Pastor Friday and Lower Shire of Malawi
I have spent most of this week in the Lower Shire with our day camp teams. It has just been a joy to watch the teams grow and become a powerful force for the spreading of the Gospel. In all of our day camps we have had an attendance of almost 22,000, with 5,400 teens and adults professing Christ. We still have several weeks to go, and we are very excited about what God is doing. I did not expect to be blessed with such great results the first year, but the teams are working and being faithful to preach the Gospel.
I spent my last day in the Shire region with Pastor Friday; yes, his name is Friday. Friday was saved a little more than three years ago and became a church leader in one of our remote areas soon after. He has been an evangelist and church planter almost from the beginning. He has a great desire to see his people come to Christ. I visited four of his church plants on Friday, no pun intended; it was just the way the schedule worked out. I preached to over six hundred adults, and more children, and more than half the adults accepted the Lord! It was a great day of evangelism. As we were traveling, I commented on how far back in the bush we had traveled: more than two hours on trails and dirt roads. I asked Friday how he got to these areas from his home and how long did it take. He came by bicycle the first time, with his wife, who by the way had a baby on her back. It took 6 hours to make the trip. I was humbled, and squelched any temptation to complain about the rough road in my pick up truck. Friday is a real missionary and a great example of what the men are doing in Malawi to reach people and start churches for the cause of Christ. I’m privileged to work with men like Friday and others who are just as dedicated to Christ.
The camps in Moldova are finished for the summer and soon school will start. We had 2,452 attend the camps this year with 1,414 making professions of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. In all, it was a great summer. Our entire team works hard in the summer and they trust in Christ for the results.
Let me share a few prayer requests: 1) The school building in Malawi is under construction. We need funds to keep the work going. The next phase is the most expensive: the slab for the second floor. Needed: $32,000 by November. 2) We have about twenty new students registered for next semester in Moldova, now we need more sponsors. It costs $600 for a student to come to school or $50 per month. The students also work for their education and board. 3) Several doctors and medical teams have contacted me about coming to Malawi and helping with our mobile medical clinic next year. Pray we have wisdom about how to proceed, and funding for the medicine and local doctors who come along to help.
God Bless,
Dr. Eric Chapman