The Rouch Family in Zambia

July/Aug/Sept 2004

Dear Pastor and Church,

FAMILY

The beauty of the violet blooms on the Jacaranda trees also mark the coming of heat this time of year. Windows are open and fans are all going full speed. Other than the heat, the Rouches are all doing very well. Taylor finished 8th grade, and Tressa and I are enjoying three weeks of catch up time away from Bible Institute.

We're excited to announce that we now have a presence on the Internet at http://baptistinfo.com/missions/rouch/index.shtml with our current slide show presentation of the ministries here in Zambia and our current prayer letter. We're in the process of putting together our furlough travel schedule to begin in August 2005, so if you'd like to have us report to your church while we're home, please write us an e-mail soon so we can be sure to add you to our schedule.

NORTHERN PROVINCE CHURCHES

During August, we traveled to the Northern Province to help with the building of a temporary structure for Central Baptist Church in Kasama. What a blessing! Pastor Chitondo is leading one church in the city and one in the village. These people are really workers and soul-winners! We had the privilege on Friday of helping Central Baptist Church work on the slab structure they are using as a temporary building. Saturday was visitation, soul-winning (6 saved) and Bible study. Sunday morning we met in the new structure only partially completed and in the afternoon we went to the village work. Twenty-eight souls accepted Christ as Savior - two of which were elderly ladies - one age 79 and the other age 86! This was a very special blessing due to the fact that the average age for a man in Zambia is 45 and a woman is 47. The following week Pastor Chitondo told us the 86 year old lady came to him and said, "Pastor, I have lived a long life and have always feared death, but now I know Jesus has washed me clean and I will soon to go Heaven - I fear death no more!" The 8-hour drive back home to Ndola was with much rejoicing!

PLOTS/BUILDINGS

The Lord knows what is needed for His churches here. We are still praying and asking the Lord for His will concerning the purchase of plots for churches, and our major part of the building expense, which is the roof. In most cases (except an in-town work), the churches are ready to make and burn their own bricks and build their own building. We are usually faced with helping them with the purchase of a plot, cement for a floor and footing, and the roof. City works are more demanding for the people due to city codes requiring cement blocks. The people are willing to sit on horizontal poles if necessary for benches. Would you please pray seriously about helping us. The pastors are getting temporary permits for wood slab structures because school rooms are too small. But even this temporary structure built with grass and plastic sheet roofs generally costs about $300. At present we have 8 churches in different locations who are facing the monsoon rainy season at the end of October, and they have no permanent structure to use for worship. We are not asking you to help us do it all for them. We are asking you to consider sacrificing with us to help those who are genuinely doing all they can do to build a worship place and reach their area for the Lord. Following are some priority needs:

$3,840 needed - plot & church building - Victory Bible Baptist Church, Livingstone/Southern Province
$4,000 needed - plot & church building - Grace Baptist Church, Solwezi/Northwestern Province
$4,000 needed - church building - Central Baptist Church, Kasama/Northern Province
$12,000 needed good second-hand vehicle for the Rouch Family

THANK YOU!!

Each month, we look at our financial report and are reminded once again how solid and faithful our supporting churches and friends are. We know you pray for us and the precious souls of the Zambian people. God bless you and thank you for faithfully co-laboring with us.

Partners in His Harvest,
Brother Charlie, Tressa & Taylor
crnzam@coppernet.zm