Hearing God Workshop

Hearing God workshop at All Souls Umhlali

We did a work shop on hearing God this past weekend at All Souls Umhlali. During the morning we touched on these topics in scripture:

Come to God daily - John 10:9-10,
Do not doubt what He says -
Genesis 3:1,
The Word of God - John 6:63 and Matthew 4:3-4,
If you are a child of God you can hear His voice - John 10:27
Forgive - Psalm 73:21-22
Watch out for personal agenda - Matthew 11:15-19
Ministries specifically given to facilitate hearing God's voice - Ephesians 4:10-12
Respond to what God tells you - Matthew 10:40-41
The Holy Spirit and hearing God's voice - John 16:31 and Acts 8:14-17
Because everyone is called, every one can and must hear God's voice 1 Peter 410-11

We had a great time with the saints in the community!

February 25, 2013

Ps John Mkulisi translating as Trina shares on the need to be thankful during the Zulu outreach We have just finished a trip to the northern Drakensburg area in our home state of Kwazulu Natal, South Africa.  This is our primary ministry to the Zulu community and one of the most rural areas that we visit. Pastor John Mkulisi has a significant ministry both as a shepherd to the local community and to other ministers in the area.  He is well versed in scripture and an excellent translator between Zulu and English. When we met he and his wife, Irene, five years ago, they asked us to help them reach out to other shepherds in their area and we have continued to do so ever since. Trina has a wonderful relationship with Irene and from the beginning of our time together they have encouraged one another and worked to help the women of the area see their value in Christ. There are cultural hurdles among Zulus that often keep women from fully participating. Trina's gracious, unassuming style is very effective at bringing many of these precious ladies out of their shells! Isaiah 41:8-9 (NASB) says,

8 "But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, Descendant of Abraham My friend, 9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its remotest parts And said to you, 'You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you."

We had one testimony from the ministry times that was particularly encouraging.  One of the messages referenced the above scripture and highlighted the "chosen" place of anyone who takes Christ into their heart. Many people were moved and one young man tearfully closed the service in prayer when he was asked. The next day this boy's mother stood up and said that her son had been secretly consulting with witch doctors and had told her that he wanted nothing to do with God because of his disappointment. He then had a dream the night before our service and there was "a man who told him that he was chosen and not rejected." When the message came he knew God was speaking straight to him and he completely rededicated his life to the Lord! It is the reality of God's goodness that we love to see come through when we work with people. Please pray for our ministry in the Indian areas of Durban. We believe that this particular area is important for us to concentrate on and we've already been to a number of churches in the area this year. Not only are there a large number of Indians in Durban, they are very influential with the Zulu population. We will highlight this work a bit more in next month's news update. We are currently planning a trip to the USA in late May and the schedule will be very tight. We have family to see and very many churches to visit. Please pray for us as we work toward this over the coming two months.

Blessings in Christ, Rodney, Trina and Bridget

Anelisa's Smile

 On one of our trips to Wellington we got to know a beautiful lady with a huge heart.  Karmien Joubert helps underprivileged children explore and express the world around them through art. She loves every child she encounters. Anelisa is one of the children she works with at the education center weekly.  Anelisa is an orphan living in one of several child homes in the area. While we were there Anelisa fell and broke off her two adult front teeth. The nurse at the clinic scheduled the teeth to be pulled as this is the least expensive alternative. Karmien could not stand the thought of loosing such a beautiful smile so she found ways to help Anelisa. A local dentist was contacted that could do the repairs, money was quickly raised to pay for the procedure and a beautiful smile has been restored. 

Karmien Joubert and Anelisa

Matthew 25:40 says " .......truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

Much too often we see things happen and think shame but that is just the way things go. If you could change one life, make one person smile, would you? The opportunities are all around us daily. Reach out and make a change.

Anelisa (10) by "norsa foster homes"