BEATON BULLETIN
(September/ October
2015)
Family Life
Lesley and Mika both celebrated their birthdays in September. Birthdays are always
an exciting time in our household, as you might imagine with seven children.
The children also enjoyed a ‘Young Leaders Camp’ at the
lake. It was organized and run by some missionary
friends of ours. Great fun was had by all with
swimming, climbing, abseiling, various games and team
building exercises keeping the children
occupied.
Home-schooling is ticking over rather well, and Lesley is adjusting to
the new dynamic of having an infant along for the ride. Jed is
growing quickly. He just loves the company of his siblings and all
the stimulation that he gets from interacting with them.
Ministry
Lesley has been very busy as we have had a number of guests staying over
and/or visiting with us. It’s not an easy juggling act to keep house,
entertain, cook, home-school, nurse Jed etc…. To complicate matters we
have had problems with the oven as well as
increased power outages. Somehow, by
God’s grace, she seems to be coping. Robbie
bought her a lovely ‘Wonder-Woman’ T-shirt
recently which she unfortunately refuses to wear!?
Robbie is enjoying teaching hermeneutics and preaching. He is encouraged
by the large intake in the first year Diploma class (23 students) at EBCoM , and impressed by their
eagerness to learn. He also visited a church in the Central district
recently to complete the second part of a Leadership Seminar focusing
on the characteristics of a good leader. It is always easier to talk than
to be and do!
Group discussion under a tree
Robbie has also finally finished his second Masters degree. For the
past few years he has investigated the reasons for the continued use
of traditional religious charms with a special focus on the Zambesi
Evangelical churches. The motivation has been to discover a possible
way forward in terms of helping people to find true freedom in Christ. He plans to build on this foundation
by developing a ministry approach to the problem for his PhD (God willing).
Vehicle Trouble
These months have been busy, not least with vehicle problems and repairs. The mini-bus was overheating.
Both radiators had to be removed, taken to Blantyre and cleaned. They were so full of dust, grime and
bushveld grass that no air could pass through them! This, however, was not the main problem. Our
mechanic discovered a leak in the water pump pipe (after some time!). So we had to find and fit a new
one. In addition, and even more of a concern, was the fact that the brakes completely failed while Lesley
was driving (Hope, Jessie and Mika were also in the car). Thankfully, in God’s providence, this happened
on a fairly flat stretch of road. Quite something considering we live on the side of a mountain! The entire
system is undergoing on=going repairs at present.
A few months back we reported that Robbie was using a friend’s vehicle for his ministry purposes. That is,
getting to Blantyre twice a week to teach at the Bible College, and travelling out to Churches for preaching
and teaching engagements. Well, we have encountered a number of problems with this car too! It is also
undergoing repairs as I write!
Prayer Points:
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Give thanks for the safe-keeping of Lesley and children when the car
brakes failed.
Pray that our two vehicles will be adequately repaired and operational
soon.
Keep praying for a suitable, reliable vehicle for Robbie (to purchase).
Thank God for the opportunities our children have had to grow in faith
and character.
Give thanks for the completion of Robbie’s thesis. Pray for
opportunities to publish.
Pray for strength and good health for Lesley as she tackles so many
tasks daily.
Pray for Robbie as he teaches
and preaches the Word
during November.
Give thanks for all those who
so faithfully and generously
support our ministry.
Contact Us:
E-Mail: thebeatons28@hotmail.com
Facebook: RoblesBeaton