DEAREST FRIENDS,
HEART CRY REVIVAL
We are here in Worcester as part of a big revival effort targeting this town and the surrounding country side with the hope only Jesus gives. This adventure began a little over a year ago when a local South African pastor had dinner with me in my home in Georgia. A friend of an American pastor, he was visiting the states and sharing about the great need in South Africa for the Gospel. He told us about a big outreach planned for May of 2010.
When Francois told us about the many requests that he had had from schools for programming during this time, I knew that God was speaking to me. I believe that this is a critical time for South Africa. In truth, it is a critical time for all of our countries. I am just so blessed that the dear people in this place have sacrificed so much time and energy so that their children can hear about Jesus Christ. I believe that their sweet example should be a challenge to all of us. We must ask ourselves one question.” What am I doing to reach the children for Jesus in my community?”
I beg all of you who are reading these emails to faithfully pray for the children of Worcester and the surrounding countryside. I also ask you to seek the Father’s will and plan for reaching your own children for Jesus.
On the morning after we landed, we all met for prayer at the place where the great revival in 1860 began in Worcester. Perhaps you have read stories of this time or stories about Andrew Murray, the pastor of the church where it all started.
A mighty outpouring of God’s spirit began with the sweet prayers of a 15 year old girl. Teenagers, you can make a big difference for the Kingdom! For over a year, a prayer group has been meeting in the same place to pray for this time.
THE RESULTS
Our presence here is some of the fruit of their prayers. Saturday night we attended a big outreach with 4,000 people. The World Impact Tour is a group of weight lifters and Samoan dancers from all over the world. They ripped phone books in half with their bear hands grabbing the audience’s attention. One guy by himself, flipped a car over and they talked about how we must turn around and let God make a change in us. I watched as they broke a stack of about 20 boards and shared how faith in Jesus alone can break the power of sin in our lives. Testimonies were shared by young people who tried to satisfy their heart’s needs with everything but God. When the invitation was given, hundreds came forward to receive Jesus as Savior!
It was awesome! We watched all these wonders from the second story of a Coke truck that resembled a double decker English bus. I love what God does!
So many puppet shows, evangelistic meetings, and teaching times are scheduled for the next 2 weeks. Please pray for strength, wisdom, and grace for all of us who are involved.
WHERE THE CHILDREN LIVE
Today, our friend Blom gave us a great treat. He drove us through the farmlands in the area. This is an area well known for its amazing vineyards, where grapes are grown both for wine and as an export fruit crop. He showed us all the different kinds of communities where the children live. These 2 weeks our shows will take us to children from all of these places.
Some of the children live in beautiful homes with lovely gardens, sweeping lawns, and an abundance of roses outside their windows. Their parents are well educated and many are the driving force behind this event,the Heart Cry Revival. They helped to hang ribbons all over the town. Different colors represented the blood of Jesus, hope and love. They are active in a variety of churches and praying for the revival to come first to them and their homes. We are staying with friends in this community.
Some of the children live in tiny tin boxes. The entire house would fit in a large American bathroom. They are too hot in summer, too cold in winter and winter is coming. These communities are very broken with crime of all kinds a common experience. Most of their parents cannot read or write. There is little hope. This is real poverty, such as any westerner cannot imagine.
The refugees from Zimbabwe fare only little better. They are actually living in tents, but the government does provide them with food. They are here illegally. There is much anger against them as they are accused of taking others jobs.
Finally, there are the homes of the colored community. This is not my choice of a word. In South Africa, they have whites, colored, and blacks. I confess these words make me uncomfortable as I am from the southern part of the United States and find these words foreign to my thinking. We have many puppeteers in training from this group. Their homes are mostly small, but so much better than tents or tin boxes.
You would think that each group of children has different needs. In reality each group of children has the same need. They all struggle with loneliness and despair. They ache for their parents to love each other. They want someone to see them, to hear them. They want to be loved. They cry. They hurt. They have no hope. They need Jesus! Please pray that the Father can use us to show all the children God’s love and mercy as found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ!
In Jesus, Linda for
Sam & Silvana Shaw
Meg Abbott
Billy Salinas