Friday night I met a sweet young girl named Lokatia, and her friend, Brightness. Lokatia is 11 years old...she and Brightness attended our CityCelebration - our community outreach event, in a market area of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. I noticed the girls on the front row while I was singing; they had beautiful, inquisitive smiles...happy and curious to know what the Americans were doing here in their town...
At the time of invitation, after the singing and testifying and preaching about the Lord Jesus and what He did on the cross for us...those two girls, along with about 40 others lifted their hands, and said they wanted Jesus Christ to be Lord of their lives!
As we were leaving, Lokatia and Brightness came over to me, and as I greeted them, I asked them...what did you learn tonight? Why did you lift your hands and pray with David? Lokatia said, "I accepted Jesus into my heart!" I asked, have you ever heard of Jesus before now? Have you ever heard of how He loves you, and has a wonderful plan for your life? She answered, "No, I have never heard of Him...but now I have Him in my heart!"
I praise God that He is able to speak to our hearts, to show Himself to those who do not know Him...to reach out from heaven and touch the hearts of two young girls in Zimbabwe...whose names are now written in the Lamb's Book of Life!
Amy Stockwell
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Beautiful Bulawayo
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Dear Friends,
Thank you for continuing to pray for us! I began an email to you on Tuesday, but did not have the opportunity to finish and send…and much has happened since then! In our school programs, we have spoken to more than 20,000 students! Almost all of them received the Good News about Jesus with joy! Only God knows exactly who and exactly what happened in their hearts, but we are joyful that we have the privilege of telling them what Jesus did for us on the Cross, and how they can have a personal relationship with Him!
Yesterday morning at 7:30am, I spoke to 1,300 students, ranging in age from 5 to 14. It was a beautiful morning…bright sunshine, cool breezes – a gorgeous day. The children were all lined up according to age, outside…they were so well-disciplined, so respectful! I started with music – sang several songs, and then gave my testimony, and shared with them that God loves them, that He created them, and that they are so very special to Him. I talked with them about how Jesus died on the cross for their sins, and that they could receive Him to be their Lord and Savior, if they would turn from their sin, and trust Christ to save them. I encouraged them to work hard in school, to say, “No,” to the things that can destroy their lives, and say, “Yes!” to Jesus! I used my favorite scripture – John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but will have everlasting, eternal life!” – with Jesus, in heaven, forever! It was such a joy for me…and they all responded enthusiastically to my altar call. I saw many hands “go up” even before I had finished explaining to them how to receive Christ.
Yesterday, after our last school program (David and I did one together at noon for about 1,600 students! It was awesome!), we stopped by the home of our NEST (National Evangelist Support Team) leader, Godknows, and his wife, Ndaidzive, where they live with their two children, Haniel and Jamal (7 and 4,) and 7 other boys who are orphans, between the ages of 13 and 18. The nine of them live in a small two-bedroom house made of concrete, with an aluminum roof. They have a small sitting area in the front, and a kitchen in the back; outside in the back, an outside toilet and another room with faucet/running water for bathing. The seven boys share a bed; sometimes a few of them sleep on the floor in the sitting room.
They have a vegetable plot in their front yard and on the sides, growing tomatoes, cabbages, and lemongrass, but only when they have enough water from rain to water the garden (the gardens are mostly empty now.) They do have several fruit trees – mango, lemon and avocado, which are bearing beautiful fruits. It was a joy to see them in their home; I hope to share some photos of them with you later. They pay $150 per month to rent this home. Grocery prices in Zim are very similar to those that we pay in America; fuel is about $6.00 per gallon. Godknows does not have a car; he walks most places, and takes a bus to town to go to the internet café, in order to receive emails and information from us and others.
Would you continue to pray with us that God will provide so that we can keep helping our national teams, helping men who love God, are serving in full-time evangelism – men like Godknows who have families, and who are caring for orphans in their homes? It weighs heavily on David's heart that we have had to cut their monthly support in half because of the decrease in giving to our ministry in the last year, and some of them less than half - now, instead of $100-200 per month, we can only send $50-100 to each of them. We must leave the ministry of discipleship and follow-up in their hands after we leave...that's why we are training them for ministry and trying to help them do it. Would you consider talking with one or two of your friends, and asking if they might be able to give $50 or $100 per month to our ministry, so that we can send it to help men like Godknows?
We are in a battle here in Bulawayo; it is a spiritual battle; a battle for the hearts and minds and souls of precious people who need Jesus. The doors are wide open for us to preach the Gospel; I wish we could stay for months and months, and preach in every place. These people WANT to hear about Jesus; they WANT to know Him and serve Him.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5: "3For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ..."
The enemy does not want us to tell people about Jesus...he tries to hinder us with frustrations, problems, disasters, and so many "unexpected" things. But we know we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us and I am so glad that I belong to Jesus!
Romans 8:31-37: "31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
We love you...thank you again for praying for us and for sending us with your sacrificial gifts.
Amy and David
PS: Visit the two links below on YouTube to see David speaking on Brokenness at our conference last Saturday. Part One is 15 minutes; Part Two is 3.46 min. I know it will be a blessing to you!
Monday, March 14, 2011
A New Year; Mission in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
David and I are so privileged to be able to work together in ministry, and to spend our lives focusing on sharing the love of Jesus Christ wherever God allows us to go. I'm excited about my new blog, and look forward to sharing our experiences with you from time to time through this blog.
Our team has been on mission in Zimbabwe, having departed the US on Tuesday, March 8. We arrived in Bulawayo on Thursday, and began our ministry with a Leadership Development &Training Conference for pastors, evangelists and Christian workers. Today, our team begins speaking in local schools, talking with young people about drug and alcohol abuse, sexual purity, and AIDS, and things that can destroy their lives....and then sharing the Good News about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and how Jesus can change their lives!
An excerpt from a note to our families:
We are fine in Zimbabwe and have just gotten internet access this evening with a neat little "jump-drive"-like tool that allows us to connect almost like a cell phone. Our lodging and hosts are all just terrific; we are comfortable and enjoying cool breezes and beautiful, quiet sunsets and sunrises.
Our travel over here was fine except for some minor "hiccups" with luggage and customs...our sound equipment and other items necessary for ministry often cause a stir with local workers...
Godknows, our NEST co-leader here in Zimbabwe, has done a great job setting everything up. Our conference yesterday and today had an attendance of about 100 each day, and we had some wonderful times of worship and praise. I have never heard David speak so passionately and with so much power and anointing as he spoke last night and today, on having a passion for souls, on brokenness, on spiritual warfare...it was awesome! I could hardly sing, I was so overcome, when it was time for me to sing "Something Happens...!" God's spirit was and is moving and working, and we are looking forward to the rest of our ministry here.
Tomorrow we will all be at different churches, and then Monday begins our school ministry.
Thank you for praying for us; please continue to do so! I will post pictures when I am able...We love you and I am so glad I get to be here ministering in Zimbabwe...
Much love,
Amy and David
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