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|| Newsletter Archive ||
April 2005
Dear Partners in Ministry,
This last month we said goodbye to our first team coming to us from Cornerstone Baptist Church in Pine Island, Minnesota. They stayed with us for two weeks chucked full of ministry (most all through village Baptist churches) and activity including: sharing the Gospel on the village streets, playing games with children, preaching in clinics, sharing Christ in the government “public” schools, giving out soup to orphaned children, ministering to village pastors and their wives, singing, sharing testimonies, preaching/testimonies at youth activities, personally working with those responding to Christ, two nights sleeping in the village of Opperman, horseback riding through a wild game preserve, bartering with African craftsmen, eating giraffe/blesbok/kudu/wild pig etc., running a 10K road race, preaching at an Easter Conference with over 200 attending, ministering to pastors on a personal basis through prayer and interaction, providing study books and Bibles, gifting Pastor Jimmy with a new bike, sleeping in tents, feeding over 100 on Sunday morning in a village church, puppet ministry /Bible stories in a day care of over 170, tour of a diamond mine, work at Bethesda leveling a lapa area and staining picnic tables, assisting in an AIDS baby facility, and being a huge blessing to the Zak family. Whew! If you come, we might not put you through such a packed schedule - but then again, we mightJ
What a joy to be able to have 25 to 30 African pastors and their wives gather in our house for a meal and some wonderful fellowship. These are brothers and sisters in Christ who have churches in mostly rural settings and who are faithfully ministering for the King. They shared with us their struggles with poverty, unfaithfulness in the church, AIDS prevalence, death, lack of study material, crime, and moral decay around them. They also showed their love of the ministry, their dependency upon God, and their inner joy that spilled out in song. We listened with hearts wide open. Missionaries often have come in ready to “teach the African people a thing or two about God”. We have been told that the white “lakua” (pasty face) will always be considered the leader/teacher. Yet, over and over - through the poverty and crime and pressing needs - we have been taught about true dependence on The Rock of our salvation. We have been shown a strong foundational faith that endures trials of many kinds and is developing perseverance in the lives of these believers. And we are seeing a pure joy emanating from the pain of this short earth time. What is pure and faultless religion before God? Not just lip service, but heart service that reaches out to the orphans and widows while diligently guarding against the influence of this godless world (James 1:27). What a joy to partner with fellow African believers in ministry!
Our Mid-field Ministry (furlough) time begins July 18th and will extend through January 2006. Before that happens, we say goodbye to Kacee Massoney who has been with the Zaks now 4 months and is a part of the family. She will go back to her home in Ohio to attend her sister’s wedding and enculturize back into State’s side life. We will miss her servant life, her help in home schooling our tribe, and her smile in the hairy moments of learning to drive a stick shift. An evangelism trip into Mozambique with Samaria Mission of Christ Baptist Church, a tent crusade in Kekana Gardens, a venture into Zambia to teach the book of James, and a missions group ministry visit from Prior Lake, Minnesota will keep us busy in ministry up until furlough. We also need to further pursue learning Tswana, evangelizing in our area of Onderstepoort, praying for an African pastor to partner with, and keeping our family strong. All the passion of ministry could cause us to devastatingly overlook the ministry God has given us personally in the lives of our children. How tragic that would be.
Please know that our time in the States is limited and we will not be able to see everyone we would desire to see. Our Sundays of ministry are rapidly filling with the current openings being September 11th; October 16th & 23rd; November 6th; December 11th; and January 8th & 15th of 2006. Next month’s newsletter will contain our itinerary to date.
How about a few words from our oldest son, Ben, who is already having college and car thoughts:
“This term at Anchor Christian Academy is athletics training. I’m going to do the javelin and the 3,000 meter run (1.5 miles). We have training sessions on Monday. Wednesday we work on actual form and technique. Thanks for supporting our family here in Africa.”
We just had a new family picture taken to currentize our new prayer card. It is shocking to see how much the family has oldened! Soon we will start sending them, one by one, to college as some of our friends are now experiencing. But for now, they all seem to love living here in South Africa, and yet they have an anticipation of getting back to the States for grandparent spoilage and A & W root beer. Lord willing, we will see you soon on USA soil. Until then, let us be faithful to the King.
Serving the King with Gladness, The Zaks in Africa
Prayer Requests & Praises:
1. Pray for us as we build relationships and share Christ with the people in our area of Onderstepoort.
2. Pray for an African pastor to share in our ministry.
3. Pray for wisdom in building a model church that will truly be able to encourage and strengthen other pastors and churches in area villages.
4. Pray for upcoming evangelism outreach into Mozambique that we will be participating in May 26 through June 10th.
5. Pray for a ministry of teaching the book of James to believers in Zambia June 20th through the 24th.
6. Pray for the team from Prior Lake arriving June 27th through July 7th - that they would have flexibility, hearts ready for ministry, and many opportunities to share Christ and encourage African believers.
7. Praise God for the team from Cornerstone Baptist Church and their wholehearted involvement in ministry.
8. Praise God for the souls that made professions of salvation during recent evangelism outreaches in Kenana and RDP and Opperman.
9. Praise God for the 25 - 30 pastors and their wives who assembled in our living room to help direct our thinking regarding fruitful African ministry.
10. Praise God for Sarah who has been a wonderful encourager in ministry and keeps everyone’s stomachs encouraged as well. She has been officially endorsed as an African sister because she makes pap like the Africans. She has also had a ministry to many of the ladies who come over to learn how to bake breads, cookies, etc.
11. Praise God for the safety He has granted us in traveling. We have come across many scenes where we are there before police arrive and are able to help. It is a reminder of God's grace.
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African Churches Rooted and Built up in Him. - Col. 2:6,7
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