This year the students felt led by the Lord to go to the new KwaSizabantu mission Magqogo in the Tugela valley. The purpose of the outreach is to broaden the students’ missionary exposure and experience, and at the same time give them an opportunity to be partakers in spreading the Gospel, apart from their normal study duties. The 4th year student body comprises of 13 students, representing six countries (Belgium, Germany, Lesotho, Rwanda, France and South Africa). The students have been able to address a number of local school prayer assemblies. In particular, they have been assisting rural schools in the Tugela Valley with academic help.
Further update by 4th years:
Firstly, we would like to thank Kwasizabantu Mission and particularly the Director of KSB, Rev Erlo Stegen for his support. It was a unique experience to us and a blessed one! It has made the little we had to offer – the proverbial five loaves and two fish – to multiply beyond our imagination.
It was a deep rural African experience for us students to visit huts where there is no electricity or running water, and where men and women sit separately on mats on the floor. At the same time, we found the doors and hearts wide open for the Gospel in song and word.
The following three remarks give a good impression of how the people appreciated out visit.
1) “It was the best day in my life!” (This was mentioned by a young African boy after a Saturday ‘fun day’ , where sport games were offered in the morning, then a good lunch, followed by testimonies, dramas, puppet shows, etc. with a Biblical messages in the afternoon.)
2) “I’ve heard of this before, but I have never seen such a thing.” (Said about a Christian film, after we had shown it in a remote community center, using our own generator, and electronic equipment).
3) “Don’t you want to take over the school?” (Said by a teacher after we have given academic support to Grade 12 pupils in various subjects)
On our last day, poor as the community are, they collected donations to thank us for visiting their area. Someone even gave her own biscuits to us; another mentioned that a certain worker got up very early in the morning trying to catch us some fish to take along. It made a big lump in our throats, but at the same time we realized that we have to accept it and that God will surely reward them.
Though it was a student outreach – with the purpose of sacrificial outreach – we all came back much blessed, strengthened and with more fire to continue to spread the Gospel to an unreached people. Maqhogo has now a very a special place in our hearts an we will continue to uphold them in prayer.
