Prayer is such an important part of supporting African Enterprise. It’s one of the gifts you can give Africa – your time in prayer. And Africa needs your prayers now more than ever.
A couple of months ago when we compiled our Prayer Diary for May, June and July, we did not know the challenges that we would be facing. As always we look at our calendar and prepare the prayer points around the mission activities happening during that month. This time however, what we planned three months ago has changed enormously from what we are currently facing. The number of coronavirus infections are increasing drastically daily in Africa and more than ever we need to pray for our teams and the people in Africa.
As our CEO, Ben Campbell mentioned in the Prayer Diary:
“Please pray especially for the vulnerable refugee populations, and other marginalised communities, that have less access to help. In all things, our hope and confidence remain firmly in the Lord! As Isaiah 40:31 (NIV) says: “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” May God bless, strengthen and encourage you today, as you continue to pray for the salvation and healing of people in Africa. “
Throughout June and July, please join with us in prayer for all of our AE Teams. They are all facing unprecedented times. We will keep you up to date with all the latest articles and responses from our teams as far as possible on our website and facebook page.
Updated prayer requests will also be uploaded to the PrayerMate App.
We are also in the last few days of our Prayer and Fasting Season ending on Pentecost Sunday with a Global Day of Prayer.
Additionally, let us know if you are interested in starting or joining a prayer group. It can be among you and your friends, families, colleagues or members of your church. You can meet face to face or online and as frequent as you want. Let’s gather in the name of Jesus and pray for Africa. Please send an email directly to ae@aeint.org if you would like to be part of or to start a prayer group.
Thank you for spending time in prayer for African Enterprise.
AE South Africa Covid Response
As of the 15th of April 2020, South Africa had 2,415 confirmed coronavirus cases, the highest number in Africa. Although the novel coronavirus pandemic has not yet caused widespread devastation in South Africa, there is serious concern about the country’s ability to cope with its anticipated health and economic consequences. South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has been praised for his swift and decisive management of the pandemic, by announcing a 3-week total lock-down, which has subsequently been extended for a total of 5 weeks.
The economic implications of the pandemic, and measures to curb its spread, are dire for the 55% of South Africa’s population that live below its national poverty line, and in particular, for the 25% that already experience food poverty.
However, despite their economic impact, strict lock-down measures have been deemed essential. Large and crowded informal settlements are prone to the rampant spread of infection. South Africa has more people living with HIV than any other country in the world, which together with high rates of tuberculosis and other diseases, place people at risk for severe COVID-19 illness. In addition, South Africa’s over-burdened, and often failing, public health system is expected to be overwhelmed with the demands of this crisis.
African Enterprise South Africa is grateful for your prayers and ongoing support during this difficult time. In its initial response to this crisis, AE supplied and delivered 180 food hampers to vulnerable families in the Pietermaritzburg area. The hampers consisted of staple foods, as well as essential hygiene items, to sustain each family for a duration of 3 weeks.
In addition, homemade facemasks have been distributed in the community, in keeping with the current CDC guidelines, as well as recommendations from the South African government. AE has been able to distribute facemasks, together with Gospel tracts, thanks to the tireless efforts of AE South Africa’s Chair, Rob Langley, and his wife Bridget, who have made and donated these. The staff of AE’s Ngezandla Zethu sewing project, facilitated by Ntombi Dladla, have also sewed facemasks for distribution in the area. May we also seek to help our brothers and sisters stand firm in faith and fight this pandemic in South Africa.
For more information and up to date news from Africa, please visit our facebook post for South Africa here
In November, African Enterprise and the Luis Palau ministry returned to Cape Town to help unite churches and bring people to Jesus through its combined stratified evangelistic mission outreach and large festival concert and evangelistic speaking events. Even though Cape Town is one of the most popular tourist areas in South Africa, the ghosts of the apartheid of the past, unemployment and corruption, continue to divide the city socio-economically. To overcome this, churches recognised the incredible importance of unifying in Christ to bring the Good news of Jesus Christ to the city.
From the highest levels of parliament, to the slums of Khayelitsha, the AE/Luis Palau partnership is determined to help churches unify to bring even more of the city to Jesus. On Wednesday 14th November 2019, Christian representatives of all major political parties met together with AE and Luis Palau Cape Town mission representatives, and spent time in prayer and fellowship, recognising the incredible power of God to unite.
Members of Parliament in prayer with AE and Luis Palau representatives
Pastor Noel Buckinjohn from Mitchell’s Plain recognised the incredible importance of mission, spending time preparing his church to accept hundreds of new believers as a result of the mission. Having been brought up in the area, and knowing first-hand the terrible toll of gang activity given his involvement in youth, Noel is ready to see the suburb transformed for Jesus.
Andrew Palau, Theuns Pauw, Heinrich Winkler will be at the Cityfest event
Also joining the mission was Pastor Derek Johnson of Mitchell’s Plain Pentecostal Protestant Church, who as a young man was forced from his home in Lavender Hill during the Apartheid era. As a result, he was suddenly forced to form a gang to defend his home from the ethnic violence that transpired. His incredible journey to faith through the conversion of his mother, amazingly healed from a terminal illness though a vision from Christ, led him to pastor a church. He has a huge heart for mission, and to support organisations that encourage people to know the church. “Our main objective is unity in Christ”, he said.
Pastors and Evangelists from Mitchell’s Plain Derek, Henry, Noel and AE Australasia CEO Ben Campbell
Meet Mary, one of the incredible mission volunteers who served on the recent Cape Town Mission in November.
For the past five years, Mary has dedicated herself to AE mission outreach with the support of friends, family and church. Raised as the 8th of 9 children, Mary grew up in a God-fearing household led by her mother after her father passed away when she was only 4 months of age. From the age of 16, Mary’s work consisted of cattle grazing, picking coffee for the market, carrying fertiliser and general housework.
She felt the call of God powerfully in her life at the age of 17 through the Christian Union at high school, where she truly felt a personal relationship with Jesus. By 18 years of age, she had already completed her first open-air preaching event, organised by an interdenominational fellowship group. Over the next 15 years, she was called to evangelise, and every Christmas she would raise enough funds, clothing and food to undertake door to door evangelism and distribution of aid in a remote village in northeastern Kenya. At 35 years of age, she was commissioned by her church to plant a new church in Embu, east of Kenya, several hours away from her home village.
For several years she grew the church before pursuing her passion for full-time evangelism. As time went by, doing mission on her own became too risky, and in 2015 she joined with African Enterprise to pursue citywide evangelism in various countries. “I found it important to network rather than doing it alone, as this is building the body of Christ,” shares Mary. “Through Christian outreach, many will be saved from an eternity of darkness, and due to your support, we are liberated to work in the vineyard without constraint. We appreciate your effort, contribution and generosity and may the Lord increase His grace to you in doing good as you continue your support and may the Lord bless you greatly.”
“I am sending you like sheep amongst the wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” (Matt 10:16)
Preparing for any battle will take many months or even years of preparation. And so, it has been for the young Foxfires team who have visited some of the most crime-ridden areas of South Africa to give some of the youngest, most innocent children hope of a better life in Christ.
These young children in primary school are already targets for gang members to become runners for the numerous and incredibly dangerous gangs that exist in the community. In a school system whose ratio of students to teachers is so low (sometimes 70:1), degrees of discipline vary widely, and the Foxfires have many considerations as they prepare to outreach to the young school communities through drama, dance and personal testimonies
Local primary students attend Foxfires outreach service
Senior Foxfires member Bongani explained the impact that the Foxfires have been having over the past two weeks. “It’s been exciting to see the eyes of the children, because it’s likely that no one has seen this type of performance before”, he said. “ Mostly they have only seen secular songs and ‘crumping’, and this is the first time they have heard a gospel song, with accompanying dance and drama.”
Even though the Foxfires were performing before younger members of the school community (the high school had exam preparation), other kids and teachers came out from classes to watch. “Even people outside the school came to watch and listen through the school gates. It’s something that people in Mitchell’s Plain were not used to hearing.
One of the eight-strong members of the Foxfires team Mpumi mentioned how the ministry breaks through some of the false perceptions of living a Christian life. “There is a mentality that if you are a Christian you can’t dance, and you just have to read the Bible”, she said. “We break through the stereotypes on how a young person can live for God. They can have joy and fun in their life and listen to positive music, and that Christianity is also a faith-based lifestyle that serves God.”
The Foxfires have been confronted by the extent to which the young community is exposed to alcohol and drugs, and how life’s bitterness turns some young children into bullies. This is an important part of their message to have a values-based foundation and make wise choices for life.
In terms of their own growth, a fellow member of the team Luyanda talks about the divine commissioning before God to dedicate at least a year of their life after school for evangelistic activities. “Sometimes I don’t feel like I have done enough, but both support team members and the schools have been incredibly supportive”, she said. “We have been consistently called back to schools to reach other generations, which we will do if possible. The various evangelists, pastors and volunteers involved in the mission also minister to us, and we are really blessed when we hear from very powerful preachers like Andrew Palau. Even though we may have our own personal battles back home, God sustains us”, she said.
Three Foxfires team members in front of the Foxfires bus
The outreach in this very divided and dangerous part of Africa has moved the young evangelists right out of their comfort zone. They are having a huge impact on vulnerable young communities, and people of different faith upbringing. One of the Muslim teachers remarked that she has never seen the kids so attentive before at school.
Please pray for the support and sustainability of this crucial outreach program in Africa.
It’s not often one meets one of Cape Town’s most notorious gangsters, appointed to one of the highest ranks in the criminal world through his gang, with worldly power to control the toughest prison environments in the region. So why was this gangster, Denzel, at the AE/Palau Love Cape Town mission festival, talking to missioners?
A couple of months ago, Denzel had an incredible revelation as a result of a family trauma that turned his world inside out. He turned to Christ 4 months ago when he realised that despite all the power of the criminal underworld and connections, it was not enough to stop the shocking abuse of his nine-year-old daughter, and a sudden realisation that his entire life has been built on a complete lie. At incredible risk to himself, he gave up all his wealth he had accumulated through crime to preserve his life by exiting the gang, and gave himself over to the church to find what this new pathway in Christ now means for him.
His first request to the church was to open his heart to feel love, which was so hardened by crime. In a short time, he began to repent for all the hurt he’d caused, particularly relived by remembering all the tears in the eyes of so many parents whose children he’d impacted.
Reflecting on his life, he realised that seeking protection of the gang for the constant bullying he’d experienced was the wrong choice. A ‘soft’ and small-statured target at school, his entry into gang life stopped the immediate problem, but very quickly took him many miles away from the care of his mother’s arms to a new city and complete criminal life at only 12 years of age.
Somehow he survived the next 19 years, which he believes is now for a higher purpose. “I’ve only been stabbed but never shot”, he said. “I’ve had a pistol pointed at me several times and the trigger pulled, but each time the gun jammed or misfunctioned.”
After a life, most of which has been spent in jail, God had finally woken him up to what his true role needed to be, which has not been without its costs. “My gang just cannot understand what has happened to me and normally I would be killed”, he said. “They even offered me money to come back. However I cannot go back. God knew me from within my mother’s womb, and after 19 years I have finally reconciled to my mother and daughters. That is the true power I have now, to be a proper parent. Now I am looking forward to becoming a father to my daughters and to start making up for the most important things in life that I lost in my life of crime.”
Incredibly, his mother never gave up praying for him during this time. Members of his old gang have also been observing closely the transformation that has taken place in his life since turning to Christ. One gang member has since said that he would like to have the power that Denzel now has.
There is now a very long road ahead of repentance and growth in his knowledge of Jesus. However, Denzel hopes that he can show that turning to gangs is not worth it, and will rob people of the very things that are most dear to them. True power is not in controlling the criminal underworld and the chains that it brings. It is only found in bringing life to others through Jesus, and in Denzel’s case, opening his life to the love of Christ and understanding what is like to be a true father. Please pray that youth in Cape Town will stay away from gangs and for God’s mercy on this city.
