Welcome to the Neighborhood

Welcome to the Neighborhood

by | May 9, 2018 | Africa, Uganda

On Saturday afternoon, Mary and I arrived home to UCU campus in Mukono after spending 2 nights near the airport in Entebbe. We were greeted by smiling faces and hugs from our neighbors and friends who came by to greet us.

I have enjoyed getting to familiarize myself with the campus and had the opportunity to meet several of the faculty and staff the last few days. Warm and welcoming are the trademark characteristics of the people here in Uganda.

We also have some four-legged neighbors who like to avail themselves of the fruits in our garden and also the fruit in the nearby trees (mangos are everywhere right now). While more exotic (to me), people talk about the monkeys like we do the squirrels in Texas, a little perturbed that they are eating our fruit or in the squirrels’ case, hiding nuts in our flower pots. At a barbeque with the Entrepreneurship faculty last night, my favorite quote of the evening was “We can’t sit outside because the monkeys may throw mangos at us.” These monkey friends like to pick mangos, take a bite, and if they are not yet ripe, throw them down to the ground below.

This is a picture borrowed from Wikipedia because I haven’t gotten a close-up photo of one of these guys yet! They’re always on the move!

Yesterday, I woke up to a rooster crowing on our neighbor’s patio. A few hours later, this neighbor kindly brought over some homemade chicken in a tasty broth and matoke (a traditional Ugandan dish of steamed bananas that tastes a little like mashed potatoes) to share.

Our back patio is one of my favorite places at this new home. It’s surrounded by a garden full of herbs and fruit (thyme, basil, parsley, strawberries, gooseberries, leeks, eggplant, cucumber, green onions, and more). It will be fun to cook with such a fresh assortment just outside the kitchen. It’s also a lovely location for quiet time with the Lord and for our group prayer and bible study each morning.

Teacher Appreciation Week

Teacher Appreciation Week

by | May 8, 2018 | SAMS-USA

Picture a classroom. What do you envision? Are there desks arranged in neat rows? Is there a chalkboard or smart board on the front wall? Maybe you picture the students rushing down the hallways lined with lockers as they make their way from class to class. When we visualize a teacher we may think of these typical elements. This week is Teacher Appreciation Week, and although they may not be in a common classroom, many of your SAMS Missionaries are teachers! Take a look at some of your SAMS Missionaries using their teaching skills in the mission field:

April Sylvester is a mentor for students who are in a gap year program in Zambia. April teaches a variety of subjects including swimming, yoga, photography, and computer skills.

Veronica Flowers is the headmistress of Holy Trinity bilingual school in La Ceiba, Honduras. She is engaged in bringing a wholistic Christian education to the children in the area.

Johann and Louise Vanderbijl serve in the province of Southern Africa where they are teaching disciples to make disciples through a series of trainings. Thus far they have trained over 400 people!

Janine LeGrand teaches people in the Diocese of Masindi-Kitara in Uganda and the surrounding rural area about health and nutrition. Here she teaches a group how to make a nutritious dish that includes the moringa plant.

For the last five years Drs. Brian and Judith Taylor taught health education to those in the rural areas of Myanmar. Because of their teaching, one student was able to properly diagnose his neighbor with early symptoms of leprosy, and in result was able to get him the proper care.

These are just a few SAMS Missionaries that teach in the mission field. You can meet more here! Whether it is through swimming, spelling, discipleship making, or nutrition, your SAMS Missionaries seek to bring the transforming love of Jesus Christ to all the students they educate. Maybe take the time to tell your SAMS Missionary that you appreciate what they do as educators. Leave a comment, or email them: firstnamelastname@sams-usa.org (e.g.  johnsmith@sams-usa.org).

Are you a teacher? If so, know you are appreciated and the Lord has given you an important gift so that you may be an influence in someone’s life. How are you bringing the love of Christ to others you teach? Maybe you have not considered using your teaching skills in the mission field. Ask the Lord how you can use your gift whether it is at home or abroad.

Discover more about becoming a SAMS missionary here.

Featured image: Louise Vanderbijl teaching the Mother’s Union sewing skills in Gambella, Ethiopia.

Dark Curses

Dark Curses

by | May 8, 2018 | South Africa

I woke up just after midnight. When I have nights like this I pray…usually for our children and grandchildren, but often also for our ministry and the countries in which we serve.This morning, the Lord brought to mind something we witnessed about three years ago while visiting Louise’s sister. A Sangoma (traditional witchdoctor) dressed in all her diabolical regalia, was walking up and down the streets of Villiersdorp, muttering away to herself. Apparently, she had been doing this throughout the village for some time. But as I never saw her again, I forgot about her…until last night.

The weather app on our phones had predicted much needed rain. But a very strong wind was blowing, threatening to blow away the clouds. I listened to the gusts as I pondered the image the Lord had brought back to my mind…and then I made the connection.

This Sangoma was more than likely cursing the village and the farms in the valley. The drought really started about three years ago, even though the rain had been tapering off for a while prior to that.

I have lived in Africa long enough to take curses very seriously…and so I began to rebuke the curse and prayed for it to be broken in Jesus’ Name. I also confessed the sins of our people, regardless of ethnicity, as the prophets used to do in the Older Testament…and I begged the Lord for mercy and for the rain to come. As I prayed, the wind settled down and it began to rain. Softly, at first and then a bit harder. Good, penetrating rain.

It is still raining as I write. Obviously, we need weeks and months of this sort of rain before the dam shows any significant change…but this is a start, right?

I am continuing to pray against this curse…may this be the end of its power.

My reading for this morning was from 2 Chronicles 29-32…the story of Hezekiah’s reign. In chapter 32, King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded and mocked the Lord God and insulted King Hezekiah. Then Hezekiah and Isaiah cried out in prayer to God in heaven and the Lord sent an angel who destroyed the Assyrian army.

But prior to their prayers, the King encouraged his people by saying, “Be strong and courageous! Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side! He may have a great army, but they are merely men. We have the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles for us!”

Curses are serious. I will not treat them lightly. But neither will I be afraid of them as I know that He that is in me is far greater than he that is in the world. There is a spirit of lawlessness that has been unleashed upon this land…of that I am certain. But we will continue to pray against it and whatever curses have been spoken out against the Lord and His people in this country.

Pray with and for us!

News and Prayer Update from Russ and Heidi Smith

News and Prayer Update from Russ and Heidi Smith

by | May 1, 2018 | Chile, The Church and Evangelism

Russ and Heidi Smith work in the Araucanía region of Chile to help build up the Church in this area, and as of March 25th, 2018 Russ is pastor of “Reino de Dios” (Kingdom of God) Anglican Church in Labranza, as well as working at the Rural Bible Institute, and of course Heidi is right at his side. We also continue to work with interdenominational ministries such as Evangelism Explosion for Kids and ESI–Equipping Servants, International.

News and Prayer Update from the Smiths:

 

Support Russ and Heidi
April Newsletter 2018

April Newsletter 2018

by | May 1, 2018 | Health, South Africa

“I would like to contribute to your
ministry vehicle fund.” The older gentleman had just handed me a few dollar
notes. “I don’t think it’s more than ten dollars,” he added. “It is not much,
but I hope it will help.”
I felt tears welling up in my eyes. Perhaps
this is how Jesus felt when he watched the widow put her mites in the Temple
treasury.
“Seed money,” his friend said. “The Lord
will multiply it until it is enough.”
Little did they know that that soon after
another man would add an extra US$15,000 to our vehicle fund…and the next day,
we would receive news that someone else had donated another US$7,500! And…would
you believe it…a few hours later we would receive yet more news of another
US$7,500! Seed money indeed! We now have enough to purchase a suitable ministry
vehicle.
God is faithful…and this is His kingdom (see
Matthew 6:33).
This has been a whirlwind trip. We have
travelled many miles and spoken many times in various places in the South
Eastern United States. Thankfully, we also got to meet two new grandchildren,
one from each family, and we attended the youngest one’s baptism. We visited
with many good old friends and made many new ones. It was hard to say goodbye!
But we have been renewed and refreshed in
so many ways. We were blessed by amazing sermons and talks, Bible studies,
prayers, and spoiled rotten by many. We took long lovely walks along the beach
at St Christopher’s Camp and Conference Centre in between meetings, praying
about so many things and for so many people and praising God for His greatness
and goodness and mercy and love.
It is hard to believe that two months ago,
we were in dire straits, not knowing if we would have enough financial support
to stay in the mission field. While we have lost a few faithful partners over
time, we have gained new ones over the past few weeks. We have also gained more
prayer warriors…and we are truly grateful for each and every one! Because of
you, we can do what we do…without you…no, I don’t even want to think about
that. We are a team…together we are witnesses to Jesus to the ends of the
earth!
Louise and I are all anticipation as we
return to South Africa this Wednesday! Our layover in London is about 9 hours,
and we are planning to meet up with our French “son” and his lovely wife for
lunch. Because of this long layover, we will only arrive in Cape Town on Friday
morning, and thankfully we will have the whole weekend to recover. When we have
received all the funds for the vehicle we will begin looking for something
suitable immediately as we have plans to go to Namibia in June.
But first things first…we are scheduled to
train in Kwa-Zulu Natal the weekend after next together with the Rev Trevor
Pearce, the Growing the Church Director. He will be training us in teaching
Rooted in Jesus by letting us train others with him…in service training, so to
speak. We will also be training trainers in Strategy.
We are truly grateful for all our partners
in ministry. As I said, you are part of a team that works together to build our
Lord’s Church. This ministry would not continue without every one playing their
part.
Nine dollars does not sound much, but the
Lord never looks at the amount…He looks at the heart…and He is still in the
multiplying business!
Thank you for your prayers and your support
and your love and your encouragement. We give thanks to the Lord for every one
and we pray only His very best blessings on each one. He knows your heart and
your needs and He loves you with a love that simply cannot be measured or fully
comprehended.
I have been meditating on and praying
through a prayer of David’s for weeks now and will continue to do so in the
future. I encourage each one of you to do the same. 1 Chronicles 29:10-20.
If you would like to write to us in South
Africa, here is our new address:
6 Van Eeden Crescent
Villiersdorp, 6848
South Africa
If you would like to call, our cell number
will be 00 27 72 958 5845.
Love, hugs, and blessings.
Johann and Louise