Before we left for the US in February we made an updated version of our ministry video. The first one we did was hosted by our son Luke when he was 11 years old I believe. Things have changed a bit since then.
If you’ve never seen the first video you can check it out here.
Prayer Requests & Praise
Quick Updates
Being back home here at Camp Rhino, at our churches, and at my bible studies these past few days has been very refreshing. We really miss our children in America, but we’re very glad to be back in South Africa.
At the end of May, we have a new intern, Noah, coming for 8 months that will be helping with the camp. He’s also here to see if this would be something the Lord would have him do full-time. Pray for the Lord to use and direct him during his time here. With his help, we’re looking forward to improving a lot of areas in the coming weeks.
As I’ve traveled to a few countries this past month in Africa, I’m challenged even more by the great need. My hope is that our team and ministries here in South Africa will help raise up and train new missionaries that will not only help us here in South Africa but be an evangelistic force all over Africa. There are so many great opportunities before us to start Bible-preaching churches, but the need for laborers is great.
This month comes with sadness and joy. Lisolethu, a 17-year-old boy who lived at our Youth Home for over 2 years, quickly passed away from Spinal Meningitis. His funeral was held this past Saturday. We praise the Lord that Liso made a profession of faith and I believe we’ll see him again soon. Even after leaving the Youth Home this past December, he continued being faithful to church and inviting his friends to church. Liso will be missed very much.
There are many just like Liso who die young but don’t have a Bible-preaching church in their community. We must keep going, and we must continue raising up more people to reach the billions who still haven’t heard a clear presentation of the Gospel. I pray Liso’s death will be a catalyst for many to be more serious about reaching the lost.
This has been a hard time for our team at Camp Rhino, our churches, and also my family. We were all very close to Liso, and being so far away from the ministry during this time has also been more difficult. Thankfully we return to South Africa tomorrow.
Prayer Request & Praise
Quick Updates
Prayer Request and Praise
Quick Updates
We arrived back in the States on Feb 7th on my wife’s birthday, and haven’t stopped much. I traveled to Rural Hall, NC for a meeting the next day and then to the church I grew up in on Sunday, Whitfield Baptist Church, to preach and celebrate their 45-year anniversary. My father-in-law, Pastor Wayne Cofield, started this church and has been there ever since. I’m off to VA and NC this weekend.
During the next two and half months I have a full schedule and am praying we can raise more awareness of the need in Africa and raise more support for the Camp and Youth Home.
With 54 countries in Africa, the need is gigantic. We need to do more to get the Gospel to this massive continent. Please pray.
If your church would be interested in making Camp Rhino and/or Rhino Youth Home part of your monthly mission budget, we would be very grateful. Our prayer is that this camp, youth home, and training ministry will aid in more churches being started all over Africa.
“Nobody broke a bone or was seriously injured in any way.” That’s always an excellent statement to hear after a week of junior camps, especially after a few new camp games were added that might have raised the possibility of injury a bit. Our junior summer camps at Camp Rhino have come to an end and we had a fantastic time.
Young people were saved and our counselors and staff did a tremendous job ministering to all the campers.
Thank you all who have given or plan to give to make these camps possible. We couldn’t do it without your sacrifices. We’re gearing up for our teen camps in a couple of weeks and can’t wait to see what the Lord does.
It was very exciting to have our first 3 graduates from the Bay Baptist Bible College finish their Bachelor’s in Biblical Studies. Two of these men are pastors and the third is on deputation for Mozambique. God is good! Pray for more laborers to be raised up and sent out.
Quick Updates:
Prayer Requests:
Don’t miss out. The Our Generation Summit will take place at our Mission Board from December 29-31. If you would be interested in attending click here to get more information and also to sign up.
Prayer Requests & Praise
Quick Updates
This past month I started 3 new Bible studies with people in different parts of our city. Pray the Lord works and we can see many come to Christ through these efforts. I’m hoping that maybe God would open doors for future church plants from these meetings.
One of our supporting churches, Fellowship Baptist Church in Maryville, TN with Pastor Tom Hatley is visiting this week. During any visiting group, my hope and prayesr are that God moves on the hearts of at least one person to give their life to foreign missions. Would you help pray that more laborers would be raised up?
Last month a high school principal asked me about using Camp Rhino for a full month to host all of his 12th-grade students (90-100 students) for 30 straight days. They would use that time to prepare for their graduation exams, but during that time we would also be able to preach to them each morning and hold Sunday and Midweek services. Pray as we make this decision for the 2023 school year.
After more than 9 years since the day we landed in South Africa, we are reminded of how quickly time goes by and how much older we are becoming. When I stepped off that plane being 37 years old, I already felt like I was getting a late start on the work that lay ahead. At times now, I can feel a pit in my stomach when I think about how little time we have left to accomplish the work that God has called us to do in getting the Gospel to our city, to our country, to our world. There is a weight on me as we consider Africa and the many places and people that still don’t have a Bible-preaching church.
Our South Africa team tries to act like we’re still young like we are right out of Bible college but the grey hairs in my teammates’ beards are a sure sign we aren’t fooling anyone.
Although we see our days passing by, this past week was a time that invigorated the work we know we are called to do. We are getting older but God is raising up an army of young men to join the ranks of reaching this world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our Generation. Young missionary families from West Africa invaded our city of Gqeberha, South Africa this past week for the Vision Baptist Missions Africa Regional Conference. There is no doubt that this group of men and women are young in age, especially compared to us old guys, but they are definitely not young in their walk with the Lord.
Graham & Olivia Young just landed in Nigeria a few weeks ago and the devil has already taken aim to knock them out of the fight before they even get started, but this precious couple is aware of Satan’s attacks and is ready for battle. They have a maturity beyond their years that is inspiring to be around.
Nate & Emily Wilkerson are eager for the next stage of their ministry, preparing to enter a new battleground for our mission board in Benin where so far we haven’t been able to locate other like-minded missionaries. The zeal and mindset of this couple are an anomaly for people their age, really for people of any age. I can’t wait to see the Gospel spread through them to this new land.
Dallas & Ashley Brown arrived from plowing a very difficult ground in their first years as missionaries in Burkina Faso. This dear family who is yielded to the Lord as few as I’ve ever seen gives me hope that we can see the Gospel taken to every creature. The Brown family is a family that influences everyone around them and even challenges us old guys like we should be challenging them.
The days ahead for VBM Africa are bright and exciting. I’m privileged to work with this amazing group of people. Please pray as we go forward with the Gospel. We are reenergized for the work ahead. May the Lord be magnified and glorified in all we do.
Prayer Requests & Praise
Quick Updates
Medical Missions Outreach and their team of 21 people arrive this week to put on a health and vision clinic at one of our churches. We are hoping 2000 or more people come in for treatment and have the opportunity to hear a clear presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The last clinic we did a few years ago had over 200 people make professions of faith.
Lighthouse Baptist Church and Pastor Mvume Johnson are hosting the clinic this year. This is one of the churches we restarted a few weeks before Covid and had to close again during Covid. Please pray this will be a great help to the growth of this church.
In other African news, Graham and Olivia Young just arrived in Abuja, Nigeria. We’re very excited for this young couple as they begin their ministry in this needy country of over 200 million people. Please pray for them and pray that God would raise up more laborers for Nigeria and for Africa. Our time is short but the need is great. Maybe God is calling you.
Prayer Requests/ Praises
Quick Updates
Now that all our mission teams have departed we’re going to be working a lot more on the Youth Home this month. We have 3 teens ready to move in and possibly a fourth. Pray that we find the right house parents for the Home. We have some that can help temporarily but are praying for a long-term solution.
I would like to ask you to pray for Pastor Khona Nohamba and his church Nkandla Baptist Church. Khona recently graduated from our Bible College and is looking forward to devoting more time to building the church.
We helped Khona right before the start of Covid and unfortunately had to close a few weeks later. He and his wife Iminathi have been working hard to restart the church and have been making good progress. In our city of over a million people, there is much work that needs to be done. Pray that we can build a foundation that will last and aid in church planting for years to come.
We have had a great and full month here in South Africa.
Mission Teams have visited from Ohio, Michigan, South Caroline, and now Georgie. A group from Tennessee will be here at the end of this week. “Group Season” is one of my favorite times of the year. God changed my life on a mission trip when I was 19 years old and I’m excited about people being able to visit the mission field and have the same type of opportunity. Please pray for these groups and for the Lord to call more to the foreign field.
We are getting the new house ready for the South Africa Youth Home. We had the floors tiled and with the help of one of our groups, the landscape looks much better. We still have a way to go, but the young people should be able to move into the house this week.
The groups have done a terrific job ministering in all the churches here in Port Elizabeth. The preaching, singing, and testimonies have been encouraging and I believe they have really helped the people.
The groups have been an extra blessing to Camp Rhino with the safari hunts and fishing trips. Needless to say, our freezers are full, and they’ve supplied enough meat to stock our freezers for at least the next 6-8 months. A lot of kids will enjoy great meals from their gifts to the Camp.
If you would ever be interested in being a part of one of these trips, please let me know. We would love to have you.
