Loving greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
I hope you are doing well by the grace of God. I would like to thank you for your prayers and support, and share with you all that the Lord has been doing here in our midst.
In my last email, I had mentioned that I was sick and was not feeling well, but now, I have been doing well. My health has completely recovered! I thank God, and I thank you for praying for me.
During this semester, I have been teaching the book of Genesis and also Systematic Theology. The Lord has taught me so many things this season. I have also been very privileged to see what the Lord has been doing in the life of the students.
During our last semester, many of the students were not able to understand or speak in English, but this semester, as a result of the English classes being taught, they are able to communicate in English better than before. This is only one of the many reasons for rejoicing; there are many more to share with you. The students used to be fearful and have a low level of confidence, which used to hold them back from asking questions or even talking freely. This semester, that barrier has been broken, and they have been able to communicate with us! They are now able to understand that we are available to them and that we love them and are willing to listen to them.
There are many things that the students have been learning, but on the other side, I have also been able to learn so much from them. All of the students have some sort of a gift which is great to acknowledge and experience when it is being conveyed.
One of the students, Jamel*, is so lively; he makes everyone laugh. He doesn’t make fun of others, but has fun with others. There are times when we are exhausted, and during those times, he will often say something or do something to make us all laugh and forget the things that exhausted us. Another student, Umar*, has a great heart to care for people, and he is always willing to help a brother who is not feeling well. There are many others who have hearts to serve and are willing to do what is needed to help. There is not a single student who is disrespectful or unwilling to serve.
During this semester, we were privileged to do an outreach with the students. One of the students, Arthur*, shared the Gospel. As he was sharing, my heart was rejoicing to see the passion that he has in sharing the love of Christ.
In addition, I was privileged to travel with Pastor 5* to a few places to purchase some things for the school. The way the Lord lead us was amazing! When we went to buy a vehicle for the school, there was so much favor that was given to us. We got a huge discount on the van we purchased. After that, when we went to buy sound equipment and a keyboard, we were able to receive a huge discount on them as well.
In-spite of all the things that the Lord has been doing here in our midst, I do see the enemy trying to do all that he can to bring discouragement and disappointment. We had many situations that were very tough to experience, but the Lord has showered His blessings and I am privileged to have such experiences. Going through these situations and circumstances has been strengthening me in many ways.
At the end of the semester, I drove to my aunt’s place, and we had a day of giving thanks. All of our family members gathered together, and we shared with each other what the Lord has done in our lives this year. As our parents, uncles, aunts, cousins and siblings shared their testimonies of this year, we all were filled with joy. We prayed and thanked the Lord for all that He has done in our lives.
The month of December will be very busy for us, with many Christmas programs, a few weddings, and a pastors’ fellowship. Please pray that the Lord will use us to minister to His people.
I thank you very much for reading through this long email. I do not have any pictures this time, because my computer crashed a few days ago and I have lost all of my files and pictures. Thank you very much for your prayers and support. May God bless you. I would like to ask you to email me any prayer requests that you may have, so that I may pray for you as well. Thank you!
Yours in Him,
Pastor 4*
*Names have been changed or omitted for security reasons.