Explosive Evangelism!

My Dear Friend,

Not even a thunderstorm was able to keep our evangelists from preaching the Gospel
to the people of eMalahleni in South Africa! “The eMahahleni Evangelism Explosion
opening rally had a big question mark over it when dark clouds suddenly gathered and
the heavens opened,” said Greg Smerdon, our South Africa Team Leader. “I’ve never
preached in the rain before, but had no choice because of a large number of people
who stayed through the storm. And praise God, we witnessed the Lord bring 58 people
to himself that day!”

                                                                                        Greg Smerdon leads people                                                                                                  to Christ in the rain

Though a second rainstorm again threatened to disrupt the rally, the crowd was so
hungry to hear the Good News that few departed, and fervent prayer by the local pastors seemed to exert a restraining influence on the weather. Further eagerness for hope and healing among the residents of eMalahleni was evident in all 271 of the evangelistic meetings during the week of outreach in October.
 

While at least 600 people committed their lives to Christ for the first time, or  recommitted themselves to following Him, many came forward after hearing the
Gospel preached to ask for prayer. Sunny Masilela, a supermarket employee, received
instantaneous healing for a painful and stiff knee. The Foxfire youth evangelists
visited a local hospital where Foxfire Michael prayed for a man with impaired hearing to regain full hearing, which he did! AE evangelist Chris Thenjwayo prayed for a woman with an extremely distended abdomen, which returned to normal size as Chris prayed.

Formerly known as Witbank, eMalahleni is a city of some 200,000 people located about   85 miles east of Johannesburg in a coal-mining region. As such, AE evangelist Bongani Dlomo preached the Good News to a group of more than a dozen mine workers, all of whom responded by giving their lives to Jesus.

My friend, we are finding Kingdom doors open to us across Africa in amazing and
encouraging ways in 2009 and 2010. It is truly an answer to our prayers and yours. Our only significant limitation is financial  resources. So, as our hearts are warmed by the thousands coming to Christ in places like Liberia and eMalahleni, please would you continue to pray with us and return the enclosed card with as generous a gift as you can imanage? And turn this page over to learn about the astonishing open door we have into the strategic city of Juba, in southern Sudan.       

Yours with gratitude and excitement for 2010,

Stephen Lungu

International Team Leader

  Southen Sudan in Sight

                                          The Nile River flowing through Juba

Following up on a strategic evangelistic outreach to Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, in 2008, African Enterprise is set to launch a citywide mission to Juba, the largest city in southern Sudan, this year.

Songe Chibambo, AE’s Pan African Missions Director, recently returned to his home base in South Africa from an exploratory trip to Juba, during which he networked with influential Christian leaders in the city. One of these, Charles Augustino Lumori, the national director of Scripture Union, emphasized that “This is an opportune time for you to be here.” He reflected on AE’s 2008 mission to Khartoum, highlighting the major and lasting impact launched by AE’s outreach to leaders: “The ministry of telecommunications were given strength to hold weekly devotions after the mission. The ministry of youth, culture and sport meet every Wednesday. The ministry of agriculture meets every Monday for devotions. The ministry of commerce and industry are also meeting daily as a result of the Leadership Mission in Khartoum in 2008. These people have been very keen to see a yearly prayer breakfast continue. They feel somethinghas happened and want to know when AE is coming again.”

With elections set for 2010 in Juba and a 2011 referendum concerning the possible independence of southern Sudan from the north on the calendar, church leaders are eager for the sort of penetrating outreach AE specializes in, where the Gospel is clearly and persuasively presented to leaders, with profound relevance to their work, responsibilities and worldview. Such a mission would provide a biblical platform from which southern Sudan’s leaders could effectively step forward into an uncertain and thorny future, guiding the region toward greater peace and prosperity.

Based upon the fruit that has sprouted out of the Gospel seeds AE planted in Khartoum in 2008, we are confident that a similar mission to the city of Juba will not only bring thousands of new believers into the Kingdom, but pave the way for church, political and business leaders to pursue sound and godly decisions in regard to the fragile yet hopeful future now facing southern Sudan.