2024 August Newsletter

In exciting news, the long awaited 2024 Mission Trip is currently underway. We praise God that the team (see above) left last Tuesday, believing that God will change lives and raise up leaders. Pastor Paul and the team are now in Livingstone, Zambia. They will also be visiting Zimbabwe, Malawi and South Africa, where leadership training sessions will be held. Please keep Paul, David, Ed, Christine, Dianne and Matt (who is not pictured) in your prayers during this time. This has been a massive people moving exercise, as all the pastors from across the various counties will be travelling to meet together – some for the first time!

As is written in 2 Corinthians 1:11, “…you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favour bestowed on us through the prayers of many.”

HOUSEKEEPING

To our dismay, one of our partners was unable to open their most recent letter from their pastor. If this ever happens, please do let us know, as we would love to resend it in a different format. Also feel free to let us know if:

you have a preference for receiving letters / updates from your pastor via email, text message or WhatsApp; and

any change of address or other details.

The next group of Pastor payments will be sent out at the start of November. We have gratefully raised a total of $425 for the Pastors’ Christmas fund which will be divided amongst our 232 pastors. Should you like to send any extra for our pastors, there is happily still plenty of time for you to make your contributions.

Last Thursday our beloved administrator, Anne Ferrar, crossed a busy intersection and was struck by a driver. She is currently recovering in Westmead Hospital and will sadly be laid up for a considerable time. However, laptops and portable equipment mean that she is still able to deal with issues as they arise. The Live Connection team would very much appreciate your prayers for Anne as we join in trusting God for a speedy recovery.

MORE ENCOURAGING UPDATES FROM KENYA

An excerpt from a letter written by B Martin “1. Our cell groups have continued to bear fruit. My six Church Elders responsible for the cell groups, as cell leaders have continued being under my training. We meet every week on Saturdays for four hours training these leaders. Our prayer is to see that these cell groups not only expand and reproduce more new ones but also to see everyone growing steadfastly in the Lord. The Bible translation project has continued progressing well. We have so far managed to move to the book of Romans. The Books of Luke and Acts are already done. The challenges that we are facing are that: a) We have some translators who after being well trained have left the organisation for greener pasture. Please pray for faithful translators who will willingly dedicate their time to the work. b) The Manager is one of those dependable persons who resigned for some other job. Please pray that the Lord will give us a qualified and dedicated Manager to run the project. We have invited suitable applications for the same position. 2. Chisitu is an area where a lot of people, especially women, are possessed by demons. We receive people who come to join us for various reasons, not because they want to receive salvation. These are the people whose demons manifest during the church services. We pray for them for deliverance. Some get delivered permanently, especially after receiving Jesus Christ as their Savour and Lord. But others go back home without Jesus and demons come back and continue tormenting them. One of the ladies that God delivered from these demons was Judith. This woman was not eating certain foods because demon could not allow her. Every time she tried to eat any of the forbidden foods, she got sick until she went back to a witch doctor who prescribed some charms to apply on her body to appease the spirits. After being prayed for, this woman is free, she has been eating anything she wanted and nothing happens to her. She is now praising Jesus for the way He has delivered her from this problem. You do well if can remember Judith in prayers so that as she continues to testify to others, more people will be saved. 3. One of the major challenges that we have in the community is early marriages. A lot of children in the community don’t go to school. Most of them stop at lower primary level. They enter into marriage as early as twelve years old. As a church we have continued sensitising the children and their parents the importance of education. Most of our children are changing and developing interest in education. Myself I have made more plans to relieve myself of duties at least two days per month to spend with the family and plans are to make it weekly. I also have made arrangements to have a cup of coffee with Lydia once per week to ensure we reflect together about family, personal growth and family since both of us are in active ministry and we can easily get carried away and forget each other and family. Prayer tie together every day in the morning from 3am to 6 am has been upheld as a couple’s spiritual discipline and tradition to keep us connected to God and to each other while aligning our vision and mission with the Lord. This doesn’t matter whether I am at home or away but even when away from home we have to call each other at this duration, pray together and then finish together via WhatsApp call. Our morning devotion includes a bible study reading and exposition for 30 minutes where alternate or do in turns, one person per week chooses a subject and shares then the other takes in the following week and on and on. We have benefited each other and grown each other through this bible studies and sharpened our biblical knowledge and keeping each other’s faith under check. After the bible exposition we get time for private prayers based on shared prayer items and then conclude with the one not doing the bible reading that week finishing with corporate prayers or agreement. This is how we keep our faith going.” We are reminded of the early believers in Acts 2:42, as “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” . Let us also make daily time with God a priority, thanking him for his provision and mighty works. As the Live Connection team ministers in Africa this month, may the Spirit of God move powerfully in and through our prayers for them. Have a great day! Blessings, The Live Connection Team