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Dear friends
Looking back over the past two months is like
trying to keep track of a shooting star racing through space?.
Training
What an amazing time of ministry I was
privileged to experience in Kenya in May with Doug Holliday as we presented a
Vision seminar in Nairobi with just under 40 really key and sharp young leaders
who had previously been through our first two levels of training. It was
encouraging to hear testimonies of how they had applied what they had been
taught in their local church contexts and were now eager to learn more about
developing vision for their personal and ministry contexts.
We also travelled to a village in the Eastern
region of Kenya where a church planting movement known as End Time Revival
Ministries is operating. All of the movements key leaders (around 80) attended
our training over the three days as we presented our second level of training,
the Foundations seminar. These leaders were intensely hungry for training as
they lead churches in remote villages and cities around Lake Victoria and very
seldom get to attend equipping conferences. We were again encouraged at how the
movement is rapidly planting churches across the region and evidencing genuine
signs of growth and depth in the churches.
Tentmaking
May and June have been busy months
for me as I had my mid year opportunity to present a two day MS Excel course to
secretaries and personal assistants in four cities around South Africa. Not only
do I enjoy being in the market place with an opportunity to help people develop
advanced skills in computing, but I get an opportunity to impact lives in many
different ways. My only prayer is that
God would open the door for this
training to be more consistently spread through out the year to assist with
support-raising.
Family
The adoption order that we have been
waiting for Drew Nguvu was granted at the end of May so we are rejoicing that he
is now officially a part of our family. He turned 1 on the 12th of May and is
growing in confidence and abilities - what a joy!
We have also put a lot of energy into dong
renovations in the home that we purchased in December last year and are working
on finishing a cottage that will be used to host visitors from across the
continent of Africa and also donors and friends from around the globe. We are
praying for the funds that we need to furnish the cottage as the building is
complete and all that is needed is beds and other furnishings. We are calling it
the Zebra Inn - any advanced bookings?
Future
* I continue to praise God for all that
he is doing in and through Gary and Sharon Howell based in Central Africa - as
they multiply movements of disciplemaking into countries like Cameroon, Gabon
and the Congo's. They continue to provide ongoing and significant training for
key young leaders in their region.
* Edgar Ramsami, our Southern African
director, has accepted a call to his local church (Discovery Christian Life
Centre) as part-time training and development pastor and we are anticipating
that he will be able to share his time in a way that is mutually beneficial to
Sonlife and the church and that his family would remain the priority that he has
always made it. The church has a strong missions focus for Africa and this
connects well with Ed's heart for disciplemaking across the continent.
* I
will be working on returning to Sierra Leone and Kenya in the coming to continue
to nurture and grow those movements in the context of partnerships that have
been developed and that need to be grown further.
Prayer Requests
* Pray for Gary and Sharon as
they train in Central Africa
* Pray for me as I schedule training in Sierra
Leone and Kenya
* Pray that God would release the funding that we need to
sustain our movement
* Pray for Edgar as he adjusts to his new role as
training pastor.
Let me end with a personal note of gratitude to all
those who partner with us in this vital ministry in Africa - to each person who
sacrificially gives of their resources of finance or time in prayer - we would
not be able to do what we do without your involvement.
Regards
Mark Tittley
Director, Sonlife
Africa
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