Church People

Today, I would like to tell you about a few people from our church in Embo.

These are some of the people that you have already had a part in ministering the Gospel to.

Baba

Baba is the man sitting across the aisle, in the middle of this picture.

In our community, the people all know what he did.

He killed a family member, went to prison for it, and now he is out in the community again.

I first heard of him while on visitation one day. 

 We went out to visit one of the Gogos 

and on our way back stopped at a house to invite people to church.  

Baba's sister was home and told us that he was out of prison and that she was afraid of him.

Later that day, Don had a chance to see him and invite him to church.

He came that next week, but then left after church began. 

The next week, he returned and stayed.  

He has continued to come a bit more regularly now 

and you can tell he is becoming a bit more comfortable than at first.

Baba has still not accepted Christ as His Savior.

Please pray with us that he will soon be saved.

Clementine

Sadly, I do not have a better picture of this next person I want to introduce you to.

The lady sitting in the front, with the silver head scarf is Nhlanhla (or Clementine).

Just after I arrived in South Africa, we held a 5-day Bible Club at church.

The Saturday before club, the Kilmers, Londiwe, 

and I went out in the village to invite children to come.

During our visitation, the Kilmers met Clementine along the road and invited her to church.

We were excited when she came the next day.

After church, Pastor Don Kilmer spoke with her.

Clementine said that she was saved.

Pastor Don asked her what she based her salvation on.

She said that because she went to church she was saved.

Pastor Don, then took the time to show her from God's Word how to be saved.

That day, she accepted Christ as her personal Savior.

She was such a joy to have at church.

Clementine attended every service faithfully, brought her Bible,

 studied it at home on her own, and tried to follow along during the preaching.

A few weeks later, Londiwe and I went to visit her 

because she had not come to church that week.

We found out that she had moved to another area to help a family member who was sick.

Please continue to pray with us that Clementine would find a good church to attend there,

 continue to study God's Word on her own, and that she would grow spiritually.

Mnqobi

Mnqobi is the little boy in the red shirt.

He always dresses so nice for church with a nice shirt & tie, dress pants and shiny shoes.

Mnqobi is the only kid who comes for the 10am adult Sunday School.

He always walks in and sits right in the front.

Because he is there early, he learns so much more from God's Word than the other children.

Some of the children walk in here and there for the regular service, 

but Mnqobi is there before it starts.

Please pray for other children to have a hunger for God's Word.

They need to come faithfully, early/or at least on time, for all services, 

and with a hunger for God's Word.

Also pray for Mnqobi.  He has not been at church the last few weeks.

We are not sure why, but we know that God could use him as he grows in the Lord.

these children are the future of our ministry 

and we pray that God would raise up some faithful and teacheable people.

It is my joy to share with you some of these people from our church.

I know that you are praying and that you want to know more about these people 

that you have a part in ministering to.

Seasons of Refreshing

Can you guess where and when this picture was taken?

Do you know?

It is probably not where you think.

I know, it looks like home - good old York County, PA.

Give up???

Okay, I'll tell you.

The picture was taken here in South Africa, just last month.

It was Winter here in August (our seasons are opposite of yours in the USA).

We had heard on the news that there were places near us that had snow.

So one day, we got in the car and drove about 1 1/2 hrs to see the snow.

From a distance you could see the white tops of the mountains.

As we got closer, I couldn't believe my eyes.

I thought I would never get to see snow in South Africa.

On the way to the mountains, we drove through a Zulu area.

(Notice the snowman in front of the Zulu house.)

This lady stopped so she could be in my picture.

They don't get much snow, so they are not used to how cold it is

(as you can see, she just has a light sweater on).

The snow was so beautiful!

I didn't realize until that moment how much I missed home.

The snow in the countryside, reminded me of Pennsylvania winters.

I had forgotten how the country surroundings were so familiar to me.

The truth is I needed to go see the snow, 

it refreshed my soul in ways that I cannot even explain.

God was so good to give me the gift of seeing the snow.

Even though I didn't know how He would work in my life that day, He had a plan.

That plan was to make me feel like I visited home for just a little while.

The snow was so inviting.

It reminded me of the verse:

Isaiah 1:18  "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: 

though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; 

though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

Praise the Lord for His cleansing power!

The message we share with the Zulus

 is the message of His cleansing blood that makes us whiter than snow.

Of course, what good is snow, without a snowball fight!

Or snowman building!

Karen and I enjoyed fixing this sad little snowman.

I am sure that for the Kilmers, this was also a refreshing time.

People came from everywhere to just play in the snow.

Even I had to make my own snowman.

Okay, so he was not very big

(my hands were frozen).

But, he is my African snowman!

Like I said before, people came from all over to see and play in the snow.

As far as your eye could see for miles and miles (kilometers and kilometers),

there were empty cars parked along the road.

The passengers to these cars were out making snowmen along the road, 

like this one.

There was even snow on some of the Zulu housetops.

As we drove away, I began to think

 about this short season of refreshment that the Lord gave me.

Although I did not actually go home,

 or get to see my family, friends, church people,

I did get to see the Lord's hand in His perfect creation.

You know, we all go through seasons in our lives.

Isn't it great how the Lord uses His word to refresh our souls.

I hope that in whatever season you are in, 

that you trust in God alone to refresh you!

Proverbs 25:13  
"As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, 
so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: 
for he refresheth the soul of his masters."

Bible Study with Londiwe

Every Wednesday, Londiwe and I get together for a Bible Study.

We started after I met with her to do a Scripture study.

During our first meeting, I saw that she was very teachable.

Londiwe had a hunger for God's Word.

She told me that she has a hard time reading the Bible

 because she doesn't understand what she reads.

I showed her Scripture and explained how the Holy Spirit is our Guide and Teacher. 

 I also encouraged her to be asking God to help her understand what she reads.

She shared with me how she was saved.

 Then she told me that she was interested in doing a weekly discipleship/Bible Study.

I decided that the Book of John would be a good place to start, 

since it is her Lord and Savior she needs to know better.

Every week we study a chapter from the Book of John.

The week before, we talk about what chapter is next

 and write down a verse from that chapter to memorize. 

During the week, we both study that chapter on our own, at home.

Then for Bible Study we come together to discuss what we have learned.

We just studied John 11 and our memory verse was John 11:25 

"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: 

he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:"   

We have 3x5 cards that we use to write what we have learned from the passage.

During our personal study, we ask ourselves questions like: 
"what does this teach me about God/Jesus?" 

 and "how can I apply this to my life?"

For Bible Study, I go up to the village and pick Londiwe up and bring her to my house 

(she says that she is glad to get away from the village 

to have a peaceful time studying God's Word).

Sometimes we play UNO before Bible Study,

 sometimes we just talk (and laugh); 

but then it is time to study.  

First, we sing. 

 I am teaching her "Unto Thee, O Lord" from Psalm 25

 and she helps me to learn some of the Zulu songs fro the church song book.

We always start in prayer.

  Then we read the passage of Scripture out loud together.  

She reads it in Zulu and I read it in English. 

 We do this verse by verse. 

This process is helping me learn more Zulu and helps her hear it both ways so it will sink in. 

Before Bible Study I break down the chapter into passages. 

 We read the verses of the passage together 

and then we share what we wrote at home on our note cards. 

 Sometimes Londiwe is not sure if she understands something, so I explain.

I will also make a note to share another verse to back up something we read,

 if I think it might be useful for her.

If the passage refers to some other event or prophecy in Scripture, we look at that.   

Many times cultural issues come up in our study. 

 This is good because it helps Londiwe to see how she can share that Jesus is the Only Way!

One of the funny things that happened a few weeks back- was when we switched our out loud reading to where I was reading from the Zulu Bble and she would read the English. 

 After we finished reading a passage out loud, she turned to me and said, 

"Auntie Gina, can you please tell me what it this "thither"?" 

  I had to laugh.  

Our good "Old English" confused her a little. 

 I explained to her that we don't use words like "thither" anymore 

and that most American children wouldn't know what it means either.  

Then I told her what it meant 

(thankfully, I did because it was used a few more times before we finished the chapter).  

I told you earlier that we are memorizing an important verse from each chapter.

Below you will find two video clips of us saying our first memory verse.

I laugh at the video clips every time.

Please laugh with me!

Okay, that wasn't very good (but it sure was funny).

Now watch us say our verse in Zulu- first, together; then separately.

As you can see, I am still new at the Zulu pronunciations.

These videos were taken a while ago.  

I think I have progressed a little since then - PRAISE THE LORD!

Please continue to pray for us as we study God's Word together.

Matthew 28:20
"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

II Timothy 2:2

"And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also."