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Mission to America - May 2017

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“Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His Name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing Psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy Name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face evermore! Remember His marvellous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,” 1 Chronicles 16:8-12

Working for Reformation Today
This was my fourth Mission in four months. We have been promoting 2017 as Reformation 500 for many years, actually, since my Mission to Europe in 2005, so it is understandable that we have received many invitations to conduct Reformation 500 conferences in so many countries.

Across the Atlantic
The day after Resurrection Sunday, I flew off to Pennsylvania, where I was a speaker at the Reformation 500 Conference. Leaving Cape Town after an intense flurry of activity, I had hoped to catch up on some sleep on the International flights, but that was not to be. The seats were so crammed that one cannot help but be jostled, bumped and pushed by passengers to the left, right and behind. Being a light sleeper I found it impossible to sleep for more than a few moments at a time before being jostled by one of the neighbours in such close proximity on these crammed flights. There was also a lot of intense traffic in Philadelphia and my host, Ben Francis and I, barely had time to quickly change and dash off to make the evening meeting of the Reformation 500 Conference. At that stage I had been awake for 2 days and nights.

Africa Reformation Overland Mission - Zambia, Tanzania, Namibia

“Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?” Psalm 85:6

This year is the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation started by Dr. Martin Luther. We planned the Africa Reformation Overland Mission to call people back to the Bible. It was my privilege to be apart of this mission team.

Preparation
I spent months beforehand preparing physically, emotionally and spiritually for my first cross-border mission. Finally, I was going to have the opportunity to experience and put to practice all that I have learned so far. Our team of three left with a trailer full of literature and our hearts full of hope and anticipation.

MISSION to SWAZILAND

“The kingdomsof this world have become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” Revelation 11:15

Geography
Swaziland was isolated for many years from any contact with western civilization due to its geography. It lies nearly 1,600km (1,000 miles) from the coast of the Cape of Good Hope, and inland beyond a shield of mountains called the Lubombo Range. It is bordered by Mozambique to its north-east and South Africa to its north, west and south. It is a small country, with a surface area of 17,364 km² and a population of about one million people.

Political Control
The Kingdom of Swaziland was established in the early-18th century. The present boundaries were drawn up in 1881.After the Anglo-Boer War, Swaziland was a British protectorate until 1967. It gained its independence in 1968. Whilst Swaziland is generally quiet and peaceful, due to it being a country with only one ethno-linguistic group, student and labour protests in the 1990’s pressured the king to introduce reforms. Today King Mswati III is Africa's last absolute monarch in the sense that he has the power to choose the prime minister, other top government posts and top traditional posts. In 2004, Mswati promulgated a new constitution that allows freedom of speech and assembly for the media and public, while retaining the traditional Tinkhundla (constituency) system. The king is deeply respected by the people, although he has been criticized by some for his lavish lifestyle.