January Hawkins' Headlines (Includes Furlough Calendar)

Happy New Year from South Africa! The last quarter of 2025 was packed with ministry, and God proves Himself faithful over and over. He is so good! We can only share a snippet of what’s happening here in our short prayer letter, so be sure to check out our FB and IG to find current updates and photos! 

In October, we led our annual S.M.A.S.H. missions trip (Students Ministering And Serving Him) locally based in Durban North. This was a team of South African youth and young adults, and we were able to run a Holiday Bible Club (VBS) at Sinakekele Children as an outreach for the children in their community. We also teamed up with some local churches and helped them with evangelistic outreach into their communities. Here is a testimonial from one of the youth on the trip, Nicole: 

“This week as we came here for this S.M.A.S.H., God has been teaching me to get out of my comfort zone and reach out to more people, even if it’s people that I’m not comfortable with or I do not know. I should reach out and share the gospel; be bold and courageous.”

A New Granddaughter

This Christmas Day we welcomed another granddaughter, Madeline May Hawkins, into our family. We can’t wait to meet her and spend time with Brandon, Brianna, & Sarah soon!

Furlough 2026

We’re traveling for furlough, but our hearts will remain in South Africa. Thank you for being part of this journey—whether you send us, pray for us, or walk with us from afar! We can’t wait to share stories, moments, and glimpses of how God is moving in South Africa. This is a rough outline of our schedule, but it is flexible and we would love a chance to see YOU!

Jan 13-17 - Staff Retreat, Johannesburg, South Africa

Jan 18-25 - Switzerland

Jan 25-28 - Montoursville, PA

Jan 29-Feb 10 - Hoschton, GA

Feb 10-Mar 20 - Hudson, FL

Mar 20-25 - Denver, NC

Mar 26-Apr 16 - Montoursville, PA

Apr 17-May 21 - Davison, MI

May 21-Jun 10 - Montoursville, PA

Return to South Africa!!!

Youth Leader Training at Ngwelezane Baptist Church

 

S.M.A.S.H. 2025 Loading...

Meet our amazing team! Each person said ‘yes’ to God’s call and is bringing something unique to this mission. Pray for courage, health, and boldness for every team member.  Follow on FB or IG for updates throughout the trip!

Testimony Time

 

Meet Nicole - I met Jesus at Kids' Fun Day. Now, I'm leading a small group in children’s ministry at church. Word of Life helped me understand what it means to follow Jesus and make disciples. If He can use me, He can use you! 

Go Share Day at Redfern Bible Church

We partnered with Redfern Bible Church a while back for a great day of evangelism and ministry!

“Thank you and your team for joining us for evangelism at Redfern Bible Church. We appreciate your help and training our men for evangelism. May God’s glory continue to shine on you and your ministry. Blessings” 

Impact of S.M.A.S.H. Missions Trips (Students Ministering And Serving Him)

 “I am thankful for you and Uncle Brad and everyone at Word of life for the opportunity to serve on SMASH. I am now even more challenged to share the gospel everyday outside of SMASH in my personal life. I also learned the importance of sharing certain struggles with other Christians and praying and growing together…. This year has been quite a challenging year spiritually, so I am grateful that this short time at Smash was replenishing and encouraged a stronger walk with the Lord.”

Mala, Age 16

Take 5 for the Cause of the Gospel

"In the past 2 weeks, I had the opportunity to speak to the people in my cause circle about what they understood about Jesus and what questions they could possibly have. 

I initially expected them to decline because it had happened before, so I was prepared for the worst. I actually received a couple of questions that had me thinking for hours. But with the help from Aunty Mary, I was able to answer the questions that were asked.

To my surprise, this week I received a message at around 3 a.m., and one of the guys came across John 3:16 on his phone and he was very excited to share that verse with me. It was a really great experience to have that conversation with him and be part of his joy in that moment. I have been receiving bible verses from every day. I’m actually the one who’s learning now, and I’m very excited to continue learning with him.

It’s a really great feeling to feel saved by Jesus, and it’s an even greater feeling to watch another person get saved.

The biggest lesson I learnt was to step up and set a platform where nonbelievers can share with you about their understanding and beliefs about God, and to be willing to listen to them in order for them to listen to you. There are many people out there who are willing to learn, and we just need to step up a bit."

— Valery

EBC Durban Young Adult Camp 2025

Brad was given the privilege to speak at the Evangelical Bible Church Young Adult Camp. It was a fun weekend, filled with worship and learning!

August Hawkins' Headlines

Greetings from sunny South Africa! God is so faithful and He is working here in our beautiful country. It has been a busy season, with camps, conferences, missions trips and speaking engagements on top of our usual youth ministry trainings and weekly discipleship meetings. We recently traveled to Johannesburg to join up with the WOL team there and the Student Fusion missions team from across the US.

These are some of the ministry opportunities that we had with the Student Fusion team:

    - Children’s ministry and church at Work Faith Ministries

    - Teen program at True Word Bible Church in the Northwest

    - Door-to-door evangelism in a township close to the Word of Life property

    - Holiday Bible Club at Tower of Strength Ministries in the East Rand, with over 100 children in attendance

During the time the Student Fusion team was here ministering alongside our team, we were able to share the gospel with 999 people and there were at least 84 professions of faith. It is always encouraging to see youth excited about reaching their generation for Christ. Praise the Lord!

Here’s a glimpse at our events calendar for the remainder of the year. Please pray as we plan and God works!

Aug 17 - Brad preach at Grace Baptist Church

Aug 29-31 - Evangelical Bible Church Young Adult Camp

Sep 1-7 Here 2 There Conference in Joburg

Sep 12-14 - Family Camp 

Sep 21 - Brad preach at Crossroads Family Church

Oct 5-11 - Students Ministering And Serving Him (S.M.A.S.H.) Missions trip

Oct 19 - Brad preach at Pinetown Baptist Church

Nov 8 - Global Evangelism Day

Dec 15-18 - Summer Camp

Furlough 2026

Please also pray as we plan for our furlough early next year, mid-January through mid-June. There are a lot of logistics involved in planning travel, looking for housing, and trying to find a car that we can use for those travels. Thank you for praying!

Women's Day Conference

I was invited to speak at Amanzimtoti Baptist's Women's Day Conference. 

What a blessing to be a part of this special event!

WOL Student Fusion Missions Team from USA

 

We recently traveled to Johannesburg to join up with the WOL team there and the Student Fusion missions team from across the US. These are some of the ministry opportunities that we had with the Student Fusion team:

- Children’s ministry and church at Work Faith Ministries

- Teen program at True Word Bible Church in the Northwest

- Door-to-door evangelism in a township close to the Word of Life property

- Holiday Bible Club at Tower of Strength Ministries in the East Rand, with over 100 children in attendance

During the time the Student Fusion team was here ministering alongside our team, we were able to share the gospel with 999 people and there were at least 84 professions of faith. It is always encouraging to see youth excited about reaching their generation for Christ. Praise the Lord!

Holiday Bible Club (VBS) Update

 

Kids' Fun Day Update

 

Recently I attended a youth conference here in South Africa, and it was great to meet new people from other ministries that are as passionate about young people as we are.  Many years ago I taught at a local Bible college here in Durban, and one of my students was at the conference, as well.  It was great to catch up with him and hear how God is working through him.  I thank God for opportunities like this to network with different people as we attempt to reach the youth of South Africa with the Gospel of Jesus Christ! 

BattleZone Camp Update (March 20-22)

 

SuperWeek Leader's Training Conference

Thank you for your prayers as we travelled to Uganda for the recent SuperWeek Leader's Training Conference! We are so grateful we were given the opportunity to help train and encourage WOL national missionaries and students representing Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, and Nigeria. What a blessing to meet so many faithful believers ready and willing to do whatever they can to advance the cause of the gospel of Christ!

Leaders' Kick Off Conference - The Word

Thank you so much for your prayers for our Leader's Conference yesterday! We had around 35 in attendance representing 9 churches across the Durban area. It was a sweet time of fellowship and a reminder that we need to Live the Word, Teach the Word, and be faithful in assisting children and youth to Apply the Word.