninsula, where Nora has served the past 25years, gave her a going away celebration this past week. It was so good to see and fellowship with so many people who have served at the CPC over the past years as well as those serving today. It seems to very hard to realize that Nora will not be an active part of this ministry since she has been involved since its inception.... but God! Thank you Debbie Jones, Terrie Bennett, and the entire volunteer staff for your love and support all these many years. We will miss you a lot, but plan on keeping in touch by e-mail & skype.
We want to wish all of you a very blessed Merry Christ mas and an extremely Happy New Year. We will be in our prayers and please keep us in yours.
Steve & Nora Braselton
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