White Fields of Harvest

Well, we have arrived in South Africa and I am at Christ Seminary in their computer lab writing this post. It has been very eventful since the last time I wrote, and I am sure you all have already heard about some of our situations that we were in, including the accident with the young man that was hit with the combi (van). I am not going to go into any details about that here, or even our breakdowns afterward, but only to say that in all things God has been so gracious to us and has protected us from every and all adversity we have faced. Satan has tried to distract us from the work we came to do, but we are not going to let him discourage us.
God showed us great and mighty things as we travelled up to the northern region of Malawi. What we saw was a group of people who were eager to hear the gospel, hungry to be fed the word of God, and yet not many learned people or bibles with which to learn and grow. Each team member has specific people that they were impacted by, and how great the need is for a good solid basic understanding of the gospel of our Lord. Indeed, the fields are white and ripe for the harvest. We really do need laborers who are willing to go to this people in remote places, without electricity, or phones, and even limited clean water. Those who are willing to sacrifice in order to reach the lost for Christ. Going there can only leave your heart broken over the great need for the Lord's workers to reach these people. May God indeed provide such workers.
It is so good to be in the beautiful countryside here in Polokwane. This is the Africa I have grown to love. Not that Malawi is not on my heart, because it is so very much. But if God were calling me back to the mission field, this is where I could see us going (sorry, Julie). What is going on here at Christ Baptist Church is very exciting and I think is what the people of Africa need. They need to continue to grow this method of training African pastors, teachers, and missionaries to model a bible centered church that looks to the gospel as the means to reach their world for Christ. Not only do they have the Seminary here, but they also have a missions program where people can come on short-term missions trips and help share the gospel to various peoples groups here in SA. I do not have more details for you now, but will bring home much information about that ministry.
This Seminary is why we have sent 2 Malawi men here to be trained. Men like this is what is needed to go and reach the north of Malawi for Christ. Men who are trained with a solid Biblical foundation and are able to properly teach and train their congregations how to reach maturity in Christ. This is what is so desperately needed in the churches in Malawi.
Well, my time is up and I must go have lunch with the students. I am looking forward to it.

God is Good!

Wow!!!! This was so much different than we could have ever imagined. It was so very interesting when we drove up the countryside on our way to Mzusu. For the first 150 Kilometers it was very similar to Namibia, and I was kind of homesick for there. Then we started to get into the mountains of northern Malawi and everything changed. It looked kind of like our mountains but with a distinctive African twist. There were trees of Africa mixed with many trees we would see in the States. Then, would you believe we started seeing pine trees. That is right, pine trees. There is the largest man-made pine tree forests in southern Africa in Malawi. That was a shock.

When we got to Mzusu we got our second shock. After a bumpy ride down several torn-up dirt streets with houses on the side, we came around the corner to a sea of people with the women dressed up in purple and white dresses, singing and dancing their hearts out. We got out of the car and they proceeded to parade us around and then into the house, where we were seated like kings in Brasswells living room. All this time they continued to sing to us. Then there were several introductions on all sides and we were each asked to share a word with them. I was so proud of the boys and what they had to say. Then they fed us and again they treated us like kings. I am sure the food we ate was way beyond the churches means. We were indeed humbled.

Yesterday we travelled up here to Rumphi, and then went on to the Beteri training center which is about a 30 minute ride out of town on old dirt roads. When we got there we received almost the same greeting as we received before. We then got into meeting, and Charlie spoke first about servant leadership. Then after a long break so the others could eat (we did not), then we met again and Dan shared with the pastors on the importance of the gospel and how they need to be bold, gentle and blameless with the gospel. Then we had trouble with our accomodations (they were poor for Brasswell's standards) so we needed to go and make other arrangements. The place is quite modest, but I am sure top notch for this area.

Today, it was my turn to teach. After several small delays, we were off. Down the road we went. Then all of a sudden, an alarm in the combi (van) went off. Long story short, we were out of water. And we were also low on oil. We were stranded with what seemed like no option. Then someone came with some water and we began to fill up the reservuoir with water. We were stuck there between an hour and 1 1/2 hours. I began to think God did not want me to teach today. But, we finally got the engine cooled down, and got back on the road and to Beteri. God was so kind to me and gave me exactly what He wanted them to hear. After a break for a late lunch, then Charlie shared the vision of Coast for a shared responsibility for the building of the training center there. Because it was so late, we could not travel to Kalopa today. So, we had to arrange lodging at the same place as last night, and tomorrow morning, bright and early, we should be headed to Kalopa. We may even see animals tomorrow.

Well, I must go. Please continue to pray for us. We have had many bumps in the road that I have not had time to share, but God has been so good and faithful. Pray that we continue to be kind to one another and not get on each others nerves. The next 2 days will probably be the hardest of the trip. But, if the last 2 days are any indication, our hearts will continue to be blessed beyond our comprehension. Our lives will forever be changed by this experiences for sure. The people here have to trust God in ways we just cannot possibly understand. God is Good!

We are here!

We have arrived. We are exhausted, but we have made it all in one piece. God is very good and he has provided for us at every step. We have many stories to tell already and we have not even arrived at our destination. We are in Lilongwe, Malawi, and after what we hope to be a good night sleep we will make the 330 kilometer drive to Mzusu in the morning. It will take most, if not all of the day to get there. Then the real stories will begin.

Please keep us in your prayers. It has been very challenging so far, but we have seen that God is faithful and has provided for all our needs. We had a hitch in NY with our bags, but God has been gracious to us and we received all our bags and everything we bought appears to be here too. Brian got sick before dinner and went to bed without eating. We think it was exhaustion and motion from the plane. We will see.

I am not sure if I will have any access to the computer before we come back here to the ABC Bible College next Monday. If I can get access somewhere, I will give you some update. I wish I could write more, but the time has come, and we must go to bed. It will start very early in the morning.

God is doing great things!

Goodbye & God Bless

Well, with less than 34 hours left before we leave LAX, this might just be the last post I do before we leave. We are practically packed, and we are about as prepared as we are going to be for this trip. It is so exciting and yet at the same time very difficult to believe that the time has come. What seemed like dream a year ago is becoming a reality before our eyes.
It is amazing to see how God answers prayer. I will confess to you here that for a while I have been praying for God to lead Brian in a spiritual direction as he enters into his adult life. Not that he has been lacking spiritually. I must say I have seen the hand of the Lord on Brian's life long before I began praying for his spiritual wellbeing. But, it is hard as the Lord is changing me (and wow has HE been changing me), not to have high spiritual ambitions for my children, especially my oldest. We want him to become the man that God wants him to be, and yet I cannot help but ask if He would not have full time ministry planned for Brian. And with that, here we are. Without any prompting from myself in this matter, Brian expressed a burning desire to see firsthand what God is doing literally half way around the world. And now, we are just moments away from an experience that will change his life! Do not get me wrong, I do not interpret this as God's calling Brian to go into missions, but I do know this is all part of God's sovereign plan for Brian's life, and I am just so pleased to be an eyewitness to God's answers to many tearful prayers.
I cannot go on and speak about all the things on my heart right now. There are so many things I have wanted to share. I still have not shared the mindset that has been molding me most for the last 7 months. That will have to wait until later. I will be teaching on it with the people of Malawi, and I promise to share it in great detail with those who will read after I come back. But, just so you are not totally in the dark, it is the subject of Jesus as our Lord (Kurios), and his disciples (Christians) who are his slaves (doulos).
I do need to go. I still need to prepare for the other main topic I want to teach on, worship of God. It is so much more than singing songs on Sunday morning. It is about everything we do. What we look to for joy, happiness, and satisfaction. And if we worship anything other than God, then we are no more than idol worshippers.
Please pray for us. Pray for our safety, and for our health. Pray that we would say what the people of Malawi need to hear from the Lord. Pray for our families as we are away from them. Pray for the ministries we will leave behind that the Lord will provide for them while we are away. I am always amazed at how God is sovereign and has planned everything from before the foundation of time, and yet we are to pray and ask God to work in ours and other peoples lives. Then He blesses us by meeting those needs far beyond all that we could ask or think. It keeps reminding us that we have nothing else in which to trust, and that God is faithful to those He has chosen to be His slaves.
Here is our itinerary so you can keep up with where we are suppose to be. Remember there is a 9 hour difference ahead (from PT) where we are going, so we will be ending our day as you begin yours.
God bless each of you and may His hand guide all of our steps until we are together again.


Malawi 2008 Proposed Itinerary:

Oct 10th (Fr) Depart LAX at 6:15AM PDT on United Airlines UA 84; Arrive JFK at 2:30PM EDT
Depart JFK at 5:20PM EDT on South African Airways SA 204

Oct 11th (Sa) Arrive JHB at 5:00PM; taxi to BIMS House in Harmelia; meet Brasswell; stay overnight

Oct 12th (Su) Taxi back to JHB; Depart at 11:30AM on SA 170; Arrive Lilongwe, Malawi at 1:55PM;
Rendevou with Brian Beidebach at airport for transport to African Bible College for overnight stay and ministry overview

Oct 13th (Mo) Kondwane (Brian’s driver) will drive us to Rumphi (full day travel)

Oct 14th (Tu) Ministry with Brasswell in and around Rumphi and Betere
Oct 15th (We) Ministry with Brasswell in and around Rumphi and Betere
Oct 16th (Th) Ministry with Brasswell in and around Kalopa
Oct 17th (Fr) Ministry with Brasswell in and around Kalopa
Oct 18th (Sa) Ministry with Brasswell in and around Mzuzu
Oct 19th (Su) Ministry with Brasswell in and around Mzuzu

Oct 20th (Mo) Drive from Rumphi back to Lilongwe for overnight stay at African Bible College

Oct 21st (Tu) Depart Lilongwe at 2:45PM on SA 171 to arrive in Johannesburg at 5:15PM

Oct 22nd (We) Christ Seminary and Christ Baptist Church
Oct 23rd (Th) Christ Seminary and Christ Baptist Church
Oct 24th (Fr) Depart Polokwane at 3:40PM on SA 8812; Arrive JHB at 4:45
Depart JHB at 7:10PM on SA 203; Arrive JFK at 7:05AM EDT

Oct 25th (Sa) Depart JFK at 11:55AM EDT on UA 87; Arrive LAX at 3:07PM PDT

The Lord says "GO"

The time is upon us. In just 1 week, Dan, Charles, Josiah, Brian and I will embark on the long trip to Malawi, if the Lord wills. As Dan stated to us last night in our final planning meeting, this is all surreal. Indeed it is. We went over all the final details, made a plan for attacking the final needs, and are really close to physically being ready to go. The truth is, I would leave in the morning if I could. I can hardly wait to see what the Lord is doing amongst His people in Africa to prepare His bride. I am very excited.
I am reminded in John Piper's book, Don't Waste Your Life, why we as representatives of Coast Community are going on this trip to Malawi. He talks in chapter 9 "The Majesty of Christ in Missions and Mercy" of the heart and desire Christ has to take His message to the ends of the earth and to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). He has chosen to use His disciples (Christians) to do this. Whether we are the ones to actually go, or whether we support others through prayer and our finances, we as believers are responsible to be the hands, feet, and mouths of Jesus Christ to peoples who need to hear the message for perhaps the first time. This is not an option, it is the purpose we are here for.
Thanks to the missions team at Coast, the 5 of us are about to get a small taste of what it looks like to "go". Of course this is not like those who God give an unyielding desire for the hearts of those that have been unable to hear of God's mercy, and cast aside the callings of this world and make it their life's mission to enlist His elect into His heavenly kingdom. But we will get to, in some small way, be a part of this glorious work that God continues to do until all is fulfilled and His kingdom is complete. Wow, what a privilege!
What we get to do is special, and what I think fits right into some of the gifts God has graciously given me. We get to encourage the body of Christ in the towns we will be visiting. This means we will teach the congregations from God's word to strengthen their faith. We will have opportunity to admonish the leaders and the pastor's of these churches to faithfully and accurately grow up their congregations in the knowledge of our Savior Jesus as He has revealed Himself in the Holy Scriptures. These things will happen in different ways. One will be organized meetings where one of us adults will be allowed to teach on different subjects. Another way will be in our casual times of fellowship. When we are travelling with some of the pastors, we will have many opportunities understand their needs and culture, and show them things in God's word that may help them to see Christ better.
I am sure that in all of this, I will be blessed, convicted and taught even more than they will. This will probably be the case with all of us. It would be presumptuous to think that we have all the answers and knowledge. As Paul tells the church in Rome in Romans 1:11-12, his intention was to impart to them some spiritual gift, and that he would be encouraged by their faith. God is always faithful, and there has never been a time when I have with open hands been a willing vessel to be used as He sees fit, where the blessing I receive is far greater than the small offering that I give. And that is just here on this earth. He has promised far greater in the life to come, and as such I cannot begin to fathom what awaits us in His glorious kingdom.
Please continue to pray for us. Each of us has much still to prepare for our teaching opportunities. We need strength, diligence, and most importantly the Holy Spirit to guide us and give us the right words to speak. That starts here as we plan and organize our thoughts. Also pray for the young men who are going. I am confident that God has planned for them far beyond their wildest imaginations on this trip, and it is my hope that their eyes will be opened to things they never even dreamed of. Pray that they will never be the same again. Pray that we all will come back as different people, more and more conformed into the image of our Lord Jesus Christ.
To Him be the honor and glory and praise forever and forever. May our Jesus find us worthy to being numbered as one of His slaves.

Faster than a Speeding Bullet

Hello! The long lost blogger has mysteriously re-appeared. Thanks for those of you who have been waiting so patiently for me to give you some kind of an update. I would like to say that I have just been too busy, and to some extent that has been true. The truth is, I have just been in somewhat of a funk and have not been sure what to share. I also was beginning to think that the only one reading this blog was Charlie. Thanks for those of you that have shared with me you have been reading, and I am sorry for my negligence. I will do my best to keep you updated as the day rapidly approaches.

There are now only 16 days left and this one is almost gone. That means we really have only 14 days to prepare our messages, obtain whatever supplies are still needed, pack and go on day 15. The time is rapidly approaching. In fact, the days are flying by like a 100 car freight train going full speed downhill with no brakes. Thankfully, our great God has planned each of our steps and we have no need to be anxious. We need to be diligent and faithful, but we can also rest in His faithful plan for us.

Yes, there is much to do, but I think I can speak for the others when I say we are getting so very excited to go. I have waited a long time to get to finally meet pastor Brasswell, and to see firsthand what God is doing to grow His church in Malawi. I am filled with anticipation to see the completed classroom block at the training center in Betere. This has been a long-term dream of Brasswell's to create a place to bring people in to teach them how to grow in Christ. The walls have been completed, and we have sent him the money for the metal roof panels. They should be up by the time we get there. Here are the latest pictures of the classroom.

Please remember the Patterson's at this time of grief. It will be a difficult time for them as they deal with the loss of Donna's mother. Please pray for the whole family as they will each deal with this loss differently. Pray that Charlie and Josiah will be able to sensitive and supportive these last couple of weeks. God has His hand in this for them at this time, even if we do not understand His timing of these events. But we know that He works all these things for our good, and for His glory.

Each of us has our own list of things to accomplish before we go. Charlie has his family situation, and another class this Saturday. And next Friday he will teach the youth about making ones life count for Christ around the world. Dan has his business to attend to and prepare for his absence, while still dealing with his elder duties. The young men are dealing with school, jobs they have never had before, and get themselves ready to be used by the Lord. All of this while dealing with the growing excitement of the trip looming just around the corner. I am confident that God will allow me to get everything done I need to do, but I need to be faithful with my time.

Thank you to all who have shown an interest in what God is doing for us and through us. We cannot thank you enough for your prayers, encouragement and support of various kinds. Your reward will be waiting for you by Him who is faithful, abounding in steadfast love, gracious and merciful to those He has chosen. May our great God be exalted and lifted high, both now and forevermore.

Malawi Update

We received a report from Brasswell yesterday. Instead of trying to tell you myself what is going on, I am going to just let you read it for yourself. It is exciting to hear of new believers who are now part of the Kingdom. Please pay attention to the prayer requests at the bottom of his letter. Just think, we will be on our way to Africa in just 37 days.


Hi Brothers in the Lord,

Am so glad to report to you about the work of God that has taken place here in my area. We had a revival meeting which took place at Ekwaayiweni, our new preaching point. Eight people were baptized in the Lunyangwa river. The Church is growing rapidly. They have already burned bricks ready to build a church building. Deacons B. Phiri and B. Kajogolo are the ones who are helping this church to grow. The pictures will be sent to you later.

The churches in the NTHALIRE area are also growing. The fastest growing is Mibanga.Mr John Kabaghe is helping these Churches. From the funds you sent us to use in our family I was able to buy a bicycle for John Kabaghe. Mr Kalua is helping the church at Nthaalire center. Kalopa is growing little by little. We need someone to be put there to help the church.

Betere is doing good. Recently before the beginning of the building of the Training Center, several people came to the Lord. For your information, Dacosta has started another preaching point. It is named Chibeku Baptist preaching point. This church is cituated in Mzimba south west. Last Sunday, fourteen people were baptized. Dacosta is planning to leave Betere by next year. Betere will be left in the hands of Jam and Moyo. The widow at Betere is doing well now. I gave some of the money to her.

The president of the Baptist convention has also given me the responsibility of taking care of the Chibavi Baptist Church. The church is doing well in terms growth, both in quality and quantity.

I had a car accident on 8th June, 2008. The accident happened on my way to Lusaka, Zambia. The journey was to help me and other preachers from Malawi get a training on how we can evangelize our continent of Africa. I thank God because none of us were hurt.

The training center is now at window level. The pictures will be sent to you tomorrow.
By the end of September the classroom block will be completed.

PRAYER REQUESTS;

1.Pray that all the young preachers I have trained would have a zeal to serve the Lord without compromise.

2. Pray that our work of the T. Center be completed on time without any hindrances.

3.Pray that my family should remain in good health.

4.PRAY THAT THE LORD WILL PROVIDE ME WITH A RELIABLE MEANS OF TRANSPORT.

5.PRAY THAT GOD WILL PROVIDE ME WITH A LAPTOP COMPUTER FOR EASY COMMUNICATION WITH YOU.

6.Pray that the Lord will give me trusted people with whom i can work with.

Brassell & Felista

Conspiracy, attack, or coincidence

With all that has happened since the last post, I have to wonder what is going on here. Most people would say there have been strange coincidences taking place. Others might say there is a conspiracy going on or Murphy's law is at work. Having a strong belief that God is sovereign over every event in our lives, I know these are not true. I also know that our struggle is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12), so in light of these recent events, I wonder if these things are attacks from the evil one allowed by God do distract us. There is a temptation to back off and not stay focused on the preparations necessary for us to effectively minister the gospel to those God has chosen for us. I know the fight is on now and we must continue to pray diligently for God's grace to have the time to prepare properly.

I have meant to make a post for a few days now, but different circumstances have detoured me from all plans I have made. We had an episode with our youngest son, Joshua, when after 9 on Saturday night, he had an allergic reaction in his eyes to something mysterious, which sent us on a 4 hour excursion to the emergency room. Needless to say, I did not get to post then. Then yesterday just got away from me with these issues with my neck. Trying to get comfortable, get rest, and medicate myself to handle the discomfort, left me at bedtime wondering where the whole day went. The morning practice, and worship service with all its difficulties, was also a blur in hind sight.

That being said, there is still so much to do and only 37 days to accomplish them as of Tuesday (for you Charlie). As a group, we still need to purchase more Bibles for the people. we need to purchase 7 sets of MacArthur study Bibles, Bible dictionaries, and concordances for the seminary students. Then we need to work out getting them there in our luggage. We need to make arrangements to get a shuttle for all of us to take us to the airport. We also need to get together and figure out what other details need to be taken care of before we go. There are many little logistical items that need to be finalized and we need prayer to help us identify them all. The finances are coming together, but we are still not quite there yet. My experience is that God will provide it when it is needed. He always does. The Patterson's have most of their immunizations taken care of, and the others are planned for. Brian and I have our appointment with our "travel doctor" on Thursday at 3:30pm. Brian got his hepatitis A taken care of at his regular doctor, and I had it when I was 13, so we are good there, but the rest we will be dealing with on Thursday, Lord willing.

We heard from Brasswell a few days ago, and I had meant to tell everyone then, but as I stated before, I have been hindered from doing so each day. He told us that the training center building is up on the foundation and the walls should be completed within 2 weeks. Below you will see the pictures that he sent us. Charlie also received some pictures in the mail, and hopefully I can put them up soon.

I had a similar experience with loading sand into a flatbed truck and taking it to the construction site when Julie and I were in Namibia. The picture below of the gentlemen shoveling it off the truck brought back some memories. We drove the truck to a dry river bed, shoveled sand in the truck, and then took it to the construction site and offloaded it. We made several trips. On the first trip, I was so enthusiastic to help that I was actually throwing the sand over the bed and onto the ground on the other side. All the local workers got a good laugh out of that one. I do not recall a more gruelling day of physical work than that day! I have had my share of hard working days, but that one is at the top of the list.

Please continue to pray for us. The fight is large, and we need the Lord to keep us on His timetable. Thank you so much for your encouragement and support.

Mounting Pressure

I can feel the pressure mounting, literally. I went to the doctor today for a check-up to check my blood pressure before the trip. I had to tell him of some stinging, numbing pain in my back and down my arm. This pain has been going on for about a week now. As it turns out, I have degeneration of the disc between the 7th and 8th vertebrae (or between the cervical, and thoracic sections of the back). This means there is less of an opening for my nerves to get through and one is being pinched, causing the irritating pain. It was also discovered that I have arthritis in my cervical (or neck) section as well. Both of these are just signs of getting old. Praise God this happened now and not while we were in Malawi. My doctor has started me on some nerve pain medication, and Lord willing, we will have the dosage figured out before we leave.

The real pressure I feel is from God's word. II Timothy 4:1-2 tells us to be ready always to preach the word. Also implied in verse 3 is that it needs to be sound teaching. But, if one were unclear about the implication there, it is clear in Titus 2:1-2. Even if what Paul tells Titus in verse 1 is just for pastors, what he says in verse 2 I must apply to myself. My body tells me I am an older man. I was also reminded that I am the oldest one of the group. And, according to Malawi statistics, I am older than their average life expectancy. I must be sound in my doctrine and in my faith. We all have a responsibility before God to teach His word to these people without error.

I also want to be sensitive to the Malawians spiritual needs. It will not mean much if what we come prepared to share does not meet the needs of where they are. It is my prayer that each of us will have discernment to see areas where they need to grow in the Lord. May the Lord open our eyes in the brief time there to be able to shift gears if He should show us something they need to hear. If this should occur, we need His grace and mercy to lead us and give us the right message to minister to that need.

We also want our every action, deed and speech to model Christ. And yet we are sinful men saved by grace. Again in Titus 2:7-8, Paul tells us to be a model of good works, to show integrity in our teaching, and have sound talk that can withstand any opponent. We need to demonstrate love toward our brothers and sisters there. That is why we need to be continually looking to Jesus and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Without Him, we will fall flat on our faces.

You may be thinking by now I am overwhelmed. I actually am not. It is true that all these things are on my mind. But, they are far from consuming me. In fact, God has given me real peace about this. He has been giving me grace for each day for everything I have needed to get done. Sometimes more, but never less. He has even at times brought extra things that I did not plan, but He has always brought what was needed at the time. He is truly good. It has been exciting to see the Lord bring things in my life to help me to trust Him more. I can't wait to see what He has prepared for us to challenge us to trust Him.

Prayer Requests

Thanks to those of you who have come visit this blog to learn about Malawi and our trip this October. It was really nice to hear from Abby Prescott. She is Norm Wakefield's daughter. She commented on the last post. I would encourage you to look back at previous blogs and view the comments there. Unworthy slave (Charlie Patterson) always adds an interesting perspective as he has been there. He openly shares his heart for world missions and is not afraid to share his fears and concerns.

The time is rapidly approaching. The Lord willing, we will be on our way in just 48 days. I was reading just the other day in Proverbs 16:1-4,9 where it tells us that we make our plans, but it is God who establishes our steps. We have set our sights on going to Malawi, and it looks like that is where God is leading each one of us, but we know from His word that we will only go if that is what He has planned for us.
(Check this out! If you hover your cursor over any of the scriptures in my blog, a window should appear that will display the passage for you.)

There are still so many things that need to happen before we go, and many possible obstacles that could hinder us from going. That is why it is so important for us to pray and put our trust in our great sovereign God to get us ready and to our destination. We covet your prayers for us as well. Please join us in our efforts and share in the blessings from God by being prayer warriors for us. Let me share with you some of the items we could have you pray for us.

As a group we have common needs. All of us still need precious time to prepare spiritually for our time there. The enemy will try to bring things in to distract us from our plans. We all have to get vaccinations and medicine for the trip. There is also pneumonia still travelling around at church and it reminds us of the importance for us to remain healthy. We all still have a ways to go to pay for the trip. God has blessed us, and the boys (young men) are over half way there to reach their goal. We men have almost a 1/3 of our needs met. Pray that God will provide for us out of His abundant goodness and according to His good pleasure.

We also each have individual needs and let me end this with things you can pray for each of us.

Dan Rupprecht

• Grace for the strength to be able to handle the heavy load at work.
• He would be able to have the time to prepare for his teaching lessons.
• For God to grant the grace to have adequate time with his family and lead them as God wants.
• To be an effective leader and a Godly example to the team.

Charlie Patterson

• Wisdom in knowing what best to share so as to encourage the brethren in their fight to learn and maintain the Word that was once for all delivered to the saints.
• Wisdom in planning for my family's needs and in developing the vision for ministry at home while Josiah & I are away.
• Health: to be well rested and mentally prepared for this trip.
• For God to bless his studies to finish current class and his September class

Josiah Patterson

• As I am preparing for the trip, I would like prayer for My work - that I may be a witness
• My school -- that I can get as much done as possible
• My health -- that I won't have reactions to any immunizations and that I will stay healthy while there.
• My message -- that the Lord will give me a message to share while there if I am asked.
• My heart -- that I will have the right attitude.

Brian Deyarmond

• That work hours and school hours would be worked out so he can continue to earn money for the trip
• For preparations to have words of encouragement
• To finish his testimony and to be prepared to be able to give an answer to the hope he has in God
• For eyes that are open to see what God has prepared has planned for future.

Ric Deyarmond

• That I would be a willing and available slave to accomplish all that He has planned.
• To make the most of my time as I prepare to be able to teach on being trustworthy servants of what Christ have given us, and what it means to worship our great God.
• That I would be able to still devote the time needed to the worship ministry.
• To be focused on my families needs and be the father/husband I need to be while I prepare to go.

The team

After talking about the team in different ways, it is about time I let you in a little more on who we all are. For those of you who may not know who we are this picture will give you a face to go along with the name. I am not going to give a detailed biography of each member here. In fact, I am going to share with you my opinions and observations about them briefly so you can know what they mean to me. I am confident my admiration for these gentlemen will only flourish and grow during and after our trip. Anyway, these gentlemen from left to right are: Charles Patterson, Josiah Patterson, Dan Rupprecht, Brian Deyarmond, and myself.


Dan Rupprecht is an elder at our church. He is a wonderful example of what a lay shepherd is. That is, at Coast we believe God's word tells us that elders, even if they are not on staff or "pastors", have the responsibility to be shepherds and teachers to the body. I can remember that almost immediately after meeting him, he had already begun to encourage me and admonish me in my walk with the Lord. Not that I was doing very well, either. This church, though, is committed to God's word and living it out as it explains pertaining to the body. He has demonstrated through his own commitment to the word and to prayer, that joy and life is found in Christ. Dan is a committed husband, and father of 6 children. They home school their children to raise them in the knowledge of the Lord. Dan also runs the family owned company that designs and makes molds. These molds are then used by other companies to manufacture their products. His integrity and work ethic are an example to me of how to honor God in the workplace. I am indeed honored to call Dan a friend and thank God for how He has used Dan to sharpen me and mold me into the servant of Christ I desire to become one day.

Charles Patterson has always demonstrated a heart to reach people from every people group, tribe and nation. Because of that, he has been a very active member of the missions ministry at our church. He is always consumed with finding out how God is using different people to further His kingdom around the world. I love his passion for world missions. It is this excitement that led him to read about Brasswell and then determine he wanted to establish communication with him. If it was not for this passion to see God's work around the world, we would not be making this trip or working with Brasswell. He is married to Donna, and they also have 6 children. They, like the Rupprechts, home school their children. Charlie's heart for missions has modeled for his children (and for us) what God's heart is for unreached peoples from around the world. I encourage you to read the comments he made on my August 16 post. It will confirm for you his passion for the furthering of God's kingdom around the world.

Josiah Patterson is Charlie's oldest son. He is 16, and will be a junior in high school this year. Their family home schools their children as I stated earlier, and they belong to Aslan Academy. Josiah has learned from his father to have a heart for peoples around the world and he has been pen pals with one of Brasswell's children. This is one of the reasons Josiah expressed a desire to experience firsthand what God is doing in Malawi. He thought it was important enough that he took a job as a host for the Island's restaurant in Irvine to earn as much of the money for his trip as he could. I look forward to see how the Lord will change him through the experiences he is about to go through.

Brian Deyarmond is my oldest child and I have been so blessed to have been entrusted with him as my son. Brian has just turned 17. He is now a senior as they started school today. We also home school our children. Brian has a sister, and 2 brothers. I am amazed and grateful to God for placing in Brian a heart that sees Jesus as the only source of satisfaction for life. Some of his favorite stories have been about missionaries that have left everything they have known and committed themselves to living with people that have never ever heard the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ so they might be a witness to the love of God. Even so, I was shocked when he told me that he wanted to see if he could be allowed to go to Malawi and experience what God is doing on the other side of the world. He also took a part time job, and is working at Dan's shop to earn as much of the costs of the trip as he can before we go. I am not sure he really comprehends how much God is going to change him on this trip. But he is excited and willing to be used by God however He sees fit.

I am out of time. My information is not all that exciting. I am just happy to be able to go with these fellow servants for Christ. I hope that I might be worthy of their companionship and that God may use this jar of clay as He sees fit in the days to come.

The excitement builds

The days are just flying by and the excitement and anticipation is mounting. We are just 53 days from leaving LAX for Malawi. It is happening too fast. There are too many things that still need to get done, and each day that goes by without doing anything toward the trip means less time to get it done. We have lessons to prepare, verses to memorize, vaccinations and medicines to get for things like hepatitis and malaria. We still need to come up with a list of essential things to bring. We need to get study materials to give to the seminary students to aid their studies, and try to stuff them in our luggage.

Thankfully, Christian Bettenhausen has been such a great servant to us as unto the Lord! If it weren't for him, I do not know if we would be making this trip. He has been personally involved in every aspect of the travel arrangements. These include the plane tickets, our accommodations when we are not with Brasswell, and even our van rental. Thank you so much, Christian. You may not be going, but the Lord will remember on that day your servant love for your brothers.

I was very encouraged by a message I received from Brasswell early this morning. I had recently contacted him by e-mail and this was his first response to me. I am so excited to meet this man who desires to have God use him to reach his people. Let me leave you today with the note he sent me.


Dear brother Ric,

It's a privilege to be part of the team God uses to spread the Good news of our Saviour Jesus. For me I did not dream about becoming the person God will use for his own purposes. I was busy shepherding my Father"s cattle where He picked me. Your coming to Malawi will be a great blessing to the body of Christ. The Church in Mzuzu & Rumphi is too excited for your visit. Come and see for yourself. Malawians are peace loving people. If the days were to be pulled we would have pulled them to come near. In Mzuzu you will be accommodated in our home. Are you ready to eat Malawian foods such as Nsima? [made from corn]. I hope you are. I am so happy to meet you face to face in Jo-burg South Africa.

Greet your entire family & the Body of Christ there.

Brasswell Nkhonjera

CCC Missions

55 short days and we will leave for Malawi. Let me spend some time and get everyone up to speed about who we are and what we are about. Many of you know us already, but there are some friends and family that may be unfamiliar with our church and this small country in Africa we plan to go to and minister. So, let me introduce everyone to the church we are a part of, the country of Malawi, how we came into a relationship with this place, who is going, and why we are going there now.

My family started going to Coast Community Church in August of 2003. Coast Community (Coast for short) has been a wonderful church home for us. Coast is a member of the Southern Baptist Convention. We are reformed in our theology, which means we adhere to the doctrines of grace. We currently meet at Thomas Paine Elementary in Garden Grove, CA. Earl Miles is our Pastor. He is a dedicated Shepard of the flock that our Lord has entrusted to him. We all at Coast feel blessed that God has given to us a man who models for us how to look to Jesus for life. He is dedicated to the word of God as the revelation of God to us that leads to eternal life. It is his desire for us to see our Lord Jesus Christ as our hope for joy and satisfaction. If you want to get to know more about our church, you can visit their website at http://www.coastcommunitychurch.com/ .

The missions team at our church became interested in Malawi several years ago when a member of our missions team read an article about a Baptist Malawian pastor that has a heart to reach the northern part of his country into a real faith in Christ. He started communication with this pastor and their relationship grew. As he and the missions team got to know him, they decided that he was definitely someone they wanted to support as he endeavors to add to the kingdom of God. The missions team member is a dear brother of mine in the Lord, Charles Patterson. The African pastor that found Charlie's heart is Braswell Nkhonjera.

Malawi is a country in the eastern part of Africa. It is surrounded on the east, south, and west by Mozambique. To the north is Tanzania, and Zambia borders the northwest. Lake Malawi makes up about 20% of the country's mass. Malawi has a population of approximately 13 million. Modern statistics say the country is 80% Christian, but that is very misleading just as it is in America. Most people are "Christian" by affiliation only. Islam is also making a real push here also. Reality is this country is among the poorest nations of the world, With 80% of the people living in rural areas. Most of these people make their living in farming by planting crops that will feed their families. Official estimates say more than 14% of the population has HIV, but unofficial estimates based on hospital admissions estimate it at closer to 30%. There are close to 3/4 of a million orphans in this country, mostly because of the Aids epidemic. The Child mortality rate is over 1 out of 10. The life expectancy of men in Malawi is 43 years and for women is 42 years. For more information on Malawi go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malawi .

Braswell Nkhonjera is local pastor who has made a tremendous impact on reaching his country for Christ. His focus has remained for the most part on the northern portion of the Malawi, as he lives in the town of Rumphi. He has never been content to just his hometown, but has travelled throughout the north of Malawi where he has planted several churches, and has raised up and mentored several pastors. He currently has 5 pastors that attend seminary classes in the capital city of Lilongwe. Along with those, there are 2 other men that Coast is supporting to go to Christ Seminary in Polokwani, South Africa. They travel back and forth to school where they stay for 2 months of study and then return home for a month to be with their families. To find out more about this Masters Seminary go to http://www.tmainternational.org/site/default.asp?sec_id=13 .

So, several years ago, we on the missions team at Coast had a desire to go to Malawi to visit Brasswell so we could meet him and see firsthand what was going on there and how we could better help him and his heart to further the gospel of Christ. Well, 2 years ago, Christian Bettenhausen, Charles Patterson, and our pastor, Earl Miles got the chance to go and visit the exciting work of the Lord in the "warm heart of Africa". They each got the chance to teach the word, encouraging the believers there and were encouraged by them also. They also caught a vision Brasswell has to create a training center in Betere, which is by his home in Rumphi. They have now begun the classroom block construction and it should be well underway by the time we get there.

The missions team thought it would be good for us to go back again this year to continue to minister to the believers in northern Malawi and to show them our support of the furthering of the kingdom of God there. Charlie is returning and is the veteran of the team. We also have Dan Rupprecht, who is an elder in our body. He is representing the leadership of the body of Coast. I am also going as a representative of the missions team, and also as worship leader. We also wanted to see what other interest there might be amongst the body and we asked the body what interest there was. While many were interested, various conflicts kept many from being able to go with us.

There were 2 young men that displayed an interest and were also not swayed when they were told they would have to be responsible for the cost of the entire trip. These guys are Charlie's oldest son, Josiah, who is 16, and my oldest son, Brian. These 2 have each taken jobs to earn as much of the cost as they can. It has been so exciting to see 2 young men such as these show such interest in world missions and to reach people from every nation. Their lives will never be the same after they see God as work in another part of the world.

Well, that is all I can do for now. If you are still reading then maybe you have caught the vision and heart for Malawi. I hope and pray that this may attract some of you to join us in the work of Malawi. We can use all the prayer support we can get. Please join us by praying for us. We still have much work ahead of us as we prepare to go.

Here we go!!!

Hello!!! Even a guy like me can do this. I have now really entered the digital realm.

I started this because in 58 days, 5 members from my church will be leaving on a missions trip to Malawi, Africa. One of our elders will be going, as will one of the members of the missions team. He will be taking his oldest son with him. I will also be going and taking my 17 year old with me as well. I wanted to let people in on what is going on to prepare to go serve our brothers and sisters in Christ on the other side of the world.

This first post is to just get things started. I really did not think it would be this easy to start this thing, but also realize it will take a little bit of work to get all the information out there for everyone to be informed.

So, this blog for the next 2 months will focus almost exclusively on the team and our preparations, setbacks, and plans for the trip. I want everyone to know the team members, how the preparations are going, what needs we have, and how you might be able to pray for us.

Please bear with me as I try to make this site presentable. I am excited to see what God does to us and through us as we seek to serve our Master.