“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?”
Matthew 18:12 NKJV
As of the last week and a half, the squad has begun ministry in South Africa. The six teams within the company of W squad have been split into pairs, going out two by two as the disciples did in Luke 10. Two girls teams are in Jeffrey’s Bay. The other two girls teams are in Lesotho. The boys are all together in the capital city, Johannesburg.
Let me tell you, it is going marvelously.
Impact Africa
We have paired with an organization called Impact Africa, it is a large missionary organization with a number of different missions being carried out. The branches of Impact Africa do things such as teaching in assemblies at local public schools, evangelizing to people living in the squatter camps, and saving babies abandoned by people who have no means of taking care of them. Impact Africa is an incredible organization and getting to witness first hand the way the Lord is moving through them is an incredible blessing.
Evangelism
Most of our days here have been spent evangelizing in the communities. Impact Africa has quickly become just about everyone’s favorite ministry in a very short time as the way we have seen the Lord move here is unlike anywhere else.
We set out each morning in small groups with one translator and a call to share the Love of Jesus. As we encounter people we simply engage in conversation and get to know them. The communities are extremely diverse as people from all over Africa move to Johannesburg seeking jobs, safety, or new lives. Some are fleeing worn torn countries. Some just want to make enough money to feed their families back home. Some speak English but due to the diversity of backgrounds people speak many different languages. We have met people from all over South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Botswana, Zambia, and a few others.
Brokenness is everywhere. But so is hope in the Lord.
One encounter a group I was with had was with a single pregnant woman who had no job or monetary means of provision. What she did have was joy. This woman has placed her full trust in the goodness of the Lord and the promises he makes us throughout the Scriptures. She loves the Lord, loves the Bible, and loves others extremely well. Her faith is as strong, if not stronger, than anyone else I’ve met. As I wrote in a journal entry about the encounter, “Despite complete uncertainty in her situation, she moved forwards by relying completely in the Lord’s Love for her”. Did I mention that due to her mother passing away she has been on her own since she was nine? This woman has faith. Faith that has moved mountains. She is an incredible inspiration.
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Hebrews 11:6 NKJV
Encouraging the believers and disciplining them has been terrific fun. One of the afternoons, my group encountered a man who had accepted Christ a month prior, and now had a number of questions about the Scripture he had read. I wrote that day, “The Lord poured out wisdom through us and Amerik seemed quite satisfied with a fresh hope as we departed after praying for him”.
Best of all though has been sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ’s death, resurrection, and saving power with people who have never heard before. Often times in America we take for granted the fact we have grown up with church. There is power in the Good News of Jesus Christ. That power is moving, saving, and redeeming. We have seen already much more people hear the Good News and believe in Christ than I could have tried to count. We have seen people receive the Good News for the first time, accept Christ and receive the Holy Spirit, find freedom from generational sins, and be healed from various injuries. We see these things happen just about every day. The Spirit of God is alive, powerful, and at work in the communities of Johannesburg.
Some names I can recall of new believers I have witnessed accept Christ that you could join me in praying for if you would like are Elvis, Elijah, Collins, Jeremiah, David (who I gave my Bible to – pray for him to share with his friends as he learns), and Prince. Unfortunately, I have difficulty understanding names when they are shared and an even greater difficulty remembering them. There are many others with new fires in them that we could pray for as well whose names I regretfully cannot recall.
A Few Testimonies
My journal entry from one encounter from the other day reads: “ He did not know about Christ other than”saved people?” He was eager to hear more. Clayton and I were eager to share. The Gospel was lard out. From Creation, to sin to forgiveness. “Wow! This is Good News!” the man exclaimed. Yeah it is. He eagerly prayed for Christ to come into his life and be his Lord. Clayton and I then prayed for more of the Holy Spirit to fill him. What happened next seriously built up my faith. The man was taken aback. “I feel refreshed” he said repeatedly. The man stumbled over words as he tried to explain what he was feeling. “I feel… new? you know?” Heck yeah I know. “I have tried so many ditterent things… this, this, this… and nothing feels like this!” “I want to tell everyone about this!” “I will tell my brothers about this!” “Everyone should experience this!” He built my faith so much. A brand new evangelist has arrived, on fire, to the Kingdom. That guy was awesome. ”
He is one that you could join in praying with me for his new faith. I am so sorry I cannot remember his name. He felt it though. When you encounter the Holy Spirit, I mean, really encounter the Holy Spirit, that’s not something you ever forget. From hopeless to hopeful, I watched the Spirit bring change before my very eyes.
“For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?”
Romans 8:24 NKJV
It is the Hope in Christ that is actively turning lives around.
Another encounter that seriously moved me came last Thursday when we met a man named Elijah. At first, he was acting quite raucous and obnoxiously as we discussed Scripture with a friend of his. As the conversation shifted to Elijah, so did his attention to what was being said. Before my very eyes I watched the truth of Scripture turn his unsettled heart and alcoholism into peace. He admitted to us his struggles with alcohol, that he has no money for his children because some nights he gets drunk and spends it all on beer, that his wife prays for him incessantly, that his mother often refuses to speak with him. There is freedom in Christ. And he found it. As I journaled, “Elijah met Christ on a Thursday morning. How blessed was I to be there to witness it”.
There are so many other testimonies of God’s goodness here that I would love to share, but I think this is enough for today and I should be preparing to leave for the day. I hope you read these testimonies and are inspired by God’s goodness. I hope that you grow in faith of his living and active power. I hope that you will bear witness to similar testimonies in your own lives.
Thanks for reading, I will hopefully be back in the next few days with some more updates. I will also be putting one out sharing my plans for next year so stay tuned! God Bless you guys. Peace !
