As you pray - 1 June 2007

The brethren in Europe are thankful for the Pentecost service with Onkel Friedel and the team in Bilten last weekend. It was with much gratitude and joy that they celebrated Onkel Friedel's 80th birthday and Tante Rita's 75th birthday last Saturday.

Walter and Lea Keysers thank God for the blessed services in Belgium with Ferny Jaegle around Ascension. They are especially thankful for the large group of Assyrians that attended the meetings.

It was good to hear from Jan de Bruin from Northerlands again. They are expecting some brethren from Lindach for the weekend. Next week they will be hosting some pupils and a teacher from DSS-Lindach. They will appreciate your prayers.

Klaus Alius and Daniel Kalisky will value your prayers for meetings in Bielstein this weekend of members of the Children's Choir from Paris, Belgium, Netherlands and Berlin.

Our prayers will also accompany Dr Peet and Andra Botha as they will be leaving next week for meetings in the UK and France. In England they will be hosted by Dr Anne Hyams. As you know Peet's special focus is 'The Bible and Homosexuality' he points out that in liberal England recent legislation classifies speaking against homosexuality under 'hate speech.' May the Lord lead in every situation.

We shall also be thinking of Uncle Lionel and Aunt Ursula Muller as they will be flying over to Switzerland to visit Rowan, Coni, the Thoenis and the brethren in Europe. 

Some of you would have seen the urgent prayer request from our missionary friends in Mozambique, Dewald and Valerie Knoetze. They have many practical problems with their project to generate funds for the mission. Let us remember them.

Sunday will be a day of rejoicing and giving thanks to God at KwaSizabantu for our 2007 octogenarians, Onkel Friedel Stegen, Tante Alida Stegen and Mama Hildah Dube. Since the invitation went out in the African format - Everybody welcome, and bring your friends along - we expect that many will attend.

Let us keep remembering Petra Luna and DFL's ministry among the prostitutes in Durban. I was very glad when Bruno Hlongwane told me about CFT-Umvoti's initiative to send teams to Durban from time to time to give support to this important work.

These days I was moved by a prayer request from one of my young e-mail friend whom I have yet to meet. Kwanele Mchunu, a student in a tertiary institution in Durban, is a member of the Weenen congregation. His winter vacation has just begun; he and another young man, Mzingaye Mbhele, want to bring the Good News to schools in their area. May the Lord go before them. 

The staff and the 4th year students of Cedar College of Education will value your prayers for the preparations for their vacation outreach to Botswana and Namibia. Their main aim is to reach out to young people with the Good News.

Today saw the start of a nationwide strike by thousands (some say hundreds of thousands) of civil servants in South Africa that might have devastating consequences for the security and the economy of the country. May God have mercy on us.

'The other shide'

Yesterday for some reason I was reminded of a story that was told by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

As pedestrians were waiting to cross a busy city street, one of them was approached by drunk who asked, "Tell me, where is the other shide of the shtleet?" Surprised, the man responded, "That side, of course." With a puzzled look the drunk said, "Funny; when I was that shide they said it was this shide."

With the rapid advances in information technology I believe that our generation like no other before us is getting bombarded with ideas and opinions that leave us dazed and wondering, "Where is the other shide of the shtleet?"

Without God and His Word as our Guide how on earth could we discern between right and wrong on a daily basis?

'Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."' (Isaiah 30:21)