Dear brethren
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. I am grateful that you are taking time to read my report on how God is working in our ministry his wonders to perform.
Family life
I am glad to inform you that Jenna and I had come to the decision to take into our care a young boy of nine years who is living at the drug den where we normally minister. Both of his parents are drug addicts. Please pray that we will proceed with the wisdom of the Lord in this matter as we deal with his parents.
Update on the Scheme Bible Study
It has been a while since I gave some feedback on our outreach in the scheme area. Since my last feedback there have been some new developments. Firstly, we are no longer meeting at the same place. We moved the Bible study to Brother Theo’s home. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as we have ever since have people attending from the Old Apostolic Church, which is a very popular cult in South Africa.
Aunty Maureen’s Story
Aunty Maureen is the cousin of Theo’s wife. She seems to be in her late fifties and is part of the Old Apostolic Church cult. She told Theo that a close friend of hers, who came to faith in Jesus and was saved out of the cult, used to tell her stories of how blessed it is to be amongst the believers. She never fully understood, and could never really comprehend, what such a bond of love would be like. A few weekends ago it was Theo’s birthday and most of the church attended, including Aunty Maureen. With amazement and longing, she looked at what was portrayed in front of her very eyes: the fellowship of the saints.
What she has heard from her friend was happening right before her very eyes. She was in the presence of people who genuinely loved one another. “What my friend told me about I have now seen with my own eyes,” she told Sister Candice (Theo’s wife). Somehow, she found out that her aunt and another family member are secretly attending our Bible study on a Wednesdays and asked whether she could attend as well. That Wednesday she was there and asked a lot of questions during our study through the Gospel of John. The next day she stopped by me on her way to her aunt and told me that she is so excited about the Bible and that it kept her awake all night. She told me that she is on her way to her aunt to invite her to come as well. Wow! I praise God for this and look forward to the day of her salvation. What I found to be very sad, was when she told me that she never knew that Joshua and Ezra were names of books in the Bible! She thought they were just nice names. In the Old Apostolic cult, like the Roman Catholics, they are kept away from the Scriptures.
A Call from a Hitman
Let me just call him “Tony.” Tony is one of the guys that belongs to a gang that I visit almost on a weekly basis. He gave me his number once so I could confirm with him whether the gang was available for a meeting with our friends from Scotland (Mez McConnell). I have ever since made a habit of calling him just to ask how he’s doing and to set dates for us to meet. Long story short: One day, my phone rang and it was Tony. He asked whether he could see me as he had a lot on his mind. He asked whether I could come and get him and if we could rather meet at my place. He had a lot on his mind. The following day I went to find him. I prayed with him and asked him to tell me what the matter was. Tony, a 28-year-old young man, was a hitman who just came out of a seven-year prison sentence for committing a murder. He fled to Bellville South trying to get out of the game. He came to this decision when his former gang requested him to take out his best friend. He told me that he had killed so many people that he had lost count, but they were asking too much this time. I later learned that he stole eight guns and made a run for it. He has been on the run ever since.
Tony’s Problem
Tony had a sin problem and he could not see himself as God sees him. Telling me all the wicked things he had done, he still felt entitled to have the respect of the community, family, and friends. “I am not such a bad person!” he told me. I told him, “Tony you are a murderer and many other things; you don’t deserve friendship or any love from anyone at all, yet God by his grace allowed you to hear his gospel—the good news of Jesus Christ!” Tony knew he was a sinner, but he had no true remorse or godly sorrow and only felt deeply sorry for himself. I told him that he should throw himself on the mercies of God and trust in Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
Tony also told me that he was heartbroken as he lost his mother that week. She died on the streets at the age of sixty due to tuberculosis. He was unable to care for her as he was still a marked man in his hometown. Please that Tony will see himself rightly before a holy God and that he will repent and turn from his sins and cast himself on the mercies of God who is able to save to the uttermost.
Prayer Request
- Pray for the men I am meeting with weekly (for salvation).
- Pray for my weekly outreach and for God’s protection as I reach out to gangs in the area.
- Pray for the new Bible study outreach to the scheme area.
- Pray for the recent shootings in our area, that God will save gang members through our gospel witness. There has been shooting every weekend for the past few months.
- Pray for our work here that the Lord will give us fruit that will last.
Thank you for taking time to read this brief report. I apologise for not always being able to add pictures.
“For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16)
Yours in his service,
Quinton Maneville