I had the privilege of leading Pastor DJ to the Lord at a high school mission in 1975. Many people came to the Lord in the three services.
One of the essentials of our visit was to check on the Soweto Sewing School for ladies who have Aids, that our daughter Deborah is involved with (see photo). It is going so well with many ladies being equipped to create a Home Industry in sewing and garment making in order to feed and educate their children who are HIV.
They are wearing jackets made and marketed by the African ladies. Margurita and I had a reunion at the gracious home of Pastor Terrence and Tharina Hanafey, with people who were around the in old Woodlands Full Gospel Church 50 years ago when I gave my life to the Lord, and where we served the Lord for 7 years.
I had a great time of ministry at the Living Waters Christian Church in Durban North with Pastor Lindsay Dillman. This was a very prophetic meeting. The Harvest Church in Umhlanga hosted another great meeting with Pastor George Gourlay. It was great catching up with long standing friends and family at this church.
We also had a grand 51-year Anniversary Dinner with the 1961 graduation students of my old high school, New Forest High School in Durban. In fact, 4 graduating years got together with about 85 people. It was a great joy meeting up with my sister, Susan who married my old headmaster's son, and many of my old school and sporting buddies. I had ten minutes to share my testimony of Jesus and minister the gospel to them. What a precious opportunity.
Then to a great ministry in Spain
The Evangelical Fellowship, in Calahonda hosted us for a wonderful Sunday afternoon service on the south east coast. This turned out to be a very prophetic service and was followed by a Tuesday morning coffee meeting.
As a result I was invited to the Christian Television station, "Revelation TV" in Fuengirola, to talk about my service at the Olympics & Paralympics.
What a great opportunity to uplift Jesus as well as encourage the believers.
Another Icy Winter for the Orphans we support in Eastern Europe
Snows in Eastern Europe have blown in early this year, with a vengeance. It is bitterly cold and this has caught us a very short of funds. We need to get funds to Latvia and Ukraine very soon to pay for heating bills and medicines as well and provide blankets and warm clothing.
The latest orphanage of handicapped children that we have begun to support near Daugavpils, Latvia (near the Belarus and Lithuanian border) has so many needs - such as an industrial blender for the orphanage kitchen, wheelchairs for bedridden sick children, lifters for baths, carts for distributing food, food, pampers (diapers), shampoo, soap, shower gel, toilet paper, and toiletries. Please pray with us for this precious new project.
Latvia - ministry in prisons and rehabilitation programmes
We have rehabilitation programmes in place to help many prisoners who have come to the Lord, completed Bible School Diplomas and finished their sentences.
They are being released into a very depressed economical society. In Jelgava, Latvia at the big Prison there we have helped to set up a Halfway House for these free men. They are serving the Lord with their musical talents in the poor local churches and using their caring abilities to help the poor.
The women we help are from a prison in Riga. Please stand with us in prayer for these people in need – for heating bills, clothing and toiletries. Our ministry for the orphans, the poor and needy, and those in prison who have come to Jesus and want to serve Him is a passion of our lives.
David Smethurst whose base is in Brisbane and IOC volunteer Olympic Religious Services (Multi-Faith) Protocol's Mark Tronson meet next Wednesday on the Gold Coast for a Post Olympic debrief.
To contact Reverend David Smethurst
smethurstmin@bigpond.com.au