August 1, 2009

Here it is August already! I am anxious to receive the pictures Chuck has mailed. It will be great to see how the children are doing. Pictures say a lot but being in person says more. I guess we will have to go by way of pictures.
The month of July was visited by ladies (teachers) from Indiana and Dr. Gentry and Mrs. Alice. I am looking forward to getting their thoughts about Malawi and what their experiences were.
The weather has been cold. We have summer they have winter. The days are usually in the 50's to low 60's and the nights are just as cold. August will be the start of Spring and more visitors!
Bro. Logan will be in Malawi for his annual teaching for the nationals. The word has gotten out and the Pastors, evangelists, and soon to be Pastors will be gathering at the Good Samaritan College, Mapangua and Good Samaritan Bible Way Baptist, Njuli. Bro. Logan also goes out to remote areas to teach.
The children have been kept busy with Victoria and Audrey teaching and soul winning and bus ministry and and. Victoria has so much energy you feel lazy trying to keep up with her.
We welcome your thoughts about your visit to Malawi and look forward to more visitors. Stay tuned for pictures soon! I hope that is not Malawi soon. Sunga Sunga (now now)

Victoria Valle!

Last year Victoria was instrumental in the bus ministry and you saw some of her diary; here she is at the orphanage again and what a joy to see her but don't try and keep up with her. She has alot of energy and will be working on her teaching skills.

Good Samaritan news!

Dr. Gentry would like everyone to adopt Good Samaritan for your Vacation Bible School project!
It would mean so much to the children!

Thandwe and Victoria are working on a project of putting together prayer cards for each of the children. We will have each of the childrens names and general information and picture. This will be available to the churches and individuals for sponsoring and writing to the children. Look for this soon!

Chuck has arrived!

I apologize to those following the blog, I had forgotten to post the arrival news!
Chuck did arrive in Johannesburg as scheduled and had a great nights rest. In the morning he remembered the 2005 trip but still had the second cup of coffee (they missed their plane) and went to the international terminal. However, I think the luggage went to the other terminal, it did not make it. So as they say there is another day to trek to the airport. The visitors from Indiana will be leaving (everyone is sad to see that happen) on Saturday so the trip will still be made to the airport, a bitter sweet trip.
Chuck is feeling loved by the Fullford children. They had balloons in his room and when he turned down the sheets there were pictures of bugs in his bed. He sure enjoys the teasing but look out. He did have to watch a Hallmark movie that night since he sent so many John Wayne movies. haha! Johnathon has grown a foot and bends to get through the doorway. Look out Chuck!
Chuck's arrival to Malawi was Wednesday so he immediately was able to spend time with the children at the orphanage. I am like all of you I too want pictures! How big have the children gotten. Where are their smiling faces? Soon I hope!

Malawi update!

Baptism procession

We have been continually busy with our ministries, work at Mapanga Orphanage, and giving out medicine up at Ntcheu and down in Sutemwa. We have continued to soul win on the weekends, mainly in the village of Kautuka #1. We have seen approximately 212 people get saved in this village during the last two months with an additional 500 plus people believing and receiving Jesus as their Savior in other villages and areas. I am noticing one trend, and perhaps not a good one. Even though we have seen many people saved in Kautuka #1 we are only seeing 8 to 17 people per week attend the Sunday Service. When I talked to Andrew Nyenga, my translator, about this he stated that since we are meeting at the Mfumu’s home many people stay away. He went on to say that when we purchase some land and get a shelter raised more will come. I am also seeing this in the village of Chizinja. We are meeting in a family’s home as we have not purchased property yet nor constructed a shelter. We have seen many hundreds get saved, but on Sunday we are averaging about 15 to 20 people. We are looking hard in these villages to purchase land but it is scarce as most of the land is owned by the tea estates. Lord willing He will provide some land quickly.

The church in Khovi Good Samaritan Baptist Church is doing well. We have purchased a plot of land, about 1.2 hectares, and we are getting ready to build a temporary shelter. We have also have a national pastor ready to move down into this village in the next couple of weeks Lord willing. We showed the “Jesus Film” in this village last Friday and we had about 800 to 900 people present. I do not have an accurate count of how many people got saved, but I hear it was around 150.

Our family went to the village of Makwasa today to hold a Baptism Service at Makwasa Good Samaritan Baptist Church. Darcy and the kids did a Sunday School and I preached out of Psalm 32:7. We went to this village about 2 months ago and had 166 people accept Christ as their Savior. Since that time more people have come to the Savior through the preaching of other Good Samaritan national evangelist. We are currently looking for a national pastor to take this work as this church is hungry for the Word of God. As you may recall it was an Abraham Church that was being led by a wicked pastor. These people want God’s Best and they are a joy to visit and preach to. I have attached two photos of our baptism procession. We had to walk about ½ mile to the pit the men dug into a very small creek. I ended up baptizing 136 people; it took just over 2.5 hours but it was a joy and a privilege. The youngest was about 5 years and the oldest was 75.

Our main church, Good Samaritan Bible Baptist Church of Bwaila, is doing well, but in the last week I believe our families are under attack. We have seen one husband beat his wife because she was late coming from a Bible Study, he is not saved, another leave his wife because of a misunderstanding, and just today I was informed one of our solid families are having a bad time with the wife wanting the husband to leave. Because I was not there today Darcy and I are going to travel to Bwaila tomorrow to talk to this family. To be honest it is a real shock. When we heard about this our whole family prayed for not only this family but the church as a whole.

We have been listening to a message from our sending church Bible Baptist Church of Alaska from Sunday, 3-15-09, “When God Limits Himself” when we got home from Makwasa. It makes me do a heart check as I want God’s Best for this ministry; I do not want the Savior limited because of me!

I cannot put into words how grateful our family is for BBC! Because of their un-selfishness there is a harvest in Malawi, Levuka, Moldova, Point Lay, Selawick, Barrow and many parts of the world.

God has given our family the opportunity to see the fields that BBC is harvesting!

Prayer letter from Navigator Gome

Dear Pastor and Praying Friends,

Greetings to you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ who made us brothers and sisters. Hopefully you are doing fine. Back here my family is doing fine. God have been so good to my family that He has blessed us with a baby girl, her name is Danielle.

It feels so good to write this report and let you know how the work of our Lord is progressing. I have been preaching at a new church which Bro John Fulford started in Thyolo district ( tea plantation area ) which is south of Blantyre city. The church is growing tremendously, people are getting saved almost every Sunday in church. For the last two months 25 people have been saved in church and on April 26, 2009 total of 37 people were baptized. Now our next baptism service 31 people will be baptized including the chief of the area. It was the Sunday of June 14, 2009 when this Chief came in front for salvation. The way how he was coming in front it was some how exciting. The chief was coming forward and then reverse, it took him some time to make up his whole mind he was some how shy but he took the courage and come in front. The people were very happy to see their chief making a public acceptance of the Lord.

God have been very good to this new church. In this district its just very difficult to find land for church building as a lot of land is planted with tea. But God made it possible for us to find the land we required for the church building worth $500. By the grace of God the land was purchased. Now we have moved from a place we were renting to a grass shed constructed at this purchased land.

On Friday 26 June 2009 we had a one day revival meeting, preaching and showing a Jesus film. Many people came to the meeting. The choir from Good Samaritan Orphanage was singing and people were so blessed with their songs. Brother John Fulford supposed to preach on this day but unfortunately he had to go to Traffic Department to get his car inspected as the documents were expired. We could not cancel the meeting, so I did the preaching. After the preaching 113 people came forward for salvation and our team helped them. And from 6 pm its when we had Jesus film movie that was for two hours, many many people raised their hands and prayed sinners prayer. There are all the signs that the church will grow big both spiritually and in numbers.

Thank you very much for your prayers and financial support. Pray again that the money for the church building with metal roof will be raised. Once again thank you very much for all your support, MAY GOD BLESS YOU.

Yours,

Navigator.

News from the Fullfords

May 2009

Dear Fellow Laborers,

And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?

They say unto Him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.

So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him. Matthew 20:32-34

If anyone should have compassion on the lost and dying is God’s people! We have been redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb, Praise to the High God of Heaven! We have received our spiritual life and we should purpose in our hearts to follow Him where ever He may guide and direct.

Part of our ministry here in Malawi is to take medicines to the remote villages and treat the sick people to the best of our abilities. During the month of May we had visitors/helpers from Fairbanks Alaska and when we went up to the Ntcheu area to provide this service they went along to help and observe. Prior to dispersion of medicine I talked to about 90 people who had gathered prior to our arrival; we arrived at 7:30 am and they were already assembled. I preached a clear presentation of the Gospel, and the compassion of our Savior. I also made it very clear that they did not have to received Jesus as their Savior to receive medicine; we would love them and try to help them to the best of our abilities. Approximately 50 people received Christ as their Savior, to His Glory. We then treated over 170 people in the next 5 hours. The main problems seem to be malaria, eye infections, colds, coughing, skin infections and open wounds. We even treat some things that I am sure are not seen in America. The serious cases we have taken to the District Hospitals. We also treat 80 to 100 people in the Satemwa area once a month after our Bible studies at Good Samaritan Bible Baptist Church of Bwaila.

We are praying that God will send a full time, medically trained person to assist us in this area.

We continue to seek out and treat those people who have the sickness of sin. During the month of May, we had the privilege to lead 299 dear souls to the Savior. We mainly went soul winning in the villages of, Area 6 – Mapanga, Kasinge (Ntcheu), Chizinja (Satemwa), Kautuka #1 & Katutuka #2 (Thyolo).

Because of the faithfulness of our church members at Bwaila in soul winning and witnessing, we have seen the start of several more churches in the Thyolo, (Cho Lo), area. Not only have we started a new church at Chizinja, but also at Khovi, Kautuka #1, and we have also taken over a church in the village of Makwasa that had been an “Abraham Church” for many years. The people kicked the pastor out because he had (3) wives and was stealing all the money; not uncommon in the Abraham Churches. When several of the members got saved during our soul winning forays they invited us to come and preach. We went to this remote village one Sunday and saw 166 souls get saved. Since that time we having been sending Good Samaritan Evangelist to preach and teach until a national pastor is found within Good Samaritan ministry to take this work.

Our desire to translate and distribute good, fundamental teaching aids has really been appreciated by the national pastors and church members of Good Samaritan. To date we have translated and produced locally:

1. The A, B, C’s of Christian Growth
2. The Word of God on Trial
3. Staying in the Castle
4. The Trail of Blood
5. The 7 Steps of Joy
6. Ten Principals to Break Bad Habits
7. The Ten Commandments
8. All Things Through Christ (Pastor Paul Chappell)
9. Under a Loving Command

We also translate our Bible study materials and other small pamphlets and papers to get into the hands of the people. This could become a full time ministry here in Malawi if we had a person or persons who were ready to serve! The Malawians are hungry for God’s Word in any form. They also want to comprehend God’s Word and any type of help is greatly appreciated.

During these next month’s we will also see many visitors coming from America to help. We are looking forward to these people to assist us and to also instruct and help the orphans at Mapanga. Visitors are always welcomed who desire to serve and assist!

One of the most important days in the month of May was the first day of classes at the new Junior Bible College of Good Samaritan. During these last year’s we have been concentrating on starting a full time bible college for national pastors. To our shame we have neglected a resource we had at Mapanga; teen orphans who really want to know God and to be trained. God touched my heart so on the last Saturday of May we held our first class. Seventeen boys and 10 girls signed up for the classes; The Study of Proverbs, Homiletics, New Testament Survey, The Life of Christ, and Women of Character. Lord willing they will stay faithful to these classes and we will honor Jesus!

To those that have been faithful to the Orphan Meal Program, thank you from all the staff and children. You are really making a difference!

Also, thank you to those that have sent our family gifts and financial support for the ministry. Just when we need to purchase Bibles or pay for ministry materials God provides through His saints for our needs.

PRAYER NEEDS:

1. Financial assistance for the construction of a permanent church building at Bwaila
2. A medical person to come and serve full time or even part time
3. That the new churches will have strong foundations; Ps.11:3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?
4. That the orphan teens stay faithful to the Bible College

By His Grace & Mercy,

John, Darcy, Elizabeth,

Sarah & Johnathan