GOING FORWARD

FULL RELIANCEON THE HOLY SPIRIT

STILLNESS, SOLITUDE, SERENITYby Val Cotton

Lessons fromby Ann Onimous

OASIS

The role of the Church in makingperpetrators of severe human rightsinfringements accountable across Africa

A contextual analysis of human rights violations in theDemocratic Republic of the Congo.

by Dr Joseph Bakasamua (PhD), Theology/Missiology, University of South Africa

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Hello friends

I had the privilege of attending a ladiesmorning tea at Hatfield School and wasencouraged to hear the story of KateMotaung who grew up on the shores ofLake Michigan before spending 10 yearsliving in Cape Town. She is a freelancewriter with a host of articles in multiplemagazines and online publications, she ismarried to a South African man and theyare currently living in Michigan with their 3children.

She spoke on “telling your story” andasked 4 questions:• Why should you tell your story?• Why would you not share your story?• What could happen when you tell yourstory?• How do you start telling your story?

Why tell your story?• You don’t know what others are goingthrough and by telling your story youcould be an encouragement. Othersmight be going through the very sameissues you are.

• Telling your story makes your faithstronger, it helps you realise what the Lordhas brought you through.• Telling your story helps you to face thereality of your hurt.• Telling your story helps with healing. Iwas speaking to somebody recentlywhose daughter of 24 recently died. Shetold me she needed to speak becauseeach time she speaksshe feels as thoughthe wound is beingstitched. I realise thateverybody copes withhurt differently andsome people preferto deal with theirsituation on their own.

Why would you not share your story?• There is definitely the element of fear.What will people think of me? How willpeople react when they know the truth?• Possibly my story is not as good asyours.• A fear ofintimidation andbeing isolated.• People mightreject me.• Others mightnot believe mystory.

What could happen when you tell yourstory?• There might be criticism, you might beignored

A letter from Carol

• There mightbe disbelief• You might feelrejected• But thatshould not stopus from tellingour story

How do we start telling our story?• You could start by sharing with othersone to one.• Starting a journal is a good thing, thisenables you to look back and see all thatGod has done.• You could possibly put an article onfacebook.• Blogging has become a good way oftelling your story

When you tell yourstory there needs tobe glory given toGod because“without His storyyou would not havea story to tell”.

You will helppeople realise that

ultimately all that happens to us is God’sprovidence. Not for a second does Godlose control of whatever happens in yourlife. Proverbs 19:21 tells us “Many are theplans of man but it is the Lord’s purposethat prevails”.

We need to encourage others and weourselves should understand, that weneed to “cast all our cares upon Godbecause He cares for us” 1 Peter 5:7.

I thank the Lord that we have Him as ourguide, and One who never leaves us notforsakes us. One who understands whatwe are going through and One whopromises to bewith us everystep of theway. Thatshould beenough toencourage usto share ourstory.

I trust that you will go out and share yourstory, whatever it is and that you mightbe used of God to encourage others andbring glory to the Name of our Father.

"To tel l my story is to tel l of H im"by A dri de Wet

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BABY SHOWER

HOLIDAYBIBLE CLUBAT ARCADIA

HOLIDAYBIBLE CLUBAT THE HILL

GLENHAVEN FETE

The garden was in an uproar. Everybodyseemed to be shouting at the same timeas Andy came rushing out of his hole tosee what was wrong. Above all the noiseand commotion Andy could hear Mrs.Mossie shouting, “Help, help!”

“What’s the matter?” yelled Andy to Cyrilthe Centipede who was also there.

“It’s Barry the Boomslang,” said Cyrilbreathlessly. “He is climbing up the oldbush to eat Mrs. Mossie’s baby birds. Thereare three of them in the nest.”

“Oh dear! Oh dear! What shall we do?”cried Percy the Praying Mantis wringing hishands in despair, “Go away Barry” heshouted but Barry didn’t hear, or care.

“Go and wake up Buster the Dachshundquickly.” Andy shouted, so one of theRobins flew off to look for Buster.

“Go away, go away” shouted Mr. andMrs. Mossie as they fluttered around Barrybut he just gave them a cold stare and

climbed on towards the nest.

“Go for his eyes!” Andy yelled but the dinwas so great that nobody heard him.

By now too, Barry was ready to strike atany bird that disturbed him and with hisdeadly fangs showing that the birds hadto stay out of reach.

Slowly Barry climbed on, nearer andnearer to the nest and the baby birds.

Suddenly there was silence in the garden.Just in front of Barry stood Monty theMeerkat. “You go no further Barry.” hewarned.

“Don’t be silly, Monty,” hissed Barry. “Youhaven’t got a hope against me if you are

ANDYthe ant

The "Andy theAnt" series of

children's stories, written by

Max Ansell, follows the

adventures and experiences of

Andy and his friends at a

Mission school in Swaziland.

MONTY THE MEERKAT"The greatest love a man can have for his friends is

to give his life for them." John 15:13

on a narrow branch like the one underyou. Move, or die!”

With that he began to move slowlyforward again.

“What’s going on here?” panted Buster ashe rushed up.

“Barry is going to eat Mrs. Mossies’babies,” said Andy. “Go call theMissionary quickly.”

As quick as a flash Buster rushed off to thekitchen. “Woof, woof, woof!” he shouted,which meant “come quickly, comequickly!”

“What’s the matter, Buster?” asked theMissionary, sensing that something wasupsetting him. “Woof, woof,” Buster said,wishing he could speak human language.

“Something must be wrong,” said theMissionary to his wife as he went to thedoor, “Just listen to all the noise outside.There is something in the bush. It must bea snake. I’ll go and get my gun, Buster.”

Meanwhile Barry hissed again. “Get out ofmy way Monty. Get away or die.”

Monty realised that being out on a branchgave him no chance. On the ground he

would have been too fast for Barry, but upin a bush it was different. But as only hestood between the baby birds and death,he acted. Like a flash he lunged forwardand just managed to grab Barry by theneck. Barry pulled loose and struck. AsBarry’s fangs caught Monty’s thigh, histeeth sank into Barry’s neck again.

The backdoor opened. The Missionarycame out into the garden. His eyes werenot yet fully accustomed to the light andhe could only just make out the snake inthe bush. He fired at what seemed to bethe head end.

With the roar of the gun, everyonebecame silent again. Barry slowly lost hisgrip on the branch and came fallingdown with Monty still hanging onto histhroat. Barry landed on the ground with athud, writhed once or twice and died.Monty was already dead. Barry’s poisonwould have killed him had the Missionary’sbullet not already passed through him intoMonty’s neck while they were in the bush.

The baby birds were saved.

“Greater love one cannot have than this,”said the Missionary in the Chapel the nextday as he held up the body of Monty:“Than a man lay down his life for hisfriends. What Monty did for the Mossiefamily is an example of what Jesus did forus.”

The story you have just read about Montymay not really fully explain what Jesus didfor us. What Jesus did is REAL, not a story,and we too should be willing to give ourlives for His service and for others.