| Mission Opportunities with SICM | |
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James And Anneli Colton |
 James & Anneli at the SICM Missions Centre prior to leaving for Tanzania |
| We will be holding a Commissioning Service for James and Anneli on Saturday February 16, at the SICM Missions Centre, in Dock Lane, Dudley. We will open the building at 4.00 pm, where there will be a time to chat with the Coltons and so on. The actual meeting itself will begin at 7.00 pm.
This is your chance to say farewell to James and Anneli, as they will then be flying to Africa a few days later. It would be nice to have a good turn out for them, of course, so if you are able to make it, please do. For those locally, the SICM Missions Centre is in Dock Lane. If anyone needs directions, we do have maps that we can send you. Directions are also on our web site. On the SICM web site (www.sicm.org), the Coltons' newsletters can be found shortly in the archive section along with the other missionaries we have had on the field. Also, the site is updated on the first of each month and will contain snippets of news as they work in Tanzania. If you would like to support the Coltons financially, please contact us. Prayer Points * Continued financial support * Work permits * That they will settle in well * God's blessing on all they do When in Tanzania James and Anneli can be reached at : PO Box 30268, Kibaha, Pwani, Tanzania. e-mail : jamantan@hotmail.com In their own words..... By James Colton Since our November newsletter report a lot has been happening. From the 16th of December to the 15th of January, Anneli and I were in Finland. We were visiting member's of Anneli's family and many of her friends, which involved a great deal of travel by train and bus. We also had opportunities to share about our call and planned work in Tanzania, and for me to bring the word of God. We appreciated the opportunity to share at the Pentecostal Church in Oulu, which was Anneli's home Church, and also to speak at the prayer meeting at Anneli's sister's Church in Kontula, Helsinki. We were also able to share in special meetings for those in refuge housing and in a work amongst the homeless. Whilst in Helsinki we were privileged to have a meeting with Arto Hamalainen, who is the head of Fida International (the Pentecostal Mission), and we were encouraged by his supportiveness. Then, on the last night in Finland, we were invited to share and minister in a home group led by a man from Northern Ireland and his Finnish wife. We had a truly wonderful time in Finland and gained a large army of prayer warriors supporting us in prayer (joining the growing number of British prayer warriors), also receiving some financial support. On return to England, and Whitby, we were greeted with the news that there had been regular increases in our one-off support as well as our monthly support, but there was still some way to go, and it could be a couple of months yet before we reached the minimum amount needed to go to Tanzania. But I had a witness in my spirit that it would be sooner than that. Even so were still surprised when on Wednesday 23rd of January, we had a telephone call from SICM to say a large cheque had been received, as well as a monthly support pledge, which meant we could go now !! Now we must prepare to leave ! The next steps : The final consultation with our GP and a visit to the town library to access the Internet. I've been able to build up an e-mail address book of people to keep in touch with. Our e-mail address from now on is jamantam@hotmail.com We're now in the process of doing our final packing and getting everything ready. Many thanks to Functional English School, in Whitby, for allowing us to stay there during this interim stage, and for being able to share in the spiritual programme in the School. We are then off to SICM for an Orientation Course, which will be our final stage of preparation for Tanzania. Then it's our Commissioning Service, and finally the flight !!! Looking back, it seems a very short time from when I first went on the short-term mission to Tanzania in May 2000. But a lot has happened since; from receiving the call from God to return to work with the Pastors, to being accepted to go with SICM, and then on to the support raising - prayer and financial, as both are very important. There's been a lot of sharing in different Churches and groups, and writing many letters to friends. Clearly, God's hand has been upon everything that has happened. What a wonderful reassurance to each one of us to not only know that God is in control, and has an individual plan for each one, but to see and know that He undertakes right down to the smallest detail. John Newton got it right when he wrote his hymn 'Amazing Grace' : 'Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come. Tis grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home. The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures. He will my shield and portion be, as long as life endures'. We now look forward to the challenge before us, knowing that we are not alone. As God has promised, so He will be with us, and so will each one of you be with us, as you stand with us in prayer day by day. |
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