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.