Dear Friend

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now..." Philippians 1:3-5

2007 has been a great year of many ministry opportunities. 

Congo Ministry

I remember the words of Ps Jeff as we drove past the demolished houses and school near Lubumbashi, in the Congo: "This is the gift from our new governor of Katanga," he explained.  The reasons for the demolitions appear to be varied from, 'buildings being too close to the railway line' (strange that some even closer than those demolished, were still standing) to 'he does not want the poor people living there, he wants the rich people to build apartment blocks there'.

People were living under a suspended piece of plastic between the rubble. 

Rob Pompe, my friend who ministers to businessmen, and I, had just arrived at the Lubumbashi airport in Katanga Province, Congo.  

Ministry in the Congo included praying for the sick, Gospel tract distribution, preaching, teaching at a leadership training event, encouraging a church planter, teaching business people how to reach others with the Gospel in the business arena, a radio and television interview and visiting business people at their work place, encouraging them to take the Lordship of Jesus Christ to this needy area.

Ps Oscar prayed for a lady with her baby who was so sick the child's body appeared to have no life.  The mother cried as he prayed.  He explained afterwards that her husband had left her, she was left destitute - Ps Jeff explained that the state hospitals have no medicine - the baby probably just needed a drip.    

Frontline Fellowship has been blessing pastors with bicycles - Pastor Jeff received one that would enhance his ministry in the large village on the outskirts of Lubumbashi.  "Sometimes I am visiting families on one side of the village and then receive an urgent call to go and pray for a sick family on the far side of the village, a bicycle will help me enhance my ministry," he explained.

The pastors are very excited about the French copy of the "Biblical Principles for Africa" book, by Dr. Peter Hammond.  Frontline Fellowship has distributed thousands of copies that are being used as a teaching aid for pastors and congregation members.

At the Shalom School 370 children are receiving a Christian education in a small village near Lubumbashi.  They cram 100 children into a classroom of 25m2, have no ablution facilities and have by God's grace now been blessed with an underground water dispenser which is kept under lock and key.

We have helped the English teacher (at the French school) with Gospel literature in English with which to teach the children to read. 

Shooting Back DVD

This year WorldNetDaily produced a DVD documentary on my book Shooting Back.  

Awards

I was honoured to receive a certificate of commendation and medal from the Possenti Society (USA).  The patron of the Society, St. Gabriel Possenti, was a Catholic seminarian who saved villagers of Isola del Gran Sasso, Italy from a terrorising gang of renegade soldiers in 1860 with a striking, one-shot, lizard-slaying demonstration of handgun marksmanship. 

Another blessing came in the form of an award of Gun Rights Defender of the Month (July 2007) by the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (USA).  With this award I received a beautiful plaque.

Biblical Worldview Summit (BWS)

This year we challenged our Summit delegates to get back to the Word of God and Reclaim Africa for Christ.

Starting with PT early in the cold winter mornings, over 100 delegates from as far afield as America, Australia, Ghana, Nigeria, Romania, England, Zambia, Zimbabwe and all over South Africa, participated in the week-long Reclaiming Africa for Christ Biblical Worldview Summit, which formed the first part of our Great Commission Course (GCC). 

The BWS (29 June - 6 July) included 14 lecturers, 8 films, outreaches in the nearby town and township, visits to the Huguenot Monument and Museum, a parallel children's programme (in which Roberta, Jason and John-Marc participated), Evangelism Workshops, a Science and Scripture Workshop, Public Speaking Workshop, Debating Workshop and a Christian Action Workshop. 

Those involved in the Great Commission Course, after the BWS, prepared for the even more intensive GCC programme ahead.

Participants completed 4 hikes, including night hikes up and over Lions Head and Table Mountain (my legs were in pain for a week after this) and other night hikes in the forest including wading downstream in rivers. 

By God's Grace, several participants of the BWS and GCC had the privilege of leading people to Christ on the streets, and in the shopping malls, during outreaches. 

US Tours

Sonja joined me on my May US speaking tour.  We had a wonderful time visiting friends and supporters.

My November tour included speaking at a Maryland gun show, a Bible study, churches and a meeting with congressmen and a senator; visit to the Creation Museum of Answers in Genesis (Cincinnati), 16 radio interviews, wonderful times of fellowship with friends and supporters and ended with a television interview and lecture at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC.

The Christian Broadcasting Network and The 700 Club used the footage for a news report on a Washington, DC firearm related court case - http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/273674.aspx 

Family

Sonja is a wonderful wife and mother to our four arrows the Lord has blessed us with.  During my November US tour Jason (6), John-Marc (5) and Anya (18 mths) all had chicken pox.  Roberta (10) also wrote her first set of school exams.  Sonja's mother and my parents all stepped in to help with the clan.

Roberta has just completed Grade 4, Jason Grade 1 and John-Marc will be starting Grade 1 in January 2008.

Thank you for your love and support over the past year.

Yours

Charl van Wyk

Frontline Fellowship
PO Box 74
Newlands
Cape Town
South Africa
Tel: 27-21-6894480

In Touch Mission International
PO Box 7575
Tempe, AZ 85281
USA
Tel: 1-888-918-4100

PS To financially support our work, visit: http://www.intouchmission.org/itmi_donation.htm or phone 1-888-918-4100 in the US