Sanibonani from Afrika!
In April, we took a SMASH team (Students Ministering And Serving Him) to Johannesburg for a week! It was a privilege to serve in various ministries together, including evangelism, Kids’ Fun Day, high school youth meetings, children’s ministries, and some work projects on the Word of Life property. We had 267 gospel conversations, and 102 people came to know Christ as Savior. We are excited to be able to plug those new believers into local church ministries right in their neighborhoods! (See more photos here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/995727587177235.)
On May 6, Mary graduated from Calvary University with a double major, earning her bachelor’s degree in both Bible and Biblical Counseling. We are grateful to God for providing this opportunity, and for more tools to be able to better serve others.
We have quite a few events coming up in quick succession that you can be praying for. Coming up first is Kids’ Fun Day May 20. This is an evangelistic event that provides the opportunity for local churches to reach out and invite other children to come together for a day of fun games and food as an avenue to share the gospel. This event requires over 20 teen and adult volunteers to help the day run smoothly. Please pray that everything falls into place and the weather cooperates for this outside event.
The next event on our calendar on June 3 is the Mid-Year Leadership Conference for youth leaders and pastors. This will take place at the Word of Life Durban Property, and we have invited Pastor Kelly Smith from The Fellowship Baptist Church in Umhlanga to be our keynote speaker, with a focus on Holding the Line: Encouraging the Youth to Hold onto Their Faith.
June 8-12, Brad has the opportunity to fly to Cape Town and serve alongside teammate Thato Sathige, ministering to local churches and training up pastors and youth leaders, equipping them to better serve their children and youth.
Later, from June 15-17, we will hold our annual BattleZone Camp in Durban for high school students. This camp is designed to help equip the youth to take up their crosses daily and follow Christ. Our theme this year is Lords and Ladies - teaching what God’s Word has to say about being a man or woman of God.
Then from 26 June - 1 July, we will be running Holiday Bible Club (VBS) Keepers of the Kingdom, teaching the children in our local church and community to stand strong using the armor of God in the battle for truth.
Next, we head to Johannesburg to join a Word of Life Student Fusion high school missions team from the US on July 5 for 10 days, after which we will fly to the US for a few months of home assignment. We would love to see you and update you in person on what God is doing through Word of Life South Africa while we are in the US! We will be traveling from a home base in Pennsylvania to Florida, New York, Maine, and Michigan. If you are en route to any of those locations, let us know so we can meet for coffee and catch up!
