Outreach Venda 04/09-17/09/2011

The trailer’s tyre burst just before we went to Potgietersrus. Louis and Armand quickly fixed it and we bought a new one on our arrival in Venda at the village of our outreach.
Oh, the bakkie got stuck next to the road again. Just on the outskirts of Potgietersrus there was trouble with the fuel getting to the engine. Another pump had been installed but obviously it did not fix the problem. This time we replaced the filter but still to no avail. The tank was still half full according to the fuel gauge but we added another 20 litres which was actually saved for the generators. That fixed the problem. At the village we took out the fuel tank and saw a pipe pulled out. The fuel pump also got some attention.
We stayed in a RDP house and a bungalow. It was a bit cramped but we with grateful for the roof over our heads and we enjoyed the stay there. Water was scarce and was only delivered once a week, in the meantime one had to buy water. At the school we paid R1 per bottle but it was not clean enough to drink. Water was free of charge at the police station but that was a bit far away from where we were. But then we discovered a water pump in one of the villages.

Louise enjoyed watching the stars at night because it was pitch black after lights out and one is able to see the most beautiful stars.
The wind was blowing strongly on the last Friday and it sounded as if the roof was going to get blown away. Fortunately it was not blowing in the evening; we enjoyed good weather and were able to reach out every evening.

Don’t let smaller things distract you from the bigger work of God around the world.

Testimonies

• A lady and her husband Frans came for prayer after the service. He lost his voice 4 years ago and is unable to talk. After we had prayed for him he started to make sounds. We honour the Lord for this and we believe he will heal completely. Nothing is impossible for the Lord. WE also prayed for the lady’s son who is apparently a lovely and soft-hearted child but he sometimes become extremely rude and wants to set fire to everything.
• An alcoholic accept Jesus.
• A woman shared that she learnt we have to look after one another after she had seen the film about Lazarus and the rich man.
• One man said it was a miracle from God to have the team there since they have never heard a message like this.
• Another man testified that he sat in his house listening to the message and he accepted Jesus. Louis encouraged the team to always preach the Gospel even if it seems like not lot of people are present. In eternity we will know how many people did accept Jesus, many of whom we might not have been aware of.
• A lady said that it does not mean you have faith if you attend the village church. She thanked the Lord for sending the team to them to revive their faith.
• We had difficulty finding a suitable place to stand at one village and eventually found a place next to someone’s gate. The owner of the house immediately came to us and was very friendly. He told us about his church and pastor, both of which we knew. He called his pastor and they had a nice visit because Richard was with him at our Bible school. Alfred visited the next day and this time they had an even nicer visit because he too studied with them at the Bible school.
• A lady with thick glasses prayed the conversion prayer. We are not certain how long she still has to live but she made good use of this opportunity.
• Edwin came to fetch the Venda men and had the opportunity to preach to them. We were at a soccer field in a ravine and it echoed when they preached. The chief and 2 women came to watch the film and all 3 accepted the Lord.

Statustics

Due to exams that were in progress we did not reach out at any schools.
People reached: 3450
Conversions:   3341
Children reached: 572             
Conversions: 491

 Build your children’s lives on the firm foundation of God’s Word

Bible Project

Our finances allow us only to buy 12 Bibles for each outreach and therefore we only took 120 Bibles with. The Bibles were sold out within the first week. Fifteen Bibles were sold in the first small village. There is revival in Venda and everyone is looking for a Bible. People are walking kilometres to get hold of a Bible and everywhere we went people were asking to buy Bibles. A friend at Gideons who distributes New Testaments at schools said they had handed out 32624 small Testaments at the Venda schools and in spite of this people are still in need of Bibles.

• One lady was asking us for a Bible while we were busy with announcements and when we passed by her house later on she was sitting and reading her Bible.
• A shy little girl with a crumpled R100 note in one hand, and the seam of her dress rolled up in her mouth with the other hand, came to buy a Bible.

We buy the Bibles and carry some of the costs to make the Bibles more affordable for people to get their own. During the announcements be make mention of the Bibles being sold at R40 each. In Venda we cannot keep ahead providing Bibles. Bibles are being sold only to individuals and not groups because we are carrying some of the costs. We refer people to the Bible Association if they want to buy Bibles in bulk. If the Lord is pressing it on your heart to sponsor a Bible, please indicate this specifically that the money should go the Bible Project.
 
The church at which Louis had preached during his previous outreach was now so full because everyone wanted to attend church now. We were now visiting the same area and everywhere we went people were inviting us to church because we knew their pastor.
 
Sunday we went to church with Edwin and Lucy. But we first had to get over the mountain on a very steep dirt road and just one of the bakkies is a 4x4. The bakkie kept on drifting in the sand during the last part. Oh, it was so nice to see all the familiar faces again. We enjoyed a nice cold drink and then moved on to church. Louis preached about the life of Job and how the Lord would bless you if you would only keep on trusting Him. He makes good double for your trouble. We had a lovely time singing and worshipping together. The children have grown a lot and Edwin was bragging with his first grandchild. . We visited Mashudu after church and then went to Edwin and Lucy for a meal.  What a feast - we had a sumptuous meal. Fortunately we needed not to go back the same steep road and took a path around the mountain. Seeing that we had to start with announcements at 4pm already we had to get in a short rest for we were all very tired. That evening’s gathering was wonderfully blessed apart from a few drunkards who sat nearby and talked.

Personal

Louis suffered from allergies in the time between the two outreaches. First his eyes had swollen up and then he had a rash on his hands. He also had to let 2 of his wisdom teeth get removed and still has a bit of pain. But the Lord is wonderfully good to us and He provides for each of our needs.

Every opportunity when the gospel is being preached makes a difference between heaven and hell.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Thank the Lord for every person who accepted Jesus; they now need not to go to heaven
• His wondergul protection.
• Thank the Lord for healing the sick. Thanks to everyone who prayed for us, for those who needed prayer adn for those who are still in need of prayer.
• Piet: He is till in ICU. Please pray for his salvation.
• Anja: They ceased administering morphine and she is crying a lot but generally it is going well. The oncology results are nornal. Legs are moving all right. We pray for complete healing.
• Sonja: The pahtologist’s test shows her one breast was covered with an agresssive cancer. Nine glads have been removed and she is home and needs to for chemo for 6 weeks. We pray for a speedy healing so that chemo won’t be necessary at all. 
• Gert: He has agressive brain cancer and they have given him 2 months to live. Pray that the Lord won’t let him die before he get saved. Please also pray for his family’s salvation.
• My friend D’s friend is addicted to his cellphone which he also uses to watch pronography. Please pray seriously for him and the youth in general who are getting exposed to so much temptation.
• Marie: Her husband passed away and she is finding it very difficult.
• Jaco: He had a stem cell transplant. He must not get any infection and has not throat infection.

Thanks to everyone who sends us their prayer requests. We pray with you glady.
We thank the Lord for everyone who prays for us during outreach and thereafter. He answers prayers. Please do not stop.

Little is much when it is in Gods hands

                           
                     
OUTREACH 11-17 SEPTEMBER 2011

I bring greetings from Zimbabwe

Praying for God to break my heart for what breaks His.

 What a great outreach! 832 people made first time commitments to Christ and many lives were touched by the teams. There were 2460 in attendance. This outreach was a good combination of training, street witness and encouraging local churches.

 “It was my privilege to talk to and shared the Gospel with them and woman who was very interested in knowing more about God. She was in a rush but gave me her phone number and asked me to call her. Later that evening I called her and continued our discussion about the Lord. Over the phone was able to lead the women to a new relationship with Christ. I was honoured and humbled by this opportunity “

When facing a crisis, trust God and move forward.
Let go and let God

Mozambique

There is a great need for medicine in Doa Mozambique where Robert works. A lot of people, especially children are dying on a daily basis due to malaria. Many people are attending the gatherings to get a deeper relationship with the Lord. Many also come for prayer and healing.

Doa is close to the Mozambique and Malawi border, 2247 km from Malamulele in South Africa, from where Robert starts his journey to Mozambique. Since 1989 Robert has been visiting the poorest areas of Mozambique. They are in great need of medication, clothes and food.

Statustics

Salvation 5810
Healing 2620

Lord give me work till my life shall end- and life till my work is done.
Our love for God can be measured by our love for others.