SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST

MISSION OF MALAWI

PO BOX 60150 BT. 6 BLANTYRE MALAWI AFRICA

TEL. 265-999-741-007 or 265-888-751140 (mobile)

Missionary / Evangelist:  Peter A. Halliman

Email: phalliman@africa-online.net / or brothersinthebush@yahoo.com

Website:  sgbm-malawi-africa.com

Date:         01/01/2011

Dear Church, Pastor, and Supporters;

I greet each of you in Jesus’ Name, “Ac 4:12 And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved.”

Our LORD and SAVIOUR has been pleased to see us through another year, and prospered us to enter into a new year of our lives, but not being (new) to HIM.  

I would like to take a few moments of your time as a reader, supporter, or not… to share with you the events both bad and good, the blessings as well as the disappointments, the hindrances as well as the advancements, the heartaches as well as the joys of this (Great Work) which the LORD hath made us a part of.  I have often said and continue to say, this work… may appear to many as “Peter Halliman’s work”, however the Author is the LORD – “Ps 127:1 ¶  Except Jehovah build the house, They labor in vain that build it: Except Jehovah keep the city, The watchman waketh but in vain.”

Satan has tried numerous times to destroy this work, and many times would have, humanly speaking, had it been the work of (Peter A. Halliman); however seeing that it belongeth to Jehovah, (Satan, Evil Spirits, or Man) cannot frustrate HIS will for HIS people.

I want to personally thank each of you who have continued to faithfully support this work with the means by which God has so ordered.  Others support with their prayers and this is needed and appreciated, however God is not in the business of supplying our needs through prayers only… meaning, there is a physical substance which we humans require to sustain ourselves, i.e., food, clothing, housing,  (Mt 22:21) They say unto him, Caesar's.  Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.  

There is one lesson that I learned from Elder Fred T. Halliman that [if indeed it’s the LORD’S work] then no matter how much, or how little financial support comes in, the [work] will continue, and will prosper.  The work here in Malawi is prospering and I am thankful to be a part of it.

I like what John the Baptist said to the Religious critics of his day – “Mt 3:9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.”

We all can submit ourselves to be used of the LORD in HIS WORK, or the LORD will rise up even the stones to be HIS children and to accomplish HIS will.  I would like to think that one-day as I stand before my LORD that I will be able to say “I was willing”.

We each will answer for the things done in this body whether good or evil…(2Co 5:10) “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”

January – February 2010

These months being in the rainy season here in Malawi, and most of the people are engaged in their farming of maize the staple diet here in Malawi as well as most countries in Africa.  This usually is a time of the year that I concentrate on Evangelism and simply pure Mission work.  Most Missionaries, who come and reside here, will refrain from going out of town due to the fact of the road conditions and the effort which is required to reach those points.  That being said, I have never differentiated between the dry or rainy season to engage in my mission work.  God did not call me to sit in the house and wait for the rains to cease, further to this, I am not aware that “preaching the Gospel” is dependent upon the seasons or climatic conditions.

Since most places in Malawi I can reach by driving, spend a day in services and then return to my home, I usually do not organize for an expedition of such proportion as I do when going to Mozambique.

During these two months I was engaged in different trips to Mozambique, the one side as I have explained before is to the East boarder of Mulanje and I cross into Mozambique driving for the next eight hours to reach the furthest point and then start working my way back.  

I had organized for a seven-day trip, and did in fact spend the entirety of our time with the churches which we set out to visit.

At one point in the journey we had been travelling all morning to reach a certain church and in the way, the road (which was nothing more then a sand bar with a stream running underneath) of which the vehicle sank beneath its own weight.  With the recovery gear that I carry, chains, ropes, D-shackles, geared-pulleys, etc…  I also carry boards, jacks of different sizes and capacities – we began to rig up a recovery point from a tree stump located in a garden some thirty meters away.  As the winch was engaged in cooperation with the vehicle pulling, instead of being pulled out, the vehicle continued to sink and the process of the winch pulling simply pulled the vehicle deeper into the marsh where we were buried.  Folks those of you (mostly men) who may read this and have been out hunting, or driving in mud for FUN) as though it were and think you have been stuck, you need to purchase a ticket and fly to Africa arriving here in the rainy season and travel with me to these far and distant places in order that we might (preach the Gospel) to some lost soul… and in so doing spend the next ten hours getting [unstuck], this was without breakfast that morning, we had not had lunch, and it was now night and we had no time for dinner.

Edwin and I were tired, weary, our clothes muddy, it was very hot and humid, and we had lost our sense of humor.  After having worked all day getting the vehicle unstuck, it being late in the evening we spent the rest of the evening hours in the vehicle waiting for daylight.  Allow me to explain the conditions; being the rainy season, the humidity factor is 100% the heat index is usually around 120 dg.  F and the mosquitoes are swarming by the thousands.  Therefore you do not sit in the vehicle with the windows down, and with the windows shut, the cabin air soon is begging for fresh oxygen.

I have over the years had different people accompany me on my missionary journeys and its always interesting to me how uncomfortable conditions in a unfamiliar environment will bring out the real character of people, many times even [unbecoming of a Christian].  

Allow me to digress a moment to comment on observations I have been able to make over the years…  [Having a good nights sleep in your own bed, with climate control, rising to eat a breakfast, having your coffee or tea, taking a long hot shower without consideration for the amount of water running down the tubes, dressing up with your favorite suite, or dress looking so presentable, taking your Bible which has stayed all week where you last put it, and driving to church in a clean, comfortable vehicle on good tarred roads, with the air-con on, and in less then thirty minutes you at the church house, where you go seat yourself in your favorite (seat) sing a few songs, hear a thirty minute message and then, you have had a good Sunday]

That night passed, with no sleep and the next day was a full day with two services and the folks were [just plain excited] that we were there, no one complained and as I mediated upon these moments thinking how our LORD left it all and gave it all for just (me), that in some small way I could endure some passing discomforts for HIM.  

For the next several days I visited and preached at six different churches all remotely removed from the other, with each area providing its own challenges to reach.  

There is a tremendous amount of [witchcraft] in this area of Mozambique and the Natives are steeped in this Satanic form of worship.  They fear the Witchdoctor more then many of them fear God.  Even when folks are born again by the H.S. it takes years to teach this out of them, that is part of the commission and for me I have found the hardest part of the commission.

After our seven-day mission trip into Mozambique we were ready to return home.  The drive home always seems shorter then the drive there, perhaps because I know that I am going back to my house, as good or bad as it may be, even without plumbing, but with electric it is still my home and I still have my bed with a clean room to take a [bucket bath].  

Most of January and February was consumed by mission trips into Mozambique, and once we return to the Mission station, we then are engaged in the task of washing, cleaning and sorting out the camping equipment, which takes at least a couple days to complete.

Only Heaven will revel the true effect of these mission trips and the effort which has been used to go preach the Gospel to a lost soul.  I do know that Solomon wrote (Pr 11:30) “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; And he that is wise winneth souls.”

To be continued…