In this issue you can read about
• Feedback on ACAT in SA….
• Ministry progress in Burundi…(Veritas, Children, FGW)
• Hauge Internet cafe and Development Centre progress…
Urakomeye? (Are you all right?)
We write to you this newsletter in a hope that your and our faith may be mutually encouraged by what God is doing in Burundi and in our own lives. God constantly shows us that He is with us and that He is directing our steps to co-inside with His greater vision and purpose for Burundi. We are reminded of Rom 1:17 "The righteous will live by faith" (NIV).
During the last 6 months we have experienced God’s favour unconditionally which has been enveloped with a fragrance of His unlimited mercy, birthing in us a stamina of perseverance for the work we have been called to.
April and May we were in SA for training in Kwazulu-Natal, traveled to Gauteng and the mother city, Cape Town visiting friends and family. We returned in May to Burundi with two short-term visitors, Douglas (Anton’s Dad) and Samantha.
Dad is visiting for 2 months, which is giving us precious time together. He has been instrumental in helping to establish business procedures at the Internet. Samantha is a missionary in transit to DRC.
Feedback on ACAT visit in SA….
Our visit to SA included a 3 week training course with ACAT in Howick. ACAT known as Africa Co-operative Action Trust have been founded in 1979. You can read more about our partner at www.acatkzn.co.za/.
In 2011 Diane attended the same training with 8 Burundians, they have been so impressed by the training that we again, with the financial help of Royal Staple Pty(Ltd), raised 6 Burundians to go with Anton this year. We were accommodated on the property of ACAT in Howick and on weekends were entertained by taking trips to Durban and surrounding midland area. Only one word can explain our experience with ACAT and that is LOVE. Wow, from the CEO to the drivers and cooks, we were received with a spirit of enthusiasm and care. No request was to difficult or onerous…one of the Burundians loved the melamine crockery so much that ACAT went specially to buy him 8 melamine plates to take home…lol. Now we can understand why they receive so much success from God, because everything is done with a 100% no less love attitude and it is contagious!!
About the training…we were taught on sustainable development by identifying and building capacity into Extension Officers, Community Volunteers and guiding the local community to setup Community Governing Boards. Developing people in poverty by building capacity through training Basic Life Skills and Hard Skills, married to a follow-up program walking a road with our target group, towards discipling them to change their own lifestyles with an intentional focus on being Christ centered which will empower them to change their own circumstances, families, communities and infrastructures.
The foundation of the Basic life skills training is only the entry level training, ACAT has professionally developed 164 Modulated courses all geared towards a wholestic approach to helping people in poverty. More about the training in the next news letter.
During the training at Acat God expanded our Vision and downloaded additional strategy we need to implement in Burundi. We sense a challenge of God to embrace Luke 4:18. To be His instrument as Messengers of Hope to people in hopeless circumstances. Therefore in addition to our current mission we will initiate a development program in Burundi towards the poorest of the poor. We will play a mentorship role to others who attended the same training as well as to anyone who God raises up in Burundi wanting to break new ground in rural communities.
In our context the major felt need is Poverty, a problem which have left many aid and NGO organizations with hands in the air with despair because no amount of money will change people, only a Christ centered development journey will set people free step by step. Jesus is the “glue”…He holds all things together (Col 1:17) in and through Him this curse can be broken. Together Diane and I will spearhead this initiative in order to answer the call of the hopeless, to allow Christ to restore dignity and hope.
Ministry progress…
1. Veritas - We continue to train Module 2 with our pastor groups in Gitega and Rutana provinces. We are so grateful to the pastors for persevering with the training. Interpreting the Word of God correctly will result in the correct Gospel being preached, a Gospel of Hope and it will bring change to people and their circumstances.
On a visit to Ps Zacheria, attending the training faithfully, walking a distance of about 20 kms, He testified how the Veritas training have benefited him, the leaders and church. Being so thankful we enjoyed with him a meal in his home. He has also implemented ACAT and FGW principals and had a bumper crop this season, see picture attached.
Here is a link to the latest Veritas news letter on Facebook, after clicking the link, please complete your Facebook logon details:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3238739218551.2123185.1568886056&type=3
We will continue the training with Module 2 in Ngozi and Kirundo provinces from September. The training in these remote areas requires additional finance for traveling, accommodation and books. We would need to raise additional finance for September to January as follow:
50 Books - $300 or R2400 (once off amount)
Accommodation - $215 or R1720 per month
Feul - $143 or R1144 per month
We will start with the Kirundi translation of Module 3 during August and we trusting God for provision for $500 or R4000 (once off) to complete this work, which will benefit all future training of this Module in Burundi.
Veritas Directors, Ivan Skinner and David de Wet, will visit us again during October to train facilitators on Module 1 and 2.
2. Children ministry - Saturday school is going well, Diane loves the children who come from the surrounding community, many who would not normally attend a Sunday church service. 
They colour in pictures, make crafts and play games and receive teaching about the Bible.
Sunday school teacher training was again held in March and we sent 16 teachers for training, this will help the Sunday school teachers to train the children about Jesus Christ.
3. Farming God’s Way (FGW) –
Carl Schmidt from FGW visited u
s in February and trained in Ngozi and Gitega provinces. Diane continues to use FGW as a tool to bring relief in a practical way.
Carl will visit us again in August and we will do refresher courses in Gitega and start new training in Rutana province.
Hauge Internet cafe and Development Centre progress...
The Hauge Internet business has been operational now for 7 months. Although we had to deal with a few
teething problems relating to record keeping, daily running of this small business and connection problems during March and April, we however do consider this initiative to be a blessing. A blessing both to us and the community of Gitega, because of the improved connection we are currently experiencing as well as the fact that the busines
s serves as a plat form to build capacity into people through imparting skills on how to browse the internet, how to email and run
Facebook accounts.
In addition the Hauge Internet has been one of the building blocks to establishing the Hauge Skills Development Centre, which will be the vehicle to accomplish the vision to help develop the rural poor. We have plans to expand HSDC with an additional classroom, chicken shed and water tanks and gutters to harvest water for the vegetable gardens.
However we first need to register a Non Profit Association in Burundi in order to give us a legal entity to partner with donors abroad. The cost for the registration process via a legitimate lawyer will be $400 or R3200.
Spiritual thought.....Messengers of Hope
Rom 5:3-5
“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (ESV)
Paul encourages the Roman believers to rejoice, to be glad to take courage to enthuse themselves with the knowledge that they have an expectation that Jesus Christ is coming again. He calls this expectation, hope. He explains that the suffering that they are facing can be used by God through His Holy Spirit, to their advantage to build their endurance or perseverance to keep on going and believing and trusting in Christ, because He is their deliverer and provider. This perseverance will cause their character to grow into the likeness of Jesus Christ, which is shaped by their trails and circumstances.
In 1 Cor 13:13 Paul gives the bottom line to believers, Faith, Hope and Love. Faith refers to what we believe in i.e. Jesus Christ. Hope refers to our expectation of the return of Jesus Christ in whom our redemption is sealed. Finally Love, how we should respond to life’s sufferings and circumstances, how we should behave if we understand our Faith and Hope.
God has your back!! Someone need to hear this very loudly and clearly. Son or Daughter of God…He has your back!! i.e. God desire us to know, to believe, to live with the understanding that He loves us so much…and yes He proved it (Rom 5:8) on the cross, that you and should completely trust and believe Him with our lives, our spouses, children, businesses, jobs, communities etc. He will come through for those who will dare to follow His Holy Spirit. Therefore let us live our lives desiring God’s thoughts, passions, dreams and perspective. Let us desire to share the love of God in this life, allowing our decisions and life resources to serve Him as our Hope draws near.
Thank you:
We have a number of note worthy thank you’s to make, special people who have been very instrumental in partnering with us and sharing our vision. However we do want your reward to be given to you in heaven and not spent on a short term satisfaction on earth.
We pray Jesus that you will credit to the account of every supporter their gifts to this ministry in any which way it has been made, God bless them and their families and their gift which is a testimony to your goodness and faithfulness, we ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, Amen!
Prayer points:
Please continue to pray as follow:
1. Peace for Burundi – pray for continued political stability in the country. The security has been compromised by a small band of people who seek to bring instability.
2. Pray for Bernice – studies 2012, final year.
3. Pray for us – protection for our health, relationships, that no weapon from the enemy against us will prevail.
4. Divine appoints – ask the Holy Spirit to guide us into all divine appointments He has created for us and to discern His words of wisdom.
5. Veritas Training – Thank God for His divine provision, also pray for ongoing provision for the books required.
6. ACAT & FGW training – for implementation.
7. Kirundi Commentaries and Bibles – pray for more funding for this need as well as for Bibles, as there is no Bibles available in the country at the moment.
8. Hauge Skills Development Centre – for registration of NPA.
blessings
Anton and Diane
