Dear friends and brothers/sisters in Christ, 2015 rushed to its end! This is our last news for the year and we pray that you will have a blessed Christmas season with family and loved ones. Our sincere thanks for all of your support through the year – without your prayers and support we cannot remain standing in the mission field. The Taberna Dei team from Kimberley did a weekend outreach from the 2nd to the 4th of October. They blessed one of the local pre-schools with paint and handed out clothing, toiletries and sweet packets while they were here. This is a first of many future visits we believe. A4J Kimberley first years did their yearly outreach from the end of September to 23rd of October. They did physical labour, village visits, hiked to the villages of Botsoela and Ha Jobo and some of them were baptized at the waterfall, including our Mpho May these young followers of Christ be faithful in the calling upon their lives. Jurie Venter whom volunteered with us for 6 weeks, did a few baking classes with ladies from our church and the visiting A4J group. May God bless him for his obedience. These ladies are very excited about their newly learnt skill – and are planning to bake for their families for Christmas time. For the pre-school’s closing of the year, Mpho took the children to Mafeteng on a day outing. It seemed the parents were more excited than the children. The building of the new pre-school building is well underway – thank you to everyone who contributed towards the building. We believe it will be ready by the end of January 2016 when the schools will open. St. John’s Anglican Church team spend time with us from the 4th to the 10th of December. They did a holiday club for 3 days with approximately 140 children from the surrounding villages. May the seeds of God’s word that was planted bring a huge harvest. Our team did a cultural show – a first of I believe many. Our visitors thoroughly enjoyed it. We pray a peaceful New Year for all of you, may you be filled with new courage, vigour and strength for 2016.
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Dear friends, First and foremost we would like to give all the glory to God. The work we do for our Lord in the Malealea Valley and all that has been achieved during the past five years – is His doing and all the glory and honour for it belongs to Him. Psalm 115:3 "Our God is in the heavens; He does all that He pleases." He sent us to this valley for His own purpose: Isaiah 45:22 - 24 “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. By Myself I have sworn; from My mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: To Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance. Only in the LORD, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength; to Him shall come and be ashamed all who were incensed against Him." Isaiah 48:11 - 13 "For My own sake, for My own sake, I do it, for how should My name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another. Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am He; I am the first, and I am the last. My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth together." So we do not boast in our own abilities or what has been achieved here, for we know our own weaknesses. 2 Corinthians 11:30 "If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 "But He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." Pusetso, Jon and Jaime started a boy’s club on Saturdays. They're giving extra classes in English and Science, as well as other interesting activities, such as kite making. During the July holiday, First City Baptist’s Church did an outreach with a World Race group. The holiday club they did was lots of fun – games, soccer, colouring and the gospel… more than 100 children from the villages attended. Even fighting erosion was fun and they were adventurous by daring the Botsoela waterfall in mid winter! They were blessed with snow as a farewell. Thank you FCBC and WR for a memorable week! During the beginning of August, Ntate Pheko from Operation Up (Maseru), did a training session with our church committee. This was much needed and was truly appreciated. The middle of August we spend in Kimberley, where Pieter co-facilitated the Kairos course at A4J Kimberley. Rita and Ackerman from Cross Training did a second training session with the pre-school teachers of the valley in the beginning of September. We are thankful for this much needed input in these teachers’ lives. The most exciting news is that Mpho had the opportunity to travel with other South African youth to the Arise Youth conference in a persecuted country. This was an eye opening experience for her. She met fellow Christians that experiences persecution and this had a huge impact on her. Thank you to everyone that supported her and made it financially possible. She made history by being the first Basotho person to enter this country! The border officials could not believe that the country Lesotho exists! We were blessed by a visit from our ‘Bethlehem NG Oos’ friends on Pieter’s birthday. The ladies taught the women how to ‘walk on your food’ – a quick way to make a pizza and how to make bread on a stick over the fire. The Basotho women certainly found it strange. The men helped with so much in such a short time. They set a new record! We now have a telephone line going from the house to the church kitchen and pre-school. Our chickens have a new pen. The solar geyser has been moved to the ablution for visitors. The new long drops now have doors hung. Thank you ‘Bethlehem Oos’! Thank you Kevin (World Race) for funding the long drops. They are finally in use! Nico and Leon visited from 20 - 23rd of September. Nico did his second workshop on children’s ministry with the pre-school teachers – a process that was started last year. We pray that all the input into their lives will bear fruit, that they first and foremost will truly accept Jesus as their Saviour. While Nico was doing the workshop we travelled to Kimberley to attend Ouma Minnie Putter’s funeral. She was a huge inspiration in our lives. From the time we started the ministry here in Lesotho she supported us by doing fund raising dinners and more importantly with prayer and advice. We know she is where she longed to be – with Jesus and at peace. We honour her. She was a true example of perseverance in faith, never slacking. We will never forget the “M” lines on our hands, when turned upside down it become a “W” – standing for “Must Work”. That sums up her motto in life: ‘God gave her hands to work with – the rest is His work’. During the weekend of the 24th to 27th of September we had a few visitors. Rosanne from A4J Kimberley visited with her father (Marius), sister and brother in law from Prieska. Our friends from Kimberley came through to bless us with more solar panels – ‘Jamblik’ and ‘Penelope’. We even had time to do drive around and go swimming. They also assisted us in starting a ‘Prayer Oven’. Jurie Venter – our new volunteer joined us during this weekend as well. He will be helping Pieter where he can with cooking/baking classes to the ladies from our church and the food gardens. We are thankful for this fellow worker God send to us. Maki is making dresses for little girls, headbands and carry bags. If anyone has off cut pieces of fabric that she can use, we will be very thankful. Lastly the A4J first years arrived on the 29th of September for their annual 3 week outreach, thus bringing us to our
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Dear friends, brothers and sisters in Christ,
We stand in awe of our Lord’s mercy and grace, His constant provision which we have done nothing to deserve! The last three months was filled with smaller groups visiting and blessing us, each in their own way. First we thank Carla and her team for the glasses. The fortunate receivers of new spectacles were indeed extremely thankful! Towards the end of April, Barend Vermeulen, Pieter, Pusetso and Jon did a first scouting trip higher into the mountains to Ha Mapheelle. They flew with MAF (Mission Aviation Flight) and met another missionary Meryl, whom has been in Lesotho for 25 years. During this time she and Pieter could encourage each other and share experiences. God knows what we need and when we need it! The third week in May we spend in Bethlehem. Pieter had the opportunity to share with Bethlehem Oos NG congregation about the work that is done in Malealea. Bethlehem Oos - thank you for a time of refreshing and rest! We truly appreciate each and every one of you, you support us and we value your friendship. Thank you for blessing us – with fellowship, reading lessons, material, sewing patterns, lots of laughs, clothing vouchers, facials, a deep freezer and open hearts J Thanks to Andre, A4J Kimberley for the two sewing machines – Maki and her ladies has been making tracking suits to as a business start up – pray that it will sell well! Thank you Lea for the patterns! God is awesome! We are amazed at His provision and His children’s eagerness to give. Thank you Biker’s Church Kimberley for the plastic bikes for the pre-school! Each morning there is 22 kids on bikes on the front stoep of the church building! We give a HUGE thank you for Benna, Schalk, Clint and Andre from Kimberley and P.E. for the jungle gym for the kids. Thank you for bringing it and the bikes all the way to Lesotho and putting it up. During the beginning of June, Rita and Ackerman from Cross Training, did a 2 day workshop with Mpho and the other pre-school teachers from the Valley. They blessed the community with R10 000 worth of handbooks. Please pray with us that this relationship with the pre-school teachers will grow and that they will be open to the gospel to reach all the future children that will be tutored by them. Our home church from Kimberley visited for a weekend middle June. It was good to see brother and sisters whom we haven’t seen for a while. An added blessing was Pieter’s parents that came with. A cold weekend and warm fellowship! In this time there was an environment day where the village joined hands to fill in a donga and fight erosion. The girls (ausi’s in Sesotho) went to Ha Jobo to evangelize. It was Maki’s first trip and they were extremely thankful for “Jamblik” for taking them half way. They had to walk back two days later though and Maki nearly ‘died’. The Good News was spread and they lead some people to accept Jesus. Even on herd boy who apparently has been running away each time people from A4J came to the village. Shows that you can run but God has an appointment with each of us! The last but certainly not the least of our news, is the visit from Sally and Rob from St. John’s Anglican Church from P.E. Thank you for each and every one of the ladies from St. John ‘s who has been knitting and crocheting for the past three months. During the Sunday service everyone received a beanie. The pre-school kids has also been blessed with beanies. Sally handed out blankets to the elders in the villages and to our chief from Sekhutlong and our new Morena from Malealea (MeMagouta’s son who took over from her after she passed away). From a cold Lesotho, lots of love! It snowed twice thus far. Prayer requests:
A4J Lesotho - January – March 2015 Malealea Youth Care Centre Dear friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, The start of 2015 was in contrast with last years. At the beginning of 2014 most of the year was mapped out - a full programme with visiting groups throughout the year. This year started without many if any visits marked on the calendar or any new students for the year. We enjoyed our return to the valley after New Year, in the company of our friend “Jamblik” – thank you for blessing us with a visit and the solar panels. We appreciate it. He is the first visitor who had enough courage to take the new road to Ha Jobo – without a 4 x 4. January we could concentrate on properly establishing the new food garden across the road from us. The shepherd school opened on the 19th and the pre-school on the 26th with the rest of the Lesotho schools. The shepherds started their own vegetable garden on site in March with the Pieter’s help. We are in the process of registering the pre-school with the Department of Education. Thus we are presented with a new challenge – new regulations state that the pre-school/ shepherd schools are not allowed to be operated from a church building or near residential buildings. The Morena (king of the valley) is willing to give us a small piece of land bordering ours, but this means that we will need to build a separate building! We said good bye to Marius and Natasja who volunteered with us in 2014 – May God bless them and direct their path. February we visited St. John’s Anglican Church in Port Elizabeth and First City Baptist Church in East London. As it were the first visit to these congregations supporting us, we had to leave our comfort zone! Pieter had the opportunity to give a message and give talks on the work that we do in the valley. What a blessing it turned out to be! We thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship, all the new experiences and the break at the sea as a family! You can visit St. John’s website http://www.stjohnswalmer.org.za/sermon/8-february-2015-pieter-mierke/ to access Pieter’s message he gave Sunday the 8th of February 2015. Thank you to St. John’s and FCB! Our friends from Bethlehem visited the 14th of March – THANK YOU for the roof in front of the church and the baking classes J. The Bethlehem ladies plan another 3 baking classes through the year. We hosted Ed – website creator and film maker – on behalf of the literacy/story telling project “Paleng”. He taught Jon and Pieter how to build a website. Expect to receive a notice soon with our web address. Last but definitely not the least of our news is related to the kit we received from Manchester United. Julia Childs from Kit Aid relayed the good news that a tweet about the Manchester United kit that was donated to the Christian Warriors has gone out globally. MUFC themselves put the tweet out. For those of you that are football fans you can follow this link: https://twitter.com/ManUtd/status/580760601963708417. Reagan has been assisting with the building at the A4J Mission Base outside of Kimberley – the soccer team is eagerly waiting for his return. Malealea Youth Care Centre
Dear friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, We are truly blessed. Thank you for everyone who contributed to the water project– for the first time in 3 years we have running water in our house. We have planted vegetables and have the blessing of watering the seedlings. We can supply water to villagers living nearby, even to further away villages that are feeling the effects of the drought and water shortage the most. We are thankful that the project to supply reading glasses to those in need is well underway – thank you Carla, Juan and Emile for your hard work, for having the idea in the first place and making a difference. Thank you to Isaac and the Terblanche's for chairs in the church building! God is truly supplying in all our needs J To the team of St John’s Anglican from Port Elizabeth – thank you for a great outreach. We were glad to see some of you for the second time and to meet the rest of the team. Sally, you and your youth are welcome here any time, you are such a blessing to us. Thank you to Schneider and Barry for the solar lights – thank you to the team for fundraising for the lights. Be encouraged to know that it makes a huge difference in the chiefs of the different villages life’s– one chief told Lebese that he has always wanted a system such as the solar system he received, but never could afford it. Not even his wife is allowed to operate the system or switch on the light – he himself is looking after it. TESTIMONY: About two months ago, Mpho, a second year student went with visitors, students from Pretoria, to Sekutlong the villages near us. They gave a Sesotho audio bible to an elderly woman who can only crawl. Recently Mpho visited the Ngunu again to go and encourage her. Mpho returned with a beaming face. The woman encourage Mpho instead, telling her many truths out of God’s Word and testifying that before she heard God’s Word she was on the other side of the river, but now she knows she is on this side of the river, God’s side, she has been saved by Jesus. Prayer requests:
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Yours sincerely from Malealea, Pieter and family |