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.>
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.
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.
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 29th to August 16th 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.
