Christopher News

.

CBC Admin — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 20:02:31 +0000

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!

.

CBC Admin — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 18:11:28 +0000

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

.

CBC Admin — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 05:39:33 +0000

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!

.

CBC Admin — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 06:28:04 +0000

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.

.

CBC Admin — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 06:18:27 +0000

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

.

CBC Admin — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 05:26:17 +0000

May 2006

Dear Friends,

As the year marches on toward the half-way point, we want to greet you and update you on happenings here in the southern hemisphere. This is the first chance I've had in some time to sit down and write a proper prayer letter. The past few weeks have been so packed with various events that it all seems like one big blur.

We just concluded our annual family camp for Living Hope Bible Church last weekend. A team from our home church, Community Bible Church (Vallejo, California), came and ministered to us for the weekend. Our people were deeply moved and impacted by the CBC team and the messages delivered by Pastor Phil Foley. The weekend was truly edifying in every way! The only damper on the whole weekend was the first rain storm we had in eight months, but it didn't dampen anyone's spirit!

Sadly, in the middle of camp weekend, Kilwa received the news that his mom went home to glory. Fortunately, Kilwa was able to book the next flight to Johannesburg to be with his dad, Ian, and his two brothers. I was able to fly up and attend the funeral last Wednesday. Kilwa preached the gospel to over 300 souls, many of whom were not saved. Kilwa's mom, Sheryl, would have been well pleased with the proceedings of the day! I remember her as one who had an avaricious appetite for the word and knowledge of God. She always had an endless supply of theological questions for the pastors she knew. No doubt her insatiable curiosity is now satiated!

Upon returning home last Thursday, I checked my e-mail to find the news that my last remaining grand-parent had gone to be with the Lord last Wednesday. My grandpa Jim was almost 98 years old. He was saved as a boy in his home state of Ohio. I have many fond memories of gramps! He was a gentle and humorous soul who loved the Lord. For the past eight years it has been his desire to go and be with the Lord. The few times we saw him, while home on furloughs, he confided in me that he was ready to go! The Lord has honored his humble request and he is now enjoying the pavilion of God's splendid presence! Though I will sorely miss him, I look forward to the day when we will stand side-by-side around the throne of our God singing with unrestrained gusto to our Savior's glory!

Some time back we wrote about the power outages we have experienced of late. For the past six weeks we haven't had a single power outage, but now that winter is quickly descending upon us it won't be long until they pull the plug on us again. Our local nuclear power plant is stretched beyond its capacity. One of the two reactors is down and under repair, while the other reactor needs to undergo regular maintenance. This means it will be a cold, dark winter while all the maintenance is completed. The government finally admitted that all of this was avoidable, but because they failed to plan ten years ago, we are now facing periodic power outages for years to come. In the short term we have prepared by purchasing camping lamps, a portable gas heater, and a gas grill. In the long term, we are thinking about solar solutions.

As we conclude please keep the following prayer requests before the throne of grace:

LHBC needs to find a new location to meet. We were informed that we only have until August 1st to move. Due to zoning regulations we have to move from our present location. This is a matter of urgency and we are praying for a long term solution to our present plight of facing ecclesiastical homelessness.
The South African Shepherd's Conference is the next big event on our calendar (May 29th-31st). We look forward to greeting some familiar faces from Grace Community Church and The Master's Seminary! Please pray that many would be challenged when exposed to the biblical philosophy of ministry that will be promoted.
As always, we covet your prayers for evangelistic opportunities. We have a family that lives next door to us who is interested in the gospel! In addition, I am coaching cross-country (one day a week) at our kid's school. Please pray that over time we will see fruit from the opportunities God has given us.
In five short months we will embark on our third furlough in 12 years. Please pray for all that needs to be done here and stateside before this becomes a reality.

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing your toil is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Because He Lives!

The Christophers
Mark, Debbie,
Janelle, and Micaiah

.

CBC Admin — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 19:43:23 +0000

February 28, 2006

Dear Friends,

I realize we just wrote a prayer letter a couple of weeks ago. We just wanted to write a quick prayer update regarding a recent situation that has developed. About nine days ago we woke up to a power outage that held Cape Town in its grip for about eleven hours. As our church meets in a basement, we had to move our church service outside. Fortunately it is summer so it was warm enough to facilitate the change in venue.

We spent all of last week experiencing frequent and unannounced power outages. This made planning and working a real challenge, as we never knew when the lights were going to go out. Even something like cooking dinner couldn't be counted on. The washing had to be done by hand and petrol (gas) stations were closed much of the time. Basically Cape Town came to a grinding halt. They supposedly fixed the problem at our local nuclear power station, but alas, we woke up at two this-morning when the power went out again.

A spokesman for the power station finally admitted it is a "big crisis". The real problem seems to stem from the fact that over the last ten years they retrenched (fired) most of the guys who had all the skill and know-how and replaced them with unskilled and inexperienced personnel. At the same time, Cape Town was the fastest growing city in the southern hemisphere. The new management team never bothered planning for the future growth nor have they ever done adequate maintenance on the existing reactors. This resulted in one of the two reactors being completely shut down. Now the second reactor is experiencing difficulties and keeps shutting down. Hence, they keep pulling the plug on the power.

It looks like this is going to be a problem for several months to come. It may take up to a year to fix the one reactor. They are finally talking about building another power plant, but we all know that will take years. Needless to say, life has suddenly become far more challenging. We are spending a lot more time doing the most basic tasks. We must now become far more flexible than we have ever been before. We will have to look into buying a generator and getting a small gas stove, but these items are all in short supply and worth more than gold itself. Plus, generators take gas, but the refineries have been affected as well, so production is down and supplies running short. So a generator without the availability of fuel is useless.

Please pray for us and the church as we make the necessary adjustments. We now must come up with a contingency plan for the church. If the power goes down during a service the basement will get very dark. Some of my study will now have to be by candle light. If nothing else, this will all serve as one big metaphor to the unsaved about the light of Christ vs. the darkness of sin! Please pray for us as we seek to cope with this latest challenge.

Walking In His Light!
The Christophers
Mark, Debbie,
Janelle, and Micaiah

.

CBC Admin — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 23:11:45 +0000

February 2006

Dear Friends,

We hope and trust you all had a wonderful Christmas season and good start to the New Year!

We traveled one thousand miles across South Africa to spend the holidays with Debbie's folks. We enjoyed our much needed break.

For years now we have been praying for Debbie's family to come to saving faith. Much to our delight Debbie's mom, Alexis, is now born-again! Last year Debbie's brother came to faith while under our ministry. Fortunately there is a Bible believing church for Debbie's mom to attend. We praise the Lord for these answers to a 25 year old prayer request! Now, we continue to pray for Debbie's dad, Tex, and her sister-in-law, Connie.

While away I had the privilege of ministering in three different congregations - 2 of them Indian churches. I also went to see a training ministry among the Zulus. There is a Bible Institute reaching out and training Zionist pastors.

Zionism is the largest denomination in South Africa. The Zionists are a syncristic hodge-podge of Christianity, Judaism and traditional African religion. By their own admission they have erred greviously by having untrained leadership. This led to the quick departure from the gospel to the present day syncretism that is so prevalent. To address the training need, Bible Institutes are being established in some Zionist strongholds. I met some Zulu Zionist pastors who have come to Christ as a result of the training they are receiving. In turn they are going back to their congregations and preaching the gospel!

It was a real treat to spend a day with some of these dear brothers and have them pelt me with their barrage of questions. It has been a long time since I witnessed such hunger. They have invited me back to do a conference for them in September. I have accepted their invitation.

Back at Living Hope Bible Church we recently were reminded of the power of preaching God's word. On Christmas day a Mozambican refugee responded to the gospel while Kilwa was preaching. Sylvester was a Roman Catholic before coming to LHBC, but he now knows Christ and desires to be baptized.

In another preaching incident this past Sunday, I was preaching on I Corinthians 11:17-34 on Communion. A man who was going to divorce his wife of 35 years broke down under the weight of conviction and repented of his sin! I have been praying for three years that this couple would submit to marital counseling. We had our first counseling session yesterday!

All in all, we are off to a fast and furious start in 2006. Janelle is now in grade six and Micaiah in grade three. They are enjoying the spoils of summer and are doing a bit of bike riding with dad. As hard as they try they've yet to realize just how far off they are from being able to beat me!

Debbie is well and maintaining her usual frenetic pace trying to help me in the ministry while maintaining the home. It is hard to believe that we first met 21 years ago and that we've been married for nineteen years in June! Little did I know when we met that the intersections of our lives would lead to South Africa!

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement to stay our course. May you all have a blessed and fruitful 2006 for God's glory!

Yours for the Master's Use

The Christophers
Mark, Debbie, Janelle & Micaiah

Prayer Prompters:

For the growth in the new believer's like Sylvester and Debbie's mom, Alexis.
For Wearne and Paddy as they seek to restore their marriage relationship through biblical counseling.
For all the ministries of LHBC which are starting now.
For a new venue for the church to meet. We were turned down numerous times last year.
For us as we begin planning and preparing for furlough in Early October.

.

CBC Admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 21:05:30 +0000

December 15, 2005

Dear Friends,

Greetings for the last time in 2005! As the year quickly approaches its terminus, we are busy getting ready to leave town for a bit of down time, commingled with a few preaching opportunities. For the first time in our eleven year sojourn here, we are going to Debbie's folks for Christmas. We have a 1000 mile trek before us tomorrow morning. Your prayers for safety will be appreciated.

As we reflect on the year past, I can't really add anything to what has already been said in previous letters. One area we don't often discuss in our letters is the political situation here. There are many interesting and lamentable things that have transpired this year. The most recent development was the legalizing of same-sex marriage two weeks ago. Of course this is a watershed decision by the constitutional court here. I have been writing letters to the editor all year on this topic. I think I've had 12 or 13 printed. Needless to say I'm not exactly the toast of the town; the roast of the town is a little more like it.

The ruling African National Congress is experiencing a lot of infighting as various ones seek power grabs and as corruption continues to accelerate in high places. In a recent news story, the ANC admitted that as many 37,000 governmental workers were involved in corruption and dipping their hands in the till. Meanwhile the masses of poor and jobless are beginning to get restless as municipalities fail to make good on delivery of the promises that were made eleven years ago, before the first elections after apartheid. There have been many riots and marches in townships where people are fed up with the lack of delivery by the government.

Then there is the ongoing AIDS crisis.The government pays lip service to the epidemic, but does little else to address the enormity of the problem. A friend of ours, who is a doctor, told us the situation is far worse than what is ever reported. It is now estimated that four out of ten children is now born HIV positive. Many governmental hospitals have sixty percent of their beds filled by AIDS patients. That is expected to reach eighty-seven percent within the next three or four years.

What does it all mean? I am not much of an analyst, so I can't really say. My own humble opinion is that South Africa will inexorably retreat into more of a third world status with a first world facade. I hope I am wrong and will gladly admit if I am proven so. Regardless of the political machinations here and the social consequences of the above mentioned, our reason for being here is reinforced by all this. The urgencies of the moment scream for the gospel to be proclaimed boldly and without shame! More than ever we need your prayers as we begin 2006. Please pray that somehow God will extend the scope of our ministry to reach more.

As 2006 dawns, please pray for us in the following ways:

Our trip across South Africa-- for safety and a fruitful time in the churches where we will be ministering over the holidays.
For ministry opportunities in 2006. 2005 brought many unexpected avenues of ministry, so we are excited to see what is around the next bend!
For the continued success of the radio ministry. The radio station is very pleased with our "Voice of Hope" broadcast and we may have other opportunities on the radio next year as a result. We are also going to launch Fundamentals Of The Faith (FOF) via correspondence. We Will use the radio broadcast as a vehicle for this.
Next year we begin training lay leaders for Living Hope. God brought us some solid men this past year, so now we begin grooming them for future leadership here!
I will begin a thesis next year through one of the universities here. To that end, I have an oral exam on January 7th. Once I pass that then I can begin my thesis, which will be on the homosexual hermeneutic of Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13.
For strength and grace for the whole family as we seek to cope with the rigors of ministry while trying to maintain some private time at home.

We wish you all a very blessed and Christ filled holiday season. May 2006 and find you all "Looking unto Jesus, who is the author and perfecter of our faith"!

Yours For The Master's Use
The Christophers
Mark, Debbie,
Janelle, & Micaiah

.

CBC Admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 21:00:14 +0000

October 31, 2005

Dear Friends in the faith,

Table Mountain greetings from our southern outpost of Cape Town! We hope and pray this update finds you all well and spiritually prospering in the Lord!

The brisk pace of ministry has left us breathless since we last wrote in mid-August. The growing nature of the ministry here continues to occupy our focus and inexorably consume our time. As LHBC continues to grow, so do our responsibilities and the demands placed upon us. Thus, as we look back on the first ten months of 2005 it seems like we just blinked and the year is already far spent.

We praise the Lord for the apparent growth taking place at LHBC (Living Hope Bible Church)! This past year has seen God add some solid families to our number! As a result we now have a few men who are potential leaders for LHBC. This means that 2006 will see us begin leadership development. As we begin grooming and mentoring these men, we pray it will eventually culminate in LHBC's first deacons and elders.

Though LHBC has many commendable qualities, the one key ingredient that has been conspicuous by its absence has been men imbued with leadership abilities and qualities. The Lord has heard our prayers and has seen fit to send us some men who aren't afraid to manage their own homes well! In the next couple of years we will find out how committed these servants of Christ are.

Next year will see us commence with a steering committee (advisory team), which will include a training component that coincides with SSTEP (Shepherd's School of Theology and Expository Preaching). Those being groomed for leadership will be required to take seven foundational SSTEP courses that will help prepare them for future leadership. In addition, these men will form an advisory team that will advise me and Kilwa on practical matters concerning LHBC.

We are acutely aware that LHBC will rise no higher than its leadership. To this end we seek to develop strong servant-leaders who will chart the future course for LHBC. Please pray with us for these men who will soon begin the pilgrimage of leadership development. More than anything else, LHBC needs effective and steady leadership if any lasting progress is to be made.

From a cultural stand-point South Africa suffers from a bankruptcy of qualified male leadership. There are two primary reasons for this. First, some view male-leadership as that of a tyrannical dictator. This seems to be hangover from the former apartheid regime, which was noted for such a style of leadership. Secondly, and more prevalent (at least in our region of the country), is what I call the feminized-male. Sadly, many South Africans have believed the lie of feminism, in both its secular and evangelical forms. The result is a generation of males who have been bull-whipped into submission and passivity by the denizens egalitarianism. This has framed the current culture in South Africa, which of course evidences itself in the church at large. So it is in this atmosphere that we seek to begin molding servent-leaders for Christ and His Church here.

On a more personal note, all of the Christophers are doing well by God's grace: Janelle is finishing up grade 5 and has really blossomed in the new school this year. As she settled in, her grades steadily improved. She has enjoyed partaking in the extra-curricular activities of piano, pottery, and drama this year. She is also interested in teaching Sunday School, but we have tried to persuade her to wait a bit on that, without dampening her enthusiasm for such pursuits in the future.

Micaiah, who is in grade 2, is beginning to live up to the character of his name-sake (the prophet in 1 Kings 22). He has been known to tell-it-like-it-is on the playground. With John The Baptist matter-of-factness ,he is fond of telling his friends that evolution is "rubbish" and that Jesus is the only way of salvation! He recently finished his first season of cross-country running, with dad as the assistant coach. He is currently enjoying a bit of spring-time cricket--much to my dismay (It is my personal opinion that cricket was invented by some guys who had far too much time on their hands--hence five day test matches).

Debbie remains busy caring for the rest of us and making sure we don't derail! She works tirelessly behind the scenes at church by helping with admin, counseling, discipling, and leading a group we call "Women Of Hope". She recently took-up swimming as a means of fitness. When she can she likes making decoupage as gifts for others.

As for me, because of ministry, I am pretty boring. I still enjoy slinging my right leg over my trusty two wheeled steed--Titanium Tess. It is a real blessing to be able to pedal around the peninsula of Cape Town breathing in the beautiful coastline. One hasn't lived until they have slalomed downhill through a troop of baboons at 40 miles an hour! It is truly exhilarating, not to mention nerve-racking. Thankfully,like Moses before the Red Sea, they always part and scurry to the side of the road before my arrival.

As we close this overdue epistle, please continue lifting us before the throne of grace. To aid you in your prayers for us here are a few prayer requests:

There are still a number of people who regularly attend LHBC who have yet to be saved. Please pray for their salvation.
There is a potential donor considering helping LHBC get into a building of its own. This decision will be made in the next couple of weeks. What a blessing and boost that would be for the church!
There are three or four new families in the church, we are praying for their growth and their commitment to serving our assembly.
For God's sustaining grace on our family as we wrap-up 2005 and begin 2006.
For the country of South Africa as a whole. We see the political situation imperceptibly going the way the rest of Africa has gone. Corruption in high places , unabated crime levels, and a very grave AIDS situation are all slowly crippling the nation.

As someone once said, "Nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer except that which lies outside the will of God." Your prayers are always greatly appreciated.

Yours For The Master's Use
The Christophers
Mark, Debbie,
Janelle, and Micaiah