South Africa Mission Stories

South Africa Stories

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Keely Morley – 25th April 2010 – Compassion

Keely Morley Sunday 25th April 2010

Keely shares powerfully today about living a life of compassion. Have a listen today and you’ll be both moved and practically instructed to live more like Jesus.

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Roy Morley – 18th April 2010 – Opportunities of Life

Roy Morley 18th of April 2010

Listen and your life will be impacted as Roy shares passionately about seizing the opportunities of life. You will be undoubtedly moved to LIVE LIFE with a greater love and compassion for people. Enjoy!

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Andy Judd – The Love of God

Andy Judd Sunday 11th April 2010

Andy shares on the fundamental truth of the Christian faith; God’s love.  Join us as he shows us the deep truth of God’s love for us and the impact that it can have on our lives.

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Mission Update #2

Where to begin.  It is amazing how much can happen in such a short space of time.  Ok firstly:

Sunday
We went to Freedom Ministries Church in Harrismith on Sunday morning.  They meet in a school hall in town.  There were about 40 members of the church and then 22 of us.  Simon and Jane both gave their testimonies and they really allowed God to use them.  Not only did they share what Jesus had done in their lives but they both really encouraged the people to allow God to do a healing work, and a transforming work in theirs.  Roy preached about wanting to know Christ and the power of the resurrection and people really responded.  During the time at the end when people were being prayed for one lady came with two little girls aged about 7 and 9, and one small toddler clinging to her skirt.  She told me her husband was ‘not a good man’ as tears ran down her cheeks, she needed Jesus to help her be a good mother and to protect her children.  I understood.  As her tears hit the floor I prayed over her, and her children.  I held them all close in my arms and they huddled together – and as I prayed I could feel God’s peace flowing into her situation.  She became calm and I prayed that God would bring tremendous wisdom and protection, and that her husband would find Jesus.  And if his heart was hardened that the Lord would provide a way out.  Please pray for this woman and her children.  Sunday afternoon we spent in the park with the church encouraging them and playing sports (well some of them were playing sports, others were sitting in the shade chatting).

Monday
We woke up to 8 of the team having a sickness bug!!  We are having devotions each morning, so 16 of us gathered and prayed hard for those that had spent the night revisiting their dinner!  We divided the remaining 16 into two teams – a smaller group that went into Hope House the orphanage, and a larger team that went to Mkoulegekene (this is a township that the church has planted a smaller congregation in).  Mkoulegekene is 13 miles away from the town and could be a world away in comparison.  There is no running water just one spring that gushes out of the ground for 12,000 people.  One spring that waters the cattle, one spring that provides water to wash clothes, one spring that everyone drinks from.  When we arrived we were greeted by Darnell the pastor who has transformed a cattle shed into a church.  The last time Net Church came here on mission we left some money behind and it was great to see some of it had been spent on benches and a PA system for the church plant!  Darnell took us over to Scutty’s garden, an african lady aged 77 who has a large plot of land that was in a bad condition.  The plot was about 20 metres by 10 metres and Scutty wanted to plant vegetables to feed 500 people in the township.  It was hard to believe looking at the plot of ground that it would feed 500 people – it certainly would feed 500 english people.  The team did a brilliant job, we turned over the soil, we cleared stones, we raked, we dug, we planted and we hoed.  Even Rohan was taking piles of weeds to the compost heap.  By the end of the day we had even managed to build a beautiful gravel path lined with stones up to Scutty’s house (wait to you see the photos).  A job well done.

The team came back from the orphanage rejoicing, they had falled in love with the babies and children (impossible not to).  Especially with one little baby called Valentine who had been found on valentine’s day in a plastic bag newly born.  In the evening we attended a service at the township church.  It was truly amazing, the singing was tremendous, the dancing outrageously brilliant (oh the pictures of the team taking part hehe), and then we took part – with songs, drama and testimonies (Stevie D from Bury and Rachel from Net Church).  Darren preached and by the time we all got in the bus we were overwhelmed with what God has done.

Tuesday
The whole team was better!  Which was a miracle – some of the church had the bug and they had been wiped out for 2-3 days.  Again we divided the team into two, one set going into Hope House (this time we sent two guys to also do maintenance – there were many diy jobs that needed doing and we bought tools, screws etc to just get a few practical things mended, put up etc).  In Mkoulegekene the team divided again into three, some went to prepare food for the feeding containers that feed the orphans who still live in the townships, some went to the vegetable gardens and dug over another huge area to plant spinach, and another team got up on the church roof and mended it (it was full of holes).  I cannot tell you the satisfaction everyone felt when we came back together in the evening.  So many stories to tell you when we get back.  We went to Sedibe hall in the evening, in another township, and after the team took the programme we had around 30 people come forward and respond.  Many cried.  The team cried.  You can see lives being transformed before your eyes, hope arising in a hopeless place, hope that only Jesus can give.  And everyone has the sense that God is using them in the smallest conversation to the big events.  And we are not even halfway through.  Watch this space!

Tom Rapson – Not Just a Normal Sunday – 4th April 2010

Tom Rapson Not Just A Normal Sunday 4th April 2010

Its Resurrection Sunday! You’ll be encouraged and uplifted as you listen to Tom’s message on the resurrection. Life is there to be lived! As you focus on the signifcance of this day you’ll be encouraged to do just that.

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Mission Update #1

Well the team has arrived… finally!  Two of the team were delayed in Doha for 12 hours, they missed their connecting flight due to leaving heathrow later than they were meant to.  Roy and Mike, from Freedom Church Bury, stayed behind in Johannesburg and hired a car whilst they waited for the two to arrive.  The rest of the team got in the minibuses amazed that the weather that greeted them in Africa was… rain!!  Yep bucketing down.  But by the time we arrived 3 hours later in Harrismith the clouds had cleared and it had begun to get hot.  Most of the team dropped their bags in their rooms and jumped straight into the swimming pool (yes the hotel has a swimming pool, outdoor, not heated but in the heat a very welcome addition to the accommodation).  Pastor Mark and Ian from Freedom ministries church here in Harrismith have put up a huge 1800’s style tent with twin peaks on the top and made of proper heavy green canvas in Pastor Mark’s garden and we are having all of our meals in it.  The team were ravenous on arrival and we ate like we hadn’t seen proper food in a while (it was only 24 hours and a lot of plane food meals).

Everyone has settled in well.  We met this morning after a good night’s sleep and with Roy, Mike and the other two guys finally arriving at 1:00am, and had culture training, the do’s and the do nots when out in the townships and in the orphanages.  Mark went through the programme with the team and although it will be hard work, it all sounds very exciting too. You could literally feel the faith and excitment rising in the room as Mark was talking about where the team would be going and what they would be doing.  Then we did testimony training, how to tell what Jesus has done in your life in a short, powerful manner that is natural to each person.  Some people were really nervous about this.  Roy gave everyone 30 minutes to go off and write down their own story then we all gathered in the hotel garden underneath some shade, it has been blue skies and about 26 celcius today, and took it in turns to stand about 20 feet away from the group and tell what Jesus had done for them.  We cried, we laughed, we cried more.  Each time the person would stand, often in fear and trembling, then say the most powerful things, the most beautiful things, the most profound things that Jesus had done in them and could do for others.  It was amazing to see some of the youngest ones stand and tearfully talk about Jesus, and some of the older ones as emotion cracked in their voices as they proclaimed how Jesus had changed them.  We went off for lunch in awe of how great our God is.

In the afternoon we did drama and dance – wait to you see the photos you won’t believe who is dancing in a crowd pulling number!!!  We are now having dinner together and eating a giant cake as it is one guys birthday.  Tomorrow we are taking the church service.  Jane and Simon are giving their testimonies, Darren D is taking the communion part of the service and Roy is speaking.  Pray that God really uses the team to build up the church here, they are hungry for God to move.  On Monday we divide up and go into the townships and the orphanage.  I will email again Monday night.  Watch this space.  God is going to do some powerful powerful things both in the team and through the team.