The Rouch Family in Zambia

May/June 2005

Dear Pastor and Church,

Pastor’s Training

It was a blessing this month when the senior pastors representing each Province traveled to Ndola to meet with us for 2 days of praying, projections, and planning concerning starting more churches and training more pastors. We all rejoiced as another large step was taken toward the training of men for ministry in this country! The time has finally come and the Lord has given us the format! Now our churches in each major city of each Province will officially open its own “Lighthouse Bible Baptist Institute” in Jan, 06! In short... there will be little LBBI’s all over the country - same course/same month/more subjects in less time/less time till graduation/more time to teams (missionary and students) to plant more churches and win more souls - thus putting the classroom to real life.

Space permits only individual brief reports before furlough. The senior pastors are doing much better at reporting to us as they learn to use the internet cafés. The computer is still very intimidating to most of them, but they are learning. We are proud of them for trying so hard - even though they “kick and scream” a bit!

New Mission Property

For the past several months we have been working on mission property that we have relocated to. It does not belong to Lighthouse, but we are in the process of turning it into a “working mission station” and eventually adding property to it that will belong to Lighthouse. It is here that the Bible Institute has moved after being in a rented building down-town Ndola for 10 years. On this property the students earn their Bible training by working the place to produce an income. At present Lighthouse Bible Baptist Institute, Ndola can house 25 men training for ministry. The house has been turned into a Bible Institute, library, offices, and printing facility; other buildings into dorms, a modified shop into a hanger for the plane, and other facilities for creating the income. Much work has gone into this in the past few months and for sure the men have “earned their keep”! The GOAL... to see LBBOZ eventually operated by and supported by Zambians, by producing income needed to help Zambian churches build their own buildings and operate their own Bible Institutes - training more men for ministry throughout Zambia and beyond our own borders.

Quiet Moments with Godfrey

May I introduce you to Godfrey. He is a kind older gentleman who works as a guard at Taylor’s school. When I first met Godfrey he asked me for a Bible. After briefly talking to him about the Lord he asked me if I would visit him at his home sometime. After several attempts to make that happen, I saw him on a Saturday morning and said “Godfrey, if you will be home today, this is the day!" He accepted, so that evening I made my way to the compound where he lives. We talked for a while and he introduced me to his wife and children (all 8 of them). As the sun began to set I realized that they had no electricity in this house. As I began to journey with Godfrey through the Scriptures. It wasn’t long before he said “Preacha, I can’t see the words anymore”. . . . so . . . . we went outside and sat in front of the tiny house on little stools trying to capture the final rays of the suns light and talked about the Lord as the sun disappeared. Godfrey had many questions. Having always been a Catholic and raising his family the same, this Bible doctrine was not quickly accepted. Soon these missionary eyes could no longer see to read either. It wasn’t long before the darkness of night became so strong that I could not see Godfrey at all and I began to quote verses of Scripture as if I were all alone with the Lord. After what seemed a long time of silence (I wondered if he had gone to sleep) he began to speak. The black of night could not silence his voice or my hearing as he began to pray the best way he knew, calling upon the Lord to save his soul. Isn’t God good!? In all that is done here, absolutely nothing comes close to this. It is not about buildings, properties, great numbers, airplanes, or writing missionary letters... all these are wonderful and for sure have their place, but none can compare to the rich quiet moments like the ones with Godfrey! Now I have the privilege of helping him grow in the Lord!

Our next letter will be from Stateside. Please feel free to contact us if you would like for us to report while on furlough. We appreciate you all so very much for your faithful prayer and financial support to us and this ministry. God bless you!

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