For those of you that have shared with us that you struggle to access the pdf version of our prayer letter, here is a text version!
Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Ephesians 6:19-20
Join us in reaching S. Africa for Christ!
We are so grateful as we see God’s provision for our needs! We have seen a big increase in our support, but at the same time had an increase in our insurance costs. This leaves us at 80% of our needed support, or lacking $1000 a month. These extra funds would help in reaching youth with the gospel of Christ. If you feel led by God to be a part of our ministry, you can give by following this link: https://home.wol.org/giving/giveto/Brad+Hawkins+06109S
Have you ever found yourself the answer to your own prayers?
For many years now we have been praying for missionaries to start Word of Life in other areas of South Africa, and specifically, in Durban. We as a staff in South Africa recently started praying regarding the possibility that Mary and I might be the answer to this prayer!
Durban is approximately 7 hours from Johannesburg, where we are currently located. It is the largest city in the South African province of Kwa-Zulu Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. Durban’s population is approximately 3.5 million.
Word of Life is already working with 5 local churches in Durban. John Page and I travelled to Durban this past week for conferences and training, and to meet with many more churches that are interested in using Word of Life. We were asked more than once, “When are you sending a Word of Life Missionary to our area?” It was exciting for us to be able to answer, “Soon!”
We are still praying for God’s wisdom regarding His timing, but are anticipating this to happen around October or November 2012. Please join us in prayer as we seek God for guidance regarding every aspect of this.
We will need to raise approximately $3500 toward expenses that we will incur with this move. If you feel God wants you to help, you can use this link https://home.wol.org/giving/giveto/Brad+Hawkins+06109S and write “move” in the comment section.
Discipleship Training Centre
Mid-January was the opening of our Discipleship Training Centre (DTC) in South Africa for our second year. We welcomed 10 students into the program for 2012!
Students live at Word of Life Headquarters from Monday to Friday and attend classes at Berean Bible Institute of South Africa (BBISA) held at Sandton Bible Church in Douglasdale. They are also trained in ministry with Word of Life and have responsibilities around the office and home. The students are discipled by Word of Life staff members throughout the year, and Mary and I each have the privilege of discipling 2 students this year.
Students return home for the weekends and school holidays to spend time with their families and minister in their local churches.
Micro F-1
God has been using the Micro F-1 ministry (known in the US as FasCar) in a mighty way already this year!
A Micro F-1 is an evangelistic event for children that is hosted by local churches. We bring along a 32 ft. racetrack for hot wheels/matchbox cars and a crew ready for action. After a few rounds of races, we pause the fun for a meeting to share the gospel message. Statistics tell us that us that better than 75 percent of people who receive Christ as Savior do so as children!
We have had 3 Micro F-1’s this year to help kick off the clubs for the new year, and have shared the gospel with almost 200 children as well as many parents, seeing more than 30 children trust Christ as Savior!
Please pray for upcoming Micro F-1 events, that God would prepare the hearts of these children to hear the gospel. Please pray, also, for the children that have responded to the gospel already this year and for the youth leaders that will be teaching and guiding them.
Upcoming Events
T-Junction is fast approaching! On March 10, we are hosting a day of fun for teens and young adults at Wild Waters, a local water park. While this is a “fun” event, designed to attract unsaved youth, this event is more importantly designed to bring students to a “T” in the road of life, causing them to choose between turning toward God or turning and going their own way.
Please pray for this event to run smoothly, that many attend and that lives are changed for Christ!
Also coming up is BattleZone Camp from April 2-4! The express purpose of BattleZone Camp is to prepare Christian youth with the tools necessary to fight the daily battle of the Christian walk.
This camp will be held in a local church to help keep the cost down, opening the doors to more campers. Please pray for us as we plan, and pray for the students that will attend, that God begins to prepare their hearts even now for the lessons He wants them to learn at camp.
Here are some testimonies from our summer camp in December. Thank you for your gifts and prayers!
“Thank you very much for the opportunity of coming to camp. I really enjoyed every minute of it. I have learned many, many things. I don't regret coming. One of the many things I learned is when I pray I should expect 3 answers from God, i.e. ‘Yes,’ ‘No,’ and ‘Wait’. And that I should never stop waiting on God. Thank you very much. God bless you!” Dieketseng
“Thank you very much for the gift that made it possible for me to be at camp. May God richly bless you. I had an awesome, fantastic time here. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I have learnt a lot and my life has been impacted by all the messages. The campfire service made me look at my Christian walk in a different way. I was blessed and challenged at the same time. God bless!” Nthabiseng
“I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to be here. I really appreciate all the love you have shown me. It was wonderful to be with Christians every day here at Word of Life Camp. To me it was important to be here because in my family I am the one and only Christian. It was nice to have so many people I can talk to and share the Word of God with. I have learned a lot and my life has changed thanks to you. I have taken out the idols I was struggling with that I learned about at camp and I have put on new good things in my life. Thanks!” Busi
“The camp was fantastic. I am not a church attending person, but now I know that I am saved. The games were fantastic, I learnt a lot from the seminars and I am happy that I was given the opportunity to know Christ and understand His way. Thank you for letting us experience the wonderful Word of God.” Sphamandla
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