Dear friend,
Greetings in the matchless name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. We are excited to bring this update to you. We have been encouraged by what the good Lord is doing in our family and church family. Much has happened the past few months and below are some highlights.
Church
We have been going through a brief series on prayer. These sermons have stirred us to not only pray more but to pray more effectively. We were reminded that God’s priorities matter most in prayer.
We are thankful that the good Lord has enabled us to continue witnessing both spiritual and numerical growth. Last Sunday, we had a rare privilege of baptising seven people. This was our biggest baptism ceremony. Someone asked me, “How do you attract young men to your church?” I said, “I do not know. But what I can say, is we have been labouring hard in teaching and preaching the Bible faithfully, loving God’s people, and, while at it, investing in men and women.”
Purity Conference
We had Pastor John Leprohon (Eastridge Baptist Church, Kent, WA) do a purity conference, leadership, and campus Bible study for us. He is a gifted preacher and pastor at heart. He connected well in all three settings. Our church was truly blessed and encouraged by his visit. We are a fairly youthful church and that means the battle for purity is raging. He served us well and we are grateful to God for our partnership with Eastridge Baptist Church.
Seminary Mentor in Town
The past two months, we have had the privilege of having Dr. Dave Beakley in our home twice. What a blessing to have him. Dr. Beakley was my professor and mentor at Christ Seminary, Polokwane in South Africa. For four years he poured into my life. I watched him consistently love his wife and children. What I learnt from him has shaped me in many ways and I am seeing the fruit of his mentorship. To have him in our home was a huge encouragement.
Family
We are doing well. Our rhythms of rest are better than ever despite increasing demands on our time. We are enjoying good health and each other. Vanessa recently went for her check-up in South Africa. That went well and she will be returning there in November. The children are growing so fast, with Karabo turning two tomorrow (27 September).
Praise Items
- Thank God for seven baptised and soon to be welcomed to membership.
- Praise God for Vanessa’s successful medical check-up in South Africa.
- Praise God that we managed to purchase the vehicle we asked you to pray and contribute towards.
Prayer Items
- Please pray for hunger and thirst for righteousness in our church.
- Pray for fruit on the series on prayer.
- Our monthly support continues to go down. Please pray that the Lord will replace those who have stopped supporting us.
- We are in need of funds to hire a campus outreach coordinator (target: R3000 per month).
If the Lord leads you to contribute, or you may know someone who can, please direct the support to:
Account Name: Living Hope Church
Bank: Absa Bank
Account Number: 9283856437
Branch code: 632005
Reference: Mission Malawi
Grace and peace,
Newton, Vanessa, Chisomo, and Karabo