Dear Praying Friends,
Ministry life here continues to be busy and fruitful, with much to praise God for. We remain ever grateful for the love, prayers, and financial support we receive, and we appreciate your ongoing interest in our work.
Concerning our Knysna West Bible Church family, we remain thoroughly encouraged by the spiritual growth taking place in the lives of many of our faithful congregants. Just in the past couple weeks, I have had conversations with three of our men at various stages of life (one nearing retirement age, one in mid-life, and one young adult) who sense God’s leading into vocational ministry. I’m struck with the responsibility we have as ministers of the Gospel to prepare these, as well as all our “saints,” for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12). Please pray that in the coming weeks and months, we will move forward with God’s wisdom and provide shepherding care and direction for those in whom God is working!
The theological education area of our ministry continues, with exciting opportunities on the horizon. As mentioned in our last update, we are looking forward to the start of the Foundations Theological Institute, a “gap year” program designed to provide new/recent high school graduates with biblical and ministry training for one year, so that they can move into jobs and/or further studies with a solid foundation of biblical education. We have been targeting January 2024 as the start of this program, but we are currently facing several building delays that may postpone the commencement of this program. Please pray that local municipal bureaucracy will subside so that we can move forward!
Launch Workplace Readiness, Amy’s primary ministry focus, continues to grow and develop. A new 12-week segment of computer-skills training began on June 5, and Amy’s classes are pretty much full yet again. Students are enhancing their employability and being challenged by God’s Word on a weekly basis. As of late-May, over 500 students have completed one of the training programs, and it’s a continued blessing to see how God is using this in the lives of those who attend. We are grateful to God for Amy’s involvement in this area, and she continues to love ministering to the students not just during classes but well after the sessions end. Please pray that more opportunities for evangelism, counseling, and discipleship would present themselves during this new 12-week term!
In family news, while we are enjoying the “empty nest,” we do miss our children greatly. But we are blessed to have Ashley and Louis close by in the town of George, and we get to see them fairly regularly. George David and Sarah are doing well serving God in their places of employment as well as their local church. Alyssa successfully finished her first year of university, and Amy had a chance to surprise her with an in-person visit at the end of her final exam week. Amy helped Alyssa get established with work and her driver’s license. She was also able to visit George David and Sarah as well as the Tandon’s in South Carolina. We thank God that Amy was able to spend some quality time with family and friends during the month of May! We are thankful for safety as she drove over 3,000 miles going through NY, PA, OH, VA, WV, NC, SC, and MD.
We are planning to be in the States from October 3 through January 10, in order to visit current and potentially new supporting churches and individuals. As mentioned in our last update, we are facing a financial support deficit that is requiring us to “refresh” our efforts Stateside. Praise be to God, the deficit is already in process of being eliminated, with a small handful of churches and individuals either increasing or beginning new support. However, in some cases, the extra support is temporary, just to help us bridge the “gap” between now and when we’re able to raise more funds in person at the end of the year. So, bottom line, this upcoming trip is crucial for us. We request your prayers – we could still use a few “new” churches to schedule us in for meetings. We would love to see the calendar full!
In all these areas of ministry opportunity, areas of need, areas of thanks, and areas of praise, we know we are safe in the care of our Savior and under the providential hand of our great God. We do indeed live by faith, but when our faith solidly rests on Christ, we are in the best place we could be. Thank you all for your care, concern, prayer, and support!
In Christ and for His Glory,
George and Amy