The KCA World Team - Colombia served alongside Martha Villamizar and her husband Jose over the last week in Barranquilla, Colombia.
The team connected with nationals and were part of community prayer walks and intercession, an outreach concert in the town centre, and a visit to the local public High School.
The national leaders, a local folk were amazed at God's favour and the great response by the people of Juan de Acosta. Never before had a public Christian event had such warm reception in the history of this town with a population of over 35,000 and no Christian church.
Close to a hundred peopl prayed to welcome Jesus into their lives and our national team collected over 50 contacts to follow up in helping understand their new relationship with Jesus. Church plant pastors Jorge and Joanna were very grateful for the support and advancement KCA's visit had on their new ministry in the town.
Pastor Aida and Jorge described the impact of the team as a spearhead God used over the three days of outreach to open the community and the people of Juan de Acosta for a move of God and the establishment of a church in the town.
The team then moved to work in the community of La Playa, at the Rosa de Saron School, a large housing complex called Sta. Veronica, and celebrating the Day of the Child. Many youth and children recover prayer, were encouraged by the testimonies the team brought, and new contacts were developed in the community through a second outreach concert celebrated on the school grounds on Wednesday night.
The KCA team and their supporters raised over $3,000 in funds that went towards renovating the four bathrooms of the school and a large open basin area, and giving gifts during the Day of the Child celebration.
Thank you, KCA team for your excellent work in representing Christ to our Colombian brothers and sisters and expressing the love and support of Koinonia for the extension of Christ's kingdom in Barranquilla, Colombia.
-Oto Perez
Our SLI team is currently in Uganda partnering with Mark Davy and the Global Harvest Ministries. Here are a few updates from Oto on Facebook, and some things you can continue to pray for:
Day 5 - Liz and SLI Team just completed the first session of a 3 day Children's Ministry Seminar using Seedlings Gospel Workbook and now African Praise & Worship break now - so gooood!!! SLI Team with Mark Davy and GHMI staff went out on the streets of Arua to advertise for the concerts coming up on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and share the good news of the Gospel - 275 prayed with Team members to receive Jesus in 1.5 hours.
Day 6 - We visited two Christian schools in Arua, and had a great time connecting and ministering to the children of Esther Generation, and Ebenezer.
We had Day 2 of the Children's Workers Seminar, and then went to distribute flyer invitations to the concert. In the process some of us had the opportunity of seeing a Muslim street rally - very interesting.
Day 7 - We ministered to a great crowd of children at Arua Child Development Centre, a ministry sponsored by Compassion. Currently finishing the third session of the Children's workers seminar and then off to a mass children's outreach with lots of give aways, music, dance, skits, testimonies & believing for a great harvest of children.
Day 8 - Arua Church Blitz the team along with national leaders blessed 10 city churches today - a number of SLIs preached their first message! We received great feed back from the churches and leaders. Yeah God!
We had our first night of three mass concerts this afternoon, and we are told that there we spoke and ministered to 8,000 people. We need technical breakthrough - we have not been able to play and sing yesterday or today due to equipment not being availble, breakdowns, etc.
In spite of that the "Everything" skit is being well received and hundreds of people prayed for salvation if not thousands between last night and today.
Day 9 - Your prayers are working and the Lord's mercy is seeing us through our tech problems. It looks like in an hour will be off to the concert grounds, and we are believing for fulll power and instruments and mics all to work.
Pray On!
We were so honoured to have Peter & Ann Pretorius with us on Sunday for both services. This couple have started an amazing organization called JAM (Joint Aid Management) in Africa, and through that are able to feed over 700,000 children everyday! Please keep them in your prayers as they continue to bring God's Word to thousands of African people.
If you happened to miss the service, you can listen here:
Pastor Peter Pretorius
We recently received this email from Gugu, with an update from the Green Orchards Nursery School that our twenty20 team re-built in April this year! (See the makeover photos here.) Enjoy!
"We are very well thank you. My son,Tiyani is very much excited about the email you send. He is telling his friends that he is having another lovely friends in Canada.
The lord has been good in my life since you renovated our centre,we have receive more kids from then. Even the Finetown community are still excited about your wonderful deed and your love. They are very much protective over the structure.
On the 15 of December 2012 we had a grand opening and graduation party, it was very nice day. Everybody was very happy on that day. We also invited the leadership of Finetown.
Please pass my greeting to all the team that came to South Africa also the leadership of the church. We love you so much guys. You have shown your love through me, you did not know me before but you spend you time and money just for me and the centre, God bless.
May the lord Jesus be with you this Chrismas. May our Lord Jesus open the windows of heaven and bless you with everything you need as a team not forgeting the leadership of your church. Thank you so much. Have a happy christmas and a prosperious new year. I wish to see again guys. I always watch you in video singing Shosholoza.
Thank you.
Gugu
Welcome back to our twenty20 team who recently traveled to Johannesburg, South Africa! They completed an extreme makover of the Green Orchards Day Care Centre in one week (take a look at the before/after photos!) The team loved spending time with the children and teachers of Green Orchards, who were so excited to see their new school. Green Orchards is now a bright, colourful, and functional place of education, and a testimony of God's love to the community.
Thanks to everyone who invested their finances and donated items for this project - even if you didn't physically go to Finetown, South Africa, you were a huge part of making this makeover a reality!
In less than 2 weeks our twenty20 World Team will be heading to Johannesburg, South Africa to complete an extreme makeover of the Green Orchards Child Care Centre. The cost of the makeover project will be $25,000 which includes a brand new building, toilet facilities, playground, furnishings, AND food for the 55 children for one year. The team has come up with some creative ways to raise money for the project, including the Cold Dunk for a Hot Cause which took place on Sunday, March 4. We set up a dunk tank outside - and lined up some brave dunkees to each take 5 minutes in the tank. We drew quite a crowd as people were being dunked. A huge thank-you to everyone who bought tickets and participated! You helped us to raise over $1200 towards the project!
If you are interested in giving towards this project, you can do so at anytime - please call 519-744-7447 for details. We are also collecting gently used clothing for children birth to age 6, and hygiene products to take with us. Please leave any donations in the marked bin in the main foyer.
Continue to pray for the team as we make preparations and continue to raise funds!
We are excited to have Mark Davy share with us this Sunday! Here is a brief update on the current situation in South Sudan, Africa, and how Mark and his wife Sharon are involved through their ministry: Global Harvest Ministries.
Did you know there is a brand new nation on the planet? Last July 9, 2011 the world officially welcomed the new country, South Sudan. Although its name is provisional the country already has a flag and an anthem to distinguish itself. Following decades of civil war, violence, and human rights abuses with a toll of 1.2 million lives and $1.5 million dollars a day is no wonder it has come to this. As recent as January this year, international aid agencies accused the Khartoum government of bombing hospitals and civilian targets in the southern town of Kajo Kaji.
There has been a long-running conflict between Arab Muslims, who inhabit the north and black Africans of the south, who practice mainly Christian or animist religions. The Arab Muslims have held the balance of power in government and their imposition of strict Muslim – Shari’a – law have fueled deep dissention over the years in that nation. Back in February the south voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Sudan as 99% of the population chose to split Africa’s biggest country in two. Does the new country have what it needs to become a nation? How will the new geopolitical territory affect the ever present regional issues of famine, water, health, poverty, education, and ethnic strife, to mention a few? These are some of the questions that accompany the expectations of witnessing the birth of a new African state.
Our partners Mark and Sharon lead a mass outreach ministry that is impacting Sudan with the Good News of the Gospel. Last month as the conflict grew and tensions flared in that historically volatile country, Global Harvest Ministries International were present in spite of the danger and chaos. Fuel costs rose to $10 USD per litre and the Northern Sudanese army seized a nearby city during the week of ministry, but obstacles and opposition are just opportunities for God to manifest His glory! Crusades in Akon and Gograil, Sudan drew crowds of thousands each night and yielded a harvest of 25,000 decisions for Christ, many healings, deliverances, and hundreds of people giving up their witchcraft paraphernalia and pronouncing Jesus as their Lord. Please continue to pray for Mark and his team as they travel and minister in northern Africa.
Mark Davy has been ministering in the hot red border region between north and south Sudan in the last month. Overcoming volatile political situations and outrageous economical obstacles, his ministry team has been conducting mass meetings in towns dangerously close to Abyei, a city on the newly drawn border and occupied by the army of northern Sudan. Thousands of people, hungry for hope are embracing the good news of the Gospel through Global Harvest Ministries in Sudan and its surrounding nations. You won’t want to miss Mark’s perspective on these current events unfolding in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is moving through it all, as he shares in the house this weekend.
See you Sunday!
