First off I would like to thank everyone who has responded to us in
our call to be ambassadors of Christ's Truth and Freedom in Salesian
High School with your prayers and support.
Friends and family as well as people we didn't even know before have
been lifting this mission up and we are so thankful for that.
As many of you know as one gets further into a battle of the
kingdoms there is an intensifying effect of opposition and it requires
us to be ever closer to the Lords wisdom, strength and guiding Holy
Spirit.
Without this covering we are unable to be effective in unity, session
planning, awareness of the enemy, hearing the Lords direction and
encouragement and of course our communicating by illumination of the Holy spirit the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the classroom's and hearts of these boys to which called has instructed us to minister.
Otherwise its another abstinence program with NO power. With no change. All words, no freedom.
The answers are not simply in instruction, not simply in education, not
simply in scary statistics about sex because we all know that in the
grips of culture and lust these things can and often do easily fade
into the background by the oppression of the enemy, the world and the
screaming desires of flesh whenever Gods Spirit is absent.
So what are we asking of you? And just what are we saying?
Keep Doing What You are Doing And Get Anyone and Everyone Involved.
PRAY IN FAITH.
INVITE AND EXPECT THE HOLY SPIRIT TO FALL ON ALL THESE BOYS AND US AS WE ARE TRYING TO "PREACH CHRIST CRUCIFIED"
As for what has been happening so far, we are now entering our third
week of teaching and will be completing prep on our next lesson this
Sunday.
Class thus far has consisted in the first session something of a
"Siren session." A sounding the alarm if you will. Swazi is in danger.
Here's the truth about HIV/Aids in your country. 44 % infection rate. 32, average age of death.
Here's how advanced it is.
Here's the truth about how God sees it.
Lets ask WHY? Lets overcome. The choice is not ours but yours.
It was a very serious class, though we did have some laughs and some very rewarding Opportunity's to fellowship with the boys.
The second class mainly included tying in the previous week and
personalizing the statistics, truth and dangers through factual
illustrations involving real statistics within the country regarding
HIV, STD's and teen pregnancy. (Statistics that have, by many
indications worsened since last officially collected) They included
colored cards which each student received randomly which would indicate
the sexual status of that student, assuming an active sexual life.
I assure you this assumption is no stretch. Starting age of sexual activity in this country can be astounding.
We have been informed kids are sexually active sometimes as young as nine years old.
Obstacles are great.
Peer Pressure.
Media.
WESTERN media.
Female identity found almost entirely in men.
Pornography.
Gender roles.
Lust.
Wide acceptance of promiscuity.
Shame.
Silence.
Lies.
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
Romans 7:24
But we know who is behind all of it.
Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Romans 7:25
And by the power of the Cross it has all been undone, if we all would look up and be filled.
We miss and love all of you very much and are looking ahead to when we are together again.
As for the here and now The Lord is calling on us few for a great and unique purpose.
Four of the Guys on the our Swazi team were given permission by a local
priest last Monday to come into the
local boys high school (Salesian High School) and preach/teach for
eight different class periods every
week until we leave! This is a phenomenal opportunity and the Lord is
leading the way. He has already been preparing us and is providing for
us information, community support and resources
to pour into our planning time. We are all very focused on this
opportunity and while we are now beginning to see the magnitude and
challenge before us we have been assured that our Lord is going ahead
of us and we are eager to go with Him.
Upon receiving the invitation we began to plan and schedule almost
immediately but there remained a sense that we actually still had not
received permission and blessing from the Lord to go ahead with this
ministry into the school, valuable as it seemed. We conversed over
Saul's impatient mistakes and King David's faithfulness in inquiring of
the Lord while making descisions. (1st Chronicles 14:9-11)
We then took the time to pray and also asked a leader and friend from
last semester, who is now in Canada, to pray about it and let us know
if the Lord had spoken anything to her. She was not given any
information or any update whatsoever as to the inquiry or the
situation other than
"maybe pray for the boys school and see what ya get."
The reply is as follows: Prayed for 'the boys school' and got a strange reply from the Lord..
well, hopefully only strange to me. Simple really, it began with Him
emphatically saying 'YES' and then He added later, 'move ahead'.. Hope
that means something to you.
We will be moving ahead, totally on
faith that God will use us to build a gospel based boys leadership
program. Stressing the urgency of the Aids crisis, gender roles,
responsibility, discipleship and the freedom available from the cycles
of temptation, sin and death through a deeper faith with Jesus Christ. Its about fellowship.
They
need to know Jesus is more than just a superficial, intellectual recognition of
heaven and hell. They say the gospel in Africa is a mile wide and an
inch thick. Very shallow.
They will decide its future, and they must know the facts about this this fallen world.
Swaziland is the most "Christianized' nation
in the world and it will be the next to disappear.
How can this be??
The Population in 2006
was about 1.1 million only last year in 2008 it sat just over 900,000
and know that there are many, many people being born every single day.
We need the Holy Spirit's Power and Presence. In us, in the class, in the boys lives.
His Conviction and His Redemtion. Freedom from the enemy, harmfull culture, hopelessness.
His Guidance and Encouragement. Renewal, Rebirth, Revival.
We as a Church can choose to come together on this now. We need your prayers.
Use post its. Reminders. Tell everyone you know. I would encourage you to copy this link and send it to someone.
Pray for the boys to be open with us, for relationship to grow, for
the light of the Gospel as the only true salvation for this country and
for their very own souls. Pray for our lesson planning.
Pray for Delivery, leading and for great zeal in seeking a holiness and fellowship with our God as we walk this new path with Him.
SOOOO....let's cut the small talk and all the introductory
stuff about how I've been doing....and let's get right into it.
For the past couple weeks I've been feeling SOOO heavy in my
spirit. My ministry is house visitations. I teamed up with 3 girls and we walk
through the township and pray for people, visit people in their houses, etc
etc. We do A LOT of ATLs....ATL stand for Ask the Lord...where you basically
"ask The Lord" what he wants you to do...and you wait for God to
speak to you. It's an AMAZING thing. IT REALLY IS..... But that's where my
frustration comes from. It's amazing for everyone else but me....because I've
never heard the Lord.
For weeks I've been begging and pleading with God.
"Father, SPEAK TO ME"..." I'm longing to hear your
voice."..."I'm desperately seeking your guidance"...and nothing.
It seems as though God was speaking to every1 but me. So for weeks day in and
day out it was something that I struggled with...until one day....
I was reading the bible and praying when I got... I wouldn't
say angry... but...frustrated with my situation. I closed my bible, closed my
journal, folding my hands, and got on my knees as though I were in Sunday
school. I began to pray... then my eyes began to tear...the more I prayed the
harder I cried. The more I cried...the harder I prayed. Until my few lonely
sniffles and tears turned into just a RIVER of emotions. I felt so hopeless...I felt
like for some strange reason I wasn't good enough to hear God's voice. Maybe
God was discontent with something I did, maybe I simply didn't pray for the
right things, whatever the case may be I just wished he would speak to me.
I stopped crying...wiped away my tears... and started reading my
bible again. Right before I opened my bible I said "God, this is my last time
asking you...PLEASE...speak to me." And
that's when it gets awesome. I was reading James before I closed my bible...my
book mark was on James 4 when I began to pray...but for some reason it was on 1
Kings....1 Kings 19 to be exact. So I began to read.
It was the story of Elijah, when God told him to go on the
mountain and wait for him. So Elijah obeyed.....and waited. Suddenly a MIGHTY
wind blew through the mountain breaking off huge chunks of it ...but the Lord
wasn't in the wind. After the wind an earthquake came through...making the ground
underneath him tremble...but still no sign of God. THEN!!!!! Fire fell upon the
mountains...BUT STILL no God. After all that... God finally spoke...in a whisper......A
WHISPER
WOWOWOWOWOWWWWWW.....this whole time...I've been expecting God
to speak to me in this MIGHTY THUNDEROUS BOOM. Where the entire townships
shakes and lightning falls from the sky...and God in a DEEP voice yells from the
heavens.... "DAVIE!!!!"..... but no....
He speaks in a whisper.
Then I was humbled when I realized that for the past two
weeks God HAS been speaking to me...I've just been too loud to hear his whisper.
He speaks to me in the tears of Evelyn... a lady who had a
stroke. The lower half of her body doesn't move so she's confined to a bed...a
bed full of urine and feces because she can't get up to go to the bathroom...but
still thanks us for going to visit her.
He speaks to me through the smiles of the 5 children from
Lesotho, who although they are refugees with no mother, no father, no food, no
clothing, no shoes... they can still smile and be happy with the little that God
HAS given them.
He speaks to me through the words of Noma...who has HIV...but
says "God loves me"....and that LOVE motivates her to start a breakfast program
to feed kids who don't have enough money to feed themselves.
He speaks to me through baby Enza...who is on the brink of
death from SEVERE malnourishment...a baby that's 7 months old but fits into
newborn size clothing.
He speaks to me through the joy of Sweetness...who has HIV,
sits at home all day with nothing to do and no job....but can look me in the eyes
and confidently declare that she's a child of God.
God completely spoke to me...God completely humbled me... God
has been trying to talk to me all along...All I had to do was such up and listen
Adventures in Missions is joining with other
Jeffrey's Bay, South African organizations, churches and friends to
bring Beat the Drum to Somerset East and WE NEED YOUR HELP. Our team
will be going from October 12-19.
HISTORY OF BEAT THE DRUM
The horror of so many millions of souls currently under the curse of
AIDS has been seen. The movie "Beat the Drum" was the catalyst for our
response. A multi-faceted approach was developed that continued with a
massive campaign to train young people in AIDS prevention, mobilizing
people, volunteers from Africa and the US to break up into teams to go
into high schools to train the learners in biblically-based AIDS
prevention under a brand new project called, Beat the Drum.
Why Somerset East?
In early 2008 George and Michele Mwanza took a team to Somerset East
for outreach. They spent three days prayer walking through the
community. Through this prayer walk God introduced them to many
influential leaders and opened their eyes to the need for change and
growth within this small community. George knew that the town was ready
for Beat the Drum it was just getting influential leaders on board. On
Friday May 23rd six leaders went to present Beat the Drum to different
representatives of schools, businesses, and churches. The response was
amazing. God was so evident in that room that day. They are ready for
Beat the Drum to happen tomorrow. God is telling us that it's time to
move in to Summerset East and open their eyes and hearts to the ways of
our Lord.
PRAYER NEEDS:
*Continued prayer is needed for the whole week of community outreach week.
*Families of the community
*Finances
*HIV/AIDS positive people in the community
*Home Visits
*For the volunteers
*Curriculum facilitation
*Lasting impact and real value
*For God's spirit to be poured out on the people attending
*Opening of their eyes to the knowledge and truth with understanding
*The Truth of the Word of God
*For the overall smooth running of our programs
FINANCIAL NEEDS:
Vehicle rental/Gas for transporting teams from J-Bay to Somerset East (100 people/3 hour drive)
Curriculum-Our target is 6,000 books which will cost $.80 a book which equals $4,800.
Any additional food that is not donated by the community
MISSION
To serve the Somerset East Community by bringing primarily the message
of abstinence through Beat the Drum project and giving hope through
meeting felt needs in the community.
EXPECTATION
To see the movement of God
To see believers, Churches and ministries join hands in unity to serve our community
PURPOSE
To educate on HIV/AIDS
To prevent and STOP HIV/AIDS in the community
To care for our community
If you would like to help go to ...
www.adventures.org/give
and type BTD Summerset in the Staff name Block
Email: Holly at holly@tagandholly.org
We need your support to make this happen! If you have any
questions please feel free to email me. Dingram@NJCU.edu .
When making donations follow the directions above and don't put it into
my account! Thank you so much.
This is a response to a question I was recently asked
"Davie...bro, no offense but..you Christians are so Dumb. How can you praise God with all the messed up stuff that's been going in life?"
PLEASE READ Genesis 22: 1-14
It took Abraham SOOO long to finally have a son and once he did...God commands Abraham to kill him!!! I'm sure Abraham didn't understand it....I'm sure Abraham didn't agree with it...I'm sure Abraham didn't like it...But Abraham LOVED God above all...and was obedient. He climbed the mountain, got to the top, built the altar, tied his son up, laid him on the altar, reached for his knife ... But then an angel called out and stopped him and God provided an offering!!! HOW EXCITING!!!!
See...what's interesting is that on one side of the mountain...it seemed like Abraham was going to have to kill his son. It seemed like the child that he had been waiting on for such a long time would be taken away from him. One side of the mountain was filled with confusion ... BUT ... on the OTHER side of the mountain there was VICTORY. What I love and admire most about Abraham was that he couldn't see the other side of the mountain... he couldn't see the ram... he couldn't see the victory... he just trusted that victory would come.
Which leads me to answering your question....
My life has been filled with many ups and many downs. However, one thing stays the same...no matter how much my life is "messed up" I will always praise God.
When my best friend committed suicide...in my grief..I praised God.
When doctors diagnosed me with a tumor ... I praised God.
When I had a gun pressed against me in a back alley...I praised God.
When people start spreading vicious lies about me...I praised God.
How can I praise God with all the messed up stuff in my life?... cause no matter how obedient or disobedient I am with my life...God looks down and always says the same thing "This is my child who I love" so no matter how good or bad things get I'll always look to the heavens and respond "You are MY God who III love"
Abraham could only see HIS side of the mountain...but trusted that God will provide ON THE OTHER. I know you can't see what my praise is doing on THIS side...but on the OTHER side of my praise..there is victory. My praise is doing something!! Don't get it twisted, I'm not just waving my hands in the air. Don't get it twisted, I'm not just saying empty words. On the other side of the mountain God is bringing forth victory. On the other side of the mountain God is healing my family. On the other side of the mountain God is mending broken hearts, God is using my praise to reach a world that is completely lost and in the dark. On the other side of the mountain God is providing!!! You may call me dumb and call me stupid but my praise is doing something. If you think I look crazy now... just watch my life NEXT week. Watch the results of my praise. Watch my family getting restored. Watch my friends regain hope. Watch the miracles that will happen in Africa. Watch God's Blessings SHOWER down!!
How can I praise God with all the messed up stuff going on in my life???? How can I not!!!
Where there is praise there is victory.... Praise is my weapon!!!!!
I have a question. It's something that's been on my mind for quite some
time. What if I forgot to say thank-you? What if I was like those nine
men with leprosy in Luke's Gospel, the nine whom you made clean, but
who didn't come back to thank you? What if I were like them?
What
if I forgot to say thank-you for the food that you give me to eat? I
haven't missed a meal, unintentionally, for some 21 years now. I look
into my kitchen cupboards, overflowing with cans and boxes and bags of
food and glibly proclaim that there's nothing fun to eat, and I
complain. If I forgot to say thank-you, would you see to it that those
cupboards were emptied and that I and my family learned what it means
to be hungry?
What if I forgot to say thank-you for the air that
I breathe, the clean, crisp air of a place that pollution has not
totally destroyed. Would you see to it that I suffocated?
What
if I forgot to say thank-you for water, pure, clean water to quench my
thirst, running out of my kitchen tap on demand. Would you see to it
that I would learn thirst, by making me walk miles to carry water to my
home, water infested with disease and pollution? Would you see to it
that the lakes and streams that I love to fish and swim in would become
cess pools and rivers of sludge?
What if I forgot to say
thank-you, Lord, for warmth. Would you let the furnace die and my house
become an ice-box? Would you let the sun burn out and the world become
a frozen wasteland?
What if I forgot to say thank-you, Lord, for
my house, for a comfortable place to live? Would you see to it that I
and my family were thrown out into the streets, exposed to the elements?
And what if I forgot to say thank-you, Lord, for wild
things... for deer and pheasants, for trout and walleyes, for grouse
and squirrels, for turkeys and songbirds? Would you take them away from
me and make the woods and the waters a desolation, a quiet, lonely,
dead place... if I forgot to say thank-you?
What if I forgot to
say thank-you for the cat and the dog, for the miracle that they are. Would you
take them from me and turn the joyful chaos of my home into a solemn
silence?
What if I
forgot to say thank-you, Lord, for parents who have loved me and raised
me into adulthood with patience and tender perseverance? Would you
erase their memory from me?
What if I forgot to say thank-you
for neighbors who care about me, who watch out for what is mine, who
put up with my failings and accept me for who I am? Would you take me
from them and set me down in a hostile, unfamiliar place, if I forgot
to say thank-you?
Lord, what if I forgot to say thank-you for
this life, with all of its victories and all of its defeats? What if I
forgot to say thank-you for loving me into existence and for watching
over me every day as a mother watches over her babies? Would you erase
my life, take it away from me and erase any memory of my existence?
What
if I forgot to say thank-you for Jesus... for the reality that you
would love me enough to give up everything for me, even your own dear
son? Would you cut me off from you forever, if I forgot to say
thank-you?
No. The answer, of course, is no. You would not
forget me for my thanklessness. No, you continue to shower blessings on
me every day, more blessings than I can begin to number, in spite of
the fact that so often I do forget to say thank-you.
And that,
Lord, is precisely why I owe you my thanks. Today I say "Thank-You,"
even though yesterday I might have forgotten, and tomorrow may again
find me foolishly taking you for granted.... today I do not forget to
say thank-you.
