The TNT team is thankful for the blessed outreach to
Pretoria schools last week. Students were told the truth about the dangers of drug abuse.
They were also shown the way of escape and liberation by the Great Liberator. It was
heart-warming to see some students coming for counselling.
Joseph Greyling of TNT requests prayers for the
Biblical Worldview Seminar that has been arranged by CFT-Gauteng for this weekend at
Pelindaba.
Our hearts thank God and rejoice with the families of
Martin Combrink and Stella Joosten; the young couple are tying the knot today.
May God bless them.
We share the joy and gratitude of the families of Mzikayifani Makhoba and Bongangani
Bhengu, The pair are getting engaged tomorrow. We wish them God's blessing.
Our thoughts are with Michael Ngubane, Friedhold and
Carola Stegen who have travelled to the Malelane Centre in Mpumalanga to minister together
with the team up there.
We are also praying for Bongani Zondi, Richard
Cebekhulu and Phindile Kuboni who are holding services in the Weenen area.
The CFT KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Committee
together with the National Executive Committee are due to meet tomorrow. One of the main
points on the agenda is the Annual CFT Conference which takes place on the weekend of 4-6
September. Your prayers will be appreciated.
The theme for the 2009 Annual CFT Conference is
"STOP! Turn Aside." It is our prayer that this conference will be God's
appointment with each and everyone of us. We are also praying for travelling mercies for
those who will be coming from overseas, Africa and within South Africa.
Juerg Laederach shared with me his thankfulness to
God for the blessed services with Onkel Friedel in Russia. It was moving to see how open
the people were for God's speaking
Jan de Bruin has requested further prayers for the
CFT-Netherlands' action against the usage of nudity in a TV fundraising campaign
supposedly for charity.
Greetings from Mario Rocha who is presently visiting
Christian friends in the USA. He flew to the USA from Europe where he had a blessed time
with the brethren in different countries. Remember him in your prayers.
On Sunday 16 August the matriarch of the Jilas of
Ekhamanzi, our dear grandmother MaKhanyile Jila passed away. As you know, I have a tender
spot for my mother's people, the Jilas.
Like most of her generation the parents of Khulu
(Gran) did not mark her birth on the calendar. Since her oldest child, my mother, is 77 my
guess is that Khulu was about 97.
When I heard of Khulu's departure the caption that
came to my mind was, "History becomes history."
Khulu had become walking history. She lived through a
long list of Zulu kings, local amaBomvu amakhosi (chiefs), prime ministers and presidents
from the 1910 Union of South Africa, the 1961 Republic of South Africa and the 1994
New South Africa. She lived long enough to see her grandchildren, great grandchildren
and great great grandchildren.
To me Khulu was a symbol of my happy childhood.
Whenever we visited Ekhamanzi she went out of her way to give us the best she could.
As I grew older my heart melted further when
I realised how much my grandparents loved my parents and how much they sacrificed for
the benefit of our family.
How did Khulu cope in today's fast pace world?
Fortunately for her, Ekhamanzi is a secluded peaceful corner where she could comfortably
keep her old clock.
During my overseas travels I would bring some
chocolate for Khulu. If the chocolate did not come for some time she would ask if I had
stopped my overseas visits.
When I landed at the Durban International Airport in
May 2001 the progression of Motor Neuron Disease saw to it that I never took off into the
skies again. But MND or no MND I loved my grandmother just as much, so I looked
locally for something that would make her happy.
After sharing much about Ekhamanzi I was very glad
when a few years ago some friends from Europe visited the place. Before they left they
presented Khulu with a Bible.
Will Ekhamanzi ever be the same without Khulu? We
must face the fact that only Khulu could replace Khulu and one day history must become
history.
Lift Up Your Eyes
During
World War II a delightful Christian English lady kept a personal diary. It tells of her
husband's death in the war effort. It tells of food rationing and the horrible bombing of London
. It tells of her children's evacuation to the countryside. One night during the bombings
the woman confessed that she woke up and could not get back to sleep. She kept thinking of
Hitler, invasion, and the S.S. troops. She trembled until she suddenly thought,
"Where is Alexander the Great who gobbled up the world? Where is Caesar's dogmatic
rule upheld on the tips of spears? Where is Napoleon? They are all in their graves and
come to naught," she wrote. "And that is where Hitler will be, too. The same God
reigns!" And she rolled over, laughed, and went back to sleep! The Mid-East,
terrorism, crime, abortion -- is this what your eyes are upon? Are you gazing at the
world, and glancing at Christ? Rise above it! Lift up your eyes and see! The same God
still reigns. Be assured!
eSermons
Have a blessed weekend.
- Pressing on!
In His love
- Fano Sibisi
