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|| Newsletter Archive ||
March 2006
Dear Friends,
One of my all-time favorite songs is entitled How Beautiful. Whenever I hear that song I am reminded of what Jesus did for me.
“And as He laid down His life,
We offer this sacrifice,
That we will live just as He died,
Willing to pay the price.”
What price am I willing to pay for the glory of God? With joy I should recognize His worthiness and not shrink back from total abandonment of my interests for the sake of His name.
Some of you received or heard of our e-mail message sent out to the churches. In it we asked for prayer for this last Sunday night as we held a service in an abandoned, tin-roofed building two kilometers from our house in a small village populated by migrant workers. This was our first public evangelistic outreach in this area, and we were encouraged to have 19 from Pastor Minaka’s church in Soutpan come over and participate with us. I introduced our family and the Person behind the film, using Pastor Minaka as my interpreter, and then we showed the Jesus film in Sotho. I counted 75 in attendance - mostly adults. We had our small speakers cranked up as far as they would go and everyone, including the children, sat and quietly took it in. Following the film, Pastor Minaka gave a short Gospel message.
We are deliberate in two areas. One - we want the people we are ministering among to be a part of the work from the outset. We do not want to be the one’s providing everything and thus develop a dependent mindset that constantly relies on the missionary to “make things happen“. For this reason we did not bring in a generator since they could supply the electricity themselves. They helped us in cleaning out the building with their own small brooms and reed wisps. They have their own building in their own village - what a fantastic venue rather than having them come to our building on our property! The language chosen for the film was a group decision and definitely not the one most comfortable for us. Because God has given us abundant resources (some a direct result of our supporting churches’ generosity, missionary cupboards and Awana special projects), we want to use those resources to encourage our African ministries wisely and strategically - without creating unhealthy reliance. At the end of the day, we want to leave and have the ministry God raises up continue on and grow and reproduce in the culture God has placed it. We want it to be culturally relevant and biblically uncompromising both at the same time.
Secondly, we could easily get people to respond to an “invitation” and report great results to our supporters. However, such reports are not often the eternal reality. Our desire is to see an understood and Holy Spirit prompted response to the Gospel that is quite apart from our manipulation. In a culture full of ancestor veneration and multiple “gods”, we want to present Jesus - not as another god - but as The Only God. We are anticipating a chronological approach to presenting Christ coupled with the building of meaningful relationships. Christ will be presented clearly and repeatedly and without apology - but there will be no twisting of arms or manipulated pressure or long, drawn-out invitations to secure someone’s place in the Kingdom.
Don’t think there was no opposition or obstacles to overcome in this first meeting. The building was locked and very dirty when we arrived; the “electric” had to be brought from far away with hand-made connections; we had a major discussion trying to decide what language to show the film in; those from Soutpan were definitely outside their comfort zone and stretched considerably; and, since it was the weekend, there were drunk people letting us know of their presence.
Some would, no doubt, ask if this is even worth the effort. It reminds me of growing up in north Minneapolis and some of the interesting predicaments we encountered in sharing the Gospel on the streets. It definitely is not easy. It is not pretty. Another more comfortable village with a safer environment for family and visitors could be found. But what about these souls in need of the Savior that God has sovereignly put just down the road from us? Jesus would not pass them by on the other side. It is definitely “worth it”.
In the last “ministry update” we requested you to pray for 4 specific things.
1. Receptivity to the Gospel message. From our human perspective, we did see hearts that were attentive and a sincere desire for us to continue having meetings there sharing the Word of God.
2. Relationships allowing us to continue. We have had a full invitation to return this next Sunday and preach from the Bible.
3. Electricity. The power did go out, but not until two hours after the service concluded. Praise the Lord!
4. A National Pastor. Continue to pray that God would raise one up or send one to this area in His time.
There are two other migrant worker camps within walking distance of this initial village and we are going to invite them to attend services as well. This coming Sunday we will have African singing, African testimonies, and a message from an American sharing the good news of the King. Please continue to pray.
Now a word from our only little girl who’s not so little any more:
Hello, this is Cortney. We have had some fun things happening at the Zak house. Our dog, Jessie had two puppies. They just opened their eyes this week and are starting to walk and make little growling noises. I love playing with them. Mom has been teaching me how to sew. So far I have made a little purse and a pair of shorts and a matching hair band. We are going to make a pair of pants next. We have been busy doing our schoolwork. This Thursday will be great because it is the end of the term and we have two and a half weeks of holiday. I also helped Mom make Dad’s birthday cake yesterday. I think he is getting pretty old, he only has 1,460 marbles left in his “If God gives me 70 years to live, what have I done for Him” jar. He takes one marble out each Saturday. The electricity went out again last night. We have had a lot of storms since we got back. I don’t mind because when it storms I get to sleep on the floor in Mom and Dad’s room. J Well, I am going to see how the puppies are doing. Bye, Cortney (8 yrs)
May His light shine through you,
Kevin, Sarah, Benjamin, Nathan, Caleb, Luke, Cortney, Jacob, & Josiah
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African Churches Rooted and Built up in Him. - Col. 2:6,7
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