News > Africa

Pretoria, South Africa
September 26, 2013

We made a program for the spring conference with the studies of Judges 6 and 7. This time Wits chapter, UJ2 chapter and Cape Town chapter wanted to join our Spring conference. Later Botswana UBF also told me they would take part to the conference. Bro. Cremildo and Christiano also arrived from Mozambique. As many coworkers from wanted to participate the conference, we alerted and prayed earnestly for God’s gracious work among all attendees.

The actual conference started on 13 September for three days. The venue was Ebenezer Farm 70 km away from Pretoria. The number of the attendees was about 130. As an opening message, Sh. Andries delivered a message on Genesis 15:1. The core of the message was that God is the shield and reward for his chosen people. Sh. Thapelo put great struggle to write his message on Judges 6:1-32. He was employed newly in a well-known accounting company. He had to work hard to prove himself to his bosses as a beginner at work. He could not find time to prepare his message. I begged him to go to conference venue early morning on the first day of the conference. Since then we could focus on writing the message. When he delivered message with the theme, “Mighty warrior” it touched many hearts.

The second day, Bro. Billy delivered message on Judges 6:33-7:25. He was appointed as a messenger for the first time. It was difficult for him to write and deliver the message. But during the preparation he could learn how to write message and he was personally touched by the text. When Gideon recruited army, God told him to send back those who fearful in their hearts. Furthermore God excluded those who had surrendered to their physical desires when they drank water in the river. They knelt down in the water to drink while three hundred lapped the water with one hand. Before this passage, bro. Billy repented that he submitted to his laziness in doing his academic study and failed his major.

The same night, Sh. Desmond delivered message on Mark 3:13-19. He said in his message that Jesus was a good shepherd and the disciple would learn his shepherd heart. We were reminded of that his disciples should learn the life of Jesus. On Sunday Sh. Christiaan delivered his message on Luke 6:39-49. We learned that we must put Jesus’ word into our practices so that we may build up spiritual houses well that will never shake by flood and torrent.

There were ten testimony sharers and one Life Testimony sharer. Among them two sisters from Wits chapters, Bro. Mondli from Cape Town chapter, Sis. Thoba from UJ 2, Michael and Kitcho from Botswana shared their graceful testimonies and life testimony. Many of them were touched deeply by the word of Judges 6 that God called Gideon in his helpless situation, “Mighty warrior.” We learned from this conference that God calls each of us who is fearful because of many adverse aspects, “Mighty warrior.”