Red Hill By Headlights

Last night we were in Red Hill, the community where we have been working to do relief work after the fires that swept through there. One of our teams did a gospel drama by the light of cars shining on the actors. The wind was whipping sand in our faces, but the people of Red Hill were drawn into the simple drama story portraying a father who drove out his daughters for prostituting themselves (a big problem in disadvantaged communities: very poor people do desperate things), then took them back at the urging of a man with a message of forgiveness. Several people accepted Christ.

Our teams have labored long hours in Red Hill, but they now near the end of "Phase Four" of the relief work. We are transitioning to longer term development work and to planting simple home based churches. We are dreaming about Red Hill experiencing transformation.

One man in Red Hill named Sydney was convinced there were demons or spirits under his shack home. He believed these spirits were more powerful that God. His little son work up every night screaming from bad dreams. The local sangoma (witch doctor) promised to take care of the problem for a lot of money. But one of the couples on our team offered to pray with Sydney, and since that day his son has not experienced one bad dream. Sydney has opened his heart to Jesus in a new way, and poured a concrete floor in his shack home!

One of the keys to transformation in Red Hill is servant leadership. It is the key to changing Africa. There is a desperate need for a new generation of leaders and a new expression of the church of Jesus Christ, making disciples, training servant leaders, and planting holistic church planting movements that preach good news and live good news to the poor and needy.

Thank you for standing with us to make a difference in Africa,