MAHAGU MISSION REPORT – SEPTEMBER 2010

Posted on: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2010 06:30 AM

Over the weekend of 1 October 2010, a team from Scottsville Baptist Church visited the Mahagu Baptist Church, 50 kilometres north of Matatiele in former Transkei. This is a very remote, most inaccessible rural region in the foothills of the Southern Drakensberg.

The area is sparsely populated, mostly by Xhosa people. The average family is poor. Many do not have a father figure. The majority of men are working as migrant laborers in the cities of South Africa. Generally, the families are led by senior women who struggle to care for the many children – in most cases with little or no regular income.

MINISTRY

The men with engineering skills spent Saturday making improvements to a water-harvesting scheme which gravitates mountain stream water into a storage tank.

From there it is piped onto the church’s income-generating vegetable garden. These self-help schemes can be very beneficial to local communities.

The women used the morning to renew fellowship with the Mahagu women, and in the afternoon led a children’s outreach.

At 16:00, with all the tasks and ministry completed, the local congregation met for Biblical Instruction [Discipleship] in the Whattle and Daub church built about 50 years ago by Rev. Aubrey Phipson,

a Baptist Missionary of the then South African Baptist Missionary Society. He had a most effective ministry among the Xhosa people of former Transkei – its fruitfulness is still evident today. Praise God for His faithfulness building and sustaining “His Church”, against anything which the Devil is permitted to do to it.

From the Scriptures the following doctrines were taught:

·       The nature of the Church … Ephesians 2-3

·       Church Membership … Ephesians 4

·       Tithing … Malachi 3

·       Prayer … Matthew 7

The day’s ministry ended with just enough daylight remaining to give the congregation sufficient time to walk home before it grew dark. Now, it was time for the team members to relax, wash and prepare for a hot dinner of chicken on rice with vegetables and salad; followed by fruit salad, tea/coffee and rusks.

After dinner, team devotions, from 1 John 1: 5-10 focused on the possibilities and probabilities which sin may exercise in our lives. In the prayer time that followed we asked our Dear Lord to “forgive us, and cleanse us from all sin, and to enable us to walk in the light as He is in the light SO THAT we would enjoy fellowship one with the other”. The Lord answered these prayers – “Thank you, Jesus!”

Team fellowship with the local pastor, Tryphena Makhende, who enlightened us on how we may be better equipped for effective cross-cultural ministry continued, until we were suddenly interrupted by a dangerous grass fire which seemed to be moving in a circle around our location at the church.

It was being fanned by a strong northerly wind. We spent some time assessing the situation and when it became apparent that we were not in any danger, we all agreed that it was time for bed and some much-needed sleep.

An interesting experience was enjoyed by all, as some chose a bucket bath while the others showered from bags of warm water suspended from an old Cedar tree in the church garden. After a very hot day [in the upper 30s], the night air was cool and very comfortable for good sleeping.

We woke, well rested by the Good Lord Jesus, and reminded ourselves that it was the Lord’s Day. We sensed the need to be in the Spirit on His day. After “time in the Word”, we were called to the breakfast table: fried eggs and bacon with fried onion and tomato, bread and jam, with tea/coffee to follow… ON A MISSION TRIP! Some could not believe their eyes but savoured the moment.

Then it was off to Sunday School, followed by the morning worship service at which I had the privilege of preaching from 1 John 2:1-6 on the subject of “Assurance of Salvation – the signs which help us to be assured of our Salvation by Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ”. A rich sense of the presence of the Lord was evident – Praise God.

Our final event arrived; maybe we should call it a “process”. Sunday dinner, a la XHOSA style. Pietermaritzburg Chicken and /or Mahagu Goat [freshly slaughtered], served with samp and beans [Xhosa traditional meal], butternut, rice, cabbage, potato, salad and plenty of gravy. Oh, so good! Chocolate biscuit pudding and finally tea or cappuccino coffee. We were spoilt, beyond deserving.

What pleased our hearts, more than anything else, was the fact that the whole congregation had been invited for lunch. Adults and children were all served, from oldest to youngest… in this order.

All good things come to an end. We packed our bags in the trailer. Stood in a line and started the painful process of saying good-bye. The silence that followed, as we drove out of the church grounds, after prayer, was interpreted by myself as follows, “We are sad to leave you, we will miss you and we hope it won’t be too long before our paths cross again.”

SPECIAL THANKS

·       To those who sacrificially gave, so that we could minister to those in inaccessible places.

·       To those who prayed… your prayers were heard and answered.

·       To those who went: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the Good News of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

·       To those who hosted us at Mahagu: “We knew that we were with the family of God.”

·       To our God and Saviour who made all this possible: “In Him we live and move and have our being.”

MAY GOD HELP US TO BE FAITHFUL UNTIL HIS KINGDOM COMES

Trevor Eayrs
September 2010