6th week

As a team we are doing very well. We can see how God has kept us safe especially in the area of team unity. All of us come from different backgrounds with different personalities and giftings, so it is easy to be led astray and start pointing fingers at each others faults. But the Holy Spirit has kept the unity among us so we can work for the same goal: to communicate Jesus to the people of Masiphumelele. Next week is our last week and we can't believe that we coming to an end of our outreach. We are eager to keep the fire burning and to finish the race well. It is God who is giving us strength and passion to keep sharing the good news with the people we meet.

School Ministry
Adolph is finishing his time at the school with tessting the students on what he has been teaching them about Maths and Science. Ben ended his last lessons in Art and Culture classes with a short gospel presentation in all his three classes. He says: "The most important thing for the students to understand is what Jesus has done for them on the cross." Next to Adolph and Ben doing some teaching in the high school, we also go to the school as a whole team on Tuesdays and Thursdays. In these afternoon classes we work together with Brother Letson from "Student Christian Organisation" (SCO). Last Tuesday we also shared the gospel with these students and asked them if any of them wanted to receive Christ into their lives. Afterwards some of them received Jesus as their Lord and others rededicated their lives to Him. Some of them come from very unsupportive backgrounds and need a lot of prayer, continious help and real friendship. We praise God for the amazing work Brother Letson is doing with these kids!

The Passion of the Christ
The prayer team organised to show "The Passion of the Christ" open air infront of the Baptist Church. It was amazing for all of us to see how God gradually provided all the necessary things and opened doors for us to actually carry out the screening of the movie. On Tuesday the team put up some posters and started to share with the people what would happen. We also got some help from the Baptist Church and the "Apostolic Faith Mission" (AFM). As soon as it was dark enough we started to show the movie and there were about 350 people watching until the end. Jeremiah invited people to respond to the message of Christ that comes across in the film. It was quite chaotic as many came to accept Christ and asked to be prayed for. We were not able to follow up on all of them, but we believe that a seed has been planted in many and we ancouraged them to be connected to a church for them to grow in their new life in Christ. Two of the new believers are friends of ours that we know from the high school.

Our Zimbabwean friends
On Sunday morning Lucinda, Carine, Chris and Ben went to the bible study group with the Zimbabweans. We had been meeting in the place of Nicolas and Jake, but a day earlier we had heard that they had to move instantly, because the landlord raised the rent drastically from one day to the other. Knowing this we did not know what to expect. It took us a long time to find Nicolas and Jake in their new home so we just prayed for them and their needs to find a better place to stay. Later in the day a group of us set out to walk around the township to pray. They stopped at the shack where Nicolas and Jake used to live and found Portia claening out their old place. Portia has been with our bible study group right form the start. Now we heard her story. The same landlord kicked her out of her place, too, and within the same day she and her newbron baby had to move. So we decided to help her. The shack is in a very bad condition. There were mice all over the place. We stapled cardboard boxes all around the walls to keep the cold wind out and we laid a plastic covering on the sand floor. In the midst of poverty and injustice we all could praise the Lord for leading us to that place, so we could help Portia in her time of desperation.

5th week

This last week has been one of miracles and we continue to see God moving in many different situations. Thank you all for your prayerful support.

Door-to-door
Lucy, Chris and Jeremiah are our prayer-warriors and evangelists. Everyday they come back to the rest of the team with new stories to tell of what God has done in the lives of individuals living in the township.

Last week they went through the streets and they met a young man from Zimbabwe. Our team prayed into the fact that, as a refugee, he had been struggling to get the documents needed to find a steady job. The following day our team met up with him again. With a big smile on his face, he told us about his new job that will enable him to provide for his family back in Zimbabwe.

The team was also able to minister to a man who is struggling with many broken relationships in his family. He was divorced, but recently went back to his wife. His parents, however, are still keeping their distance from him. From a human perspective the gap seemed too big to be bridged. However, after many prayers and conversations, our team witnessed the first reconciliation talks between him and his parents.

“God has really been good,” says Lucy, “and we believe that there is hope for Masiphumelele because God loves the people here.”

Bible Studies
On Sunday we met in Nicolas’ home for our weekly Bible study. As mentioned previously, we had asked for prayer concerning the continuation of this group after we leave Masiphumelele. God really answered our prayers and we are thankful that Jeremiah from “All Nations” has agreed to take over from us in leading this group.”

Besides Jeremiah, our Bible study received many other new members. It was a joy to see fourteen Zimbabwean men and woman join us in this small room to learn more about God and to draw closer to Him. It is our desire, as a Team, to keep in contact with them and to hear how they become influencers in the society of Masiphumelele.

Preaching
Being connected to many churches in Masiphumelele, we continue to get opportunities to practise our preaching skills. This last week Andries was asked by the pastor of the “Apostolic Faith Mission” to preach at a youth gathering on Wednesday evening. “The Lord literally prepared my preaching for me,” said Andries, “scripture after scripture, and when the preaching came, God put other things on my heart to share with the people.” The congregation were encouraged and moved by what Andries shared, and they have invited him to preach again.

Global Day Of Prayer
Sunday truly was a blessed day. After attending our various churches in Masiphumelele, we came together to help set up for the "Global Day Of Prayer". The event was held in the Masiphumelele High School and was organised by many congregations in and around the township. Our team’s task was to set up 300 chairs and to lead people to their seats. We helped foster the environment where people of different cultures, colours and congregations would mix well. During the meeting we prayed for transformation in every sphere of society. It was an amazing celebration of diversity in the body of Christ and we praise God for what he is doing to unify the Christians in this area of the world. Praise the Lord!

Please pray for:
This coming Thursday night (15 May) as our Team are organising a screening of the powerful movie "Passion of the Christ". Please pray that many of the Masiphumelele residents will attend, and that God will speak to each individual in a powerful way.

Thank you for all your prayers and support.

4th Week

Again we want to give all glory to God for the way He is using us to show His love to the people of Masiphumelele, and for the way He is continuously changing our hearts through the situations He takes us and the people we meet.

Soccer field clean up
Due to the recent public holidays, most of the organisations we work with were operating on only two of the days last week. For that reason we decided to clean up a soccer field at the far end of the township. Even though there is clearly a “No dumping” sign, the place was covered in litter. We spent many hours cleaning and were glad to see some children joining us (see photograph below). “After we had cleaned the field”, Carine said, “I realised that God had moved with us and it was as if the soccer field was just a picture of what God wants to do in the hearts of the people of Masiphumelele.” Later on we played soccer with some students from the high school.

Living Hope
Mampho and Andries continue to serve at Living Hope. Mampho is building good friendships there with the patients, many of whom are suffering from HIV and Aids. She helps two chaplains to pray for the sick and facilitate support groups. She experienced a personal breakthrough last week as she understood that God is using her to bring hope to the needy. “But now”, she says, “I know that I can offer them a hope through Jesus Christ, a life in eternity and a chance to change their lives – a living hope.”

Andries has been doing maintenance work in and around the building. The people that work there have expressed their gratitude for his hard physical labour – especially in the garden in Cape Town’s windy winter season. Serving in this way gives him the opportunity to worship God with manmade tools as well as a time to reflect on his own life and relationship with God.

Please pray for:
- As we continue helping Johnny to build a shack, we have come across some basic needs. We are currently looking for people to sponsor a tin roof, hard board, cement for the floor and plastic covering to insulate the walls of his future home. This is an urgent need as Cape Town’s very windy and rainy winter has already begun.

- With the Global Day of Prayer approaching, we are looking into holding a prayer gathering with churches from in and around the township. We will be inviting as many congregations as possible, so as to encourage stronger relationships between the churches of Masiphumelele.

- We have started two weekly Bible study groups. After we leave we do not want these groups to disappear, but rather to grow in faith as their members deepen their relationship with Jesus. Therefore, please pray that we find someone to take over the leadership of these two groups.

Thank you for all your prayers and support.