The month of April 2017 was spent in South Africa with Joe and Becky Cruse. We ministered in about twenty meetings in many different churches. We spent the first ten days in CapeTown which is a beautiful place, especially Victoria Wharf. Pastor Clint Ross was instrumental in coordinating many of the churches we visited and was a wonderful host. We want to thank him.I was impressed with the joy and dancing before the Lord in some of the churches, and wished that all churches everywhere could be that joyful in God with sincere hearts.
One of the churches, Fresh Wind Ministries, had pictures along one wall of people who had been spiritual influences in South Africa. Great generals of God were on that wall like Smith Wigglesworth, Maria Woodworth Etter, Oral Roberts, Kathryn Kuhlman, John G. Lake, Kenneth E. Hagin, and others. I was thrilled to see one of my two best friends in the world on their wall, Ruth Ward Heflin. When given the opportunity to speak, I shared short stories about a number of the people on their wall whom I admired greatly. After the service one of the church leaders came to me with a word from God; “I see bits of their ministry in you. You have their shoes to fill.” Two days prior to visiting this church I had gotten a text from a friend in America saying that she had a dream in which I was designing a new shoe. That sounded very strange until God gave me the word in Africa which explained it. I related that dream to the woman that had given me the prophesy and she then added,” You are creating a new shoe with bits of their ‘shoes’ in it.” Wow, only Jesus can do that!
We then flew to Johannesburg where again people greeted us with warm welcomes. We spent Easter Sunday at Dominion Life Cathedral. There was a large contingent there from Mozambique who were exuberant in their joy… running, skipping, dancing and singing before the Lord at the front of the church. I don’t think I have ever seen people having so much fun in church. It was wonderful.
We went from Johannesburg to Pretoria and then to Durban which is another beautiful town by the sea. It had been over thirty years since I had ministered in South Africa, and I was delighted to find a pastor’s wife, Nellie Roberts, who was leading worship in the meetings back then. She and her husband had been the pastors of Durban Christian Center for many years and were now retired. Their 4500 seat domed church building had burned the year before and they were temporarily having church in a large, comfortable tent. I want to interject here that Joe and Becky are fantastic in worship. I think you could put them anywhere on the face of the earth and they could bring heaven down as long as Becky had a keyboard. God has clearly anointed them for worship and it was a great joy for me to be with them.
Our last stop was back to Johannesburg for more ministry before heading home. I have mentioned very few of the wonderful churches we visited in this great country. Every one of them was serving God with their whole heart. I met some friends that I believe will be friends for the rest of my life. God told me He was “plugging me in here”. I don’t know if He means South Africa as a nation, or the whole continent of Africa. Time will tell. But I know one thing…the cry of my heart is to bring lost souls into the loving arms of Jesus. Before my face I see seas of people that are lost and are longing for something or someone to help them. We have the answer to their longing…His name is Jesus and no one else can possibly fill the void in their souls. The rest of my life will be spent reaching out to them with the loving hand of Jesus.