Maranatha Workshop - Day 4

We had 14 Care Givers in Mafambisa today and spent the morning reviewing what was heard and taught yesterday. We were encouraged by one Gogo who started to sing a song and at the end shared that yesterday she had asked for prayers because she had chest pains that hindered her from singing and her body was aching. Praise God that today she went home without any pain and had a peaceful night. Connecting from yesterday, Audrey shared about Jesus who became our Advocate and brought us back to our Father and about His Holy Spirit who helps, heals and comforts us. That session ended up as a Relationship Group with many confessions and many tears. Because we know the pain and trauma some of these Gogo’s have endured, we trust that what our Father has begun will continue in their regular, weekly Relationship Groups. Let's continue to pray for our families in this community; this has been a huge week. Tonight we are staying in different homes, trusting God to show up and be the ‘light’ that is need so much here. Let’s pray that our children, our Care Workers and our Care Givers allow God's Spirit to enter those deep areas of their lives. Pray, too, for strength so the team finish well. Tomorrow the Hands family from the HUB join us for the final day of celebration!

Maranatha Workshop - Day 3

We had 10 Care Givers attending today. Though we had expected more, we spent time singing and worshipping as it was clear that the ‘ground’ was hard to break. There was openness from some of the Care Givers even before the first session, which was really good. Audrey facilitated the creation story well with such good participation from the Care Givers. At the end, they became so honest and vulnerable about their struggles and the brokenness they experienced in their lives. We are trusting God for more tomorrow as we share on ‘the Jesus we know’ and the Holy Spirit as the Healer and the Comforter. We are excited about what our Father is doing here! We will be staying with some kids and Care Givers tomorrow night. Considering that it's the third day, the team is pushing hard and maintaining such a positive spirit. The youth cooked today and served all of us. It was beautiful to see!

Maranatha Workshop - Day 2

"Today we praise Jesus for the breakthroughs we have seen. Audrey noted that since the morning “the Holy Spirit has been here! There is no heavy burden anymore.” Gugu’s group (ages 7-12) were very open during Relationship Groups. They were willing to share and be vulnerable, participating well and seemed engaged in the session. The youth also responded well, even the boys opened up and allowed themselves to be emotional. It was a big breakthrough. Some tough stories came out, children cried and wrestled and we saw ‘walls’ coming down. Nyiko’s group (ages 0-6) grew from 12 kids to 16 today, and they were able to remember yesterday’s teachings. They felt free and were able to just be kids. Watching the Service Centre team work together the last few days has been SUCH an encouragement. They support, love and carry another. When one is down, the other comes in and holds them up. There is no one above the other, everyone knows it’s a team effort and that Jesus is the One who we give all the glory. We saw and felt the breakthrough today, and we pray that God will continue to breakthrough in each of these children’s lives. We pray that as they go home and sleep tonight, that the words that have been spoken would stir deeply in their hearts." 

Maranatha Workshop - Day 1

This week in Mafambisa they are holding a “Maranatha workshop”. please take time to pray the community this week! 

Day 1 update from Angelle at the Service Centre... 

"We started off the day together in prayer, worshiping and lifting this week up to God. We were feeling strong as a team and expectant for the day ahead. 50 children ended up attending today. It was a good day, but also tough. We stated off all together, singing and praising and worshiping Jesus! Audrey spoke to the group about how we are made in the image of God, and went further to explain the sinful world we live in and the sin in our hearts. Children confessed their own sins and we prayed for them. We then split into 3 groups. There were children that were excited and willing to learn, and soaked up the teachings. But there were also a few who seemed tired and distracted. Please pray that the team would not be discouraged by this and continue to fight to reach these kids. We feel there is a spiritual battle here, but we know our God is powerful. We trust that seeds have been planted - even if we haven’t seen the fruit yet. The day was challenging, but we know that we have broken ground, and we trust that God will meet the children where they are at."