We are still awaiting the proof copies of the next book. It seems that the brother who is bringing them took a side trip on his way here. He left Oklahoma over a week ago but is not expected to arrive in Eswatini for almost another week. So, we have not yet been able to see the books and approve publication. But The Climax of God’s Mission, Volume two should be published very soon.
Timbutini
We have informed the Timbutini congregation that we will no longer meet with them every week. Instead, we will just visit them occasionally – perhaps once per month. We hope that this will help them to develop stronger leadership. It will allow us some time to visit other congregations, to see if our help may be needed elsewhere.
It will also help us conserve fuel. The dollar has fallen against the Emalangeni over the last couple of years. In 2023-2024 we were receiving 18 Emalangeni for each dollar. This month it was only 16.1 Emalangeni for a dollar. Meanwhile fuel for our car and electricity have both risen sharply. So, the savings on travel to worship, although undertaken for different reasons, will help financially.
This Sunday the leadership at Timbutini will inform the congregation of new rules for receiving food assistance. From now on, those receiving assistance must put in some work either at the church building or on the land owned by the church. Either help with cleaning the building, or help to grow some food, or there will be no food assistance. Those who are elderly and unable to work are encouraged to send a member of their family to put in some work each month before receiving any assistance. “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat” (2 Thess 3:10).
The local leaders came up on this plan on their own. They showed it to us before announcing it to the congregation, but it was totally their decision. We are proud of the stance they have taken.
Zambia in September
Plans for travelling to Zambia in September are still sketchy, but we hope they can be completed this month. Thayer will get another blood test soon, to make sure his iron saturation is returning to normal. If that checks out okay, and if the leadership of the education and the nursing schools communicate with us about what they need, we will probably be heading that direction about the middle of September.
Current writing projects
Chery continues to make steady progress on more appropriate children’s material. Thayer covered four more psalms this past week in the series that is appearing in The Gospel Herald, and which will become a book once the series is complete. Progress on developing more evangelistic material has been slow, but at least there has been some development.
Yet another need for literature came to mind two weeks ago, and we immediately began working on it. Many of you have noted, we suspect, that Lord’s Supper talks tend to be too predictable. The situation is worse here. One might as well just turn to 1 Corinthians 11 every Sunday. Only rarely is Matthew 26 used instead. In most congregations, one would think that those were the only two passages in the whole Bible that could be used to prepare our minds for the Supper.
Instead of bemoaning that neglect, Thayer will be writing a series of sample Lord’s Supper devotionals – based on passages drawn from all parts of scripture. Brother Maseko will then translate these into SiSwati so that they can be used even in places where English is little known. Two Lord’s Supper devotionals drawn from Genesis are ready in English, and one of these has already been translated.
Prayer request
This is being written on July 4, which is one of the occasions when the loneliness bug tends to bite missionaries. We love the work we are doing, but it is sometimes sad to be so far from family and old friends.
African Textbook Ministry, %Church of Christ, 5130 Flanders Road, Toledo, OH 43623