We were planning a visit to south Africa in November however, the Lord had other plans for us. Following a word received from God in July, when it became apparent that there was an urgency in sending BTBAB team out to the nations, we quickly changed our plans and headed out to Ethiopia and South Africa at the end of August. The purpose was to visit places where teams had been previously and see what progress had been made.
We arrived in Cape Town on 31st August during their spring – they were feeling the cold, wearing jackets and woolly hats, we were in short sleeves! Thursday, we met with Themba, who was covering for Lunga whilst he was ministering in Europe. Themba gave us an update of the Lighthouse Foundation and arranged our meeting with Emihle later on that day.
We picked her up from outside the False Bay college campus in Khayelitscha where she is studying. What a joy to see her and she was equally delighted to see us. She then directed us into the township to the Lighthouse Foundation – they have changed premises and now meet in someone’s garage – please pray for them as they seek more appropriate location.
We were able to spend some time with Emihle, encouraging her, praying with her and listening to her story. Emotionally, she seemed to be in a better place, as a result of love and attention from the Lighthouse and BTBAB. We blessed her with some gifts, including some socks which really hit the mark.
We were also able to bless the youth group with two large suitcases filled with clothes, toiletries, games and a laptop gifted by Tina’s friend in Bournemouth.
My dream for ACI is to find a recipient each year from the developing nations over a rolling five-year programme. This was one of our objectives for these trips and praise God, there are now at least three possible candidates to pursue in each of the following nations – Thailand, Ethiopia and South Africa. Of course, that means we need more sponsors. So, I would ask you to prayerfully consider how you can help and be a part of a young person’s life in helping them to fulfil their God-given dream, by completing their education and reinvest back into their communities. For further information on how you can support this work, please contact me at aci@btbab.org.
