Outreach related thoughts, experiences and articles.

Igniting vision, sharing truth, and inspiring faith in 1000+ school children

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Recently I’ve been meeting various people, pastors, and leaders in Diepsloot to see about organizing a place where people can come and learn more about how they can walk with God in faith and effectiveness. I constantly meet people who, after they experience Jesus’ healing touch and are introduced to Him, hunger for more and ask where they can meet and learn more. So I’m in the midst of asking God to lead and guide so we can open up such a place, whether that means building one from scratch, or holding meetings in an already established venue.

One pastor I was introduced to invited me to speak at a school with over 1,200 students. My son went with me (he loves being involved in such things) and I had the privilege to inspire these young hearts and minds with truth from God’s Word. A truth which inspires them with:

1) Vision for life. God created them for a purpose, and he knew them before they were born. There’s no impossibilities for them if they’ll only believe and begin to walk in what God has made available for them. In the midst of poverty and hardship, it’s easy to begin looking through a “nothing will ever change” set of glasses. God has provided not only hope, but Himself, to help them through and over any obstacles to accomplish wonderful things that impact the present and reverberate in eternity. We tend to look at the life of Jesus and think of all the wonderful things He did as being far removed from what we’ll ever do. Yet Jesus says, “The works that I do, you will do also — and greater works, because I go to My Father.” (John 14:12) This is the message I shared with the children.

2) An eternal relationship. Vision is wonderful, but every solid building must be built upon a firm foundation if it hopes to stand strong. A “good” building built on a poor foundation can expect a very short lifespan. A relationship with God provides the firm foundation upon which life takes on meaning and purpose and finds its reach into the very realms of eternity. Jesus is our corner stone and sure foundation upon which all the colors of life begin to shine and radiate through us (manifesting in and through the practical things we do on a daily basis) as we begin to walk as sons and daughters of the one who Created all things. But it all begins with one step — the step of accepting the invitation from God in to a relationship with Himself. I led these children in a prayer to accept this invitation, and I trust that their lives will show the result of their decision.

Shack burnt to the ground in Diepsloot. Hope in the midst of adversity

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I started off the other day with a Bible study for a couple of security officers (also residents) in Diepsloot. We then took to the streets to be beacons of light and hope in the midst of darkness.

We went to a family’s home (a tin shack) which was burnt to the ground.  The security officer made some arrangements with a local NGO for some physical help, and I was able to offer encouragement and pray with many of them who were instantly set free from their various physical pains and afflictions — they then prayed and asked Jesus in to their lives.

Grandmother and grandchildren healed

Christmas miracles for those in need

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I always like to remind our children that Christmas is not about ourselves — it’s about Jesus, His ultimate sacrifice in giving His own life — and putting in to practice His admonition that “as the Father sent me, so I send you.” (John 20:21)  In other words, Christmas represents living a life which touches the lives of others with God’s love — and spending time loving the One who made it all possible.

So, as a family, we went in to Diepsloot (as we regularly do).  Our kids played with the  children, people were set free from their ailments and diseases as we prayed for them, and some opened their heart to Jesus and experienced God for the first time. (One of these was a man who’s partly responsible for security in one section of Diepsloot.  Upon seeing people set free and miraculously healed, he opened his life to God.)  We also prepared some food parcels which we brought to the neediest people which were pointed out to us.

Grandmother and grandchildren healed

This grandmother was instantly healed. She and grandchildren accepted Jesus.

The recipient was a grandmother who cares for and lives alone with her five grandchildren in a small, tin shack. (The daughter has passed on, and no one is there to help her).  She was extremely grateful as she said she didn’t know what they were going to eat that day.

I asked her if she had any physical conditions I could pray for her for — but she said I had already prayed for her on a previous occasion (I didn’t recognize her).  Ever since then she said her then frequent pains have not returned.  She and her grandchildren all invited Jesus to be a part of their lives, as we then said a simple prayer together.  Two of the children then came to play soccer with us!

Happy children in Diepsloot

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Here’s a few photos we took while playing with the children in Diepsloot. Often we’ll go in, our kids will play with the local children (games organized by Anya), and meanwhile I’ll be praying and sharing the Gospel with the adults (while God heals their bodies and spirits :)  (Don’t forget to click on the image to enlarge).

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Video – Two years of pain gone

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Enoch was introduced to me and was obviously full of pain in his body. For two years he’d been in this condition and it took it’s toll in his countenance. After commanding the sickness to leave in Jesus’ name he was completely set free.In this video clip a very happy and radiant Enoch shares his testimony!

Video – Man happy after legs healed at a petrol station

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I met Joel at a petrol station and he mentioned his legs were in pain and have been (due to a fall) for a very long time.  This was obviously not a good situation for him as he needed to be on his feet constantly. After prayer, his legs were healed.  In this short video, Joel shares his testimony:

Video – Woman couldn’t walk, now she can

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The last couple weeks in Diepsloot have been amazing.  I’m so happy to see people getting set free not only in their spirit, but in their bodies as well — getting set free from sickness and disease.  God is alive and well — and Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever!  Since my last update a week or so ago about 40 people have been set free from various afflictions and pains in Diepsloot.

I’ll be posting some photos and more video testimonies soon — but here’s one to get you started.

Someone brought me to this woman who had pain in her legs and thus couldn’t walk.  There were two small boys nearby so I taught them how to pray and set this grandmother free from her pain –in Jesus’ name.

Another woman was also set free from back pain.  Here are their testimonies.

More sickness destroyed in Diepsloot

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One of the better sections of Diepsloot

Yesterday I was again privileged to walk the dirt roads in Diepsloot as God extended His loving and healing touch in to the lives of real people in tough situations. 

FEVER AND PAIN DESTROYED  

One precious older woman who needs to care for her grandchildren was in bed with fever and flu-like symptoms — sweating profusely.  It was a pleasure to hold her hand as God brought her healing and relief.  The sweat dried up and she sat up obviously feeling well.  She also said the pain from her leg (which had limited mobility) was gone, and she could begin moving her foot in ways she couldn’t before.

UNIDENTIFIED PAIN AND INFECTION GONE

After praying for a child one woman led me to another shack to a man who was in bed with pain throughout his body.  I asked what was wrong and he said they think it’s some kind of infection, but they couldn’t identify it.  I laid hands on his chest and God sent waves of healing throughout his body.  Some time was spent just soaking in God’s presence as He did the miraculous work in the man’s body.

I asked the man what he was feeling.  He answered (still with his eyes closed as if enjoying and soaking up what was happening) that he felt movement throughout his body.  I told him, “Yes, God is moving things the way they should be.  You’re healed.”

He was very thankful and went on to tell me of some of the hardships he was facing — his belongings getting washed away in a flood, the struggle to provide for his family since he couldn’t move around while he was sick, amongst other things.  Needless to say the deliverance from this pain afflicting infection was to be a real boost in his life.  I simply shared how much Jesus loves Him and will always be with Him as he walks with Him.

We went on to another location and a man we were speaking with said to me, “Hey, did you pray for that guy over there?” (Pointing to the man I just prayed for who was now out for a walk.) “I saw him this morning — he was sick in bed and couldn’t move!”  The man pointing this out was obviously experiencing a paradigm shift in to the reality and realm of God’s healing power.

BODY RACKED WITH PAIN HEALED

 The man pointing out the one just healed proceeded to ask me to pray for another person who was nearby.  He couldn’t speak English extremely well, but he could manage to say he had pain all over his body.  Hands on his chest, God did His thing, this man was soon stretching around and testing out his new body — the new, without pain version.  He asked when I would be returning.

The one I mentioned before is a leader in the community and expressed that he’s very keen for further meetings so others too can experience the reality of God in their lives.  I said I would certainly be back — it’s my life and what I love to do — bringing the reality of God’s supernatural love in to the lives of real people, in real situations.

Healing sickness and disease in Diepsloot – the importance

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Could be any of us growing up in Diepsloot.

Remaining healthy in Diepsloot can be challenging since many residents don’t have access to running water, proper sewage removal, medicine, nor can many afford to eat a nutritious and balanced meal. Then there is the plague of HIV and AIDS which ravage lives and spread not only amongst those making unhealthy lifestyle choices, but amongst the victims of those making those poor choices — innocent women and children. 

Untold numbers of men, women and children suffer debilitating sickness and disease in Diepsloot. Many (in a society in which 50% are unemployed) find themselves unable to properly provide for themselves or their families — and this is multiplied and compounded when the breadwinner is sick in bed and can’t get up to care for his or her family. Kids go hungry; a grandma caring for her grandchildren (because her son died of AIDS) can’t get up to take care of the kids, and the list goes on.

Why do I walk the streets of Diepsloot extending God’s personal, healing touch? I think the answer is clear. It’s vital to be healthy in order to even hope to scrape by within the context of the dire living conditions the residents of Diepsloot find themselves in. Beyond this, the encouragement and positive paradigm shift people experience when experiencing  supernatural healing lets them know they are loved — by God, as well as by someone who cares enough to bring them this kind of deliverance.  A bit of hope in the midst of adversity begins to shine through … a burst of light within a previous realm and experience of darkness.  People begin to see there’s more to life than the pain they’ve experienced, and that perhaps there’s even more to life than they’ve ever imagined — a reason and a purpose for it all.  Faith is born; faith that leads in to a relationship with the One who created them … and safely under the shadow of His wings, they find a security, love, and purpose that could not possibly come from any other source.

Friends in Diepsloot

The core issue is this: God Himself made provision for the healing (spiritual and physical) of all mankind within the context of what Jesus has provided and accomplished. (See Isaiah 53:4-5 and Matthew 8:16-17). God is in the business of setting people free from all forms of oppression (Luke 4:18-19) and this includes liberation from sickness and disease.  This deliverance is extended and proclaimed through the hands and faith of all who believe. (Mark 16:17-18) Let us never make the mistake of asking why God would allow sickness and disease. Rather, let us askourselves why WE allow it when God has furnished us with His power to eradicate it.

“As the Father has sent me, so I send you … I assure you: The one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these.”  — Jesus (John 20:21, John 14:12)

Looking into a grandmother’s relieved and peaceful eyes which just a few minutes before were marked with pain and suffering — perhaps I experience just a tiny bit of the love and joy that God Himself experiences every time someone is set free from this kind of pain and suffering — all made possible because of what He’s already accomplished through Jesus Christ.

Students find faith, hope, love, healing, and vision for life in Diepsloot

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Kids in Diepsloot
A glimpse of life in Diepsloot

Had a great time a few days ago sharing with students at a school in Diepsloot.  I was involved in personally counseling the students as well as sharing with a classroom of about fifty students who all hopefully walked away with a larger vision of life, God, and what they could do to make an impact in their society.  

For those not aware, Diepsloot is home to about 250,000 people; many of them live in 3m-by-2m shacks assembled from scrap metal, wood, plastic and cardboard. Some families lack access to basic services such as running water, sewage and rubbish removal and find themselves living in the midst of violence and uncertainty.

Life for youngsters in Diepsloot is obviously not a bowl of cherries.  Some have endured things which others in more “sheltered” environments can only imagine.

It’s within this setting that I was able to participate in personal counseling and was able to share my experiences and ongoing life with God to a classroom full of hungry minds and hearts.  I encouraged the students to be all that God created them to be, first off by beginning a relationship with Him if they haven’t already.  All prayed and asked Jesus to be with them and to be filled with filled with God’s Spirit.

Happy students putting love in action after listening to the message.

Next I encouraged them that as God’s children, they can live a life as Jesus lived — one that impacts others with love, faith, and the power of God working through them in any situation.  This power was demonstrated on the spot when some came forward for prayer against various pains and ailments — and all experienced God’s healing touch.

I believe that a life connected to the very heart and life of God provides the hope, power, and vision for life these kids need to face and overcome the situations they find themselves confronted with on a daily basis.  I trust these sparks and flames of truth will burn even brighter in their lives as they step out to embrace and follow the God who will never leave nor forsake them — the God who is their hope, comforter, provider, counselor, and source of love and power.

Diepsloot students

Students in Diepsloot find faith, hope, love -- and the vision that they too can make a difference.