Dear Pastors and Prayer Partners,
Brother Simon passed away in Upington. We didn’t make it to the funeral but prayed that God would bless the preaching of His word knowing that some of Bro. Simon’s children and grandchildren have not yet accepted Christ as their own Saviour. Simon Mshlangu was one of the 5 adult founding members of the church in Upington 26 years ago. He was a very quiet man. Everyone loved him. He’d come home from his job at the electric company and change clothes before he headed out to check on his pigs. Boys would pile into his little pick-up truck. They would help him feed the pigs and clean the truck. They would tag along if he went to town and they followed him to church. Many people attended his funeral.
Just a few weeks later we did travel to Upington as Jeff was scheduled to officiate at a wedding. One of Brother Simon’s daughters was getting married. The bride, Janetta, was an 18 yr old senior in high school when we met her in 1985! She loved and served the Lord then and she’s been a faithful witness as a single lady the past 26 years. This was a beautiful wedding and reception. There were so many smiling faces. A few of them were Janetta’s friends from her years of working in a big city hospital and a few from her recent years of working under contract in a Saudi Arabian hospital but the great majority were people fairly well known to us. One after another, I looked at faces and remembered when they were babies, children, teenagers, newly weds, parents of our Sunday School children a long time ago. Yet only a few of them would be in church the next morning. I left very burdened for those who still aren’t saved. Saturday evening and all day Sunday I prayed for one person and family after another that the Lord would work in their hearts and lives again to bring them to salvation. A month went by. I called Anna and she was very excited to tell me that Brother Simon’s grandson, 23 yr old Elrico, had accepted Christ as his Saviour! Elrico grew up in his grandfather’s home and in our church. In recent months he dropped out of church and then went looking for a church that doesn’t frown on young people living like the world. Anna Feni told me that she’d been very burdened for him. She’d also been distressed thinking of how few of the children and grandchildren are still in church. She’d cried out to the Lord, “Lord, not Rico too. Can’t we even keep Rico?” Elrico and several other guys were driving back home to Upington from their jobs in another town when the car flipped and rolled over the veld. None of them were seriously hurt. Elrico took that as his wake-up call from the Lord. He came to church on Sunday and accepted Christ as his Saviour. He spent some time with Pastor Feni Monday discussing it further. We’re all walking on air.
Just two Sundays ago Church had been dismissed and the little ones streamed out towards mothers when Belinda came through the door with 8 yr old Camielle and told me, “we need to talk”. I thought, “Someone is in trouble!” I slid the door closed and we all sat down. Belinda told me, “Camielle wants to be saved. She’s been talking about it for a couple of weeks but she’s confused. She’ll do something wrong and then tell me she’s not going to be naughty anymore and when she’s good then she’s going to ask Jesus to be her Saviour so she can go to heaven. I’ve been trying to tell her that she can’t wait till she’s perfect. Even after she’s saved she won’t be perfect! Today I could see she was thinking during the invitation. I thought now she’s going to step out. But the invitation ended and she looked up at me and announced, “I’m going to Heaven.” And Belinda said, “oh No, you are not. Not without getting saved, you aren’t. What is she thinking? That she’s good enough now? What more can I say? This has gone on long enough.” Camielle looked so small and so miserable. Looking at her, I remembered when one of our daughters was about her age. It was bedtime and I was there to pray with her. I told her that she was old enough to think back over her day; had she done anything wrong today? She could tell Jesus what she had done, tell him that she was sorry. My daughter began to shake her head and protest, “No! No! I couldn’t do that.” Why not? “Because, it would make me cry.” I told Camielle that story and talked about how hard it is even for big people to tell God out loud that they know they’ve done wrong. We looked at Romans 10:9 &10. She already believed in her heart that she was a sinner and Jesus died on the cross to pay for her sins; all she had to do was confess with her mouth. While we listened, Camielle prayed. (When she was finished, one tear rolled down her cheek. Think about it, very few little children cry when they pray the sinner’s prayer.) The next Sunday morning Camielle was waiting for me! As I set my bag down and began to take out the flannelgraph, she plopped down on the bench, slid over to look up into my face and told me, “Teacher, I’m still happy! I’ve been happy all week!” What a wonderful relief it is to know that things are settled, that she’s forgiven and on her way to heaven.
Your Missionaries,
Jeff & Judy Blanton