Response to the 1st Bible Study

Thanks for your prayers regarding the Bible Study. In my opinion it went well. We had about 15 students who showed up, most of which are a part of the “church group” on the campus. During our time together, we prayed, sang songs in Zulu, and shared about why we desired to start a Bible Study. We also asked the students to tell us whether they were Christians by a show of hands. They all raised their hands, and then I asked, “what assurance do they have in their claim to be Christians?” Most of the students in the ‘church group’ did give us biblical reasons for their claim to being Christians. Kenneth, Nafe (Malawians) and my self were quite encouraged by their knowledge of the Scriptures. We are praying that more students will come who lacks the knowledge of the gospel and the Scriptures. We are also in the process of deciding whether or not to divide the study into two groups; those who are a little further in the faith and those who are new or uncertain about the gospel. There are pros and cons for both, but at this point, we are not sure what would be the most effective or beneficial. Please pray for wisdom for us as we make this decision.

Towards the end of the study, we had a Q & A time. This is always my favorite because we get to really hear what’s on the heart of the students. One question that was asked was by a young orphan girl, who we also work with at another orphanage in Katlehong. She asked if she had to go to church, because the church she goes to the pastor always calls them orphans. It seems that she didn’t want to always be reminded that she was an orphan, which is understandable. We answered the question by sharing that God has promised to give special grace to those who were orphans and that there is nothing wrong with being an orphan, in fact God has said that He will be a father to the fatherless. We also encouraged her to talk to her pastor.

In short, although we have questions about the fruition of how God will use us amongst the youth. We are confident that there is a need for the teaching of the Scriptures in this township. We do not know the specifics of what God is doing or when He will choose to work on the hearts of these young students. Nevertheless, we are confident, that God is faithful. His purposes cannot be thwarted, His Word will not return void and His plan and purposes will be established. Please continue to pray for us as we labor for His name and renown.

Bible Study!

After months of planning and praying, today is the day that the 1st Bible Study in Katlehong will begin. For the next months, three Malawians seminary students and myself will do an evangelistic Bible Study with high school students. I am really excited and eager to see how God uses this.I can't wait to learn from them as they learn from me. Please pray that the Lord will bring students who are hungry for the Word. Pray that the Word will go forth in a clear and simple manner. Language is definitley a barrier, so we hope to be as clear as possible in our communication. Pray that the word would penetrate on the hearts of the hearers, in such a way that would lead to repentance and love and devotion to the One True God of the Bible. Thanks for your prayers, Talk to you soon.....:)

My First 6 Months in Africa: A Slide Show

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Campus Outreach!

While I was a student at Tuskegee University I had the great privilege of being a part of a campus ministry known as Campus Outreach (CO). I went to college as a new Christian and I was very ignorant of the fundamentals of the faith. But thanks be to God for placing me in this college ministry where I was discipled by a godly young woman by the name of Renita. She poured out her time and life into me and she is now a constant part of my testimony. CO is such a God-centered and Word-centered ministry and the people that I have met throughout my time there are now some of my best friends. So, CO is very dear to my heart. This past weekend I had the opportunity to hang out with the CO Johannesburg group. It was so neat to see the students on a different continent from the same organization with the same passion for Jesus Christ and His renown. The students here have such a zeal for the Lord and I know that our faithful God will use them to transform this city and this country, for His name sake.

"Building laborers on the campus for the lost world"

Campus Outreach Missions Statement

Students and staff Praising God!

Jamie (CO staff) & I

Martha and I

Voices of students praising God!

Mighty to Save!

No, no one came to salvation! But, I am encouraged by a song (words are below) I heard at a Passion: Global Tour Conference on Saturday. It is no doubt that ministry can at times be so discouraging and for me at times I am tempted to think that I am the one who actually changes the heart of people. What a foolish and burdensome thought?!? Even in my own family, with all our problems and brokenness, sometimes it’s simply all just too overwhelming. In my own life, I am prone to forget that there is a God who sits and reigns victoriously on the throne and He is indeed MIGHTY TO SAVE! He is the one who actually changes the heart of stone to a heart of flesh! He is the author of salvation. What a comfort and liberating thought to know that God is the potter and I am the clay! As the clay, I am reminded that I am merely a vessel and that it is the Holy Spirit that illumines the heart of people to the point of salvation. He shows mercy on whomever He desires. In light of the sufficiency and might of God I am therefore compelled to press on for the sake of the elect, whoever they are!!!

Mighty to Save
by
Hillsong

Everyone needs compassion Love that’s never failing Let mercy fall on me
Everyone needs forgiveness The kindness of a Saviour The hope of nations
CHORUS:
Saviour
He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever
Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave
VERSE 2:
So take me as You find me All my fears and failures Fill my life againI give my life to follow Everything I believe in Now I surrender
BRIDGE:
Shine Your light and let the whole world see
We’re singing
For the glory of the risen King

Seeing the beauty of Gods' planned timing!

While I am here in South Africa, I must confess that at times I struggle in finding purpose. Some days are simply just busier than others. My dilemma is learning how to find the balance between the desire to be a steward of the grace that God has entrusted to me and not having things to do. If I have my days mapped out with lots of things to do I feel more productive. This of course is not a biblical thought. So, lately I have been asking the Lord to allow me to find ministry opportunities in the most unplanned and unexpected ways. God is so kind because He has exceedingly abundantly answered my prayer.

A couple of weeks ago, one of the Lambano ladies came to me and asked for help in studying the Bible. Just like many of us, at times we read the Scriptures but struggle to find meaning. It was clear to me that this young lady had a sincere desire to become closer to our Lord. This past week, I met with her and another young lady and I shared with them basic tools that could be used to better understand the Scriptures. She was really appreciative…Praise God!

Another opportunity that was given to me occurred on Sunday. Another lady on staff asked me to talk with her 17 year old daughter about respect, manners etc. A few months ago Martha and I helped this young lady with a school assignment and this opened up the door to form a relationship with her. This young lady has been coming to church with me for the past 2 weeks or so. This past Sunday we went out for brunch during which we talked about her past and her present life. She is such a sweet young lady. I shared with her the story of Jesus after which she asked, what should she do to be a Christian? This was great because the Bible is the source of answer for all these questions. I shared some parts of the bridge diagram (thanks Zo) with her. The bridge diagram is a method that uses Romans 6:23 as the basis in which our depravity is revealed and the grace and hope of God is magnified. I shared passages like Romans 3:23; Romans 10: 9-10; Ephesians 2: 8-9 and Isaiah 53: 4-7 with her. We then went on a little expedition to find her a Bible. I bought her a really cute Bible and a journal (thanks financial supporters). As we were leaving the bookstore, she said that her life was going to change. Please, please, please pray for this young lady! I really do hope that her life will change through Christ.

Remember, I said that God answered my initial prayer in an exceedingly abundantly manner! So last night Martha and I went out for dinner. After dinner, I decided that I would stop by my favorite ice cream shop and purchase my favorite ice cream, rum and raisin (this is not an alcoholic ice-cream…well it has about 1% of rum). Anyways, because I visit this place so frequently and because of my obvious accent, I have had the opportunity to share with 3 of the employees my reason for being in SA. I have especially built a small relationship with one particular lady who by the way is a Christian. Last night she showed me a book that was given to her by a customer. The book talked about speaking in tongues, and how one isn’t truly saved unless they speak in tongues. This young lady was so perplexed by what she was reading! She said she has been a Christian for 2 years and she never spoke in tongues. I told her that I have been a Christian for over 7 years and I have never spoken in tongues either. Long story short, I told her that book was a falsifiable interpretation of the Scriptures, especially Acts 2! Martha and I encouraged her to throw the book away! She did and we encouraged her to be discerning about the things she reads. We exchanged numbers with her and I hope that we can establish a relationship with her.

Why do I mention all these stories??????

Well, for a couple of reasons! If you are reading this and you are a Christian, regardless of if you are on the mission field, a student, a wife, an accountant or whomever. At times we all struggle with finding a purpose in God’s redemptive plan. We don’t always see how the mundane things of life have anything to do with the kingdom of God and this of course can be discouraging. But, take heart that no matter where you are in your life, if you are a Christian God wants to use you for your good (sanctification) and for His glory. I have been reading “Battling Unbelief” by John Piper and in this book, he spoke about having faith in future grace. Last night, I read the chapter that spoke about battling patience. Patience is definitely a fruit of the spirit because in my flesh I am unable to be patient. Anyways, in light of everything I said, I take comfort in the truths that patience comes from the heart that truly trust in the wisdom of God’s timing and the goodness of God’s guidance. In Pipers own words he says patience is “…a deepening, ripening, peaceful willingness to wait for God in the unplanned place of obedience, and to walk with God at the unplanned pace of obedience – to wait in his place, and go at his pace.”

I am glad that God does not work according to my agenda but according to His own. Because ofthis, I am learning to wait on the Lord as a servant waits for her Master, and it is in this place that I find the beauty of God’s perfect timing!

“Wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning…hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption.” (Psalms 130: 5-7)

Teach them diligently!

One of my favorites part of each day is my time with the children at 78. Each night we read a Bible story, sing songs and pray before bed. The past nights have been so exciting! The children always have stories to tell me about their day. Last week, as I read one of our Bible stories, I sought to summarize the story by saying that God wants for us to obey and serve him. One of the little boys, age 6, asked, "how do I serve God?" Wow! I was blown away by this profound question. I went on to explain that we can serve God by obeying Him and those who watch over us, we can also serve the Lord by being kind to others, and most importantly we can serve God by telling others about Jesus. This was such a neat opportunity and I was glad to know that the Lord is working on their little hearts.

Last night, we were reading the story of Nicodemus. The children had a hard time pronouncing his name and this was quite amusing. So, as you know in the story, Nicodemus asked Jesus, how must he be born again? (John 3: 1-14) We talked about what it meant to be born again and one of the little girls, age 8, says to me, I want to be born again. I shared that to be born again, she has to ask Jesus to come and live in her heart. A few minutes later, we started our usual prayer time, when it was her turn to pray she asked Jesus to come and live in her heart and make her a new person. Wow! This was so amazing! Once again, I was reminded that God is at work in their hearts. They love stories, their minds are so fresh and they are so eager to learn. I am so thankful that I get to observe tangibly what a childlike faith is. As I seek to teach them, I am being taught by them as well. Their eagerness to listen and learn as well as their humility makes me want to have a childlike faith. Children are such a precious gift from God! They really are! Hmmm?!?