Our Foxfires teams live a year of mission when they serve with their local country teams.
In Chinsapo, the Malawi Foxfires went out to Mpingwi Market in Lilongwe District to bring the message of hope to men, women and children. They had prepared a number of interactive activities to help attract a crowd and ultimately point to Jesus.
The team stood in the middle of the marketplace and began a local dance, and a crowd of 220 people gathered. This was followed with 5 other different types of dances.
One Foxfire said,
“Unlike other audiences, this audience was responsive, supportive and welcoming!”
After performing a skit about creation, Grace (one of the Foxes) shared her testimony. 53 people came forward to receive Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
The Foxes then had an opportunity to put their counselling training into practice, to encourage and care for these new believers, and teach them how they can move forward with this fresh hope for their lives.
“From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise.”
(Matthew 21:16)
There will be more stories of the marvellous work God is doing through the Foxfires in the month to come, as they visit more marketplaces, schools and conferences over the coming months.
Please send us your contact details to hear about these radical transformations.
Faith was desperate to escape her family’s impoverishment. She took matters into her own hands, thinking she would be better off alone. Now 17, she looks back on her life with sadness and regret.
“I left my family when I was young, deciding that I could make a better life for myself on my own. What I found instead was rowdy friends who caused trouble and introduced me to drugs and alcohol.
Soon, my life became full of drugs, I cared about nothing else. Then, I began to practice prostitution so that I could pay for drugs. Instead of feeling free and happy like I thought I would when I left my family, I’ve become more and more bitter and angry about my life.
I’ve had no peace of mind and my life has had no meaning. It’s been terrible.”
As Faith walked hopelessly through Kigali one day, she heard a man speaking about how Jesus had restored him from the hopeless life he was leading.
“I felt like he was speaking directly to me – like he knew exactly what I had been through even though I’d never seen him before! I decided in that moment that I needed to be saved and allow Jesus to help me change my lifestyle. I am excited to join the church nearby so that I can get the support I need to live a better life than this. Thank you for coming to tell me the amazing news about Jesus.”
Faith is one story of the true hope found in Jesus through AE missions. There are thousands more!
You can read more stories here.
It’s often said that God works in mysterious ways to bring His people to salvation.
That’s certainly the way it seemed to a group of African Enterprise workers in Kenya recently.
A team assigned to door-knock a mainly-Muslim neighbourhood during a big AE mission in the coastal city of Malindi found they couldn’t get past the front door with one particular family. The family wanted nothing to do with the gospel.
But as the team was being turned away, it began to rain heavily, and the occupants of the house graciously invited the AE workers to come inside until the downpour ended.
The visitors decided that the heavens had opened for a reason and they wasted no time sharing the good news of Jesus.
There were no decisions for Christ at that time, but the team felt good seeds were planted and it asks for prayer for this family and others in the neighbourhood.
(Story provided by AE supporter Mike Heard)
Although there are a great number of Christians in the South and East of Africa, as you move into Northern Africa, the number decreases dramatically.
This shift between faiths has been labelled a ‘religious fault line’, and is a source of conflict[1]. These are regions of significant tension, where danger to people of both faiths is imminent, such as in Sudan, South Sudan, Ghana, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire and others.
Here’s the pictorial evidence from 2010. The green areas represent majority Muslim populations, the blue majority Christian populations and the white areas in which the split is almost equal – these are the fault lines.
You may have heard the words ‘Reverse Mission’ in some AE publications – but what exactly does this phrase mean for AE missions in Africa?
International CEO Stephen Mbogo has a vision to equip and empower pastors in Northern Africa with the skills to evangelise in their own countries.
These training events, or ‘Go North’ initiatives, involve bringing pastors and evangelists from Northern Africa to the South to train together with Sub-Saharan pastors, to strengthen and encourage North African brothers and sisters, and give context to churches in the South. These skills and training are then put into use on mission in the North. Due to the sensitivity of these missions, and the potential threats to Christians, we are not able to broadcast the full details.
Cross-cultural skills, student ministry, and sharing Christian testimonies with Muslims are some of the training courses that are conducted. AE will be carrying out a number of training events in 2017.
Please pray for safety and encouragement for those taking part in mission and evangelism training in Northern Africa.
[1] Pew Forum.org, https://www.pewforum.org/2010/04/15/executive-summary-islam-and-christianity-in-sub-saharan-africa/ 5 July, 2017.
Living with the Shame
The Ndjamena District of Kigali is known as a hotbed of illegal activity, prostitution, and drug abuse. As the AE Mission committee planned the Kicukiro Mission, they made sure to give special attention and prayer to this area because the need for the Gospel is so great.
Saba often spends his days in the Ndjamena markets. “I have been leading a messy life,” he told the mission team. “My life is only about drinking, smoking and taking drugs. I’ve been involved in sexual immorality and so many other things I don’t even wish to tell you about because I feel such shame.”
“I’ve been involved in sexual immorality and so many other things I don’t even wish to tell you about because I feel such shame.”
As the mission team arrived for ministry, they set up some equipment and begin to play music to draw a crowd. People soon began to gather to enjoy the music and see what the commotion was all about. Seeing the people begin to gather, the mission team started to preach the Gospel.
The Surprising News
“I’ve never had any interest in church or religion. I’ve never felt like those things applied to me. But when I heard the people singing in the marketplace I was compelled to come close and listen. Then the preacher started talking about something I had never heard of before. He was talking about God’s love for me and that God has a purpose for my life. I was so surprised to hear that and I began to feel disgusted with the kind of life I have been leading. I went forward to receive Christ right then and I am determined to begin living differently. I only hope I can get a Bible soon because I don’t have one.”
“I began to feel disgusted with the kind of life I have been leading”
Many more like Saba accepted Christ that day. In fact, the rallies that took place throughout the city that same day ushered nearly 1,300 new souls into the Kingdom! Praise God!
Thank you for praying with us and supporting AE missions. Because of you, young men like Saba have the chance at a new beginning with Christ. They’ve been rescued from the depths of despair and shame by the saving hand of Jesus.
A Confused and Hopeless Man
Pius has always been very proud of his status and success. A lawyer by profession, well-educated and married with eight children, six of whom live in America, he has a lot to be proud of. However, if you were to ask Pius to describe himself he would tell you that he is “a confused and hopeless man, looking for something but never knowing what”.
“I have been living a dreadful life,” he told us. “I feel enslaved by drugs and alcohol. I thought they would help me find my way, but I’ve only felt more lost and alone. I thought that having status in my community would make me feel complete, but I only feel more empty.”
Night Gospel Rallies
As the Rwanda Mission continued throughout last week, the evenings were filled with neighbourhood gospel rallies which aimed to reach people with the Gospel as they came home from work. The AE teams played loud music and as people gathered to dance and sing with the team, they began preaching the Gospel to the crowd. Many people accepted Christ at these rallies throughout the week. Pius was one of them.
“When I heard them preach about Jesus I realised that my life can be better; that I’ve been living for the wrong things.”
“When I heard them preach about Jesus I realised that my life can be better; that I’ve been living for the wrong things. When they were telling us about sin, I felt it so clearly in my heart and I knew I needed forgiveness. I came forward to confess and pray for Christ to save me from my sin and I am determined to follow God from this day on.”
“I’m so thankful for AE coming into my neighbourhood because it had never before occurred to me that the answers to my suffering could be found in a church. Now I understand that God has a wonderful purpose for my life and I’m excited to tell my wife and children about the changes in me.”
People accept Christ during Marketplace Evangelism
Faith Comes Knocking
Poverty was a powerful force in Faith’s life. Desperate to escape her family’s impoverishment, she took matters into her own hands. She believed that she could do better on her own. Now 17, she looks back on her life with sadness and regret.
“Instead of feeling free and happy like I thought I would… I’ve become more and more bitter and angry about my life.”
Faith told us, “I left my family when I was young, deciding that I could make a better life for myself on my own. What I found instead was rowdy friends who caused trouble and introduced me to drugs and alcohol. Soon, my life became full of drugs, I cared about nothing else. Then, I began to practice prostitution so that I could pay for drugs. Instead of feeling free and happy like I thought I would when I left my family, I’ve become more and more bitter and angry about my life. I’ve had no peace of mind and my life has had no meaning. It’s been terrible.”
Marketplace Evangelism
“As I was walking through the market today, I heard a man speaking into a microphone about how Jesus had restored him from the hopeless life he was leading. I felt like he was speaking directly to me like he knew exactly what I had been through even though I’d never seen him before. I decided in that moment that I needed to be saved and allow Jesus to help me change my lifestyle. I am excited to join the church nearby so that I can get the support I need to live a better life than this. Thank you for coming to tell me the amazing news about Jesus.”
