FCE NEWS
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en route...
mains among you; do not fear!” (Haggai 2:4, 5). There were times when I did fear n September this year, FCE will and there were times when I was discourbe celebrating its 21st birthday. It aged. I remember the day, three years is with mixed feelings that I think after we had commenced with this work, of those early years. On the one hand I when only I, Anita and Jannie Compion remember the excitement of a new start; remained of all who had started with on the other hand I never want to go back us. That day I laid in faith all my plans, to those uncertain times. I still rememdreams, ideas, my wife, children and myber our parents’ shocked unbelief that self on the altar. The vision that the Lord we could resign from our safe careers; had given me, first had to die. the bitter reaction from the community at so much irresponsibility and all the stories that “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the went round. I could not answer all the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if questions: Where are you going? What it dies, it produces much grain.” (John are you going to do? How are you going 12:24) to survive? What about your wife and children? These questions were not only In this year of celebration I want to asked by others; I also struggled with the remember FAITH that anchored me, Lord in the dark hours of the night. Then HOPE that drove me and LOVE that came the packing up, leaving our safe compelled me, so that He can bring in haven in Clanwilliam, unpacking in a a great harvest through FCE. I want to former student residence in Stellenbosch, testify of staff members who had put where my wife didn’t even have the cour- their hand to the plough without looking age to put down our furniture. back, and who are still building God’s Kingdom with me. I want to tell about It is 21 years later. Out of nothing the students whose minds were renewed, so Lord has built up an established interna- that they could know God’s will. I want tional mission organisation. I remember to rejoice over missionaries who were the soft whisperings in the quietness of trained to lead to the Light those who many nights: “Do not despise the day live in darkness. I want to celebrate of small beginnings.” (Zech.4:10) I still with the angels over the souls who cling to the Word of the Lord that came came into God’s kingdom. I want to to me clearly in those days to confirm my cry with thankfulness for the many calling: “Be strong, says the Lord, and children who had been wandering work, for I am with you... My Spirit rearound aimlessly, but now can read
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Dear Prayer Supporters
their Bibles. I want to laugh with fathers who can provide food on the tables and mothers who were empowered to clothe and care for their children. I want to thank all the FCE prayer supporters who had been our right hands throughout the years and who share this harvest. And I want to honour Him who called me, equipped me and entrusted His vision to me.
“Do not despise the day of small beginnings.” Jesus Christ, making disciples through us worldwide, by building a Highway of Holiness, through Education and Training. Neels
FCE’s “COMING OF AGE”: 21 Years En route with God
FCE’s calling and vision are based on the commission given by God to Zerubbabel, to rebuild His temple. He had to start with the work on the “twenty-fourth day of the ninth month”. (Haggai 2:10) Therefore, on the 24th of September 1990, Neels and Anita de Jager and three others departed on a 6-week fact-finding mission to the USA and Canada to find out more about Christian education and Christian school curricula. This date is commemorated as the origin of FCE. This was the first step on the road of faith on which the Lord has been taking FCE step by step for the past 21 years.
From Stellenbosch to 1991
aFRIca The exodus from Masaiti to Koti ni Eden (Zambia) in November 2010, went amazingly smoothly. This move to our own buildings and own land is also a spiritual experience. The Lord spoke to us very clearly. We realised we had to be alert, we may not be caught up in negative lifestyles – this is a NEW BEGINNING. Koti ni Eden with its red brick buildings, wooden pillars and thatched roofs, create the image of a luxury lodge. Early in the mornings the birds announce daybreak and in the evenings the sun sets behind the trees in deep reds and purples. During mealtimes everybody enjoys the fellowship around the tables, while the children are playing on the lawns and in the trees. Drifting in from the surrounding villages you hear the voices of the local people and you KNOW that this is the place where the Lord has called you to be a light unto the nations.
“In this place I will grant peace!” (Haggai 2:9) Greetings from Stellenbosch, where we are experiencing peace in a lovely Victorian style home that the Lord has given us.” These were the opening words of our first newsletter that we had sent out to our prayer supporters in January 1991. Much has happened since then, when we started moving from house to house in Stellenbosch. From there we moved to Wellington, established various training centres in Africa and then also set up FCE’s head office in Wolseley. We are still experiencing God’s peace wherever we live and work.
We praise the Lord for what He has established and are deeply thankful towards prayer and financial supporters from many parts of the world who provided finances, prayed and came to help physically to set up the following: • Kitchen and dining hall for 250 people • Ablution block for 250 people • 4 Dormitories for 100 students • An Open plan office building with 2 offices • 10 Classrooms and a conference room • A library • 3 Houses for FCE staff • 1 Farm shed • 4 Hectares of fruit trees and nurseries • 8 Classrooms for the Community school • 1 School hall in the form of a ‘lapa’
Koti ni Eden 2011
The Lord is doing something NEW. He confirmed that to us from Ezekiel 37:14 - “I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it’, says the Lord.” This is what the Lord has promised us. We experience His presence daily and therefore we are working and living in contentment and peace. Koti ni Eden is not completed yet and we trust the Lord for the following: • 9 Single quarters for staff • 4 Two-bedroom houses for staff • 3 Three-bedroom houses for staff • Cement and catchment dam • Access road from the main road Please pray with us for the above, as staff members are currently living in the student dorms and more than one family
From biblE STUDIES
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People often ask where and from whom we received our course content. We have only one answer: We prayed it down from the Lord. The first ten months of the first year in Stellenbosch, we sat at the feet of our Master. For months we could not plan ahead for more than a week, as we really did not know what the Lord had planned for us. The following is an extract from our second newsletter of 1991: We are currently doing spiritual training. We are using various teachers and video material. We are attending seminars and helping with camps. The training programme includes the following topics: The Lord’s Prayer as Model; Praise and Worship; The Kingdom of God; Spiritual Warfare and Prayer in Action. It is a privilege to experience this training programme. The Lord
are living together in the single homes. The installation of electricity at Koti ni Eden was certainly a modern day miracle about which we cannot stop testifying! Ten years ago, when the building project at Koti ni Eden was started, we applied for electricity from the government. But our requests fell on deaf ears. It would have cost FCE R900 000 to install electricity lines up to Koti ni Eden. We made this project known to our prayer supporters far and wide, also without any response. About a year ago, the government announced that they would install electricity lines to Koti ni Eden over a distance of 29km, as part of the rural electrification project. Our only responsibility was to connect the substation with the college buildings and the houses. On 11 February the electricity at Koti ni Eden was switched on – at no installation cost to us! We worship a great God!
TRAINING CURRICULA
is renewing our minds according to Romans 12:1,2. The course content was entrusted to us by the Lord and the renewing of the mind is still the core of our training. Prof. Thinus Dreeckmeier joined us years ago and he is committed to see to it that our curricula are Biblically integrated and Christ-centered. We are at the moment busy with the 3-month Discipleship-Mission Training in Wolseley and at Kalungu. Our students come from the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Southern Africa. In April, more than half of them will be going for the second phase, the Cross-Cultural Mission training, in Zambia and Malawi. The rest will be going back to their homes and workplaces to serve with renewed minds as disciples of Jesus Christ.
4 July – 18 September (3 months) :Discipleship-Mission Training (Foundation) Wolseley and Kalungu (Zambia) 10 October – 20 November (6 weeks) : Discipleship-Mission Training (Condensed) Wolseley
COURSE DATES
Contact the FCE office for more information on the courses. • Your mind will be renewed • Your relationship with the Lord will be deepened • Your passion for the lost will be awakened • Your life will become purposeful and significant.
fROM PRIVATE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
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TRAINING COLLEGE
Someone once said, “If your vision is not big enough to scare you, then it is not from God.” God graciously never gives us the full picture and therefore we could not, in 1991, see further than the foundation of a private Christian school. In a newsletter of 1991 we wrote: “Our vision is to establish private Christian schools that are built on the Word of God and that are Christ-centered.” The vision of a private Christian school in South Africa was never brought to fruition. The Lord had led us from those who have to those who do not have. That is why we have a Training College at Koti ni Eden today, where teachers and community workers are trained. The students who are trained at this college, are equipped to serve in areas where there is great need. Today, Hendrik Jansen, one of our very first students, is now a lecturer at the training college. One of our ex-students, Luke Sichone, is principal of the school which was erected for the children from surrounding villages, and nearly all the teachers at this school were trained at the FCE Training College. The school has 160 children and was nominated as one of the schools with the best academic results in the Copper Belt area of Zambia. While we saw exclusive private Christian schools in South Africa, God saw children and families in Africa, worshipping and serving Him with joy. This is His plan and vision for FCE.
Yes Lord Yes Brian and Barbara’s new CD
order your copy today R120 with dvd and postage included FCE
Businesses
A prayer supporter from the North of South Africa gave us a biltong shop to run, to help in financing FCE projects. Gert and an FCE team did the interior decoration.
BUSHVELD BILTONG AND BRAAI (Beach Road in the STRAND – opposite the tide pool) • Beef and game biltong Dry sausage Chilli and Chutney bites • Frozen venison: Blue wildebeest for “potjiekos” Giraffe neck for stews Kudu steak • Nibbly bites for the kiddies • Bric-a-brac for mums!
Also visit our Biltong for Africa shop in Somerset-West in Lions Square shoppingcentre
King’s Highway Guest house Somerset West, South Africa
Okahandja, Namibia
Masaiti, Zambia
Kalungu, Zambia
www.kingshighway.co.za