2nd Quarter Update

Shalom from Cape Town, South Africa!

Many exciting things have happened since my first quarter update. God’s Glory has been amazing as I watch the Spirit move in communities here! I am also grateful for His faithfulness to bless my health and ministry… especially as He continually opens doors for Bible Teaching in many different churches around Cape Town!

In the Assemblies of God church I have continued teaching on Evangelism. The last Saturday of May, after classes on “How to share a Testimony of Conversion”, we had an outreach evangelism. It was a new experience for some and went wonderfully for all. We were able to witness the joy of people in the community giving their lives to Jesus! I was especially encouraged to learn the church has decided to continue having monthly evangelism outreach. Praise God!

The Wednesday and Friday devotional at Living Grace is still going great and I am blessed to be part of God’s divine Restoration plan in the lives of these people.  I also continue to enjoy township weekend with the SBS students; a time to spend Saturday and Sunday with different churches and minister in those communities.

We are still working alongside Bridge for Hope sharing Bible Overview. It is amazing to see God’s faithfulness as He draws young people to Himself. We are grateful to have the privilege of leading some to the Lord through these Bible Overview classes.

6 Sessions of Bible Teaching On

the Book of Nehemiah: Rebuild the Broken Lives

          

The youth group at Faith Gospel Church have been moved by God’s Word as I teach from the Book of Nehemiah.  We have focused on the message of having a purposeful life. I challenge them to consider how important it is to hear the voice of God, have a committed prayer life, value stewardship and how to finish well along with other key topics.  In response, the youth have been asking about relationships (a BIG issue among the young in that township) so we brought a couple in from our ministry to share.  It went so well we are planning to continue on this topic next Wednesday!

Teaching from Nehemiah isn’t just affecting the youth.  I have been working with a co-worker to organize 6 weekly sessions of sharing from this material.  We partnered with a Pastor in Mfuleni, a township where two churches are coming together with many church leaders to hear this teaching.

The sessions run each Saturday from May 26^th until June 30^th. Already it has been amazing to see the light coming from believers faces after each session. Last Saturday it was my turn to teach and I shared on Overcoming Discouragement in our lives. In my preparations and teaching I found the experience and information to be personally encouraging.  As a missionary in South Africa, facing challenges of my own, I could truly speak from the heart.  I was further encouraged when one of the Pastors testified afterwards, sharing how many of his own questions on this topic were answered during the teaching. He has been encouraged to stand firm and not let discouragement stop him from his calling… and so have I !!

Send Bible Teachers to West Africa 

(Burkina Faso and Togo)

Looking to the months ahead… as you know, I am serving with Titus Project in the Biblical Studies Department here at YWAM Muizenberg.  Our Bible school is almost at an end and 15 of the students have decided to continue on to Titus. We will begin this 4 week Bible Teachers training on June 25^th.  Through this training, students will learn how to share the knowledge they have received through SBS in simple and understandable ways to the Body of Christ. They will also be equipped to go and train church leaders around Africa who are in need of Bible training and tools for studying the Bible independently.  Titus Project is a great opportunity for students to put their SBS learning into action!

After the 4 weeks of lecture here, teams will be sent to various locations around the continent for 7 weeks of outreach. I will be leading a team to Burkina/Togo… my home country [Burkina Faso]!  It is a wonderful opportunity to go to the nations and teach the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What a great privilege and blessing to return home after 3 years with Bible Teachers to bless my nation. I am very excited!! 

We are leaving on July 22^nd to Togo where we will be teaching for 3 weeks and then to Burkina for 4 weeks before the team heads back to Cape Town for their graduation on September 13^th. I will be staying behind to spend time with family for a few weeks.

Plans while in West Africa

God has placed many needs and opportunities before me including a chance to serve in Togo and Nigeria for a time. Beginning in September I will help staff and teach at YWAM Noepé in Togo as they begin re-pioneering the 9 month School of Biblical Studies being offered in Bi-languages (English-French) there. I will remain there for the first quarter (Sept-December) with the exception of a trip to Nigeria in October.  There I will spend 4 weeks helping with Titus Project and a seminar of Bible Teacher Training.  I will not be taking an outreach team during that time but will return to Togo to complete the quarter.

The Lord has been blessing me as I have trained and served with YWAM over the years and most especially as I respond to his call in the needs around West Africa. It is a privilege to be able to Disciple, Train and Equip the church and young people and release them in their calling.

I enjoy sharing this journey and these projects with YOU too.  I am very blessed to have you as part of all that is going on in my life and ministry. Through your prayers and support you are effectively part of what is happening here.

As I look to all that God has called me to; past, present and FUTURE, I humbly acknowledge I cannot do anything alone, by myself. I trust God with these plans and I am blessed to also know I have you as partners who believe in what God is doing through me -- you are part of God’s story in my life.

Thank you… for your prayers, encouraging words, and generosity. Many Blessings!

Partnering Opportunity

I am excited to be part of what God is doing here and in West Africa.  I must admit, though, there are some overwhelming financial challenges but I know when God calls and sends He is always there to provide. I come humbly to you and ask if you would pray over partnering with me in His Kingdom’s Work.  Some of the current needs are:

  Titus Project Outreach Fees, leaving July 22^nd:   (URGENT – tickets need to be purchased ASAP)

  Contact me if the Lord is leading you to support financially this mission trip

First Quarter of 2012 Update

Dear Beloved,

          I greet you in the Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ! May His Peace and Grace be multiplied unto you abundantly! I want first of all to apology for this long silence and sending you a late update of the first quarter of 2012! As you knew, in middle of December 2011 I co-led a Church Planting Outreach in the Easter Cape of South Africa. It has been a very great experience, a productive ministry in the location we have been.We were supposed to be a team of 5 but at the last moment one of our students couldn’t go for financial reason. Even I nearly couldn’t make it too but God has been faithful to me by using you (either through your prayer or your giving) to provide for my financial needs.

When we arrived, they gave us a house to rent in the village and it happened to be a home where a new house church was beginning. It was a great opportunity to strength that house church but not forgetting the big picture of our presence. Our first weeks were essentially focused on spiritual warfare: Intercession Prayer walk through the entire village, Worshiping and proclaiming the Lordship of Christ on the area. It was also time for building relationship and looking for a man or woman of peace. As we visited people in their homes the Lord gave us favor and few women started to open their homes for meeting for Bible studies. We made sure as well to connect with the two main churches in the area, building relationship with them. We were very welcome in the village and we integrated easily in the daily life of people.  We took part of some of the village key gatherings to identify ourselves and to learn from them. We connected with youth the through playing soccer with them. As we visited people and sharing with them, many were opened to share with us their struggles and how some stopped going to church.

It was great opportunity to disciple and share key biblical foundation. We faced a lot of spiritual warfare in the village, we visited and prayed for the sick and saw power moving.  The things we observed in the village were the number of single young and old mom; young and old people addicted to alcohol. We had quiet very unique experiences: no proper shower, no running water, the raining water collected in tanks was what we used for to shower, to drink and to cook. At one point we had to pray for rain to have water to use. But we have seen God’s faithfulness and His protection the entire outreach.

          

Before we had two weeks of seminar on Bible Overview where we gathered all the different homes together the that I taught. It was a very productive seminar because it was programmed to be a week seminar but at the end they asked to continue with one more week. Praise God. It was a very great opportunity to invest in these lives, to equip them to be able to lead a simple church with a good basic biblical foundation.  We had 4 houses were 5 to 10 believers are meeting regularly and now is leading by local leaders.

This area is a new target of Ywam Muizenberg more teams will be sent for follow up and for other ministries opportunities.

Partnership with other Ministries

Bridge for Hope

Bridge for Hope has a program of life skills training for young South Africans from the townships. As Bible teachers we come alongside with Bible Training on Bible Overview at every program. We had two Bible Overviews for the two first promotions. It is a great opportunityto come alongside with Bible Teaching to these young people, most of them does not have any solid biblical foundation. With a week of Bible Overview they finish their program with a basic solid biblical foundation that will change forever their ways of living in their homes, township and work places.

Praise: Our last Bible Overview at the End one of the participants gave his life to Jesus

Coming Program with Bridge for Hope

• 14 – 18 of May Every day from 9 to 12pm
• 21 – 25 of May Every day from 1pm to 4pm

Living Grace

At Living Grace I am giving devotional to young people and adults (Men & Women) who come out of addictions (drugs, difficult pass….). We have worship and Devotion.

• Every Wednesday from 11.45 to 12.15pm
• Every Friday from 8.15 to 9.30am.  On Friday’s after the Devotion we have about an hour of sharing/Discussion. Time to listen to them, let them share what they have learnt, ask questions …

Bible Studies with Churches

Every Wednesday I am having Bible study.

• 7.30 to 9pm In Capricorn (Township)

 We have two months Bible study on the Book of Nehemiah.

• 6.15 to 7.15 Bible study  With Assembly of God in Muizenberg 

I have shared on Evangelism, that program finished on April. But every Friday from 6.15 to 7.15pm we have Prayer Evening. I have been asked for one more session on Wednesday on the same topic and we are planning to have an outreach with the church on Saturday the 19th. 

Titus Project International Gathering ( 2-12 April)

What a great privilege to be able to take part of my first International Consultation of Titus Project which happens every 3 years in a different  location. South Africa was chosen I did not have to travel Praise God! It was an amazing time to get to know and connect with my fellow workers around the world. We had wonderful time of seeking God for vision, processing resource development; news strategies for multiplication of locations. This 15 years that Titus project begun, after 15 years, the goal of establishing Titus in every continent was reached. We also celebrated reaching 62 nations with Biblical training and about 15 of those in Africa! In July I am planning to take a Titus team to West Africa Burkina/Togo, two more new nations! What an honor! You can be part of that story!

Coming Project

The 25^th of June we are starting our Titus Project Program: The Bible Teachers training with the biblical studies graduates. We are having three weeks lecture and then 9weeks of tour of Bible Teachings around Africa. I am planning to take a team of Teachers to West Africa in the French speaking countries (Burkina/Togo) in July-Sept. That’s a big project dear to my heart that I am asking you to consider in your prayers. It will be a first time a Titus project Bible Teachers are going to Burkina. It is great privilege to take a team of Bible teachers to my country after 3years I left my country and family. With  an amazing opportunity comes also a great financial challenge but I am trusting God and I am asking you to stand with me in prayer and even to consider supporting financially for this outreach back home. I am very excited for that I want you to be part of God’s story in this mission.

If you desire to give toward this project you can contact me, 

All donations are tax deductible through Youth With A Mission. 

• Make check to Ywam Montana and send it to Ywam Montana 501 Blacktail Rd Lakeside MT 59922(Put on the Memo #3731 “or with a separate note for Gerard Rabo. Do not put my name on the check” )

• You can make a direct deposit on my account FleatheadBank Account Number: 200314331 Routing number: 092901272 
  

• You can give online through Paypal (Using my email address:kiswendsida.news@yahoo.com)