How grateful my daughters and I are, at the end of this year, for all of the wonderful blessings of our Lord, especially those received from the hands of people whom He has moved to care for us. Your support in so many ways is hugely motivating in the work of the Gospel. If you forget everything else in this thank you letter, please let this remain; I am grateful. We are grateful!
In addition to your kind support, here are some of the things I am grateful for during 2014:
For extended life after two heart attacks earlier this year, including the overwhelming provision of the Lord for the costs incurred. I didn't have medical insurance. The Lord is providing for that now too in 2015.
For the privilege of continued Christian ministry as an elder, pastor, biblical counsellor, worship leader, internet ministry, sound technician, evangelist and general encourager.
For the blessing of working with a remarkable church family who continually draw me closer to Christ and to greater feats of faith. This is especially true of my fellow-servant Josh Mack. I so appreciate the wisdom of God in placing the two of us together in Christian service.
For the 5-year anniversary of Living Hope Church—my home church. So grateful for the way the Lord built this church through our hearts and hands from scratch. We now have an average attendance in excess of 100 people at our Sunday services.
For the fact that we could celebrate another year-end function with the small group I have been ministering to on a Wednesday evening in the valley where I live. There have been such sorrows and joys we have lived through together, yet by the grace of God we rejoice in another year of real ministry.
For the completion of grading all of the assignments for Dr. Wayne Mack's Strengthening Ministries Training Institute, for another 2-year course. This is a Master's curriculum, requiring a serious volume of work. Although I regard this service a privilege, it is nonetheless a relief to have reached this milestone. I am also grateful for the Lord's blessings to Dr. Mack and his wife Carol, for preserving them through major operations this year. This is not only a blessing to them, but a blessing to us too!
For the way in which the Lord has provided for the Muphamuzi Baby Home, a mercy ministry grown out of Living Hope Church and 1Hope4Africa. God has provided interns to serve at the Baby home for another full year. What a joy and blessing it is to see that this home runs at a loss on the spreadsheets every month, yet it continues to thrive. The Lord's provision has astounded us once again.
For the wonderful experience of being at Walther and Colleen Bohringer's wedding in Cape Town. What personal joy I have found in seeing Walter come to drink more and more deeply of the satisfaction in Christ, having come from a lifestyle that most would call beyond repair. The Gospel, in his case, has proven more powerful than the morbid expectations of the world and the doggedly independent heart of a rebel against God. Praise God!
For the thrilling success God is granting Newton and Vanessa Chilingulo as they embrace and engage in Mission Malawi. How God has provided for their needs and thrust them passionately into that work that looks so promising. Would you please pray about their struggles in the adoption process with their daughter Aya. During January, they need to return to South Africa to pursue paperwork that has been held up for way too long.
For the passion through which the Lord has moved me to re-ignite the evangelistic music ministry. I am now going under the name Graceunlimited Live (Look for the Facebook page by the same name). I have so enjoyed a renewed time of writing new Christian songs that look life in the eye. I am grateful to all who have enthusiastically supported me in this. I know I am not the most gifted guitarist, songwriter or vocalist, yet I feel unable to resist the compulsion to reach out with the Gospel in this way, to people who may otherwise never hear, be convicted of sin, and turn to Christ. I am currently pursuing bookings for 2015. If you are interested in holding an outreach, I would love to hear from you.
For the huge milestone of seeing my eldest daughter, Chyreece, safely through school (home-schooling), all the way to the end of grade 12. I am so thankful to the Lord for Reecie, who has pressed ahead, through the last two years of family turmoil (the death of her mom, and my two heart attacks), and has completely discharged her responsibilities through disciplined self-control. This is a beauty in her that I fear I will never be able to articulate. Thank you Lord! Thank you Reecie!
For another Christmas season, filled with fellowship and focus on our glorious Christ!
For the privilege of going to minister in Port Elizabeth for the month of April in 2015. Neil and Nicole Anderson will be taking some time away, so I look forward to strengthening relationships with the believers down there and serving them.
Here are some of our needs
God knows He continues to provide for us because He knows we have needs. Please continue to thank the Lord for us for His faithful provision, and also to request Him to continue to provide for our needs as a family.
Please pray that the Lord will provide our church, Living Hope, a more suitable place to congregate. We would love a venue where we could have church representatives present throughout the week so that people can always be in contact with the church. We don't want to be an isolated church that holds a Sunday event, we desire to continue to be a church that is visible and easily contactable by the masses in Pretoria. Please ask the Lord to grant us the fulfillment of this dream.
Our church has experienced the astounding provision of God. The budget, however, always seems to come out in the negative. Yet the church continues. Ask God to so provide for Living Hope Church that we will not only be able to meet our own needs but be able to give, give, give to the spread of the Gospel through missions and mercy ministry.
Ask God to equip us to meet the continual challenges of ministering in an inner-city, multi-cultural, multi-racial, multi-linguistic environment. We could never have anticipated the unusual issues we have been confronted with.
As a very new church (5-years), we are now in the process of identifying and recognising elders and deacons from the church. We desire to do this in a way that honours Christ and is a key step in the continuing growth of the church.
Pray that Christ would be everything to us in everything!
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