Pexels Julie Holmes 51809

Personal & Family

I thank God for His grace toward us. We have all recovered from some form of a cold or flu in this past month. Matthew and Zipho contracted a virus that concerned us all, but we trusted in God’s perfect will, and He has seen fit to spare them to us.

On the 30th of April, we celebrated Matthew’s first birthday; we offer our praises to Him alone. On the 1st of May, my wife and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary; God has brought us this far, and we thank Him for the growth in our relationship.

I am trying hard to cover all the bases of my failings, but I am learning that God grants rest to those He loves, and although we are to labor diligently, we should not be anxious. He has given us our days, our families, and our ministries, and so we should rest in Him and experience His joy!

The Church & Ministry:

I am well aware and take full responsibility for the fact that all the delays in the church are due to me; with regards to membership classes, baptism classes, registration, etc. I am slowly getting the information I need through reading other pastors, but I just need to put them all together and proceed.

We’ve always emphasized personal evangelism on the part of every member. It didn’t seem like anyone was taking notice because we didn’t get any kind of reports, but our people are being obedient and sharing the Good News. I’ll mention just two instances. 

One of our sisters was regularly sharing the gospel with an individual. He was asking more and more questions, and it seemed like a change was taking place. He was recently murdered, and this was hard on our sister.

A happier thing occurred recently; my family finished watching Pilgrim’s Progress one Saturday afternoon, and my son, Sanda, nervously asked me if he could go out with his bicycle and Bible to evangelize. His mother and I prayed for him. He came back and said that he shared with his friends, and that he experienced three different responses. One of his friends left as soon as he started mentioning things about the faith. Another friend mocked him, and started making noises while he was sharing with the other friend. The last friend, Michael, actually listened, engaged, and started asking searching questions while sharing some of his experiences. Sanda came back, shaking, with tears in his eyes, and said that he felt so happy that he did that.

It seems that all of our members are making an attempt at sharing Christ where God has placed them. We thank God for this.

On another sad note, we facilitated what would have been the first funeral at our church, but it turned into a memorial service as the body could not be there. It was very sad to see people dying without Christ and for those left behind to be with no hope. 

One of my close friends’ sisters-in-law died suddenly. She was homeless and died on the street. She leaves five children, four in different homes and a one-month-old child in the hospital. Very few people attended, and there were more excuses than people present. This was hard, as even the songs we sang did not ring true for most of the people present, and it was almost as if my wife and I were singing a duet all the time. 

I received advice from a pastor and just preached a simple Gospel message based on Romans 6:23. Pray for this family and many like them. What grace God has toward us that now we do not grieve like those without hope. May God use us to take this message of hope and reconciliation to those who are lost.

Conclusion:

The church seems so fragile in this world, and we who are weak and sinful make up its membership, but we are reminded that God’s purposes and will stand immovable. Therefore, we are not merely weak but empowered by His Spirit to do what He has ordained for us to do. He is building His church, and Christ will receive His bride to Himself on that Day. This hope does not put us to shame, so we press on toward the mark.

Prayer Points:

Thanksgiving:

  • Thank God for all the recoveries.
  • Thank God for His sustaining grace toward us.

Petitions:

  • Please pray for the registration process for members in the church.
  • Please pray for my wife and kids: for their homeschooling.
  • Please pray for the elders and churches in the area.
  • Please keep praying for my children; for their salvation and sanctification.
  • Pray for our members’ immigration papers and visas.
  • Please continue to pray for the Booysen’s.
  • Please pray for a young married couple in our church who we are very concerned about.
  • Pray for the people in Kwazulu Natal.
  • Pray for the situation in Ukraine, and pray for Russia.
  • Pray for the Uyghurs in China.
  • Pray for the people of Mozambique.
  • Pray for the church in Ethiopia.

Yours,

Neil Mairing