APRIL 2015
AFRICAN
HARVEST
FEATURING:
Testimonies from the original Foxfires Immanuel’s Story - Peace to a Community in S. Sudan Letter from CEO, Stephen Mbogo
AFRICAN ENTERPRISE’S
FOXFIRES YOUNG EVANGELISTS IMPACTING AFRICA
CONTENTS The Starting Line: 2015 SA Foxfires share their first impressions from the field
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Operation Foxfire: Youth on a Mission
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Irresistible Love: John’s Story
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A Legacy of Perseverance: Testimonies from the first Foxfires
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Immanuel’s Story - South Sudan
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A Heart Set Free - DR Congo
10 Final Word from Stephen Mbogo
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from the CEO Dear Friends, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young. Instead, set an example for the believers through your speech, behaviour, love, faith, and purity. Until I arrive, pay attention to public reading, preaching, and teaching. Don’t neglect the spiritual gift in you that was given through prophecy when the elders laid hands on you. Practice these things, and live by them so that your progress will be visible to all. 1Tim 4:12-15 CEB In 1979, we had a vision to see young Christians in Africa discipled, trained and released in teams to preach the Gospel. For 36 years, that vision as been a reality and the Foxfire programme is now deeply ingrained in the fabric of African Enterprise. Not only that; it is one of our joys. In 2015, Africa is being hailed as the youngest continent in the world with 70% of it’s population under 25. We at AE are excited about those numbers and the potential that it creates for Africa’s future! Our Foxfires have their sights set on African youth and passionately proclaim the Gospel in schools, universities, churches, and marketplaces. Their performances play a vital role in city-wide missions as well - gathering crowds so the Gospel can be effectively preached.
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As the new 2015 Foxfires begin their term across four countries, we thank God for them and all who have gone ahead of them. These young men and women have caught the vision of African Enterprise and are running with it in all their strength.
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As you read the stories in this newsletter, thank God with us for their passion to share God’s love with the youth of Africa - the future of the continent.
Editor: Krista Burns / Rachel Bell Design & Layout: Krista Burns African Enterprise AFRICAN HARVEST is published four times a year for distribution to friends and supporters of the African Enterprise ministry.
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Addressees have the right to have their name and address removed from the mailing list and to request that the source from which the name and address was obtained be identified, and to ask that their name not be given to any other organisation.
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COVER PHOTO: Malawi Foxfires minister during the Kakuma Mission in Malawi.
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Statistics of the Youth in Africa SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
THAN ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD!
70% OF THE AFRICAN POPULATION ARE UNDER 25
Africa has the youngest population in the world with nearly 200 million people aged between 15 and 24. That’s 70% of the total population of Africa. Support and pray for African Enterprise as we engage these young Africans in the Gospel. Pray that as God draws them to Himself, the continent of Africa will be won for Christ in the next 15-20 years.
The Starting Line
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e were all nervous,” said 18-year-old Wade Fynn. “But I remember praying in my head before we went in and God really carried us through.”
By the second day, he and the other Foxfires had touched many of the children’s lives without realizing it. At the open air rally they asked the high-schoolers if anyone wanted to know Christ as their savior, and about 50 young people put their Wade and his teammates saw God’s hand hands up and came forward to pray. One young girl continually guiding them at Mvuza High School approached the team at the end. “You have been where they spent two here for only two days SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO TRY HARDER, days teaching lifebut what you are skills lessons, holding doing is making a YOU HAVE TO GO AN EXTRA MILE IN assembly for the school huge difference in our and preaching during an lives,” she said. “Thank you.” ORDER TO REACH PEOPLE open air service. The Foxfires were Foxfire Kabelo Mpotoane had some initial overwhelmed. “We were nervous,” Wade struggles. “At first, there was a language barrier remembers. “But God was in control of the between me and the students because I couldn’t missions.” speak Zulu as well as they could,” he said. “I tried to speak English but I could see some of them Thank you for supporting the work of the AE couldn’t understand what I was saying.” But Kabelo Foxfires. It is because of your support that they kept trying and by the end his perseverance paid are able to reach people, young and old, with the off. “It was a refreshing experience to understand gospel. Please continue to pray for them as they that sometimes you have to try harder, you have to reach out in missions throughout the year, that God go an extra mile in order to reach people,” he said. would continue to do His work through them.
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The South African Foxfires have had their hands full conducting their first two missions of 2015: contending with high nerves, they performed a drama on Jesus’ resurrection for a local church, conducted a teaching and preaching program for a school of rowdy children, and learned to interact through language barriers. Each one of them came away with the realization that God is powerfully at work through their missions, touching lives despite any challenges that come up. Here’s what they had to say:
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Operation Foxfire - Youth on a Mission
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captured 300 foxes and tied torches to their tails, setting them lose among the crops of the S amson Philistines,” Reinhard Bonnke said. The year was 1979 and Chris Sewell, Team Leader of AE Zimbabwe
was listening to a German evangelist preach on the passage from Judges, when he was struck by a vision. “Reinhard was seeing the fire of the Holy Spirit descending on the Church,” Chris said. “But I was seeing the foxes paired up and going out on fire into the harvest: what if we were to take young evangelists just out of Bible College, baptized by the Holy Spirit, and send them out into the world to preach the gospel?” The world would be changed. Sewell wasted no time; he recruited sixteen young Christians and called the project, Mwenje we makava (Shona) or Operation Foxfires and thus, in June of 1980, the first African Enterprise Foxfires were born. From those first recruits – ten men and six women
WHAT IF WE WERE TO TAKE YOUNG EVANGELISTS... AND SEND THEM OUT INTO THE WORLD TO PREACH THE GOSPEL? THE WORLD WOULD BE CHANGED.
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sent out to the rural areas, townships and schools around Zimbabwe, Operation Foxfire has grown over the last three decades, training young people in evangelism and setting them lose to spread the fire of the Gospel through their communities. The Foxfires now operate as four separate programs in four different countries; Zimbabwe, Kenya, Malawi and South Africa. The initial recruits were sent out for just two months and were given: a Bible, a diary, evangelistic tracts, a T-shirt embossed with the Foxfire logo, a backpack and some money for transportation and basic subsistence. They were allowed one change of clothes and their toiletries, and in later years were given bicycles to get around the cities and towns.
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Today, the Foxfires receive a two month training in their respective countries at the beginning of the year and serve the Lord in full-time evangelism for the rest of that year. Nine recruits in South Africa, six young people in Malwai, four young men in Zimbabwe, and six in Kenya are already at work.
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An AE Kenya Foxfire speaks to young students about positive life choices from a Biblical perspective.
Noluthando Dlamini shares the gospel with school children on her first outreach as an AE South Africa Foxfire!
“The Foxfires are a model of Biblical evangelism, a continuation of the book of Acts; they are Christians dressed to blend in with the local culture, going to the people, living with them, working side-by-side with them, crying with, rejoicing and caring for them. They are simply sharing Jesus with them.” This was Chris Sewell’s initial vision in 1979 and since then, the Foxfires have caught light and their fire has spread in ways we could not have imagined. Eight-year old Sinethemba Nkosi in South Africa was touched by that fire when her gradethree teacher invited some Foxfires to her school. The Foxfires told the children about receiving
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The AESA foxfires share the story of how they met John. A young man whose life has been completely transformed by the Gospel.
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...WHEN I HEARD ABOUT HOW MUCH JESUS LOVED ME I COULDN’T RESIST AND I KNEW THAT I HAD TO KNOW JESUS RIGHT THEN
AE South Africa Foxfires pray with people to accept Christ after a day of community outreach.
We came across a gang of boys who were drunk and were known trouble makers. When we tried to talk to them about Jesus, they mocked us and chased us away. We told them about the meeting that night and went on our way.
because I felt like I had nothing left to lose. I don’t know why I came to the meeting that night. I guess I just wanted to see what they had to say. But when I heard about how much Jesus loved me, I couldn’t resist and I knew that I had to know Jesus right then.
To our surprise, as we began our meeting that night, one of the boys from the gang walked through the doors and joined the group. At the end of the evening, we asked that anyone who wanted to give their life to Jesus to come forward. The boy from the gang rushed to the front and collapsed in tears. The Foxfires prayed with him to receive Christ and he’s been fully engaged with the church since then.
Now I come to all the Bible studies. Although I can’t read, I love hearing the Bible read out loud and I invite as many people as I can to the studies with me. I no longer consider suicide and I feel at peace with myself. Please pray for me as I try to reconcile with my family who had kicked me out because of my past behaviour and my problems with alcohol. My hope is that they will see how Jesus has changed me from the inside out.”
John says, “When I was part of the gang, our only purpose was to find the next drink. We would often steal money or cheat people to get it. We caused trouble in the area and everyone knew to stay away from us. I often considered suicide
We are so proud of our Foxfires and for the difference that they are making in lives everyday. It’s because of your support that the Foxfires are able to make such an impact in Africa. Thank you!
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ast year we were ministering in Marrianridge, just outside of Durban, South Africa. We had been walking around the neighborhoods sharing the Gospel with people in the street and inviting them to a service later that night.
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her just as he used Chris Sewell thirty years ago: “Through everything the Foxfires have persevered and survived,” Chris said. “The Gospel has been preached. The Kingdom has advanced. And the name of Jesus has been held high.”
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Sinethemba is following God’s plan for her life as a Foxfire this year, hoping to touch the lives of children and adults just as she was touched with the love of a living and faithful God. God is using
Malawi Foxfires sing and perform to young people before they present the gospel.
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Christ into their hearts and lives. “This is how I came to the Lord,” said Sinethemba. “I thought to myself ‘I want to be like these Foxfires one day so I better start being committed to this relationship.’” Today, at the age of 24, Sinethemba is one of the 2015 Foxfires working in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. “I have just finished studying Philosophy, Politics and Law and I have joined the Foxfire Team this year so that I can impact the lives of other young people by telling them about Christ,” she said. “I am so grateful to serve a living and faithful God. Don’t take lightly what God can do through the Foxfires and AE. It was part of God’s plan for my life to learn about Him through this programme.”
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History of the Foxfires
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A Legacy of Perseverance:
Testimonies from the First Foxfires n 1980, sixteen young Zimbabwean men and “They said, ‘You are trained guerrillas’ and they women, the first AE Foxfires, were sent out circled us, picking up poles to beat us. Some said, by AE to preach the Gospel in some of the small ‘Leave them!’ But others said, ‘Kill them!’ towns and cities of Zimbabwe. Not long after their Then their leader told us, ‘Leave here, go back to deployment, Chris Sewell, AE Team Leader at the Salisbury (the former name of Harare, capital of time, received a message: one of the teams had Zimbabwe). Away with your Jesus! When you want been arrested by separatist soldiers and accused me to worship Him, bring Him here!’ of being spies for Bishop Muzorewa, the country’s We said, ‘He is here!’” Prime Minister. Sewell jumped in his car and drove out to the area where they were being held. Despite these odds, the Foxfires persevered Their shirts had been through persecution, just like NEVER IN MY LIFE HAVE I COME the first Christians of the Bible, ripped off their backs and their money stolen, ACROSS YOUNG PEOPLE OF THIS just like the apostle Paul. but they were otherwise QUALITY. I FEEL AS THOUGH I HAVE unharmed. The Foxfires were sent GOD IN MY HOME! out in teams of two. They This was the beginning of went into schools, homes the immense work the Foxfires would be doing and and churches, meeting the people and telling them the opposition they would face in trying to spread about Jesus. In one particular Zimbabwean town, the good news. a school principal said, “These men have been going into places that have been “no-go” areas for “They took us into the bush and showed Steven preachers; they have no fear.” After hearing the two where they were going to bury him,” wrote one of Foxfires speak in his local church and seeing the the Foxfires in his dairy. congregation moved to tears, the principal invited them to stay in his home. “They have opened a
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floodgate,” he said. “Never in my life have I come across young people of this quality. I feel as though I have God in my home!” R E M E M B E R U S O N L I N E W W W . A F R I C A N E N T E R P R I S E . C O M
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Obert and Nhamo were among the first recruits and were sent to Karoi, in the north of Zimbabwe. Pastor Maronda asked them to help him build an extension on his church hall and for two weeks they mixed cement, pushed wheel-barrows, and carried bricks. At night they would sit with the farm workers around the fire and share the Gospel with them. Similarly, another pair of Foxfires found themselves on a farm fifty kilometers east of Harare. “Every day we helped the farm workers to dig the lands and to feed the chickens,” Cleopas said. “Then, sitting under the trees or in the sheds or out in the maize lands, we led those that responded to the Lord.” At that farm, was man named Mr. Jacket, aged 46, was in charge of the poultry section and was addicted to smoking. “Mr Jacket asked how he could break his smoking habit,” Cleopas said. “So I talked with him and later we sat down together and he prayed and confessed Jesus as Lord and asked Him to break the habit.”
Still another team was sent to a coffee estate in the Vumba mountains, on the border of Mozambique, to a workers’ compound that had been dubbed Sodom and Gomorrah by local pastors. After two months the Foxfires returned discouraged, having made only one convert. They were sent back two weeks later and, stopping at a local store to buy provisions, were approached by a man from the compound. “He was known as the compound gambler,” they said, “a drunkard with a reputation as a womanizer.” This man told the Foxfires that he wanted to become a Christian but the team dismissed him, thinking he was not serious. He asked them a second time and again they turned him away. But he persisted. So they led him in the sinner’s prayer and he repented and invited Jesus into his life. “Some days later, we heard that this man had completely changed,” the Foxfires said. “After that we had more and more people attending our meetings and by the time we left them, thirty workers had given their lives to the Lord.” A chapel was later built at the compound and the word of God continued to be preached.
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“To be a Foxfire one has to be an evangelist at heart,” said one of the original recruits. “Then you must be a pastor, an organizer, a teacher, a friend, a musician, a counselor, a cyclist, and a first-class pedestrian!”
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If no one invited them to stay, the Foxfires would sleep under the stars. During the day, they joined the local people in whatever part of life they were engaged, preaching the Gospel in word and deed: they spoke about Jesus while drawing water for people at a local well, they helped a pastor spread manure on his fields, pushed a man’s car out of a river when it got stuck, stacked cotton for a farmer, prayed for a woman with asthma and a man who was deaf, and cast out a demon from a young girl thought to be mad.
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Football Unites a Broken Community - Immanuel’s Story love my country; I love South Sudan”, Immanuel said. “What has happened here has broken my heart. When I heard about the peace and reconciliation trainings by African Enterprise I was so excited; I couldn’t wait to attend. The trainings gave us better understanding about the root of the violence and how to change it. The AE facilitators challenged us to be agents of peace in our communities and too make a real difference. I felt so empowered by that and I wanted to do whatever I could to help South Sudan come together.
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We still have difficult moments, like when there is a disagreement during a match, tribal issues often rise to the surface but God is faithful. He helps us through those moments and takes us forward step-by-step. Because of the AE training and with God’s mercy we have begun to build common understanding amongst the players and make the youth aware that their prejudices and negative tribe and ethnic statements cause division and ultimately, bloodshed. Tribal differences are our default setting here in South I NEVER DREAMED THAT GOD Sudan. We have to COULD USE MY LOVE OF SPORT FOR learn to change that and without the help of AE it HIS GLORY AND TO BRING HEALING would have been impossible.
After I attended a few training sessions I felt like I was ready to take TO SOUTH action. I’ve always loved football so I decided to start a community football team with members from all tribes, clans and religions. I’ve never seen an integrated football team like that before in South Sudan; they are all based on tribes. It was challenging at first because many of the youth refused to associate with their teammates from different backgrounds. It was so challenging, in fact, that I nearly gave up. I am so thankful for the other AE trainees who came alongside me and encouraged me to keep going. Because of them and my God’s grace, I pressed through and continued to talk to my players about being at peace using my new knowledge from AE. I am happy to say that they are all beginning to understand the importance of working together, regardless of their differences!
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I never dreamed that God could use my love of sport for His Glory and to bring healing to South Sudan. I use this football team as a platform to preach the gospel. I take every possible opportunity to share God’s love with them and I can see their hearts are being softened toward one another. Some are asking questions about Jesus and other difficult players are beginning to be kind to their teammates. God is indeed moving in South Sudan! Thank you for being part of this journey with me and thank you for this training that has changed so many lives already.”
A Heart Set Free - DR Congo itting in a dank, overcrowded prison
S cell in Matadi, DRC, Charles Lemba
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Matadi Back to Christ was organized in partnership with Matadi’s local Church of Christ and with GoodWord Partnership. Jean was abandoned by his mother and was living in the prison with his father. The mission included an evangelism training conference, a prayer meeting with over 40 local churches NOW I BELIEVE THAT CHRIST HAS and denominations, crusades at seven different locations in the SET ME FREE EVEN IF I NEVER LEAVE Charles’ young son city, a visit to the urban prison, Jean was abandon at the THIS PRISON. I AM A FREE MAN IN MY and a youth rally for teens and prison by his mother. At the young adults. HEART BECAUSE OF JESUS. time of the mission he was living there with his father. In a place like Matadi, where the local church “Now I believe that Christ has set me free even if I has been struggling to impact their community, never leave this prison. I am a free man in my heart pastors were greatly encouraged by the conference. because of Jesus.” “We have learned the difference between true evangelism and false evangelism,” an attending Since the mission ended, AE has learned that pastor said. “We now recognize the manipulation of Charles has been released from prison and all spirits.” charges against him have been dropped. He is now praying that God will return his wife to him. “If But, visiting the Matadi prison, was initially not as Jesus can free us from behind bars, truly there is no encouraging, because it revealed a dismal situation: unbreakable chain to hold my wife away forever,” he cells did not have secure doors, beds consisted said. “I am asking God to bring her home to so she of thin mats on cement floors, sanitation was poor can know forgiveness.” and there was no separation between teenagers and adults. Initially constructed to accommodate Before the visit from AE, the prison governor had 150 inmates, the prison actually housed about 500 been opposed to the idea of a prison chaplaincy but people. he was touched by the work of the mission. “This is one of the rare occasions when I have heard the During their visit, however, AE agreed to fix the pure good news brought to the prisoners,” he said. doors on as many cells as they could and used this as a way to gain access to the inmates. They spoke Please join us in praying for the local church to a gathering of 504 people; inmates, prison staff leaders of Matadi, as they follow-up on new and the prison governor. Charles Lemba was one of Christians around the city. Pray for the Lord’s the prisoners who heard the Gospel that day. guidance for the church as it explores ways to keep ministering to the prisoners, and for provision to Following a dispute with his neighbour, Charles be able to offer further repairs to the prison cells. had been arrested and thrown in prison without Praise the Lord for the release of Charles and his reason or trial. He later learned that his neighbour son! had made false claims to the police, resulting in his imprisonment. Then Charles’ wife left him, leaving Thank you for making this ministry across Africa behind their four-year-old son, Jean, who has been possible! It is because of you that Charles has a living in the prison with Charles for over a year. new freedom in Christ! Thank you! YOU CAN, GOD Charles became discouraged, but the visit from AE CAN, and together, WE CAN! gave him new hope.
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did not believe that Jesus could really set captives free. “It was just a beautiful saying from the Bible,” he said. But then he was visited by a team from AE and everything changed. He was one of the many people touched by the hope of the gospel during the recent Matadi Back to Christ mission. “Having AE in the prison with me, I now believe that Jesus does come to set free those who are captives; it is now more than a mere philosophy for me,” he said.
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THE FINAL WORD Dear Friend, As you have read, Africa is getting younger. It is estimated that 75% of Africans will be about 20 years old in five years time! Governments and business experts are busy strategizing on how to respond to this emerging youthful majority. Mobile phone companies, clothes designers and the like have this demographic as top priority in their strategies. African Enterprise as a mission agency is called to win people into God’s Kingdom. As Matt. 4:19 says, “...I will make you fishers of men”. Perceiving this shift, we discern the Lord of the harvest saying, “Launch a net that is fashioned to this youthful populace. These youth will define Africa today and tomorrow.” It is on this premise that outreach towards young people has always been at the heart of African Enterprise. This is the basis and rationale for our Foxfire Programme. It is an initiative that seeks to train and equip young people just out of High School, setting them off as a light to their generation where the need of our times is most dire. Parallel to this, we impart our Foxfires with godly values and principles as well as training them on effective youth evangelism, leadership ministry and life skills. Once they are fully trained, they are sent out to impact society. Having been in existence for over 30 years, the programme has had a profound impact on African communities as well as those who have participated as Foxfires. I am always proud when I see Foxfire alumni continuing in ministry once they graduate because they have already given so much to the Kingdom, but yet continue to give and do well. They have truly understood God’s call for their lives.
One such alumni is Boniface Muema, a Kenyan Foxfire alumnus. He says, “Having enrolled in University a few months after my graduation from the Foxfires programme, I realised that I had been well equipped with the power to choose to be on Christ’s side despite an environment turbulent with ungodliness. My desire is to let God use me in the Campus Christian Union, in missions and in serving members of my generation. Today, I bless the Lord that the same voice that called to Peter and Andrew (Matt 4:19) spoke to me in 2010 and started me on a journey which is defining me and shaping my life for Jesus. It’s an exciting thing - walking with the Lord, learning from His plans for me. I am privileged, even years later, to belong to and have served with the Foxfire programme. I am forever grateful to God, and the initiators and supporters of this programme!” African Enterprise has witnessed tremendous transformational testimonies through the Foxfire programme over its decades of existence. I urge you to pray for them and give towards this vital ministry as they reach out to their generation, the future of Africa. Yours in Christ
Stephen Mbogo African Enterprise CEO/ITL
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