Author Archives: The J Halls

January 2019 Prayer Letter

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Things normally slow down here over the holidays. From December through the end of January, many folks travel back to their homelands. Kids are out of school and most businesses close down for several weeks. It has been anything but slow at our house. As some of you already know, Bekah gave birth to our son, James Siyabonga Hall, on 12/12. However, there were some complications with his heart and lungs and Bo (that’s what we call him in English) had to stay in the NICU for 19 days. God answered our prayers, and he was finally able to come home on December 30th, with a clean bill of heath.

Bo was born on the second day of our youth camp. As a result, I was only able to help in the preparation for the camp and to be a part for the first day. Fortunately, we have a good team of missionaries, interns, and folks from our churches who stepped up and didn’t miss a beat in my absence. God used them and the camp in a great way. There were 19 teens who made professions of faith, two of which were from Soweto.

Due to the holidays, and lack of outreach on our part, we have not had many new visitors over the last month at Soweto. This has already changed some as a several have returned from their trips. Even though the work has been slow, there was one man, a 42 year old named Simphiwe, who came up to me several weeks ago after the morning message with a desire to know more about salvation. This was his third consecutive time in our church. He was broken and physically showing it. I shared the Gospel as clearly as I could and he made a profession of faith. He has been coming faithfully to every service since that day. I am looking forward to baptizing him soon.

Other Prayer Requests: 

  • 1st Semester of our Bible College will start February 12th. I will be teaching Personal Finance and Spiritual Formation (Principles for the Christian Life).
  • We have several visitors coming this month; my in-laws will be with us for 4 weeks, and my pastor, Wayne Cofield, and his wife are coming over to participate in the Organization service for Soweto Baptist Church on February 10th.
  • While my pastor is here, we plan to take full advantage of him and his time. He will also be teaching a couples retreat for the missionary families and families from our churches on February 15-16th.

All that we do here is “to the praise of the glory of his grace!” Thanks be to God for your love and care for my family. 2018 was incredible and we are expecting even greater things to take place in 2019.

Thanks again for all that you do!

Sincerely,
Jeremy and Rebekah Hall
Support Address:
Macedonia World Baptist Missions
Att. Jeremy Hall
P.O. Box 519
Braselton, GA 30517

Home Church:
Whitfield Baptist Church
Pastor Wayne Cofield
2134 Dug Gap Rd.
Dalton, GA 30720
Personal Contact Info:
jhsouthafrica@gmail.com
(770)573-9541
Website: www.projectsouthafrica.com 

December 2018 Prayer Letter

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Dear Pastor and Friends,

It’s hard to believe 2018 is over. Every year seems to go by more quickly, and every year I probably say that same thing. I am reminded again of a famous quote from Missionary C.T. Studd, “Only one life, twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.” As I reflect on the past 12 months, I stand amazed at how the Lord has worked in and around my family. I am blessed!

We are busy getting ready for camp. Honestly, the work has been a little therapeutic for me. With church planting, and specifically training young men, a lot of times you don’t see change and it can get a little discouraging, even though you know it’s happening. That’s not the case with building bunk beds, human foose ball games, gaga pits, etc. It’s something you do, and at the end of the day see and understand that you have had a productive day.

Josh Sullivan and family arrived safely last Thrusday. We are assisting (when possible) in helping them set up their home and getting settled in. Jens Looney, a six month intern from the Our Generation Training Center, arrives from the states this week. Also, a group from Camps Abroad, led by Dan Brooks, will be arriving this week to help us host Camp Rhino next week. Saturday and Monday, Dan will teach two eight-hour training sessions to camp counselors and staff.

All of this is happening and my wife is scheduled to be admitted into the hospital tomorrow morning. She will be there for at least the next 9 days. Our son will be given injections of steroids and she will be monitored for the next 7 days before delivering (c-section) on the 13th. This means I also have to play mom’s role for next two weeks to our other 4 kiddos. As if life wasn’t hectic enough already!

At Soweto Baptist Church, we are continuing to progress and get ready for our formal organization of the church. We have been systematically teaching through Bible Doctrines and Church responsibilities for the past three years. My hope was to be able to organize the church last month, but it’s not going to happen until after the new year. It is finally on the schedule for February 3rd. We are excited to take this next step.

Other Prayer Requests:

  • At the end of February, I plan to begin a new work in an area called Zwide. We have a couple of people who have moved to this area from Soweto, which hopefully gives us an open door. Pray the Lord will begin to prapare hearts now.
  • Pray for Aphiwe Maboma, our song leader at Soweto Baptist Church. He has been away for two weeks now in the bush going through the cultrual process of “coming of age.” There are many sinful temptaions during this time. Please pray he would remember who he is and continue a walk controlled by the Holy Spirit.

Thanks again for all that you do. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Sincerely,
Jeremy and Rebekah Hall
Support Address:
Macedonia World Baptist Missions
Att. Jeremy Hall
P.O. Box 519
Braselton, GA 30517

Home Church:
Whitfield Baptist Church
Pastor Wayne Cofield
2134 Dug Gap Rd.
Dalton, GA 30720
Personal Contact Info:
jhsouthafrica@gmail.com
(770)573-9541
Website: www.projectsouthafrica.com 

November 2018 Prayer Letter

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A New Name Written Down in Glory: Thursday night, at our midweek service, a 57-year-old lady named Nobeko visited us for the first time. During the invitation she raised her hand to receive more information about salvation. I spoke with her briefly after the service, but I could tell she had been drinking, so I asked her to come back tomorrow when she was completely sober. To my surprise, when I showed up Friday evening at church for our movie night, Mama Nobeko was there waiting for me. I had the privilege to share the gospel with her for about a half hour before our movie started.. By the end of our conversation she was in tears. She made a profession of faith. She stayed around to watch our movie and afterwards told me she would see us on Sunday. Praise Jesus!

Soweto Baptist Church Leadership: It is exciting to see men step up and attempt things completely out of their comfort zone. Mxolisi Dama, our treasurer at Soweto Baptist Church, taught Sunday School for the last three weeks. This Sunday Matthew Olwethu will teach. These are two men who have grown tremendously in the word and we fully expect God to use them in big ways. Please remember them in your prayers.

Next Step of Faith: After the new year we plan to officially organize Soweto Baptist Church. We have been preparing for this for over 2 years now, teaching through basic Bible doctrines, developing our own personal Statement of Faith as a congregation, and outlining our Constitution (Church Covenant). As soon as this takes place, we plan to immediately take another big step of faith and begin a new work in an area called Zwide. We currently have one family attending our church that live in that area. Please pray that God will continue to ground his people in their faith, open doors of utterance and supply a meeting place for the new work.

Other prayer requests:

  • December 10-14 Youth Camp at Camp Rhino. If you would be interested in sponsoring a camper, the cost is $50 per camper for the week.
  • Camp Rhino is bare bones at the moment. We have much work to be done in order to use the property. Dorms, bathhouses, pavilion, kitchen; pretty much everything needs an incredible amount of work. Please pray for my cousin Mark as he leads this project. Pray for wisdom and funds.

As always, thank you for your partnership with our ministry through prayer and giving. May God bless you richly for His Kingdom’s sake.

Sincerely,

Jeremy & Rebekah Hall
Support Address:
Macedonia World Baptist Missions
Att. Jeremy Hall
P.O. Box 519
Braselton, GA 30517

Home Church:
Whitfield Baptist Church
Pastor Wayne Cofield
2134 Dug Gap Rd.
Dalton, GA 30720
Personal Contact Info:
jhsouthafrica@gmail.com
(770)573-9541
Website: www.projectsouthafrica.com 

September 2018 Prayer Letter

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Dear Pastor and Friends,

I want to begin by thanking all of you who gave so generously last month to Camp Rhino; especially Newton, New Life, and Mt. Carmel Baptist Churches. The land has been purchased and we are about to begin remodeling the structures which are there, as well as make preparations for the installation of several new facilities. Please continue to pray as we are expecting to use the property for camp on December 10th-14th of this year (click here to see a video of the property).

Soweto Baptist Church continues to progress. We are currently studying through and developing our doctrinal statement as a congregation. We do this during our mid-week service and Sunday School. As soon as we finish this, we plan to officially organize the church. Also, I am really enjoying preaching through the book of Ephesians on Sunday mornings. Through this study, Phendulani, a 28 year old young man who has been attending our church off and on for the last six months, made a profession of faith last month.

Our Bible Institute started their studies again on August 21st. From Soweto, there is currently one student enrolled, Matthew Olwethu. We have several others who are showing more and more interest in the Word and work. Please pray with us that more young men and women will step up and begin preparation for the work of the ministry.

The family unit is almost non-existent where we work. Out of the 50+ kids who attend our church, I know of three who have both a mother and father at home. Most are being raised by a grandmother or older sibling. They have no idea what a true family looks like, much less a godly one. Unfortunately, several of our teen girls (as young as 14) have already stepped over into motherhood. I was just informed last week of another young lady who is pregnant. It’s heartbreaking and overwhelming at times. There is an epidemic of kids having kids, continuing in this cycle of chaos. Of course, we know this ultimately stems from a heart issue and the Gospel is the only hope for true change. Please remember and pray for these young ladies and thousands, if not millions, more like them around this country. Also, please join us in praying specifically for 10 new family units at Soweto Baptist Church. These young people desperately need more godly examples to follow.

Another need I would like to put before you this month is a fellow South African church planter, the Bond Family. They have been serving the Lord faithfully here for over a decade with very little recognition and support. They are a solid family of like faith. They are in desperate need of transportation. My brother and I are trying to raise $8000 in order to help buy them a vehicle. If you would be interested in helping with this need, please send any donation to Macedonia labeled “Bond Vehicle Fund.”

One more final prayer request:
Vinchesto is 24 year old young man who visited our church for the first time last Sunday. He came with Wandisile, another young man who was recently saved. Today, while I was studying at the church, Wandisile brought him back so that I could share the Gospel with him personally. The Holy Spirit really seemed to be convicting him. Please pray this young man would see his need for salvation and trust in Christ for reconciliation with God.

Thanks for all you do for us and our Lord Jesus Christ!

Sincerely,
Jeremy and Rebekah Hall
Support Address:
Macedonia World Baptist Missions
Att. Jeremy Hall
P.O. Box 519
Braselton, GA 30517

Home Church:
Whitfield Baptist Church
Pastor Wayne Cofield
2134 Dug Gap Rd.
Dalton, GA 30720
Personal Contact Info:
jhsouthafrica@gmail.com
(770)573-9541
Website: www.projectsouthafrica.com 

July 2018 Prayer Letter

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Dear Pastor and Friends,

Our fifth group from the states arrived last night. This group of 21 comes all the from Woodland Baptist Church in Missouri. This is the last one we will host for a couple of months. Not counting interns, this makes 77 guests over the last six weeks. Our prayer is that the Lord uses this time in their lives to help them understand the need for more churches around the world; and hopefully the Lord will impress upon some hearts the desire to become a missionary.

Vacation Bible School went well at Soweto Baptist Church. We only had it for 3 days this year, but in spite of its brevity, the Lord blessed us with a great attendance; over 150 kids participated. All our workers and volunteers did an outstanding job and the Lord greatly blessed with over 20 professions of faith. Please pray these little people will continue to come in, get grounded in the word, and see the need to be involved in the work of Lord from an early age.

We have also seen some fruit from the soup kitchen ministry. Mama Bonelwa, her daughter, and younger brother have begun attending Soweto Baptist Church as a result of this outreach. Bonelwa trusted in Christ for Salvation three weeks back, before our midweek service began. It was super exciting to come into the church and see one of our faithful ladies sharing scripture and leading this woman to the Lord. Bonelwa has already started basic discipleship lessons with my wife, and we are expecting to baptize her soon. I will personally be going by sometime this week to witness to her husband. Please pray for an open door and receptive heart; remember her and him in your prayers.

Last month we celebrated Youth Day here in South Africa by having a special meeting. Our guest speaker was Pastor Nathan Browning from Calvary Baptist Church in Hiawasee, GA. Even though it’s winter break here, and attendance is normally low, God once again showed himself to be faithful. The church was packed with teens, many of whom probably heard the Gospel for the very first time.

Exciting Announcement: Bekah is expecting again! Last week we were able to find out the gender. It’s a boy! They say January 18th is the day we should expect to meet him.

Other Prayer Requests:

  • Camp Rhino and the property are still in the works. Pray for the sale of my cousin’s house in the states and for this whole process to finalize soon.
  • Another missionary family will be joining us in November, the Josh Sullivan family. They are about to apply for their visas. This can be a very hit and miss process so please pray that their paper work falls into the right hands.

Thanks for all you do for us and for our Lord Jesus Christ!

Sincerely,

Jeremy and Rebekah Hall
Support Address:
Macedonia World Baptist Missions
Att. Jeremy Hall
P.O. Box 519
Braselton, GA 30517

Home Church:
Whitfield Baptist Church
Pastor Wayne Cofield
2134 Dug Gap Rd.
Dalton, GA 30720
Personal Contact Info:
jhsouthafrica@gmail.com
(770)573-9541
Website: www.projectsouthafrica.com