May/June Newsletter–Page 1

A Visit to Luwingu

In the beginning of May, my team leader and I paid a visit to the Northern Province town of Luwingu. For nearly 8 years Luwingu was home to the Bowman family.  Last June this family said good-bye to their friends and fellow believers in Luwingu in response to
the Lord’s calling to serve in another part of the world. 

So, after nearly a year how is the work of the Lord progressing in Luwingu?  Well, there is a lot of good to report.  Even though this visit was impromptu, representatives from at least seven churches gathered in Luwingu to greet and meet with us. For an entire morning we met together in planning for the future, singing songs, and teaching of God’s Word. The churches are committing
to send representatives to the Baptist Fellowship Annual meeting in Lusaka this August. This is no small commitment because the cost is substantial. The Luwingu Association has also committed
to leadership meetings every two weeks to stay connected and continue in growth. Bible schools also continue to meet three
times a year. 

While there was much to be encouraged about in Luwingu, there are also some challenges that need prayer. One need is for
evangelistic outreach among the churches. They are so occupied with daily living and maintaining current church membership
that they have not been able to expand the  gospel work to those
around them. Pray that they will be led by the  Holy Spirit to be passionately evangelistic.

Another challenge has come from outside. Some of the churches are facing pressures from other denominations to change
affiliation. Offers of material compensation often  accompany this wooing.  Please pray that church leaders have the wisdom to
discern the truth and remain steadfast in the will of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We will press on together for the glory of  God!

 

Seventh Day Adventist Wedding

May 29th brought another new cultural experience for Steve. An
invitation came to attend a wedding at a local seventh Day Adventist Church. Since Saturday is the day of worship for
SDA’s, the wedding was held on Sunday. Other than the day, the rest of  the ceremony seemed to be in step with other weddings we have experienced in Zambia. Perhaps this one had a bit more
Western flavor because the families were fairly affluent. When the time came for the wedding message, we were a bit surprised at the title: “How To Avoid Divorce”. This really made us aware that divorce is as significant a problem in Zambia as it is in the rest of the world. Here is the advice the SDA pastor passed on to the couple: 1. Commit for a lifetime not an experiment.  2 . Show love for each other in word and deed; in public and at home  even  though it is not our culture to do so. 3. Communicate—listen
first then speak. 4. Put your spouse’s needs before your own.
5. Pray together.

Overall, this is not bad advice that has good biblical backing. We pray that the words will be heeded and that this marriage was
truly founded on the Rock of Christ Jesus. Only then will it stand the test of time.

 

Prayer requests

• As evangelism in Maround continues, people seem to
  be more closed and less willing to talk. The enemy does not like what we are doing. Pray that the Holy Spirit will open closed ears
  and mouths for the glory of God.
  
• Pray for the churches in Kasama and Luwingu to stand firm under challenges from within and from outside.  These believers will be a big part of our ministry in Mbala in the months ahead.
  
• Please lift up Rita and the kids as they prepare to kick off a new school year bit by bit as our new curriculum arrives. The break has been good!

 

Praises to our God and King

• Praise the Lord for 18 years of marriage Steve and Rita
  celebrated on June 26th.
  
• We are thanking God for healed bodies after a wave
  of gastrointestinal unrest swept though the family in
  June.
  
• Spiritual renewal comes in many forms and sometimes
  in unexpected ways. Steve has been experiencing some
  refreshing times with God recently...just when he needed it most. Isn’t that just like our on-time God?

Page two is coming.  I can not just copy and paste the wonderful layout that Steve used.  I copy and paste, but then I have to go through it to line it up right. 

God bless, Steve (he writes the newsletter) and Rita (I put it here for those who can’t open it for some unknown reason.  If you want to get a copy of the Newsletter via email, please email us at: steveandritaschwarz@gmail.com