Ministry Update
This year has been full of ups and downs, but the Lord has been faithful through it all! We want to thank each of you for your prayers and generous support. Missions work is a team effort, and we wouldn't be able to continue ministering in Cape Town without you.
So far in 2024, there have been nine salvations! What a blessing to have these precious souls born again. Each of these reminded us so vividly why we are in Cape Town. In this group are men, women, and children who have spent time in our church and ministry programs. In September, we reported that we had a special anniversary service in August when several new families attended. The latest of these salvations was the father of one of those families. From the day he first came, I could tell the Lord had been working on his heart. A couple of weeks ago, he asked me to come over one morning to talk, and in his home I was able to witness his asking the Lord to forgive his sin and save him. Praise the Lord!
In April, we also baptized nine people at our first baptism service! A couple of these had been saved before we met them, but had never been baptized. There are still a few of the nine that got saved who will be baptized at our next baptism service. We will plan a baptism service in the early part of next year. Please continue praying for those who were saved this year. Several in this group have very difficult circumstances with a lot of pressure to fall back into their old lifestyles. Pray they will remain faithful!
In September/October, there is the usual school break for two weeks. We always see a drop in attendance during that time. This year, it really seemed to drag on for a while. We were a bit discouraged, but in October, we saw the majority of people return to faithful attendance, and even picked up a few new regular attenders! We have also had an increase in out-of-town visitors who are in Cape Town for business or vacation. It is a blessing to encourage and challenge these visitors while they are here. We pray that God will use these connections to expand the gospel, and Lord willing, more churches.
In October, the Depew family that has worked with us for the last year transitioned to another church plant across town. We knew before they arrived that God had laid on their heart to plant more churches, so it wasn't a surprise, but it always takes time to adapt to team transition. We are so happy to see many of our members step up to volunteer in key roles. We also praise the Lord for more churches being planted, and trust that in the coming year, this new church plant will see disciples being made. We are so thankful the Lord sent the Depews to strengthen our ministry this past year!
In November, we had a child dedication during one of our Sunday services. We dedicated three babies and one young girl from a new family. These are always special moments to commit to raising our children to love and follow the Lord, and the church recognizing our part in this process. We had our largest attendance ever with many guests for the child dedication! This quarter, we've also engaged in various ministry activities outside of the church services, and we are trusting these will bear fruit. December is our summer break, and we always have a drop in attendance. We have learned to "ride the waves" of ministry in South Africa. In January, we will make a big push with several special events.
Thank you for your faithfulness! None of this would be possible without these partnerships. |
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 | | Child dedication service |
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 | | Training volunteers in the children's class |
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 | | Serving meals to several hundred homeless in Cape Town |
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 | | Ladies' Bible study |
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Family Update
In our last prayer letter, we asked you to pray for our South African visa renewals. We're pleased to report that all four have come back approved for another three years! Unfortunately, Megan's came back with a typo, and so we had to apply to correct this. This can take six months, but it shouldn't cause us any issues. We are hoping to get the corrected visa back soon.
Many of you will remember that Blake's mom passed away last year around this time. His family planned to all be together at his dad's house for Thanksgiving this year. We had a couple of family members generously offer to pay for us to fly home briefly for Thanksgiving with them, and then Christmas with Megan's family. We are so thankful for this family time although it is short. We will return to Cape Town at the beginning of January. In the meantime, Dave and Julie Rudolph (missionaries in Knysna, South Africa) are leading our ministries along with the deacons and other leaders in the church. It has been great to see leaders developed in this way, and for them to be willing to allow us to travel back during this time. Please pray for the Rudolphs and the church throughout December! |
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Three things to pray for...- Our many lost friends that these relationships will open up to the Gospel.
- Our church family that they will continue to grow in the Lord and develop into leadership roles, and for our new team members who are preparing to join us.
- Megan's visa correction application.
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