Gospel Outreach

UNDER ATTACK:

 We say the above, while still feeling the results of the most relentless demonic attacks on this Mission and on each one of its workers, beyond what we have experienced since its inception.  Someone said that: ‘When God opens heaven to bless us, Satan will open hell to blast us’.  This we have indeed experienced and there is not one member of our personnel who has not felt the blast of Satan on his / her life, be it relative to personal health, finance, domestic affairs, misunderstandings, evil gossip by others or whatever other ingenious evil device or trap Satan could set for us. 

Even so, the Presence and the joy of the Lord remains ours.

Our Tuesday and Thursday attendances have dwindled markedly and even our Sunday Church attendances are distinctly down.  We could find many apparent reasons for some of this but much remains unexplained other than if we see in this a concerted attack of Satan.  Certainly, he has not devised merely to oppose us but designed to destroy us.  However, by God’s grace that is impossible. Our Wednesday meetings in which we reach out and feed the homeless, have at one stage swollen to as high as 189, which number was really almost impossible for us to handle.  This was doubtless due to the influx of many refugees from Zimbabwe.  The numbers have now settled at about 110 / 120 at a time which is still large but manageable and the Lord continues to give us souls responding to the Gospel.  However, it must be understood that these people are quite ‘nomadic’ and therefore sustained follow-up is very difficult indeed. 

PERSONNEL:

Mark Manana felt that the Lord led him to take up secular employment and left us for those reasons. Said Phiri resigned from us for personal and domestic reasons. Cebe Khubeka applied for extended unpaid leave to attend to certain domestic matters.  

This leaves us with the following members on our personnel: 

Trevor and Sonia, Noeline, Hector and Mandy, Deon and Colsie, Gladys, Josephine, Priscilla and myself.  This is by-and-large the team that has been walking together over many years and we can happily report of a wonderful spirit of unity, of prayer and of great expectation of the imminent blessings of the Lord upon us. 

Then there are still Elmo and Verlene Manuel with whom we co-operate in the outreach to the orphans who gather on their farm.  At present Elmo is in hospital with a very serious heart condition.  Please pray specially for him. 

GAYE REYNOLDS:

Gaye has been with us on a volunteer basis from the United States of America since January last year and has been involved primarily in personal evangelism and the Children’s Club activities.  She also assisted in the handling of the school children sponsored by some of our people for schooling in the city.  In the process of time she made many friends amongst adults as well as children but now the Lord has led her to return to the United States. We record our sincere thanks to her for the input that she has rendered in the work of the Lord, knowing that the labour in the Lord is never in vain when it is done by His grace and power.  We have appreciated her friendly spirit and the way in which she readily settled into the Mission.  Our prayer for her is that the Lord would give her much guidance as she seeks His will to continue pursuing her service unto Him.

VISITORS FROM THE USA:

Towards the middle of June we are expecting Diana and BJ (friends of Gaye) to join us for a short time in our Mission’s Outreach.  We were blessed by Diana’s visit last year and now they are also coming to  investigate the possibility of later continuing mission work in our country.  Pray for us as we seek to give them such help and information as we can, expose them to opportunities and also introduce them to our Board Member, Alan Sylvester together with his wife Jean who served at the head of the OMS Mission in South Africa for many years.  With so many years of practical experience in the mission field we know they will be able to give sound advice to this young couple. Please pray that their visit to us may be fruitful indeed for the glory of the Name of the Lord.       FURTHER OUTREACH ACTIVITIES:

I). Dimbaza near King Williamstown:

Mkhululi Ntombana a past student of our College commenced to serve the Lord in this area and has by now established 2 Churches.  We have been receiving periodical reports from him and been able to send of our Salvation and Discipleship materials to him.  However it has become imperative that we visit that town and investigate the work for ourselves.  In the process Trevor will be leaving here on the 8^th of this month returning on the 11^th , for a time of becoming acquainted with the developments there and passing on such help, guidance and encouragement as the Lord shows him to give. 

ii). Malawi:

Stanley Futch (also one of our Bible College students) has by now 14Churches in operation and he has also since become a married man.  We send him a small monthly support and by now two bicycles have been donated to the work there. (Still to be delivered there by us). We are very concerned to establish proper leadership training which has by now come imperative and in fact very urgent.  For this to be done another visit to Lllongwe is to take place in the near future, hopefully during September / October but we need about R20 000 to fund this and also a suitable vehicle.  Whereas we never appeal for funds for the Mission itself, we place this before you for your prayer and careful consideration, should the Lord perhaps quicken your heart to make some contribution towards this outreach.   There are other fields wide open to us and if we would go further to Blantyre there would be an exposure to about 300 Pastors for training but this would involve a substantially larger amount of expenditure.   Our first and pressing priority is to visit Stanley and we trust that the Lord will make this possible for us.

iii). The Philippines:

There is continued pressure for us to revisit the Philippines where some Churches are by now even operating under the adopted name of Gospel Outreach.  These people are poor and generally speaking quite neglected by the more privileged Churches because of the great expense to visit this poverty-stricken area.  Trevor’s earlier visit there was attended with much blessing and we have been able to provide them with some of our training materials.  We need to know what the Lord is saying to us in this respect and shall be pleased if you will pray with us.

FUTURE PROSPECTS:

We can say with the Psalmist: ‘You have made Your people suffer hard things…but now, You have set up a banner for those who fear and worshipfully revere You…’ (Psalm 60:3, 4 – Amplified Version).  Our banner and rallying point is Calvary and standing here humbly at the cross where all was paid for and our victory secured, we rejoice in the Lord in expectation of His great mercy and generous provision. More than ever before we are not only convinced of the need to have Revival but of the Lord’s desire to give this simply for the sake of His Son, as a reward on Calvary and for the glory of His Holy Name. Our staff are united in praying for and expecting the Lord’s mighty intervention by means of a Calvary-based, Christ-glorifying, Holy Spirit-empowered and directed Revival, as so amply promised in His Word.  Our faith sings confidently with the Prophet Habakkuk in his impassioned prayer when he said: ‘Lord I have heard what was told about You and I am filled with awe at what You have done.  Please do this again in our time and revive Your work O Lord.  Extend Your grace and mercy even in a chaotic time’.  (Habakkuk 3:2 – Freestyle Translation). Will you pray with us for the gracious outpouring of the Spirit so that God’s people may indeed rejoice in Him and glorify His Great Name?  

With warm Greetings,

Rev Eddie Vosloo

Director