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Dear Pastor and Friend,
Mother’s Day at Soweto Baptist Church was great. There were 31 mamas present, 15 of which were first time visitors. One of them, Mama Thandiswa, made a profession of faith. Three of visiting mamas have faithfully attended our services since that special day. Thank you to all who prayed!
On the 27th of last month, we had our first Preacher’s Fellowship. There were more than 25 men who came from the churches here in Port Elizabeth who are being prepared to share the Word. We had an awesome time of fellowship and training. God is raising up a generation of laborers who are committed to faithfully proclaiming the Gospel.
Bekah and I celebrated 9 years of marriage on the 30th of May. Many talk about how good their wives are, but mine has demonstrated it over and over again through the years. She has followed me to 3 countries, learned 2 languages, birthed 5 kids, and helped start 2 churches; and done all of that while putting up with me. I am a blessed man!
Please continue to pray for several families on our team who are trying to obtain the papers necessary to work here in South Africa. The Kings, the Bergeys, and the Coffeys, all are having serious issues getting their visas approved. The system here has changed and is not near as conducive for missionaries and volunteers to stay long term. This has already cost them thousands of dollars and much time. Please pray for wisdom and peace for these families as they face these issues.
Other Prayer Requests:
Thanks again to all of you for your faithfulness to lift up our ministry in prayer, and for the financial support that allows us to do what we do. May God bless you richly for all that you do!
Sincerely,
Jeremy and Rebekah Hall
God continues to grow his Church. Soweto Baptist Church is a year and five months old now. It is unbelievable how quickly time has passed. There is still so much work to be done. We have seen several saved since our last letter; one of the more exciting decisions for me was a 19 year old young man who has been faithfully attending our church for over 8 months now, Aphelele Nyodi. Several of you have been praying with us for him since he began coming. Just last week, Sunday April 30th, he made his decision public and followed the Lord in baptism. Also baptized in April was 15 year old Likamva Teyisa, and 17 year old Yolisa Banda (on the right).
Easter weekend was really exciting at Soweto. Our guys worked very hard and their work paid off. There were 20 first time visitors for our special service and we had over 150 in attendance. Also that day, we had 7 of our young men stand up and give 2-3 messages. All of them did an incredible job and are showing great potential.
Also, last month we received a shipment of 100,000 tracts from Chick Tract Publications. These are now being distributed between the churches here. Soweto Baptist Church has already passed out several thousand and seen several visitors come as a result of their work. Thank you to all those who made this possible.
Other Prayer Requests:
Thank you so much for your continued support and prayers!
Sincerely,
Jeremy and Rebekah Hall
It is hard to believe that the first quarter of 2017 is almost over. February was a productive month. We had a few hick-ups getting our Bible institute started. Immigration did not want to release our materials. After a two week delay, classes were finally able to commence on February 7th. This semester the students are studying an overview of the Poetic Books, the OT Books of History, and James. Classes will continue through May 14th.
Last month, at Soweto Baptist Church, we had a special movie night. We showed the “Jesus Film.” There were more than two dozen visitors. At the end, we gave a simple Gospel presentation and four people stayed longer to receive more information and make professions of faith.
We also had a very unexpected trip to Johannesburg last month. My sister-in-law’s brother, Gavin Theron, passed away from a brain aneurysm. He was only 33 years old. He was a good friend, and we were actually invited to go up this month for his wedding. As you can imagine, this has been very hard on everyone. Please remember Corli (my sister-in-law), Corne (his fiancé), Thersia (his mother), and all the family in your prayers.
Our furlough plans are coming along well. We still have several services available. If you would like for us to come by and give an update, please contact us. Again, this is going to be a very short furlough (4 months), Aug 23-Jan 3. Our main purpose is to raise some additional funds, so if you know of any churches interested in supporting church planting in South Africa, we would appreciate your recommendations.
This month at Soweto Baptist Church:
We praise the Lord for you and your participation in our work. Your faithfulness to pray and give means more than you know.
Thanks again,
Jeremy and Rebekah Hall