Monthly Archives: May 2012

Youth Camp 2012

by Rachel

The Floreen family got to participate in our 4th Youth Camp this month.  We love these camps!  We had 14 youth this time, and tackled a complicated and confusing subject for teens: dating.  The youth leadership had all been getting questions from different students about this topic, so we decided to give an overview of what the Bible says about relationships.

Kellen Teaching

For the first time, we were at camp and Matt wasn’t the main speaker.  We had the opportunity to hear our friend Kellen Hiroto teach, and we really enjoyed – not just the break from teaching – but an excellent time of seeing what God’s Word says about relationships.

Charlotte with guitar

We also enjoyed the times of music and worship, as well as games, bonfires, and swimming with the youth.  We didn’t know if we’d get to swim in the lake this camp, because this guy showed up on our beach:

Youth camp crocodile

Yep, that’s a crocodile.  About 3-4 years old, and about 4 feet long.  He’d been hanging around the Wheelhouse beach for a few days, so they had put out two large traps for him and hung dead chickens as bait.  The students arrived for camp Saturday afternoon, and the croc was caught Sunday morning – so we all got to go swimming!

Youth at table

It was a great camp.  We’re so thankful for these youth and for the desire of so many of them to follow the Lord in all ways.

Looking forward to the next youth camp!

Matt and the Constable

by Rachel

We’re in the midst of May madness around here.  School’s about to finish for the “summer,” wedding season is starting up, and around here friends are getting ready to move or go on furlough so there are lots of good-byes.  But I couldn’t help stopping for a few minutes to post this one fun picture of Matt.  It was his birthday, and we were passing by as a friend – who will remain nameless – was getting a speeding ticket.  In fairness to our very good friend – still nameless – his clutch went out and he could only drive in 3rd gear.  But as we stopped, Brian Nameless thought it would be fun to get a picture of Matt and the constable.  =)

Best Friends

by Rachel

Abi’s best friend is named Nam-Nam.  Well, if you ask her, that’s what she’ll tell you!  Yami is the son of our good friends Becca and Kellen Hiroto, fellow missionaries here in Malawi.  Just over a week ago they officially adopted Yami into their family, after fostering him for 5 months.  We are SO excited for the Hiroto family!  Yay Nam-Nam!

Maula Prison

by Rachel

One of the weekly ministries of International Bible Fellowship Church is coordinating a church service at Maula Prison. Charles Msukwa, an IBF church member who was saved in prison years ago, heads up this ministry.  Charles knows first hand what these men need – they need Christ.  God has blessed Charles with a servant’s heart and the gift of evangelism and compassion.

Charles ands AletaCharles with his wife, Ellita, at the IBF Christmas Party

Preaching is central to this ministry, but there are also other ways IBF ministers to the men and women of Maula Prison.  We have collected school materials for them, have made sure they have clothes and transport money when they are released, and for those who have been regularly attending, we write a letter for the inmates to take as they make an effort to rejoin their home church.

Matt, Brian Biedebach, and many other men from our church have gone to the prison with Charles to preach.  It is such a great opportunity that we couldn’t let the FBC team go home without going to prison first!  So we sent them off to spend their last morning with Charles at Maula Prison.

Jon Buck had the opportunity to preach while Charles translated for him:

 

We’d appreciate your prayers for this ministry of the church – for Charles as he coordinates, for more men in the church to come alongside Charles in this ministry, and for the prisoners, that they would come to know Christ and to grow in their faith.