Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Me bokkie
thank you for praying for Maveja! since my last post, she is now sure of her salvation and is confident that Jesus has chosen her to be a Christian. Maveja is growing daily in the Lord. It is such a joy to see her desire to know God and her hunger to learn everything there is to know about being a Christian, and living this new life that she has been given. Once a week on Thursday mornings we study the Bible together – we are currently going through Firm Foundations and are in Genesis. I love arriving in the morning to find her sitting outside reading her Bible. Last Sunday a few of us went to Grossbarmen (the hot springs) for the day. Maveja brought along her Bible. She read in the car, she read by the pool…she is so hungry to read His Word! One of the most awesome things was hearing her ask this last week during our Firm Foundations study: “I was wondering, if maybe you want to and have time…its just that this is getting so interesting, and its so long from one time to the next week, and I thought maybe we could meet more often?” YES! I’ll tell you what, my heart was so happy when I heard that. So now we still meet on Thursdays and we have decided that at any other time during the week, one of us will just sms the other and if she isn’t busy at that time, then we will meet and keep going on with the lessons. This week we met additionally on Wednesday afternoon. We not only went through two lessons that day, but also had a great talk about the term “born again”, and what it means. After I explained, Maveja asked, “So being a Christian and being born again are the same thing, right?” It should be! Then we talked about how here, often times people will identify themselves as Christians, but do not identify themselves as being born again. They take the name of “Christian” but are not living a new life. I love watching Maveja learning all about this new life she has!
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Common Questions...an update.
How is the PTG going?
Todd felt he had a clear call to begin preaching and we all felt God was saying that what people here lack is Biblical teaching, so we decided to go in that direction – the way we felt HIM leading. it is still mainly Christaan and Nelda and the team, and a few others sporadically, but at least we are all being taught Biblicaly, and Todd is really strengthening his gifts and becoming a good preacher. I think we are looking at changing the time, because I really think that if the PTG were at a different time, we might have more people come to it. Culturally, 6pm is just too late, especially in the winter when its already dark at that time.
Do you still go to Victory Camp?
We don’t go to victory camp anymore. It just didn’t seem to really fit into the mission God has called us to and no one was very passionate about it. It just seemed like “something to do”. so we’re not going there anymore. But I am beginning a girls small group discipleship next week and one of the things I want to be a big part of it is servanthood. So I think we will throw around some ideas about places we can serve. However, Victory Camp is just not safe for a bunch of girls to go, so we’ll probably look at other options.
How is the Coffeebar going?
Coffeebar is going great. There are about 50 people in attendance most weeks now. we are working to get more volunteers to help out because right now, the 4 of us are the only ones who work it every week. (and Sam of course right now) there are some others like Violet (who replaced Jennie) and also Christaan who helps from time to time. But we’re hoping to set up a rotation. We are building relationships and word is getting out, young people come, young adults come, and familes come together, which is cool. We are just hoping that eventually we can see some crossover and that through our relationships, Coffeebar attenders will start coming to the PTG as well.
What about the men’s and women’s Bible study?
The men’s and women’s Bible study are still going on, but look a bit different. The men’s study is pretty much Todd, Buddy and Christaan and it is a Men’s Leadership Development group. Its focus is building up leaders (or right now at least Christaan) and they talk a lot of church planting strategy. It is just Nelda and I that meet together now, so she and I have begun a one-on-one Firm Foundations study. It is going well I think. She seems to like it. She actually came to the PTG by herself the other night because Christaan couldn’t make it. It was really cool that she came on her own.
What’s going on with Kid’s Clubs these days?
There isn’t a kids club in Oshetu anymore, because all the kids clubs except Hoydegos are supposed to be held at the MPMC. There is one on Thursdays, but there aren’t any Oshetu kids that come. Probably b/c they either don’t know its still happening or because its too far to walk. But the Thursday Kid’s Club at the MPMC is HUGE. The Club is mainly “Budget Homes” children (which is where we live). So I have all the “is it come” kids meet at my house on Thursdays at 2:30 and we all walk to the MPMC together for Club.
How is the OSS Bible Study going? How many students attend?
OSS Bible study is great. We are still in Firm Foundations. We just did the lesson on God preparing the Israelites to receive the 10 Commandments. They kids remember a lot of what we teach and seem to be able to relate the new things they learn to what they have already learned. Its really cool. The kids who attend regularly are Elmarie, Victoria, Rosa, Carina, Skelle, and Absalom. Caroline comes as well, just not as regularly. Sometimes she has other things she has to do after school.
Things you can pray for are:
* The PTG. Pray that we will have clear direction as to if we should change the day and/or time.
* I am beginning the girls small group discipleship next Tuesday afternoon.
* Maveja’s spiritual growth. Its awesome to see how God is changing her, but I don’t think she is convinced of her salvation. I think she’s expecting to know everything and she feels like until she knows everything, then maybe she’s not a Christian. Pray for assurance for her and me, that she is truly chosen by God and saved by Him.
Todd felt he had a clear call to begin preaching and we all felt God was saying that what people here lack is Biblical teaching, so we decided to go in that direction – the way we felt HIM leading. it is still mainly Christaan and Nelda and the team, and a few others sporadically, but at least we are all being taught Biblicaly, and Todd is really strengthening his gifts and becoming a good preacher. I think we are looking at changing the time, because I really think that if the PTG were at a different time, we might have more people come to it. Culturally, 6pm is just too late, especially in the winter when its already dark at that time.
Do you still go to Victory Camp?
We don’t go to victory camp anymore. It just didn’t seem to really fit into the mission God has called us to and no one was very passionate about it. It just seemed like “something to do”. so we’re not going there anymore. But I am beginning a girls small group discipleship next week and one of the things I want to be a big part of it is servanthood. So I think we will throw around some ideas about places we can serve. However, Victory Camp is just not safe for a bunch of girls to go, so we’ll probably look at other options.
How is the Coffeebar going?
Coffeebar is going great. There are about 50 people in attendance most weeks now. we are working to get more volunteers to help out because right now, the 4 of us are the only ones who work it every week. (and Sam of course right now) there are some others like Violet (who replaced Jennie) and also Christaan who helps from time to time. But we’re hoping to set up a rotation. We are building relationships and word is getting out, young people come, young adults come, and familes come together, which is cool. We are just hoping that eventually we can see some crossover and that through our relationships, Coffeebar attenders will start coming to the PTG as well.
What about the men’s and women’s Bible study?
The men’s and women’s Bible study are still going on, but look a bit different. The men’s study is pretty much Todd, Buddy and Christaan and it is a Men’s Leadership Development group. Its focus is building up leaders (or right now at least Christaan) and they talk a lot of church planting strategy. It is just Nelda and I that meet together now, so she and I have begun a one-on-one Firm Foundations study. It is going well I think. She seems to like it. She actually came to the PTG by herself the other night because Christaan couldn’t make it. It was really cool that she came on her own.
What’s going on with Kid’s Clubs these days?
There isn’t a kids club in Oshetu anymore, because all the kids clubs except Hoydegos are supposed to be held at the MPMC. There is one on Thursdays, but there aren’t any Oshetu kids that come. Probably b/c they either don’t know its still happening or because its too far to walk. But the Thursday Kid’s Club at the MPMC is HUGE. The Club is mainly “Budget Homes” children (which is where we live). So I have all the “is it come” kids meet at my house on Thursdays at 2:30 and we all walk to the MPMC together for Club.
How is the OSS Bible Study going? How many students attend?
OSS Bible study is great. We are still in Firm Foundations. We just did the lesson on God preparing the Israelites to receive the 10 Commandments. They kids remember a lot of what we teach and seem to be able to relate the new things they learn to what they have already learned. Its really cool. The kids who attend regularly are Elmarie, Victoria, Rosa, Carina, Skelle, and Absalom. Caroline comes as well, just not as regularly. Sometimes she has other things she has to do after school.
Things you can pray for are:
* The PTG. Pray that we will have clear direction as to if we should change the day and/or time.
* I am beginning the girls small group discipleship next Tuesday afternoon.
* Maveja’s spiritual growth. Its awesome to see how God is changing her, but I don’t think she is convinced of her salvation. I think she’s expecting to know everything and she feels like until she knows everything, then maybe she’s not a Christian. Pray for assurance for her and me, that she is truly chosen by God and saved by Him.
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