CBN South Africa - The Power of Walking in the Spirit

C B N S O U T H A F R I C A PA R T N E R M AGA Z I N E

THE POWER OF WALKING IN THE SPIRIT J U LY 2 016

INSIDE THIS ISSUE The Power of Walking in the Spirit | 04 Empowering Children in Zambia | 06 Crossroads: OP Project in KZN | 07 A Joyful Stop to “Intro-Trafficking” | 08

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Life in Child: Ukholo | 08 Shantel Lipenga: a Little Miracle | 10 SOS | 10 God Has a Higher Purpose | 11

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We are sons and daughters of Yahweh. A Father who has called us to be His love in action. We are a community. We are a family. He is justice. He is compassion.

CBN Africa seeks to be the hands and feet of Jesus to a hurting world. To learn more about our initiatives visit www.cbnafrica.org

PO Box 37779, Valyland, 7978 +27 (0)21-7011-776 / 732 www.cbnafrica.org

Visit Orphan’s Promise website: www.orphanspromise.org

OUR MESSAGE |

SHOUT HIS LOVE AND HOPE Ian Walton Director, CBN Southern Africa

Weʼd love to pray with you or join you in praying for someone you know. To do this, or to chat more about our work and vision, please contact us at +27 21 7011776 info@ cbnsa.org or text us on +27 71 7633810.

I count it a great privilege to be introducing myself to you as the Director for CBN Southern Africa. I was born in Zimbabwe, and although I have also lived in rural South Korea and London, I have spent most of my life in the beautiful city of Cape Town, which I get to call home.

Together with my wife Shélagh, my daughter Liya and our energetic 2 year old twins, Josh and Sam, I join the global CBN family filled with expectation and excitement for the growing impact I believe God will make in this region through the programs, projects and partnerships that we oversee and initiate from this office. I begin this journey with special gratitude to Marius Boaden, our outgoing Director, for the firm foundations and relationships he has established and upon which we will now build.

CBN’s ultimate goal is to achieve a time in history when “... the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9). I believe that through the expanding power of the internet and current media platforms, as well as the strength of Kingdom partnerships, we can move towards such a time at a greater speed than ever before. As we look to consolidating and multiplying the work of CBN in Southern Africa, I am especially excited about the huge opportunity we have to engage the millennial and post-millennial generations online and with amazing tools like Superbook. I am also determined to develop our prayer ministry in each country that we serve in, together with the sensitive provision of humanitarian aid.

Of course, all of these great strategies, and all of our individual good works won’t amount to much if we lose sight of the Greatest Commandment: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.

And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22: 37-39). It is possible to admire and worship Jesus but not do what He did, the way He did it.

We are called to love extravagantly!

Let’s whisper His Grace and Love into the hope-hungry people of Southern Africa. And shout His justice, peace and joy in whichever part of this vast region we find ourselves.

We are so thankful to all of our partners for their enabling prayer, generosity and support for the work of CBN in Southern Africa. It is humbling, crucial and beautiful!

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| TEACHING

THE

POWER OF WALKING IN THE

By Gordon Robertson

SPIRIT

The Apostle Paul makes a profound statement when he declares that if we live in the Spirit, we should also walk in the Spirit. He is referring to Ezekiel 36:26-27, where God gives us this wonderful promise: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”

God gives us a new heart and a new Spirit, regenerating our innermost being. He causes us to walk in His ways. If we are tempted to disobey Him, His Spirit within will check us and say, “No, you’re not going to do that today! That person died.

He is not alive in you anymore because you are alive in Me.” CBN AFRICA | 04

TEACHING |

When things are not going well, we must stop and dig down deep to hear His response in our hearts. Think of the acronym HALT: Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired. Are you hungry? His Word is your bread. Are you angry? The Holy Spirit is not mad at anyone. Are you lonely? He is always with you. Are you tired? When you wait upon Him, He will renew your strength.

To walk in the Spirit, we must recognize that He abides in us. In Him we find rest. He is our guide, our helper, and our advocate. He is our very present help in time of trouble. The more we are conscious of His presence, the more we are aware that His promise is true: “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). He is with us to the end.

Once we are rooted and grounded in His love and presence, we change our thinking about who and where He is.

I have been to some worship services where His presence is so tangible that people can barely stand. At other times, that physical feeling is not there.

Has the Holy Spirit left? No, He is not far away. Deuteronomy 30:14 tells us, “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.”

To walk in the Holy Spirit, we must constantly consult Him for guidance.

We need to ask continually, “What do You want me to do today? How do You want me to respond in this situation?”

When we ask, the Spirit of Truth will lead us into all truth. We can ask Him for wisdom on the spot and get an answer. He will reveal what is wrong

with our attitude, our approach, or our faith. He will show us what to do.

Although heaven is our destination, the journey can be difficult. If we think of the road as an obstacle course, we are trying to walk in our own strength. We are ignoring His promise, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). So, consider the road you are travelling. Ask Him how He wants you to act. Then start imagining heaven. If it is different from where you are, pray His will be done in this circumstance, on this road, in your heart and attitude — right here and now.

“Once we are rooted and grounded in His love and presence, we change our thinking about who and where He is.”

The journey is part of the process of changing us so we are willing and eager to appropriate the resources that heaven has for us today. When we have that perspective, the winding road and foreboding mountains disappear. We are victorious because we are walking in the Spirit through God’s strength and ability, not our own. As Romans 8:37 assures us, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

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| IMPACT

EMPOWERING CHILDREN IN ZAMBIA

Orphan’s Promise sponsors various school children.

We are extremely grateful that the TD Jakes Children’s Community Transformation Centre was officially inaugurated on 14 May 2016. This centre will serve the needy children of Chibuluma, Copperbelt, Zambia. The construction project which started in June last year, was injected with funds from Mega CARE Missions and CBN Orphan’s Promise.

The main aim of the Transformation Centre is to assist and provide support through sustainable community development efforts such as education, health care assistance, charitable service and empowerment in order for children to experience a high quality life and realise their future dreams.

The new structure will be housing a feeding program, a computer and library centre, medical care, counselling services, Bible studies, CBN AFRICA | 06

sports programs, training and ongoing spiritual and physical health programmes. Various full time staff as well as volunteers will be assisting in presenting the above programs.

Additionally, Orphan’s Promise also sponsors various school children from three schools in the area by providing their school fees as well as necessary school supplies.

Currently, the centre boasts a water well (sponsored by Orphan’s Promise), as well as a hammer mill that will kick start various self-sustainability programmes. The centre has a garden of which produce is used during the feeding scheme. The centre is equipped with an office, ablution block as well as a separate home to be used for emergency overnight facilities for children.

The centre was filled with pomp

IMPACT |

and splendour during the event as children and staff could not hold in their excitement of participating in this long awaited event.

Angela from ZNBC TV recorded the festivities which were broadcast during a documentary on ZNBC TV. In attendance at the inauguration ceremony were Mega CARE Executive Director, Pastor Ronnie Guynes, and Orphan’s Promise & Humanitarian Project Manager OP CBN Southern Africa, Leonie Nortje. Various staff, children and other local people also attended the festivities. A vote of thanks was presented by Belt of Hope Children’s Ministry Director Pastor Salim Chakumika.

CROSSROADS: OP PROJECT IN KZN With the upcoming winter months we are grateful that we were able to provide winter uniforms for our children. Winter uniforms consist of warm tracksuits with our Crossroads Logo. Because our students come from very poor homes many of our children use our tracksuits continuously even on the weekends to keep warm.

We are very grateful that we were able to purchase quality garments for our children. The uniformity and quality also helps our parents to know that we love and appreciate their families. We have also taken the time to deworm our children in May. This helps with keeping them healthy.

The nutrition and the home environment warrant us to make sure we treat our children for worm infestation every six months. We have already seen a huge difference in the appearance of our children.

They are more active and more vigilant because of proper nutrition as well the provision of heath care from Crossroads.

Thank You CBN Partners!

Your support enables us to reach out to vulnerable children around the world. To help us futher visit www.cbnafrica.org or call +27 (0)21-7011-776 / 732.

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| IMPACT

A JOYFUL STOP TO “INTRO-TRAFFICKING”

Latia (right) and Lufia (left), twin sisters that attend Peace school.

Latia and Lufia Jovencio are twin sisters. They have been attending Peace school for the past three years and have been studying well. The girls have been living with their family since birth and their many siblings. Earlier this year, Lufia was “Intro-trafficked” by her family to another locality almost 100km away.

This occurred due to the extreme vulnerability of the family and they believed that distributing their children was a way of relief for their many needs with a family of eight children.

In the family where she was “Intro-trafficked” to, Lufia was denied education and had become a servant to the family. She had to care for herself in that situation and was extremely vulnerable. Through the holistic ministry of Peace school we where able to follow up closely and pursue the case of Lufia until we were able to successfully reunite her back with her sister Latia and the family, as well as with all her classmates at Peace school.

Latia and Lufia are now pursuing their relationship with God together and are part of the local church as a result of this. Thank you for all your prayers and support as we continue to trust God for their lives.

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UKHOLO Ukholo is one of our Life Child preschool children, and her parents have been going through a difficult time. Her mother made a decision to send Ukholo to the Eastern Cape in order for her to live with her aunt.

Niki, Life Child’s project manager knew this decision would risk Ukholo’s wellbeing and she would not be able to continue attending preschool. Lucy, our Life Child staff member tried to visit Ukholo’s mother.

Sadly there was no trace of her and instead she prayed. A few days thereafter Lucy ran into Ukholo and her mother in the community and asked why Ukholo was still in Cape Town but not at the preschool.

Ukholo’s mother stated that she was embarrassed to bring her back. The all faithful and gracious God answered our prayers as Ukholo’s mother did not send her daughter to the Eastern Cape and has now returned her to the preschool. Ukholo is enjoying being back at school!

BIBLE VERSE |

“My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed.”

Psalm 71:23

| IMPACT

SHANTEL LIPENGA: A LITTLE MIRACLE Shantel Lipenga is a girl of five years old who was born on 16th September 2010. She lives with her mother who takes care of her and her five siblings two boys and three girls.

The father left them in 2014 in search of work, but ever since, he has never stayed in contact with the family.

Her mother still doesn’t know the whereabouts of the husband, even now. This development has left the family in extreme poverty with no hope. Currently the mother tries to find part time work to provide for her family.

Shantel was found when Life Child was looking for children who are coming from less privileged families. At first, Shantel had challenges intellectually due to her family status. She would come to school without a meal on other necessities that a child would need.

#SOS During this past month, our theme was transport. The purpose was to teach the children what different types of transport are available (car, lorry, bicycle etc). They had to compare the vehicles to each other and they were also taught to observe certain road signs. Their practical lesson was to use waste materials to make different kinds of vehicles. This posed to be a lot of fun, especially for some boys!

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Shnatel, Life Child’ student.

She never associated with anybody at school because she was just feeling insecure about herself. Spiritually she did not participate in any cell groups.

Today, she is a miracle as all this has changed due to the provision of meals, affirmation, and teacher dedication to her. She is doing very well in class, associates with friends and is able to pray on her own.

PATʼS MESSAGE |

GOD HAS A HIGHER PURPOSE After Jesus had been resurrected from the dead, He met with His disciples before ascending to heaven. The Bible says in Matthew 28:18, “Jesus ... told His disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.” Notice the word “all.”

Jesus had all authority, full power over heaven and earth. More and more I’ve realised just how big this universe is. In Psalm 115:16, the Bible says “the heavens belong to the Lord, but he has given the earth to all humanity.” As His children, God has given us dominion over everything in this world.

Although God is interested in everything about us, He’s more interested in fulfilling His higher purpose. Yes, He has all power. Yes, He’s given it to us for this earth.

But do you want to know the primary reason why? It’s to commission us to do one thing—to go into all the earth and teach all nations to observe whatever He has commanded us, and make disciples of them so they will be part of His kingdom—as He said in Matthew 28:19-20 (the Great Commission).

Bringing people into His kingdom is what’s important to Him—and that’s why He has equipped us with this power. If following Him is our central focus, He will always meet our needs. Our heavenly Father will more than take care of us.

As we remain in humble obedience to God, strive to constantly do His will, and believe in Him, we will be able to accomplish anything in His name.

Jesus said in Mark 9:23, “All things are possible to him who believes.” That’s what He wants every one of us to realise. He is our Saviour and all power is given to Him, and He has given it to us to use in His mighty name—so that together we will fulfill the Great Commission.

Yours in Christ,

Pat Robertson

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CBN Partners You Make a Dierence

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Become a world changer. Join CBN partners and bring the love of God to millions of hurting people every day.

Call +27 (0)21-7011-776 / 732 or visit www.cbnafrica.org