We pray all of you had a wonderful Christ filled Christmas with family & friends! And we want to wish you all a very Happy New Year as we look forward to what the Lord has for us in 2010!
Nora & I have been blessed to have time with three of our children and their families and we look forward in January to having some quality time with our daughter Kelly & her family in Washington State. We were also blessed with the special Silent Auction event held 12/12/09 at Calvary Chapel in Monterey that raised sufficient money to allow our 30 Pastors in Malawi to be able to attend the Training & Discipleship School in 2010! PTL!!!! Thank you to all who participated & especially our Care Team who put the whole event together!! You all are awesome fellow servants & the brethren in Malawi will be so blessed at your endeavors in their behalf!
We will be attending the Calvary Chapel Missions Conference from January 4-7th, then up to Washington, and returning to Monterey on the 16th and leaving for Malawi on January 18th. In the meantime, we will be sharing at Calvary Chapel Monterey on this Wednesday night at 6:30 PM and at Calvary Chapel in Salinas on Sunday January 3rd. So, if anyone is in either of these two areas, come fellowship with us!
We are loving our time with our family and friends, but at the same time we are already looking forward to returning to our new "home" in Malawi. Please continue to pray for us as we wrap up our time here and that our Lord will supply all of our financial needs for 2010! He has always been faithful to do so, but we need to keep knocking, seeking, & asking!
Thanks to all our faithful supporters in 2009 and we pray you will continue to stand with us in 2010, for there is yet much land yet to be occupied! There are many different needs to assist the Malawian churches & their congregations, and if anyone desires to have more details, please contact us at www.snb1959@gmail.com or at this blog spot address and we will get back to you.
May our Lord Jesus bless & keep you close to Himself and always remember to look up, for our redemption draws nigh! We love and appreciate each one of you so much!
In Him,
Steve & Nora
Steve & Nora
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Personal Update Report
To all of our Family, Friends, and Supporters:
This Saturday, December 12th, from 2-5PM, at Calvary Chapel Monterey Bay, Nora & I will be sharing with all in attendance about what God has accomplished this year in Malawi and what we sense our Lord desires to accomplish in 2010! We will have photo's, video, music, and lots of stories to share about life in Malawi.
Please come join us for an afternoon of great fellowship, reports of God's mercy & grace, and there will be lots of items for you to choose from on a Silent Auction of items donated to raise funds for the Pastoral Training & Discipleship School in Lilongwe that will begin in March 2010 which will allow itinerent Pastors to be trained in expository teaching of God's Word.
If you are unable to attend, we will be DVD'ing the event and if you request a copy of one, we will be happy to send you one. Prayerfully, we hope to being able to see you there and to greet you personally and warmly! Thank you for your prayers & support, as we could not be available to serve in Malawi without you!
May our Lord Jesus richly bless you this Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and King, Jesus The Christ!!!!!!
Love,
Steve & Nora
This Saturday, December 12th, from 2-5PM, at Calvary Chapel Monterey Bay, Nora & I will be sharing with all in attendance about what God has accomplished this year in Malawi and what we sense our Lord desires to accomplish in 2010! We will have photo's, video, music, and lots of stories to share about life in Malawi.
Please come join us for an afternoon of great fellowship, reports of God's mercy & grace, and there will be lots of items for you to choose from on a Silent Auction of items donated to raise funds for the Pastoral Training & Discipleship School in Lilongwe that will begin in March 2010 which will allow itinerent Pastors to be trained in expository teaching of God's Word.
If you are unable to attend, we will be DVD'ing the event and if you request a copy of one, we will be happy to send you one. Prayerfully, we hope to being able to see you there and to greet you personally and warmly! Thank you for your prayers & support, as we could not be available to serve in Malawi without you!
May our Lord Jesus richly bless you this Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and King, Jesus The Christ!!!!!!
Love,
Steve & Nora
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Malawi Outreach Report
November 14, 2009
We are wrapping up our first 10 months of ministry here in Malawi as we head home to California for the holidays. We have been blessed beyond measure and we have come to love Malawi and its people! God has sent us here to be a blessing and a help to our brethren of Malawi, and with God’s leading us by His Holy Spirit, we have seen His power in strengthening us in our weakness. However, we would say without hesitation, we have learned so much from our brothers & sisters, that it has been a mutual admiration relationship!
God is opening up His arms to Malawi and desires to have His Holy Spirit to be poured out upon His people. We have found that the people of Malawi are eager to learn more & more about our Lord Jesus and His Holy Word! They are hard workers, fast learners, all they need is for the Body of Christ to come along side of them to assist them to become completely self sufficient in their walk with Jesus and to become financially able to care for themselves and their families.
So, as Nora & I head home to be with our family to give thanks to our Lord for our well being and to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus, we are also well aware that we need to share this story with as many people and churches as we can while we are home. We have a video presentation about the ministry here in Malawi and we would love to come to your church to share and answer any questions you may have of us & of Malawi. So that if the Lord speaks to your heart to be involved in prayer, or in financial contributions, we will be able to inform you properly! If you prefer, we can send you the video which will briefly inform you about the many aspects of the ministry opportunities available in Malawi.
We just concluded a 10 day Medical Outreach, where we conducted seven (7) Clinics in six (6) days, allowing our team of four nurses and one Medical Doctor to have some rest in between. They were able to examine, consult, and disbursed medications to all, estimated to about one thousand patients. We owe a great amount of gratitude to Laura Bomarito, Laurel Fuge, Santos Ramirez, Teresa Anaya, and Dr. James High of the African Bible College Medical Clinic! We thank you, one in all for your selfless service to our Lord and to the most needy people in outlining villages, where there is little to no medical & health facilities. May our Lord bless all you do in His name, both now and until He returns!
We also were blessed to attend the Calvary Chapel All African Pastors Conference in Cape Town in October. We were overjoyed at the growth of the number of God’s people serving in Africa since we first attended this Conference in 2007. The speakers were outstanding, the fellowship sweet, and the new people we were able to meet was very gratifying as well as the joy of renewing many friendships! God is so good!!!
Please be praying for safe travel for us, a wonderful time with our family, and that the Lord will open many doors for us to walk through for His kingdom. Thank you all for your love, prayers, and financial support during 2009 and we ask you to pray what the Lord would have you do in 2010 for the work in Malawi.
May our Lord bless you all and we so look forward to seeing as many of you as possible when we are back!
November 14, 2009
We are wrapping up our first 10 months of ministry here in Malawi as we head home to California for the holidays. We have been blessed beyond measure and we have come to love Malawi and its people! God has sent us here to be a blessing and a help to our brethren of Malawi, and with God’s leading us by His Holy Spirit, we have seen His power in strengthening us in our weakness. However, we would say without hesitation, we have learned so much from our brothers & sisters, that it has been a mutual admiration relationship!
God is opening up His arms to Malawi and desires to have His Holy Spirit to be poured out upon His people. We have found that the people of Malawi are eager to learn more & more about our Lord Jesus and His Holy Word! They are hard workers, fast learners, all they need is for the Body of Christ to come along side of them to assist them to become completely self sufficient in their walk with Jesus and to become financially able to care for themselves and their families.
So, as Nora & I head home to be with our family to give thanks to our Lord for our well being and to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus, we are also well aware that we need to share this story with as many people and churches as we can while we are home. We have a video presentation about the ministry here in Malawi and we would love to come to your church to share and answer any questions you may have of us & of Malawi. So that if the Lord speaks to your heart to be involved in prayer, or in financial contributions, we will be able to inform you properly! If you prefer, we can send you the video which will briefly inform you about the many aspects of the ministry opportunities available in Malawi.
We just concluded a 10 day Medical Outreach, where we conducted seven (7) Clinics in six (6) days, allowing our team of four nurses and one Medical Doctor to have some rest in between. They were able to examine, consult, and disbursed medications to all, estimated to about one thousand patients. We owe a great amount of gratitude to Laura Bomarito, Laurel Fuge, Santos Ramirez, Teresa Anaya, and Dr. James High of the African Bible College Medical Clinic! We thank you, one in all for your selfless service to our Lord and to the most needy people in outlining villages, where there is little to no medical & health facilities. May our Lord bless all you do in His name, both now and until He returns!
We also were blessed to attend the Calvary Chapel All African Pastors Conference in Cape Town in October. We were overjoyed at the growth of the number of God’s people serving in Africa since we first attended this Conference in 2007. The speakers were outstanding, the fellowship sweet, and the new people we were able to meet was very gratifying as well as the joy of renewing many friendships! God is so good!!!
Please be praying for safe travel for us, a wonderful time with our family, and that the Lord will open many doors for us to walk through for His kingdom. Thank you all for your love, prayers, and financial support during 2009 and we ask you to pray what the Lord would have you do in 2010 for the work in Malawi.
May our Lord bless you all and we so look forward to seeing as many of you as possible when we are back!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Malawi Outreach Update
Malawi Outreach Update
October 2009
Since our last report, Nora & I have been on a very busy schedule. We attended our 50th High School Reunion in El Paso, Texas which was attended by more than 100 of our former classmates. What a wonderful experience we were able to enjoy, great fellowship, many laughs, tons of memories recalled, and festivities over a six day period. It started with a formal presentation by the Mayor and the City Council to the 1959 Burges High School Graduation Class for their outstanding achievement since graduation, to their City and to the world. This was followed by a large parade with about 50 members of our class, riding in classic 50’s vehicles, marching bands, the football team, cheerleaders, floats and Fire Trucks. On Friday, we attended the Home Coming Game where the former (old) football players were presented jerseys with our old numbers, names on back and a special insignia on the front left shoulder. We were with the team before the game in the locker room, participated as the team was led in the Lord’s Prayer, and went out with the team to the playing field, notice I did not say we ran out with the team, and at Half Time, introduced each of the remaining players who were able to be there. Festivities at the hotel went on for several days, looking at old photos, sharing old memories, laughing our heads off at some of the stunts we did, renewing old friendships with some of the people we have not seen in 50 years! We also cherished our time staying with a couple we have not only have known for over 50 years, but whom we consider lifetime friends, Alroy & Helen Eddings. They opened their home, their hearts, and were the greatest hosts ever!! One of the more gratifying moments of the whole event was when we all gathered to pray for a number of our classmates who were sick or suffering some serious life threatening illnesses. Everyone there joined in to the prayer circle, and we all participated by individually praying. It was truly a Holy Spirit moment, and it gave us all the awareness of how many of us had come to know Jesus Christ as our personal Lord, & Savior since High school! Following all this, the big event was Saturday night at the dinner where we enjoyed special music from the 50’s, prizes for a number of different areas, we won three of them including coming the farthest to participate! We were blessed by having the organizing committee to provide our airfare & arranged our lodging to allow us come to be a part of this fabulous event. Thank you Class of ’59! On Sunday morning, as we joined together for a farewell brunch, I was asked to conduct a church service there at the hotel, which was such a blessing for all of us that attended. We were also able to share about the work in Malawi with a number of the attendees and we were warmly received by all, and have been greatly encouraged by the expressions of interest! To put our experience there into one word, “Wonderful”!
We were also able to spend some precious time with my sister and her family. Ate lots of “good” Mexican food, juicy Texas steaks and spare ribs, and spending quality time remembering funny stories about our parents, and just enjoying being with one another. Please be praying for my sister, Sandy Dalton, as she has a heart condition, and she recently fell, and broke her arm. When they administered her with anesthesia, it caused her heart to stop! She was revived, but is now required to sleep with oxygen each night, and I am naturally concerned for her. It was also a treat to visit with our nephews & nieces, whom are now grown, married and with their own families. It seemed like yesterday that they all were small children, and at times, seemingly strange to now to have fellowship with them as adults! All in all, it was a fantastic trip in so many respects and we praise God for allowing and providing for us to have gone and participated in all of it!
Since returning back to Malawi, we have been running daily to try to catch up after being gone for almost three weeks. We suffered the worst jet lag ever upon arriving in Malawi, taking almost 10 days to begin to feel “normal” once more, then getting back in the swing of daily life, preparing teaching lessons for Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. Ruth’s Shawl ministry held an outreach on October 3rd geared to the children of Area 44, where they ministered to the widows & orphans, to about 5,000 children. To find out all the details and see photos from the event, go to www.ruthsshawl.org.
This week ahead of us is preparing for the CC African Pastors Conference being held in Cape Town South Africa which will run from October 12th – 16th. Pastor Tom and his wife Caroline will be attending along with Nora & me. This will be the first time Caroline has been out of Malawi and her first airplane trip. She is both excited, and apprehensive about the upcoming adventure. Please pray for us as we prepare to go, that the Lord will use this time and opportunity to be a blessing to all we get to meet and with whom we will be able to establish new relationships. We are also working with a Christian firm out of North Carolina, Water Missions International, who provides clean water purification systems to needy Third World Countries who do not have adequate clean water capabilities available to many of their people located in remote areas, where 80% of the population of Malawi live. They have been looking for Church participation to partner with them to insure that adequate follow up with the equipment to make sure that it continues to function properly after the installation and training of the local leaders of the village along with the approval and support of the local Chiefs. Their mission statement is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Living Water, before they share the value of the clean water system. We have had several months of working with this group and we feel we will be participating with them in their first official project in Malawi in the village of Mphonde, where we have planted one of our Calvary Chapel’s. After months of exploring the merits of us being involved with this endeavor in this one village, we are about to agree to perform the needed follow up by the local church leaders, with full participation by the villagers who are being benefited by this endeavor. We are excited about the possibilities of the assistance being offered by Water Missions to the very needy people of Malawi.
Upon our return from The Pastors Conference, we will get ready to host the Medical Team arriving from Monterey California for a two week medical outreach to a number of the outlying villages in and around Lilongwe. Following this outreach, we will be preparing to return to the States for our furlough to visit our family over the holidays, and to share with churches, and our Prayer and Donor Support Team’s, about the wonderful work God has accomplished through everyone’s participation in our Lord’s desire to bless the people of Malawi. As well as to share about the exciting opportunities that exists for 2010 and beyond. We are so looking forward to being back with family and friends in California, but at the same time knowing we will be missing our friends while we are away from Malawi. We have become quite attached to our new friends and fellow servants here, knowing God has ordained us to be ministering in Malawi with them to disciple and teach the understanding of the Word of God and to strengthen the churches knowledge, “equipping the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:12)
We love and appreciation all of you for your prayers and support. Nora & I are so grateful for the privilege of serving our Lord and for the honor of representing each of you to our brothers and sisters of Malawi. May our Lord Jesus continue to lead, guide and direct us, as we listen for His desires for the people of Malawi. (Romans 12:1-2)
October 2009
Since our last report, Nora & I have been on a very busy schedule. We attended our 50th High School Reunion in El Paso, Texas which was attended by more than 100 of our former classmates. What a wonderful experience we were able to enjoy, great fellowship, many laughs, tons of memories recalled, and festivities over a six day period. It started with a formal presentation by the Mayor and the City Council to the 1959 Burges High School Graduation Class for their outstanding achievement since graduation, to their City and to the world. This was followed by a large parade with about 50 members of our class, riding in classic 50’s vehicles, marching bands, the football team, cheerleaders, floats and Fire Trucks. On Friday, we attended the Home Coming Game where the former (old) football players were presented jerseys with our old numbers, names on back and a special insignia on the front left shoulder. We were with the team before the game in the locker room, participated as the team was led in the Lord’s Prayer, and went out with the team to the playing field, notice I did not say we ran out with the team, and at Half Time, introduced each of the remaining players who were able to be there. Festivities at the hotel went on for several days, looking at old photos, sharing old memories, laughing our heads off at some of the stunts we did, renewing old friendships with some of the people we have not seen in 50 years! We also cherished our time staying with a couple we have not only have known for over 50 years, but whom we consider lifetime friends, Alroy & Helen Eddings. They opened their home, their hearts, and were the greatest hosts ever!! One of the more gratifying moments of the whole event was when we all gathered to pray for a number of our classmates who were sick or suffering some serious life threatening illnesses. Everyone there joined in to the prayer circle, and we all participated by individually praying. It was truly a Holy Spirit moment, and it gave us all the awareness of how many of us had come to know Jesus Christ as our personal Lord, & Savior since High school! Following all this, the big event was Saturday night at the dinner where we enjoyed special music from the 50’s, prizes for a number of different areas, we won three of them including coming the farthest to participate! We were blessed by having the organizing committee to provide our airfare & arranged our lodging to allow us come to be a part of this fabulous event. Thank you Class of ’59! On Sunday morning, as we joined together for a farewell brunch, I was asked to conduct a church service there at the hotel, which was such a blessing for all of us that attended. We were also able to share about the work in Malawi with a number of the attendees and we were warmly received by all, and have been greatly encouraged by the expressions of interest! To put our experience there into one word, “Wonderful”!
We were also able to spend some precious time with my sister and her family. Ate lots of “good” Mexican food, juicy Texas steaks and spare ribs, and spending quality time remembering funny stories about our parents, and just enjoying being with one another. Please be praying for my sister, Sandy Dalton, as she has a heart condition, and she recently fell, and broke her arm. When they administered her with anesthesia, it caused her heart to stop! She was revived, but is now required to sleep with oxygen each night, and I am naturally concerned for her. It was also a treat to visit with our nephews & nieces, whom are now grown, married and with their own families. It seemed like yesterday that they all were small children, and at times, seemingly strange to now to have fellowship with them as adults! All in all, it was a fantastic trip in so many respects and we praise God for allowing and providing for us to have gone and participated in all of it!
Since returning back to Malawi, we have been running daily to try to catch up after being gone for almost three weeks. We suffered the worst jet lag ever upon arriving in Malawi, taking almost 10 days to begin to feel “normal” once more, then getting back in the swing of daily life, preparing teaching lessons for Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. Ruth’s Shawl ministry held an outreach on October 3rd geared to the children of Area 44, where they ministered to the widows & orphans, to about 5,000 children. To find out all the details and see photos from the event, go to www.ruthsshawl.org.
This week ahead of us is preparing for the CC African Pastors Conference being held in Cape Town South Africa which will run from October 12th – 16th. Pastor Tom and his wife Caroline will be attending along with Nora & me. This will be the first time Caroline has been out of Malawi and her first airplane trip. She is both excited, and apprehensive about the upcoming adventure. Please pray for us as we prepare to go, that the Lord will use this time and opportunity to be a blessing to all we get to meet and with whom we will be able to establish new relationships. We are also working with a Christian firm out of North Carolina, Water Missions International, who provides clean water purification systems to needy Third World Countries who do not have adequate clean water capabilities available to many of their people located in remote areas, where 80% of the population of Malawi live. They have been looking for Church participation to partner with them to insure that adequate follow up with the equipment to make sure that it continues to function properly after the installation and training of the local leaders of the village along with the approval and support of the local Chiefs. Their mission statement is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Living Water, before they share the value of the clean water system. We have had several months of working with this group and we feel we will be participating with them in their first official project in Malawi in the village of Mphonde, where we have planted one of our Calvary Chapel’s. After months of exploring the merits of us being involved with this endeavor in this one village, we are about to agree to perform the needed follow up by the local church leaders, with full participation by the villagers who are being benefited by this endeavor. We are excited about the possibilities of the assistance being offered by Water Missions to the very needy people of Malawi.
Upon our return from The Pastors Conference, we will get ready to host the Medical Team arriving from Monterey California for a two week medical outreach to a number of the outlying villages in and around Lilongwe. Following this outreach, we will be preparing to return to the States for our furlough to visit our family over the holidays, and to share with churches, and our Prayer and Donor Support Team’s, about the wonderful work God has accomplished through everyone’s participation in our Lord’s desire to bless the people of Malawi. As well as to share about the exciting opportunities that exists for 2010 and beyond. We are so looking forward to being back with family and friends in California, but at the same time knowing we will be missing our friends while we are away from Malawi. We have become quite attached to our new friends and fellow servants here, knowing God has ordained us to be ministering in Malawi with them to disciple and teach the understanding of the Word of God and to strengthen the churches knowledge, “equipping the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:12)
We love and appreciation all of you for your prayers and support. Nora & I are so grateful for the privilege of serving our Lord and for the honor of representing each of you to our brothers and sisters of Malawi. May our Lord Jesus continue to lead, guide and direct us, as we listen for His desires for the people of Malawi. (Romans 12:1-2)
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Malawi Outreach Update Report
August 27, 2009
Since our last report in July, we have been really been very busy with a number of different ministry activities:
July 17th – We met Pastor Luka of Calvary Chapel in Area 44. It is extremely difficult to drive to these remote villages, but we are becoming more familiar & comfortable venturing out on our own without a Malawian brother going with us. These villages are unchartered and very difficult to reach.
July 20th – We got word today that our six month ordeal to get our two year Immigration Work Permit had ended, we are finally approved! PTL !!!!
July 22nd – We have been doing some preliminary work with a Christian group out of North Carolina, Water Missions International, who design & install water purification systems in disaster sights worldwide and are in Malawi to find remote villages without any fresh, clean, water sources in order to install their water purification units. We are seeking to determine if we as CC want to take on the task of being sure the systems are properly maintained & repaired as needed. We would only be involved where we currently have church plants or where we will be planting new churches. They had an extra generator which they have donated to CC Lilongwe to be used to provide power for the church as we do not have electricity there. We are so grateful for their generosity & we have put it to good use already!
July 23rd – We made arrangements to go to Pastor Luka’s home & meet his family & church leadership. We met in a three room house with no electricity, no running water, with a outdoor bathroom and the house needing a lot of deferred maintenance & repairs. But the joy of this family & the church leadership was so encouraging to us & caused us to reflect how so very much God has blessed us all in America! They have so little & yet they are full of the joy of the Lord! This church plant was started in late 2008 with 18 people, & they currently have 48 adults with lots of children. They rent a school room at the local Primary School to hold their church services.
July 24th – Celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary. We were blessed by a group from a local Pharmacy who came to our place of residence to deliver 50 roses to Nora & I for our anniversary. How very sweet and extremely thoughtful!
July 26th – A team from North Shore Christian Fellowship in Hawaii arrived for a two week short term mission outreach, working with us & Children of The Nations ministry, who provide a feeding program, assistance with the education of the orphans in several different orphanages in Malawi. A multi church Baptism took place while Pastor Jason & his team were here, that included 45 saints being baptized. There were 5 outreaches to village ministries where the worship & evangelism team accompanied the team to share the gospel and show the Jesus DVD movie to these communities. There were thousands of people in attendance and hundreds coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. This team also blessed the church with a new sound system for the church along with several other much needed items for the ministry. They were a total blessing to us and all the people they ministered to in their ministry efforts! A great big THANK YOU to all six members of NSCF, we love you all!
August 4th – We accompanied the staff from Water Missions Int’l to the village of Mphonde along with an active participant donor & his wife from Wyoming to inspect the different chosen sites chosen to potentially install the water systems. We then all attended a meeting at the Baptist Seminary of Lilongwe where the Citizens Development Network , made up of over 100 pastors from all over Malawi, where the guest from Wyoming spoke. Later that night, we attended a dinner hosted by Water Missions Int’l, where the group of attendees were from NGO’s or ministries already working all over Malawi, who in one form or another are, or could be in the water projects of Water Missions Int’l.
August 5th – Nora & I traveled to the City of Blantyre, which is a four hour trip south of Lilongwe, to have our passports stamped with the official work permit stamp which authorizes us to work in Malawi for a minimum of two years before we have to reapply. PTL !!
August 6th – Returned from Blantyre in time to host a farewell dinner for the team from Hawaii before they departed for home. A wonderful recap for all of us for what God had done over the past two weeks, a time of worship, and a time to pray & praise our Lord for what He had accomplished!
August 14-16th – The first ever CC Women’s Conference was held with 125 ladies from 13 of the CC’s fellowships in the area. The report we received from the women in attendance was that the Holy Spirit was very much in attendance and He had blessed them so much and they were so excited!
August 29th – A Marriage Seminar is scheduled for 8-29-09 at CC Lilongwe to be conducted by Nora & Myself with an all day Saturday event, from 9AM to 5PM and then a joint renewal of vows for all the attendees to be held in front of the whole church body at the Sunday morning service.
We are so grateful to our Lord who has allowed us to serve here in Malawi! He has accomplished so much since we arrived on February 9th, and yet we also know there is so much yet to be done which we cannot do unless He guides and directs us as well provides for all that can be done here to encourage and teach those who are so eager to learn!
Nora & I leave for Texas on September 4th and we do plead for your prayers for us as we share about the work here in Malawi. We return on September 19th and I begin to prepare for the first Men’s Conference to be held on September 26-27th. I have also been asked by the Pastoral Group, Citizens Development Network, to travel to Blantyre to speak to their group in the southern part of the country.
Then we will have the Calvary Chapel All African Pastors Conference in Cape Town South Africa from October 12-16th to attend and we need your prayers as we need for the Lord to assist us & Pastor Tom financially, so we can attend.
Following the Pastors Conference, we have the medical team from Calvary Chapel Monterey Bay arriving for a two week outreach. We are really excited about their return as their gifts are so needed here as poverty prevents most Malawians from getting the medical attention they so desperately need!
Then Nora & I start to prepare to wrap up all the loose ends so we can return to Monterey for the holidays with our family and for us to share with all who want to hear about the work and needs of Malawi.
One more thing, Ruth’s Shawl Ministry to widows & orphans, now has their new Web-site up and running at www.ruthsshawl.org and we would encourage all of you to check it out, it really is well done and is very informative of the ministry here in Malawi. This ministry is also part of the work Nora is doing here in Malawi besides ministering at the church; Nora is the Program Manager of Ruth’s Shawl work in Malawi.
Please be praying for all these events and ministry activities, for your prayers are the ministry to allow us to do what the Lord has called us to do. We so appreciate all of you, your faithful prayers and financial support. There are so many needs in Malawi and we really need to know, with the clarity of the Holy Spirit, what projects and people groups we are to be involved in and with whom. With God’s leading, coupled with all our prayers, we will have the wisdom and understanding we are seeking according to James 1:5.
“The Lord bless and keep you; make His face to shine upon you; and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you; and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24)
August 27, 2009
Since our last report in July, we have been really been very busy with a number of different ministry activities:
July 17th – We met Pastor Luka of Calvary Chapel in Area 44. It is extremely difficult to drive to these remote villages, but we are becoming more familiar & comfortable venturing out on our own without a Malawian brother going with us. These villages are unchartered and very difficult to reach.
July 20th – We got word today that our six month ordeal to get our two year Immigration Work Permit had ended, we are finally approved! PTL !!!!
July 22nd – We have been doing some preliminary work with a Christian group out of North Carolina, Water Missions International, who design & install water purification systems in disaster sights worldwide and are in Malawi to find remote villages without any fresh, clean, water sources in order to install their water purification units. We are seeking to determine if we as CC want to take on the task of being sure the systems are properly maintained & repaired as needed. We would only be involved where we currently have church plants or where we will be planting new churches. They had an extra generator which they have donated to CC Lilongwe to be used to provide power for the church as we do not have electricity there. We are so grateful for their generosity & we have put it to good use already!
July 23rd – We made arrangements to go to Pastor Luka’s home & meet his family & church leadership. We met in a three room house with no electricity, no running water, with a outdoor bathroom and the house needing a lot of deferred maintenance & repairs. But the joy of this family & the church leadership was so encouraging to us & caused us to reflect how so very much God has blessed us all in America! They have so little & yet they are full of the joy of the Lord! This church plant was started in late 2008 with 18 people, & they currently have 48 adults with lots of children. They rent a school room at the local Primary School to hold their church services.
July 24th – Celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary. We were blessed by a group from a local Pharmacy who came to our place of residence to deliver 50 roses to Nora & I for our anniversary. How very sweet and extremely thoughtful!
July 26th – A team from North Shore Christian Fellowship in Hawaii arrived for a two week short term mission outreach, working with us & Children of The Nations ministry, who provide a feeding program, assistance with the education of the orphans in several different orphanages in Malawi. A multi church Baptism took place while Pastor Jason & his team were here, that included 45 saints being baptized. There were 5 outreaches to village ministries where the worship & evangelism team accompanied the team to share the gospel and show the Jesus DVD movie to these communities. There were thousands of people in attendance and hundreds coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. This team also blessed the church with a new sound system for the church along with several other much needed items for the ministry. They were a total blessing to us and all the people they ministered to in their ministry efforts! A great big THANK YOU to all six members of NSCF, we love you all!
August 4th – We accompanied the staff from Water Missions Int’l to the village of Mphonde along with an active participant donor & his wife from Wyoming to inspect the different chosen sites chosen to potentially install the water systems. We then all attended a meeting at the Baptist Seminary of Lilongwe where the Citizens Development Network , made up of over 100 pastors from all over Malawi, where the guest from Wyoming spoke. Later that night, we attended a dinner hosted by Water Missions Int’l, where the group of attendees were from NGO’s or ministries already working all over Malawi, who in one form or another are, or could be in the water projects of Water Missions Int’l.
August 5th – Nora & I traveled to the City of Blantyre, which is a four hour trip south of Lilongwe, to have our passports stamped with the official work permit stamp which authorizes us to work in Malawi for a minimum of two years before we have to reapply. PTL !!
August 6th – Returned from Blantyre in time to host a farewell dinner for the team from Hawaii before they departed for home. A wonderful recap for all of us for what God had done over the past two weeks, a time of worship, and a time to pray & praise our Lord for what He had accomplished!
August 14-16th – The first ever CC Women’s Conference was held with 125 ladies from 13 of the CC’s fellowships in the area. The report we received from the women in attendance was that the Holy Spirit was very much in attendance and He had blessed them so much and they were so excited!
August 29th – A Marriage Seminar is scheduled for 8-29-09 at CC Lilongwe to be conducted by Nora & Myself with an all day Saturday event, from 9AM to 5PM and then a joint renewal of vows for all the attendees to be held in front of the whole church body at the Sunday morning service.
We are so grateful to our Lord who has allowed us to serve here in Malawi! He has accomplished so much since we arrived on February 9th, and yet we also know there is so much yet to be done which we cannot do unless He guides and directs us as well provides for all that can be done here to encourage and teach those who are so eager to learn!
Nora & I leave for Texas on September 4th and we do plead for your prayers for us as we share about the work here in Malawi. We return on September 19th and I begin to prepare for the first Men’s Conference to be held on September 26-27th. I have also been asked by the Pastoral Group, Citizens Development Network, to travel to Blantyre to speak to their group in the southern part of the country.
Then we will have the Calvary Chapel All African Pastors Conference in Cape Town South Africa from October 12-16th to attend and we need your prayers as we need for the Lord to assist us & Pastor Tom financially, so we can attend.
Following the Pastors Conference, we have the medical team from Calvary Chapel Monterey Bay arriving for a two week outreach. We are really excited about their return as their gifts are so needed here as poverty prevents most Malawians from getting the medical attention they so desperately need!
Then Nora & I start to prepare to wrap up all the loose ends so we can return to Monterey for the holidays with our family and for us to share with all who want to hear about the work and needs of Malawi.
One more thing, Ruth’s Shawl Ministry to widows & orphans, now has their new Web-site up and running at www.ruthsshawl.org and we would encourage all of you to check it out, it really is well done and is very informative of the ministry here in Malawi. This ministry is also part of the work Nora is doing here in Malawi besides ministering at the church; Nora is the Program Manager of Ruth’s Shawl work in Malawi.
Please be praying for all these events and ministry activities, for your prayers are the ministry to allow us to do what the Lord has called us to do. We so appreciate all of you, your faithful prayers and financial support. There are so many needs in Malawi and we really need to know, with the clarity of the Holy Spirit, what projects and people groups we are to be involved in and with whom. With God’s leading, coupled with all our prayers, we will have the wisdom and understanding we are seeking according to James 1:5.
“The Lord bless and keep you; make His face to shine upon you; and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you; and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24)
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Gratefulness
To all of our family & friends:
To each of you who have taken the time to write Nora & I congratulating us on our 50th Wedding Anniversary, we wanted to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratefulness for your thoughtfulness and kind expressions to us. We realize that being able to celebrate a 50th anniversary is in today's society a real milestone, but we also fully understand it has been the grace of God and His mercy that has allowed us to be where we are as a couple. We give Him all the glory and we are so thankful for His goodness towards us over these many years.
We have four wonderful children; 12 grandchildren; and 3 great-grandchildren, with one more on the way! Praise His Holy Name! He has chosen us to be His own, made a place for us with Him for eternity, and has allowed us to work with His people these past 30 years in our respective ministries. Now He has sent us to minister to our brothers and sisters in Malawi, a brand new season for us, for which we are so grateful for the blessing to do so!
So many expressions of amazement to us from people here in Malawi have been such a blessing, as most of those are from people who are not even close to 50 years of age, and cannot imagine being married that long! A dear and precious friend came with 50 roses and presented them to us along with his entire staff to celebrate our anniversary. Our room is full of long stem red and white roses. What a joy it is for us to be here in Malawi at this time of our lives and to have already made so many new friends. You can rejoice with us that our 2 year Work Permit has been approved and we are now waiting for the Immigration Dept. notification to pay our fees and officially stamp our Passports!
Thank you for all your prayers, it has been a six month process with many challanges and many opportunities to trust our Lord! But it has been a journey to date that we are delighted to have been able to travel upon as He has led us all the way! Please continue to pray for Malawi and for us. God is blessing Malawi and there is so much more He desires to do which can be accomplished through the prayers of the saints of God. "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James 5:16b) God bless you!
Steve & Nora
To each of you who have taken the time to write Nora & I congratulating us on our 50th Wedding Anniversary, we wanted to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratefulness for your thoughtfulness and kind expressions to us. We realize that being able to celebrate a 50th anniversary is in today's society a real milestone, but we also fully understand it has been the grace of God and His mercy that has allowed us to be where we are as a couple. We give Him all the glory and we are so thankful for His goodness towards us over these many years.
We have four wonderful children; 12 grandchildren; and 3 great-grandchildren, with one more on the way! Praise His Holy Name! He has chosen us to be His own, made a place for us with Him for eternity, and has allowed us to work with His people these past 30 years in our respective ministries. Now He has sent us to minister to our brothers and sisters in Malawi, a brand new season for us, for which we are so grateful for the blessing to do so!
So many expressions of amazement to us from people here in Malawi have been such a blessing, as most of those are from people who are not even close to 50 years of age, and cannot imagine being married that long! A dear and precious friend came with 50 roses and presented them to us along with his entire staff to celebrate our anniversary. Our room is full of long stem red and white roses. What a joy it is for us to be here in Malawi at this time of our lives and to have already made so many new friends. You can rejoice with us that our 2 year Work Permit has been approved and we are now waiting for the Immigration Dept. notification to pay our fees and officially stamp our Passports!
Thank you for all your prayers, it has been a six month process with many challanges and many opportunities to trust our Lord! But it has been a journey to date that we are delighted to have been able to travel upon as He has led us all the way! Please continue to pray for Malawi and for us. God is blessing Malawi and there is so much more He desires to do which can be accomplished through the prayers of the saints of God. "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James 5:16b) God bless you!
Steve & Nora
Saturday, July 11, 2009
July 7, 2009
To all of our family & friends:
Since our last update report of June 11th, we have been busy with a number of varied projects:
- We have finished the Book of Ephesians on Sunday mornings at CC
- We are continuing the Book of Joshua at Wednesday night service
and we will begin Chapter 9 this week.
- Nora has begun a wonderful program of teaching the women of the
fellowship how to cook foods from different parts of the world. To
date it has been Mexican; Italian; & Israeli. They have loved it!
- Attendance has increased to 125-150 each Wednesday night.
- Bibles from the gift given previously allowed us to purchase 300 Bibles & we have begun distribution to the 29 CC Fellowships.
- Additional gift from CC Siegen
- Jesus Video (DVD) was shown in the village in area 18B with over 700 people in attendance. We took the worship team & the borrowed sound equipment, prayed for the sick, & preached the gospel. A great outreach!
- We have also had reports from Chintheche, a large village in the north of
- A team from
- We are eagerly awaiting a team coming from CC Hawaii due here on July 25th. They will be here for two weeks with their schedule full visiting villages, orphanages, & Jesus Video outreaches.
- Leadership changes within CC Lilongwe have recently taken place by Pastor Tom Mambo to strengthen the core group in order to prepare for future growth.
- July 4th celebration took place at the American Ambassadors residence with 300-400 in attendance. It was a fun afternoon with the opportunity to meet a number of fellow Americans serving in
- The ministry to women has been one of the highlights for me (Nora) because I personally love to share God’s Word and teach women how to apply, in practical ways, what they are learning. It is such a joy to see in their eyes and smiles that that are ”getting it !” The difficulty of working thru a translator and the added time that it takes has become time for me to pray all thru the study and lean hard and completely on the Lord to keep His Promise…that His Word will go forth and accomplish what He intends and will not return to Him void….God has blessed me with His great love for the women and children. I use every moment to teach, to share, to minister and to love ….I am buying up every opportunity to declare the greatness of our God and the Truth in His Word to any one who will listen. I love to interact with the street people, the children, the women, the widows and people in their places of work. I also love the one on one conversations and that have taught me so much about speaking the truth in love. It is so wonderful to see that “Love Never Fails”. Thank you for all that your prayers are accomplishing here in
Prayer Requests
- Our two year Temporary Work Permit application has been approved at committee level, but the new incoming Minister of Home Affairs has to sign off before it becomes official. We have had to spend approximately $1,000 in fees, getting 30 day extensions so we would not be deported. This has been going on for almost 4 months, but when it is signed off by the minister, we have to come up with $2200.00 for these permits, just to be able to stay here to serve the people of
- Our vehicle situation is also not resolved. Please pray that it can be resolved soon!
- That our medical team, originally scheduled for September, has been rescheduled for late October, to allow for more participants to be able to come on the mission trip. Please pray for all the details involved to make this ministry to be a huge success!
- Two Laptop computers for CC Lilongwe.
- Sound Equipment and soundboard for CC Lilongwe.
- Additional items needed for the Jesus Video outreaches. (Generator; screen, Cables, Portable speakers; micro-phones, &etc.)
- Children Ministry curriculum & educational toys, art supplies, music, Veggie Tales DVD’s, soccer balls, jump ropes, etc.
- Additional funds to finish the school rooms for the CC Pastoral Training & Discipleship School located on the church property. We need to put in the floors, windows, door, and purchase work desks for the students. It has been estimated to cost $2,500.00 to complete these two rooms.
- Our upcoming trip back to El Paso, Texas to participate in the 50th Year Reunion of our High School, and so we may be able to share about the ministry in Malawi. We are very much honored to be asked to come to a part of this celebration and the generosity of the Committee to cover the costs to make this possible. Otherwise, we would not be able to attend.
- Nora & I are celebrating our 50th Wedding Anniversary on July 24th and this will be our first anniversary away from our family & friends in
We continue to marvel at the goodness of our Lord as He leads us to the path we are to walk upon. Your prayers and support are so vital to us in order to allow us to do the work God has called us to do here in
“May our Lord bless and keep you; make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
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