Salvaging of "The Nyati" - Good News II Mobile Clinic

The hot African sun beats down on the weary diggers. White skin is burned to a crisp, black skin is burned even darker, as they dig. The sweat glistens on their back as they strain every muscle to lift the spades of mud. Wearily, they strain their eyes from the glare of the sun, as the hippos wallow in the lukewarm water and the crocodile awaits its next prey. The antelope graze not far away, and the monkeys stare inquisitively from under a bush. The sun does not relent its ever-present glare, and as the day wears on, the diggers draw nearer to their goal.

What would compel a group of men to leave the comforts of their home to dig a hole the size of a container, under the African sun? Could it be adventure? Yes and no, for it is more than adventure. It is the fulfilment of a vision; a vision given by God more than a hundred years ago. A vision to put a boat on Lake Tanganyika, a mobile clinical boat to be used as an entry strategy into the villages around the lake.

A team of men, consisting of 6 members from Good News II ministry, 1 from TTN (To the Nations) and 2 people hired to help. We set out of from Mpulungu, to Kasaba Bay, north east from Mpulungu, to salvage the boat, “the Nyati”, of the former president of the republic of Zambia, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda. The boat had been beached 20 years ago, and been stripped of all its finery, the engine rusted beyond repair, and all the wood rotten. Yet, the hull is still intact. One or two tiny leaks, easily plugged and she is ready to go. There is only one problem. The boat is three meters from the shore line, and weighs two tons. Normally one would call for a tractor and pull her out, or something in that line. However, in the middle of Africa, a thousand km from the nearest city, your first problem is, “Who do you call?” If you could call someone, how do you get the equipment there? There are no roads! So we have to do it the hard way, the manual way. WE DIG! For six days, from six-to-six, WE DIG! Through sand and gravel, through grass and rocks ranging from the size of your hand to 300 kg boulders, WE DIG! Every muscle you can think of, and some you cannot, hurt. The sun burns your skin dark and the temperature above over 35ºC.

On the fifth day we believe (and hope) that our hole is deep enough. Div takes a long pole and, standing from a safe distance swings at the braces keeping the boat from falling. As the last brace falls, the boat gives a groan of relief and falls beautifully into the hole we dug. The shouts of eleven men rise high. The boat is floating on the water that fills the hole. But we are not done. The boat may lie in the small bay we dug for her, but she is still three meters away from the lake. And so we dig again, only this time we dig in the water. The area from the small bay to the actual water is no more than two square meters, but it is only about a foot deep. Again, WE DIG! for yet another day.
















On the seventh day, the hole is deep enough for us to pull her into the water. Ten men pull and push, lift and rock. With a lot of help from a jet boat pulling, the Nyati rides the waters of Lake Tanganyika again, and isn’t she a beauty. So now the first step into fulfilling the vision has been taken.

Praise the Lord! Amen!

Riaan

Good News II Clinic Boat on Lake Tanganyika

Part of the original vision for Good News II Ministry which the Lord gave ProChristo was to put a medical boat on Lake Tanganyika. Not only will it serve the villagers along the lake, but it will also give the missionaries an entry strategy into the villages. We will visit the villagers on a regular basis through which we can share the gospel and also start with discipleship.

We are currently working in four villages along the lake and have targeted the 5th village. Peter is one of the missionaries working in Nsumbu. During his research of the area he came across an old boat lying abandoned on a beach at Kasaba Bay. He immediately saw the ministry potential in the boat and began to pray. After a short period of time the Lord opened a way for us to buy this boat.

On one of our trips to Nsumbu, we were accompanied by people from TTN (To the Nations). The purpose for the visit was to visit the clinic where they plan to get involved and help with medical equipment. They also have a vision to build a maternity ward at the clinic through the churches that are supporting them. We showed them the boat and they immediately become excited about the possibility of using the boat as a mobile clinic. They promised to equip the boat with medical supplies as well as aiding with its restoration.

We thank the Lord for bringing the ministry to this stage. We are amazed at the way He used the whole body to be a part of this vision; to reach people through the Good News Boat Ministry.

God willing, the plan is to restore the boat and have it equipped and functional by October 2009. We are partnering with the local clinic in Mpulungu, the clinic in Nsumbu and the medical officers in each area in order to serve the villages on the shores of Zambia, from the Congo border up to the Tanzanian border. We will start in the villages where we are already busy with church planting, then move out to the nearby villages and expand from there.

The boat will also be used to take outreach teams to the villages for medical service, evangelism and discipleship. In all we do, we want to build the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We ask for your prayer and support of this vision; to take the Good News to the lost people around the lake.

- Pray for God’s will to be done.
- Pray for the fulfilment of His plan and purpose.
- Pray for wisdom and insight for this venture.
- Pray for the Lost who are to be reached, for fertile soil, for openness and for growth.
- Pray for the people who will serve on this boat.

3D Outreach to Good News II

I found this on the web (I love finding stuff on the internet) when I was looking for some pictures for the blog. I want to encourage you to read what the 3D Outreach group did at Lake Tanganyika. It's just such a blessing to read what they experienced and how they have grown!

Lake Tanganyika - September 2008

Jeremiah 29:11-14a"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity."

We can definitely say that God has exciting plans for Lake Tanganyika and its people! Like in Jeremiah 29, we know that the Lord's plan for the people are good and that it is a plan to save them and to set them free from the bondages of the sin in which they are living. God works according to His time and He uses circumstances and people he chooses.

From middle June up to middle September different people and outreach groups has visited us and we are yet again amazed at what God has done through. People came to help and support us and God has blessed us in a way that we did not expect. The ministry benefited in many ways through the donations from different people and through practical help that was rendered to us.

On their visit to all the different places and ministries we are involved in, the outreach people saw and experienced God at work. Every year our prayer is that Go will touch people's lives and give them hearts full of compassion for missions. God is faithful and we know that He did just that again this year.

We want to thank every visitor from South Africa and England!! May that which you have seen here stay with you and continue to bless you for years to come.

To put all that God is doing onto paper is always very difficult, but wewill try and highlight a few of the break throughs and share some of the plans that is lying ahead for the future:

Prison ministry

During the time of the last outreach group, the Jesus Film was shown on the prison grounds and all the prisoners and wardens got to see the gospel message. TTN (To the Nations), who does evangelism outreaches throughout Zambia, gave training to members of the police inMpulungu. Because of our previous association with this organization and working together in the past before, we used the opportunity to start with weekly discipleship sessions with the policemen. Our missionaries have been going every Friday and they are testifying that God is at work and that the numbers of the group is growing every time.

Vegetable tunnels

The vegetables in the tunnels are growing well. The past month, it has been providing all the vegetables needed for the prison minister food and we are selling that which is extra. In the near future we want to extend our visits and feeding of the prisoners to 6 days aweek. Currently we only share at the prisons on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. We trust that the money we make out of selling the vegetables willbe sufficient to finance the entire prison project as well as support the families who are faithfully working in the tunnels.

Work in Nsumbu.

One of the supporting churches of TTN from Australia is getting involved in erecting three different clinics in different places in Zambia. Because of our relationship with TTN, Nsumbu(one of the villages we are working in) was chosen as one of the places forstarting a maternity clinic. TTN already received some medical equipmentfrom abroad which will be arriving in Mpulungu soon. The thing that we are very excited about is that they are also looking at equipping a boat with medical equipment which will be used on the lake.

Plans for next year

A second South African couple is joining us inMpulungu next year, specifically to help with the boat ministry. Div is just too busy with other areas of the ministry. As a family, we are moving into the Day Care Centre, making the house we are currently renting available for them to live in. Cynthia is a nurse and she will also homeschool her three boys. Div is busy building an outside kitchen area on the property of the Day Care Centre from where all food for the prisons and for the orphans will be cooked. He is also planning to build an ablution block as well as extra classrooms.

Day Care Centre.

We are currently in the process of registering a school at the Day Care Centre. This year we started with a playgroup for 10 orphan children between the ages of 5 and 9. We are in the process of finding schools for the three older children. Next year the group will be split into two classes, a playgroup and a grade 0 class. Ethel and Lucy are ready to take these two classes and are busy identifying more children for next year while they are continuing with children's ministry groups each week. It is our desire to send another person for teacher training in Kabwe next year so that we can be ready for a third class the year after next. Please pray for the necessary funds needed for the training.

Personal

The Lord has answered our prayers and next year we are receiving a lady who will help with Mariska's home schooling. Holly Steward is from America and she will be helping us for 12 months. She will also be involved with our work with children and youth. She loves small children and are a trained music teacher. This is the two areas in which we currently have a need for people with expertise. We are amazed at how God is provided for so many needs through her coming! Please pray for her workpermit which we recently applied for. Also pray for her preparations in coming here. We are expecting her on the 9th of December. Holly is very excited about this opertunity to serve God in the mission field.

"Youth Evangelism Explosion"

The youth of Mpulungu enjoyed their "Youth Evangelism Explosion" so much that they decided to present it to the youths of a neighbouring town. They practiced very hard for the event that took place on the 11th of October. The numbers of the people who attended the event was not as they expected,but the comments of those who did, was very encouraging. They definitely want the group to come again. Mariska and Riaan worked hard as they were part of those organizing the event.

Good News II on the internet!

For those of you that have internet available, please the following website to see the videos made by an outreach group that visited us last yearAugust. This will help you to form a picture of what the area looks like.

http://www.youtube.com/inservice4jesus

Thank you very much for your prayers and support to us and to Good News II Ministry!

Div, Eleanor, Riaan en Mariska

Lake Tanganyika Prison Ministry

I've started working on updating the LTPrayer website and while I searched for something on the internet today I found this on the Prison Ministry work that they are doing. I was just so amazed at finding this and was also excited to watch what other people had experienced while doing mission work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzaxPFq8Ytk

It's truly amazing what God is doing in Africa!

Lake Tanganyika - August 2008 Part 2

We have had so much going on we had to do a follow up in a second blog!! Praise the Lord!!!

England Outreach Group

Die group departed Mpulungu by bus yesterday and reached Lusaka at 5:15am this morning. They're flying back on 23 August to South Africa and England. We thank the Lord for everything that he did in and through each of them. They were a huge incentive to us and the Lord used them to give us new perspective. Each one of them also gave their full and helped with Riaan and Mariska's school work, guitar lessons, painting and the making of apparatus for the school and a lot of other things.

We thank the Lord for everyone that's willing to take on his long and hard road to Mpulungu!! Thank you for their obedience and eagerness to come and serve. The Lord is consistant and each person normally receives more than what they can even think of giving. The Lord speaks deeply into each persons heart about his Message and the love that each Christian has for those among us that are lost. The obedience of especially the Zambian missionaries reaches each one deeply.

South African Outreach Group

Our next outreach group of 14 people departs on the 24 August from the Reebok and Velddrif areas and plan to arrive in Mpulungu on the evening of the 28th. We ask for prayer for the program:

24 Aug - Depart 11am and drive through the night
25 Aug - Go through border post just before lunch time. Drive to Francis Town and spend the
night
26 Aug - Go through Botswana/Zambia border, drive to Livingston and spend the night
27 Aug - Meet Div and spend the night in Kabwe
28 Aug - Long drive to Mpulungu

29 Aug - 7 Sept
Show Jesus film in villages in and around Mpulungu and Nsumbu, including exposure to the Good News II mission

8 Sept - 12 Sept
Drive back to South African via Victoria Falls

Please pray for all the arrangements, packing and driving!

Thank you for all your prayers
Blessings
Div, Eleanor, Riaan and Mariska

Lake Tanganyika - August 2008 Part 1

Youth Evangelism Explosion

The 3D Outreach is igniting a flame in the youth of Mpulungu. The group including Riaan and Mariska and the rest of the missionaries from Tanganyika is busy organizing a huge evangelism event for the 16 August. They are practicing hard at drama, dance and mimic in which they are going to share the gospel. On Saturday from 10am to 4pm there will be a large open air event to which the whole town has been invited to come and listen.

We believe that the Lord will touch lives, not only those who attend the event, but also the youth participating in each drama or dance. We know that some of them do not have a close relationship with Jesus yet, but the impact these young people have on their lives, we know will make permanent marks and will change their lives as they go forth.

We ask that you will please step in for this event. We are so grateful to the Lord for this event and that we can use the talents of the 3D outreach team. Each of them are truly a blessing for this mission!

Conference

Thank you for your prayers for the conference. Everything went well. Twenty four of us arrived safely at Kabwe from Mpulungu and returned again in the minibus and 3-ton truck. Our accommodation also worked out and each one of us had a place to stay. All the ProChristo missionaries came from their individual fields and each one had to report back about what has happened in there outreach in the past year. It's amazing to see what the Lord is doing all over the world.

As Good News II, we concentrated this year on what the Lord has done in the lives of our disciples. We had at least one or two people out of each village that shared their testimony's. Not everyone could give their testimony in English, but for those that could not the missionaries translated. This had a huge impact on the conference attendees and there were a lot of people with tears in their eyes. The reaction after our reports was that it was good to see the "fruit" of our work. Praise the Lord!!

Thank you for all your prayers and contributions to cover our expenses.

England Outreach Group

We had 4 South African that currently work in England come to do outreach work form 6 - 22 August. We were altogether 13 people in the house and it was hectic. The kids love all this activities! Die group included 3 teachers and they helped with the homeschooling, adult literacy, daycare school and all the other activities that are part of our mission. It is a blessing to have them here. One of the missionaries received a brand new guitar that someone in England donated. For him this was an answer to prayer as he's been prayer for one for a long time!! He had a guitar that he played on, but this belonged to Good News II. Now he has his own, a Yamaha and he's really proud about it. The other missionaries now receive intense lessons so they can use the other guitar.

Vegetable Tunnels

The vegetables in the tunnels are growing amazingly. The families come diligently every day to work in their individual tunnels. We pray that this project will bear a lot of fruit not just the kind that we can eat, but also the constant fruit in lives that are being worked in.

May the Lord bless each on of you

Blessings
Div, Eleanor, Riaan and Mariska

Lake Tanganyika News - July 2008

Warm greetings from a warm Mpulungu and a cold South Africa! We hope that each and everyone of you are doing well and that the Lord is still active in your thoughts everyday. We're doing well. The complaints that we have is not worth mentioning and the ongoing downfall of the exchange rate of the Kwacha against the Rand we cannot do anything about. The Lord stays in control and we should live each day obediently.

3D Outreach

It has been a real blessing to received the group of people from 3D Outreach. They were very tired when they arrived after being on the road for 3 days of early morning and late nights. It was a positive experience for both of us to meet one another. While they were staying with us one of the men looked at our computer and fixed some of the problems we were experiencing. It also seems that they could send someone in the future to assist us in making a video. They are also willing to support us with information and product that are in there reach.

In the end a group of 4 instead of 5 young people joined us. Our house grew from 4 to 8 people. There is a lot more work around the house and kitchen, but the more hands the lighter the work! They are also involved in all the aspects of our ministry and after two and a half weeks each one knows were they fit in and what they had to do. Because they are all young people they fitted in very well with our youth. One of the students previously worked with "Youth of Christ" for 4 years and brought a lot of wonderful ideas to the group.

Tunnels

After an unexpected setback in our water supply we are almost finished with the preparation work for the set up of the vegetable tunnels. The water is necessary to compact the soil before the tunnels can finally be installed. The seeds have been sown and soon the 4 families will be able to plant the new plants in black bags and into the vegetable tunnels. We are looking forward to the first crop and to make food for the prison ministry.

School

Riaan begins with his "mock exams" in Zambia on Thursday, 17 July. Mariska has had a variety of teachers since the 3D group has been here and they are helping her with Science and English. She's enjoying it a lot and something have a hard time realizing that she's actually in school. The children participate in all the activities provided for the youth including dance and drama!

Youth

After the Global Day of Prayer the youth have been busy with "90 Days of Blessings". They go out into the community on Saturdays and help with practical work in and around the houses. They focus a lot on older people who need help with cleaning and collecting water.

Conference

ProChristo yearly Conference will be from 1 - 5 August this year. Our group wants to take some of the missionaries disciples with us to this year, to show then a wider group of Christians and to show them how many missionaries work in other parts of the continent. They must also testify what a difference the missionaries make in there environment.

We are planning on taking the Kombi and 3-ton truck to Kabwe so we will have enough space for everyone. This also means we have to organize more accommodation and meals for them.

Outreach Groups

We're expecting two outreach groups after the conference. The first group are 4 people from England will be with us from 6 - 22 August. Three of the four are teachers so Riaan and Mariska will have additional teachers for a couple of weeks. The second group are supporters for the NG Gemeente Reebok (Dutch Reformed Church). They will depart on the 24 August via vehicle. They plan to be here from 1 - 8 September before they return home. We are not shore how many will come, but we expect a large group and are very excited about the work they will be doing. They are coming mainly to show the Jesus film, but will also participate in our building activities.

Prayer Requests

• Praise the Lord for his grace over each person

• Pray for all the preparations the outreach groups have to do before they can depart


• Pray for the conference as well as the transportation and other arrangements


• Pray for the Lord blessings on the vegetable project


• Pray for Riaans exams


• Pray that the Lord will touch the lives of the youth


• Pray that we will be obedient to the Lord and pray for wisdom in decision making


• Pray for our relationship with the Lord

May the Lord give you peace!

Div, Eleanor, Riaan and Mariska

Masincedane Club assisting Missionaries

A group of physically disabled people from the Dutch Reformed Church in Heidelberg, South Africa, made and donated bags to the missionaries at Lake Tanganyika. The Masincedane Club is giving their members the opportunity to have an active and positive contribution towards society by running programmes in which the people are stimulated and trained into various skills, like carpentry, needlecraft, fabric painting, pottery, bead work, ect. They also get computer lessons and participate in sport.

The missionaries are very grateful towards this group of special people for contribution towards their work, of spreading the Word of God, in such a practical way. The gift is helping them to do their work easier.

Together we are working to enlarge God's kingdom!

Special words of thanks from the missionaries:

"I write to express my gratitude towards the help you rendered to me. I gladly receive the gift of a bag you sent to me. Thanks to you. It is serving a purpose in God's ministry. May the Lord bless you all. May you prosper in all that you do. I will be praying for you." by Donald Mwape

'Thank you very much for your love and car you have shown to us in sending the special made bags. Hope God is keeping you safe. I pray that God will bless your work and your lives."

Ps. 71:1 "In you O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame." by Ethel Shibeleka

"Thank you for your generosity! I received your gift with all my heart. May the Lord richly meet you in His special way. You have sown into God's kingdom and you have done it for the sake of expanding the Kingdom of God. Count it all joy and keep on pressing towards your goal for you reward is set apart in heavenly dwellings"

Matt. 6:19-21 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is there your heart will be also."

Col. 1:26-27 "The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is not disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of his mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." by Kennedy Mwape

Good News II Missionaries

Current picture of the all the Good News II missionaries and children!!

Lake Tanganyika News - June 2008

Dear Prayer Supporters,

Riaan received his marks for his SAT exams and we are extremely thankful for he received a total of 76%. SATs are international exams that are required for children leaving High School and thinking of going to college. They test you in Math, Science and English. He's currently hard at work preparing for the Zambian exams. Thank you for all your prayers!!

3D Outreach Group

We ask that you please pray for the 5 young people and the leaders from their organization as they finalize their preparations in travelling to us. There will be approximately 10 people leaving Saturday Morning, 14 June. They hope to depart really early so they can reach the border before it opens. Their hope is to sleep in the Northern part of Botswana on Saturday night, Sunday evening in Kabwe and Monday evening in Mpulungu. This is a very busy schedule and we ask that you please pray for them especially when they go through the border posts. The group will be travelling in two double cab trucks with two small trailers. Please pray for the safety of the vehicles on this long journey on these unknown roads. The leaders of the group will stay with us for one or two days and will then return on so they can be back in the office on the 23 June.

Vegetable Tunnels

The 3D outreach group is bringing vegetable tunnels for us so we can produce vegetables for our prison ministry. We are very excited about this project. We are going to involve the people that currently work with us in this project. The crop from each tunnel will be used partly for the prison ministry and partly for the care of their families. This will be the first time that we will have something that will be able to generate funds to assist in the funding for a ministry. Some of the vegetables will also be sold so we will be able to buy the rest of the things that we need for the preparation of the food for the prison ministry.

Prison Ministry Testimony

It is always great to know that there is fruit from the labor. One of the people that work with us recently heard the wonderful news from another women in his village, who attended a funeral in one of the other villages. After the service on of the men got up and shared that he had been in prison and that someone had shared the Good News Message with them and that he had given his hart to Jesus. He also said that the same people provided him with food while he was in prison. He was very happy that the message was shared with him.

Please continue to pray for each person that provides the message to people in prisons and for each person receiving the glorious message. We are very fortunate by the blessing that God has provided for us so we can continue with this ministry.

Thank you

Thank you to every supporter! Thank you for your prayers! Thank you that you carry us in your thoughts. Together we are the Body and together we do what the Lord has called us to do. We pray thus for you: Eph. 1:15-21

"For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelations, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his comparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him for the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come."

Div, Eleanor, Riaan and Mariska

Lake Tanganyika News - May 2008

Since Div is back from South Africa, the work on the boot is in full force. Michael Stemmet came for 10 days to share his knowledge with Div and the other men. They basically have to rebuild the whole inside of the boat and then wrap it with fiberglass.

As soon as the boat is finished, Div will look for appropriate dates to explore the rest of the lake and will then apply his recent "reseach"knowledge. This will provide INSERV with the necessary information that they require to produce a map of the area.

Jetty

Work on the jetty is going forward, although not very fast. Less than a meter under ground level they found a rock boulder. This will have to be removed piece by piece. We want to make sure that the jetty is at least 2 meters deep so that the boat can be anchored with ease. The water level is at its highest at the moment due to all the rain we've had the past couple of months and we expect the water level to drop a meter. Luckily Tanganyika is a deep lake and the ground level declines fast once you're a couple of meters into the water, but there is still a lot of rock and soil that have to be removed and all of that by hand!

Riaan's Exams

Riaan says that it went well with his exams. He was one of 10 people in the examination room, all from different nationalities. The results will be available via internet in a couple of weeks. He's currently busy preparing for the Zambian grade 12 exams. He's on a strict schedule as the "mock exams" as the Zambians call it will be next month and the finale exams in late October.

Mwanangwa Village Outreach

We are focused on getting the 3 men that went on the discipleship training, more involved with our ministry. Laban is busy full time on our food preparation team for the prison ministry and delivers the message there regularly. The other two, Ringwell and Lewis, is involved with a village approximately 10km from us, where two years ago in September an outreach group from South Africa showed the Jesus film. They go there one afternoon a week. We are looking into sending them there more regularier so they can start with church planting. This is a desire they have revealed as neither of them have been involved in church planting before. This is quite a distance and we hope to provide bicycles for transportation in the near future.

Global Day of Prayer

The Christians in Mpulungu came together with the rest of the people in the world to pray for all the nations on the 11th May. The Good News II missionaries organized this day. In spite of the small percentage of Christians in the town, we still had a large group of people from different churches come together on the soccer field.

The Youth was eager to participate in this day of prayer and fasting. They started days before with fasting and prayer. Inspired by an international video about previous years of global prayer days, they made a banner and ran through the streets in Mpulungu to encourage people to attend the prayer. The message on the banner was "Youth Power, we are praying for Africa! Are you?"

3D-Outreach

We are really excited to say that we will be 5 people (men and women) stronger. A bunch of young people from South Africa will come to stay with us for practical missionary experience and internship. We are grateful for the extra hands! They will start their trip to us on the 14 June and will stay for 10 weeks.

Childrens commitment in the Community

Riaan does service every Monday in the clinic in Mpulungu. He works every Monday in a different section. He enjoys the exposure and is building relationships with the medical staff and other people that work there. They recently had a man with severe burns; due to a gas can that exploded. Riaan kept himself brave, but had to get some fresh air after a while. This week he assisted with a man that needed to receive stitches for wounds on his head and face that he received from a fight with another man with a rock. Riaan says that the patient was definitely the loser in the fight. The patient wasn't completely awake, but it still took a couple of men to keep him down so they could give him stitches. He was taken to a better equipped clinic in Mbala later that day.

Mariska is involved with the children's ministry. She walks every Wednesday afternoon with Ethel to a village approximately half an hour from us. There she helps with the teaching of the lesson, singing and playing with the kids.

Prayer Requests

• Please pray for general protection of our health
• Pray for the 3D-Outreach groups financial arrangements and trip to us - Thank the Lord for the help that he's sending, but also pray that we will give them the correct support and guidance.
• Pray for Ringwell, Lewis and Laban's relationship with the Lord. Also pray for their families.
• Pray for Riaan's preparation for his exams
• Pray that we will always look to the Lord for guidance in each situation

We always thank the Lord for each of you, for your support and prayers!!

Blessings

Div, Eleanor, Riaan en Mariska

Lake Tanganyika News - April 2008

Greetings form a sunny Zambia!! The rainy season is drawing to a close and we are entering the time of year when it can become really hot during most hours of the day. People's energy levels are low and the best time to do physical work is early in the morning, just after sunrise. With few people having eletricity, going to bed early at night and getting up before sunrise, is the normal way of life. Lack of a good nutritious diet also contributes to low energy levels and that is why you see people resting in the shad of trees around midday. We might think that people are unproductive, but they are just ordering their working hours in a day differently that us, and that for practical reasons.

Div is in South Africa receiving training at a company call INSERV. They collect data on the location of different tribes and people groups, specifically for the use of missions and prayer. Div is planning to do more research along the shores of Lake Tanganyika, this time in the areas outside of Zambia. While he will travel many miles, he might as well collect the date in a proper way so that the information can be complete and usable by the people updating books like Operation World and other publications. INSERV covers Southern African and all information is available for anyone, in particular for mission organizations needing it to know where unreached people groups are in order to focus their church planting projects, evangelism, prayer, ect.

For a long time now, we have been searching for a detailed map of the Lake Tanganyika area, and finally came upon people who can help us. INSERV is busy compiling one for us and Div will get it from them when he finishes his traning.

We managed to hand in our paperwork, on all the items brought into the country, on time and are now waiting for the reply from the Ministry of Finance. Thank your for all your prayers!

Please continue praying for Riaan who will travel to Lusaka by bus to write his SAT exams on the 3rd May.

Day Care Centre

We started with a playgroup at the Day Care Centre. Our focus is on orphan children and our intent is to have no more than 15 children in the class. Our missionaries, working in the dirrerent Children's Ministry groups will assess the situation of each child and through them we will invite the ones who are truly orphaned and vulnerable. We do not have sufficient funds at this time and therefore want to start small and let it grow as time progresses. We already identified 10 children of which 8 reported for school. Ethel is the lady who is currently teaching the children. She is one of the Good News Missionaries. Althouh she has no formal traning, she has an excellent ability to work with children.

We recently received a visit from 4 ladies who assisted us with curriculum and lesson plans for the school. They also made apparatus and decorated the classroom for us. Two of the girls were from Germany, one from England and one from New Zealand. We were blessed that two of them were preschool teachers! We are very grateful to the Lord for their willingness to come and help us for 10 days.

Discipleship

Three of the local families in Mpulungu, recently finsished a 90-day discipleship traning at our training base in Kabwe. The three men have been working with us for almost two years now. We have built into their lives and they are in thruth showing a great deal of potential. We know that the Lord wants us to use them to shine His light in Mpulungu. We decided to send them for extra exposure and traning in the Word of God. While they were out, we cared for their older children who had to stay behind and attend school, making sure that they at least had enought to eat.

After their return, all of them testified about God's goodness in allowing them to learn so many things which are not heard in the local churches. We are excited to see the growth in their lives and how eager they now are to spread the wonderful truths they had learned. One of the ladies already cooked a meal for her neighbours and invited the women so she could share with them what she had learned.

Please pray for these families as it will not be easy for them. The enemy is not happy over what has happened and will do anything in his power to stop the good news of Jesus Christ from being spread further. Some of the people in their home churches already treat them with suspicion (typical of a witchcraft culture).

We, however, are very positive. They are not strangers in the town or the culture. When they go out and spread the message, it is much easier form people to relate to them, rather than to us, because they share it from within their cultural wordview. They know which examples to use to make the message more understandable. Africa believes that Christianity is the religion of the white people and that it is not meant for them. If their fellow brothers, who are Christains, bring the message and live Jesus out in the workplace, it has a much bigger impact. Please pray that God will protect these 3 families and that they will stay committed to their calling. From our side we would like to assist them as far as possible, so please pray for strategies on how that should be done.

Youth Camp

During the weekend of 10-13 April the Good News II missionaries hosted a camp for the youth. We invited youth from all the churches in and around Mpulungu. It was held at a camping site 30 km outside of town. Riaan and Mariska joined in. The missionaries teamed up two-two and presented different subjects relevant to young people. The Good News II missionaries did an excellent job in presenting truths from the bible and witnessed through the way they conducted themselves throughout the weekend in and out of class. The youth are positive and eager to learn more. Please pray that the youth will grow in their walk with the Lord and that they will really learn how to have a true relationship with the living God.

One of the missionaries, Callen, has been invited to attend a youth gathering this coming Saturday at one of the churches where more thatn 300 youth will gather. They heard about the teachings on the camp and also want to learn more. These young people are hungry!

Boat

The rainy season is almost someting of the past. A team of 3 men are currently working on the jetty on our property. Because of winds that occur on the lake, Div has decided that the jetty will not be build out onto the water, but that a trench will be dug inland, so that the anchored boat will have some protection form the waves.

On Div's return from South Africa, work on the boat will start. In the mean time, the hull of the boat has been moved onto the grounds of the Day Care Centre. All the wood, for putting in the ribs and for building the framework of the boat, has already been bought. The term "buying of wood" has quite a different meaning to what it has in town. We send someone to move from village to village, finding out where people are chopping down trees and cutting them into planks. Our carpenter was way for more than 2 weeks "buying wood" in the villages along the shores of the lake. When the planks reached Mpulungu it had to be reported to the Ministry of Agriculture for paying of taxes.

Prayer

Nothing we do here happens without resistance from the enemy. We therefore need a lot of prayer covering. Amongst ourselves we have started with an extra hour of prayer each day. This involves all the missionaries and each person prays as an individual at the time that suites him/her best. We are very encouraged by the commitment that Riaan and Mariska are showing in keeping their hour of prayer each day.

Please continue praying for us, also accourding to the points mentioned above.

Thank you and may God bless you richly.

Div, Eleanor, Riaan and Mariska

Prayer Request for Lake Tanganyika

Day Care Centre

We recently started a playgroup with orphan children, every Thursday morning. Pray that God will touch the hearts and minds of these children and that they will grow to love Him and live for Him. Pray that they will break with the lies of their culture and tradition, which has a witchcraft foundation. Pray for Ethel and Uncle Joe that is currently involved with the work. Pray Numbers 6:24-26 for the children.

Villages

Pray for the villages along the shores of Lake Tanganyika where the Good News II missionaries are planting churches; Gift and Judicious in Nzovwe village, Lewis and Muhandu in Tongwa Village and Peter, Kennedy and Donald in Katete. Peter and his team are mobilizing the existing churches of Nsumbu to reach out to the lost. Pray for the local people who have never heard or made a choice for Jesus. Pray for the work that is done in Mpulungu village where Uncle Joe, Callen and Lucy and Ether are working in the local churches with the children and youth. Callen and Lucy were recently blessed with a baby boy. Pray John 5:24

Global Day of Prayer

Please pray for the arrangements for the Global day of Prayer on the 11th May. Pray that the leaders from the different denominations will understand this united day of prayer and that God will open their hearts and minds that the body can pray in unity in Mpulungu. Pray also for the prayer room that we opened. Pray that God will raise up committed and serious people to pray for His Kingdom to come in this area.

Good News II

Three local families, working with the Good News II team, have just finished the two month discipleship training in Kabwe (ProChristo training base, Zambia). Pray for them as they are settling back into their community and living out the biblical principles they have been taught. Pray that God will protect their hearts and minds against the onslaught of the enemy. Pray that they will stand frim and keep their eyes on the Lord Jesus. Pray that God will bless them and that they will be salt and light in Mpulungu.

People of Lake Tanganyika

Pray for the lost people of Lake Tanganyika who are living in the bondages of darkness. Pray that the children of God will spread the good news about salvation and that their ears will be opened and that they will turn from their wicked ways. Drunkenness, immorality, practicing of wichcraft, ect. is a lifestyle associated with the local people. Thank God for His love and mercy for them and pray Rom 10:13.

Tanganyika News - March 2008

It is good to be back home after our visit to South Africa! Thank you for praying for us during the time we were out. We spent many hours and long distances travelling from Mplulungu to South Africa and back in a three ton truck. The purpose of our trip was to buy items that we needed for the ministry. On our way back home we spent time on the borders of South Africa and Zambia to do the necessary paperwork for exporting and importing of the goods that we purchased. This is always a time of testing to see if you have fully developed the skill of being patient. It is a lengthy process and you have a lot of time to really pray and intercede for the "not-always-honest"activities which is so much part of a border post in Africa.

We bought a trailer for the truck, furniture for the Orphan Day Care Centre and everthing we need to build and restore an old hull into a much needed fibre glass boat for the ministry. God provided money through individuals and churches and also through donations received from friends and members of Naomi's church who decided against spending money on flowers and rather invest it into God's Kingdom in a practical way. Thanks to each and every one who contributed.

We also thank our two sending churches, members of our supporting cell (small) groups, family and friends for receiving us with warm hearts during the time we spent in South Africa. We always treasure the time we spent with the people that God has raised up to be part of the ministry He has placed us in.

"Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occastion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." 2 Corinthians 9:10-11

The building of the boat will start towards the middle of May. We will rely on a person, who has previous experience in working with fiber glass, to come and help and train us with the work on the boat. It is currently raining in Zambia and we need to wait for the weather to become dry, which is more favourable for working with fiber glass.

Invitation: We would like to invite any person who has knowledge of boat-building or working with fiberglass to come on an outreach to Lake Tanganyika to assist us with this enormous task!

Paperwork
As a mission organization, we are exempt from paying import taxes on goods. We received a special order on the Zambian border to transport the goods we purchased in South Africa into the country. We are now in the process of applying for a voucher from the Ministry of Finance in order to finalize the paperwork. In order to do this, we need to visit many offices and and travel between Lusaka and the border of entry. This process almost always leads to a lot of headaches seeing that the human factor or error can never be counted out.

Riaan, our son, is writing his SAT exams on the 3rd of May 2008. He is working very hard in preparing himself for this. He needs to do extra work three mornings a week. At the end of the year he will also write the Grade 12 Zambian examinations. He is currently working through exam papers of previous years and needs to study 2 extra subjects that are not covered in his Sunlight Curriculum. And on top of this he is still continuing with his current Sonlight Curriculum.

Prayer requests:

• Please pray that the paperwork for the imported goods will be finished quickly and successfully.
• Please pray for wisdom with the building of the boat.
• Please pray for Riaan and his schoolwork!
• We would like to thank God for giving Callen and Lucy Silwamba (a missionary couple in Mpulungu) a healthy baby boy!! Jonathan was born on the 3rd of March. This was a special day for Lucy as it was her birthday which she already shares with her father!

We greet you with the words of Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit"

Greetings in Christ

Div and Eleanor du Plessis

Library Support

Background

• The town of Mpulungu had no library or any access to books form 1998 - when Mpulungu became a distric and all the library books that existed up to then were moved to Mbala (a town 40 km away) - until May 2007 - when the library project was launched.
• Very little publications are currently available in the local dialects, Mambwe, Lungu and Bemba.

Library

• The libary opened in May 2007 and at the moment contain about 600 christian books, as well as another 70 general topic & educational books that have been donated.
• The libary is located at Mpulungu Civic Centre, Walamo Hall, Niamkilo Road, Mpulungu District, Zambia and serves Mpulungu Township and district as a whole - with around 10, 000 readers - of which 70% are children.
• The Mpulungu District Councel has provided a librarian to work in the library(opening hours are from 8am to 5pm)

Focus of Project

• To provide positive reading material in English, as well as the local dialects
• To impact children in a positive way
• To provide material for use in school assignments
• To promote a reading culture in the society
• To expand the worldview of the children & youth

Support Required

We are in need of the following items for the Library:

• Books (especially children books)
• encyclopedias
• dictionaries
• atlases
• education books (covering subjects like English, Science, Geography and Mathematics)
• fiction books
• non-fiction books
• games (chess, checkers, videos, puzzles, ect.)
• videos

The game and uplifting videos are used on Saturday and Sunday afternoons during pre-arranged game times for the children and youth.

Please consider a monthly support for the expansion of the library to provide the books required to open the world of reading to the children and youth of Mpulungu.

Orphan Support

"Therefore, we should teach children in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it" Proverbs 22:6

Statistics shows that 83% of all Christians today make a first time commitment to the Lord between the ages of 0 and 14 years.

We need to raise a new generation of believers who worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.

Background

• The latest census showed that Mpulungu has a population of +- 40,000 people. The ratio of children to adult is about 7 to 2 (approximately 31,100 children to 8,900 adults). Many of the 31,000 children in Mpulungu are orphans or vulnerable children.
• One out of very five people in Zambia has Aids (approximately 20% of the population), as per reported cases. Based on the infrastructure and education levels, we can assume that the percentage of people who have contracted the Aids virus, are much highter. This has an enormous impact on the community and the children and further on the extended families in Mpulungu.
• Schooling for orphans in Zambia is free at government schools up to grade 7. Although schooling conditions are poor and the education is not of a hight standard. At this point there are no Christian schools in Mpulungu.

There is an enormous need among children and young people ages 0 to 21, both spiritually and physically.

• The P.A.O.G. (Pentecostal Assemblies of God) church in Mpulungu started an orphan support program in 2002, supporting 21 orphans from the community. Currently (2007) this program supports 52 orphans.
• The Lord convicted the church through James 1:27 and Isaiah 58:1-8 to give care and support to the orphans and vulnerable children.
• This support includes school uniforms, pens, books, ect.
• The orphans stay with their extended families and are helped with monthly food supplies.

Focus of Project

• To care for orphans and vulnerable children
• To work hand in hand with the local churches and the community in supporting the orphan children of the communtiy
• To look after the spiritual needs & the upliftment of the children
• To assist in their daily care exp. schooling, health and hygiene
• To contribute to future education
• Being a link between the churches and the wider body of Christ
• Helping with the adminitration and recoord keeping of the finances for the center

Current Activities

• The Lord provided money for the Day Care Orphan Center and a plot with building was purchased.
• A brick making machine was bought in order to make the bricks needed for additional building and future work.
• The building of an ouside ablution and kitchen is in process.
• The following agricultural project were started: Planting of a quarter hectare of maize and nursery for a vegetable garden
• Cleaning the areas, maintenance, electrical and plumbing work
• All the activities of Good News II Ministry (Sunday school training, youth meetings, prayer room, ect.) have moved to the premises.
• We are planning to buy the necessary chairs, tables, beds, closets, bookshelves, ect. in the near future.

With a monthly donation we can help to provide a vulnerable child with food, hygiene and school supplies.

Good News II Projects

We currently have a variety of ongoing project. I will list all of the project and will provide more information on each as we continue throughout the year.

• Orphan Support
• Boat Project
• Prison Ministry
• Playgroup project
• Adopt a village Project
• Building Project
• Library Project

Any donation towards these project will be handled through the ProChristo website via Give and Gain.

Du Plessis News - January 2008

Dear Prayer supporters,

It is wonderful to greet you in this very first month of 2008. We wish jou a prosperous new year. May 2008 be the year that each of us draw even closer to our Heavenly Father and know that we can trust him completely with everything. Remember, seach first for the Kingdom of God and all the rest will be given to us.

Thank you very much for all your commitment with us and what God placed on your harts to do. May you all receive God's riches glory!!! Thank you for all your prayers and all the care you take with us. Thank you for all the tasks that so much of you complete for us. We appericate it and love you dearly!

Since our last e-mails from December last year, we have been considerly busy, but also had a couple of days to relax and spend time with God and nature. Riaan and Mariska had a great time when two of there old friends from Masaiti, Joshua and Isreal came to visit. They spend a lot of time swimming in the lake. Between Christmas and New Year, a few missionaries from Kabwe, including a family that sponsors them came to visit. Luckely we all worked together to prepare meals for 16 people.

During the week before Christmas we organized a party for all the children and food for all the missionaries in the villages so they could have a wonderful meal with the members of their village. We wanted to spoil them with with food and sweets which they don't always get, but the main reason was to provide them with the main message of the Christmas Season.

On Monday, 24 December, the youth group decided to support their community through a hands on manner. From early that morning there was lots of activity in and around the house to make provisions for the afternoon lunch with patients in the hospital (really only a clinic) and for the prisoners in jail. A small group of the youth also washed and waxed the hospital floors. The hospital workers were touched by this gesture from the youth.

During the meal the youth went to the different sections and comforted and prayed for people. While they were praying for one of the children, that was really sick, he became much better and they could feel that God had made him better. For most of them this was the first time that they had seen the wonderful power of God and it had strenghend there faith.

It was very uplifting to see the youth do this work even as it was a rainy day outside. In Mpulungu, as in most African towns, there is not much for young people to do and for them to work together was a wonderful adventure. Our prayer is that God will continue to work through them and to provide us with the opportunities to provide more such projects. We also hope that they saw that it's not necessary to give something to someone to serve them, but that your love and compassion for other people can be seen through your actions.

All the Good News II missionaries came together this year. We could reflect on the year gone by and prayed for God's strategy for us during 2008. I will also post the documents on what had been done during 2007.

We will depart for South Africa in a few days. Div, Eleanor and Mariska in a 3-ton truck. The main reason for our trip is to buy supplies for our mission. We plan to be in Tzaneen on the 26th to service the truck. This all depends on the paperwork we need to get in Lusaka. Please pray, that this will take place within two days, as it can take a lot longer. Please pray that all with go well with all the supplies that needs to be purchased.

The children will begin with a new school year and we ask that you will pray for them especially. Riaan is busy with his last year and has lots of work. In addition to his normal school work, he has to do extra work for all the other exams he has to do complete during this year.

Love and blessings
Div, Eleanor, Riaan en Mariska