Prayer Alert

Today was a little bit unusual of a Sunday for us. It started last night when I got a phone call at 8 pm, from a lady that we know in the village of Mhlaba Cross. Her 2 year old granddaughter had gotten sick and died suddenly this week on Wednesday night. Best we can tell, it seems that she died from dehydration.....very sad! In any case, the family wasn't regularly attending any church, so they just called around and found a 'preacher' to come and do the funeral. However, on Saturday, the 'preacher' backed out on them....he must have decided that he didn't want to work on Christmas weekend. So they were left without anyone to do the funeral. I am glad that Jeanette thought to call me. I was able to go with one of our men early this morning and preach a 15 minute Gospel message at the graveside. It really was a very sad ordeal. In African tradition, when a little baby dies, the men are not allowed to accompany the funeral procession to the graveside. They allowed us to be there, since we were preaching, and the father was there. When we finished preaching, they asked everyone to leave, including the father, and then they carried on with some ritual to cleanse the mother of the dead child from evil spirits/bad luck. They believe that if they don't do this, then the mother may not be able to have any more children. After they finish their rituals, then a few men are allowed back to finish filling the grave with dirt. Every funeral here is surrounded with a great deal of fear, but especially the funeral of little children. It is sad to see the people with no hope, groping for answers in the darkness.

Please pray for these folks at Mhlaba Cross village. We still have contact with them, and will be trying to see next week if we can get a group of folks together to study the Scriptures. It does seem that God has opened a door to work with them, through many various circumstances over the last several months. It was undeniable that the Lord wanted us there this morning, and I trust that our show of concern will open the door further. Please pray to that end.

African Culture Commandment #2

Save Face At All Cost!

One of the things that is taboo in many of the world's cultures, if not most, is the art of confrontation. I know that many of you are thinking right now....'well, nobody likes confrontation', and you are right that probably 99.9% of the people on the planet are not comfortable with confrontation. (We've all met a few souls that seem to thrive on it, but usually even they don't like to be on the receiving end) However, in American culture, even though most don't like to receive confrontation, there are many who don't hesitate to dish it out. In the rest of the world, this is usually looked on with great disdain, especially in African culture. The general rule here is that it is NEVER ok to embarass another with confrontational tactics, no matter how much it may indeed be deserved! If you ever watch an African family negotiate 'lebola' (the amount to be paid by the soon to be groom to the family of a daughter getting married), you would think that NOTHING was getting accomplished. Usually the girl's family names it's price, then the groom's family counter's with another offer, and so on. All of this is done at a big family gathering, and never face to face by the bride and groom with parents. Instead representatives are chosen to go back and forth as messengers, until an amount is agreed upon. Usually the side that 'wins' the negotiations is the side that is able to sit the longest :-)....and believe me they can sit for a long time!!! But, all of this system for negotiating lebola is built carefully around this priniciple of confrontation being taboo.

Most times, if you embarass an African through face to face confrontation, you have probably just made an enemy for life. He will never forget, nor forgive you for that, unless his heart is altered by the forgiving love of Christ. Biblically, we are commanded to confront certain issues at certain times, however, I think that many of us could review our spirit and approach to confrontation. Much can be learned by the patience and cautiousness used by Africans in their relationships in this regard. A Christian has the responsibility of learning how to balance cautiousness and confrontation in his sphere of relationships.

African Culture Commandment #1

You Can't Argue With the Clan!

While the majority of Americans are born and bred with an independent - look out for number one at all costs - spirit, the African culture produces a very different perspective on life. Almost every decision that an African makes, he is expected to first consider the wishes and needs of his clan and determine his choices based on the greater good. The reason for this is probably largely due to the fact that most Africans depend on others within their clan for survival. By 'clan', I mean all levels of extended family - to aunts, uncles, cousins, and sometimes beyond. It is most common to see one working African supporting many members of extended family. Due to a shortage of employment opportunities, and many other factors, the number of employed family members is usually very few - thus you are expected to support the rest. Therefore, any decision from further education, to employment considerations, to marriage and everything in between, requires consultation with all parties (involved or not) before one can do anything else.

While there are many selfless benefits to this kind of mental approach, it also produces many stumblingblocks, especially when it comes to following the claims of Christ on one's life. You can imagine the struggle for an African Christian, born and bred with this 'clan' mentality, when it comes to Christ's claims of discipleship in Luke 14:26.

Culture and Language

I do believe all missionaries should get together and write a book about all the funny stories we have regarding language differences and barriers. We have a ton - and we live in a country where English is a trade language!

Sunday, was one such occassion for me. At Motupa, we meet in a Primary school room. Each week, there are different posters and such highlighting what they are learning. This past week, my eye caught the one on homonyms - words that are pronounced the same, but have different meanings. Now, I am one of those poor, tormented souls that should've been an English professor. I was the weird one that always loved English in school - and thought that diagraming was fun. Proof-reading is painful for me. When my husband asks me to proof-read something, he always prefaces it (with a knowing smile) by saying, "Now, it doesn't have to be perfect - I DON'T want to rewrite the whole thing, okay?" So, when I read the poster hanging on the wall in the dusty, hot classroom, everything within me shouted, "ERROR! WRONG! CORRECTION!"

This was the list of homonymns for the class...

Live/Leave
Fit/Feet
Sit/Seat
Flower/Flour
Pane/Pain

And now I'm sure you see what I saw. HOWEVER.... Africans pronounce their "i" as a long "e". Now, go back and reread those first few words with a long "e". (And yes - it's killing me that I can't figure out on Blogger how to type and "e" with a line over it to indicate that it's a long "e". Pray for me - no - pray for my soon-to-be-homeschooled kids.)

It struck me as funny, yet it is a real reminder of the differences in culture. It's all in your perspective. That is exactly what culture shock is - feeling stupid and wondering why everyone else is being stupid. It's understanding others - as they try to understand strange Americans! It's something being wrong to us - and right to them (and the other way as well).

I share a hilarious story here that I've read from a missionary wife on the subject...

Smith's Ghost ~

When we translate we must be very careful to use the right idioms. Since idioms are (according to Webster) “The way of speaking and putting words together peculiar to a language”, we have to know the cultural meaning behind words and phrases before we use them. If we are not careful, we could be communicating something entirely different from our intended meaning. To illustrate this point, here is a true story of what happened to an African Christian who once came to the States to study.

The African student was assigned to stay with a Christian couple whom I’ll call “the Smiths.” All was going very well with this arrangement until one day when the student was left alone in the house. That morning the Smiths had decided to go out for a day in town, so they said goodbye to their African guest and left. He was studying very intently at the table when the phone range. Not wanting to let it go unanswered, he picked it up and said, “Hello?”

A voice on the other end said, “Hello? Is Mr. Smith there, please?”
“No, he just passed away,” (His incorrect translation for “he went away.”)
“Uh, really?” said the voice incredulously. “I didn’t know that. I’m sorry. Is his wife
there?”
“No, she passed away with him.”
The voice faltered, “Um I’m sorry to hear that…and who are you?”
“I’m his ghost.” (He meant to say “guest”, but with his heavy accent the diphthong
came out just a little bit wrong.)

When the confusion was later explained to the African student, he was very embarrassed. Fortunately no damage was done, and the two gentlemen were able to laugh at the humorous memory. (At the Edge of the Village by Lisa Leidenfrost/Canon Press)

When you have two homes...

Did anyone read the Hawthorne's recent prayer letter (Indonesia)?

They've found the words that I've been fumbling to find for 3 years! :o)

It seemed strange not feeling strange in this culture! It was different to come here and not feel out of place. We were able to start right back into using the Indonesian language and doing things the Indonesian way. We seem to have 2 homes and we can be at home and homesick at the same time in both places.

Wow, does that ever sum up our hearts right now, as we are preparing for furlough.

These songs take on new meaning to missionaries:

This world is not my home,

I'm just a passing through...

~~~~~

I'd rather have Jesus,

than houses or lands...

~~~~~

But just think of stepping on shore and finding it Heaven!

Of touching a hand and finding it God's!

Of breathing new air and finding it celestial!

Of waking up in Glory and finding it HOME!

~~~~~

A tent or a cottage, why should I care?

He's building a palace for me over There;

Though exiled from Home, yet still I may sing:

All glory to God, I'm a child of the KING!

Graphic Courtesy of allposters.com

American Worldview

In the last post, we were talking about understanding African culture. However, before we can really understand any other culture, we must first understand our own culture (i.e., point of reference on life). So how do people in American culture generally view life? What are the rules that govern the average American's worldview? For this post, I am going to borrow from a book that I recommend to you on this subject of cultural complications, "American Cultural Baggage - how to recognize and deal with it" by Stan Nussbaum.

In his book, Mr. Nussbaum, highlights 10 cultural values in the American society. He calls them the 10 Commandments of American Culture. Though there are varying degrees of these values in different individuals, I think you will agree and chuckle at the resemblance that you will see.

1. You can't argue with success (Be a success!)
2. Live and let live (Be tolerant!)
3. Time flies when you are having fun (Have lots of fun!)
4. Shop till you drop
5. Just do it
6. You are only young once (Do whatever you can while you have the chance!)
7. Enough is enough (Stand up for your rights!)
8. Rules are made to be broken (Think for yourself!)
9. Time is money (Don't waste time!)
10. God helps those who help themselves (Work hard!)

Americans, by and large, tend to be very ethnocentric people. After living abroad in a foreign country for 3 years, we can usually spot an American visitor at a moment's notice. And not because everyone over here is black-skinned. To the contrary, there are many caucasian English-speaking people in our very community. However, Americans in general, have a unique ability to proclaim their presence in foreign lands, by virtue of their ethnocentricity. Not all cultures have the same 'values' as American culture, and many Americans cannot seem to understand or appreciate that fact! Thus Americans are often seen as loud and brash. Though I am American through and through, sometimes the 'loud American' makes me want to curl up and hide my true identity :-).

I am working on a list of the 10 Commandments of African Culture for my next post. We'll keep you in suspense for now:-).

One of our favorite places...

Kruger Park: To most people, it is an article in National Geographic, a documentary on television, or a once-in-a-lifetime trip. To us, it is next door - only an hour from our doorstep.

Most kids have childhood memories of family vacations - camping or trips to Grandma’s house. Our kids have memories of nights spent at camps inside Kruger Park, falling asleep to distant lion roars. How cool is that?

A few weeks ago, George, the kids, and I went away to Kruger for a couple days. We had never gone there just as a family, with the exception of a day trip or two. We wanted to take one last trip before furlough – and before it got too hot!

We stayed at the Satara Camp this time. We’ve found this to be Lion Country! Not to worry though, the camps are surrounded by high-voltage electric fences. They have nice little thatched roof chalets. We got a chalet that had an outdoor kitchen on the porch. There is nothing like having a braai (BBQ) inside of Kruger Park. To read more, visit their website at http://www.krugerpark.co.za/ .

It was one of the best trips we’ve ever had there. The kids are at an age now that they get SO excited about everything – even the impalas - which are as plenteous as perhaps the
trees. We ‘joke’ that you always know when it’s someone’s first time in Kruger. They stop to look at impalas. :o) We saw 4 of the Big Five; Lion, Elephant, Rhino, and Cape Buffalo among tons of other rare sightings too numerous to list.

The highlight of course was seeing the huge male lion just off the tar road. All morning, Joel was asking God to bring the lions out. We had just headed back out for an evening drive before the gates closed at dusk. Coming upon a gravel road, we noticed several herds of animals: waterbuck and impala. They were all frozen and fixated on one area of grass. Something had them nervous. We turned onto the gravel road, seeing a couple cars pulled over. As we turned the corner, just off the side of the road, a huge male lion lifted his magnificent head out of the tall grass. We turned off the engine (and rolled up the windows!). As he was lounging there in the grass, he lowered his head and laid down. This is why it is illegal to get out of your car inside the park. Even though we KNEW the lion was there, we could no longer see him at all. After a few minutes, he lifted that magnificent head and began sniffing at the air. I began to pray that God would pinch the lion and make him run or roar! And did he ever roar…

Click below to see our actual video clip, this was without zooming in. :o)

Wouldn't you just LOVE to see this with your own eyes? Booking visitors for next term….

As I was talking with a mutual friend today, the copier repair man, yes I see him a lot (lol), I was reminded of a subject that I have been giving a lot of consideration to lately. The struggle to communicate across cultures. There have been scores of books written on the subject, concerning the land mines, helpful pointers, and even explanations about how other cultures think (i.e., other culture's worldviews). I have read several of these books, however, I have never understood the challenges of communicating in another culture, as much as I now do, having lived in another culture for almost 3 years. Don't take that to mean, by any stretch, that I have figured out how to handle it, quite the opposite. I guess more than anything, I have learned that I have much more to learn. Somedays I wonder if I will ever really figure this culture(s) out.

You see the country that we now consider to be our home is a mix of cultures that we are confronted with everyday. Each of them are unique and special, and each of them offer great challenges to understand. Some of these cultures are first world, some of them are third world, and some are somewhere in-between! How hard is it to tell the mechanic what is wrong with your car? Well it took mine several minutes before he figured out I was talking about the central locks and not the headlights????? How difficult should it be to transfer money between bank accounts? It seemed fairly easy, until I did what the banker told me to do, then I discovered that they really couldn't do it that way after all. So, now transfer the money to another business who will send the money to another institution, who will HOPEFULLY make the transfer for me :-0. Now, the worst part is that these 2 examples are dealing with white folks in this culture who think and live in a half-similar manner to ourselves.

NOW, imagine trying to deal with the majority culture here of African folks, whom we love so dearly, yet so often fain to understand and vice-versa. For example, one guy (african) gives me his resume to type up so he can find a job. But, I notice that he has given me 2 different copies. One has more qualifications listed than the other. I interpret that to mean, one is older than the other. Let me combine the information on the 2 and make 1 perfect resume. When I give him the copy back, he asks....'why did you only give me 1, I gave you 2 different ones to type?' I explained my reasoning to him. He replied, 'well the one with fewer qualifications is for applying for general labor positions, the one with more qualifications is for applying for a higher job position'. In other words, if I find a job for cheap labor, and I give them a resume with too many qualifications, then they won't hire me because I'm overqualified? Ok....my head is still spinning from that 'logic'. But, that's just the problem, that was perfectly 'logical' in his mind....that's fine, but my mind doesn't process information that way!

The paradigm shift in worldview thinking is absolutely critical on our part if we are going to be effective in reaching these souls with the Gospel. If you don't understand how a person thinks, it is very difficult, perhaps impossible, to give them understanding of spiritual truths. However, most of us have never thought about how we think (i.e., our worldview). We just assume that everybody thinks like us, or at least they ought to if they don't :-). Until we first define our own worldview, we will never be able to gain insight into how other cultures think (i.e., their worldview). In some further posts, I would like to try and paint a picture for you of a typical american worldview and then a typical african worldview.

Prayer Alert

Many of you have expressed your prayers for the work over here, and for that we are very grateful. It has been a couple of weeks since I updated you, and wanted to let you know how things are progressing over here with the ministry.

Kujwana village. We are still meeting with a small group here on Sunday mornings. Our focus right now is on reaching Silas and his girlfriend Mavis with the Gospel. If we can reach them and see them put their lives in order concerning their present 'live-in' situation, we may be able to build something off the back of that. David has been doing most of the teaching at these studies and has been dealing with Silas as well. Yesterday, Silas admitted that he has realized that he is not born again. When we first met him he said that he was, but his testimony was a very typical Charismatic testimony....not much at all. Pray for Silas and Mavis and Kujwana village.

Motupa village. We continue to meet here on Sunday afternoons. We did baptize 4 men a few weeks back, and they all are continuing faithful to the Lord. It is exciting to watch them growing together into a fellowship of believers. They meet regularly on Wednesday afternoons as well to study the Scriptures together. Pray for David, Fels, Godfrey, Thomas, and Kenyas. There are some others that attend the studies on Sunday as well from time to time. Pray for Sam, Izak, Phetole, and others that these men are influencing with the Gospel. It is a joy to see these men demonstrating a burden for reaching their own people.

As we prepare for furlough, most of our focus is on developing discipleship and leadership into the lives of these men that have shown commitment to the Lord's work. Over the last 3 years, many have been the professors and 'flash in the pan', few have been the gems that weather the tests of discipleship. These men at Motupa are beginning to bear some very promising fruit. Each one of them feels a strong personal responsibility toward the building of a church in their village. We are praying that God will use them mightily, especially in our absence, to see that the work can be done without the missionary here. Please pray with us to that end.

Family Pictures...

Catch!!
Funny Boy
Piano Girl

I Love You Daddy

We are so grateful for these two precious ones that the Lord has put in our care.

They are the best kids in the world!! We love you two dearly.

Our greatest prayer is that they will know the LORD that loves them.

Thou shalt not kid thyself

"Let no man deceive himself....Let no man glory in men", I Corinthians 3:18, 21. Perhaps two of the most valuable commandments given in the entire book of Corinthians. I have a preacher friend whom I have often heard say that if there were 11 Commandments, the 11th would surely have been "thou shalt not kid thyself". How fitting and forthcoming of a statement for the vanity and carnality that is so common in 'christian' ranks today. Nothing must be more disgusting in the sight of God than to see men parading and promoting themselves as some great one, and using none other than the platform of their 'christianity' to do so. That is exactly what Paul was rebuking here in this very chapter. Of all men who could have 'rightly' paraded and promoted his spirituality, who would dare deny the Apostle Paul that right? Yet, his true spirituality brought forth a stinging rebuke to those who were claiming to be his disciples. In a spirit of humility he declared himself to be nothing more than a servant and a laborer. He assigned to himself the most menial of titles.

We see this same problem in the Lord's churches today, taking on so many various manifestations. If honest, we are all inclined, in our flesh, to brag on our deep spirituality, especially when we are among our peers at church. How very unnecessary are our personal praise reports of how many people we have given tracts to, and how great our sacrifices have been for Jesus, and how deep our humility, and how close our walk with God. Sometimes we are all but saying...."oh, if you could only attain to my level". May we all please give the Lord a great blessing, and do each other a tremendous favor, and stop the parading and promoting of our own great spirituality. It is true that there is no higher calling than serving the Lord.......but servants need not brag!

Mine eye affecteth mine heart...

Last week, I had the great privilege to travel to the neighboring country of Botswana, to preach the Gospel for the 3rd time since July. It was a great time of fellowship and teaching, as two guys from the work here, and a fellow-missionary accompanied us on the journey. How do you summarize a missions trip into words? When we travel to other parts of the world, it seems as though, we allow the Lord to open our eyes and shake off the blinders that so easily cover our sight while we are at home. If you have ever taken a missions trip, you have no doubt experienced this very thing.

Botswana has a very large land mass compared to the 2.5 million people that reside there. As you drive through the countryside for 3 hours from the border to Francistown, you will not find very much of interest to look at. A few cars, a lot of donkies, cows, goats, and vast expanses of open prairie. But, when you arrive in Francistown, you find it to be a very typical African city. Plenty of modern businesses, eating establishments, hotels, etc. Cars, buses, taxis, and people line the streets and sidewalks. There is a small pocket of white folks from various walks of life that you will find living here, but 99% of the people will surely be Africans. It is a strange mix of modern development and poverty all in one. A two minute drive from the modern hotel where we stayed will take you into suburbs of village dwellings that are smaller and far more menial than the average American's back yard shed.

We spend a few hours of our days putting out Gospel tracts within the city limits. We easily distributed 5,000 pieces of literature in a few evening and morning hours. We have found so many people with a seemingly sincere interest in the Word of God. However, the highlight of the time is always spent in teaching small groups of people the Scriptures. We were able to have services with some folks from Zimbabwe, for the third time since July. Every time we leave their place, they pose the question....'when are you coming back to start a Baptist church here?'. In fact, I have lost count of how many people have asked me that question over our 3 trips there. I have not yet figured out how to look these seekers in the eye and tell them that we won't be able to come back. I'm too busy, don't have enough money, don't have enough time, already have another ministry.....they all fail to become acceptable answers when you are looking into the eyes of a people asking you to return. This world is full of people that would give anything to ask you that question...but first we have to go and find them. Perhaps you ask, why go over there, you're already on a missionfield. The answer is simple...'mine eye affecteth mine heart'.

A Typical Sunday...

A few ladies have asked what a day in our lives looks like, so I thought I'd write about our Sundays.

Sundays are our busiest days. This is true of preachers and their families too. Usually we start our day earlier on Sundays than any other day in order to have time to prepare our hearts, our selves, and our home for the busy day ahead. Most Sundays, we are greeted by sunshine and a chorus of birds, already intent on praising the Lord! One of my favorite things about South Africa is the plentiful sunshine and beautiful exquisite mornings. Sundays are usually always quiet, peaceful days in our neighborhood as well, which I appreciate. We live near a primary school, so it can get really noisy during the week. Our Sunday schedule constantly changes depending on which villages we’re having services in at the time. Right now, George leaves in the morning to pick up Fels at the taxi. He lives the opposite direction of where the morning services have been. He and Fels then drive about 20 minutes to meet David. Currently, because of the situation, the children and I stay home in the morning. We have our own Sunday School time complete with songs, Bible story, coloring, and even an offering. The kids like to bring a stuff animal as a visitor. We have a 2’s and 3’s curriculum and it has been good for them to go through it. That usually takes most of the morning. At times, I miss the American schedule of 9am, 1015am, and 6pm – but I must remember – it is simply that…American. Although not wrong, those ‘times’ aren’t in the Bible! :o) The guys are back around lunchtime. So, I try to have Sunday lunch ready when they get home. After lunch, we hurry the kids to bed, and clean up, while the guys fellowship in the living room. They share blessings from the week, do a Bible Study, or do some translation work. Sometimes, they all fall asleep!

After just a short time, we all load up for the afternoon service. It’s about a 30 minute drive to this village. The guys are in the back having a lively discussion in Sotho, and our kids are half-asleep yet because their naps weren’t quite long enough. :o) Arriving a bit early allows the kids to run off some energy before sitting for a l-o-n-g service! We are currently meeting in a primary school. But there are always lots of goats and chickens roaming the property for the kids to chase, and lots and lots of dirt. We jokingly say that you know you’re a missionary to Africa in the village when…your kids get dirtier at church than they do when they play outside at home. :o)

Village sounds waft through the air as we make our way to the dusty, sun-baked school room we use; distant sounds of music, children screaming and laughing, cows bellowing, and the simultaneous chord of their cow-bells. The birds fly overhead. The wind blows and sends a cloud of red dust everywhere. People are walking everywhere. People are sitting everywhere - always wise to congregate in the coolness of the shade. If you watch for any time at all, you will see several struggling to haul their water or firewood – by hand, by wheelbarrow, or conveniently on their heads. Service begins as David greets us all in Sotho. It is a joy now as we watch the people we love lead their own service – and lead it well. We basically set ourselves up in the back and watch. David leads most of the service – we are grateful to be a part of it. It’s a blessing to be able to sing songs in both Sotho and English. Joel joins in heartily, as he is now learning the songs in Sotho.

We enjoy the service, although if David only is preaching, then it’s all in Sotho. If George is preaching, then we hear it in both languages. Yet after 3 years (George more so than myself) we can follow along enough to know what they’re talking about even in Sotho. When the service is over, we spend time fellowshipping with those who have gathered. We say good-bye in 4 different languages right now: Sotho, Tsonga, Shona, and English. We repack the kombi (van) and begin our trek home. This time it’s just with David since Fels lives nearby this village. As we head back to town, we are weary and tired. Sundays are full but we are grateful to be serving the Lord – and we usually end up the ones being blessed.

Later on in the evening, we will download a service from our home church’s website. Because of the time difference now, we are unable to catch the live broadcasts. However, because Africa does not have Daylight Savings, when the clocks change in November, we will get home in enough time to join into to some of our home church’s Sunday Morning Service LIVE!

Prayer Alert

Ok, please accept my humble apologies for slacking off here again with the posts this week. As we prepare for the big move back to the States, things get increasingly hectic with each passing week. Seems like there is so much to get done, and time is running out:-). Anyway, I wanted to petition your prayers for services tomorrow.

Sunday AM - Last week we started teaching the Salvation Bible Studies to a new group in Kujwana village. The Lord directed us here, after a few weeks in Dan village turned up nothing to speak of. Silas, our contact from Dan village, has a 'girlfriend' who is from Kujwana, and her family was interested in having us to their place to teach the Scriptures. So last Sunday Silas took us there, and we found a group of 20 Africans waiting for us when we arrived. Pray for David as he teaches lesson 2 tomorrow morning.

Sunday PM - We are planning a special baptism service in Motupa village tomorrow. Please pray for Fels, Godfrey, Thomas, and Kenyas. All 4 of these men have given good testimonies and appear to evidence fruit of repentance. They have been busy inviting friends and other folks to attend the special occasion tomorrow. Won't you take a moment and pray for each one of these men to be fully committed to the Lord and become great leaders in reaching their own peers with the Gospel of Christ. We could be at a very powerful turning point in the work in this village.

Pictures with Friends...

A Lion on the Loose

Probably one of the most frequent questions we were asked before moving to Africa 3 years ago was....'are there lions just roaming around over there still?'. The touristy, politically correct answer to the question is (in a reassuring voice), "NO, NO, NO, all the dangerous animals are safely kept in national parks, like Kruger Park, etc." After all....we don't want to scare off our visitors:-).

(Kruger Park - September 2001)

Now that we have lived here a while, I still have no desire to meet a lion while I am out and about in the business of life. However, strange as it may be, we are not so weirded out anymore at the thought of lions being kept in close proximity to where we live. That is, until we read articles like this.... http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/general/0,2172,157000,00.html
Yes, folks, the truth is sometimes these ravenous beasts DO indeed escape the parks and dwell amongst the locals. These particular 4 that escaped a month ago have already killed around 50 head of cattle, that we know about:-). My question is....how many lions escape the many private game reserves and national parks that are never reported to the public??? After all, how do you maintain fences on a 7,700 square mile park to make sure all the animals stay in (ha, ha, and that's only ONE of the MANY parks that have lions!!!)

Anyway, you can put your minds at ease, I can assure you that we have never seen any lions roaming around anywhere, except inside the parks. But, the problem is not with the lions that you see....it is the ones that see you first:-). When I read the article, it reminded me of I Peter 5:8, "Be sober, be vigilant, for your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour." Why are people so alarmed by a kitty cat with big teeth, on the loose, yet they rarely give one thought to the spiritual lion who is stalking their soul. The truth is that the devil is a far more dangerous foe than any lion ever thought of being. We do well to heed the warning of God today. The devil is looking to devour your life. He is looking to devour your purity, your morality, your posterity, and worst of all, your eternity. He is doing everything possible to keep you from entering into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. He will do everything in his power to steal, kill, and destroy your life for God. Jesus Christ is your only protection from the Devil. There is no fence that can contain him, or place that you can hide from him. You must flee to Jesus Christ for the protection of your eternal soul.

The Road from Pietersburg to Tzaneen

When you head east from Pietersburg (Polokwane), in a matter of minutes you encounter a huge mountain range with some of the most gorgeous views EVER! Tzaneen is at the foothills of the Wolkberg which are part of the breath-taking Drakensburg Mountain range. This plunges you (literally) into a subtropical paradise as they call it. You go from brown, dead, arid desert to lush, green, tropical HUMIDITY instantly. It’s like walking into a greenhouse. Here is a picture tour of the ‘trek’ between your two missionary families over here. I hope it gives you a better perspective of our reality!

What do you Want??? Part Three

Mark 10:14, "And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet".

After we have met a certain people that God has prepared, and given them a clear proclamation of the Gospel, we are looking for a complete persuasion on their behalf, to the truth of Jesus Christ. Without a doubt, one of the hardest decisions that a missionary has to face, is determining when it is time to move on and preach to other hearers. We realize that it takes time for a person to hear, understand, and apply their heart to the faith of the Gospel, however, there are so many that are in darkness, that one cannot spend all his time going back to only the same crowd that remains unmoveable and seemingly unshaken by God's Word. The difficult question is, where is the line? When is it time to move on to new ground?

Jesus gives a clear directive to His disciples. They were to look for people that received them and received their words. Obviously a people must be willing to receive us before we can do any work in their lives. It does not much good to preach to someone who would rather that you just drop dead. However, we oftimes find people that are willing to receive us, but fain to receive the message we bring from God's Word. So many are cordial, warm, and kind, until you begin to shine the light of God on the darkness of their heart. How refreshing it is when we find one who not only receives us, but receives the message from our Savior! What a joy when we find those who will choose to agree with the Word of God! There is nothing more exciting than to find a people with a complete persuasion of the truth of the Bible. This persuasion must not stop with being born again. Actually, quite to the contrary, Jesus said that "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed". What a great disservice has been done in so many modern churches where all the emphasis is only put on praying a sinner's prayer and being saved from hell. Only to find that these 'converts' disappear just as quickly as they were found.

Furthermore, many churches are full of 'disciples' who have a corrupted mentality that it is the job of the paid staff to do the work of outreach and ministry, rather than a personal responsibility of every disciple! If one is completely persuaded of the truth of God's Word, it will be impossible for them to turn aside to other endeavours, or merely relegate the work of ministry to the 'hired staff', while they pursue their own causes. If the burden of ministry all rests on the shoulders of the missionary, then the work can only continue as long as the missionary is their to pump everybody up. As we labor on the mission field, we are looking for the same thing that is needed in churches back home. We need and desire a people that are so completely persuaded of the truth of God's Word, that they will stop at nothing until they see the Great Commission completely fulfilled for the glory of Christ!

Are you so completely persuaded about the truth of God's Word that it permeates the thoughts, words, desires, and pursuits of your life? What if YOU were the only one that God was counting on for the growth of His church that you have joined....how well would His church be doing? Fully surrendered and committed disciples. Isn't that what Jesus is looking for?

If ye have love one to another

John 13:35...."By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another". A very simple, yet profound command by our Savior. I am afraid that we often overlook the importance of it and underestimate the power of it. Very few ideals have been distorted as badly as Biblical love has been, in our present day. Biblical love is not for sissy's. Biblical love is not about sensuality. Biblical love is not about spineless acceptance of all things. Biblical love is defined in I Corinthians 13. Biblical love between God's children, is an evidence of salvation to all the world around us. Today I watched a manifest token of such love between 3 brethren, that brought a tear to my eye.

After David and I finished a Bible study with Thomas and Kenyas today, David went to the car and pulled out a bag with 2 of his shirts that he brought to give to these 2 men. Now you have to understand that David is a South African and Thomas and Kenyas are from Zimbabwe. South Africans and Zimbabweans typically despise each other. David probably has less than 10 articles of clothing to his name, yet T. & K. have only one change of clothes. David has no job to buy any replacement clothes, but he saw 2 brethren with a definite need. Though he couldn't do much, he wanted to do what he could. He didn't ask me if I had an extra shirt or extra money to buy them something. He didn't ask what I thought about their need at all....he just took the initiative to give what he could to his new found brethren! It was a humbling experience to witness. Biblical love is truly only wrought in a man's heart by the power of Jesus Christ. May each one of us reassess our commitment to fulfilling God's love through us to those in need around us.

It's Heritage Day!

One of the joys of living in a foreign country is that we get to celebrate twice as many holidays in a year than we were previously accustomed too. Today is Heritage Day here in RSA....if you are interested you can read more about it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritage_Day_(South_Africa). Though I have no heritage here in the culture or traditions of this country, I took the occasion today to reflect a little bit on the heritage that God has blessed me with. The Bible has a lot to say about a heritage. Two verses of note are, Ps 16:6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. and Ps 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD...


It just so happens that Heritage Day also coincides with my wife's spiritual birthday! She's 13 today....lookout we've got a teenager in the house:-). The first aspect of the goodly heritage that the Lord has blessed me with, is without question, my wonderful wife! She was the heritage given to her parents, by the Lord, and passed on to me with their's and the Lord's blessing. Most certainly she is the helpmeet that the Lord prepared for me and the mother that our children need. She is a Godly example of love, surrender, faithfulness, commitment, compassion, and patience. Without her, we could not be what the Lord has made us today. Without her, we will not become what the Lord desires for us in the future . I have every confidence that my wife will always desire to be exactly where and what the Lord wants her to be. What a blessing to have a wife that is saved and truly loves the Lord! Thank you Lord for such a goodly heritage!

Prayer Alert

Thanks to all who have prayed for us this week. The Lord has been so good to us. You already heard the great news about my daughter, now let me give you some more. We have seen 3 men from Motupa give testimony that they put their trust in Christ!!! Godfrey told me today that he was saved on Sunday night after he got home from the service. Thomas and Kenyas, both from Zimbabwe, met with David and I for a couple hours on Wednesday afternoon and both of them accepted Christ before we finished. Here's the exciting thing.....We reached David about 2 years ago with the Gospel. David led Fels to the Lord a couple months ago and began discipling him. Fels began working on many folks, one of whom was Godfrey. Together Fels and David worked with Godfrey to lead him to Christ. What a tremendous joy to witness these guys working for the Lord and passing that burden on to those they reach. Should be a great service on Sunday in Motupa!!!!! We are planning to baptize Fels....if we have water that is. We will find out tomorrow if they got the water fixed at the school where we meet, otherwise we will have to wait for another day....TIA:-).



Pray also for Silas and the village of Dan where he lives. We met with him last Sunday in lieux of beginning some Bible studies at his place. We are going tomorrow to meet with him and try to find some others who are interested in the things of God to meet with us for Bible studies on Sunday at his house. Please pray for the Lord's will!

Thanks for praying!!!!!

Anna Update...

Anna's urologist gave us a great report today! He was so very pleased with the results from the ultrasound, that he said no further tests are needed at this point. He said "This is exactly what I hoped to find." Her cystic kidney is less than a 1/2" in size now and continuing to shrink. No tumors or such kinds of growths were indicated in any of the other organs, and her good kidney continues to increase in size to make up for the one that is lacking. Given the circumstances, he gave us the best report possible today. They will continue to monitor her on a yearly basis with ultrasounds as they did today, for another 8 years. We are so thankful to our God who has been so gracious to us. Thank you to so many who have voiced assurance of their prayers and concerns for our little girl. We are so grateful for each one of you who included us in your thoughts and prayers.

Rejoicing,
George and Kristin

Here are a few pictures of the excellent Urology Hosptial in Pretoria. We are so grateful for Dr. Dirk Ligthelm and his expertise. He has been a tremendous doctor. From the very beginning - just 3 days after Anna was born - he has looked after our little girl and been available to talk on the phone whenever we needed it. God surely led us to you. Thank you Doctor!

Pray for Anna!

On Tuesday, Anna has her annual kidney check-up. We are so grateful to the Lord for the good health Anna has been blessed with these 20 months of her life. For those of you who may not know, our daughter Anna was born here in Africa (January 12, 2006) with one functioning kidney. And although the diseased kidney never has worked nor ever will, they must monitor it to watch for tumors, monitor it as it shrinks, etc. until Anna is 8-10 years old. All praise be to God that her good kidney is functioning over 100%; meaning that it is doing all the work for both!

When Anna had to undergo testing at birth, they mentioned that the tests might need to be repeated when she was older. We know that our little girl is safe in the Father’s Hands. We are so grateful for our Princess. Would you pray that they won't need to run all the tests again? They were so awful and invasive, they would have to totally sedate her (and her parents too). No fun, but whatever is best for her health. We will post updates via email and here, as to the report from her appointment.

In the Everlasting Arms,
Kristin

Culture…Familiar Places in South Africa

One of the most amusing things when visiting a foreign country has to be seeing American signs and products. Maybe it seems crazy to you, but we enjoy the McDonald’s in Pietersburg. There isn’t one in Tzaneen yet. We are told the story by the locals that McDonald’s HAD tried to come several years ago, but the bistro/produce market just outside of town by the similar name of MacDonald’s, filed a lawsuit with the American franchise. Apparently now, the dust has settled and McDonald’s has been given permission to open in our small town. Funny.

When you walk into McDonald’s here, it is identical to any you’d find in the States. The food, the packaging, the signs, the smells (which aren’t always good) – everything – is identical except the prices are in Rands (R) on the menu board! But honestly, I think it’s more the ‘American’ familiarity than it is the food… :o)

There are several other familiar places, businesses, and products around the country. Here are some ‘we’ have seen this term. In more westernized parts of the country, like Cape Town and Johannesburg, there are even more ‘familiar signs’, I am sure.

Avis Car Rentals
Hertz Car Rentals
KFC
McDonalds
Cinnabon (Pretoria)
Seattle’s Best Coffee (Pretoria)
ReMax Real Estate
Subway (Pretoria)

You will see brands such as:
Coke, Sprite, Fanta
Tab
Lipton Iced Tea
Oreos
Doritoes
Lays
Ziploc
Kellogs
Colgate/Palmolive
Dove
Pantene
Old El Paso Flour Tortillas
Hershey’s Syrup
Levi’s
Nike

However most times these are imported from USA, Canada, UK, or New Zealand and are the priciest options!!

We still have not forgiven the Castners and Heinzes who can get TURKEY HILL ICE CREAM in Chile. That is just plain not fair! :o)

Although these things seem small and insignificant, when you are in a strange land and culture, these are welcomed sights! Hopefully this was a ‘different’ perspective on our reality.

What do you Want??? Part Two

Ok....sorry for the delay here in getting to post part two. I know that you all have been waiting with bated breath to read the sequel to what a missionary is looking for and laboring towards in the people that he is trying to reach. So, here we go.

Last time we said that we are looking for a Certain People....i.e., a people that God has prepared to receive the Gospel. Next according to Matthew 10:7, "And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand", we are laboring towards a Clear Proclamation. The message must be clear. We live in such a time where the message of the Gospel has been so murkied and muddled by so called churches and renegade 'preachers' that it is often difficult to give an understanding to people of what the Gospel is and why they must be born again. There is a Kingdom of heaven, of which Jesus is the King. The Kingdom of Jesus is coming to this earth, and all men must prepare to meet Jesus! Jesus the King demands subjection to His authority, and His command to prepare for the Kingdom of Heaven is to "repent and believe the Gospel" Mark 1:14-15. It is one thing to preach a clear presentation of the Gospel, but it is quite another thing to have your audience 'hear' a clear presentation of the Gospel. So many people have had a shallow experience with Charismatic religion, and actually have no idea what the Gospel is or what the Bible teaches, yet they are convinced that they are born again. One certain leader in a prominent Charismatic church was talking with one of our men this week, and actually took issue with him on the point that Jesus IS God. She had never been taught that doctrine, and couldn't believe it was actually in the Bible. It is a job that we must labor towards, to make certain that people are hearing and believing the Gospel of God, and not some devil-made, preacher-taught counterfeit.

What do you Want???

When we moved to our little spot on the globe 2.5 years ago, we knew NO ONE within a 4.5 hour drive of us, and the only people we knew there were other missionaries :-). The Lord sent us here to preach the Gospel, disciple converts, train leaders, and start churches. But where do you begin? What do you look for? How do you know where to go, where not to go, when to go, and when to leave? The task is more than a bit overwhelming, but with God's grace we dug in where we could. Through a process of events the Lord led us to begin working with some contacts that we made in the village of Burgersdorp. We met there with some men pretty consistently for the last 17 months, and this past weekend we had to make the most difficult decision that it was time to leave. I will spare you all the details, but I wanted to share with you some of the things that I shared with the fellows from Burgersdorp on Sunday, as to why we felt that the Lord would have us move on to other villages.

Matthew 10:5-6. There is a Certain People that we ought to be looking for. The Lord told His disciples to go specifically to the Jews first to preach the Gospel. There probably are several reasons for that, but one would most certainly be, b/c the Jews were a prepared people. For centuries they had the Prophets, and the Old Testament. They had been preached to by John Baptist, and had even met the Messiah face to face. You won't find a people that God did more for to prepare, than the Jewish people. However, prepared doesn't always mean that they will respond to truth. The Jews certainly did not. There are certain things that may indicate that God is preparing a person or a village to receive the Gospel, but that may not always translate into a person or a village that is willing to receive the Gospel. Prepared or not, the Gospel cuts across the grain of where we live! Nevertheless, we are looking for a people that God is preparing. A people whose heart God has opened. A people whom it is obvious that God is trying to desperately get their attention. We would do well to keep our eyes open for the fingerprints of God upon the lives of those around us. The best time to share the Gospel with someone will be when God is already working in their lives. They may not immediately respond to salvation, but you will have opportunity to share the Gospel in a way that they will never be able to forget....if you exercise boldness to step through the door.

Prayer Alert

Thanks to all who were praying with us on Sunday. We did meet in Burgersdorp, unfortunately Eddy was unable to be there, as he was sick, and we really wanted to talk to him face to face. Anyway, we clearly laid out why we had come to Burgersdorp and why we felt that it was time to leave. We are praying that the Lord will use this to get hold of some hearts in this village down the road. Keep praying for this place.

Sunday afternoon we had a great service in Motupa. David did a great job preaching on the Sower and the Seed. Afterwards, Thomas approached David and told him that he was lost and is 'ready' to give his life to Jesus. We are supposed to go and meet with him tomorrow afternoon at 3, we are praying that he will get saved! Thomas is actually from Zim., but lives over an hour from Motupa. He was sent to Motupa for a few months on a work contract with his employer, and started joining us for the services. He is due to return home again in December. God's timing is amazing!

Godfrey was present on Sunday afternoon as well. Fels walked home with him after the service and preached to him for an hour about how to confess his sins, repent, and believe on the Lord. I believe that Godfrey will be saved very soon! Fels has been saved for 2 months, and has already been a powerful witness for the Lord. On Saturday, he said that he had nothing to do, so he went walking around all day, looking for friends and acquaintances to give his testimony to and preach the Gospel! Lord willing we will baptize him a week from Sunday.

Thanks for your prayers, they do make a difference!

Fun with the Kuzels

For 'Labor Day' we spent a few days of R&R with Kuzles at a halfway point between us and them. It was a sweet time of fellowship and so good for the kids to interact with someone else their age - something they don't get much of!

Joel is 3.5, Alayna will be 3 in November, and Anna will be 2 in January.

Prayer Alert

Tomorrow looks to be a day of mixed emotions. In the morning we are to go to Burgersdorp one last time. We have labored here every Sunday morning for the last 17 months. We have had many different contacts come and leave again at some point. There are a few who still come but appear to be stubborn about their spiritual condition. When do you draw the line? I think that line is better left to be drawn by the Lord. At this point, we believe the Lord has given us clear direction to move on to other villages and preach the Word of God. Tomorrow morning we will be making it clear to the folks as to why we are moving on. Will you pray that God will turn their stubbornness into submissiveness to the Word of God? Please pray for Eddy, Michael, Roger, Maggie, and all the folks of Burgersdorp. What exactly is a missionary looking for from the people he is trying to work with anyway? We'll talk about that some more in another post.

In the afternoon we will be back to Motupa. Last week 3 of the men there indicated that they are in need of Christ. Yesterday one of those men, Godfrey, met with David and Fels to talk about his spiritual state. He said that he was ready to leave everything and follow Christ. They gave him some Scriptures, and said they would talk to him again tomorrow. Perhaps he is already born into the kingdom, perhaps he is still struggling. Will you pray for Godfrey, as well as Thomas, Kenyas, Samuel, Eddy, Peter, and others from Motupa??? Perhaps something is ready to break in this village!

We're Back!!!

I know, I know....some of you are thinking, "here we go....these guys start a new blog, post a lot the first 2 weeks, then, bang, they disappear.....probably won't hear from them again till January" Ok, well you probably weren't that hard on us, but I would have been if I were you :-). Sorry about the long delay in posting. We were out of town the first part of the week, and then we got home and our internet was out for a couple of days. Anyway, no more excuses....keep checking back, we got lots to catch up on.....Thanks for hanging in there with us.

Debegeni Waterfall

Just a few pictures from Monday....George decided we should

take our lunch to Debegeni Waterfall just 15 minutes from our home. :o)

It was such a beautiful South African day!

Chocolate Soldier....Part THREE

Sorry this is a bit long, but I wanted to give you the rest of this article today....copied from C.T. Studd, Chocolate Soldiers.

The Chocolate Christians of today can at least boast of having an ancient pedigree.

There are Chocolates à la Reuben, who have great searchings of heart, and make great resolves of heart too. But somehow they still sit among the sheepfolds, listening to the pipings of their much loved organs, or the strumming of their guitars. It is good to have great heart-searching. It is better to make a great heart resolve. But if, instead of obeying, we squat among the sheep, leaving our few hard-pressed brothers to tackle the wolves by themselves, we are only Chocolate Christians. You made a great resolve to go to Africa for Christ a year or two ago. Where are you now? Still in the West? In Britain? Yes! Yes! Lollipop! (Judges 5:16)

Chocolate Demas left fiery, hard-hitting Paul for an easier path. He said he thought Paul should wink at or slobber over sin instead of rebuking it. "He was so very fond of the knife, you know. He never would use sticking plaster, because he said it never healed the sore, but made it burrow underneath and become bigger, worse and dangerous" (2 Timothy 4;10).

Mark joined the Chocolate Brigade once. He left Paul and Barnabas in the lurch, and went back to Jerusalem for a rest cure - a religious retreat. Thank God he got sick of it before long, and re-enlisting in God's army became a useful soldier. (Acts 13;13)


Many fine youngsters are turned into Chocolates by old prophets. Old prophets who have lost their fire, or who fire off words instead of deeds, usually become great Chocolate manufacturers. That poor young prophet! He did so well when he obeyed God only, but it was all over with him when he listened to another voice, even though it was that of an old prophet. Did not the old prophet say he was a prophet? And say that he had got the message straight from God? What a damnable lie! The floor of Christendom and elsewhere is littered with WRECKS made by old prophets. God won't stand nonsense from any man. Every man has to choose between Christ and Barabbas, and every Christian between God and some old prophet. Better be a silly donkey in the estimation of an old prophet than to listen to his soft talk and flattery, and afterwards became a wreck. "This is My beloved Son, hear HIM." "You have an anointing from God, and you do not need anyone to teach you." You say you believe the Bible! Do your deeds give the lie to your words? (1 Kings 13).

THE TEN SPIES WERE CHOCOLATES. They melted and ran over the whole congregation of Israel, turning them into Chocolate Creams - softies, afraid to face the fire and water before them. God put them all into the saucepan again and boiled them for forty years in the desert, and left them there. He has no use for Chocolates. It is not small things that He despises, but 'Chocolates', for He said, "Your little ones shall inherit the promised land which you have forfeited through listening to men and despising Me." (Numbers 13)

JONAH became a Chocolate Soldier once. Told to go to Africa, he went to Liverpool and took ship for America. Luckily he met a storm and a whale which, after three day's instruction, taught him how to pray and obey, and set him once again on the right track. (Jonah 1)
There is nothing that shows up Chocolates so much as a bit of a breeze among God's people. Paul and Barnabas had one once. Judging from experience, I guess there were some Chocolates about then who got into a fog right away! Before that they had vowed they would go to the mission field, but this breeze between P. and B. put them off. If they had not been MADE OF CHOCOLATE they would have said, "This affair between Paul and Barnabas only makes it more necessary for me to keep close to God, and to do what He told me to do more exactly and punctually; so I shall go to Africa a bit sooner, that's all!"
Difficulties, dangers, disease, death or divisions don't deter any but Chocolates from executing God's will. When someone says there is a lion in the way, the real Christian promptly replies, "That's hardly enough inducement for me; I want a bear or two besides to make it worth my while to go."
Chocolates are very fond of talking loud and long against some whom they call fanatics, as though there were any danger of Christians being fanatics nowadays! Why, fanatics among Christians are as rare as the dodo. Now, if they declaimed against tepidity, they would talk sense. God's real people have always been called fanatics. Jesus was called mad, so was Paul; so were Whitefield, Wesley, Moody, Spurgeon. No one has graduated far in God's school who has not been paid the compliment of being called a fanatic. We Christians of today are indeed a tepid crew. Had we but half the fire and enthusiasm of the Suffragettes of the past, we would have the world evangelized and Christ back amongst us in no time. Had we the pluck and heroism of the Battle of Britain pilots, or the men who go on Polar expeditions or climb Everest, or for any ordinary dare-devil enterprise, we could have every soul on earth knowing the name of Jesus Christ in less than ten years.
Alas! What stirs ordinary men's blood and turns them into heroes makes most Christians run like a flock of frightened sheep. Militants daily risk their lives in furtherance of their particular cause, and subscribe with their means in a way that cries "Shame!" on us Christians, who generally brand the braving of risks and fighting against odds as "tempting God".


CHOCOLATE CARAMELS (stick-jaws, boys call them) jawing, "I go, sir," and sticking fast in Christendom! No conquest is made in assured safety, and conquest for Christ certainly cannot be so made.
We Christians too often SUBSTITUTE PRAYER FOR PLAYING THE GAME. Prayer is good; but when used as a substitute for obedience it is nothing but blatant hypocrisy, a despicable Pharisaism. We need as many meetings for action as for prayer - perhaps more. Every orthodox prayer meeting is opened by God saying to His people, "Go work today; pray that labourers will be sent into My vineyard." It is continued by the Christian's response, "I go, Lord, wherever You send me, that Your Name may be hallowed everywhere as it is in heaven." But if it ends in nobody going anywhere, it had better never have been held at all. Like faith, prayer without works is dead. That is why many Prayer Meetings might well be styled "much bleating, yet little wool". Zerubbabel did not only hold prayer meetings; he went and cut down trees and started to build. Hence God said, "From this day on I will bless you."
A report says that someone has rediscovered the secret of the old masters. Cannot we Christians rediscover, and put into practice, the secret of our Great Master and His former pupils. Heroism? He and they did not save themselves; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death, and so kept on saving them by losing for Christ's sake.
We are frittering away time and money in a multiplicity of conventions, conferences and retreats, when the real need is to go straight and full steam into battle.
The 'vox humana' plays too important a part in our Christian organs and organizations today. The music, whoever plays, is bound to be thin when the stops in 'instant obedience' and 'fiery valour' are missing or unused. Without them, to play the "Lost Chord" of heroism is an impossibility.
"Do whatever He tells you," said the blessed virgin. Do what? Not put treacle and spice into the soft holy vessels inside the house, but pour the water of life into those empty stone ones outside! Cana's marriage feast would have ended in shame had the wine run short. Christ's marriage feast only begins when the wine is sufficient - a blend from every nation, tribe, people and language. The supply is assured as soon as the water is poured out as Christ directed, into "the uttermost parts of the earth". The mischief today is the reluctance of the servants to do the outside work. They all want to serve indoors, wear smart clothes, listen to the conversation, and make a terrible lot of themselves in the butler's pantry.


DO LET US MAKE A REAL START NOW - AT ONCE.
For years, like Mr. Winkle, we've declared we were just about to begin, and then never began at all. We must divorce Chocolate and Disobedience, and marry Faith and Heroism.
"Who shall begin the battle?" asked the king. "You will," replied the prophet. And when the king and the young officers led the way, although the odds against them were terrific, they won with ridiculous ease. (1 Kings 20:14)
So, too, the apostles led in the war of God to the uttermost parts of the earth.
God's summons today is to the young men and women of Great Britain and the Commonwealth, of America and Europe, and of third world countries, who call themselves by the name of Christ.
"New wine," said Christ, "must be poured into new wineskins." Those superfluously labeled and patched-up old-fashioned ones are as hopeless as the "New Theology". They cannot be moved lest they burst with pride and spill the wine in the wrong place.
Listen! "In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions (of faith), your old men will dream dreams (of valorous obedience). Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, and they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, and everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved." But how can they call on Him of whom they have not even heard? Must you stay, young man? Can't you go, young woman, and tell them? Truly we are in the last - the Laodicean stage - that of the Lukewarm Church.
Will you be to Christ the partner of His throne or an emetic (Rev. 3:16); a Militant or a Chocolate Christian?
Will you fear or will you fight? Shall your brothers go to war and will you sit here? When He comes, will He find faith on the earth?
A thousand times you have admitted Christ's
"Love so amazing, so divine,Demands your life, your soul, your all."
Will you be a miser and withhold what honour demands of you? Will you give like Ananias and Sapphira who, pretending they gave all, gave only part?
Possessing and enjoying the vineyard, will you, like the tenants, refuse the agreed rent? (Luke 20: 9-11). Will you fear death, or the devil, or men, and will you not fear SHAME? Some shall rise to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Shall we refuse to emulate the heroes of old, or shall we accomplish the double fulfillment of these glorious words:
All these, being men of war, came with a perfect heart to make Jesus King over all the world. They were all mighty men of valour for the war! He that was least was equal to a hundred, and the greatest to a thousand! They were not the faces of lions! They were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains (to do their Lord's commands)!

You sought in time past for Jesus to be king over you. NOW THEN DO IT! (Compare 1 Chronicles 12:8, 33, 38, and 2 Samuel 3:17-18). Shall we not reply, "We are Yours, Jesus, and on Your side. May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I do not do what the Father promised You on oath, and transfer the kingdom from the house of Satan and establish Your throne over all the world." (Compare 1 Chronicles 12:18, and 2 Samuel 3:9-10).
Come then, let us restore the 'lost chord' of Christianity - HEROISM - to the world, and the crown of the world to Christ.

What shall we say after this?

Ezra 9:1-15

A good question indeed! A question that is probably long overdue to be asked by many of us. Ezra had led a remnant of Jews back to Jerusalem, after 70 yrs. of judgment in captivity for their sins. God gave them grace, a nail in his holy place, and a little reviving in their bondage, v.8. They had seen the goodness of God, and experienced mercy that was undeserved. They could have rightfully died in a strange land, but God allowed them to return home and begin to reconstruct the temple of God to worship Him again. Then the very rulers of the land led in the rebellion against the clear commands of God. The people began to join themselves in marriages with the heathen of the land. This was one of the very sins that had sent them into 70 yrs. of bondage! When Ezra uncovered the sin that was on a rampage, he fell on his face, broken and weeping, in confession before God. "What shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments", v.10. Ezra realized that they were living on borrowed time, and existing on undeserved grace, and now they were tempting God by returning to rebellion!

Are they any different than us today? Having been saved by the grace of God from a fully deserved condemnation, how often have we returned to the sin that brought us under condemnation in the first place? Alas, what shall we say after this? We who lived all of our life in bondage to sin, and should have rightfully died in the land of the devil, but God saw fit to give us His grace and a little reviving in our bondage. When we return to the deeds of the old man, we walk all over the undeserved grace of God. What shall we say after we sin? Is sin so small of a thing to simply be brushed away? Is it such a miniscule matter as to be given a seat by well crafted excuses? Is it so harmless a thing that we should coddle it as a pet? What shall we say to the God of grace? I think the only word that can rightly be uttered is the contrite confession of Ezra...."O God thou art righteous....we cannot stand before thee". May we never make a place to harbor sin.

Prayer Alert

A few men who need your prayers...

Sam Shingange...We have an appointment tomorrow morning at 10 to meet with Sam and discuss the possibilities of starting Bible studies with him, and hopefully a group of people at his house. He called me today to say that he had met with the 'chief' of the village, who has forbidden any more churches to begin meeting in their village of Mhangweni. I don't know what the solution is at this point, that is what we will be looking for tomorrow, but I do know that the Word of God will not be bound by a mortal man, 'chief' though he may be. Please Pray!

Lefty Malatjie...Some time ago we came into contact with this man through our correspondence Bible studies. He came to us several months ago requesting our help with 'starting a church', but was very deep as a 'preacher' in the Charismatic movement. We met with him and obviously scared him off with the truth. Then, two months ago I received a letter from him, declaring that he rejects the doctrine of the 'sign gifts', and wants to receive more teaching. I met with him today and he again affirmed that desire. He is to be with us on Sunday for the services in Motupa, and Lord willing, we will begin to do some intense work with him, beginning with his testimony. Please pray for this man, perhaps God really wants to do something through his life. Charismatic preachers are a dime a dozen over here, and most often prove to be nothing more than hirelings, playing a religious game and making merchandise of the things of God. Sometimes you find a jewel in the midst of the mess....hopefully Lefty can turn out to be a jewel!