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