August 2022

Auction and Clothing Drive 

We will be having an online auction again this year, from October 1-8. We will give you detailed instructions in the next newsletter, but in the meantime, if you have any gift cards you don't plan to use (or you are able to pick up a gift card), new items, handcrafted items, etc., to donate, please let us know by email or phone, or text Lorna Packard at 206-423-0306. We have already received some great items and are entering them into the auction site now. (Picture above is from last year.) And we will have our popular cakes again this year!

We have collected approximately 18,000 pounds of clothes for the clothing drive. (We just did a big pickup that isn't weighed yet.) The drive will continue through October 31. We can take gently used clothes, shoes, purses, belts, linens (tablecloths, towels, drapes, etc.), blankets, sleeping bags, and anything fabric-y. Items can be dropped at 30020 2nd Ct. S., Federal Way, on the porch or in front of the garage if it's good weather. Donation receipts are in a bag on the porch. Please also let your family and friends know about the clothing drive. We can pick up large amounts of clothes if needed. Contact us at 253-946-5953 (landline), 206-423-0306 (cell), or by email.

Nurses Trained to Use Reach4Life

These Bronkhorspruit (east of Pretoria) nurses were trained to do the R4L program with different hospital support groups. See the article below.

R4L a Tool for HIV Support and Young Mothers' Groups

Victoria Mosa (left) says, “I have been a nurse for 5 years and I work at the family planning department. I see kids as young as 13 coming in pregnant or requiring abortion. By law we are to just give medical assistance and that’s it. But as a Christian deep down you know very well that the Solution is salvation. A few of us approached our Matron and presented R4L which I heard of in my church. We were approved, we then requested training. Today we are qualified R4L PE’s! We will use R4L as a tool to reach out to the youth that is in our HIV support groups and young mothers’ groups. We will teach that they can start over through Christ.” 

Mayibongwe (left) is the northern Swaziland Coordinator and Wandile (right) is the southern Swaziland Coordinator. These two young men are doing incredible things with the R4L program in Swaziland. Their love for the youth and local churches has created a great relationship between them, their teams, and their communities. There are many open doors for the program to go into even deeper rural villages and bigger cities. At the training (see below) 7,000 Bibles were delivered, with more to be sent soon. Wandile says, “I started as a Peer Educator in 2017, I was given an opportunity to lead the Region in 2019. Evangelism is my heart, the R4L program has given a lot of us Swaziland youth purpose. We are seeing God move and touching lives in schools, prisons, churches, and community groups. Thank you for the sound systems for each Region, R4L T-Shirts, caps, stationary and the R4L Bibles. All these make us organized and equipped for every opportunity we get to minister the good news. We are grateful for the weekly subsidies, they help us move faster from point to point with taxis. Swaziland for Jesus we declare!!" See Mayibongwe's comments in the "Sound System Delivered " article below.      

Trained to Do Community Outreach!

Ninety-three potential new Peer Educators attended the training this month in KwaManzini, Swaziland. It was a beautiful sunny day and these amazing, passionate young people kept arriving from as far as two hours away. They expressed a great desire to do outreaches in their communities. Reach4Life will be a good tool for them to accomplish what they love to do, which is winning souls for Christ!

Books Delivered to Johannesburg Schools

Reach4Life Coordinator Monica (right) is seen here with the Department of Education committee as 6,000 R4L books were delivered for the Westrand (Johannesburg) schools.

Commitments Made to Christ and Abstinence

After the Peer Educators teach the Bible patiently for months, during the third term ((July/August/Sept), commitment cards to abstinence and to Christ are presented to kids. Whoever wants to make a commitment is advised to talk to their Peer Educators after their class or group sessions, and privately fill in the commitment card. Based on their home address, they are then referred to the nearest local church, which has already been prepared to receive these kids. Above, these three beautiful grade 9 girls from Nqondweni High School have just committed to Christ. From left are Zizo, Pearl and Abigail.

Training in North West Province

Sixty-five people attended the training in Carletonville, North West Province. See "These People Mean Business" article below to hear from two young people who were there. Below, Reach4Life director Thandy is showing some "foxes" (students teaching students) how to teach a small group. She reports they did a great job!

New Tugela Ferry Church Fencing Project is Complete

The Tugela Ferry Christ Fellowship Centre (CFC) fencing project is complete. The church site is now safe and marked permanently. It's important to get the fence up because until that happens, it may be assumed that the land is available for anyone to use and people might move onto the property. The fence shows that the land is now spoken for. This was a large plot of land (about 3.7 acres). It looks like they did a nice, neat job! The next step will be to install outdoor toilets (separate from the building) and then begin working on the building itself. If you would like to assist us in building this church, please go to our donate page. On the second page of the payment process, select "Tugela Church" from the "projects" dropdown box. We appreciate your support!

New Location Added - Blaauwboch

Twenty-four new schools have been launched in the new area of Blaauwboch. New Coordinator Sthembiso Kubheka is shown here (left) receiving 2,000 Bibles for launching out to the schools. He says, “It has been a struggle for me to send reports of our area, because none of us in the team has a Phone. We would send our reports via post which took forever. I thank the ministry for buying us a ministry phone (picture on right). I will be collecting from all team members and sending our reports on time. Our community is made up of very deep ancestral worshipers but we are witnessing a hunger for truth and hope. We are getting invites to come share the gospel everywhere, even colleges. We are ready!

Testimonies!

"These People Mean Business!"

Mpho (right) with Pauline above, says, "It was an amazing 2 days of training. We are full of courage to go and stand in classrooms and teach the word. Being a peer educator is a serious ministry commitment, the facilitators shared the Do’s and Don’ts. Wow these people mean business with God’s work. We were taught to keep time, to dress appropriately and above all to know the word and be soaked in prayer as a peer educator. We are team Carletonville and we are ready to serve!!!!  

"You Have Healed Us"

Xolile Mthombeni 16, grade 10, Cabangokuhle High School shares, “I am so grateful to have an hour everyday at school where I learn about the love of Christ. I have so much peace and I am growing every day. The program heals us who come from broken homes, it improves our self-confidence. I am a better girl now that I have a Bible to guide me. Thank to everyone involved with the R4L ministry, you have healed us.” 

Learning How to Tell Your Story

This grade 11 class at Cabangokuhle High School has 52 kids. The whole class has committed to abstinence and 32 kids committed to Christ. On this day, they were doing the lesson "Telling your Story." Peer Educator Mduduzi shares that there were smiles and laughter as each kid volunteered to share how Reach4Life has impacted their lives. 

Upcoming trainings

1. Pietermaritzburg
2. Estcourt
3. Port Shepstone
4. Gaza, Maputo, Mozambique

Sound System Delivered

Last month we shared that we bought some sound systems. This month, Mayibongwe (Northern Swaziland Coordinator) is shown with one of two given to Swaziland. “It was very hard to conduct assemblies in schools as some of our schools can have 2,000 kids and more. Our voices were strained, and most kids could not hear the message. But now that we have sound systems, oh Wow, we are going to shout the name of Jesus and all in the assemblies are going to hear us. Thank you, friends. We appreciate your participation in Africa."  

"PE's Motivate Learners"

Cabangokuhle principal, Mrs Qwabe says, “We are blessed in our school to have Reach4Life. The presence of peer educators motivates our learners. They are excellent role models - there’s a positive atmosphere after every R4L session. Kids are learning great life skills and the Bible. As a school we are holding on to this partnership because it is bearing great fruits. This program has transformed our school.” 

School Rollouts!

Pictured above is Mnyakanya High School and below is a group from Sizwesonke High School. They represent  participants in the R4L program in schools. These schools are in Nkandla, a village in KwaZulu Natal. 

The current Rand exchange rate is excellent at 17.07 Rand per dollar!