The Church Grows in South Africa
The church in South Africa continues to grow! This past Sunday, Nikki, Lulu and Mandy’s younger sister, was baptized. The whole community saw a tremendous change in her as she gave her whole life to God. She is the last member of Brother Rowan’s family to be baptized.
Tawanda and Ruth Moyo were also baptized. Tawanda had a church that Gift occasionally attended before connecting with our fellowship. When Gift began visiting our community, Tawanda noticed a change in him. He attended a few meetings, met our people, and was deeply impacted.
After two years, Tawanda decided to step down from his ministry, asking for help and desiring the transformation he saw in Gift’s life.
Tawanda and his wife Ruth visited frequently and received some teaching materials. They said they couldn’t read English very well, and they struggled for a time, until they felt convicted to ask God to help them. All of a sudden, they started to read eagerly, and they understood everything they read. They then felt God calling them to request baptism.
Ruth was speaking in tongues as she came out of the water. This was the first time she received the Holy Spirit. After their baptism, Tawanda and Ruth reconsecrated their wedding vows. They have been married for 25 years.
Brother Rowan writes, “We feel that the Lord has shown our fellowship that He wants to reach out through us into other African countries. These Zimbabweans—Gift, Tawanda and Ruth—are the first fruits of that prophecy.
“Our meeting this Wednesday began with powerful worship. During one song, Avidan Grau, visiting from Israel, received the Spirit!
“Freddie and Charlotte Bieldt, who first met the community in 2021, shared their testimony during the meeting. God has transformed their lives over the past few months. Charlotte compared her faith journey to standing at the edge of a cliff, ready to jump into the water but holding her breath. Now, she feels like God is telling her, ‘Dive in!’
“Several first-time visitors joined us on Wednesday. A Jamaican man shared that he had never experienced a meeting like this before. A young man visiting with his mother said he couldn’t find the words to express the joy he was feeling. A long-time friend of Freddie’s, also attending for the first time, said he can’t wait for the next meeting.
“Erick Brook, who has been visiting for the past four months, shared how he had considered leaving but felt the love of God’s people drawing him back. He spoke of his deep desire to find truth. At the end of the meeting, we invited him to pray, and within minutes, he was praying in tongues and receiving the full baptism of God’s Spirit! His wife, Lidia, arrives from Hungary this week, so please keep them in your prayers!
“This weekend Freddie and Charlotte Bieldt and Jesse van der Walt were baptized. Jesse’s parents, Michael and Christina, were baptized last year.
“Pray that God will strengthen our new brothers and sisters—that He will use us to reach those who are seeking Him all across Africa.”
