Wilhite Updates
June 15, 2008
Question: What do a team bus driver, a wedding photographer, and a sports time keeper have in common?
Answer: No one remembers their names.
Today at our youth day Albert, David, and Jonathan preached. Captain and Jon handled the quizzing. David and Albert led the singing. David, Merriam and Elizabeth sang special music. Sarah, Maria, and Francina handled the kitchen responsibilities. The Mothiba church covered the cost for the food. The boys played soccer; the girls played volleyball. And me...well, I was the bus driver, the photographer, and the time keeper (smile).
Praise the Lord for around 50 young people from several different villages/areas who convened for a full and good day of preaching, eating, and activity. We asked them to dress modestly with the ladies wearing knee length dresses, and they did (I didn't think you could do that anymore--smile) The hope for Africa is in young people saved, separated, studious, and steadfast.
5500 more fliers were sent through the post to post boxes this past Friday.
Forty eight folks jammed into the room in Ga-Dikgale Sunday morning. Somehow, Rejoice got a contract for sewing, so some ladies came to see her at church about a job. She in turn said, "First, church; then talk," so about 10-12 ladies joined us in the room for a gospel message. We were a bit disappointed that only two men were there, but praise the Lord for those who were.
The longer weekend affected attendance in town and Mothiba on Sunday, but we plod.
Tuesday through Friday we plan to go camping in the Kruger National Park. It is a bit cold, but the children have been anticipating it since we went last year.
Thanks for your prayers,
Bro Wilhite
June 6, 2008
God far exceeded my expectations with the DVD distribution at Savannah Mall this morning. In five hours Juli and Jon helped distribute and untold number of tracts AND 2500 of the What Standard? DVDs. That's 500 per hour, and probably only 1/10 folks took something. There's a pile of folks that go through that mall on a Saturday. Of course, it was the last Saturday of the month, so more folks were there due to having been paid recently.
Jon told of a man who walked past, took the material, then CAME back for another DVD. He JUST SO HAPPENED to be here from Germany, and was on his way to the travel agent down the corridor. When the travel agent saw the material she immediately recognized it as from us. Why? Because it was the very same travel agent who helped Juli get her recent ticket. He then came back to get HER the DVD and gospel tract too.
Furthermore, we saw many folks we have come to know over the years, and we were able to personally give the Good Person Test to some folks individually.
One man called me a month ago to inquire about the service in town, as he had seen our ad in the paper. Today HE was at the mall, and we were able to talk with him, get his phone number and address, and receive an invitation to visit him at his house.
The Spur Restaurant was sponsoring a 5 km and 10 km race, so many more folks were at the mall due to this. An older lady came up to the table with her granddaughter, both of whom had run in the race. Grandma told me, "I was saved back in 1964, but my children..." As a result she gave me the address of one of her four sons whom I would like to go see this next week.
Last evening, Albert's sister, Sarah (37) received Christ as her personal Savior. This morning she said, "Moruti, I am free!" The other saved family members are thrilled as are we. Sometimes it takes awhile for folks to really, truly see their need and be willing to turn from their idols to serve the living and true God.
Albert preached in Ga-Dikgale where 25 Sotho folks gathered. Maria (16) still wants to be baptized, and hopefully Albert's sister will too. Joyce's baptism would make another.
This morning, David preached in Ga-Mothiba where 27 Sotho folks attended, and afterwards Ditiro and Khutso stayed to talk with him. Two hours later David called to say that both 15-year-old boys made professions. Khutso seemed the most stirred. He is the son of Michael Mothiba, the tribal authority secretary. Michael's uncle is the king of the village. Is God doing something here?
Tonight we had a pretty good group in town with another visitor. I think there were 10 plus our family. Michelle asked for 50 "What Standard" DVD's--10 for her family, 40 for her co-workers.
On Tuesday Rhonda Montgomery will be flying in to spend the next six weeks with us. Her father, Mark Montgomery, pastors one of our supporting churches, which church was among the first to begin supporting us as early as October 2000. We really appreciate these folks as they have a good family and have been some of the most sacrificial supporters we have. Rhonda will be a real asset I'm sure.
As do most missionaries, I've thrown out alot of names. Just print this off and spread it out before the Lord as did Hezekiah asking God to do something.
Afrikaans, Sotho, Tswana, Tsonga, Nyanja, Shona, English -- all represented in our service tonight in town. Can you believe it? Praise the Lord for the common ground of English, and that I at least try to speak it.
Four new visitors which included Gershwin and Rose, folks we met back in mid-March. Praise the Lord they came after their promise three months ago. They are in their 50's with grown children in the area who are married. If you think about it, pray for them this week.
The first fliers went to the post today to be distributed throughout some of the post boxes. To begin, we have prepared 5000 for Polokwane/Pietersburg and 1600 for Fauna Park. We hope to do several thousand weekly over the next several weeks.
The flier offers a free correspondence course and an invitation to our Sunday Bible Study in town. Those to the outlying areas will only offer a correspondence course.
Brother Wilhite
South Africa
May 14, 2008
A missionary once told me, "It's good to have a few works going, so that you are encouraged by at least one of them." Good advice, and we were encouraged by the service in Dikgale Sunday a.m.
Over a week ago I gave Captain (19) the notes for the lesson I was going to teach, so he would have some idea of what to interpret. When he got in the van this Sunday to accompany me he said, "I studied these notes, so I can preach if you want." Rats! Africans taking over my job again! I may have to go on unemployment.
When we got to the meeting place, the 12'x12' room was full. I don't know how 8 eight other adults came and fit in. Not counting Captain, Derek, and me there were 42 others (22 adults, 20 children). We are praising the Lord to have six adult men in that count.
After the service, Maria (mid-teens?) approached me asking for baptism. She says that she accepted Christ around a month ago during one of the services. Since then she has been a "house afire" bringing friends and submitting at least a dozen requests for Bible studies for her friends.
Upon getting back to Mothiba, we had to have a church meeting and remove three names from our role, one (lady) due to inattendance and two (men) due to immorality...again. One of these men we dealt with in February, but he could not maintain the stipulations the church put upon him, and in fact, went deeper into sin. Sad.
The other man is a man I worked with for nearly two years in ministry training, and who accompanied me to Zimbabwe and Botswana on several occasions. He began to spiral down when he took a job that kept him out of church affecting his walk with the Lord. He has since impregnated a lost girl and covered his sin for six months. Again, his profession dates back almost six years. Sad, sad, sad. I hope he will repent.
Sickness depleted our ranks in town on Sunday evening, but we did have a new couple visit. I suspect they walked two miles to get to the service.
Delivered to our house this past week were 5000 DVDs entitled "What Standard?" This was produced by our home church, but we were able to have it replicated here in PAL format which includes our ministry details on the cardboard sleeve and on the trailer at the end of the presentation. We are slated to have a display table in one of the malls here the end of this month, and hope to have another table in another mall in June to distribute these DVDs free of charge. A banner and shirts are being printed with lettering which reads "Are You a Good Person? Take the Test." Your gifts and prayers make these efforts possible. BTW, the cost of producing these came to slightly over $1/DVD, money which we already have in hand, thanks to you!
Over two years ago we were celebrating Drew's birthday at McDonald's. After bowing our heads in prayer, a lady looked over and asked if we were Christians. Since then we have gotten to know this religious, but lost, couple.
This couple moved down from Bulawayo and the man, Jan (Yawn), owns a trucking firm. On a couple of occasions he has taken boxes of literature for me to Zimbabwe, but the last time I asked about it, he wasn't going to the Bulawayo side. Last night, though, I called him and enquired about where his trucks were going, IF they were even going.
He replied that they were going to Zim, that it was to the Bulawayo side, and that he would be happy to take some boxes up for me. Just now we returned from dropping the shipment at his house.
We did our job (getting the literature to Jan),
On Monday Jan will do his job (get the literature on the truck),
So that the driver can do his job (take the boxes to Bulawayo),
So that Never Mlilo can do his job (get the literature out in Zim),
So God can do His job (convict and convert),
So please do your job (pray that this shipment will indeed go through).
Thanks a bunch,
Bro Wilhite
May 7, 2008
Despite the bad news from north of the border, here's some good news. This unedited letter we received today in the post from a suburb of Bulawayo...
Your prayers and gifts make this possible.To Ambassador Baptist Ministries
I'm a girl aged 18. I learned many things in a book called Are you a good person.
And I received the Lord Christ as my personal savior.
I will be most grateful if you send me Question papers and a Bible study.
My name is Nomga Dhlamini
From Zimbabwe
May God bless for changing my life
In December I was asked to preach a funeral for a man I did not know.
Since January, Albert and I have been doing studies at the house with the man's widow (actually, I do not think they were married legally), and his nephew, Brian (24).
Both Brian and Joyce have listened attentively and have accompanied us to the studies in Dikgale for the past few months since they live right on the way to these Sunday morning studies. Brian comes from a 7th Day Adventist background, so he has seen himself as a successful law keeper and not in need of salvation.
Two-three weeks ago Joyce told my wife, though, that she wanted to be saved, but that she had a "boyfriend" (Brian) who needed to move out. Ten days ago, when we went for the studies, Brian had moved out. As we went through our study that night it seemed apparent that Joyce was ready to receive Christ...and she did.
This past Sunday in Dikgale Danny was fielding some prayer requests, and I thought about mentioning prayer for Joyce (whom I now call "Rejoice," since she has been "re-born," Amen?), but instead her hand shot up and she said something in Sotho (SUtu) which I could little understand. Later Danny told me that she said, "I was saved this last Tuesday night, and I'm asking prayer for you to pray for me to be strong in the Lord and faithful to church."
Now, if the story stopped there it would be good, but who likes just a "good" story? How about a "great" story? She has avidly read her Bible in the last week (1John, Gospel of John, Ephesians). She has hit it off with Albert's lost sister, Sarah, who also attends the studies in Dikgale, and has really opened up to her. Then today she came to our house, and here's some icing on the cake.
As I was telling her about our neighbor's lost domestic worker, Dora, I told Rejoice that Dora's mother tongue is Venda. Venda is a difficult language and the Venda people live over an hour north of us. Now, folks no one in these parts speaks Venda...except...well, except...you guessed it...Rejoice. We had given Dora a Venda Bible a couple of months back, and now God is putting a Venda speaking Christian right on Dora's doorstep.
Oh, and BTW, I have no idea where this might lead. You see, Joyce's home is on the west side of Pietersburg, an area where we have never,ever had a Bible study. Wouldn't it be great if her mother opened up her home for a study out on that side?
Pray for Rejoice...and if you are reading this and your name is Joyce, perhaps you would like to jot a quick note to our new sister in Christ and encourage her.
"Rejoicing" in the Lord
Brother Wilhite
South Africa
May 1, 2008
Please continue to pray for the believers north of our border. Earlier this morning I was able to speak with one of the brethren telephonically regarding our correspondence school up there. A few days ago we received a text message that their supplies were exhausted, and they had suggested convening at the border to transfer a small shipment of materials.
Today, that appears impossible. Now, according to this brother, armed officials are being dispatched throughout the country with road blocks everywhere in anticipation of the announcement regarding the election results. People are not only being threatened, but are actually being beaten in their area. One of the men up there used to be a corral head, and at one time years ago, his life hung in the balance. His life may still be in serious jeopardy. Understandably, there is great fear of being physically beaten.
I know we hear about these things on CNN, NBC, BBC, etc., but it hits a bit closer to home when our family in Christ face impending danger, now so more than ever.
Bro Wilhite
Suid Africa