June 2017 Newsletter
Dear Friends and Family,
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! We give thanks to God once again for his faithfulness to us over the past month, and we also say thank you to all who have continued to pray for us and support us as we serve in South Africa. In this month’s newsletter I would like to share the stories of a few of the students at the Bible Institute of South Africa.
Thobani’s Story
A BISA staff member recently interviewed some residential students to hear how God brought them to the Bible Institute, and how their studies are preparing them for a life of ministry. This is the story of Thobani Tyhaliti:
I am born in 1987, the second of five children in a Xhosa family of ancestral worship and difficult relationships. My mother brought us from the Eastern Cape to the city when I was 12 years old and I began to steal to support my liquor and tobacco habits.
When I was 23 years old a friend took me to church where I heard the Gospel for the first time. I only went to impress her, but I received Christ and my life changed!
I began working and studying and completed Matriculation [High School]. I eventually enrolled at BISA to be trained for Ministry.
I began studies at college for a Licentiate in Theology and my courses have included Scripture & Hermeneutics, Children & Youth Ministry, Christian Thinking, and The Biblical Basis For Missions.
I have seen that in some Cape Town Churches one can encounter strange practices and beliefs. My greatest desire is to teach and preach the sound doctrine of the Bible wherever error is found.
Orion’s Story
This is the story of Orion Ruthendo Juliase:
I was born in Harare, Zimbabwe in 1997. My dad is from Mozambique and my mom is an Ndebele. Both my grandmothers were witch doctors. We spoke the dialect Mutare-Shona at home. My family moved to Kalk Bay in 2011 and I went to Fish Hoek High School. After school I came to a Kid’s Bible Study at the Bible Institute and while we were studying the Genesis Book I became a Christian. I was 14 years old. The teacher, Ronelle, invited me to attend the Bl Chapel where I began teaching Sunday school.
After many religious experiences in different churches, my parents eventually became Christians. We were all baptised together in 2012.
I want to be a musical scriptwriter but I came to Bl first for a Christian Foundation for my life. I love the Mission Workers classes at college because they inspire me to reach out in creative ways to unbelievers and they make me brave and want to go out into world missions.
I believe that Theatre has a place in world mission because it can be a voice to say things about Biblical Truth and Salvation that otherwise would be prohibited in closed countries.
More student profiles are available on our website, www.timothychurchill.com. Please take a few minutes to read through them so that you can gain a better understanding of the ministry at the Bible Institute and be able to pray more effectively.
Prayer Requests
- Pray for students at the Bible Institute as they continue to write final examinations this week;
- Pray that BI’s application for accreditation will be approved quickly;
- Pray that God will provide for the $7,000 shortfall in our ministry account;
- Next week our family will be traveling to Canada for our three year debrief at the SIM Canada head office in Toronto, along with mandatory health checks, then on to St. John’s to prepare for John and Rebecca’s wedding next month. Please pray for safety in travels, that our meetings in Toronto would go well, and for our time with family and friends in St. John’s.
Blessings in Christ,
Tim & Kristina Churchill