Its All Good in South Africa

Hello Everyone

We are both doing very well. We are full of energy and just so excited about what God is doing. Thank you so much for your prayers!! God is moving so very powerfully. Its exciting to go to church to see what God is going to do.

We have a young women from Brazil named Karmen who has been staying with us and ministring in the church and it has been amazing. People are really being changed and transformed. People are being healed of aches and pains and sore thoarts. Esh, its just so exciting. Every Sunday new people are coming and asking Jesus into their hearts. The youth are reaching out into their community and their friends are coming to youth on Saturdays as well. Its just amazing!

On Sunday 4 Nov was our first wedding anniversary and we were so desperate to do something speical and we prayed about what to do, but felt that we still needed to go to church and also on Saturday (3 Nov) was my birthday, which I thought I could keep quite, but my husband and sister-in-law had other ideas.
So on Sunday we arrived very early to church to pray and much to our shock we found that some of the youth and mamas had beat us to it - but they were all busy and excited. We watched and waited to see what would unfold.
After church everyone sung happy birthday and we also celebrated our first wedding anniversary and all the women in the church had worked so hard and really blessed us. They had made us a lunch which was able to feed us and everyone in the church which is now over 100 people in the church. So that was such a huge blessing.
But the best thing for me which was the highlight was our new guard Loysio. He is 22 young man, who is just so hungry for God and has such a servant heart and his birthday is also on the 3rd of Nov and he had never celebrated his birthday because his an orphan and the ladies also had a cake for him. He was just so happy and almost in tears and he said a very heartfelt thank you. God is just so full of surprises, but He sure does answer prayer in ways we just can not imgane.

Another answer to prayer is that we have been praying and longing to go to Pemba in Mozambique for a visit to be with the kids (especially our little Paulina) and go on an outreach and be in a village again. Everytime we checked our account it just wasnt enough. The young lady from Brazil who is staying with us, told us a few days ago, that she had been blessed with some money in Brazil and didnt know what to do with it and she had been praying and that she would like to pay for us BOTH to go to Pemba when she goes to go and help with the Iris Holy Given International School of Missions.
YAY thank you God!!! I haven't really slept since she shared the information with us. Its just such an amazing thing that God is really doing.

Please pray for us as we travel by car to Maputo (leaving on the 11 Nov) and then up to Pemba by plane as soon as we can get an plane ticket. Also please pray for us not to get malaria, as its wet season this is a time when the mozis are out. We will be spending just under two weeks up in Pemba and have feel that this is our time to go. Felitos brother Arthur who is also a pastor in the church we planted in Palm Ridge is more than capable to oversee everything while we are away. Please also pray for Arthur and his family as they serve in the church and look after things while we are away and that Gods presence will just increase and increase.

God bless you all so very much.
We love you and are praying for you!
Anna and Felito

Thunder and Lightening in SA

Hello Prayer Partners

What a week we have had it has been one of learning and new experiences.

The rainy season has started, very early. But the weather hasn’t quite warmed up. The story begins with last week Thursday. It cold and windy. Standing looking out the window, its dull and grey. One would think that we aren’t in spring, but in a winters day. As the day progressed as did the rain and the heavy clouds and the wind was picking up. People here in Africa are not afraid of a speeding car nor the cold weather, but once it starts to rain, they will not leave the comforts of their home. In Uganda, it’s a belief that if you get wet by the rain, you will get malaria so many churches simply don’t have services during the rainy season. But we do thank God for few who brave the wet and rain to come to church!

So off we went to the prayer meeting, after dogeing the big muddy puddles we made it to church. Then Friday morning, again the rain was coming down but it did clear up enough to have an evening service. Saturday came, it was hard. The cold just sitting in the air, the wind was moving the trees in ways we had never seen before. Then in the early afternoon we decided to head for the church land and check on the tent and the guard shack. Everything seemed fine. We decided have to a service, usually Saturdays was the youth service. But as the sun set and the wind died down, the cold set in again. We waited, and started. Only about 6 turned up, but we just worshiped and praised God. It was so very special, God felt so near. As we were praying for the youth that came, the wind suddenly woke and became very strong. Felito and one of the guards had just finished packing the sound system into the car and the rain hit hard. The young guard ran to the cover of the shack and Felito to his car, it left me and four others in the tent. We decided to wait, thinking that the hard rain would pass then we would make it to the car. As the rain was pelting down, the already soft ground was turning into mini muddy lakes. I turned to one of the young girls and a huge gust of wind came, the tent waved and made a huge wip sound, my heart racing, I turned to face the two young girls and the next thing I knew that one side of the tent was flying in the air. The girls began to scream and I could feel the cold rain belting down on us. We (Cathi and Machep) ran to the car, and the two young girls to the guard shack. We made it to the car, Felitos mouth was wide open. The tent was down and it was ripped. I turned, and to my horror both Cathi and Machep had blood running down there face. We found some rags and applied pressure. Felito went to check on the girls in the guard shack, it was moving, but thank God only half of the roof came off. The guard walked the two young girls home and he himself went to his fathers house. We now had to tend the injured. We had to wait for the wind to die down. Even sitting in Felito’ pajero, it was moving side to side like a branch in the wind. We drove home very slowly that night due to flooding. We cleaned the girls up, they both had been hit on the head by the flying tent poles. The bleeding had stopped. We didn’t know where the public hospitals were, so we prayed and we tried phone Felitos brother, but he didn’t answer. So after looking at the book “where there is no doctor” which I lived by while living in Pemba, we decided that the girls would be ok until the next day. That night I didn’t sleep, I woke every two hours to check on them and their cuts. On early Sunday morning, Machep was fine, her fever gone and it only hurt to touch it. But Cathi was a different story. After going to visit the local pharmacist we found out where one of the public hospitals were and off we went. We phoned Felitos brother and he came and go the sound system and he would take the church service.

This is where the real adventure begins. We arrived at Germiston Public Hospital. It looked more like a run down old building whose owner had run out of love and pocket. We walked into the first door and found the minature casualty department (it makes Hutt Hospital look like a five star resort). After speaking to one of the sisters (nurse) we had to go and open a file for the girls. An hour later the girls had their folders and now the waiting came had began. Another hour went by, Cathi wasn’t doing well, we went to speak to one of the sisters and she told us to wait and wait we did. Then it was Cathis turn. She sat on this chair that looked out of place and should be in a musem. The sister was very understanding and listened as Cathi told her what happened, gave her a jab and told her to wait for the doctor. Machep was looked at again as the doctor was walking into the casualty door. The tiny truma room was full of people waiting to see the doctor. The doctor was tall and had a deep voice, but compassion was not his thing. He found out that there were three people who had cuts, without even looking at them he told the sister to prepare the stiches. My heart sank, this meant that the two girls had to have some of their head shaved….they both looked like the old monks with the bauld patch in the middle of their head with the rest of the hair surrounding the patch. The doctor stiched up a young man who had a cut on his hand. Machep was bout ready to faint but the doctor stiched Cathi first. This doctor does his job, but his tenderness, well, simply doesn’t exist. As I was turning Machep around to look out the window, the doctor had was stiching Cathi, her was shaking everytime he touched her head. He was more interested that Cathi was from USA and asked her many questions about that. Machep’s turn, the doctor must have been hungery or something, because he was rough. I was holding her hand and could feel her being jerked around. Twenty mintues later they were given the OK to go. We left as fast as we could and now understanding the meaning of medcial insurance here in SA.

We spent most of Sunday and all Monday morning at the hospital. This was an experience, but also a time of reflection thanking God that nothing more serious happened. But also our eyes were opened to the fact of how people are treated in public hospitals in Africa. We are now praying about being able to visit the public hospital to sit and pray with people. Please pray that God can open a door so that we can do this and bring Gods love and healing power to those who are in hospital for the physical sickness.

• Please pray for Cathi and Machep as they recover and heal.
• Please pray that Felito can find the correct glue and rope to fix the tent.

The Kingdom Advances!!! The September Update

Hello Prayer Warriors

It has been a long time since you have heard from us, wereally apologize for it. We have our updates, but for some reason we have not been able to attach anything in emails and also our websites. Today, things are looking up. All we can say, it that the enemy is on attack mode and will not take a holiday while we are spreading the Gospel and truth in Africa and espeically here in Palm Ridge.

Please pray for the church land and the surrounding area, the crime is very high. You can be killed just for a pair of shoes or even a cell phone. They don't care. We know that when God advances the enemy doesnt like it one bit and tries his hardest. He really can’t handle to see people giving up their old way of living and come to Jesus and have their lives turned around for good. An example of this is that one of the ladies that come to our church was attacked, even with her baby on her back. Though nothing happened, she got a huge fright and is now very scared to go out in the dark. Another example is of the father (of two children that come to our church reguarly) who was killed in the fields.

We both want to thank you all who pray for us, just want to say thank you and to let you know that you are highly appreciated, it is your prayers that help us to stand and not be unshakable.

Just to share, Felito had been praying the whole week asking the Lord what he wants him to speak on this past Sunday, and didn’t know what he wanted to speak till on Sunday morning. God very quitely spoke to Felito and simply said that the "church is ready". At first we didnt know what God was talking about and then as Felito was at church he started to prayer and he felt very strongly an anointing for healing. He said he came like it used too when he did the outreaches in Pemba. If you could have seen the change in Felitos face - He knew, I knew, that God was present and so was the power of healing! We knew that people in our church & community today would be healed.

Felito & Eric have been teaching the basics of Christinaity since we first started on the 9th of June. But that Sunday was the day the Lord had declared to be a day of healing in the tent. Felito spoke on healing. I know that this turned some heads. People can easily accept God forgives them, God can set you free, but somehow when it comes to healing there is a challenge, but one that God can totally handle. Felito shared and stood with a confidence and explained what the Lord did for them on the cross. It was for their salvation, deliverance and HEALING. It was a simple message and then shared of one of the testimonies of the sharing the gospel in the villages in Pemba. (A man who believed God could heal his back pain, but God in his mercy and compassion also healed one of his legs that was shorter than the other, the man actually felt and saw his leg grow to match the other size. Glory to God!!!!)

That testimony must have blessed people and also set an atmosphere, because when we prayed for people, the Lord healed them. We have 5 people healed from back problems, 3 of which were serious and very painful. Another couple who haed stomach pain were also healed instantly. We also prayed for a women with a sore neck and God healed that too. God is simply just the best!! It was awesome just to watch and see what God would do, but it was just brilliant to watch their reactions when realized they had been healed. God is just so GOOOD. This just the beginning for Palm Ridge.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers and what the Lord has started will continue in this place and that it will spread!! We want to share it - we want to see many healed and living for Jesus.

Things to pray for

• Please pray for the presence of God to increase in the tent
• Pray that the Lord will give us strength to reach out more for the lost
• Please pray for the Brumbaugh’s family in San Francisco (USA) who are working on raising funds to buy us a portable office to use in the Church
• Please pray for our cars, still struggling in this area (we need funds to fix the car)
• Please pray for us that the Lord will provide everything we need financially & materially
• Please pray for our protection in this place where people are murdered and there is crime everyday.
  
  

Catch up - The Download

These last few months have been an exciting and full of change. The tent ripped
during one of the windstorms. We are still currently using the one we were lent while
our one is being repaired. It is still windy, but we are praying that the wind will stay away.

We had two teams from the USA come & visit. We were very blessed. It was very exciting to watch & see how the people in the church reacted with the visitors. At first the children were a little unsure, but as the evening processed everyone were friends. It was so great to have Stephanie with us. She had spent time at IHOP (The International House of Prayer) for a season & was keen to teach what she had learnt. Much of what she shared the church took it in. Really our prayer evenings have had a radical change. We also had Julie from Canada visit us on her way home from after serving her first term with Iris Ministries in Dondo Mozambique. So we wish her well on her resting time before she heads back to Dondo in early October.

Another church from the USA gave us the funds to be able to purchase bibles for the
adults in the church in their first language. That has been a huge blessing. We just love giving out the word of God.
Thank you all for your prayer & support!! We love you & thank you from the bottom of
our hearts.

God’s Goodness - Testimony Time
Every Sunday morning when we hold the family service we have set time aside to hear what God is doing in the lives of the people in church & the community of Palm Ridge. This is one of my favorite parts of the service. One testimony that really blesses me is that of Stholes wife Khulekile. She has been a diabetic for many years & has struggled with being able to keep it under control. We have prayed for her many times. But one Sunday, God just sovernily moved. A few weeks ago, she was so thirsty when she got home & the only thing in the fridge was
coke. There was no milk nor water nor juice. So she poured herself a drink & then got on with her duties around the house. Later that night as she was preparing for bed she realized that at lunch she had drunk a glass of coke and she had no complications at ALL.
On the following Sunday she came to church and testified that she had been healed as she has had no more complications with her health & diabetes. PRAISE the LORD!! God is just so very

The Boarder Crossing

An little bit of whats its like to cross the boarder from South Africa into Mozambique and back again.

Monday was no ordinary day. Today Felito & I needed to renew our South African visas. They become somewhat of a chore. Felito’s visa only lasts for month, but with a huge smile mine is for three months. But once the church is registered here in South Africa we will be able to apply for volunteer/resident visas.

We handed in the application for the church to be registered in early March. We were told the process only takes three months. But just like Mozambique, South Africa has its own rhythm & time. With each phone call to the Department we are getting more & more desperate but God in His mercy is teaching us the word GRACE. Please pray for the registration of the church to have the favour of God, just as Esther did. Also without the church being registered it means, we are unable to build permanent structures on the land and also we are unable to send an application to the local government/council to send an application of interest in the land.

The Boarder Crossing. Oh, How good our God is. As the alarm goes off early in the morning, my mind wishes the sound to go away. After preparing everything, we were off. It’s about a four-hour drive to the boarder and we wanted to get there before the buses did. As they create LONG lines. The drive was wonderful. Cathi & Billy & Eric came along for the ride too. We had the CD player going, and the heater. We were all just praising God and simply having a grand time. But enjoying the heat was we drove up through the country. As we had rented a car, it was unable to cross. We left Eric & Cathi & Billy on the South African side and crossed over by foot. It was great, as we walked the birds were singing as the sun was going down. Must admit that here in Africa, the sunsets are glorious and full of colour. It was another successful boarding crossing/visa
renewal for another month.

Thank you all, for you prayers!

Entering Kruger National Park

After our trip to the Mozambique/South Africa boarder to renew both our visas, we decided to head home through the Kruger Park. As the gates are open & shut at certain times, we were unable to enter the Park on Monday evening. We woke early the next morning as the gate opened at 6am and we wanted to be the first ones there. When we arrived, we discovered that others had the same idea. We paid our tariffs to enter the park & off we drove. We started at the Crocodile Gate and drove first to the campsite of Lower Sabie for breakfast and a leg stretch then onto Skukuza for lunch and then we exited the Park at the Numbi Gate. What a day. It was so long, but God totally blessed us with His creation & handiwork.

One of the highlights was being able to watch a scene was having the privilege to watch a huge herd (family) of about 120 elephants walk alongside the car, then across the road to go through the reeds of the local river. What an opportunity. They walked in a huge long line, with a huge male elephant at the front and then the biggest male elephant holding up the rear. In the
middle were a few baby calves. What a sight to see, it really was just so very awesome. I felt like one of those people who work for National Geographic.

Another amazing time was also being able to see a giraffe up close. As we were driving along the road at our speed limit of 40km per hour we looked out to our right and in the bush eating
one of the top leaves of the tree was a young giraffe, it then decided to stand in the middle of the road and pose for us. It was just so awesome. We were so close we could see that his patches of
colour were different shades of brown and almost orange and that he had very long black eyelashes that every human girl would be envious of.

As it has been very dry here and winter is the not the rainy season at all. After we had lunch at the Skukuza camp site, it sad us to see that km after km was just black from being burnt in the bush fires. It means that the animals don’t have enough food and also they have to move to different parts of the park to find food.

(Photos to be added soon)

Testimony - Maria

This is Maria. Her mother is ill with HIV/AIDS. Maria
has been a Christian, but found it hard to attend church.
Then when a team from the USA came and did an
outreach and visited her at her house we invited her to
come to church. She did. Maria rededicated her life to
Jesus and hasn’t looked back. One of the things she has
been praying for is a job. Three weeks ago she shared
that God has answered her prayer. She now has a JOB!!
Thank you Jesus. She is very thakfull. Also she loves to
sing and didn’t know what to do, but God had told her she
needs to sing. She is now on our worship team. Please
pray for her, for God to continue to bless her and fill her
up and also that her mother will be healed.


(Photo to be attached soon)

Worship with Cathi & Car Update

Worship with Cathi
Cathi is a recent graduate from Iris Ministries International School of Missions has been staying with Felito & I. It has been such a huge blessing. She has a heart for worship & has also been teaching & leading worship while she has been here. It’s been very amazing.

What a difference it makes during worship. One of the great things is that now during
worship we are really worshipping. God is teaching us to be thankful & when we enter
into worship we start by praying then we sing & as we sing, His very presence comes. People are being touched, healed & just so very blessed. Even the children are enjoying worship. Some of the children are seeing visions & hearing God’s voice. It’s just so very exciting. One of the songs that Cathi has taught is “I’m Trading My Sorrows”. Once we got past the pronouncing of words the song just took off. It’s so great to see everyone just praising God without hesitation & totally
unashamedly.
Please pray for Cathi, as tomorrow she leaves for Uganda for several weeks before she returns to us here at the end of September. Uganda is a beautiful place, many people are hungry to hear the Word of the Lord, but it is also dangerous. Please pray for God’s protection & for divine
appointments as she ministers & makes new friends & may she have many amazing testimonies on her return of God’s goodness.

Ward 61 – Pastors Forum
Last Sunday we were invited to attend the first of many meetings with other pastors
from around the community of Ward 61. We found out many interesting & helpful things.
It was wonderful to talk to some of the pastors after the meeting & hear their heart
& visions. It’s so very encouraging & exciting. We are expectant to see what God will do in this area. Please pray that as pastors from Ward 61 that we can continue to stay united in our work for the Lord.

Car Update
Praise the Lord. This week Felito got his beloved Padjero back, after months of us taking it to various mechanics. It served us so very faithfully in Pemba for all the outreaches and various activities. It has survived very harsh terrain. We are so happy to have it back, sitting in the driveway, though it’s still not 100%, but we are believing for a miracle. One of the reasons it has been huge difficultly to fix, is that the Padjero is an Japanese import & in South Africa, there aren’t many Japanese imports, so its hard to get the parts required, which means even harder to find a registered mechanic to fix it. Another difficulty is that the car is registered in Mozambique and like us; it requires a visa, which also lasts for one month, just like Felito’s visa. Thank you for your faithful prayers. Please pray, that God opens a door for us to be able to find the last parts to make the car in perfect running condition. We would not be able to survive without it.

(Photos to be added soon)

Palm Ridge is Experiencing Change!

Hello everyone! Can’t believe that Church has been going just over 6 weeks!! It’s awesome!!
God has been so faithful and loving!! It has been going well. We are seeing growing in numbers and, we are seeing lives being transformed, it’s amazing! We are just so thankful!

As a reminder, Palm Ridge was known for the Indian community during apartade, which means its known as Moslem community. Even today when you drive in to the township you don’t need any one to show you or tell you, its very obvious that it has been a Moslem place for long time, as in the entrance there is a big Mosque. And at certain times you can the music coming from the huge speakers pointing into the community.

Chair Testimony
We started the church in the tent, with 100 chairs, and it is in the middle of winter here and it’s freezing!! The pastor who borrowed us the land to use, came for a visit and was amazed that even though it’s so very cold people are coming!
He was even more shocked to see that after worship had finished that all 100 chairs were full and are in need of more!! He never thought it would be possible to even start during winter due to the cold!! But with God – ALL things are possible!! God is so good!!

A Testimony from Felito
One of the guys in Church is Sthole. He is in his 40s and I have known him for long time, and he didn’t want anything to do with Jesus. I remember once I was visiting my brother here in South Africa when I used to live in Mozambique and Sthole was in my brother’s house and we had small group to pray together and Sthole would go out side and wait till we finished
praying, but if the Lord can change Paul of Tarsus, he can change Sthole’s heart. The Lord sent him to help us find the land (in Palm Ridge). From when we had our first service, Sthole has never missed one service. One of the amazing things that are just so awesome is when Sthole phone me and asked, “Why do we have to wait till Thursday to have a service? That’s a long time”. He says. He is so hungry! God has done a change in his heart!! This is TRANSFORMATION!! His wife still can’t believe that the Lord has given her a new husband!! Our God is just so awesome!!

We are seeing people being changed everyday, Palm Ridge is also known for witchcraft. But when they come to Jesus, they give up everything, and they just want the real thing!! The people of Palm Ridge are HUNGRY! Read Matthew 5:6

What has been happening?
Last week we had Stephanie from Vineyard Laguna Niguel return and she taught about prayer. Everyone was taking everything in. Even the children were sitting still. We have noticed a huge change especially on Thursday evenings at the prayer nights and they do not pray the same!! Its as if something has been released upon them.
We are just in awe of what God is doing!! Keep coming Jesus!!

This week Cathi (a dear friend) who has just graduated from the Iris International School of Missions is here to teach us about worship! We are very excited and are looking forward to worshipping God together!!

A Huge THANK YOU
Just want to thank personally the church in San Francisco of California that sent us funds to buy Bibles for our people. You don’t know how blessed people are by this. Thank you. You have made things worse for us in a good way, because they have thousands of questions to ask about the scripture, they just can’t get enough!! Thank you!!

We also want to thank the Vineyard Laguna Niguel Church for sending a team here. You were all such a huge blessing. We want to testify that everyone person that was reached on the one-day outreach are still with us and are growing every day!! You guys were awesome!! Be blessed!!

Things to pray for:
(1) Pray for my car to be fixed, its almost 2 months without a car, its hard
(2) There was a strong wind last weekend that ripped our tent into shreds, please pray that we can get the right person to
fix it, that’s our building
(3) Pray so we will be known as community of love,
(4) Pray for the growth not only in numbers but spiritually also.

SA Kruger National Park

After our trip to the Mozambique/South Africa boarder to renew both our visas, we decided to
head home through the Kruger Park. As the gates are open & shut at certain times, we were unable to enter the Park on Monday evening. We woke early the next morning as the gate
opened at 6am and we wanted to be the first ones there. When we arrived, we discovered that others had the same idea. We paid our tariffs to enter the park & off we drove. We started at the Crocodile Gate and drove first to the campsite of Lower Sabie for breakfast and a leg stretch
then onto Skukuza for lunch and then we exited the Park at the Numbi Gate. What a day. It was so long, but God totally blessed us with His creation & handiwork.

One of the highlights was being able to watch a scene was having the privilege to watch a huge herd (family) of about 120 elephants walk alongside the car, then across the road to go through the reeds of the local river. What an opportunity. They walked in a huge long line, with a huge male elephant at the front and then the biggest male elephant holding up the rear. In the
middle were a few baby calves. What a sight to see, it really was just so very awesome. I felt like one of those Entering Kruger people who work for National Geographic.

Another amazing time was also being able to see a giraffe up close. As we were driving along the road at our speed limit of 40km per hour we looked out to our right and in the bush eating
one of the top leaves of the tree was a young giraffe, it then decided to stand in the middle of the road and pose for us. It was just so awesome. We were so close we could see that his patches of
colour were different shades of brown and almost orange and that he had very long black eyelashes that every human girl would be envious of.

As it has been very dry here and winter is the not the rainy season at all. After we had lunch at the Skukuza camp site, it sad us to see that km after km was just black from being burnt in the bush fires. It means that the animals don’t have enough food and also they have to move to different parts of the park to find food.

Prayer Points
• That our tent will be fixed soon
• That our cars will be working
• That God will open a door regarding the church registration with the
department so that it can be processed.
• For safety of our church members. (a lady in our church was attacked
walking home from a shop this week).
• For unity amongst the local pastors in the area of Palm Ridge. We
have been invited to go to a meeting with all the other churches.

(Photos to be added soon)

God's Open Doors

Dear Friends

Sawubona (hello). Can’t believe that it has been four weeks since we have arrived back in the Rainbow nation. And though times have been rocky, God is so amazing.

AFRICA ON FIRE CHURCH – The Beginning
Great news! After six months of planning and preparation, we are finally underway. Yes, we have started the church plant in Palm Ridge. A township one hours drive from the Johannesburg International Airport and our little flat.

The road to this point has not been easy or quick, but God has this vision in His hands and all timing is according to His purpose. Until the middle of May, we had been unable to find land on which to start the church. After many attempts with city governments, we were led to a plot of land by a man who is not a Christian, but wanted to help us. Through him, we were able to secure a large, central location, which we are currently borrowing from another Pastor who has advised us to apply for the land permanently.

Once we received the paper to say we had officially borrowed the land, the work began. There were many things that we needed to accomplish before we could start church services, one of which was getting a fence to surround the tent. After price shopping at several places, we found a man selling fences on our way to the land. This man helped us organize people to clear the land. We believe that as they burned the brush and rubbish, God was spiritually clearing the land and preparing it for encounter. We also had to build a small house on the property for a couple people to stay and keep watch (our friendly guards).

The day before we began church, we bought an 18 by 7 metre tent and 100 chairs. The man who sold us the chairs gave us a very good price and offered to supply us with 50 to 80 free loaves of bread to give out at the end of every month. Ironically, this man has a brother who is a leader at the biggest mosque in Palm Ridge (Palm Ridge is known for its Muslim inhabitants – during apartied Palm Ridge was where the Indian community lived). God is just so good! The favour of God is being shown already from people who are not even believers. There are many more stories that must go unwritten for the time being.
And so, after two weeks of hard work and taxing anticipation, we had everything ready for church.

THE FIRST SERVICE
Sunday, June 9, we had our first service. We had a surprisingly good turnout and community members have been very welcoming (even wanting to advertise us with a blow horn on the back of a pickup). The first service was the dedication of the land and the tent, patterned after 1 Chronicles 7 when Solomon dedicated the Temple to God. After a brief message, an altar call had three young men and a bunch of children come forward to receive Jesus. Since then, the young men are hungry for God and have formed a choir with our resident missionary, Eric Brumbaugh (from the USA).

NIGHT MEETINGS
We have also been having evangelistic meetings every night and have seen God beginning to move. It has been a blessing to see the people’s hunger as even the small children sit and listen attentively to every word of the message.

Throughout the whole process, we have clearly seen God’s hand in directing the right people to help us at the right time. There are so many names I could mention, without whom this church would not have happened. God is truly sovereign and the King of this church. It is just another testimony that when God calls someone to do something, He is abundant in His provision. In accordance with Jeremiah 1:12, we have seen God act upon His Word.

We hope that this newsletter encourages you to follow what God is speaking to you.

PRAYER REQUESTS

• A reliable car (my two cars are currently broken)
• A place to stay (closer to the church land)
• For God’s presence to increase every day in the tent

Thank you for your prayers and support.

God Bless you richly & love FELITO & ANNA