Destined to be change-agents

Laeticia Bull, Fanie Richter

Description

The authors skilfully recount the inspiring stories of several ‘ordinary’ but remarkable persons who have been called – and who faithfully obeyed the
calling! – to make a signifi cant diff erence by being a blessing to many people, transforming communities and erecting hopeful signs of the coming of God’s kingdom. What they achieved is indeed remarkable, but they all are quick to testify: it is not us, but rather the hand of God using us as building bricks. The book is well written, captivating and intended for a broad readership. This is indeed a seminal book, making a great contribution
to the kingdom of God in South Africa, Africa and further abroad.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Religion

Informations

• Publié par: CLF Publishers
• Date de parution: 01 octobre 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781868044917
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

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Fanie Richter & Laetitia Bull




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Fanie Richter & Laetitia Bull


Recommendations
What an inspirational book! It is probably so inspiring because it’s a story of how the Spirit of God moved men and women to make a huge difference in the lives of people. These are people who allowed the Spirit to take control of their lives in order to use them to do what the Spirit of God intended. And what is more, the range of these ministries is just amazing. These people serve in all areas of life… like the Lord of the Church did in person. I would like all my brothers and sisters to read this book!
Dons Kritzinger , Professor Emeritus of Missiology, University of Pretoria
A book giving a concise glimpse on the unique stories of men and women from dif- ferent walks of life who were touched by the spiritual, material and social needs of people in communities who are suffering in one way or the other – children, people with AIDS, poverty, the disabled, people living on the street, the unemployed. It tells the stories of men and women who were willing to forfeit the luxuries of life and were driven by a vision and a calling from God to bring hope to those who have to cope with the brokenness of day-to-day realities. They make a difference by bringing into practice the love of Jesus Christ for those in need. A call to the reader to get involved!
Kobus Kellerman , Emeritus Professor, Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein
Reading this book, I felt as though I was scanning a contemporary adaptation of He- brews 11. Every chapter told the story of men and women whose faith and actions would qualify them for the ‘Hall of Faith.’ Their stories encouraged and inspired me to know that as we live a life of obedience, we can discover our destiny, achieve our life’s purpose and then leave a legacy for the Kingdom.
Graham Powe r, Founder: Global Day of Prayer and Unashamedly Ethical
It always inspires me to listen to other people’s stories. It is even more inspiring if ‘ordinary people’ tell their stories of how God called them to be an agent of change in His Kingdom. The stories in this book will inspire and transform you to live a life of significance. Do not miss the opportunity to read it.
Tommy O’Kennedy , Managing Director of Halftime SA
The testimonies brought together in this book form a rich and harmonious chorus de- claring that Jesus calls us to follow Him into places of need and opportunities to make a difference. They claim to be ordinary people, but that it is God who actually does the extraordinarry things they are involved in. Amid the diversity of the stories pre- sented here, there is this one golden thread – a persistent call from God to an adven- turous yet often costly and scary journey of following Jesus into unknown areas and types of ministry. I have the privilege to know the main characters in this book and can therefore confirm that what you are about to read is true and worth hearing. May God richly bless the message of this book and use it for the expansion of his kingdom.
Johannes Malherbe , Head of Academics, South African Theological Seminary (SATS)



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Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
(Isaiah 58:12)



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Fanie Richter & Laetitia Bull


Destined to be change-agents
‘Ordinary’ people serving significantly
Fanie Richter & Laetitia Bull
CLF Publishers











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© Fanie Richter & Laetitia Bull
Christian Literature Fund
19 Oude Pont Street
Wellington Business Park
Wellington
South Africa
www.clf.co.za
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without any prior written permission of the publisher.
Design and layout by:
MRD Designs 083 440 4548
First edition: 2020
ISBN: 978-1-86804-486-3












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Fanie Richter & Laetitia Bull


Contents
The Authors vii
Introduction viii
Chapter 1
Who are you, and where are you going? 1
Chapter 2
To become the hands and feet of Christ 17
Chapter 3
State pensioners feed 2 000 orphans 31
Chapter 4
From engineer to ‘father’ of a city 41
Chapter 5
Anti-missions corporate manager became theologian in Missiology 51
Chapter 6
Called to serve on a ship became springboard for ‘leader development’ 63
Chapter 7
From a military background to training pastors and missionaries 78
Chapter 8
Government minister called to be an advocate for children 88
Chapter 9
Towards a new post-atheist Albania 101
Chapter 10
Growing cattle and growing people 112
Chapter 11
Obedient ‘yes’ of one man led to a global movement 123
Chapter 12
Farming couple find fulfilment in farming and ministry 135



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Chapter 13
From glorifying Lenin to equipping people to glorify Christ 148
Chapter 14
Growing from poverty to serve marginalised children 163
Chapter 15
Nurse impacting society in Mozambique 174
Chapter 16
Transformation creating heaven on earth 187
Chapter 17
What would be your Kingdom legacy? 207
Acknowledgements 216



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The Authors
Fanie Richter, a former pastor in Zimbabwe and South Africa, has much experience in liaising with and serving as consultant to several church denominations and mission organisations across Africa and beyond. For the past 25 years he has been Director: Public Relations and later on Head: Advocacy and Partnership Development at Petra Institute for Children’s Ministry in White River – an excellent training and formation insti- tute for leaders in children’s ministry.
Laetitia Bull has been well trained in child evangelisation (children’s ministry). Since 1989, when Petra Institute was established, she served as staff member in various capacities, including facilitation of workshops and consultations. She is currently the Manager: Communications, being responsible for most of Petra Institute’s communications and publications.





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Introduction
As I drove away, thinking of the interview and the management meeting I attended, I again had a rush of excitement thinking about the strategy they shared with me – it made so much sense! Is this the place where the Lord would use me in future as a catalyst to further his kingdom?
But I also sensed an underlying fear and uncertainty and asked myself, ‘What on earth am I getting into? How will I survive if I leave my paid job? Is this You speaking, Lord?’
You may also experience the urge to be more relevant in bringing transformation, there where God has placed you or wants to lead you to. Then we believe that God’s Spirit has awakened yours to use your Kingdom potential. And then this book is for you .
The idea to write this book was birthed late one afternoon on the lounge balcony of my colleague, Laetitia. Around a cup of coffee, we discussed the significance of some ‘ordinary’ but remarkable friends, who are making a significant difference in communities, countries and even internationally by extending God’s kingdom, being a blessing to so many people. As I was on the brink of sharing what I believe the Lord has laid upon my heart, she affirmed it in words – “We should write a book about those we know, to help others with examples and guidelines to take a step of faith and trust God in using them to bring his kingdom here on earth.”
In one’s formation as Christian, you may at some point wonder if going to heaven one day should be the only (maybe even selfish) reason for your conversion and being made new? You might have become aware of a latent consciousness that life’s significance goes beyond satisfaction with the ordinary – that the rest of your life as Christian should be more meaningful and lasting, yearning to serve a purpose. You may also experience it as a calling from God – and struggle to find clarity.
Furthermore, it might seem so ‘impossible’ to accomplish if you do not have the means to support yourself.



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Reflecting on our past, both of us found ourselves on that road and felt called to a specific fulltime ministry. And yes, we also went through the kind of experiences of which you will learn about in the following chapters.
For us, that was the beginning of a new chapter and journey in life for which we had to leap in faith. However, through this, we discovered the blessings and outcomes, beyond expectation, of being willing and available to the King. And we were amazed at how God had set it up.
So we left the balcony with a list of the people we were talking about, inspired to conduct interviews with them – and discovered much more than we thought we would.
These friends are from different occupational and