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|| Newsletter Archive ||
May 2006
Dear Partners in Ministry,
With brown, leathery hands she grasped the Bible to her heart with a smile as big as the sunrise. Then she held it out with a loving look and kissed it. So precious is God’s Word to those who cannot afford such a treasure. She then demonstrated how she was going to sleep that night with the Word as her pillow. We thank God for the many of you who have seen it a privilege to provide the funds specifically for the purchase of Bibles. There is still such a great need! Such a provision does not create at all a dependency on the “West“. It should be understood, rather, as a joyful outflow of gratitude for those in the West who have received much of this earthly good and see fit to provide the gift of God’s Word to those they will meet someday in heaven. It is seen, we are sure, as a privilege for you, a joy, a delight, and even an action based on necessity - for every one of God’s children should be able to read their own personal Letter from their Father and understand the Battle Plan of this earth time from their Captain. So we say, “Thank You”, really on their behalf, for your sacrifice. It may seem small, but the return is unfathomable! May your motive be simply and fully to glorify the Father.
Today we saw our Onderstepoort soccer team take on the El Shaddai Baptist Church team and split 3 goals to 3 goals. We started off with both teams meeting in center field for prayer and encouragement to play as good sportsmen, and Kevin used the opportunity to make sure and let all of them know where church would be on Sunday and what time the service would start. We thank God for the men who are coming to hear God’s Word on Sundays.
This Sunday will be special as we will be combining with El Shaddai Baptist and Central Baptist of Pretoria and having a baptismal service. El Shaddai has several who will be baptized and could not have a baptism service this past Sunday because the water truck did not come down their road. Their village has no running water or electricity. The many who have made decisions for Christ at our church in Onderstepoort are yet reluctant to be put under water, and so we are hoping some will be in attendance to see how a Christian baptism is done as opposed to the ZCC (Zion Christian Church) baptisms that even have drowning, in some cases, as the person being baptized is held under the water until they thrash “so that the demons are driven out of them“. Such a practice is not supported at all in Scripture, and we have been repeatedly sharing the Scriptural reasons and practices of baptism. They yet need to see for themselves, so we are thankful for this opportunity. Following the baptism, Sarah is planning to feed the entire group some warm soup and boroto (bread) as it is winter here!
Some Prayer Requests and Praises:
Angelina - Attended services this last Sunday, needs Christ. Received a Bible.
Grandpa Ben - Responded to the invitation three weeks ago and seems to have fruit, smiles a lot now. Thanks for your prayers.
Jerry - Responded last week to receive Christ as his Savior!
Matthews - Leader in the village. Faithfully attends each week. Needs Christ.
Sello - Responded to the invitation to receive Christ four weeks ago. Thinking about being baptized, but hesitant.
Mama Mapamela - Older lady in our church. Faithful each week in attendance and sharing an old African hymn and testimony with everyone.
Continue to pray for Charles, Ronald, Peter, Temba, Samson, and Josiah and his family and their need for Christ.
Freddie - Kevin saw him walking down the street recently and Freddie told him, with a big smile on his face, that he has gotten a job three days a week and is reading the Bible Kevin gave him. Please pray for Freddie and his wife and little daughter that they will become followers of Jesus.
We have some college age visitors we are looking forward to involving in ministry. They will be here starting in June and ministering around our area in African churches as well as going into Mozambique to the villages of Dumela and Mabuzane for discipleship and evangelism. Please pray that God will work mightily through Tracy, Candice, Rebeca G, Rebeka N, Amy, Jason, Mike, and Krista. We also have a team of three coming from Fourth Baptist Church in July - Jeff, Nancy and Charlene. Two of these I went to high school with and one I was her youth pastor, making me feel like an ancient relic.
African Perspective - There are many street children that constantly come up to your windows while you wait at “robots” and ask for small change or food. They are ragged looking and we often feel sorry for them and have a heart of compassion that wants to help. We refrain from small change giving most of the time, but feel better about giving food. The reality in many cases, however, is that these street children have mothers or aunties who could care for them back in their villages, but they have run away from home choosing a life on the street. There are exceptions, of course, such as children who are being abused at home and flee or who are actually orphaned without a family. The majority, however, choose to be there. So, how does our well-intentioned giving of food or small change register in their little minds? They think - “Now I can stay on the street longer. I can get food on the street. I can get small change on the street. I do not have to go back home and go to school” - and so they don’t. Some despise the street children and teens and refrain from any compassionate outreach because their hearts are cold. Some choose to do what is called “tough love” where they recognize that the best thing for the child on the street is actually not to give him what he wants - food and small change, which perpetuates his current existence and lifestyle - but to force him, through his hungry little stomach and lack of basic necessities, back to his family. Yes, “the poor you will have with you always”, but we don’t have to have street children with us always, or do we? We do live in a fallen world. Something to think about.
Luke Says:
“Hello, Everyone! Did you know we got a new black puppy at our house? His name is Kobi. We are praying that he will be a good watch dog for our house. Kobi likes to pull my socks off every time I go outside. He must know Mom’s rule “Barefoot or Shoes, no Socks Outside!” My leg braces are still fitting good but I’d rather not have to wear them because none of the other kids wear them. I try to do my exercises every day. I gave away my old wheelchair that I grew out of, to Jubilee Hospital - they didn’t have any children’s chairs. I hope whoever gets it will like it as much as I did, it was red. It has gotten SOOO COLD outside at nighttime. I’m glad Dad makes sure my blankets are tucked in at night. I can’t wait for the warm weather to come again.
Thank you for partnering with us in this ministry. Through your prayers and giving and notes of encouragement you have been a blessing. We love what God has given us to do here in Africa. Ministry to migrant workers in Onderstepoort - some might consider the “least of these” - is front-line ministry. Going into Zambia with a team of godly men to teach Zambian pastors God’s Word is a thrill (This June Dr. Pat Casey from the Bible faculty at Pillsbury Baptist Bible College will be participating!). Bringing missions-minded young people into Mozambique to experience God’s stretching and molding puts a big smile on our faces. It is “mud-in-your-face”, front-line, cutting edge, grab the bull by the horns, NOW ministry. The diversity is what makes it especially attractive. This type of ministry is not for everybody as God hasn’t equipped everybody for cross-cultural endeavors, but, if you are contemplating a life on the foreign fields of the world, or maybe a season of your life, please explore the very real possibility that God might want you to come to Africa. Maybe 2007 will find you in Mozambique!
Serving the King with Gladness,
The Zak-Pak (Kevin, Sarah, Ben, Nathan, Caleb, Luke, Cortney, Jacob, Josiah - and Kobi!)
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African Churches Rooted and Built up in Him. - Col. 2:6,7
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