March 22, 2007

Dear Friends,

Post-furlough greetings from half-a-world away!

After six months, traveling 38,000 miles, sleeping in 36 different beds, preaching in twenty different pulpits, having well over one hundred personal meetings, eating in innumerable fast food joints and greasy spoons ad nauseam (pun intended), and making hundreds of phone calls and e-mails, furlough 2006/2007 came to an official end last Friday morning when I arrived at Cape Town International and was joyously reunited with my family!

For the last six days I¹ve been in a jet-lagged stupor. I even preached in this surreal state last Sunday. I¹m still unsure about what I said, but staying tethered to my manuscript helped me stay the course! God seemed to bless in spite of the presence of the dysphonic state I was in. The flock here showed their appreciation (fortunately before I preached) for my safe return by presenting Debbie and I with a gift certificate to our favorite restaurant‹think Ostrich steak here!

As Debbie and I reflect back on the furlough that was, we are most grateful for all that was done for us to make this stateside sojourn possible. Apart from the generosity of Community Bible Church (Vallejo, California) and so many others, furlough would not have been possible. To all who contributed, prayed, and or encouraged us along the way‹we say a heartfelt ³Thank You²!

From my side, I can¹t thank Grace Community Church enough for making it possible for me to conclude furlough by attending ³The Shepherd¹s Conference² two weeks ago. It was an indescribable blessing to end six months of travel and suitcases on such a high note! I saw hundreds of friends and supporters from all over the world!

Now the real work begins as we seek to put our hand back to the plow of Living Hope Bible Church. Please pray for us as we make the adjustment and transition back to life in South Africa and the ministry God has called us to. Just this-morning two women were held up at gun-point not one hundred feet from our home as they took their kids to school. Adjustments like this are only made possible by your prayers!

Once we are settled and have a pulse on the ministry here, we will write in greater detail about ministry matters. Until then, please pray for much fruit this year as we labor in the vineyard for His glory!

Yours For the Master¹s Use!
The Christophers
Mark, Debbie,
Janelle, and Micaiah

P.S. Also, a big ³Thank You² is due Kilwa and Nicole, who held the fort while we were away! Kilwa and Nicole have decided to pursue another ministry opportunity in another part of the vineyard. We wish them well as they follow God¹s leading in this!

January 16, 2007

Dear Friends,

I hope this finds you all flying down the freeway of a New Year! It hardly seems possible that our furlough time is quickly winding its way to the finishline. I was reminded of this but moments ago as I relunctantly bade "farwell" to the rest of the Christopher clan as they begin to wing their way back to Cpae Town. Hence the need for your prayers!

Please pray for them to have a safe, uneventful flight to London and then on to Cape Town. Even this-morning we had drama as Janelle throw her back out and we hastily had to find a Chiropractor and get her tended to. Thankfully she is in a much better way as the chiropractor worked some magic on her back. The poor thing was in tears just a few hours ago. So please pray she makes it home in good shape.

Also, seven weeks is a long time to be parted from my dear family. Please pray that God will keep them safe back in South Africa and that they will settle-in to normal pursuits in short order.

Finally, please pray for me as I continue traveling and making the rounds here in the US. I already feel the lonely void of doing so without the rest of the family. May God use this time by myself to drive me closer to Him!

Thanks so much for praying! We never take it for granted.

Yours For The Master's Use
Mark Christopher

December 2006

Dear Friends,

It seems strange greeting you all from the cozy confines of our temporary abode here in Vallejo, California! I am not sure where the time has gone since our return to the USA ten weeks ago, but the time has surreptitiously sailed right past us as we have immersed ourselves in making the appointed rounds to supporting churches.

Our departure from Cape Town saw us visiting Debbie’s family and ministering some 900 miles from Cape Town. Then we boarded a 747 in Johannesburg bound for London. Once in London we rented a car and drove through England to Scotland to see some old friends in Edinburgh. From there we ventured out and visited as many historical sites as time allowed. We were completely captivated as we scouted out ancient castles that often had over a thousand years of history. Micaiah is intensely proud of his Scottish heritage on Debbie’s side of the family, so he was in veritable bag-pipe heaven—no, we didn’t buy a kilt for him!

From London we made our way to San Francisco. Our feet hardly touched the tarmac and we hit the road and headed for a missions conference hosted by Grace Community Church in southern California. After spending a Sunday at Grace, all the Grace supported missionaries made their way to the conference site in San Diego for a tremendous time of fun, fellowship, and spiritual encouragement. The week climaxed with a banquet back at Grace and our participation in Grace’s 50th anniversary the next day.

Since then, our days have been filled with travel and numerous meetings with churches, friends, and family. Our schedule has been ambitious and the pace robust, but the fellowship and encouragement have been sweet!

As we reflect back on the year that was, we are humbled and exceedingly grateful for all that God has done for us—from our salvation in Christ to His daily provision of mundane needs, we have been reminded of God’s multivarigated goodness to us!

As December 25th quickly approaches, may the joy of Christ fill you and may the impact of Immanuel (God with us) encourage you!

In His Indescribable Glory and Grace!

The Christophers

Mark, Debbie,

Janelle, and Micaiah

Praises:

• For the provision of a two bedroom house and a car through our home church—Community Bible Church!

• For the churches and individuals who have given sacrificially to help us meet the unexpected high costs of traveling.

• For safety and good health while traveling

  Prayer Requests:

  • For Kilwa and Living Hope Bible Church over the next couple of months while we finish furlough. Especially for one of our dear ladies, Leigh, who has been re-diagnosed with cancer. The prognosis is not good.

  • To achieve our tangible needs while home:

    • Raise $750.00 in monthly support through either existing supporters or new ones.

    • Raise one time gifts totaling $10,000.00 to replace our aging VW Jetta in Cape Town.

  • For a fruitful ministry at LHBC and Cape Town in 2007!

July 15, 2006

Dear Friends,

It is hard to believe that in about ten weeks we will be on our way home for furlough! It won’t be long and we will be able to greet many of you in person. To that end, things are growing more hectic by the day as we prepare for our departure from Cape Town. We certainly covet your prayers as we try to ready ourselves and Living Hope Bible Church for the mammoth task of leaving South Africa for a few months.

Last month we had the privilege of hosting Bill and Barbra Barrick, who were in town for The South African Shepherd’s Conference. Dr. Barrick is professor of Old Testament at The Master’s Seminary. Debbie and I had a wonderful time hosting them and showing them our part of the vineyard. They, as former missionaries to Bangladesh, were a tremendous encouragement to us. The church was equally blessed through Dr. Barrick’s penetrating preaching and teaching.

I relished the opportunity to quiz Dr. Barrick on issues pertaining to a thesis I am working on out of Leviticus, which is Dr. Barrick’s specialty! He graciously obliged and gave me many helpful insights and much profitable advice. God in His providence allowed me this matchless opportunity of having a personal audience with someone of Dr.Barrick’s caliber. Indeed, it was an immense blessing!

Since the dismantling of apartheid twelve years ago, South Africa has had a large influx of refugees from surrounding African states, many of which are in a state of civil war. Our little church has three refugees that we have been ministering to over the past couple of years now; One from the Democratic Republic of The Congo, one from Rwanda, and one from Mozambique’. Sylvester, a young man from Mozambique, is the latest refugee we’ve been privileged to minister to. He made the journey from Catholicism to Christ a few months ago after Kilwa preached a Christmas gospel message. Sylvester has since been baptized and has been growing in Christ despite his limitations in the English language—not to mention our limitations in Portuguese (the lingua franca of Mozambique) and his particular tribal dialect.

Recently, Sylvester started having severe headaches, blacking out, and seizures. He has no medical plan, so he is reliant on the state hospital system. Thankfully, he is in the process of having a series of tests over the next few weeks. Just prior to his health problems he was mugged and robbed. The thugs stole everything except his shirt and pants—yes, they stole his shoes, coat, cell phone, money, and school books. Needless to say his new found faith is being put to the test. Please pray for Sylvester and our other refugees—Luke and Alphonse, as they have particularly hard time-- xenophobia is rife here. They are easy targets for local thugs and miscreants who are afraid refugees will take jobs and benefits away from those already here.

Debbie and the kids are well. The kids are enjoying the final days of a three week winter break. We took advantage of this time and took a few days off to recuperate before the final push to leave on furlough. We enjoyed some good hiking in the coastal mountains as well as a few tennis matches. It won’t be too many years and dad will have met his match as hike leader and guide! But for the time being I am still safe!

Janelle and Micaiah are looking forward to furlough as they will miss the last quarter of school—though there will be some home schooling. Plus they get to experience the best that America has to offer.

For the past several months I have had the privilege of preaching through The Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24:1-25:46. Time-and-time again I’ve been struck with the purpose for missions and one of the main reasons we have labored for twelve—sometimes long—years in this quarter of the world. Revelation 7:9-10 sums it up nicely: “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’ “ Only then will all the fruit of your prayers, for those of us in far flung places, be evident!

Running The Race With Patience!
The Christophers
Mark, Debbie,
Janelle, and Micaiah

PS. It is our goal to visit all of our supporting churches and individual supporters while we are home, so we should see most of you over the course of the next few months! We will keep you posted on our movements once we are stateside.

Prayer Prompters:

• Sylvester’s health and for a proper diagnosis and prescription by the state hospital.
• The upcoming move of the church into our new venue in two weeks time!
• The ongoing outreach of the radio ministry. The Voice of Hope broadcast has built up quite a large listnership!
• For all that needs to be put into place, both here and stateside, in order to facilitate furlough.
• For Kilwa in our absence as he endeavors to steer a steady course with the church.

Jun 29, 2006

Dear Friends,

Chilly winter greetings from the deep south! I am sure this finds many of you preparing for 4th of July celebrations and summer vacations and the like!

Three weeks ago I sent a prayer request regarding the need for a new venue (location) for our church--LHBC. Well, the Lord has heard the many prayers that were offered on behalf of LHBC! After running in to many dead ends and hearing that little two letter word "NO" more times than I care to remember, I finally contacted a school just down the road from where we currently meet. Though the principal is not a believer we found favor with him. As a result we will now have a bigger and much nicer facility than what we had before.

We have a three month probation period, then, if all goes well, they will sign a three year lease with us. We've never had problems where we currently are, so I see no reason why the probationary period will be problematic.

Now the church needs to move at the end of July, then we will have but a few weeks in the new facility and we (the Christophers) will be jetting out for the states! Please continue to pray as we ready ourselves for the trip and as Kilwa prepares to assume full responsibility for LHBC. There are a myriad of details--ministry and domestic-- that must be ironed before we leave.

I will try to get a proper prayer letter out early next week. Again, heartfelt thanks for all the prayers offered on our behalf!

Yours For The Master's Use
Mark Christopher