Bill Adams – Confederations Cup Report – Friday June 19th

Entry from Bill Adams:

Friday there were no games so went to downtown Johannesburg all day.  Normally as you enter a new area you drive around looking for the “right” spot.  A location that has heavy foot traffic & is in the center of an area.

By God’s grace Gary drove us to the exact location in Joburg that fit this description.  In fact, a parking spot opened as we approached it & on Friday there were few if any parking spots available downtown.

The location was at the corner of the South Africa Supreme Court building.  There was plenty of space on the corner, it’s always good to have space because you don’t want to encroach on people’s daily routine any more than necessary.  And there were plenty of people.  The day’s business brought many people across our path & refugees from Zimbabwe were there too & able to listen.

So the three of us, Gary, Thomas & I, hopped out of the car & began preaching, distributing tracts & talking with people.

Normally when you begin preaching in a business day environment it takes a little time for people to respond.  They seem to have to get used to your presence & then some listen while others walk up to talk.

Thomas & Gary have shown expertise in getting a crowd of 5 – 10 people around them as they preach & teach.  And today was no exception.

I, quite frankly, see the behavior of the people as spiritually based (we are temples of the Holy Spirit or some other spirit, but temples of spirits nonetheless) & prefer to preach on in an attempt to break the spiritual power over them.

The refugees were in a hopeless place.  They fled Zimbabwe looking for work & of course there was seemingly no work for them in Joburg.  It’s heart breaking that men, made in the image of God, sit idly waiting for something or someone to help.  Where is the determination that marks so many other men?  Why would they give up?  The hope of our hearts which pushes on onward is Christ in you, the hope of glory.  They needed Christ in their hearts.  So I preached on.

The Methodist church down the street was housing 2,500 of them.  I’m sure there was some source of food for their bodies but they needed food for their soul:  Christ in their hearts. So I preached on.  Men don’t need more information they need the Holy Spirit to convict them of their sin & to convert them.  So I preached on.

Paul said I wasn’t sent to baptize but to preach the Gospel.

We were there until about dark.

Thomas Nunes Confederations Cup Report

I came to South Africa not being sure what to expect. I thought it might be like preaching at 5 points in Atlanta. But it was different. When I started handing out tracts people were very receptive  to taking a tract. Then others would come and also want tracts. Most of the people that I asked if they would answer the most important question at the back of the tract were willing to answer.

 

 

One morning after dropping Bill Adams at the conference that is strategizing for the outreach  during the 2010 World Cup soccer we drove past Loftus Stadium where we had been witnessing a few days before. I asked brother Gary if we could stop or walk around the stadium. Gary as is his usual self graciously stopped in front of the Stadium. Now that the games in Pretoria were over we could get right close to the Stadium. I didn’t know if the Lord wanted us to walk around the Stadium and claim the attendees for  the Lord or we were just there to see what the Stadium looked like as a type of tourist. 

 

Well, there were many security guards at the gate and I started talking to one  young woman named Sonia, she was probably in her early 20s. I gave her a tract, and asked her if she thought she would go to heaven if she died today. She gave me a solid ‘yes’ but didn’t have a good answer as to why. She said she was a good person. So, I proceeded to give her the good person test from the back of the tract. She soon realized that she has broken God’s laws many times. She soon realized that if she was to be judged by God based on the few commandments we had gone through that she was guilty and would in fact go to hell. This was a big turn around in just a few minutes. Knowing she was not defending her sinful position I proceeded to explain the gospel to her. She could now see why Jesus had died on the cross. She could see that he had paid the fine for the sins she deserved. I explained she needed to repent for her sins before God and commit to walk after him and read her bible as a thank you to God not to try to pay for her sins. Jesus had paid for it and she needed to acknowledge and receive this gift and turn from her own self sufficiency. She seriously said she would read her Bible and consider all we had talked about very seriously.

 

 

I turned around and saw brother Gary talking to another security guard named Simon. I went by and listened to Gary explain to Simon the same things I had done to Sonia. Simon who was jovial at the beginning started pondering the things that Gary was telling him very seriously. He began to agree that he had sinned and that Jesus had died for him. After Gary had completed he smiled and sincerely thanked Gary for sharing with him.

 

 

Just then Wilem returned from the main office where he had sought permission for us to go into the Stadium to look at the soccer field where all the action had taken place a few days before. Well they turned him down. Simon hearing this said, no, we could go into the stadium. He directed the 3 of us to go around in a different direction so that we could actually go into the Stadium and even onto the soccer field. Well, so we did. Along the way Willem spoke to lady that I thought might try to prevent us from going in. She took the tract and had a bit of a chat with Wilem about the tract and did not voice any objections to us going in.

 

So, we went into the Stadium and onto the field. We praised the Lord on the field and took some photographs of each of us standing and ‘monkeying around’ under the goal post. Blessed be the name of the Lord, the most high God. We were able to share tracts with many of the security guards and we were able to go inside the Stadium just as little extra blessing for our human side. 

 

 

 

It is a privilege to talk to many who are willing to talk and listen and to admit they were wrong and misinformed about whether they would go to heaven or not.

Live Report from Confederations Cup

Entry from Bill Adams:

 

Missions trips consist of three areas:  ministry, fellowship, travel.

 

The ministry time so far has been divine.  Thanks to the steady hand of Gary Crous who has patiently driven us we have proclaimed Christ at three stadiums & downtown Joburg twice.  

 

Gary has made possible for Thomas & me to cover many areas which we would not have been able to if we were here alone.  I can’t emphasize this point enough:  the grace Gary is showing to us strangers (Matt. 25:35) is a divine gift.  His heart to serve is to be emulated by each & everyone of us as we interact as the body of Christ.  Otherwise we are clanging gongs & brass symbols.

 

All three of us therefore have preached to the locals in downtown Joburg Wednesday afternoon for three hours.  

 

It was a beautiful site as Thomas witnessed to many, Gary began distributing tracts & drew a large crowd to whom he presented the law & the Gospel.  I was able to simply read through the Book of Luke for three hours.  Many were ministered to; many encouraged; others seemed stunned & confused as to our presences; others told us of their ministries.

 

 

Then it was off to Rustenberg for the game between Bafana Bafana (the South African team) & New Zealand.  There is much zeal for the Bafana Bafana.  Fans cheering, blowing vuvuzelas and wearing the national colors.  

 

Gary expertly navigated us so that Thomas & I got out of the car to walk to the stadium.  Security is very tight in terms of allowing vehicles close to the stadiums.  So we walked several hundred yards and set up outside the gate.  

 

We preached & Thomas distributed tracts for two hours  Agaiin it was so beautiful to stand in the midst of thousands of fans proclaiming Christ even in the dark the Word of Light penetrated the hearts of the hearers.

 

Many responded with hallelujah & at one point ten teenagers surrounded Thomas shouting the name of Jesus.  Even the police heard the Word.

 

Gary was posted where he let us off &, by God’s grace, was able to distribute tracts & converse with those walking to the stadium from that direction.

 

One other note is that whenever we have stopped for gas or to get a soda Gary & Thomas immediately begin talking with the men who pump the gas & work in the stores.  They patiently share the Law & the Gospel with each.  It’s heart rending to see these two Saints boldly & joyfully proclaim Christ.

 

Yesterday we did a doubleheader:  first game was the USA vs. Brazil at Pretoria & the second game was Egypt vs. Italy in Joburg.

 

Ah such grace.  Gary astutely got us down to the main pedestrian gate for the first game.  And for 90 minutes we preached & distributed tracts.  This picture of of Gary witnessing to a fan.   

 

 

What else can be said that Gary & Thomas spoke with people, distributed tracts & boldly proclaimed the Truth for two hours.  

 

Candidly, we do the same thing everywhere we go.  The only thing that changes are the ears that hear the Word & the eyes that see the Ambassadors of Christ.  Our mission to sow & water as much as possible & that’ll always be our mission.

 

Then yesterday concluded with Thomas & me preaching for 45 minutes at the Joburg stadium.  Traffic was terrible from Pretoria & around the stadium otherwise we would have arrived in plenty of time.

 

But nevertheless thousands of fans heard the Word.  One of the policemen spoke with me along time.  He was so encouraged to see us.  He even noticed how when the Muslim fans passed me they began to blow their vuvuzelas to drown out the Word.  

 

Fellowship:  the great intangible is the fellowship.  When you spend 16 hours a day with people you have plenty of time to get to know each other & the Spirit works to connect our hearts.  Man, this is the sweetest part of missions.  I already miss these guys and we are only three days into the trip.

 

Each of us has his personal testimony that is shared & that brings a variety of perspective & passions to our time & outreach.  See, this is what you truly pay for when you go on a missions trip.  You can minister anytime, anywhere, but you can’t create the fellowship except in this intense environment.  So I whole heartedly encourage you to sign up & participate in the sweetest gift of our Christian faith this side of heaven.

 

 

Travel:  Ah.  The travel.  For Thomas & me seeing the sites of South Africa has been wonderful.  We’ve been in three cities so far; seen the Capitol in Pretoria (where we met two American missionaries); seen the countryside & heard the history of South Africa from Gary.

 

 

He’s a native.  He calls himself a South African & takes great pride in the national sports teams.  Gary was born in Cape Town & now lives in Pietermaritzburg near Durban.  He loves his country & shares his passion for it with us.  

 

 

Travel also gives a glimpse into the lives of the people & into God’s hand. 

 

 

There is more to come later…we’re off now to Joburg & the game tonight at Ellis Park Stadium.  

UPDATE ~ FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ

Here is the proposed schedule of the evangelism outreach for the Confederations Cup that starts in nine days time, Lord willing. We will be at the event from June 16 to 25 and we request that you will kindly keep us in prayer during the duration of our stay and also the time that we are travelling to and from the event. We are praying for God to be exalted and worshipped and many, many souls to be caused by Him to repent and believe the gospel.

People need Jesus and there is no other way to salvation and eternal life. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6). The Word also says: He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him (John 3:36).

We also thank Michael Rogers of Living Waters Africa for opening his home to Bill Adams, Thomas, Willem and myself for the duration of our stay. Also thanks to our sister Elizabeth Eager (Ambassadors Academy #1) for her help. May God Bless your faithfullness in being available for His Glory.

All other biblical evangelists please do get in touch with us. My contact number during the outreach is 072 221 1233.

Soli Deo Gloria (To God alone the glory).