October 2009
Dear Praying Friends,
As most of you reading this letter are moving into the fall and a cooler season, we here in the Southern Hemisphere are just entering our hottest time of the year. The hot weather will eventually give way to the relief of the rains. This will be a welcome change from the heat but will introduce new challenges to overcome. As we make preparations to meet these challenges, we continue to see the people of the Fallsview Bible Baptist Church grow spiritually. In addition to averaging11-12 people coming out for Saturday soul winning and visitation, we have been able to start a few children’s Bible Clubs with support and advice for the ministry coming from a recent visitor, “Uncle” Jerry Purtell. Also, we have recently been able to divide into several Sunday school classes, with a few of the classes being required to meet “village-style” (outside under a tree). While this works quite well most of the year in Zambia, we are currently gathering tarpaulins and tents in the event of a rainy Sunday.
Over these past few months, we have begun to suspect that our church attendance has nearly reached its ceiling at our current facilities, as we have been consistently accommodating 110–125 people. We have been able to handle adult-service crowds greater than the size of our rented classroom by having some sit outside, gathered around the windows and doorway during the preaching. This practice may be negated somewhat once the rains arrive.
These and other factors have caused us to refocus our prayers and energy towards our building program. We have purchased and cleared the land and are waiting for the blueprints to be approved. In the meantime we are endeavoring to get a handle on the materials and money needed and are soon to begin molding cement blocks for the project. (Yes, the blocks, numbering in the tens of thousands, will all be made by hand—from the mixing of the cement to the putting the cement in molds to the watering and curing process. It reminds me of another African building project when the Israelites were in bondage in Egypt.) Please keep our ministry and this project especially in your prayers. We are sure that once this building is complete, it will directly affect the number of souls that are saved and people who are encouraged in the Word of God. The building will comfortably hold between 350 and 400 Americans, which equates to nearly 1,000 Zambians! “Personal space” is a concept lost in the translation. Thank you for truly being interested in what the LORD is doing on mission fields around the world.
In His service,
Justin & Preetika Warner
Dear Praying Friends,
As most of you reading this letter are moving into the fall and a cooler season, we here in the Southern Hemisphere are just entering our hottest time of the year. The hot weather will eventually give way to the relief of the rains. This will be a welcome change from the heat but will introduce new challenges to overcome. As we make preparations to meet these challenges, we continue to see the people of the Fallsview Bible Baptist Church grow spiritually. In addition to averaging11-12 people coming out for Saturday soul winning and visitation, we have been able to start a few children’s Bible Clubs with support and advice for the ministry coming from a recent visitor, “Uncle” Jerry Purtell. Also, we have recently been able to divide into several Sunday school classes, with a few of the classes being required to meet “village-style” (outside under a tree). While this works quite well most of the year in Zambia, we are currently gathering tarpaulins and tents in the event of a rainy Sunday.
Over these past few months, we have begun to suspect that our church attendance has nearly reached its ceiling at our current facilities, as we have been consistently accommodating 110–125 people. We have been able to handle adult-service crowds greater than the size of our rented classroom by having some sit outside, gathered around the windows and doorway during the preaching. This practice may be negated somewhat once the rains arrive.
These and other factors have caused us to refocus our prayers and energy towards our building program. We have purchased and cleared the land and are waiting for the blueprints to be approved. In the meantime we are endeavoring to get a handle on the materials and money needed and are soon to begin molding cement blocks for the project. (Yes, the blocks, numbering in the tens of thousands, will all be made by hand—from the mixing of the cement to the putting the cement in molds to the watering and curing process. It reminds me of another African building project when the Israelites were in bondage in Egypt.) Please keep our ministry and this project especially in your prayers. We are sure that once this building is complete, it will directly affect the number of souls that are saved and people who are encouraged in the Word of God. The building will comfortably hold between 350 and 400 Americans, which equates to nearly 1,000 Zambians! “Personal space” is a concept lost in the translation. Thank you for truly being interested in what the LORD is doing on mission fields around the world.
In His service,
Justin & Preetika Warner
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