YWAM POTCHEFSTROOM BLOG
We tell our stories and give testimonies. Become part of our experience with God!
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Feel free to comment
 We have lived from 2011 by faith in Ywam and we regularly look at the fruit of our ministry to determine if it is worth the sacrifice. We thank everybody that’s involved in any way. It has been both very difficult at times and at other times we were absolutely amazed by God moving in an amazing way. May God bless you!
Serving local churches through discipleship courses We thank God for His wisdom and His strategy in our area. When we started the base we had literally 3 churches within 200 metres from our house. In Potch there are a lot of churches and we have big churches around the students. When I prayed I felt God saying: “South-Africa is over-churched and under-discipled”. We clearly felt lead to start with discipleship schools. In the beginning we just had schools with the community from different backgrounds. Now it seems we are moving into a new season. In our home town there are many churches and each has its own doctrine. What was God’s call for us? When we got busy in the community, we found a very broken community under the layer of Christianity. The DTS’s we ran we felt were very successful. We found the gospel very profound in its simplicity; having a healthy personal relationship with God and loving relationships with people. In this flow of our relationship with God “doctrine” is not really a problem because the core of our faith is the same. As we grew as a family and a base we are now finding that our family is members of three different churches. All of our children are very active in their churches and attracting people to our discipleship groups. We are starting to build more trust as a base with the churches in our area. We are currently running two schools that are specifically designed to strengthen and serve the churches and Christians that is looking for more:
Church growth because of the discipleship schools One church asked us to present our Counselling school in their church. After the first school they did two other TPM schools in their church with 20 people in each school. This church grew to such an extent that the church was asked to talk to the synod about what they are doing in the church that causes the growth. The church moved from “doctrine” to “relationship” and immediately there was a multiplication effect in the church! Now we have another church we are partnering with in Lenasia. With the prophetic school it seems there might be two churches and an organisation partnering with us! This gives us the unique possibility to serve the body of Christ as a whole and people can do our courses and go and use the course material in their churches. (read more on our Blog https://wikuschristien.blogspot.com ) Wikus Vorster
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 I'm a Congolese citizen I come from a Christian family with 8 siblings temporarily living in Malawi
My life story I am 35 years old and single. I was a refugee for 16 years in different refugee camps and different countries. In 2000 because of on-going wars which was a lot for me to handle and to understand in the year of 2000 I was kidnapped with my brother Fahamu and the rebels tried to kill us because they wanted our bike, we had to choose either our lives or our bike and I remember they told us to run and don’t look back, if you look back we are going to kill you both. After that it became harder and harder. It was then I decided to leave and not experience such life. But running from home to the refugee camp was not easy for me because when we were on the boat crossing the Lake Tanganyika the boat could not cross because of the wind. So had to go ashore in the middle of nowhere to wait for the water to come down but it was not really good because in that place we found a lot of rebel soldier and keep us for 2 weeks without food. We could only eat cassava roots. I have been living for 16 years living as a refugee, trying to get help but it keeps getting harder, these are the refugee camps I visited.
BEFORE One night I was crying to God complaining about my life. I heard a voice calling on my name saying that my son you were not born to suffer. Stop complaining and angry at me you the one choose such life and run far from me. If you come back to me I will restore back your identity and your mind. You are truly going to be my son. from that time I started to remember to go to church and praying again, I start dreaming traveling in different places in my mind was thinking God is telling me to go back home but my calling was to do mission. I remember asking my parents to buy me ticket to go back home my father stop me and ask me to do discipleship training school , he then send to me YWAM address ‘ ywampotch.com’ at the time i did not have a good phone to go on internet . After receiving forms I was excited to ask my father who will pay for my school fees. HIs answer was to pray and ask God. It was really a new experience to me that I can trust God for my school fees. When I was praying for school fees God told me to sell all my belongings and go to school. It was the beginning of my life change. After selling all my stuff the money was very small. After starting school God provided even my outreach fees that were paid by different people most of them are kid’s age of 12-15. In my DTS God did many miracles and showed how much he loves me. And my identity In Christ was restored. AFTER DTS After my DTS and outreach I went back home to meet with m my family after 16 years of life as a refugee. Everyone at home was exited to meet with me again even aunties, uncles and cousins were happy to meet with them since we did not know each other. Sad news is when I was planning to go and meet with my grandpa In Kigali Rwanda he died three days before my trip to meet with him. Praise be to God that I was there to the funeral and give to him my love flower. My grandpa was calling me in the name ‘Kapiri ‘mean s lion or animal that eat too much meat. He will always be in my heart. At home I started youth\kids ministry with 38 orphans’ 18 street kids praying together and watching Jesus movie in my father’s house and praying for theIr school fees as all are not studying. Right now my father is working on that ministry called association TusaIdIane means ‘help one another ‘. It is now registered with government of Congo. I trust God for good people who will like to volunteer and support them. Please pray for: *school fees 10 USD, that Is: 140 Rand p.m. *feeding centre. It is quite a way to reach all the different souls on feeding scheme. *land for orphanage In September 2016 I went to Malawi for refugee ministry that took me 5 months. It was blessed to see how youth in the refugee camp and different nationalities come together praying and sharing word of God. Right now there are more than 56 youth that applied to do DTS discipleship training school. Please pray and support them. I was also involved in different ministries and churches. In my 5 months outreach In Malawi I saw many people like and Rasta and Muslim come and receive Jesus as their Saviour and I was miracles of people getting healed while I prayed for them. And In my 5 months outreach In Malawi it was the difficult life since I started missions. It was a challenge to me to see even our brothers and sisters that are missionaries abandoning me. They blocked me on their contacts, my friends run away because of me doing ministry. I didn’t know what to eat, where to sleep. I sold all my gifts that I received In my DTS that I can eat once a day and I had to ask people to help me with a small space where I can put my sleeping bag just for a night. That was my daily life In Malawi for 5 months of outreach. But thanks to God and all those who supported me with my visas and transport to come back to South Africa. Please pray for me and support me with any amount that God lead you to: Prayer request:
Operation refugee Africa NPO First National Bank 62626450720 Branch code; 240438. Reference: for Steven.  TESTIMONY
“We are Tresor Mpenzi and Jimmy Ntwali from DRC living in Malawi as refugee in a refugee camp from 2012. Life in camp is really hard that is not easy to be in a good relationship with God but we thank God that he didn't let us down. The other good side of the camp is that some people because of the badness of life choose to seek God We had a habit of praying but really in sense of following the movement (YWAM)but God kept on revealing himself to us in different ways. It was in April that we met a team of YWAM from South Africa in their outreach in the camp. they explained us what is YWAM and how it works and ask us to join the movement if we were interested. Most of people around 50 candidates including ourselves registered to join the movement but there was a big challenge to every body: paying the school fees. But the leader Mr Wikus promised that with God they will see what to do. I don't know for really what they did but I can guess a fund rising and get some money for only two guys to join DTS in YWAM Blantyre . luck enough the two of us were chosen among others and now we are in Blantyre. It started on 26/08 we are a class of 25 students. God is doing big things with us and we are looking forward to what is next. How I wish for my friends who have that passion of joining YWAM for knowing God and make him known to get such a sponsorship them too so they may meet God and serve him. I hope to have our outreach fees to be payed too to experience God gift in us and make him known. God bless every body involved in this project. In Jesus name Amen.” Steven's testimony Steven’s DTS TESTIMONY My name is IMANI KIBAMBAZI STEVEN, coming into the discipleship Training School I did not know much what to expect and I did not expect to get the change I received in this program. Joining this program was a life changing period in my life, where I got to experience the Lord in new ways, how to live with other and how I can help others. In the DTS we had 2 phases, lecture phase and the outreach phase where I learned a lot. Here are some of the high lights of what I learned from each of them. 1. Lecture phase • The DTS helped me to restore the broken relationship with the Lord • This program helped me to discover my identity • I learned how to live with people from different culture and background • I learned what love means, how to love others and how I can love myself • How to help people in need and the poor, and how I can understand what they are going through by putting me in their shoes. • How to process things before making decisions 2. Outreach phase • During the outreach I worked with youth/kids, where I learned the hardship of they are live. Because of lack of the program which can help those into they are daily lives, but for not having anything to do it leads them into making wrong choices. For my personal experience I feel this program can help them and change they are lives, through sport, arts, music, meeting in the small groups where each other can be sharing they are own testimonies. • We visited different centre where the old people stay, I learned a lot from them as well as how to live with others. I got the wisdom word from them and I’m so blessed to get to know them. But I would like if people could go as well spending time with them because it encourage them in different ways. • Refugees, there is more refugees today in the camps because of the lies and human trafficking people want to go the western countries for the better lives. This leads them to create the false insecurity, they start looking insecure and stop the relationships with families and friends, some destroyed themselves they are houses, stub themselves with knifes or other dangerous. To help them to find the truth is to reach them and talk, encourage them to go to school in return this will help them to overcome many lies they are facing and to restore they are minds. For my experience I would encourage all people to attend this program, this program transform all people who attend as well transform every angle of life. Thank you! Blessings IMANI KIBAMBAZI STEVEN [email protected]
 We are so thankful for our Nov 2015 DTS that went great,
The Vorster family decided to host the DTS in their own home, so the garage and the flat were changed into dorms for men and women. The lovely bunch of DTS students were very enthusiastic and eager to learn. Lecture phase brought growth every week. The team is currently reaching out in Malawi Please pray for them as they will also visit a Refugee camp and minister there - one of our DTS students were living in that camp for years - and now God is sending him back with a team of young missionaries!!  We enjoyed the presence of two students from a Christian university in USA who wanted to come serve in Potchefstroom. Rebecca gave them real African experiences when visiting her house and friends in the township - Eating "bunny chow" and even chicken feet!
The high point of the visit for her - was the way the African kids in the orphanage starts singing together... and for him it was the time spend with the YWAM Potch university students - the fun they had. Thanks for sharing life with us for a few weeks ... we loved it!  ISLANDS OUTREACH - March& April 2015
Ministering in Madagascar with YWAM Campus ministries Connecting with YWAM Mauritius and local churches on the second part of the outreach. Receiving a testimony of a guy that said God totally turned his life upside down - and he is so happy now; after the team ministered in his church.
This DTS is soo blessed to have a bunch of students who are willing and hungry for GOD! We are at week 5 and we already see miracles in our hearts ! Every week we reach out to the community, to the poor areas, the student community, the people in the streets and also we reach out to poor orphan children and street children. Please pray for us and support this group of people who stand in faith before God for provision! Outreach will be to Madagascar and Mauritius. Please pray with us for this big step of faith! We also enjoyed Jenna and Sitraka's engagement party, they met before the DTS!  We are soo excited to make a lot of room for DEEP BIBLE teaching the following 3 weeks. We have speakers from YWAM Worcester and Pretoria who came all the way. Everyone welcome to join us. COME Monday 18:30 Esselen str 6 BRING your Bible and pen and notepad be ready to be filled! 
Yesterday a satanist and his whole house came to Jesus. Beforehand God showed us a picture and we prayed that his legs (authority) would be cut off. When we prayed for him his legs became so heavy he couldn t stand and he received the Holy Spirit sitting. Praise God!
Wikus |
