Newsletter 56 Kenya, Rwanda, Middelburg, SA March 2018 Orphanage Thank you A New Day - A New Hope Ministries for donating almost $700 to support the children at Carol's Orphanage. Bobby also took a suitcase of clothes and other supplies for the children! Thank you for making a difference! Preaching the Word Bobby Gettys is preaching at Caring Outreach Church and Andre is preaching at Maranatha Gospel Church. 1
Prison Ministry Visiting the Migori prison on Sunday afternoon is always a highlight and preaching the Gospel to those in prison is very close to my heart. Stormy weather and thundering clouds met us at the gate, which would make the meeting impossible because the inmates meet outside. We trusted God and half an hour the sun was shining and there was no rain. About 20 men came forward to receive Christ as their Savior. While we were on our way to prison, storm were building and thunder and rain were above us at the gate of the prison on arrival. Our God is always in control and He is the God who can calm the storms and a hour later the sun was shining and the Gospel preached. Bible Seminary What a privilege we have to be entrusted with the ability in equipping men and women of God to be more effective in their ministry of making disciples. The countless testimonies of these students being used by God is rewarding. Thank you to lecturers who make themselves available to work together for God's Kingdom. 2
RWANDA After undergoing one of the most devastating genocides in recent history where over a million citizens were killed at the hand of their own neighbors, colleagues, friends and even own family in 1994 they bounced back from this and most likely is rising up to be one of the most positively talked about country in all of Africa. Through God s guidance, Andre visited Rwanda to see how God may direct Hands on Africa in being involved in ministry there. A couple of weeks before his visit the local movement closed down 6000 churches mainly because of buildings not complying to building codes but beyond this also to make sure all churches are sound proof so that their services will not disturb neighbors. At the same time it was announced that pastors who did not undergo some formal accredited theological training will no longer be allowed to serve in churches. This of course do lead to much panic among religious leaders and definitely increase the need for official training for church leaders. This seems to be the area were Hands on Africa could become instrumental in helping in Rwanda. To start a Seminary would be of great help but at the same time there is some huge obstacles to overcome of which the largest will be the language problem. The majority of the pastors in need of education to ensure their continuation of serving as church leaders can only speak Kinyarwanda, the national language, or French. One way to overcome the problem is to do a year of English studies before entering into the Theological education of these leaders. We could use an English Bible as the text book for these language studies. When Andre was searching God s guidance while in Kenya the weekend before he left from there to Rwanda, he was invited to speak at a church in Migori, Kenya. He arrived a little early allowing for some time to spend with the local pastor. In the conversation the pastor mentioned that their mission and church in Rwanda is in need of a Bible School. This was exactly what the purpose for Andre s invitation to Rwanda was for. The conversation lead to contact established between Andre and the leader of the mission in Rwanda. This was clearly God entering into the situation and preparing a way where there was still no way. Both guys were waiting for Andre at the airport, in spite of delayed arrival, and within the few days in Rwanda through this contact, facilities were made available to be used for a Seminary in Rwanda and agreements were made on how to pray and move forward on what seems to be yet another invitation from God for Hands on Africa to join Him in His work in a country in Africa. The vessel God used to lead me to Rwanda: Mathias Twahirwa and his family Please pray with us to be obedient and willing to sacrifice whatever it is God would expect from us to work with Him in 3 Rwanda.
Middelburg, E.C, South Africa The ladies have been very busy at City of Refuge - preparing the land in order to start a vegetable garden. As soon as the seeds were in the ground, the rain came. The Karoo is a very dry area, so rain is always a blessing. These seeds are already germinating and little plants are coming up! We have started two working stations - one for making candles and 'Boerseep' (an affordable cold water laundry soap) and another for carpentry. With the timber we received, we are planning to make bedside tables for all the rooms. We will then use the timber that's left to make tables for sale. We will start making molds for the soap soon. Tanya (a resident of City of Refuge) is doing very well. She is helping out at Emmanuel's children's home. We also registered her for a Work4aLiving course. The aim of this course is to equip and empower people with employability and the entrepreneurial skills needed to support themselves and their families. As part of the course they have to do an entrepreneurial project and that is how the candle-making project was birthed. 4
Emmanuel Children's Home Middelburg, E.C. South Africa - It is with deep regret and much pain that we share this news with you. Peet (or Plankies as we know him) passed away on Monday, February 19th, 2018. Plankies turned 10 on January 17th this year. We will remember Plankies as a friendly and loving child, always happy and smiling and loved by his Emmanuel family. He was a beautiful lively and humble 10 year old. On Monday round 2pm the big children decided to collect the smaller children from their school in Midros and to go swimming in the river nearby. All were supposed to wait for their transport picking them up from school and as the lively children that they are, they wanted to just go for a quick swim along with the other children from their schools. Never did they know what will happen that unfortunate day. By the time we were informed of what has happened it was too late. Plankies dived in the river not knowing quite how deep it was, he got into trouble where the bigger boys tried to save him, although they were swimming without their clothes their was nothing to hold on to, he slipped away from them and went under where they could not manage to find his little body in time. We do not blame the children understanding they are only kids wanted to have some fun. Please keep these heartbroken children in your thoughts and prayers. Plankies little body was found round 5pm by a police diver where I found his gorgeous face at peace knowing that his soul is safely in the arms of Jesus. - Carol Deysel 5
How can I help? -++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 6
To date Hands on Africa raised $768.05 through people shopping at igive at no extra cost to those who support this program. But it is important to download the igive button then your device will automatically pick up that you are shopping at an igive store and generate the donation. 7
Stock Donations: We now have a Brokerage account and can receive donations in the form of stock. Please email us for details. Thank you for all your support, we appreciate you! Please visit our website for more information ~ www.handsonafrica.com Do you want to be a part of God s Kingdom work and donate towards the children under our care? For more information how to get involved please email Michelle at michelle@handsonafrica.com or call 815 524 7337 Like our facebook page hands.on.africa1 for updates! The HOA Team ~ Dr Andre Delport President Pastor Bob Powers Vice President Dr Marius de Villiers Bill Pasaglia Michelle Koorts Andre Strydom Malawi Charl Du Plessis SA Marnene Smit Project Manager 8