November Hawkins' Headlines

 

Sawubona and greetings from South Africa! We are now 237 days into lockdown due to Covid19, but have transitioned into Level 1, the lowest level of lockdown. We are still required to wear masks and social distance, but the church is allowed to meet at 50% capacity, and international travel has reopened. While we have started our high school youth group meetings at our local church, our Word of Life ministry is still primarily virtual. Despite lockdown, it has been a privilege to have an intern working with us for the last few months. Ailton Pedro is an Angolan living in South Africa and is a youth leader at Bethany Baptist Church. While he has been doing discipleship with Brad for a while, he has recently begun shadowing Brad one day a week to see what it means to be a Word of Life missionary. It is a blessing to have him working with us!

Before After Property Update: We were able to repair the kitchen floor, as well build a much needed retaining wall with the special project funds that came in. THANK YOU! There are several long term projects that need done, as well, but we will continue with the urgent needs, and work on projects as funds become available.  The next big project we would like to tackle is to renovate the guest cottage to be able to use not only for guests visiting WOL from other areas, but also for pastors and their wives to utilize as a retreat.  We will post more pictures here on our blog so you can follow the progress! If you would like to give to this project, you can do so here https://give.wol.org/SouthAfricaPropertyProject and send us a note  to let us know so that the funds are allocated to our projects in Durban. It is exciting to envision the potential of this property to impact those in our community with the gospel. Thank you for your prayers and giving!

Community Outreach

What a great outreach with our church family this afternoon! Thank you to all those who donated clothing, toys, chocolate, and time to show love to those in our community.

I Am the Light of the World

 Today is Diwali, a festival of lights mainly celebrated by Hindus. During Diwali, people wear their finest clothes, illuminate the interior and exterior of their homes, perform worship ceremonies of the goddess of prosperity and wealth, light fireworks, and partake in family feasts, where sweets and gifts are shared. As I sit at home surrounded by the sound of fireworks tonight in my community, I pray for those in my community to find the one true God. Please pray for boldness and opportunity to reach out. 

Tomorrow, we have an outreach opportunity in our community through our local church. We will be handing out homemade chocolates, reading books to children, and playing soccer. We are looking forward to the opportunity to care for others, and to make connections that will give an opportunity to share the Word.

"Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, 'I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.'"

How Can I Fear with Jesus?

Our Women of Worth team has been publishing bi-weekly videos to encourage the women we minister to during lockdown. Here is my video that was published this morning:

 

WOLZA Durban Property Update We shared with you in the past about purchasing a Word of Life Property in Durban, and through the generous gifts of people like you, that dream came to fruition. It has been a blessing to have this property, and it is used to minister to those in our community. We love having the youth come and go from the property daily, allowing them to live life alongside us and us to disciple them. While we have been unable to have youth come and go during lockdown, we have 3 extra young adults currently staying here with us full time.  2020 has looked much different than any of us have expected. We were planning to spend a portion of the year in the US on furlough, but lockdown and travel restrictions changed our plans. Since we will be in South Africa for all of 2020, we would like to begin working on some of the projects that need to be done around the Word of Life property here in Durban. The property is about an acre in size. There are many projects that we have planned, but we will start with the most urgent ones. Just this week we decided to tackle some repairs to our kitchen floor, as it could wait no longer. We opened up the floor because of water damage from an old leak but didn't realize the extent of the damage until it was opened up. Some of the joists under the sink were completely rotted through. These repairs are temporary, as there are plans to renovate the kitchen eventually, but we were worried about something or someone falling through the floor! As I type, the tiles are being relaid. We also need to work on some retaining walls. The property is basically split into three levels on a hillside. The urgency is that the bank below the pool is slowly starting to slide away. We would like to have this project well under way before the rainy season comes. There are other projects, as well, and we will work on them in order of priority as funds become available. If you would like to help with the property renovations, you can give by following this link: https://give.wol.org/SouthAfricaPropertyProject, and send us a note to let us know you gave so that the funds are allocated to our projects in Durban.

August Hawkins' Headlines

 

Sawubona and greetings from South Africa!  We are now 144 days into lockdown due to Covid19, and South Africa is transitioning into level 2 of lockdown tomorrow. Level 5 of lockdown being the most restrictive, and going down from there. There are still many cases, but the economy is suffering, so we are advised to proceed carefully.  We were scheduled to be on furlough in the US right now, but due to travel restrictions and unknowns with Covid19, we have opted to postpone until June/July 2021. Marissa has also decided to wait until 2021 to attend the Word of Life Bible Institute so we can all travel together and help settle her in. Ministry continues despite the restrictions! Since our last prayer letter, we have continued to produce video lessons each week so that our churches can share them with their youth. We also held a virtual Mid-Year Leader’s Conference. I had the privilege to be one of the featured speakers at the conference, which was focused on connection - to God, to your leadership team, and connecting your youth to the church. Lockdown and the Coronavirus have created a challenge for some of the churches that we work with. The South African school year runs Jan–Dec, and churches ordered, received, and distributed their 2020 Quiet Times and curriculum for their youth at the beginning of the year, paying for them as the funds come in. With the unstable economy, many of the parents are not working, and the churches don’t have the funds to cover payment, either. Would you pray about the possibility of adopting a youth, or possibly even a youth group, by paying for their Quiet Times? The cost to cover one Quiet Time would be approximately $9. You can give by going to this link: https://give.wol.org/06114C. Thank you for your support and prayers for our ministry! Serving Him, Brad & Mary Hawkins

Congratulations, Marissa, Class of 2020!

We are thrilled to announce the graduation of our daughter, Marissa! Her plans to attend the Word of Life Bible Institute have been delayed until August 2021. In the meantime, she will continue her studies while living at home in South Africa.

July Update

Here is a quick video update on our ministry. Check out our other ministry videos over at the Word of Life South Africa YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwDvpFXZBg0BDMyWxbB7ztw/

June Hawkins' Headlines

Greetings from South Africa! So much has changed since our prayer letter, but we rejoice that the gospel isn’t on lockdown. We would love to share some of the many ways that we have been keeping busy in ministry.  The effects of the coronavirus are worldwide, and we too have been on lockdown. South Africa has created 5 levels of lockdown, with level 5 being the most stringent level. We are on day 75 of lockdown, and are currently in level 3. Most businesses are re-opened. Schools are beginning to re-open 2 grade levels at a time, as our school year runs Jan-Dec. We are able to go out for essential supplies, exercise within 3 miles of our home, and restaurants are open for take-out or delivery. We are to wear a mask any time we leave our own property. Discipleship despite lockdown…. We have been working hard to keep up with those that we disciple. It has taken some creativity, more phone calls and time spent on social media, but it is a blessing and an encouragement to stay connected.  Our team has opened a YouTube account so that we can record and upload video lessons for youth, as well as encouragement and training videos for youth leaders and pastors. You are never too old to learn new tricks! We have been busy working on lessons, making videos, editing, etc. We are not by any means professional, just striving to remain connected! You can check out our videos here, if you are interested: https://tinyurl.com/WOLZAYouTube.  In the last three months, Brandon has turned 21, Marissa, 18, and Mya 13. Such monumental birthdays! It is hard to believe how time flies. We are so pleased to see each of our children chasing after Jesus in their own ways. Brandon is continuing to serve with Word of Life in Taiwan. His stay there has been extended due to the coronavirus. He is really enjoying his experience there and is very busy teaching and discipling. Marissa will be graduating from her senior year soon, and is planning to attend the Word of Life Bible Institute in Florida starting in August. Mya is in the middle of her 7th grade of high school. Our furlough was scheduled for the beginning of July, but our plans are in limbo as we pray for wisdom and wait to see what opens up as far as international travel. Please join us in praying for wisdom in making choices!

It was a privilege to take part in several virtual camps. The Word of Life Africa team has run separate camps for youth, young adults, and men. There were attendees from at least 8 countries, including Uganda, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Kenya, Nigeria, Malawi, and South Africa. There were special speakers like Ray Pritchard, Greg Stier, and Phil Moser, with over 25 people making professions of faith!

Here is our May video update! Thanks for your support!

Just a quick update from South Africa! While there is a lot of change due to Covid-19 and social distancing, we are busy trying to adjust how we minister to others here in South Africa. Not only have our churches, youth groups, training sessions, etc., suspended meetings, we are used to having youth from the community in our home on almost a daily basis.
So the challenge is to remain CONNECTED - In a way, I feel that we are more connected to our "home" churches in the US in a new way right now. Everyone is reaching out via social media, and we can be a part of prayer meetings and watch services live-streamed. It is a blessing.
Here in South Africa, connecting is a little more challenging. Not everyone has access to WiFi and data. We are praying for wisdom for ways to stay connected and encourage those that we minister to. Please pray for us that we make wise decisions, trying to lower the curve, and yet be willing and available to serve however and wherever God would have us serve. We want to continue to be God's hands and feet in our community!

Sold Out

Great end to an amazing week of ministry. We had over 40 youth at our place to fellowship and work on our evangelism skills. Every teen everywhere hearing the gospel!

Love to hear the youth sing with such passion! Here are some of the lyrics to this song:

In a world full of followers

I'll be a leader

In a world full of doubters

I'll be a believer

I'm stepping out without a hesitation

Because the battle's already been won

I'm sold out

I'm no longer living

Just for myself

Running after Jesus

With my whole heart

2020 is flying by! We are thoroughly busy in the ministry and loving it! Here are a few photos from Brad's visit with the youth from Moorton EBC last week.

Please pray for our health as the flu is making its rounds in the house. The girls have been sick and recovered, I am beginning to get better with the exception of a cough. It really knocked me out of commission for the weekend and I am so grateful to those that stepped up and covered for me in my ministry responsibilities. Now Brad has a bit of a sore throat, and he has a super busy week ahead, teaching/preaching 5 times from Thursday-Sunday. Please pray that he stays healthy!

The property project plans continue to progress as far as authorization and behind the scenes work. Once we have some funds raised, we should be able to get started! Please keep praying for this process.

Brad has been training the youth leaders at Hillary Baptist Church to run Word of Life with their Sr. Youth, and is thrilled to be helping them run their first WOL youth meeting Friday night. Great times of ministry!

Hawkins' Headlines 2/2020

Sanibonani! Greetings from South Africa! 2019 has quickly come to an end, and 2020 lies before us. We are looking forward with anticipation as to what God has in store for us and our ministry in the upcoming year! Project team, left to right: Back: Levi, Brandon, Marissa, Brad & Lonnie Front: Lawrence, Byron, William, Lois, Mya & Mary

We recently hosted a work team in from Community Baptist Church in Montoursville, Pennsylvania and we are so grateful for all that they were able to accomplish! They were able to renovate a storage building into a classroom with tile, insulation, paint, etc., as well as complete many other projects around the property, including a fence on the property border. Visit our blog to see a video update of the renovation.

We were also grateful that Brad’s brother, Lonnie, and Brandon decided not only to join the work team, but also to arrive a couple of weeks early so that we could have some extra time together. It was such a blessing to have them here! It was Lonnie’s first visit to Africa, and it was so good to see Brandon after almost a year apart. They left, along with the team, on the 22 of November.

2020 holds much in store! The connections in ministry have been exciting and it is exciting to see God working! In the near future, we have Leader’s Kick-Off in our new classroom on February 8. We are starting Word of Life training in 6 new church youth groups, as well! The ministry is keeping us busy. Please pray for an intern or another missionary to join us, as the work is quickly becoming more than we can handle on our own. If you or someone you know might be interested in serving in Durban with us, whether for a few weeks, a few years, or longer, let us know!

2020 brings much change for our family. Mary & Brandon are studying online at Calvary University. Brandon is serving in Taiwan as a short-term missionary with WOL until May, when he returns to the US to work at WOL Florida for the summer camping season. Marissa is in her senior year of school, and will graduate and attend the WOL Bible Institute in Florida starting in August. Mya has just started her Grade 7 year of school and has ALMOST passed her mom in height.

Ngiyabonga! Thank you for praying for our family and our ministry.  Love, the Hawkins Fam