One of my favorite Bible verses of all time is John 10:10:

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (Jesus).

I like this verse so much because it lays out the stark contrast between good and evil, God and Satan, in simple, unmistakable, and practical language. Ministry, in my opinion, is all about helping people to realize this contrast and experience the abundant life that Jesus Christ came to give us.

In October 2018, my wife and I were in South Africa for a camp meeting with a ministry called Abundant Life. This ministry lives up to the meaning of John 10:10. Abundant Life is a conference-approved ministry in South Africa that employs and mentors young people and helps to equip and train them for ministry and service in the community. Risë and I were blessed to visit their campus after the camp meeting and were amazed at how evangelistic they were. They have a huge event center on campus with an auditorium, cafeteria, and rooms to house hundreds. Most of the events they host are for local community organizations. They also have a fitness center on campus that is open for the public and full of people. While we were there, they showed us the construction of a building that will soon be shared between them and the Adventist Frontier Missions (AFM) for South Africa. As noted in the following report, Abundant Life also works closely with their local conference to distribute literature sent from Light Bearers Ministry. They have a Bible Study correspondence school that fields the Discover Bible study guides and follows up with interests.

Report from the Northern Conference, South Africa

The Northern Conference received mostly Afrikaans sets of Discover lessons but exchanged some of the English sets with Pastor Heino of Abundant life ministry, who also received two containers of literature. Most of the English sets have been used.

Recently the Northern Conference held a series of evangelistic meetings in the Johannesburg/Pretoria area called, “Gauteng for Christ, 2018: hope and healing.” The following is how we used the material during these meetings:

  1. We used all the English sets of Discover guides as preparation work for the meetings since the audience was mostly from the English-speaking population of South Africa.
  2. Many of the Daniel and Revelation studies were used for the meetings as well.
  3. All The Great Controversy books were used during the meetings and at the local church level. All local churches were given The Great Controversy books to distribute within a specific time period.
  4. Some of the other material was distributed with The Great Controversy books.
  5. Each local church has a specific outreach program where the literature is distributed and used at various programs. This is a continuous effort and program for the local churches to use material from Light Bearers stored at the conference office. 
  6. There were 250 Bibles given for the children’s ministry.
  7. Those who graduated from the studies received a Bible.
  8. We received a total of 950 Bibles and there are just a few are left.
  9. The Signs of the Times magazines were a great hit. There was a mass distribution launched through the churches.
  10. A huge part of the material was taken for the smaller unreached parts of Northern South Africa, so that these areas can be worked.
  11. The Spirit of Prophecy books were given to new converts and people who couldn’t afford them.
  12. We estimate there were about 1,500 baptisms.

We’re thankful to the Lord for this gift given through Light Bearers. We’re asking and planning for two more containers. There is a great need for Bibles, The Great Controversy, and The Desire of Ages, which we hope to receive in these two containers to follow.

Blessings,

Pastor Corrie Venter

A Dedicated Ministry

Meiring Pretorious is working part time for Light Bearers Ministry out of South Africa. He does follow-up work all over Africa, visiting the many countries we send literature to. He shares reports, evaluates the use of materials, and teaches the recipients how they can make the best use of the literature. Meiring added the following to the above report:

“I am translating the Revelation lessons (Light Bearers Ministry has over 40 lessons covering the book of Revelation) into the Afrikaans language for the Northern Conference. Hope to be done before the end of January.”

Risë and I were so blessed in the time we spent at Abundant Life. This is a ministry that is inspiring to see. They are dedicated, self-sacrificing, and filled with vision and energy for outreach. We encourage you to support this ministry as God leads you.

A man with short, curly dark hair is smiling while looking at the camera. He is wearing a dark button-up shirt and stands in front of a blurred outdoor background.
James Rafferty

James has spent more than 30 years preaching the gospel around the world in revival seminars and evangelistic meetings. He and his wife Risë have two adult children, Jeiel and Kierra.

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