Prayer Update

Here in South Africa we love our holidays and this coming week is no exception!  We have about 4 days off this coming week so most people just take the whole week off, sounds great!  However, we will be running just like normal, crazy.  Youth Leader meetings on Saturday and Monday for training and phone calls for meetings in the US most nights.  I love these “slow” weeks because I can usually get caught up on the things that get pushed aside.

                  Please pray for us as we try to fill the schedule for our upcoming furlough.  If you would be interested in having us come to your church please contact us soon so we can fit you in.  We are looking forward to spending time with everyone while we are in America.  Thanks for the prayers!

In HIS Service,

Brad

Prayer Update

Brad recently spoke at the Grace Christian School camp for the Grades 4-7, and Marissa and Brandon joined in as campers. The theme of the camp was Jonah, the Runaway Prophet. There were around 45 campers there, 4 salvation decisions, 14 people counseled for assurance of salvation and around 40 campers that committed to living their lives for Christ! Please pray for these kids. While they attend a Christian school, it is easy to see the grip that the world has on many of their lives.

Camp ended on Friday, and we jumped into preparing and cooking for BattleZone camp to start on Monday. We had around 120 campers at BattleZone Camp - our biggest camp yet! We held this camp at a local church to keep the costs down, and the boys slept on the floor in one hall, while the girls slept on the floor in another. Around half of these campers were new to Word of Life Camps! We saw 11 salvation decisions on the first night. Our speaker was our teammate, Mike VanBruggen and the focus of this camp was on how to Biblically handle conflict. It was exciting to see the campers come away feeling equipped with new knowledge about God and His Word. Mary and Fran cooked for all these campers from a tiny kitchen! God provided amazing strength to all of us as we have gone from one ministry event to the next. 

Brad has had many opportunities to preach in local churches lately, and we love the opportunity to fellowship with so many different believers. I love the diversity of the family of God!

Brandon's birthday is next Wednesday. It's hard to believe that he's going to be 12! He likes lego, real time computer strategy games, Wii games, golf, and reading Historical Christian Fiction. While he's a typical 12 year old, it is exciting to see that he has a desire to walk in God's ways.

Prayer Update

Thank you so much for your prayers through the week! There is so much going on!

The Discipleship Training Centre is coming to the end of the second week of classes. The students are overwhelmed, but learning so much! Sbu and Muzi joined us for dinner last night, and we are looking forward to making this a weekly occurrence. Please pray for Sbu, Muzi, Lawrence and Thobile as they have a busy year ahead of classes and ministry. Pray that they are able to absorb all that they are being taught so that they can apply it to future ministry!

On Feb 12 we will be hosting our Leaders' Kick Off. We are excited at this opportunity to fellowship with all of the youth leaders in the area, as well as provide a chance for training. We will be providing seminars for the leaders to choose from taught by Mike VanBruggen, Brad's mom, Judy Hawkins, and Brad. Please pray for a good turnout! We'd like to be able to encourage every one of the churches we work with through this event.

We are beginning to fill dates for our home assignment later this year. We are planning to be in the US from approximately July 15 - Nov 21. We are currently planning to be in MI, MN, and PA. Please let us know if your church would be interested in allowing us to share about our ministry in South Africa! Also, please pray that we are able to raise the additional monthly support needed for our ministry. 

On a note of praise, Mya's passport in her "new name" is ready for pick up from the SA Home Affairs! Now we are just waiting for her long form birth certificate, as well as clarification as to what we need to do for her US Visa, as it was in her previous name. Prayers are being answered!

Thanks for your prayers!

Serving Him,

Mary, for the fam

Brad, Mary, Brandon, Marissa & Mya Hawkins

Hawkins Headlines, December

In the midst of confusion with the theft of our laptops, this prayer letter was never posted! I know it's a month old, but I thought you would like to see what God has been doing in South Africa.

And regarding the car fund, we have been able to raise all but $1000! We have a 10 passenger vehicle in mind and would like to purchase it as soon as possible, as transporting people for ministry is a major need! Please pray with us regarding these funds and decisions.

You will need Adobe Reader to open the file. Click here to download free.

Brad, Mary, Brandon, Marissa & Mya Hawkins
Word of Life South Africa

Attachment: Dec 2010.pdf

Prayer Update

Thanks for your prayers this week! I am excited to share with you that we were offered a minivan to use while we are in the US later this year! Thanks, Matt, for taking it on yourself to spread the word that we had a need! It is amazing to think that a friend of a friend, someone we don't even know, would be willing to help us out in this way. It is amazing to be a part of the family of God!

We are now beginning to plan our time in the US. If you would like us to share about our ministry in your church, let us know! We would love to spread the Word about what God is doing in South Africa. Please pray that God leads us to those that He desires to be a part of our ministry.

Back to life in South Africa, the DTC (Discipleship Training Centre) started this week! We have 4 young men staying at Word of Life. They will be attending Berean Bible Institute of South Africa and doing ministry with Word of Life. Brad will be responsible for the discipleship of two of these young men, Sbu and Muzi. Please keep them in your prayers!

The kids and I are also back to school this week, and Brad has been busy at the office. It has been such a pleasure to have Jack and Judy around as they jump in and help in every way possible.

We are really enjoying our time together! Please pray for Judy as she pulled a muscle in her back last week and while it's healing, her new hip is sore.

Please keep Brad and I in your prayers as we have really jumped into a lot of new discipleship recently. Brad will be discipling the two DTC students, as well as 3 others, and I will be discipling 3 young ladies. This is in addition to our small groups in our youth group. We are excited about the opportunities that God is placing before us. Please pray that we are willing to strengthen and challenge them to walk closer to God!

Thank you for your prayers!

Serving Him,

Mary, for the fam

Brad, Mary, Brandon, Marissa & Mya

Prayer Update

Happy New Year from a crazy busy Johannesburg! We have taken a little break at home over the holidays, but break from school and "work" really mean time to catch up at home.... It has been nice to find a little time to relax with the family, though, as well.

Seeing as it has been a while since our last update, this one may be a bit lengthy.... :)

For the last week and a half Brad has been back at work full force, preparing materials for this years' youth and planning for upcoming events. We have had some problems with printing our quiet times and are running behind the deadlines we set for ourselves. Please pray that everything comes from the printer quickly and we are able to bind and deliver them so that children and youth can dive into the Word of God on a daily basis.

Please pray, also, for our upcoming annual Leader's Kick Off. The Kick Off will be on February 12, and we will be having several seminars to help train youth leaders, as well as a great time of fellowship and a chance to encourage the workers to start the new year strong. Please pray for those that will be investing their time discipling the children this year!

Brad's parents are here visiting for 3 months, having arrived on Dec. 8. Jack & Judy have been such an encouragement. Jack has jumped right in and helped with projects around the house without even being asked, and Judy will be teaching our WOL Ladies' Meeting this week, as well as a seminar or two at the Leader's Kick Off. It has been great for the children to reconnect with them, as well. They have truly been a blessing. 

We have been praying and seeking God's guidance regarding our home assignment this year, and have decided that we will be heading to the US in mid-July and staying until mid-November. Please pray that we find a vehicle to use during our time in the US. If you happen to know of one that might be available, please let us know! We are looking forward to updating you all on our ministry here in South Africa, as well as some precious time making new memories our families.

Mya's adoption was finalized over a year ago, but we are still wrapping up paperwork. Her name change was just finalized and the next step is to update her birth certificate, passport and visa, and then apply for US Citizenship. Please pray that this all goes quickly in light of our upcoming travels!

Thank you for your prayers!

Serving Him,

Mary, for the fam

Brad, Mary, Brandon, Marissa & Mya

Word of Life South Africa

Praising God!

This morning we had a break-in at the house. We were all home and we are all SAFE! No injuries, and feel at peace - even the kids.... The whole thing only lasted at the most 5 minutes.

I am so grateful for God's protection. God made His presence so real to us through it all, and we really feel at peace. 

Love,
Mary, for the fam

Brad, Mary, Brandon, Marissa & Mya

Word of Life South Africa