June-July News

Shalom from Muizenberg

May Grace and Peace from Our Lord Christ Jesus be your daily share!

I am very glad once again to come to you by this notes to share with you few updates on what is going on down here.

First, I want to thank you for your encouraging words, the excitement and the joy you shared with me about my engagement to Rachelle. The Lord is leading us step by step toward the day of our wedding where we will seal our YES to one another in from of many witnesses before God.

Things are coming together slowly but surely and I am thankful to God for I can rely on His faithfulness. 

 Ministries Opportunities

The Lord is giving us as Mobile Team multiples opportunities to minister in different townships with different churches. We have weekly bible studies, every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday evening and Saturday afternoon;

We have been teaching the Gospel of Matthiew and Luke on Tuesday in two churches in Philippi.  On Wednesdays we have 3 teachings with 3 different churches in Capricorn and Mfuleni. One teaching on Friday evening in Overcome Our Saturday’s afternoon Bible study on the Gospel of Matthiew ended last Saturday.

Every week two by two we go to these different churches to share the word of the living God.  We are having great opportunities to disciple believers and encouraging them through our bible studies.  As facilitators, we allow them to see and interpret the Word of God by themselves. Discovering simple truth enlightens their hearts and them can take them and start to live it out.

On Sunday the 19^th I was invited to share the Word of God at the Assembly of God Church in Muizemberg.  It had an amazing Sunday service and I spoke on Oneness/Unity. 

As Body of Christ we are called in our diversities to unity, complementary in unity. We need one another to be able to function in a health way. For that I need to know we are all different, unique and each single person of us is important (has value). Unity is not conformity! As a missionary in mission field I realize how I need my partners 

Partnership with Hope Africa

        From the 20^th -24^th we had 2 sessions Morning 9 to 12pm Afternoon 1 to 4pm Bible Overview teaching to young people. I was teaching the morning session with one of our team member. It was great time;& fruitful time sharing the word of God with these young people. At the end of the week we had many renewing their engagement with the Lord and one of them gave his life to Christ to be his personal Savior and Lord. Glory to God!

 

Titus project

·         South Africa

Titus Project is our Bible teachers training program where we take our SBS graduate students to train them how to pass on the Biblical Truth they have been discovering during their 9 months studies.

This year our Training program begins the 1^st of July with 3 weeks seminar then 8 weeks outreach in the nations

We have 19 students for the training and 16 of them are going on outreach. We have 5 teams targeting 5 nations: 1. Togo/Burkina Team 2. Uganda Team  3. Rwanda Team  4. South Africa (2teams)

·         Togo

I am leading the Togo/Burkina Team. From the 21^st of July to the 10^th of September I am take the team to Togo where during the first 4 weeks I will be pioneering Titus Project West Africa with them. We have about 15 SBS graduates applying for the Training.

After the training time, 4 teams will be sent from Aug 18th to Oct 10th to Burkina, Benin and Togo. I will continue with my team to Burkina so that they can complete their outreach. The 10^th of September they will flight back to Cape Town for their graduation but I will remain to do some pastoral visits to the Outreach teams. Titus Project Togo graduation will take place on October 12^th. 

How is Gerard doing?

This is the most intense moments of my life as many things are going on at the same time. Often I am very worried about the prep of my coming wedding, about where to stay when home, with all the financial struggles. But The Lord reminds me through the Scripture in 

1Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

Mat 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you

rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." to trust Him as I come to Him with my burden, to cast it on Him. His yoke is not heavy and His burden is light.

He does know all the challenges I am facing, my financial struggles, He wants me to let Him know my needs and be still in Him. These few days I ponder in His Word I am realizing that the Lord is calling me to another level of TRUST. He is TRUSTWORTHY, FAITHFUL and I can fully trust Him for my Outreach, for Titus Togo, for a House, for my wedding for everything. I do not have to carry the burdens myself!  

I thank God that I can be able to share freely with you what is going on inside of me. Thank you for keeping me in your prayers! Thank you Lord for your guidance and building me up!

Plans

I want to share as well with the head steps of my plans. You will find below a timeline of things to come. For each steps I have a financial goal attached to it, if you want to my financial needs let me know I will send you the planning timeline with the financial goal.  

          

I am so thankful that Rachelle willingly is actively doing some prep while I am here and busy to finish my commitment with Ywam Muizenberg. There are few things that I have to do myself when back after my outreaches.

The dowry ceremonial will take place in October the 19th. Let me give you a brief explanation how it is done here. On that day, my family, with my church leader and some friends will travel to Rachelle’s village to ask her for marriage. Of course Rachelle and her parents said yes to my proposal. But because in our culture we do not belong only to our direct parents we need to do official traditional ceremony where both family come in agreement for our wedding.  We will be welcome by her grand family. During the ceremony I have to present gifts to Rachelle’s dad, mom, aunties and uncles. After the ceremony I have to provide meal for both families to eat together.  As Christians we are not required to do traditional rituals to ancestors. 

The legal wedding itself will take place the 23rd of November from 10am to 12pm at my home church.  Just before the wedding in church from 9 to 10am we are going at the city hall before Mayor for the official wedding.

                For the house we are checking on two possible houses and we are discussing rather to start renting it in July, if I can start the rent in August. Keep it in prayer for favor and reasonable price for us and for furniture we need for our new house.  Here you rent an empty house you have to furnish it yourself! :)

After Titus Togo outreach I am taking off from full time ministry to prepare my wedding and have some holidays before to come back full time ministry in January 2014.

Mission Trip in West & Central Africa

Shalom from Muizenberg

Peace and Grace to you! What an incredible joy to be able to give an update about my missionary journey in West and Central Africa.

First of all, I want to thank God for his faithfulness, His provision during these last 9 months. I am extending my gratitude to you for being obedient to God by supporting this missionary journey financially and prayerfully.

Quick recap

As you know I left South Africa last July for Togo where I spent two weeks teaching and having a seminar for pastors and church leaders. In August the two other members of the Titus project outreach join me in Burkina. We had an incredible one month teaching ministry.

After our Titus outreach my two fellow teachers returned to South Africa and I went to Togo in September to help re-pioneer the School of Biblical Studies (SBS). For the last 10 years SBS was not running anymore, resulting to no French SBS in West Africa. This SBS is a great blessing for the French speaking nations in West Africa. Right now it is the only one for the whole French nations of West Africa.

It was 4 months of hard work to prepare and run the school but it was WORTH IT!  We have now a French Ywam Bible School in Togo! Glory to God! 

Christmas Break

After the first quarter of SBS I went back to Burkina to spend Christmas and New Year with my family. It has been a great time to reconnect with my parents and other members of my family. We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year celebration.

Christmas Eve was special because I was invited as guest speaker at my home town church to deliver Christmas Eve sermon.

 As mentioned in my last newsletter the 12th of January I was supposed to fly  from Cotonou (Benin) to Yaoundé (Cameroon) but due to visa difficulties I spent a week in Benin. But the Lord used it to expand His kingdom and nourish his people as I was able to share the Gospel in a college and teach couple time in church.

Time in Cameroon

My time in Cameroon was wonderful and one of the busiest ministry times I had for longtime. I spent 4 weeks in Cameroon teaching in the School of Biblical Studies program; having seminars in different churches in Yaoundé capital city of Cameroon.

During these 4 weeks I taught the Gospel of John, the Book of Revelation and the Book of Exodus. With these 6 students and 2 staff we had an exciting diving into these books to discover what the Lord has for us. In the Gospel of John, Jesus Christ is revealed and proclaimed Son of the Living God. All the events and miracles John recorded in this book revealed the divinity of Jesus. It was a personal revelation of Christ to myself as I am teaching this book. This book drew us, teacher, staff and students more closely to Jesus as He was revealing Himself to us through the book. The Book of Revelation, in the same sense of the revelation of Christ to his Church in time of persecution became more alive to us. Before I begun my teaching on the Book of Revelation I asked the students what they think about this book. All of them told me it is a scary book and they don’t received lot of teaching from this book in church. As we went step by step studying the book in the eyes of the original readers they discovered that the purpose of this book was not to scary the reader but to give hope because the author is highlighting the Victory of Christ: Jesus wins, so do we! John opens this book in a beautiful way: 1:1-3 witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all he saw. Blessed is the one who read aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and keep what is written in it, for the time is near.>

 The last book I taught in Cameroon was Exodus: The delivering power of God. God delivers the people of Israel to make them His nation, His people so that He can dwell among them. This is a wonderful book to discover God’s character, His heart for people.

             While I was teaching in Ywam Bible School the mornings, every single evening I was teaching in churches around Yaoundé capital city of Cameroon. Two seminars per weeks Monday to Wednesday with one church and Thursday to Saturday with another church closing with a Sunday service. The lord has been faithful strengthening my spirit and my body to honor as much teaching demands I can.

As I was ministering and news going around, teaching invitations were coming but I couldn’t go to all because my time was over. But special invitations were given by pastors to consider coming back next year! Glory to God for revealing the power of His Word through His servant! It is a great privilege to be able to serve the Body of Christ. I saw believers hungry and longing for the sound doctrine, the true gospel.

As the Lord was busy doing great things, the enemy also challenged me with different obstacles. I remember my first Sunday service message in Cameroon was: How to overcome discouragement? The Lord put in my heart this message for this congregation and it has been an encouraging message and the Lord touched many people with a new hope, and new spirit of perseverance.

Just the following week, I faced discouraging events which were about to bring me down from the ministry the Lord has called me to do in Cameroon. The Lord has been faithful and reminded me my own message about discouragement and I strengthened myself in the Lord

While ministering to people the Lord was ministering into my life as well. Personally the Lord opened my eyes to see the needs of the Church around West and Central Africa. He gave me to understand in a different level the importance of the Ministry of the Word in His Body and confirmed His Call upon my life to teach and equip the local church, to train and make disciples.

Time in Nigeria

From Cameroon I took a boat for Nigeria (it was a fun experience) for 3 weeks teachings program with SBS in Ywam Port Harcourt.

I had a great time with the SBS students, the whole base. During these 3 weeks I taught the Book of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. One of the students said after Leviticus teaching “now the rituals and sacrifices make sense”. God is showing how a sinful man can enter in relationship with a Holy God. Jesus fulfilled all the exigencies of Leviticus so that we can have access to the presence of the Holy One.

One of my highlight in Nigeria was the new dynamic the school took during these 3 weeks. I was given the opportunity on a Thursday night community meeting to minister to all the different program students and staff. It has been blessed and fruitful meeting.

My coming was a refreshing time for students and staff who needed help and encouragement and new perspective from outside. I was really blessed and encouraged by students and staff testimonies telling me that my coming wasn't in vain. I give all glory to God for using my presence to do so.

My time in Cameroon and Nigeria were amazingly rich and productive. What a privilege to have the opportunity to invest in people lives, to bring encouragement and fresh start.

Both places students and staff asked me to stay longer than planned but I couldn't unfortunately. Then, what they do suggest me is to come again next year for ministry. The thing that blessed my heart and encouraged me in this missionary journey was to see relationship built with students, with new Ywam centers and staff and even more with new churches and pastors.

When you see people blessed and light coming from their faces through the ministry of the word, the time given to listen and pray with people you cannot stop giving Praise and Glory to Yeshua, the King of kings!

One thing I want to let you know is that I couldn’t make it without you! All these lives that had been blessed, transformed couldn’t happen without your prayers and financial support. Let us all together give thanks to the Lord for His wonderful works.

 Plans for the rest of the year 2013

April to July

             I am back in Cape Town and I am slowly getting back to busy ministry with our Mobile Team in the Biblical department.

Right now we are focusing in different township with teaching programs with churches.

Preparation for the coming Titus project school in July is starting soon. I will the staffing school of Titus Project in July, this year we will have 3 weeks training seminar before to send the different teams for 2 months outreach.

I will be taking a team as said to West Africa and I am not coming back to South Africa for a while. I will be relocated in Burkina, still with Ywam to develop my ministry in my country with a focus for the French/English speaking countries in West and Central Africa.

August to October: Project to pioneer Titus in Togo (www.titusproject.com Titus International link)

SBS in Togo, I helped re-pioneer asked me to come back to run Titus project program. So I am planning to take with me 2-3 bible teachers to go run Titus Project program in Togo. It will be the first French Titus Project program ever. From July 29^th to August 16^th we will have the training seminar and then send the different teams around West Africa (Burkina – Togo – Benin – Ivory Cost) for 8 weeks outreach.

Special News

Changes in the edge! 

This is with joyful heart I want to announce you that I am engaged with Rachelle Ouedraogo. Rachelle is from Burkina Faso, we met last year in South Africa where she came to do here Discipleship Training School (DTS) with Ywam Worcester but after her DTS she went back home. During my time in West Africa, in Burkina we built a very good and strong relationship and we felt led to move to the next level. We are planning to get marry in November.

She is very special, a blessing from God in my life! Thank You Lord for bring such a wonderful and special person in my life!

Before the wedding I have to bring the required dowry to her grand family (traditional ceremony) in October. Will update you later both exact dates.        

I am very excited and looking for to see what the Lord has for both of us but I am not ignorant of all the challenges before us. I have lot of stuff to prepare for the big change that is coming in my life. I am looking for God’s stories before the Day! :)

After many years in mission in other nations I am going back home and it is a very big challenge in the sense I am going back not having a house where to stay with my future wife. I have to look for a house to rent and furnish it by end of September before the wedding in November.  The Lord is leading me unto a new season and I seem overwhelmed with all these challenges but I know that there is nothing that is too difficult, too overwhelming to the Lord and I am fully Trusting Him to see breakthrough. I am sharing my heart with you as friend and partner so that you can stand with me in prayer, in anyway the Lord is leading you to be part. Before receiving an official wedding card, I will love to see you at my wedding.

Last newsletter Vol.1

Shalom Dear Partner,

Peace and Grace from our Beloved Father to you! I hope that the new year begun very well for you! May our Lord continue to bless you and direct you in His perfect plans for your life in 2013. I am doing fine and I am thankful to the Lord for the privilege I have to go in mission trip in Central Africa.

Before let me take you have a look quick look back to give a BIG THANK YOU to God for His Faithfulness during 2012.

Looking Back in 2012

With a grateful heart I want to THANK God for His Faithfulness in my life during 2012. I have seen growth in my life: growth in my relationship with Him—growth in the ministry. God has been Faithful in His provision in my life. What a blessing to have had been an instru-ment of God to teach and equip churches, disciples, pastors, church’s leaders in South Africa and West Africa.

still is. Your encouragement and financial support allowed me to accomplish my mission dur-ing 2012. Many lives have been encouraged and edified by throughout the teachings, preach-ing’s, Many salvations and people baptized in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. People have been healed in their physical bodies. Glory to God!

I was able to take a Titus Project Team to West Africa (Togo and Burkina Faso) for one month. After I was able to stay behind and went back in Togo help pioneer the School of Bi-ble Studies in Ywam Base of Noepe. It was an amazing and rewarded 3 months.

I want to say THANK YOU to you for being a faithful partner and I was after the quar-ter in Togo I returned in Burkina and had the privilege to celebrate Christmas and New Year with my family. It was a blessing, an encouragement to me and to my parents as well! It was a great time of reconnection with family, home churches and friends.

Update

In my last newsletter I shared with you my plans to extend stay to be able to go in mission trip in Central Africa (Cameroon) and to Nigeria. I was supposed to leave the 12th January but for visa slaw process I finally left the 17th. But the Lord used my extended time in Benin for His glory. In Cotonou I had the privilege to preach, teach in a church and share the Gospel in a High School. It pleased to the Lord to use that opportunity to bring some students to salvation. Glory to God!

I arrived safe in Yaoundé, had a great welcome! It is my first time in Cameroon! Barely arrived I had a program on Sunday the 20th with the “Church for All Nations” I started my teaching program with the School of Bible Studies (SBS) on Monday the 21st on the Gospel of John. Next week I will be teaching the Book of Revelation. After Revela-tion I am teaching the Book of Exodus. SBS here is at their second quarter. The school has 6 amazing students: 1 from Benin, 2 from Congo Brazzaville and 3 from Cameroon with 2 fulltime staff. I have some seminars with few churches. I will be sharing with the Discipleship Training School as well. Keep me in your prayers for strength and anointing from the Lord to deliver His word in a deep way! The 19th I will be leaving to Nigeria Port Harcourt for 3 weeks of teaching as well. Keep me in prayer for the next step and for more provision as well to finish well my trip.

What Am I Thankful For:

 My time with my family

 Health and the continual renewal of the Lord

 Financial provision

 Safe trip to Cameroon

What to Pray For:

 Continual renewal of my strength, for my health

 Anointing

 Provision for the rest of the Mission trip (1/3 of my budget to cover)

 My return in South Africa (end of March)

 For the Project of Pioneering Titus Project in Togo (August-October)

How can I Pray For You?

I would love to hear from you and keep the communication between us.

Let me know if you have any specific prayer requests. It is a privilege to keep you in prayer but I would love to keep you in prayer for specific prayer need as well.

Your Partner & Co-worker in Africa

Missionary Gerard Rabo

 Serving The Shepherd & Loving His Sheep