Prayer Update 20 June 2011

Dear Praying Friends

It is just a couple of days before we return to the UK after a very challenging couple of months and at times very stressful. However, we have also been very conscious of the Lord’s wonderful goodness to us in different ways. Thank you so much for your prayers.  We know that many of you have been keeping up to date by text messages and also Linda Fox has very kindly sent you email updates from time to time.

The last time we wrote to you (on Thursday 2 June) we mentioned that we had been assured that a new form of registration would qualify us for tax exemption on our new vehicle. On our request, we had been shown it in writing at the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) by the head of the department on 1 June. However, during a phone call on 6 June we were told by the same man at the MRA that the rules had changed yet again following a new Budget set by the Malawi Government on 3 June, and we would now have to pay duty even with our new registration!! As we are still waiting to receive the registration certificate we are unable to go to the Revenue Authority to pay the required duty in order to release the vehicle. As you can imagine, the whole process has been extremely frustrating but we trust absolutely that God has permitted this delay for a reason. We remember the account in Matthew 17:24-27 where Jesus and Peter paid the temple tax even though Jesus said they should have been exempt. We read that Jesus told Peter to go fishing and the fish he caught would contain sufficient to pay the temple tax. Peter had to do something, and God provided. In the same way, we have sought to do all we can, and we trust God to provide. So… we go on waiting patiently and praying that God will release the new vehicle in His way and in His time.

Another difficulty we have encountered has been an extreme shortage of diesel in the country again due to the Malawi Government having no foreign exchange to buy fuel. This has meant we had to limit our journeys into Blantyre to chase the vehicle issue and it was also a cause for great concern that we wouldn’t have fuel to collect Don, our visitor from the UK, from the airport. Wonderfully, it was when we reached the time when we feared we would have to advise Don not to come, Syford happened to be’ passing a garage that had just had a delivery of fuel. He was able to fill up before the pumps had to be closed to prevent a riot as people were fighting - desperate for fuel. How we thank God for this amazing provision – at exactly the right time! Don very kindly made an additional flight within Malawi into Blantyre which meant it was much nearer and easier for us to collect him. Although very short, Don’s visit was a great encouragement to us and blessing to the people here.  We really appreciated his visit and the kindness of his fellowship in allowing him to come.

We have been disappointed that so much of our time in Malawi during this visit has been spent dealing with the administrative issues of the new vehicle and so time for ministry has been much more limited. However, we have been encouraged in several aspects here. For several years we have been praying that there would be more faithful, godly men in the church and this year we have seen an answer to this prayer. The Saturday afternoon Bible studies have been very encouraging as we have seen more men with a keen desire to grow in their faith and the numbers have been greater than any other year. We continue to pray that God will raise up godly leaders in the church to help Syford in his heavy responsibility of pastoring 6 churches.

Another encouragement has been to see how God has deeply touched the lives of a couple we have known for a several years. Last year Lucius and Joyce had great problems in their marriage and Lucius in particular was totally concerned with improving their financial provision and so stopped coming to church in order to keep his little market stall open 7 days a week.  He even went to the witchdoctor to seek help to improve his financial position. We spent much time talking and praying with
them last year and it has been a delight to see a wonderful transformation in Lucius. He now shuts his stall on Saturday afternoons so he and Joyce can come to the Bible study and also on Sundays so they can be at church. It has been a delight to hear him ask meaningful questions in the Bible study and to see the joy he has on his face! Please continue to pray for this couple that the devil will not tempt them back to focus on material things because financially life is extremely difficult for them – as indeed it is for most in our community.

As usual, there is so much more we could write but time and space do not permit. We greatly value your prayers please that God will overrule in enabling us to very soon complete the formalities so that we can take possession of the vehicle. We trust it will be available when we return to Malawi in August in order that it can be used as intended in the ministry. We certainly thank Him very much that it is not still held up in Zimbabwe – which at one point seemed a very real possibility!!  Please pray for Syford as he (possibly with Gandazea’s help) continues the process of seeking to register the vehicle in Malawi.

Dennis and Sheila