Before we left for the US in February we made an updated version of our ministry video. The first one we did was hosted by our son Luke when he was 11 years old I believe. Things have changed a bit since then.
If you’ve never seen the first video you can check it out here.
Prayer Requests & Praise
Quick Updates
Being back home here at Camp Rhino, at our churches, and at my bible studies these past few days has been very refreshing. We really miss our children in America, but we’re very glad to be back in South Africa.
At the end of May, we have a new intern, Noah, coming for 8 months that will be helping with the camp. He’s also here to see if this would be something the Lord would have him do full-time. Pray for the Lord to use and direct him during his time here. With his help, we’re looking forward to improving a lot of areas in the coming weeks.
As I’ve traveled to a few countries this past month in Africa, I’m challenged even more by the great need. My hope is that our team and ministries here in South Africa will help raise up and train new missionaries that will not only help us here in South Africa but be an evangelistic force all over Africa. There are so many great opportunities before us to start Bible-preaching churches, but the need for laborers is great.
This month comes with sadness and joy. Lisolethu, a 17-year-old boy who lived at our Youth Home for over 2 years, quickly passed away from Spinal Meningitis. His funeral was held this past Saturday. We praise the Lord that Liso made a profession of faith and I believe we’ll see him again soon. Even after leaving the Youth Home this past December, he continued being faithful to church and inviting his friends to church. Liso will be missed very much.
There are many just like Liso who die young but don’t have a Bible-preaching church in their community. We must keep going, and we must continue raising up more people to reach the billions who still haven’t heard a clear presentation of the Gospel. I pray Liso’s death will be a catalyst for many to be more serious about reaching the lost.
This has been a hard time for our team at Camp Rhino, our churches, and also my family. We were all very close to Liso, and being so far away from the ministry during this time has also been more difficult. Thankfully we return to South Africa tomorrow.
Prayer Request & Praise
Quick Updates
Prayer Request & Praise
Quick Updates
Being back in the States has been a fruitful time of raising more funds for the ministry in South Africa and we still have a few more weeks to go. I’m also encouraged by those who have shown interest in visiting South Africa for short term mission trips or internships. Outside of seeing our kiddos, our main goals involved these two areas.
Once I return from Mozambique and Burkina Faso, Amy and I will be getting ready for Vision Baptist Mission’s annual orientation. We have several new families on or starting deputation that we look forward to seeing. Our mission orientation has quickly become one of my highlights for the year. It’s exciting to see the Lord raise up a new group of missionaries to share Jesus with the world.
Currently, VBM has missionaries in or going to South Africa, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and Benin. We are praying the Lord will raise up many more missionaries for these countries and the remaining 49 countries in Africa.
Prayer Request and Praise
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We arrived back in the States on Feb 7th on my wife’s birthday, and haven’t stopped much. I traveled to Rural Hall, NC for a meeting the next day and then to the church I grew up in on Sunday, Whitfield Baptist Church, to preach and celebrate their 45-year anniversary. My father-in-law, Pastor Wayne Cofield, started this church and has been there ever since. I’m off to VA and NC this weekend.
During the next two and half months I have a full schedule and am praying we can raise more awareness of the need in Africa and raise more support for the Camp and Youth Home.
With 54 countries in Africa, the need is gigantic. We need to do more to get the Gospel to this massive continent. Please pray.
If your church would be interested in making Camp Rhino and/or Rhino Youth Home part of your monthly mission budget, we would be very grateful. Our prayer is that this camp, youth home, and training ministry will aid in more churches being started all over Africa.
Summer camp season has ended. From our junior and teens camps, we saw 61 young people make professions of faith in Jesus Christ. What a fantastic time with all our Camp Rhino workers and our volunteers from the States. This was definitely one of the best camp seasons in our short 4-year history.
Over the past 4 years, we have been able to operate almost debt-free due to generous gifts from churches and individuals. All our property and buildings are paid off. This year we are hoping to start raising monthly support for Camp Rhino that will enable us to plan for more building projects and cover the actual camp, youth home, and bible college costs. Right now we’re spending at least $2000 a month just for basic upkeep and expenses.
If your church would be interested in making Camp Rhino part of your monthly mission budget we would be very grateful. We pray that this camp and training ministry will continue to aid in more churches being started all over Africa.
Prayer Requests & Praise
Quick Updates
Prayer Requests & Praise
Quick Updates
This past month I started 3 new Bible studies with people in different parts of our city. Pray the Lord works and we can see many come to Christ through these efforts. I’m hoping that maybe God would open doors for future church plants from these meetings.
One of our supporting churches, Fellowship Baptist Church in Maryville, TN with Pastor Tom Hatley is visiting this week. During any visiting group, my hope and prayesr are that God moves on the hearts of at least one person to give their life to foreign missions. Would you help pray that more laborers would be raised up?
Last month a high school principal asked me about using Camp Rhino for a full month to host all of his 12th-grade students (90-100 students) for 30 straight days. They would use that time to prepare for their graduation exams, but during that time we would also be able to preach to them each morning and hold Sunday and Midweek services. Pray as we make this decision for the 2023 school year.
Prayer Requests & Praise
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Medical Missions Outreach and their team of 21 people arrive this week to put on a health and vision clinic at one of our churches. We are hoping 2000 or more people come in for treatment and have the opportunity to hear a clear presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The last clinic we did a few years ago had over 200 people make professions of faith.
Lighthouse Baptist Church and Pastor Mvume Johnson are hosting the clinic this year. This is one of the churches we restarted a few weeks before Covid and had to close again during Covid. Please pray this will be a great help to the growth of this church.
In other African news, Graham and Olivia Young just arrived in Abuja, Nigeria. We’re very excited for this young couple as they begin their ministry in this needy country of over 200 million people. Please pray for them and pray that God would raise up more laborers for Nigeria and for Africa. Our time is short but the need is great. Maybe God is calling you.
Prayer Requests/ Praises
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Now that all our mission teams have departed we’re going to be working a lot more on the Youth Home this month. We have 3 teens ready to move in and possibly a fourth. Pray that we find the right house parents for the Home. We have some that can help temporarily but are praying for a long-term solution.
I would like to ask you to pray for Pastor Khona Nohamba and his church Nkandla Baptist Church. Khona recently graduated from our Bible College and is looking forward to devoting more time to building the church.
We helped Khona right before the start of Covid and unfortunately had to close a few weeks later. He and his wife Iminathi have been working hard to restart the church and have been making good progress. In our city of over a million people, there is much work that needs to be done. Pray that we can build a foundation that will last and aid in church planting for years to come.
We have had a great and full month here in South Africa.
Mission Teams have visited from Ohio, Michigan, South Caroline, and now Georgie. A group from Tennessee will be here at the end of this week. “Group Season” is one of my favorite times of the year. God changed my life on a mission trip when I was 19 years old and I’m excited about people being able to visit the mission field and have the same type of opportunity. Please pray for these groups and for the Lord to call more to the foreign field.
We are getting the new house ready for the South Africa Youth Home. We had the floors tiled and with the help of one of our groups, the landscape looks much better. We still have a way to go, but the young people should be able to move into the house this week.
The groups have done a terrific job ministering in all the churches here in Port Elizabeth. The preaching, singing, and testimonies have been encouraging and I believe they have really helped the people.
The groups have been an extra blessing to Camp Rhino with the safari hunts and fishing trips. Needless to say, our freezers are full, and they’ve supplied enough meat to stock our freezers for at least the next 6-8 months. A lot of kids will enjoy great meals from their gifts to the Camp.
If you would ever be interested in being a part of one of these trips, please let me know. We would love to have you.
