As you pray -4 March 2009

My dear friends

In a recent discussion about the auditorium a brother remarked how easy it is to take some valuable things for granted. That is until we lose them, then we appreciate the value of what we had. As the auditorium is being reconstructed you must see the concentration of hearts, minds and prayers on the building site.

At the service on Sunday we identified with Onkel Friedel when he described the completion of the roof of the auditorium within two weeks as a miracle.

Onkel Friedel thanked Simon Krattiger in a special way. Simon, a Swiss brother who has a timber factory in Romania, did the expert work and led the project. When Simon and his wife Rita came by on Sunday just before flying back home he mentioned what a joy it was to work with the brethren and to get to know them better.

Another source of excitement for us was one of Simon's workers, Philip Mannhart, whom we remember as our guest super-energetic Swiss boy just the other day. His maturity and skilfulness amaze us.

These days I was glad to hear from two dear brothers who are involved in the ministry of training ministers in Cape Town; Rev Siegfried Ngubane of George Whitefield College and Rev Raymond Potgieter of the Bible Institute of South Africa. Let us remember them, their families and the ministries. After a recent message from George Ochse in Moreson Mission, Western Cape, my heart went out to him, his family and the ministry. Let us remember them.

Let us pray for the upcoming conference (10-12 March) of the Association of Christian Broadcasters in Johannesburg. Peter Rice will represent Radio Khwezi at the conference. We are thankful that Detlef is back safely from Romania. On Sunday he shared with the congregation about the blessed time in Romania.

Whilst Detlef was in Romania the leader of the ministry in that country, Hans Koller, got a chance to visit us in South Africa. He would value your prayer support.

Once again, we are thankful for the door that has opened to the Gypsies of Montpelier, Southern France. Didier Schott from Paris visits them from time to time. It was exciting to see Didier together with the Gypsy pastor, Pierre Gracias, at the KwaSizabantu Ministers' Conference.

Frans Gunnink from the Netherlands has drawn our attention to the worldwide focus on Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution. Darwin's supporters are marking the 200th anniversary of his birth and the 150th anniversary of his publication 'On the Origin of the Species.' Of course, those who promote the biblical viewpoint on creation are not taking this lying down. They are riding the wave by distributing literature that expose flaws in the evolution theory and points people to the Creator.

In the Netherlands two Christian organisations, 'Bijbel en Onderwijs' and 'Schreeuw om Leven' have set themselves the goal of distributing their booklet to every household in the country. Frans says CFT's working group on evolution and creation is aiming to finish a booklet that is pivotal to the debate before 19 March. He requests our prayers.

Thank you for the prayer support for the KwaSizabantu Ministers' Conference which started on Monday evening and ends this evening. I have heard others testify about the blessings they have received.

My access to the sessions is limited but as I told some friends I am having a spiritual feast. God's Word cuts deeply into our innermost but there is beauty and freshness when God speaks to us.

No wonder Peter uttered those precious words, "Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life." (John 6:68)

The beginning of the conference on Monday coincided with Onkel Erlo's 74th birthday.

It was heart-warming to hear such a big 'choir' of guests from over 20 countries singing, "Happy birthday to you ... God bless you and keep you today and always."

Total abandonment

Abandoning yourself totally to God is neither superficial nor cheap but once you get there it is a foretaste of heaven. Listen to these words from Fanny Crosby's 'Perfect submission,'

"Perfect submission, all is at rest
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love."

Here is a wonderful illustration of total abandonment from eSermons,

I Am No Longer My Own

In his covenant prayer, which he offered every year at midnight on New Year’s Eve, John Wesley prayed,

"I am no longer my own but Thine, put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt, put me to doing, put me to suffering, let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee, exalted for thee or brought low for thee; let me be full, let me be empty; let me have all things, let me have nothing; I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal."

Have a blessed weekend.

Pressing on!

In His love

Fano Sibisi