Category Archives: Africa Missions

October 2022 Coffey Family Prayer Letter

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Prayer Requests  & Praise  

  • 10 Young People made professions of faith during a Soccer tournament this past week held at Camp Rhino. This event was organized by 3 of our Bible college students.  They promoted the event and also did all the preaching.  It was neat to see them in action. 
  • Close to 300 people made professions of faith during our medical clinic with Medical Missions Outreach.  We saw over 2,000 patients during the 5-day clinic with most of them hearing a presentation of the Gospel.  MMO has been a great blessing to our churches. 
  • A new teenager is entering the Africa Youth Home this week.  Pray for us during the transition.  He’s the first new teen we’ve added since buying the new property for the youth home. Also, pray as we are still in search of house parents for the boy’s and the girl’s homes.

Quick Updates

  • We have decided to hold off on starting a new church until after our short furlough in 2023.  We’ll be back in the States to help our oldest son get settled and also for the VBM Annual Orientation.  We will continue our focus on helping Lighthouse Baptist Church until then. 
  • My cousin Jeremy started Bay Baptist Academy Primary School last year.  The Lord has opened doors for us to purchase property right across the street from the primary school to start the High School.  Pray we can raise the $68,000 in less than 60 days.  It’s been exciting seeing the school in action this past year and I know it’s going to be even better with the addition of the high school. Jeremy and his wife Bekah have done a tremendous job with this ministry. 

This past month I started 3 new Bible studies with people in different parts of our city.  Pray the Lord works and we can see many come to Christ through these efforts.  I’m hoping that maybe God would open doors for future church plants from these meetings. 

Bible Study in Tata Khaya’s House

One of our supporting churches, Fellowship Baptist Church in Maryville, TN with Pastor Tom Hatley is visiting this week.  During any visiting group, my hope and prayesr are that God moves on the hearts of at least one person to give their life to foreign missions.  Would you help pray that more laborers would be raised up?  

Last month a high school principal asked me about using Camp Rhino for a full month to host all of his 12th-grade students (90-100 students) for 30 straight days.  They would use that time to prepare for their graduation exams, but during that time we would also be able to preach to them each morning and hold Sunday and Midweek services. Pray as we make this decision for the 2023 school year. 

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Bright and Exciting Days Ahead for VBM Africa

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After more than 9 years since the day we landed in South Africa, we are reminded of how quickly time goes by and how much older we are becoming.  When I stepped off that plane being 37 years old, I already felt like I was getting a late start on the work that lay ahead.  At times now, I can feel a pit in my stomach when I think about how little time we have left to accomplish the work that God has called us to do in getting the Gospel to our city, to our country, to our world.  There is a weight on me as we consider Africa and the many places and people that still don’t have a Bible-preaching church.

Our South Africa team tries to act like we’re still young like we are right out of Bible college but the grey hairs in my teammates’ beards are a sure sign we aren’t fooling anyone.  

Although we see our days passing by, this past week was a time that invigorated the work we know we are called to do.  We are getting older but God is raising up an army of young men to join the ranks of reaching this world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our Generation.  Young missionary families from West Africa invaded our city of Gqeberha, South Africa this past week for the Vision Baptist Missions Africa Regional Conference.  There is no doubt that this group of men and women are young in age, especially compared to us old guys, but they are definitely not young in their walk with the Lord.  

My friends Nate & Graham

Graham & Olivia Young just landed in Nigeria a few weeks ago and the devil has already taken aim to knock them out of the fight before they even get started, but this precious couple is aware of Satan’s attacks and is ready for battle.  They have a maturity beyond their years that is inspiring to be around. 

Graham & Olivia Young – Missionaries to Nigeria

Nate & Emily Wilkerson are eager for the next stage of their ministry, preparing to enter a new battleground for our mission board in Benin where so far we haven’t been able to locate other like-minded missionaries. The zeal and mindset of this couple are an anomaly for people their age, really for people of any age.  I can’t wait to see the Gospel spread through them to this new land. 

The Young’s with Nate & Emily Wilkerson – Missionaries to Benin, West Africa

Dallas & Ashley Brown arrived from plowing a very difficult ground in their first years as missionaries in Burkina Faso.  This dear family who is yielded to the Lord as few as I’ve ever seen gives me hope that we can see the Gospel taken to every creature.  The Brown family is a family that influences everyone around them and even challenges us old guys like we should be challenging them. 

Dallas & Ashely Brown – Missionaries to Burkina Faso

The days ahead for VBM Africa are bright and exciting.  I’m privileged to work with this amazing group of people.  Please pray as we go forward with the Gospel.  We are reenergized for the work ahead.  May the Lord be magnified and glorified in all we do.