May 2017 Newsletter

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings to you in the name of our wonderful Lord Jesus! Nearly seven months have passed since we arrived in Cape Town. If you’ve been following along in our monthly newsletters you know that a lot has happened in that time. In this month’s newsletter we will look back on our prayer requests from our first South African newsletter to see how God has been faithful to us since we arrived here.

Our first prayer request was for protection. God has indeed watched over us and kept us safe from harm. We do ask that you continue to pray for our safety here. Just this past week someone broke into our yard and stole the motor from our gate. This type of petty theft is common here, so please continue to pray that God would watch over us.

Our second request was that God would provide a house for us near the Bible Institute. God once again proved faithful, and with the help of family we were able to secure a loan in Canada that allowed us to purchase an older house within walking distance of BISA. The monthly cost of our mortgage is much less than the cost of renting a house here. By faith I had set our support budget for this year with the lower housing cost, so we are very grateful to God for providing a house that also keeps our support costs as low as possible.

Our third request was that our support needs would be met. Now that the dust has settled we have found that God has once again provided all of our needs, even in relation to extra travel costs as we waited for our FBI background check last year, and for all of our setup costs in South Africa. We are thankful for everyone for their generous gifts in support of our ministry. At the moment our ongoing needs are being met, but we do have a shortfall of approximately $7,500 in our ministry account.

Our fourth request was for my ministry at the Bible Institute. After about six months of ministry I can report that God has indeed blessed my ministry there. I have been able to make many changes to improve how we serve our students, and I am working together with my colleagues to see that more is done, and all of this for the glory of God.

Our fifth request was for Kristina as she cares for our family. As many of you know, Kristina does not like change, so the past year and a half has been a bit difficult and unsettling for her. But just a few days ago she told me that she was really starting to feel at home here. Over the past few weeks we have had the privilege of hosting quite a few different BISA colleagues and students, SIM missionaries, and church families at our home for meals, so I know Kristina is starting to feel at home here. That is indeed an answer to your prayers.

Our sixth request was for Anna, Sarah, and Katie’s studies. At this point Anna’s future studies are still uncertain. Anna has just finished up her second year of studies by distance from Memorial University of Newfoundland. However, the remainder of her programme is not offered by distance. She would have to return to Newfoundland in order to continue there, or transfer to a college in South Africa. The Bible Institute may be an option for her, but only after we are granted accreditation. So we continue to wait and hope that God will guide us as to how Anna should proceed. Sarah and Katie are still doing well in home-schooling despite starting the school year in  St. John’s and moving house three times since then.

Our seventh request was that God would provide a job for John. God has graciously answered our prayers. Today he starts a new job with a local company, Johnson Insurance. So we give thanks for this answered prayer.

As you can see, God has indeed provided all of our needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19)!

Blessings in Christ,

Tim & Kristina Churchill