Mission Reports

We met Absalom, a Rastafarian, on our first prayer walk through the township. He was about to do some farming on a small plot that is used by 20 people to feed vulnerable children from the community. Some of the crops looked dismal, and we offered to share a day teaching Farming God’s Way… conservation farming that increases yields by up to 10 times. Two days later Absalom had already invited 25 people to join the teaching sessions, and had arranged a venue with the local councilor. When we visited him to finalize arrangements, he offered us “herbs”! Here was a man of peace who needed Jesus! One of our small teams met with Absalom and his family several times to do bible study, and they were hungry for Truth.

Since our time in Zimbabwe, Munya (our host for the 2 weeks we were in Chinotimba township) reported:
“I have had 3 good Discovery Bible Studies with Absalom and his family. Just a couple minutes ago I had an amazing one with them. This time around he invited his Rastafarian friends. The Lord touched them in a manner unexplainable. The guys are ravenous for God. I'm excited.”

Munya follows up that report with this:
“Absalom, his family and friends have chosen to follow Christ. We are meeting on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings. Absalom is leading the group.”



THIS is why we went to Zimbabwe… to spark a passion and desire for God’s Word that will lead the poor community of Chinotimba to Jesus. The DBS method of studying the bible immediately transfers leadership to a local “person of peace”, with one of our team coaching them so that there is sustainability once we leave. Each team walked the dusty roadways from early morning to late afternoon, greeting and encouraging people, praying for the sick, and sharing bible study with those who wanted. Some groups were keen to have a team back every day, and most times the team was invited to return again and again.

Here are some excerpts from other regular reports we have received from Munya:
•    Moses, Precious, Kelly, Surprise and Msanda are doing great, studying the word of God like no man's business. Very vibrant.
•    Perseverance, Lindingani, Dorine, Edith, Mildred and Polite are spiritually ravenous. Perseverance's testimony boosted their faith.
•    Letitia, Dumisane,Yoyo, Future and Doris are doing pretty well. Future is leading the house church.
•    Divas, Raphael, Lucky, McDonald, Kevin, Felix and many more are growing in the knowledge of God. Divas and Felix are leading the house church. The number soared up to 22.
•    Clive, Wiseman, Joseph etc have caught the virus. They meet every day for bible study.
•    Freedom is now a church planter.
•    We saw a shebeen turned into a house church. Divas, and others who got baptised a few weeks ago, invited their friends for our Sunday morning house church. Last Sunday was our sixth meeting and the number has been escalating. 22 men showed up for the house church. Most of them were intoxicated though and it took a brave man to endure such pungent and malodorous smells. HIS presence prodded 9 people to Jesus. I'm excited beyond words to see how these guys are committed; each one of them wants to lead.

God is faithful to His Word, and is doing a great ongoing work in Chinotimba. We are thankful to Him, to MBC, and to the Team (yay TEAM!) … and are looking forward to having more opportunities to work where God is at work.

Shane

It is always exciting to be a part of something new that God is doing in the life of the church, and the week spent in Ceres was no exception.  The decision to take a mixed team of youth and young adults was strategic in many ways, providing the young adults of the church with further opportunities for service and growth, providing the youth with a much-needed additional trip and bridging the gap that is often felt between the youth and young adult ministries in the church. 

This strategic decision needed a location and just as the team from MBC were seeking to find a new local church to partner with, Ceres Baptist Church was doing all they could to find support with their newly bursting children's ministry.  After visiting with the pastor, Cecil De Kock, it became obvious that this was a perfect opportunity for partnership where both churches and particularly the Ceres community would benefit.

The team that ministered in Ceres (1 pastor, 9 young adults and four youth) were, by the grace of God, able to have a profound impact on the lives of the church community in Ceres, so much so that the church voiced their belief that the trip had rescued and restored their passion to continue in serving the Lord.

The specific purpose of the trip was to establish a relationship with the leadership of the church, organise a holiday club and youth event, assist with some of the immediate practical needs of the church, and minister to the church on Sunday. Due to the money raised by the Young Adults dance at MBC, allocated funds and sponsors (thanks to the generous support of Hidden Treasure) we were able to paint the exterior of the church, fit a new church sign, paint the unpainted internal walls of the church hall and varnish all the exterior windows. So positive was the experience for everyone involved that we will be returning on 22 August for the day to complete painting the bathrooms and kitchen and to solidify the relationships that were formed on the trip. There will also be a youth team going out to Ceres in September, with a few young adult leaders to provide relational continuity, to continue to build into the lives of the children and youth in the community.  

For the 6th year running, a team of 17 very excited individuals left Cape Town at 4am destined for the dry rural “outback” of the Msinga district of Kwazulu-Natal. After a stop over in Mooi River to refresh and finish final preparations, we arrived in Tugela Ferry on Friday the 10th July eagerly anticipating seeing our friends from the Rock of Life Church.

We spent our first three days based at the mission station of this Church in the small town of Tugela Ferry. We had opportunity to meet with and minister to the youth and young adults of the Church, as well as sharing at the local hospice and hospital. Saturday afternoon was an incredible cultural experience for us as we drove out into the surrounding hills to visit a traditional Zulu home. We were exposed to the incredible hospitality which included drinking amahewu! Shelley and Tessa were dressed up in traditional Zulu gear and even had to demonstrate how to grind mielies! Colyn and Vangeli got in the grove to demonstrate how real men dance! Most importantly we had opportunity to share the gospel with this family and all the neighbours who can to see the visitors from the Cape.

Sunday morning saw us trekking out to a new branch of the Church out at Msinga Top. This small, new congregation was a joy to share with and encourage. Steve and Mike had an opportunity to share with the pastor of that church and were reminded of the desperate need for leadership equipping and support out in these rural areas. Great needs in this area might be a further opportunity for ministry in the future.

We then spent three days out in the very rural area of Vivaneni and Ncengeni. We slept on the floor of the Ncengeni Church, which is another branch of the Rock of Life Church. Our days were spent in:  reaching out to the youth and children of the area through Sports and drama outreaches; extending the home of one of the very poor widows from the church and visiting and sharing the gospel in a few homes in the area. It was also a delight to present the Ncengeni Church with the beautiful banner made by Jenny Johnson as a gift from MBC. It was very gratefully received and immediately hung on the wall and shown to the whole community!

We returned the Rock of Life Church in Tugela Ferry to end our time by leading the Wednesday evening Church service. God ministered powerfully to us all through the message preached by Steve and the ministry of the team through drama, testimony and song. What a privilege to be used by our God in serving alongside our brothers and sisters In Tugela Ferry in bringing the refreshing and powerful gospel of Jesus Christ to a dry and thirsty land in bondage to ancestral worship. Please keep praying for spiritual enlightenment and breakthrough in people’s lives that they may KNOW the Truth and be set free by this Truth.

On the 11th July, a youth team left for Prins Albert - there has been a team going back there for the past 4 or 5  years.

In the week that we were there, the team ran a holiday club in the morning, did door-to-door, open air, held an experiential worship evening, went to visit the Old Age home and also held a girls and guys evening with the youth leadership. In all of these different spheres of ministry the team had the intention of the Gospel being shared, seeds being planted and relationships being built and in all of that God getting the Glory.

Overall, this really was an amazing experience - the whole team grew abundantly and got an opportunity to journey with a group of people for a week and evidently lives were touched.

Something that was awesome was that every year we go there with our skits, drama’s and “armed” to bring about change and just about everyone came back saying that they are more blessed and more changed.

We challenge everyone to chat to the individual team members about their perspective of how the trip was for them because there are so many stories that are just waiting to be shared.