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Coffey Family December 2024 Prayer Letter

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Our final weeks in South Africa before heading to the States for a few months have been incredibly productive. I’ve been enjoying Bible studies with five faithful men from our church, and we’re celebrating that 10 teenagers trusted Christ during our recent teen camp! 

Church attendance has been steady at around 80 people, but what’s even more encouraging is the growing spiritual maturity among adults of all ages. 

Junior Camp kicks off today, and we’re praying that many of the 9-12-year-olds attending will decide to trust Jesus and follow Him. We’re expecting over 100 kids to start arriving at 3 PM.

We leave this Friday for our furlough in the States, where we’ll be from December 14 to May 8. During this time, we’re excited to meet our new grandchildren and work on raising additional support. If you’d like us to visit your church and share about our ministry, please don’t hesitate to let me know!

Prayer Requests & Praise

  • Next semester, I will be teaching a college class on Discipleship at Vision School of Mission on Tuesday mornings while I’m in the States. Please pray that this class will be a blessing and a help to the students. If you know anyone interested in becoming a missionary, Vision School of Mission is a great place to explore that calling. 
  • We’re excited to see new people attending our church! Some have recently been saved, while others are still exploring their faith and haven’t yet made a profession of faith. Please pray that more people will come to Christ and grow in His Word. We are particularly encouraged to see older men and married couples joining us—something that has been rare in the past. 
  • Please also pray for Noah Haught. He worked with us for a year as an intern at the camp and youth home and is now raising support to return here full-time. Pray for God’s provision and guidance as he prepares for this ministry. 
  • Finally, we deeply appreciate your prayers for our daughter-in-law, Ashley. She is still facing significant health challenges, including blackouts and memory loss. She and our son Chase are seeking answers and hope to return to South Africa in February. Your continued prayers for her healing and their direction mean so much to us. 
  • Please pray for God to raise up more laborers for the harvest in Africa.

Quick Updates & Needs

  • Missionary Mike Haley from Botswana was our special speaker for teen camp, and his time with us was a great blessing. We rejoice that 10 teens made professions of faith! 
  • Please pray for God’s provision for our current and future construction projects at Camp Rhino. We’re incredibly thankful for how He has used many of you to make this ministry possible.
  • We are currently seeking sponsors for our campers, and any support would be greatly appreciated! Each camper costs us about $50– $60, but we only ask the teens to pay $5 to make it affordable. We’re aiming for at least 100 sponsors to help cover expenses for over 200 kids.
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Coffey Family November 2024 Prayer Letter

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December marks the beginning of our summer camp season here at Camp Rhino. Please keep our Teen and Junior camps in your prayers, as we expect around 400 attendees, including campers, counselors, and staff.  

We are currently seeking sponsors for our campers, and any support would be greatly appreciated! Each camper costs us about $50–$60, but we only ask the teens to pay $5 to make it affordable. We’re aiming for at least 200 sponsors to help cover expenses for over 300 kids. 

Once Junior Camp concludes, our family will travel to the U.S. to begin our five-month furlough and meet our new grandson and granddaughter! Our youngest son recently welcomed a son, and now our oldest son and his wife are fostering a little girl, hoping to adopt her. We feel incredibly blessed to have these two new additions to our family!

If you’d like us to visit and share about our ministry during this time, please let me know. We’re working to raise additional support to help cover a funding shortfall due to Camp and Youth Home expenses. We also hope to report back to as many of our supporting churches as possible.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and support.

Prayer Requests & Praise

  • I currently have four Bible studies underway with five men from our church. Please join me in praying for their growth in Christ and that they may become strong spiritual leaders. Also, keep them and our South Africa pastor, Mvume Johnson, in your prayers as we prepare to leave in December. 
  • Last month, our youth home girl Sisipho, who was set to be married this past Saturday, was tragically taken from us. Please continue to keep our camp family and her fiancé, Amine, in your prayers as we feel her absence every day.
  • Please pray for the country Mozambique, where our missionaries Jacob and Christen Clower are serving. The country is facing widespread strikes and government protests amid concerns that recent elections were corrupt. 
  • Thank you so much for praying for our daughter-in-law Ashley.  She’s still experiencing health challenges, including blackouts and memory loss. She and my son Chase are seeking answers and hope to return to South Africa soon.

Quick Updates & Needs

  • The 70 teenagers from Rocklands High School are still here at camp, and we hold a preaching service for them every night. With one week left before they depart, we are praying to see many come to Christ
  • We still need $6,000 to complete the dining pavilion and snack shop at Camp Rhino, and we’re hoping to finish these projects before Teen Camp begins on December 3rd.
  • We attended the Africa Regional Conference in Greece in October, where we enjoyed a wonderful time of fellowship and training with our VBM missionary team. Please pray with us for more laborers to serve in Africa.
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Coffey Family September 2024 Prayer Letter

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This Sunday, we are excited to have four older adults getting baptized at Lighthouse Baptist Church, with another baptism planned for the following week. 

Two Sundays ago, Lynette Osborn, a dedicated single missionary working with us, presented certificates to eight young ladies who had completed an extensive discipleship course. It’s truly encouraging to witness the spiritual growth in our community over the past few weeks.

In recent months, we’ve been raising funds to purchase a 15-passenger van for our camp and youth home ministry. We’ve received an additional $1,000, bringing us to $17,000. Please pray with us as we work to raise the remaining $14,000. This van will greatly benefit our current group and will be invaluable as we continue to grow. We anticipate welcoming two more children into the youth home soon, but without better transportation, this will be a significant challenge.

We also have a few young men serving in new church plants. We’ve initiated a plan to support them in full-time ministry for 6 to 12 months as they help these young churches grow. If you’re interested in supporting our program to help these young preachers, please let me know.

Prayer Requests & Praise

  • Please pray for our upcoming Soccer and Netball Tournament on Sept. 21st at Camp Rhino. We’re expecting over 200 people on campus and praying that many will respond to the Gospel invitation.
  • Also, pray for our son Luke and his wife Adri as they await the arrival of our first grandchild. Little Liam tried to come two months early, but thankfully, the labor stopped, and he’s still growing strong. Their due date is October 23rd, but the doctors think he might arrive any day now.  
  • Please continue to pray for our daughter-in-law Ashley, who’s experiencing health challenges, including blackouts and memory loss. She and my son Chase are seeking answers and hope to return to South Africa soon.
  • My wife Amy has been away for over three weeks due to our daughter-in-law’s early labor scare but is expected to be home by the end of the week. Please pray for her safe travels back from the U.S.

Quick Updates & Needs

  • The construction and remodeling at Camp Rhino are progressing well. Most repairs from the major flood are completed. While we’re on hold with the perimeter wall, we’ve started construction on a new snack and gift shop, thanks to a generous donation specifically for that project. This addition will be a significant asset to the camp. Please pray we can begin construction on the new girls’ dorms soon, as we aim to have them finished before our busy camp season in December. 
  • This month, Amy and I will be traveling to Benin for a week to visit missionaries Nate and Emily Wilkerson as part of my role as the Africa Field Director for our mission. We’re looking forward to spending time with these new missionaries in West Africa.
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Coffey Family March 2024 Prayer Letter

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A month ago, the principal from Rocklands High School contacted me concerning renting out the camp for his senior class.  This school rented our camp for 2 weeks in October this past year, so I wasn’t expecting to hear from him so soon.  He shared that their current seniors are behind starting the year and he wants to go ahead and rent our space for a month immediately.  (The SA school year goes from Jan-Dec.) Within 4 days we had 84 new public high school seniors on campus for 27 straight days.  This allowed us to have a service with them every night they were here.  During this time 16 teens trusted Christ and many committed to coming to church.  We are grateful for this opportunity and amazed to see the doors the Lord has opened for us to reach teens for Christ through the ministry of Camp Rhino.   

These same students plan to return for another month in October and November to prepare for their graduating exams so please be praying that more believe on Jesus.  

Prayer Requests & Praise

  • 16 teens and one young single trusted Christ as Savior this past month at Camp Rhino. 
  • We have 19 students taking Bible College classes this semester at Bay Baptist Bible College. Please pray for them as they prepare for ministry. Additionally, pray that we can see more churches started from the investment made in these young people. 
  • Forty young adults from our team of churches attended our first overnight adult camp this month. Pastor Ryan Hayden from Mattoon, IL, served as our guest preacher. We are on track for this to be the first year of having a full schedule of activities at Camp Rhino.  
  • Please pray for Jacob and Christien Clower, missionaries to Mozambique. They are awaiting important paperwork from the State Department to proceed with their visas. They are looking forward to being on the field very soon. 
  • Also please pray for our Ladies’ camp coming up in May for all of our churches.  This will be our first at Camp Rhino and the ladies are looking very forward to it.

Quick Updates & Needs

  • We are traveling back to the States this weekend for 5 weeks to be a part of our annual orientation for Visions Baptist Missions and to present our ministry in new churches.  I will also be reporting back to a few supporting churches as well.  I have a couple of openings available if you would like me to come by your church.  
  • We still need $14,000 for the new property and building for Bay Baptist Bible College.  We’re moving the Bible college to town to make it more centrally located for our students and for our pastors and missionaries who teach all the classes. This will help pay off the debt on the original purchase and prepare the building for classes in September.
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Please continue to pray for my daughter Emilee during her internship in Argentina. I’m grateful she has this opportunity to learn under the Patrick Henry family.

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Coffey Family February 2024 Prayer Letter

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Next week marks the beginning of a new academic year at our Bible College, and we are thrilled to share some exciting news. Bay Baptist Bible College is expanding its presence with the opening of a new branch, conveniently located near our city center. To make this vision a reality, we seek your support in raising $32,000 within the next 40 days for the purchase of the new property and buildings.

Your prayers are greatly appreciated and needed. The new branch is situated just a street away from our Christian School, offering a more central and accessible location for both our students and pastors. This strategic move allows us to enhance convenience compared to our current Camp Rhino campus on the outskirts of town. While our facilities at Camp Rhino will continue to serve various purposes, the primary campus is shifting to a more centralized location in town. Your partnership in this move is needed, and we appreciate your support in making our vision a reality.

Prayer Requests & Praise

  • 11 teens made professions of faith during Teen Camp last month. Thank you so much for praying and for donating.
  • Please pray for our Bible College students who start classes on February 12th.
  • Please also pray for missionaries Kevin & Corli Hall, who are the pioneer missionaries working here in South Africa. They are currently serving at Kuyga Baptist Church, and Kevin also heads up the Bible College ministry. Additionally, he is cursed to be my first cousin:)
  • Pray also for missionaries Noah & Tristan Wilkerson. It appears that they will be coming to South Africa for their first two years on the field for training and to allow their baby Alainey to gain more strength before heading to Mozambique. The healthcare in South Africa is much better suited to handle Alainey’s needs, and this arrangement will also allow the Wilkersons to stay connected to Mozambique, which is a neighboring country. They hope to arrive here in April.

Quick Updates & Needs

  • Our summer camp season was a great success at Camp Rhino. Thirty-three young people came to know Christ, and we experienced the best turnout from our church members volunteering as counselors during our camps. The year 2024 is anticipated to be our best at Camp Rhino yet, marking the first time we have an event booked every month since the inception of the camp.
  • Our daughter, Emilee, left this past week for the States and will be traveling to Argentina in just a few days to start her six-month internship. It was fantastic having her here for six weeks, and we look forward to her time in South America. Please continue to pray for her during this period.
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Coffey Family January 2024 Prayer Letter

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Happy New Year from our family to yours.  We can’t thank you enough for your prayers and financial support that enables us to be here in South Africa.  We are very privileged. 

The four adults pictured above with Amy and I were baptized in December. Seeing them take the next step of obedience made for a terrific day at Lighthouse Baptist Church.  We’re praying during this new year we will see many more trust Christ and make a public profession as these did. 

We were thankful to have Tim and Jessica Johnson from Southside Baptist Church in Knoxville, TN here on their survey trip.  Tim was also the main speaker during our Junior Camp and the Lord used him.  Pray for this dear family as they start deputation this coming March. 

As the Africa Field Director, I travel back to the States every year to teach at our Missions annual orientation.  I will be back March & April for this trip and if you would like me to come by your church please let me know. I’ll be reporting back to churches and working to raise extra support that will help with Camp Rhino and the Rhino Youth Home expenses.

Prayer Request & Praise

  • 22 Juniors made professions of faith during Junior camp last month.  Thank you so much for praying and for donating. 
  • We had our greatest turnout of counselors from our fellowship of churches.  The next few years look very bright with many more of our young people wanting to be a part of the camp ministry.    
  • Pray as we have Teen Camp the 2nd week of January.  We’re praying for souls to be saved and for at least 5 young people to surrender to ministry and start Bible College.
  • Pray for our missionaries in Nigeria, Graham and Olivia Young.   They started their furlough earlier than expected after finding out they were expecting their first baby.  We’re excited about this news and just ask you to pray as Olivia is a Type 1 Diabetic which makes her pregnancy more high-risk.   
  • Missionaries Jacob and Christen Clower plan to land in Mozambique this month but are being held up with their invitation letter.  Pray this comes through soon.  They were expected to have it long before now.

Quick Updates

  • Our daughter Emilee arrived a couple of weeks ago and it has been great having her here before she starts her internship in Argentina in February.  Thanks again to all those who gave to help her.  
  • January 9-12 are the dates for our Teen Camp and we are still seeking a sponsor for each of our campers, with the cost of the camp approximately $50 per person. We had 88 campers for Junior camp and are expecting around 100 during our teen camp. Many gave to cover about 50 campers so far.  We can still use your help. Donate through PayPal or through Vision Baptist Missions.
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Coffey Family November 2023 Prayer Letter

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Fifty high school seniors from a local public high school are currently residing at Camp Rhino, which has been rented out by the high school for 15 days. Their daily schedule is packed with classes and study sessions in preparation for their final exams. As part of the agreement to rent our property, we have been given the privilege of daily chapel services with the students.

This arrangement serves as a test run to gauge our interest in future collaborations with schools, and so far, it has exceeded our expectations. Just today, four young people responded to the invitation for salvation.

Our team of dedicated pastors and missionaries is deeply appreciative of the opportunity to minister to these young minds daily. For many of these teenagers, this may be the first time they have heard a clear presentation of the Gospel, as they have grown up surrounded by religion but have not been exposed to the true message of the Gospel.

Prayer Requests & Praise

  • Pray for our son Luke and his new bride Adri.  We had a great time being back in the States for their wedding and look forward to seeing how the Lord uses them as they continue in Bible college and prepare for full-time ministry. 
  • We just had a group here with Evangelist Ethan LeCroy and his M.I.T. Team.  During their mission trip, we saw over 20 people make professions of faith.  We believe some from the group will give their lives to full-time missions, and we’re praying for those who trusted Christ to grow in their new faith.  
  • Please pray for my daughter Emilee, who is raising funds for her upcoming 6-month internship in Argentina. This internship is the final step in her bachelor’s degree from the Our Generation Training Center, she’s set to leave in February. Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated as she prepares for this trip.

Quick Updates & Needs

  • During our mini junior camp in October, we had 14 campers trust Christ as their Savior. 
  • December 11-14 is our summer junior camp and our summer teen camp is January 9-12.  We need a sponsor for each of our campers.  The cost of the camp is approx. $50 per person. If you are interested in helping please let me know.  
  • Missionary Lynette Osborn with BIMI has arrived after raising her full support and we’ve already seen her impact in the Rhino Youth Home and Camp Rhino ministries. We are very thankful God sent her our way.  
  • It looks like we will be adding a 14-year-old girl in December to our youth home.  Pray for wisdom as we manage this growth.
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Upcoming Coffey/ Bush Wedding

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Please be in prayer for my family as we head back to the States for a month for my son Luke’s wedding. I will also use this time to raise support for our Rhino Youth Home.

Amy and I are very proud of our son Luke and his fiancee Adriana Bush. Luke and Adri were actually both born in the same hospital only 6 months apart in Arequipa, Peru, South America, while all of us parents were in language school together. We have been close friends with Adri’s parents, Jeff and Mindy Bush, since our days at Crown College in Knoxville, TN. Our oldest son Tyler has already married their oldest Bush daughter, Lydia, and now our youngest son is marrying their second daughter. Jeff serves as the President of our mission board, Vision Baptist Missions, and needless to say, we love and appreciate the Bush family very much.

Pray for these two as they begin this new journey together. We look very forward to seeing how the Lord uses them in years to come. They both have a heart for missions and are training at the Our Generation Training Center in Dawsonville, GA for full-time missions.

As we travel back to the States, I do have a few openings if you would be interested in having me present in your church. We leave South Africa on September 11th and head back on October 11th.

Coffey Video Ministry Update

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Before we left for the US in February we made an updated version of our ministry video. The first one we did was hosted by our son Luke when he was 11 years old I believe. Things have changed a bit since then.

If you’ve never seen the first video you can check it out here.

Coffey Family April 2023 Prayer Letter

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This month comes with sadness and joy.  Lisolethu, a 17-year-old boy who lived at our Youth Home for over 2 years, quickly passed away from Spinal Meningitis.  His funeral was held this past Saturday.  We praise the Lord that Liso made a profession of faith and I believe we’ll see him again soon.  Even after leaving the Youth Home this past December, he continued being faithful to church and inviting his friends to church. Liso will be missed very much.      

There are many just like Liso who die young but don’t have a Bible-preaching church in their community.  We must keep going, and we must continue raising up more people to reach the billions who still haven’t heard a clear presentation of the Gospel.  I pray Liso’s death will be a catalyst for many to be more serious about reaching the lost. 

This has been a hard time for our team at Camp Rhino, our churches, and also my family.  We were all very close to Liso, and being so far away from the ministry during this time has also been more difficult.  Thankfully we return to South Africa tomorrow. 

Prayer Request & Praise

  • Pray for our family as we return to South Africa tomorrow, April 27th. We look forward to being home, but leaving our son Luke on this side will be hard.  We arrived in South Africa in 2013 with all five of our children and now we’re returning with just one, our 12-year-old daughter Addison.     
  • Pray for Nate and Emily Wilkerson with the birth of their beautiful new daughter Alaska.  I was privileged to be in Burkina Faso when she was born a few weeks ago.  Also, pray for the Wilkersons as they finish language school and head to the country of Benin soon.  
  • With the death of Liso, I’m burdened with the work of our Youth Home now more than ever.  Pray as we continue ministering to the teens we have and pray that we will have wisdom in accepting new ones. 

Quick Updates

  • Congratulations to my son Luke who just proposed to his girlfriend Adriana Bush.  Luke and Adri have been dating for quite some time and we are thrilled about Adria being a part of our family.  Their plan is to get married this coming September.  
  • My trip to Mozambique and Burkina Faso was fantastic.  I’m excited about the potential our new missionary team has in Mozambique and I was blown away by the work our missionaries are doing in Burkina Faso.  God is using them to make an amazing impact in their cities.  
  • Last week I was honored to be a part of Vision Baptist Mission’s annual orientation.  We have a good number of new missionaries heading to the field soon.  Getting to spend time with these new missionaries is one of my favorite weeks of the year.   Please pray for them. 
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