August 2004
Beloved Partners & Friends
A reflection on the enormity of our God convinces me that yes, there is just NOTHING impossible for Him. He who spoke the Word and framed the worlds can do the spectacular and the humanly and naturally impossible. We say that, quote it, believe it in our minds but when it comes to the living reality of such a statement, we fall horribly short. I am not talking of Christian clichés and the right thing to say in the right circles and company. I am talking of the depths of the reality of the absolute truth of knowing, deeply knowing and trusting our Lord and King.
Departure from the Bible College in Yei was hectic and harrowing to say the least. Many shared how bitter and upset they have felt that the College facility has been taken away from us and that we have to rebuild. I have to counter this by challenging you to read, "To Save A Nation," where the full and clear account is presented. The Lord knows what He is doing. We are His servants. We went to Sudan at His bidding, build according to His direction and provision and trusted Him through every bombing and adversity. Is God, the God who framed the very worlds and made the substance of which the College is built not able to turn the hand of heathen kings and declare that the place is His? The fact that He did not tells me without a shadow of doubt that He has greater things in store. As we trust in the Lord and surely lean not to our own understanding, He will establish TRUTH.
As I took a final walk around the College and said my final farewell I was made acutely aware of several things. The glory of the Lord was gone from the whole place. How incredibly significant that is. Secondly, I noticed an inundation of termites. We have never had termites in all the years and yet suddenly, they seemed to have appeared from nowhere. Thirdly, there was a bat infestation. We have never had any bats take up residence in the College but there they were and leaving their calling cards up and down the corridors. In all the years I have been in Yei, I have never personally seen a snake in Kalibu Compound. Snakes have visited but only when there have been issues. Again, though I personally did not see one, the campus has been visited by many snakes from the deadly black Mamba to the Egyptian cobra to the puff adder. I am not one to simply jump to spurious conclusions in relating the natural to the supernatural but all of this was too significant to be ignored. The law of the Word is first the natural and then the spiritual. The departure of the presence of the Lord means the protective covering is gone. The cloud had moved and what was so wonderful and sparkling under His overshadowing wings has simply become an empty shell. They have the buildings but the real substance of Kalibu Academy is in the transformed hearts of 167 graduates who are already turning the nation of New Sudan upside down for His glory.
When the Lord says it is time to move on, the covering lifts as His cloud and Fire lifted over Israel. To continue to Tabernacle after the glory cloud has moved is to operate in presumption and the flesh. When the Lord says to move in your life beloved, then MOVE and MOVE now and quickly. Continuing to tabernacle around what you know and desire in the flesh is presumption that will lead to disaster.
The Lord has completed phase 1 in Yei and a new phase of the work is to begin. We most certainly continue to support the graduates and students who did not yet complete their courses. Provision has been made for all and we do expect those of our supporters and friends with commitments to individuals to continue with those commitments. The future in New Sudan clearly depends on the policies of the local authorities and New Sudan Government. There needs to be some immediate and serious changes in the society if the peace that was purchased at enormous price is to succeed. Oh the wisdom and foreknowledge of the Lord in preparing a mighty band of young warriors to take His powerful Gospel to the ends of their nation and see change, real change effected, is beyond our human comprehension. The depths of the mercy and love of the Lord is simply immeasurable.
To us, He has been incredibly faithful and true and we rest secure in His foreknowledge of our own future. His plans are sure and as we simply flow with Him it will be from victory to victory. In the meantime, we are fully focused on the project in Malawi and this will feature largely in the following newsletters. The College here is beginning to look magnificent and all of our partners and friends will be highly blessed and honoured to be a part of this project that is yet again a work of EXCELLENCE!
I have absolutely no complaints about the direction and decision of the Lord. It is with excited anticipation that I await what is to happen in the future that I might further marvel at the ways of the Lord. If I had it all over again, I would change very little and certainly not the building of the College exactly where it has been. I have heard, though not confirmed, that the College facility actually formerly belonged to the University of Khartoum. If this is true, then under the new peace agreement, the University of Khartoum has the right to come back and claim their property. We are still awaiting the formal allocation of the new piece of ground that we had chosen. We are not ready to do anything until and unless everything is in clear order and not at least for six to eight months. During this time we will complete Malawi.
GRADUATION 2004 : SUDAN
GRADUATING CLASS OF 2004
I didn’t know what was going on at that hour till I realized
that I was at a hospital bed being treated. After I got a
treatment from the doctors I began to wonder who brought me,
what happened to me and why was I in hospital. Then I turned my
eyes to the right hand side of my bed and I saw a white man
standing beside me. I realized that he was the one who hit me
with his vehicle. He only asked me one question, “What is your
religion?” I told him I am a Muslim. So he took his hand and
laid on my head and prayed for me. I repented and realize that
it was the hand of the Lord who saved me from that death. Then
he told me that God had saved me from that accident. Now I
found out that he was Pastor Michael Howard who hit me with a
Land Cruiser and prayed for me for my repentance and healing.
What a wonderful process. God wanted me to know Him through
this accident. God used Pastor Howard as an instrument to save
my life and take me to Jesus. That was God’s plan through that
accident. I should be saved. I was admitted for three days.
After that I was discharged and went home but I wasn’t in a good
condition. I was in bed for a month. While I was at home,
Kalibu Ministries was still assisting me with money to go to a
private hospital and for food. Pastor Paisley took me to stay
and work at the mission. Now I am a full time worker at the
mission and I have all the reasons to praise the Lord for this.
God has done a miracle thing in my life and I want to do his
work. Now I’m asking God to send me to a Bible School so that I
can know more of His words in my entire life. I also thank
Pastor Michael and Pastor Paisley for bringing me out of bad
ways.
To Pastor Howard wherever you are know that you helped to save
my life God bless you. It was God’s plan for my life to be
saved through that accident.
God bless you forever. Mphatso Tembo.
SUPPORTING MALAWI PASTORS
Although there is much work in the building of the Bible School there is also a great job of supporting pastors in the villages. It is a recommendable part of the work which is being done and the pastors are so blessed with the support which they appreciate very much.
It has been a precious blessing to them when they received bicycles, clothes and other things. The bicycles have really assisted in transportation as they go ministering to other village branches where even a motor vehicle can not pass because of the poor roads. There are sometimes only pathways for people traveling by foot.
Every pastor has all the reasons to thank and continue praying
for his/her supporter. As pastors are rejoicing on the
developments being done on the Bible School, they are so blessed
with the support they are receiving every month. We are
receiving letters of thanks from the pastors that the support is
always being received on time and that it is really helping them
even in their churches. Praise be unto our Lord Almighty for
His promises which never fails.
There is another great drought this year and this affects the churches. With the support pastors are receiving, it will make it easier as we go visiting the branches and conduct crusades, as they will having something that will assist in the preparation and supplies of meetings.
Love and blessings to you all.
The Kalibu Staff, Malawi
DROUGHT IN MALAWI
As we are busy building the Bible School in Malawi, we have to
bring to your attention also about the situation of this Central
part of Africa. This year is a year of great disaster compared
to the past years. There is a drought which has affected this
part of Africa as there were no rains till the end of December.
The rain we had were showers so we were not able to plant any
crops. The rains are supposed to fall from mid October to the
end of January. This is the recommended time that people can
grow their crops so that they are ready before the winter.
Some people did plant in December after the showers expecting that they might get at least a small crop. Then the showers stopped till February. This caused the people to uproot the first plants, which had withered since there were no rains, and plant fresh seed. These did not grow well as the season for planting was over so there was no production again.
The same problem was experienced in the past seasons but not as
bad as this year because it has affected almost the whole
country of Malawi.
As we have been going out for crusades, pastors in every area
are complaining about hunger in their areas. There is nothing
in the government grain stores and in public sales depots and if
it can be bought the prices have been put up to where the normal
rural people cannot afford to buy. Last year we were so
privileged that Pastor Michael Howard bought us some bags from
Mozambique. These bags really helped not only to keep us fed
but also helped the School project because the labourers at
Chileka were not having to go and search for food in the markets
for a couple of days each week.
Malawi is really in a serious drought problem this year until
the next planting season. As we continue visiting Pastors in the
villages this year it is our prayer that the hand of God must be
with us everywhere we will be going. We are hoping once again
to be able to send our truck to Mocambique to pick up maize from
there.
May the almighty God always bless you all who took part in
helping us towards this project last year.
God bless you
Pastor Michael is soon on his way to Lithuania and Finland. “Tales” is now printed in Lithuanian and “Love Constrained” has been printed in Finnish. Please keep him in prayer as he travels.
Roz has just returned from Southern Sudan and Malawi.
Graduation was a wonderful time of celebration and another
forty men are now in the field.
The Malawi work keeps on growing both from the spiritual
aspect and with the school at Chileka. Heikki, our young
contractor from Finland has really made a great impact as he
has effectively organized the labour teams and operates out
of his own office on the site.
Crusades and outreaches in Malawi and Mocambique continue on
a weekly basis as teams go out from the main base in
Blantyre and join up with the local pastors in the rural
churches. As they preach the Gospel many are saved,
delivered and signs and wonders follow much of the
preaching. It is wonderful to see the Word in operation.
What God promises in His Word He will do.