News and School Programs

Its been such a long time since I have talked about the work here. It has been continuing on several fronts rather quietly in the first few months of the year.

1) We have been working on repairing and sourcing parts for the 900 sq metre marquee tent that was donated to us for the work in Malawi. This has been a little bit of a headache for me as I felt quite responsible to ensure that this thing will be safe and secure when it arrives in Malawi.

Everything has worked out well so I am very grateful that for small cost we have been able to repair all the canvas , replace half the rachets, source 50 7.5 kilo tent pegs, and repair the cabling that is needed to ultimatley secure the tent.

This is now very nearly done and should be shipped up to Malawi in the next month.

Repairing the canvas: one of three massive pieces of canvas. Thank God for the space!

2) Along side the marquee I've also been working on the some Bible classes that can be translated and printed in local languages in Malawi and other countries. This has been alot of work and quite laborious!

3) I am so thrilled with our work in the High Schools. We now have a regular weekly student Christian meeting in three Diepsloot High Schools. This has just been so rewarding. We know that many of these teenagers are facing a geat deal of pressure bnoth at home and school. We have had a great response. At the end of every meeting we ask the students for their written prayer reqests and we have been getting such a big insight into their lives and the pressures they face.

Girls from Paradise Bend School.

Volunteers, Christiaan, Tina and Phoebe with teenagers from Diepsloot Combined School.

Young people from Paradise Bend School.

We have now been given permission to bring our camper truck into the school to open a mobile Christian library and counseling center so that we can be at the school for the whole of the day.

Finally here are some pictures!

We were so happy to have a visit from our son Sam in February. he has grown up alot and having just passed his driving was quite disparaging about my driving!

He is living in Paris and doing a full time French course which he says he is picking up quickly. Having only learnt, "Bonjour", in three years at school , this is really quite amazing. Having a French girlfriend seems to be quite the incentive!

Gem loved having her big brother around!

Ahh so nice when he's all grown up!!!!

Here are some pictures of our recent holiday in Durban.
Natasha by the beach which was a two minute walk from our campsite/hotel.

Three kids in tents and Mum, dad and Gem in the camper. So everybody had their own space and could do their own thing!

Amanda chilling by the pool!

Suki and Gem watching something in the camper.

Gem successfully learnt to ride a bike on holiday.

It was great as training wheels were left at home and she just took off the first time without the usual bumps and scratches. She did great!

The Moods of Gem! Never too long before a smile!





Shawn and Amanda about to be wiped out by a humungous wave

Shawn leads the withdrawal from the battering waves!

Amanda and Suki loving it!

Sun and sand !

Shawn !

School Program

We had so much fun practicing our new play "Who is the master?" We ended up using it in two school programs and really enjoyed ourselves. Our team of young people was up to 15 for these programs and we are looking to do more in the New Year.
Checkout the original play on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD9G2UHTttg.
Both Shawn and Amanda participated.

Amanda and Ellie make up the tree in the garden of Eden

Adam and Eve sample the fruit


After the fruit prisoners to Satan (Shawn)

As Jesus dies on the cross bearing the sins of many, Satan thinks he is victorious.

Just when you thought Jesus was defeated and Satan victorious, the tables are turned by the resurrection!

The young person (Tony) at the beginning of the Set Me Free play.

Applause at the end of Set me free.

Pakistan Conclusions--- (7th Post)

Well I wanted to try and put the visits to Pakistan in perspective to show how they have worked and advanced the work there so here is a little summary.

1st Visit 2008 Summer

We primarily visited the prisons, adult education program and held a five day Bible Conference for 60 people.

We saw Yaqoob's work first-hand and got to know him well for the first time.

2nd Visit 2009 Spring

We spent more time in Green Town and saw the need for translating and printing literature. After that visit money was raised for the printing of 1000 Urdu Foundation Stones late 2009 and in 2010 we printed 1500 Obstacles Are For Overcoming Books and 3000 tracts. Without the visit it is unlikely these initiatives would have been taken.

3rd Visit Autumn 2010

Once again the Lord opened the door for us to spend considerable time in Green Town (8 consecutive days). Yaqoob has focussed on prison outreach, church and adult education previously but after this visit much more emphasis will be placed on local outreach, challenging young people to be sowers of Gods word and leading people to the Lord in the highways and byways of Lahore . Also by making contact with other churches in the area we hope to build a more united church front with churches ministries complementing each other and working together for a common cause.

All in all we feel the work is building up nicely as well as being lots of fun!

Many Many Friends (6th Post)

Due to spending so much time in Green Town, some very strong friendships were forged during our times of prayer and reading Gods word.

First of all with Yaqoob. His wife being away with their children, I was able to stay in his apartment so we plenty of time for talking and discussion which, on previous visits we had had to try to schedule in. He looked after me so very well. In three visits I have not had a single upset tummy! He is extremely faithful and, as we would say in the Uk, "a very safe pair of hands."


Sikandah was a nother young pastor who joined us for just about every session. He invited me to baptise some people at his church. Yaqoob eventually said it was probably better I didn't due to my situation as a foreigner visiting, but I think in retrospect I should have really! Next time..! A true friend and hard worker in Gods Kingdom.


Gulshan is the wife of a "out of work"pastor who lives in the Green Town area. She attended every day of the Bible conference, the Youth meeting, the Sunday service and three sessions of Bible studies in the second week. She really was a truly lovely lady with a beautiful meek and quiet spirit; an excellent mentor for the younger girls. She and her husband will be joining Yaqoob for prison ministry and outreach.


Shazzard and Shakila are two recently married young people from Green town who Yaqoob is considering having as full time staff. They can be supported for up to as little as £45.00 a month. She is a trained architect and he is an excellent worship leader. God willing they will support Yaqoob in the work in Green Town and beyond. he has already been a faithful prison visitor.


Six sisters who attended the Bible conference and Youth Meeting. very precious especially the eldest Shammiah second from left. One evening I had closed with song St Francis's Prayer "Lord make me an instrument of your peace."


At the end of the service she insisted I play it again so she could record it on her mobile phone. Then she came the next night having learned it all and offered to sing it with me! (By the way it is not Pakistani custom to smile in a photograph!)


This lady really helped Yaqoob with the layout and printing of our books. She now has set up a little computer training centre in Green Town...the first of its kind! We hope to put some of the leading members of the church through the course.


Yaqoob's nephew and niece, Shazzar and Umrah. I spent a lovely couple of hours with them in Multan. They were just so sweet and she is a great fan of Joyce Meyer which was quite interesting. I showed them pictures of South Africa from the blog and ...it was just fun!


The three sisters! Hanna , Fozzia and Mary. They all attended every session. Keen to join outreach and prison teams and flood relief team. The latter in unlikely as in this conservative society their father would not permit them to spend a night away from home.


Yaqoobs brother (centre) heads up the Campus Crusade Operation in Multan. We visited on our way to flood relief and I was invited to speak at a small gathering of their staff.


Yaqoob's brother-in-law is the headmaster of primary school. We stayed the night with him prior to flood relief and he also asked me to adress the school. I told the story of Samuel hearing Gods voice in the night and advised them to listen to God, their parents and teachers and their brothers and sisters..(in that order oreferably!)


A lovely Christian family near the flood area. They live in the large compound of a huge power station. Lovely housing, and facilities..school, clinic, gym ..all flooded but already restored. They were very hospitable and we held a little service in their living room before going to flood relief. And I got to ride around the compound with their children before lunch!

Final words: I have a second home. Wonderful sweet receptive people.

Church, Adult Education and Leaders Bible Classes (5th Post)

On Sunday we had a church service. The children opened with some songs and memorized verses.


At the end certificates of adult education were awarded. For the last few years Yaqoob has run an adult education course in the heart of Green Town the Christian colony where he has his church. It was good to see the fruit of his labours as all the participants are reading fluently.


Farah receiving her certificate


The graduates all together


Some of his church staff. The girls in the front are sisters, Hanna, Fozzia, and Mary. They run the Sunday school and are soon to start prison ministry.



Once again we had trouble getting permission for the prisons however it meant we had
substantial time for further Bible studies with some of the ones who responded from the Bible Conference!


Summary of one of my classes on the second Coming! Figure it out if you can!

Still to come ...Many Many Friends

Flood Relief (4th Post)

Pakistan was hit earlier in the year with massive floods rendering millions homeless. We visited one particular village with up to 300 Muslim families. Flood warnings the day before the flood were met with disbelief. The last flood had occurred 120 years previously and that had only been 1 foot of water. However that night 8 foot of water came through the village destroying houses and sending the villagers fleeing for their lives.



Though they returned to their villages the a majority are now facing a freezing winter in tents with all their possessions gone, taken by the flood.



We visited the village to see firsthand the devastation and talk with the imam who would organize the relief we were bringing: physical aid in the form of warm duvets for the winter and staple foodstuffs; spiritual aid in the form of tracts and a new book, "Obstacles are Overcoming", recently printed in Urdu



We asked the Imam if we could share a message of hope and Salvation with he villagers and pass out Christian literature and he gladly agreed.


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Yaqoob shared a message with them and then we distributed the tracts and books. I t was wonderful to see so many come forward to receive this literature: seed sown in broken and receptive hearts. Over 150 books were distributed along with 300 tracts, one entitled the Prince of Peace and the other Promises of Power in Times of Trouble which each contained many New Testament Scriptures as well as words of encouragement.









All the men and women lined up in orderly queues to receive the duvets and foodstuffs we had brought. We were very impressed with their dignity though clearly anxiety was etched on their faces to receive this life saving aid.








With the very grateful Imam. He said "These are our Christian brothers who are better than our Muslim brothers; because they say they will bring help and they do..whereas our Muslim brothers say they will bring help and don't!"


All in all we were so happy to sow the needed physical items as well as the the live-giving seed of God's word in such fertile soil. Yaqoob will keep returning to this village helping them.

Still to come Adult Education Graduation, Church Leaders Bible Study, and Many Many Friends!