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Laban Ministries International Receives 2009 Best of Detroit Award
(click to read the press release)
The plane that will fly us into the bush.
Our goods will be flown to Nkara.
Women's Literacy Center.
Paster Kapem.
Graduates in front of the Bible school building.
Some of the 300 returning graduates who attended the annual reunion at Nkara.
Mama Jean, Pastor Gary's wife, pleading with the students at the Women's Lit Center to pray for a husband instead of settling for just anyone who is wearing pants!
2008 and 2007 graduates of Women's Literacy Center
2008 graduation of men and women finishing Laban Bible Institute, Nkara and Iwungu.
Jim teaching at the March reunion of 450 graduates of LBI.
LABAN MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL
Newsletters
2010
Click to read June, 2010 newsletter (PDF)
Click to read February, 2010 newsletter (PDF)
Click to read January, 2010 newsletter (PDF)
2009
Click to read our 2009 Christmas Letter (PDF)
Click to read November, 2009 newsletter (PDF)
Click to read September, 2009 newsletter (PDF)
Click to read July, 2009 newsletter (PDF)
Click to read May, 2009 newsletter (PDF)
Click to read April, 2009 newsletter (PDF)
Click to read March, 2009 newsletter - 1 of 2 (PDF)
Click to read March, 2009 newsletter - 2 of 2 (PDF)
Click to read February, 2009 newsletter (PDF)
Click to read January, 2009 newsletter (PDF)
2008
Click to read our Christmas, 2008 Prayer Letter (PDF)
Click to read October, 2008 newsletter (PDF)
Click to read September, 2008 newsletter (PDF)
Click to read August, 2008 newsletter (PDF)
Click to read July, 2008 newsletter (PDF)
Click to read May/June, 2008 newsletter (PDF)
Click to read April, 2008 newsletter (PDF)
Click to read March, 2008 newsletter (PDF)
Click to read February, 2008 newsletter (PDF)
Click to read January, 2008 newsletter (PDF)
2007
Click to read December, 2007 newsletter (25K PDF)
Click to read November, 2007 newsletter (25K PDF)
Click to read October, 2007 newsletter (25K PDF)
Click to read August, 2007 newsletter (25K PDF)
Click to read July, 2007 newsletter (25K PDF)
Click to read June, 2007 newsletter (25K PDF)
Click to read May, 2007 newsletter (25K PDF)
Click to read March, 2007 newsletter (25K PDF)
Click to read February, 2007 newsletter (25K PDF)
Click to read January, 2007 newsletter (25K PDF)
2006
Click to read January, 2006 newsletter (25K PDF)
Click to read February, 2006 newsletter (25K PDF)
Click to read March, 2006 newsletter (25K PDF)
Click to read April/May, 2006 newsletter (25K PDF)
Click to read the early June, 2006 newsletter (25K PDF)
Click to read the late June, 2006 newsletter (25K PDF)
Next
On June 2, Jim and Nancy will board United Airlines to Chicago, fly to Washington Dulles, and then board South African Airlines to Johannesburg to overnight. Finally on June 4 we will wing our way to Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Supplies for this long stay are already being sent up country into the bush where we live by truck. Pastor Kanzila has made one trip to take 10 100 kilo propane tanks so we can cook, have hot water (yay!), refrigerate our food, and enjoy our freezer which is my favorite appliance in the house next to the hot water tank. The 12 volt batteries we use every night to plug our fans into are priceless in the bush. We went an entire term in the late seventies without them, which gave mosquitos an open field of attack. Now the little fans provide a constant breeze and not only cool us off, but keep the bugs away.
Next week we will be sending Pastor Kanzila again with 100 lb sacks of flour for the Bible institutes and Women's Lit Center, plus 25 lb sacks of salt, 50 lb. bags of powdered milk, 100 lb bags of sugar, a case of yeast to make all our bread and rolls and pizzas with, and a 200 lb. bag of dried beans plus other heavy items to help with our long stay, including 3 graduation events during our time there.
The goal is to find a truck that will make the 450 mile trek all the way to Kikwit, which is about 60 miles from us, leave our stuff with Kanzila at a depot, send our truck in to load it up, and then send Kanzila back to Kinshasa on a bus. There is actually a bus that travels back and froth from Kinshasa to Kikwit now.
As we speak, Pastor Mboma and Pastor Gary are in Kikwit buying several barrels of diesel and gasoline for the travel needs and work needs for this summer and fall and purchasing goods for the women at the lit center to complete their final trimester of this year. Graduation of our 2 Bible institutes as well as the Women's Reading School will take place during the month of July. Finding a reasonable cow or two plus goats and pigs to prepare for these wonderful feats is very challenging, so we are beginning to pray that the Lord will lead us to some great bargains. Last year 4,000 gathered to celebrate with us. Of course, we didn't feed them all, but with the government officials, students, their wives and families, and our staff, it does total add up to a couple hundred people.
Jim Hulse, Founder of Towers for Jesus will join us in late July to repair the radio transmitter which is completely shut down and tweak the 300' tower that enables us to reach out to a potential audience of 8,000,000 people every day when we are broadcasting. We ask your prayers that a successful repair take place. Since Jim is not able to view first hand what the problem is before he goes all the way to Congo, he is making assumptions after speaking with Pastor Mboma over the phone and by his description of what is going on, Jim is analyzing as best he can what might be wrong.
Another project Nancy would like to see accomplished is the setting up of portable reading centers. If we can get into say 2 villages 3 or 4 times a week where there is great potential and hunger for learning to read, teach the Word of God, and then introduce the basic learning skills plus some fun things like knitting and crocheting and a Book of the Bible or two, our professors assure us that some women will read if we go at it for 12 weeks. Thia excites me to no end, but it won't be easy. Whenever darkness is penetrated and ignorance is replaced with dignity and the light of the Gospel, Satan is on the prowl.
As far as evangelism is concerned, this will be done regularly in nearby locales, but the big thrust for this fall will, God willing, take place the week of September 5, when our music team and pastors will fly all the way to the city of Ilebo. This town of up to 200,000 is stepped in witchcraft and idolatry, voo doo and demonism. One of our graduates, Pastor Ibala, walked, rode his bike, and took a boat over 200 miles to Nkara, our mission campus, to plead with us to come and preach the Gospel and teach the Word of God. So, on September 7, Mission Aviation Fellowship will take our staff there for about 2 to 3 weeks to minister to this center of darkness and despair. We desperately need your prayers for this venture.
There will be many staff meetings, prayer meetings, and who knows what else the Lord will bring our way? We always go knowing it will be adventurous, heartbreaking, rewarding, gratifying, fun, hard work, and worth it all!!
A summer/fall like this entails a lot of funding. Will you ask the Lord how you can help us with fuel for work, fuel for evangelism, fuel for travel on local outreaches, fuel to reach new women through these portable reading centers, food for graduation, food for evangelism, food for evangelism, prepaid phone cards to call home and give updates on face book, twitter, and our blog, paper, pens, pencils, and soap for our Bible school students, and many more needs? You are so instrumental in maintaining this work. We cannot do it without you. We are a team. You are a mighty army who is helping Congo advance with the all powerful Gospel of Jesus Christ. We need more to join that army. Those of you who haven't joined us yet, will you enlist today?
We are blessed to be ambassadors for Christ. We go in His Name and Might. Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord our God is in the midst of us, a Might One to save. He will rejoice over us with joy; He will rest in silent satisfaction and in His love He will be silent and make no mention of past sins. He will exult over you with singing. Amen!
Look for fresh updates on FB, twitter, and labanministries.blogspot.com.
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