News Letter for June 2017

Dear Friends in Christ,

Welcome to our monthly News Letter about what happened in the month of June in Operation RefugeeJ

Mozambique Outreach June 2017:

Our Potch YWAM base-leader Wikus, along with a few other YWAM-mers and a few people from the USA have just returned from an outreach to Mozambique. What a blessed trip it was!

Part of the trip was to find out if we could possibly get another base set up, close to Malawi, to enable more refugees to do the DTS (Discipleship Training School). Thus far we’ve had three refugees very successfully complete their DTS at the Blantyre base in Malawi, but they are only able to accommodate about three or four at a time. We have many viable applicants and therefore we would like to try and establish more bases in order to accommodate them.

We are currently in discussions to start another base in Mozambique and will keep you updated once things have been finalized.

There are some extremely exciting developments from the outreach, having gone with a few American citizens it was established that we will start a business in Burundi exporting coffee! Our team leader Steven is currently on his way to Burundi to start with this business. The basic idea for the business is to get the refugees who have completed the DTS to work in this business by picking the coffee beans and exporting them to the USA. This will be one of many business opportunities for the refugees to become self-sufficient. Steven is going there to see for himself if this is going to be a feasible business.

(Please pray fervently for Steven! The conditions and circumstances for traveling through Africa are extremely risky as there are many dangers and challenges. Funds are always needed for our African missionaries so if you feel the Holy Spirit move you to donate any amount towards Steven’s trip, please use the info below.)

African Missionaries News:

Apart from Steven, we have two other missionaries (refugees) who have done the DTS, Tresor and Jimmy. Jimmy has been staffing at the Blantyre YWAM base since he completed the DTS but Tresor has been waiting back in the refugee camp for direction as to his future. Not having his proper travel documents, he has been forced to remain in the refugee camp. He was planning on returning to his home country to get his passport but the conditions there are simply too dangerous at this stage, so he has found another option to get passes to be able to work at Blantyre as well. He will need some funding for this to realize but he is busy with the application process and we are very excited to see him finally become free of the refugee camp. He has an amazing heart for our Father and His children. We know that he will serve a great purpose in the ministry as he has been a faithful servant during his time in the refugee camp, proving to have much patience.

Our vision for our refugees:

There are various opportunities for refugees to get work after DTS. We want to run these businesses to provide work and to plough money back into refugees being released from the refugee camp. In the meantime we are doing research into getting a base where the refugee leaders can run DTS’s for the newly released refugees.

Adopt-A-Refugee News:

We are very excited to see our next three refugees begin their DTS program in November! We have been so blessed to have received full sponsorship for these three amazing people. Blantyre have agreed to take only three for this DTS and therefore we hope to mobilize another base as the Father wills, which will enable us to send more than three people to do the DTS per year.

Want to make a difference?

We have two methods of sponsorship:

“Adopt a Refugee” – this is where you may select a specific refugee and choose to sponsor him/her until the point where they become self-sufficient.

“Partner” – You may decide to give a monthly contribution towards the mission which supports our guys who are already in the field, such as Steven and Tresor. (You are not obligated to a regular monthly contribution and may also choose to just do a once-off donation.)

Much blessings!

South African Bank details:

Operation Refugee Africa NPC

First National Bank

Cheque Account

Acc: 62626450720

Branch Code: 240438

Ref: Operation R - Mich