As you pray - 17 February 2007

My dear friends

Some of you have already seen the following article on the website of Cedar College of Education or that of KwaSizabantu:

'History is being rewritten at Cedar College of Education, at Kwasizabantu Mission. This year has seen the largest ever intake of first year students at CCE. In answer to prayer, God has handpicked twenty-five first years from all over the world. As always, it's cultural diversity at its best, with students enrolling from Romania, France, Belgium, Germany, Rwanda and Lesotho, not to speak of the local students, representing the South African rainbow nation. The first year students form the majority at College, being in total more than the 2nd, 3rd and 4th years put together.

This year is the 40 year celebration of revival at Kwasizabantu. Perhaps this is a special blessing that has been bestowed on us from above. Truly we see God's hand in this and with sincerity we say, "Thank you, Father"'.

We share CCE's joy and gratitude. May the Lord lead them on.

Kjell Olsen told me the other day that Jerusha and the True Love Waits team had a lovely time at the University of Zululand earlier on in the week. Thankfully, the abstinence message is catching on.

Carel and Sharlene Snyman from Lichtenberg, Northwest, will appreciate your prayers for their planned visit to the Potchefstroom prison tomorrow. They will be joined by Meyer and Lotti Olivier. It is their prayer that the Lord will reach out to the prisoners in a special way.

We rejoice with the families and friends of the two couples that will be getting married at KwaSizabantu tomorrow. We wish Emmanuel Hlongwane and Edna Shezi, Muziwenkosi Seme and Zanele Xaba God's blessing.

Thank you for your ongoing prayers for the multi-faceted preparations for the celebration of 40 years of revival at KwaSizabantu (2-4 March) and the 2007 KwaSizabantu Ministers' Conference (5-7 March).

Our prayers will accompany Dr Albu van Eeden and the DFL team that will be leaving for an outreach in Bizana, Eastern Cape from 19-23 March.

Some of the European brethren have managed to come through earlier, combining attending the two big events with an extended visit to South Africa. We rejoice and pray that they will be blessed and refreshed.

The TAK Radio team in Berlin will appreciate your prayers for their ministry. This afternoon, the broadcast will be on the theme "Zuflucht" (Refuge). One of the features will be a testimony of a Zulu girl, Khombisile, who in her great need ran to the Lord and found refuge in Him.

Today, as I listened to an interview where Ismael Klein shared with Fraenzi Stegen and the Radio Khwezi listeners about their ministry amongst the punks back in Germany, I was moved and blessed. Without the heart of Christ an effective ministry amongst such people is impossible. Pray on.

Something struck me in a recent Radio Khwezi programme on Bible commentary. A simple illustration was used to convey a profound truth about what happens when God's light enters darkness.

What do you do when you bring a lamp into a dark room and suddenly a platoon of cockroaches scatters in all directions? Do you blame the lamp for the appearance of cockroaches? Will you get rid of the lamp in the hope that cockroaches will disappear?

Which is wiser, doing away with the lamp or doing away with the cockroaches? In a sensible world the answer would be obvious but in our confused world it no longer is. More and more lamps are being discarded and cockroaches flourish under the cover of darkness.

"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." (John 3:19)

Have a blessed weekend.

Pressing on!

In His love

Fano Sibisi