The last month was filled with particularity very highs and some lows but never empty....some of the activities were:· Gospel Outreach in RUHORORO (Burundi)
· Move into house in Gitega (Burundi)
· Visitors from SA, Bernice and Natalie
· Distributing Bibles
· Ministry connections
Gospel Outreach in RUHORORO (Burundi)
June started with a major Gospel Outreach to an area called RUHORORO, Truly we can say that God has send us to this place. Burundi has so many other opportunities for Gospel Outreach.
Geographically RUHORORO, is a zone consisting of three refugee camps, which was the first in Burundi with more than 15 000 persons, with more than 2500 widows and many orphans. In man’s eye this place seem hopeless!
The people were bound by ethnic discrimination and in their own eyes did not have hearts of compassion towards one another but hatred. This is evident in the behaviour of the men, woman and the children. We have received reports that drunkenness is rife, woman abuse on the increase, polygamy the order of the day, youths were smoking drugs and on the radio we heard girls even raping boys because they were not interested in them. Also reports of people consulting witchcrafters.
RUHORORO became famous for being a slaughter house during the war. In fact where the stage were build for the crusade and the grounds the crusade was held was the very spot where many people were slaughtered to death during the ethnic war in 1993, people were left for dead without burial. Really the situation was very sad, bodies lying scattered for wild animals to feed on. Since that time the first refugee camp was settled which have remained until today. The very people who experienced the war and all its fierce attributes were the very people who attended the crusade, then Jesus Came to town, He came to visit the people of RUHORORO to set the captives free!
But God gave us the message of RECONCILIATION (2 Cor 5:18) – this was the main theme of the Gospel Outreach. Praise the Lord because of what happened in Ruhororo during the crusade held by an anointed servant of God, Bjoernar Heimsted. The 1st Lady opened the Gospel Outreach and welcomed the message of reconciliation. During the crusade we estimate about 80 000 people attending and many souls won for Jesus about 40 0000, praise the Lord! Even more people have received healings and miracles. From the testimonies we invited onto the stage, we counted at least 6 people who received their hearing and at least 3 confirmed people who received their sight back!!! Many other miracles happened. We are so so encouraged by what God has done through His Holy Spirit, glory to God!!
Move into house in Gitega (Burundi)
After seeing our visitors off at Bujumbura airport Diane and I rushed back to Gitega to move into our new home. By faith we moved with no furniture, but God provided and we are content with His provision we lack nothing and we are so happy in our new home. We are privileged to have stayed with Ps Charles and Esperance for 4 months having every meal with them, which have really afforded the opportunity to have moulded a very deep relationship and understanding of our cumulative vision (which is really God’s vision). Diane and I have been accepted into the hearts of this family, church and community.
We do our own shopping in the local market which we enjoy so much because we get to practise our Kirundi which seem to always amaze the folk which gives us favour on bargaining the prices down. 
Visitors from SA, Bernice and Natalie
Bernice and Nats, what a blessing it was to receive them, the tears started rolling even when we received them at the airport (I still did not receive an answer about the emotional control panel). Exhausted from the trip we arrived in Gitega by which time Bernice and Nats were sleep walking. They were loaded with goodies for us, some from friends and family which we were so thankful for!! We were really overwhelmed to say the least with what came with and every gift was needed, God knew what to send us, we praise God for You! Then it was back to Bujumbura to spend the last 2 days with them and see them off after a week’s visit. We were strong but leaving the airport even brought tears to this boertjie.....writing this blog helps me take stock of the month and by all standards this event was the most toughest of the last 6 months...Please pray for us to be strong. Words cannot explain how a father and mother feels leaving their only child, but we pay the tears forward into the Kingdom because we know God has a plan and the joy that is going to follow will overshadow what we feeling now.
Please consider to come and visit the need here is big, we have enough room for at least 6 people. Pray, hear and go! Distributing Bibles
We have been serving at the local school and started building a strong relationship with the students, we identified a big need to provide Bibles to the students 350 students. June was the end of the Burundi school calendar year, which means that June was really a month for exams. Well we were able to hand out 71 Bibles last week Monday after our 3rd attempt to call a meeting with the Senior class which was cancelled twice due to bad communication. Well praise God, Bernice and Nats joined us to go and hand out Bibles which was a privilege. We asked the students to write a 50 word essay to answer the question: Why do you want a Bible? This left most scratching their heads for 30 minutes but well worth the effort.
This was great to be able to have sowed the Bibles and we are asking God for provision to buy Bibles for the remaining 279 students. We have many Roman Catholic students and I heard through the grape vine that they were warned by their Priest that they should not come to this school where the missionaries are working because they will lose their salvation.....? But most is now more determined to come back !! Praise God.Ministry connections
The last 3 months Diane and I were chipping away at our theological studies with SATS, really what a blessing it is to be able to study online (via the internet). Yes the internet is a challenge because we have a dialup equivalent connection, but still running at 230kbps which is fair for the price around R8 per hour. We studied Hermeneutics and I was brave enough to tackle a 2nd subject at the same time, Doctrine of Revelation. We do not have a TV so at night we have time to study. Hermeneutics really is the core of Theological studies, in fact I’ll be as bold to say that it is the primary subject to gain understanding of. Hermeneutics is really the study of interpretation of scripture and help you to understand Exegeses tools to evaluate scripture to formulate and test Doctrine. We learned many big words but most of all, we sense and even closer call to God’s plan and purpose for us in Burundi.
2 Tim 2:2 “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others”
Really here are so many Pastors and church leaders who are all echoing the same thing I’ve heard the Holy Spirit say, training, deeper training in the Word of God. Now we (Ps Charles and I) have an opportunity to Partner with the VERITAS program which is brand new course, here in Burundi, initiated in many countries and have trained many Pastors. The program consists of 4 lengthy modules. The primarily focuses is on teaching Pastors how to exegeses scripture i.e. interpreting scripture within its context for application today. This means we will not teach Pastors doctrine but rather how to test and formulate their own, from scripture which means we will not impose a “western” or “secular” worldview, but rather allow the ethnic to discover how to praise God from within their own culture and provide a platform for self correction of culture and traditions where required. I’m very excited about this venture and looking to God for direction.
On a personal note, for the first time in my LIFE do I sense that I “fit” into what I’m doing i.e. that I am self-actualising into God’s primary call for our lives, and I can almost see the eternal effects our little bit of effort will have on the nation of Burundi. However this is not a “self” effort, oh no! This is only God, leading by His Holy Spirit, leading every prayer partner, every financial partner into a Kingdom purpose which can only be accomplished by men and women who are focussed on the charge which Jesus had left His disciples......and it is only because of you that we, together, can push the envelope and make our time count NOW...I call this the NOW moment, the time in space which we have been created for!!!
We love you guys so much, so many people praying and supporting us for which we can only say thank you Father God, Bless these special people and we pray God’s most precious love and peace over you and your families.
Prayer Points:
1. Vision – for Gods vision to materialise through his obedient servants here in Burundi. The vision is to train leaders 2 Tim 2:2 – thank you for your prayers God has made some divine appointments for us and divine connections.
2. Vehicle – pray for the settlement of the balance of the loan.
3. Bibles – pray for Bible distribution at school.
4. Furniture – pray for God to supply all the furniture we need – Thank you Lord you have provided once again!
5. Health – continue to pray for good health.
6. Protection – in our new house and in Burundi
7. Studies – pray for perseverance and discipline – Praise God, both passed Hermeneutics! Pray for the next round of subjects starting on Friday 10 July.
Love
Anton and Diane
The last 3 months Diane and I were chipping away at our theological studies with SATS, really what a blessing it is to be able to study online (via the internet). Yes the internet is a challenge because we have a dialup equivalent connection, but still running at 230kbps which is fair for the price around R8 per hour. We studied Hermeneutics and I was brave enough to tackle a 2nd subject at the same time, Doctrine of Revelation. We do not have a TV so at night we have time to study. Hermeneutics really is the core of Theological studies, in fact I’ll be as bold to say that it is the primary subject to gain understanding of. Hermeneutics is really the study of interpretation of scripture and help you to understand Exegeses tools to evaluate scripture to formulate and test Doctrine. We learned many big words but most of all, we sense and even closer call to God’s plan and purpose for us in Burundi.2 Tim 2:2 “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others”
Really here are so many Pastors and church leaders who are all echoing the same thing I’ve heard the Holy Spirit say, training, deeper training in the Word of God. Now we (Ps Charles and I) have an opportunity to Partner with the VERITAS program which is brand new course, here in Burundi, initiated in many countries and have trained many Pastors. The program consists of 4 lengthy modules. The primarily focuses is on teaching Pastors how to exegeses scripture i.e. interpreting scripture within its context for application today. This means we will not teach Pastors doctrine but rather how to test and formulate their own, from scripture which means we will not impose a “western” or “secular” worldview, but rather allow the ethnic to discover how to praise God from within their own culture and provide a platform for self correction of culture and traditions where required. I’m very excited about this venture and looking to God for direction.
On a personal note, for the first time in my LIFE do I sense that I “fit” into what I’m doing i.e. that I am self-actualising into God’s primary call for our lives, and I can almost see the eternal effects our little bit of effort will have on the nation of Burundi. However this is not a “self” effort, oh no! This is only God, leading by His Holy Spirit, leading every prayer partner, every financial partner into a Kingdom purpose which can only be accomplished by men and women who are focussed on the charge which Jesus had left His disciples......and it is only because of you that we, together, can push the envelope and make our time count NOW...I call this the NOW moment, the time in space which we have been created for!!!
We love you guys so much, so many people praying and supporting us for which we can only say thank you Father God, Bless these special people and we pray God’s most precious love and peace over you and your families.
Prayer Points:
1. Vision – for Gods vision to materialise through his obedient servants here in Burundi. The vision is to train leaders 2 Tim 2:2 – thank you for your prayers God has made some divine appointments for us and divine connections.
2. Vehicle – pray for the settlement of the balance of the loan.
3. Bibles – pray for Bible distribution at school.
4. Furniture – pray for God to supply all the furniture we need – Thank you Lord you have provided once again!
5. Health – continue to pray for good health.
6. Protection – in our new house and in Burundi
7. Studies – pray for perseverance and discipline – Praise God, both passed Hermeneutics! Pray for the next round of subjects starting on Friday 10 July.
Love
Anton and Diane
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