E
evanman
Guest
Msindisi Bi-Monthly,
# 19 - August Edition
PO Box 1481,
Vryheid 3100,
KwaZulu Natal,
South Africa.
Phone: +27 (0) 34 967 1140
Website: http://www.estisi.4t.com
Mobile: +27 (0) 72 479 2098
"Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face
continually." (1 Chr 16: 11)
Firstly before I start my newsletter I must apologise for
my unfaithfulness in keeping up a monthly newsletter and I
can only say that I haven't made it a priority over the
last 2 or so months. I will endeavour to keep you updated
as to how things are going but I have decided to do so on a
bi-monthly basis. So I hope that this newsletter is found
welcoming and informative and I hope that it will guide
your prayers.
Caleb, Sophie & Malachi: Are due back from their trip at
the beginning of August. Apparantly it has been going well
and Malachi has been growing well.
News: Well the last three months have been a mixed bag. It
is difficult to recall everything that has happened because
it is so diverse. For instance I have had 2 women come in
the last month or so wanting me to phone an ambulance as
they were in labour. One of them, a Miss Mhlongo, gave
birth on our property a number of weeks ago. The ambulance
arrived but arrived too late. She was asked if she wanted
to go to hospital but she then declined because she wanted
to collect her pension money now that she had the
opportunity. The following week she went to hospital and
died leaving a baby there with no possibility of contacting
the parents and so the baby has been taken to a secret
place of safety and the social worker must now, over a long
period of time ascertain whether the home is suitable to
look after the child. The other lady who is young had a
successful birth. My eyes have become more open to the
amount of deaths that actually happen to people around the
surrounding area. Just today someone had a tragic accident,
while fixing a lorry on our road and died. All this serves
to show that life is fragile and sometimes we can take
things for granted. The attitude that some day we have to
get ourselves right with God can be a decieving arguement
because that some day may never come. This message is an
important one and is one to be considered with the
preaching of the gospel. Apart from the preaching and just
plain dialogue with people there is the ongoing life of
just being, or trying to be available for people in respect
to doing favours and just spending time with people. My
present co worker at the moment, a Joe Rumley from Bristol,
is witness to how just opening the door up to someone
people and just spending time with them over a cup of
coffee or tea really makes an impression, not that that is
the reason for doing so. So even though there may not be
much scheduled in terms of formalised activity, there is
always something to do.
Over the last couple of months we have also had two
visitors. The first was a guy called Joel, from Canada. A
very laid back person who was seeking God's leading.
Although he was over with the Salvation Army, he wasn't in
the Salvation Army and he said that he benefitted by seeing
the importance of the word of God and we had some good
studying together. He mainly slotted in with what I was
doing. The American couple that was due to stay here had
pulled out due to a change of direction in their ministry.
Then, Dave Royle's family had some time away from Springs,
holidaying near here and with them a girl who helped me out
with children's work and got involved a a few meetings with
my friend Athony Royle helping out too with a high school.
At the moment Joe is staying with me and this has helped to
split responsibilities and costs as well as to provide some
English speaking company. At the end of this week we will
be joined by a South African lady, called Wendy Thome who
will stay for one week before the Masseys return.
We have made a couple of good contacts. One is an
Evangelist working at the Salvation Army hospital. From
what I can tell he is a sound believer with a good grasp of
the reality of the Gospel and a fervency to preach and
demonstrate it. His name is BongeNkosi Mthembu and it is
great to pull along side him when we visit the hospital
now. He is on his own there so our visits there help to
encourage him in his walk. Another gentleman is a pastor in
a near by area, called Louwsburg and he leads an
evangelical church that seems to be sound. We are hoping to
make a partnership with him and our pastor, Dave Royle is
coming down to deal with the lease for the mission station
and to meet with the pastor.
Evangelism: Since the schools have closed, Evangelism has
been mainly occuring among Kraals. Just informally meeting
people and seeing how they are lends itself to sharing the
gospel and to question answering. Phumulani has been active
in this on his days off from work and it is encouraging to
see him growing in confidence to take a lead, especially as
he is fluent in Zulu, it being his mother tongue. I have
found that in answer to people's questions I have been
emphasising the aspect of the New Life that is in Christ
Jesus. Just in my sermon today I had used a quote from an
old pastor saying that "Christ does not offer a new start
in life, but rather a new life to start!" And it is this
that needs to be revealed to them by God Himself. We had a
gospel presentation to a couple of ladies and apart from
that and meetings it is as has been said before, just
taking people as the come, inviting them and and getting to
know people. The Children's club is doing well and the
Children are faithful in attending it. They are remembering
the lessons and we are praying for the day when they ask
who the deliverer is and how they can be saved. At
Tygerskloof bible study there is a steady attendance. For
this small group the meeting is a church away from home as
most of them come from other parts of the country. There is
potential in terms of supporting them in their own study
but we will see how it all goes. Celani is a gift as she
has been counselling our friend Jostina, who has been
having a difficult time and we hope to see progress as we
are trying to visit her husband more.
One more thing: Although he is not part of the mission in
KwaZulu Natal, please could you pray for a guy called
Bernard Mathe and his wife Mabel. He is Pastoring the
Moriel Community Church in the Ebyown Children's Village in
Gauteng. Him and his wife are expecting a baby early next
year, but with a history of miscarraiges there have been
problems. Mabel has had to have a stitch put in and so
Bernard has had to take on extra responsibilities. Please
pray that God would give them the strength to pull through
and recieve the gift of a beautiful new baby.
PRAYER REQUESTS
· For Phumelani, Celani and Jostina in their discipleship.
· For our translator Simon to get saved.
· For our relationships as a team to grow in real love and
discernment so that people would see Christ in us as we run
the mission.
# 19 - August Edition
PO Box 1481,
Vryheid 3100,
KwaZulu Natal,
South Africa.
Phone: +27 (0) 34 967 1140
Website: http://www.estisi.4t.com
Mobile: +27 (0) 72 479 2098
"Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face
continually." (1 Chr 16: 11)
Firstly before I start my newsletter I must apologise for
my unfaithfulness in keeping up a monthly newsletter and I
can only say that I haven't made it a priority over the
last 2 or so months. I will endeavour to keep you updated
as to how things are going but I have decided to do so on a
bi-monthly basis. So I hope that this newsletter is found
welcoming and informative and I hope that it will guide
your prayers.
Caleb, Sophie & Malachi: Are due back from their trip at
the beginning of August. Apparantly it has been going well
and Malachi has been growing well.
News: Well the last three months have been a mixed bag. It
is difficult to recall everything that has happened because
it is so diverse. For instance I have had 2 women come in
the last month or so wanting me to phone an ambulance as
they were in labour. One of them, a Miss Mhlongo, gave
birth on our property a number of weeks ago. The ambulance
arrived but arrived too late. She was asked if she wanted
to go to hospital but she then declined because she wanted
to collect her pension money now that she had the
opportunity. The following week she went to hospital and
died leaving a baby there with no possibility of contacting
the parents and so the baby has been taken to a secret
place of safety and the social worker must now, over a long
period of time ascertain whether the home is suitable to
look after the child. The other lady who is young had a
successful birth. My eyes have become more open to the
amount of deaths that actually happen to people around the
surrounding area. Just today someone had a tragic accident,
while fixing a lorry on our road and died. All this serves
to show that life is fragile and sometimes we can take
things for granted. The attitude that some day we have to
get ourselves right with God can be a decieving arguement
because that some day may never come. This message is an
important one and is one to be considered with the
preaching of the gospel. Apart from the preaching and just
plain dialogue with people there is the ongoing life of
just being, or trying to be available for people in respect
to doing favours and just spending time with people. My
present co worker at the moment, a Joe Rumley from Bristol,
is witness to how just opening the door up to someone
people and just spending time with them over a cup of
coffee or tea really makes an impression, not that that is
the reason for doing so. So even though there may not be
much scheduled in terms of formalised activity, there is
always something to do.
Over the last couple of months we have also had two
visitors. The first was a guy called Joel, from Canada. A
very laid back person who was seeking God's leading.
Although he was over with the Salvation Army, he wasn't in
the Salvation Army and he said that he benefitted by seeing
the importance of the word of God and we had some good
studying together. He mainly slotted in with what I was
doing. The American couple that was due to stay here had
pulled out due to a change of direction in their ministry.
Then, Dave Royle's family had some time away from Springs,
holidaying near here and with them a girl who helped me out
with children's work and got involved a a few meetings with
my friend Athony Royle helping out too with a high school.
At the moment Joe is staying with me and this has helped to
split responsibilities and costs as well as to provide some
English speaking company. At the end of this week we will
be joined by a South African lady, called Wendy Thome who
will stay for one week before the Masseys return.
We have made a couple of good contacts. One is an
Evangelist working at the Salvation Army hospital. From
what I can tell he is a sound believer with a good grasp of
the reality of the Gospel and a fervency to preach and
demonstrate it. His name is BongeNkosi Mthembu and it is
great to pull along side him when we visit the hospital
now. He is on his own there so our visits there help to
encourage him in his walk. Another gentleman is a pastor in
a near by area, called Louwsburg and he leads an
evangelical church that seems to be sound. We are hoping to
make a partnership with him and our pastor, Dave Royle is
coming down to deal with the lease for the mission station
and to meet with the pastor.
Evangelism: Since the schools have closed, Evangelism has
been mainly occuring among Kraals. Just informally meeting
people and seeing how they are lends itself to sharing the
gospel and to question answering. Phumulani has been active
in this on his days off from work and it is encouraging to
see him growing in confidence to take a lead, especially as
he is fluent in Zulu, it being his mother tongue. I have
found that in answer to people's questions I have been
emphasising the aspect of the New Life that is in Christ
Jesus. Just in my sermon today I had used a quote from an
old pastor saying that "Christ does not offer a new start
in life, but rather a new life to start!" And it is this
that needs to be revealed to them by God Himself. We had a
gospel presentation to a couple of ladies and apart from
that and meetings it is as has been said before, just
taking people as the come, inviting them and and getting to
know people. The Children's club is doing well and the
Children are faithful in attending it. They are remembering
the lessons and we are praying for the day when they ask
who the deliverer is and how they can be saved. At
Tygerskloof bible study there is a steady attendance. For
this small group the meeting is a church away from home as
most of them come from other parts of the country. There is
potential in terms of supporting them in their own study
but we will see how it all goes. Celani is a gift as she
has been counselling our friend Jostina, who has been
having a difficult time and we hope to see progress as we
are trying to visit her husband more.
One more thing: Although he is not part of the mission in
KwaZulu Natal, please could you pray for a guy called
Bernard Mathe and his wife Mabel. He is Pastoring the
Moriel Community Church in the Ebyown Children's Village in
Gauteng. Him and his wife are expecting a baby early next
year, but with a history of miscarraiges there have been
problems. Mabel has had to have a stitch put in and so
Bernard has had to take on extra responsibilities. Please
pray that God would give them the strength to pull through
and recieve the gift of a beautiful new baby.
PRAYER REQUESTS
· For Phumelani, Celani and Jostina in their discipleship.
· For our translator Simon to get saved.
· For our relationships as a team to grow in real love and
discernment so that people would see Christ in us as we run
the mission.