Author Archives: The Coffeys

Christmas Camp Coming Soon

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Please be in prayer for our Summer youth camp coming up December 12-16.  Most of you don’t put Summer and Christmas and Youth Camp together, but on this side of the world, that’s how we do it:)

We are planning on having more than 100 people this year for camp.  Please pray that hearts will be changed and souls will be saved.  Also pray we will be able to raise the needed funds to offset the price for the young people.  We try to get camp as inexpensive for them as we can.  Right now we charge them around $15 per camper, but in order to do that we need to raise about $1000 from our family, as the other missionaries working with us are trying to do the same.

For those that are interested in helping with camp AND with getting a Christmas ornament decorated by one of our young campers, click here to see our ChristmasCamp.org website.

The Coffey Family September 2016 Prayer Letter

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Prayer Request

  • For more souls to be saved
  • Visa Renewals for my Children- All visas have been resubmitted and we’re hoping they will be granted without a problem.
  • Pray especially for my daughter Addi’s visa.  We were told by her primary school that if it’s not received, she will be dismissed from the school. 
  • Wisdom in going forward with our idea to start a Camp & Retreat Center
  • My son Chase’s knee is still not well and it looks like it will require surgery to heal.

6 people were baptized this month and one more is planning on getting baptized this coming Sunday at New Life Baptist Church.  Our discipleship meetings have been bearing fruit with souls saved and new believers growing in their faith.   

It’s been encouraging to see the growth in the church.  Last week during our celebration for Heritage Day we had a full house.  Our people took ownership of this special meeting and did a really great job getting the word out.   

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With only two month left before we return to the states for furlough, there is much to do.  Please pray the church continues maturing and pray for Pastor Sipho Bonga as he will be taking on all responsibilities without me. 

In the next couple of weeks we are hoping to start a new Bible study in a different part of our area where a new church is needed.  For now, we only plan to have two meetings there a week, but we believe we’ll have a church going there very soon.  Also an older man who was recently saved is wanting us to use his house to start Bible studies so he can invite his friends and neighbors. Those meetings start this Saturday so please pray we see folks saved.

More Highlights

  • Our plan is to start furlough in December.  If you’re interested in having us report back or present our ministry, please let me know. 
  • 2 saved and 6 baptized this past month
  • Our Generation 2016 Summit is taking place at Lake Lanier Islands in North Georgia December 29th-31st.  We look forward to seeing you there if you can make it.  Sign up now. 

Needs 

  • Meetings in New Churches during our furlough in 2017

The Coffey Family August 2016 Prayer Letter

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Prayer Request

  • For more souls to be saved
  • Visa Renewals for my Children- All visas have been resubmitted and we’re hoping they will be granted without a problem.
  • Pray especially for my daughter Addi’s visa.  We were told by her primary school that if it’s not received, she will be dismissed from the school. 
  • Wisdom in going forward with our idea to start a Camp & Retreat Center
  • My son Chase is having problems with his knee that may require surgery.

This week started out great when I had an opportunity to lead a 57 year old man to the Lord after Pastor Sipho preached on Sunday morning.  It got even better when, I was able to lead a 23 year old man to Lord during Thursday evening Discipleship.  Please pray that we can see many more saved in the next few months before our return to the states.   

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August has been a very busy month.  We hosted a group of 14 from Bath Baptist Church in Bath, Michigan for 12 days which we had a great time with, and also started up the Bible Institute again. 

In the Bible Institute there were 16 in class last week from all the churches.  In January, our plan is to start classes in each church. We wanted all the pastors to meet at one church this semester to learn the layout and scheduling so they could help guide it properly in their own church next semester.  I really believe we will see great growth in the coming years through this ministry. 

Please be in prayer for our plans to start a youth camp and retreat center when we return from furlough.  We believe this would be a great help in seeing more young people trained and more churches started in all of South Africa.  This will be a ministry that will run year round, and give us the ability to impact South Africans as well as recruit students from the US to get more involved in missions.

More Highlights

  • Our plan is to start furlough in December.  If you’re interested in having us report back or present our ministry, please let me know. 
  • More than 10 trusted Christ while the group from Bath Baptist Church ministered during their 12 day trip.
  • Amy and I received our new visas this past month, but we’re still waiting on our children’s.      

Needs 

  • Meetings in New Churches during our furlough in 2017

Coffey Update After Trip To Thailand

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This past week my oldest son Tyler and I were able to make a trip to Bangkok, Thailand to visit missionaries Phillip and Lori Bassham, and also see my Pastor and his wife, Bro. Austin and Mrs. Betty, as they were visiting there as well.

I jokingly told Tyler that if he’s not going to be a missionary to South Africa, it would be good if he could pick Thailand or India to work in, because the plane tickets are so inexpensive from South Africa.  This was Tyler’s Senior Missions trip.  He graduates High School in December and will begin training for missions at the Our Generation Training Center in January.  My goal is to take each of my children on mission trips before they leave the house, and this was a great last minute opportunity for the both of us.

I was hoping to have Tyler return after college to work with us in South Africa, but it looks like the Lord may be leading him to Thailand.  Truthfully after seeing the need and lack of laborers, there’s a part of me that would love to work in Thailand as well.  Please pray for Tyler as he goes in the direction of being a missionary to Thailand.

We had a tremendous trip with the Bassham’s and was able to glean a ton from our pastor’s wisdom as he tried to help Phillip make decisions for future ministry in Bangkok.

During our stay, we were able to help with the English classes the Bassham’s were having at their new church, as a way to make contacts.  We were there for three of their evening classes and made some good friends.  I had 3 people I met in class come to church Sunday morning for their first time.  I’m not sure, but I would imagine it was the first time they ever heard the Gospel.   Please pray for their salvation.

Please pray for more laborers for Thailand.  Pray that even from South Africa, our team of pastors and missionaries can make an impact in that great country.

 

Coffey Family June 2016 Prayer Letter

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We want to thank all of you who have played a part in our ministry here in South Africa.  Because of your prayers and financial support, we have been able to learn and minister in this great country for over 3 years now.  Time has passed so quickly.  So much more needs to be done, and we are excited about our future here in South Africa.  This December, we will be taking our first furlough and look forward to reporting back to all of you of what has happened and what is to come. 

I am booking for December 2016 and all of 2017 now and hope to have my schedule fully booked before we return to the states.  If you would like to have us in please let me know.  I plan on calling and emailing all of my supporting pastors, but if you want to go ahead and contact me that would be great.

We are also hoping to get contacts of other pastors in your area that may be interested in having us present our ministry in their church so we can raise extra support for ministry.

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Prayer Request

  • Visa Renewals for my family- All visas have been resubmitted and we’re hoping they will be granted without a problem.
  • For more souls to be saved
  • Visiting group from Michigan will be here in August.  Pray this trip will impact their lives greatly.
  • Wisdom in going forward with our idea to start a Camp & Retreat Center

More Highlights

  • We had around 100 young people attend our Youth Day Conference this month 
  • My Brother-in-law Trent Cornwell and his wife Stephanie visited for two weeks.  Trent is also the Asst. Pastor of our home church.  He did a great job preaching and challenging us and our people. 
  • We had several new teens come to our soccer tournament and all of them came back for at least one church service.  We are praying for their salvation.

Needs 

  • Meetings in New Churches during our furlough 2017
  • Funds to finish Wells Estate Baptist Church building

May 2016 Coffey Family Prayer Letter

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Prayer Request

  • Visa Renewals for my family-  Our daughter Addison’s visa was denied this month and our other children’s visas were only extended to July.  We don’t see it being a major problem, but it will take a bit more time and money.
  • Upcoming Soccer tournament May 28th- The outreach is geared at sharing the Gospel with new teens. 
  • Tract Distribution- We’re praying to see more come to church & Christ through these efforts. 

Things at New Life are going well.  We haven’t seen many saved this month, but we’ve been having good services and training sessions.  We are working at building a stronger core at the church that will be able to help when we leave for our furlough in December, which is only 6 months away.  Please pray our evangelistic efforts will be more fruitful this coming month.

We are thankful for those that have helped finish the basement project.  We now have two larger rooms that will be used for teens and children ministries.  The young people have really enjoyed the new space. 

The building at Wells Estate Baptist has temporarily stopped.  We had enough funds to finish the outside but were unable to continue with the electrical and plumbing.  We’re hoping to be able to finish in June so the church can move into their new facility.

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We have stopped our Saturday meeting in Jeffery’s Bay at the moment.  The family we were working with has been able to get transportation to attend all the services in PE now, so the push to start something new in that area isn’t as pressing.  With only six months left, we decided starting a new ministry in that area may be best when we return from furlough.

More Highlights

  • Kevin and Corli Hall are back in SA now and have taken over at Grace Baptist Church.  Our family will be helping at this church as well on Sunday evenings and with the Bible Institute. 
  • Missionaries Stephen and Ashely Underwood are coming to the end of their deputation.  Pray the rest of their support comes in.

Needs 

  • Approx. $1500 to finish the electrical and plumbing of Wells Estate’s new auditorium.
  • Electric Piano- $400

The Coffey Family April 2016 Prayer Letter

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Prayer Request

  • New Saturday service started in Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa- Saturday Bible Club
  • The Kevin and Corli Hall family-  They return from furlough at the end of this month.

Needs 

  • $1000 to complete the basement area for New Life Baptist Church.  The only thing that lacks is the electrical work. 
  • Approx. $1500 for the inside of Wells Estate’s new auditorium.
  • $500 for printing tracks and booklets

The Friday before Easter, aka “Good Friday”, was a big day at New Life.  We had a special 10:00 am combined service with Soweto Baptist Church.  It was the largest attended service in the one-year history of our church.  Around 50 people came from Soweto and about 100 people came from our community.  We praise the Lord  for the two people who trusted Christ, and for the three new adults who have been coming to all the services since.    

The basement project for New Life Baptist is almost complete.  The only thing we lack is the electrical work and decorating.  Even without lights, the children were thrilled to start using the room, and the adults were  also pretty grateful not having the kids in the next room:)            

Our new building for Wells Estate Baptist Church is finished on the outside, but quite a bit of work needs to be done on the inside.  We are hoping the funds come in this next month so we can completely finish this project.  The church is growing and we’re happy about the new location that comes with a lot of growing room.

Wells Estate Baptist Church’s New Location

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The building for Wells Estates is coming along nicely.  The slab and post for the main structure are up, and I heard a lot of the main structure was put up yesterday, but unfortunately, I don’t have pictures of that yet.  We are still short on being able to purchase all the metal sheeting for the outer walls and roof and the 6 windows that are needed.  We are praying that comes in this week so we will be able to finish the building before the end of March.  Thank you very much for all the prayers and finances given.

 

Coffey Family March 2016 Prayer Letter

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Since the start of our Friday youth meetings this year we’ve seen several young people make professions of faith.  We’ve also had a few adults this past month trust Christ as well during our main services.  We praise the Lord for those who have been changed by the truth of the Gospel.

This past Saturday we started having a Saturday service in a city called Jeffery’s Bay about 45 minutes outside of Port Elizabeth.  Jeffrey’s Bay has around 30,000 people and a family who lives there asked us to start having services.  We’re working with this family in the hopes that a new church can be started in the next few months.  Pray the Lord opens doors and gives us wisdom in the coming days.

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We are in need of more space for both the children’s and teen’s ministries right now.  Finishing our basement is one of the top priorities.  Several new boys from 9-12 years old have started coming faithfully, we just need a better place to teach them.  For children’s church, we have about 20 kids crammed into an small room.  We really don’t have room for any more.  This room is also right next to our main auditorium which has been causing some noise problems.        

Prayer Request

  • New Saturday service started in Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa.
  • Youth Meetings and Discipleship classes going on at New Life   

More Highlights

  • Josh & Meagan Sullivan, our teammates on deputation, just had their third baby, Silas Elliot.   
  • Jeremy & Bekah Hall are doing a great job at Soweto Baptist Church.  They’ve had a high day this month of 90 people.  Their new building looks terrific.
  • Pastor Babalo and Wells Estate Baptist Church are growing and doing very well.  We finally have a piece of property (pictured below) for the church and need to have a structure built on the property by the end of March in order to comply with the community requirements for designated church property.  Pray we can get all the money raise and labor completed in time.

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Needs 

  • $2500 to complete the basement area for New Life Baptist Church.  This would almost double our meeting space. 
  • Approx. $4500 for Wells Estate’s auditorium on their new land. This would include the slab and a 12m x 15m building.

 

Coffey Family February 2016 Prayer Letter

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Prayer Request

  • New Church Plant in Soweto and my cousin, Jeremy Hall, as he leads the church-  All the money needed for his new church building came in.  The building is almost finished and looks terrific.  The last two Sundays, they’ve had around 80 people.  The building is filling up quickly.
  • All our kids have started at new schools this year.  Pray for them as they get accustomed to the new way of doing things. 
  • 3 South African Pastors we work with, and for more young men to give their lives. 

Needs 

  • $500 for printer and paper for Gospel tracts and Bible Institute Booklets

4 adults trusted Christ as their Savior our very first Sunday of 2016. Two of them were family members of some of our church people.  We are continuing to pass out hundreds of Gospel tracts and invitations each week.  Please pray for more souls to be saved.    

It’s hard to believe January is already gone.  We are hoping to see great spiritual and numerical growth at New Life this year.  Our plans are to take our furlough in December, and the pressure is on to get things set before the end of the year.  I wish we could slow down time a bit. 

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Pastor Sipho and his family are doing well.  We also have three key young men that have been very faithfu and working hard to help us in the ministry.  Each of them  play a part in each service, and are actively involved in going door to door.  As a team, we are hoping to see a lot more discipleship groups set up soon.  We want to get as many plugged in as possible to make sure they grow in their faith. 

Please be praying for our Friday youth meeting that we started back up since our summer break.  This meeting draws much more young people than our traditional services and we hope to see many come to Christ.  Several have already showed a lot of interest in making salvation decisions.

More Highlights

  • One of our young men have started piano lessons.  This is the start of the training for a better music ministry.  We have a long way to go, to say the least. 
  • This week Holly Pearson, a young lady from our home church, will be visiting.  She’s been part of the great support team back in the states. We’re very grateful for people like her who have stayed connected with our ministry here.