Jaco & karin pitzer news letter 8 10 june 2013

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E-mail: [email protected] - [email protected] - Mobile: +263779934041/3 Banking details: Bank - ABSA, Code 632005, Acc. name - MJ Pitzer, Acc. no. - 4052235112 -

ABSA SWIFT CODE : ABSAZAJJ

Dion chatting with two brothers who both committed their lives to Christ.

Daisy Ministries 7 Clocolan Drive

Bulawayo, Zimbabwe Mobile: +236779934041/3

E-mail: [email protected] [email protected]

NEWS LETTER - 8 (10 June 2013)

Dear All Reflection time! Looking at the past 13 months living in Bulawayo, what is in our hearts? What is in my heart? We took a break spending time with friends and family in South Africa. Being back in Bulawayo, I realised the impact of surroundings on me personally. Like the Jews on route to the Promised Land, we missed the fact that we are only passing through heading for a land of "milk and honey". We often miss the fact that GOD Himself is on route with us and we complain about the "good food" in Egypt! The "ministry of slap" may be called for! Having been in a temporal house for two weeks (on holiday) made us appreciate where GOD has placed us and we look forward to the journey with renewed vigour. GENERAL Writing a news letter just helps us to see and reflect on the little miracles taking place. From our viewpoint, some may be seen as minor, some as major. The thing is, it shows GOD's interest in the lives of us humans, and that is great! OUTREACHES MINISTRIES Open Air preaching After many months trying to get approval to have open air (public gathering) meetings at the city hall, we suddenly got a break from a total different avenue. I was passing the TM Hyper store when I noticed a Rastafarian preaching to bystanders. This was upsetting and I approached the branch manager asking permission to also preach on their property. He acted as if he was not aware of anything and referred me to the area manager with my request. On meeting with the area manager, I chatted about the Rastafarian "preacher". With a smile on his face he very gently informed me that the Rastafarian in question was a representative that was introducing a new line of products. I must admit I felt stupid... That was however the beginning of a friendship resulting in approval to preach in the car park at the store. On submitting a request for public gatherings to the police, they called me in and explained that no political statements of any kind will be allowed, not even prayer for the police, elections or the government. Approval was granted. We held two meetings before we left for South Africa. This being a first, we gathered for prayer at our house before a team of four left for the store. We felt lead to pray for the sick first and many got healed. In fact we prayed for around 15 people of which at least 12 testified of being healed or at least feeling better. Talking to a guy that

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Steve sharing with listeners. The guy with the blue shirt got healed without asking. It

just happened!

After prayer, this Muslim man could see without the aid of glasses. What joy!

requested prayer, the guy next to him stated that he was healed from stomach cramps. GOD can not wait to love His people! On this first trip, Dion and I were joined by Steve DelaPorte and John

Knox. Steve is a well experienced open-air preacher having preached in Holland and the UK for many years. It ended up however that we preached one on one as it proved to be the most effective way to get the people to stop and listen. Steve gave us some handy tips that we will apply. The second trip was only Dion and I and we meet two brothers that eventually surrendered their lives to Christ. Dion followed up and handed them each a Bible. Commercial Sex Workers Our "licence" has been renewed again and we await feedback from a local church to allow us to use their offices to spend time with the CSW’s on a weekly basis. The intention is to serve them on a Monday allowing them to "un-wind" after the weekend. The

fact is that these ladies need and appreciate every bit of love and acceptance offered. Muslims It was with great joy that we shared how an ex-Imam (a Muslim priest), gave his life to the Lord. Now this is where my character and nature come in and where I am being taught by others and through circumstances. We pray for souls and when we get them, what then? Having a baby is great, isn't it? Well, I have new appreciation for my wife! Like in real life, the easy and nice part is to "beget" the baby. The hard part is to raise the baby! I realised with horror that you got to feed them! By nature I am not a "mother". I am not one that wants to spend time spoon feeding people. I want to be where the action is... I thank GOD for friends this side that help with the great task of discipling new believers. In any event, we meet at least 3 times a week and openly speaking, I am being challenged! The good (read fun) side of this is that I am learning lots about Islam, the way in which they think and reason. I am looking forward to seeing the benefit of spending time with Mavuto. Mavuto and I were invited to share at a meeting arranged by Harold Peasley of Multi-Ministries. 42 Pastors attended. We shared on the process that took place from visiting the Mosque up to the point where Mavuto invited Jesus into his life. He shared on the differences between Christianity and Islam highlighting love and the fact that he can now speak to GOD directly. He is eager to get the good news to his ex-friends. Prisons The weekly outreach to the prison is showing real fruit. An inmate, Zibusiso made a commitment to Christ in prison. He became one of our interpreters and turned into a strong leader. With a few months left, he was strangely moved to another prison and we lost track of him. He stays close to

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Dion and Kevin with a healed man.

Elton (one of our team) and made contact with him on his release. He joined their church and is now part of Elton's home cell and is currently employed by Sally, Dion's better half. Harold, another inmate, contracted a type of tuberculosis that caused paralysis and he was constrained to bed. He was prayed for by some of our team and was healed from the TB but he could not walk normally. As shared previously, Jaco (Jr) prayed for him again and he started to walk but with stiff legs. It was as if his body was used to the stiff legs and he had to teach his legs to "relax" and walk normal again. He was released soon afterward. On a recent outreach to the city, we were standing chatting when a pair of hands closed my eyes. It was Harold. He was in perfect physical condition. Kevin and Steve witnessed him running towards us. After greeting us he ran to fetch his wife to introduce her to us. GOD loves people! Rastafarians, Ancestral Worshippers, Atheists and Jehovah's Witnesses' It is incredible how we keep on "bumping" into people of differing religions. I believe that it will be beneficial sharing these experiences with you as you may possibly meet similar people. The Rastafarians I picked up a guy and gave him a lift to town. Sydney turned out to be a Rasta. Two weeks later I bumped into a second Rastafarian. They meet once a week at the Khami ruins just outside Bulawayo. On questioning what they believe, both shared that they were normal Christians believing in Jah (GOD), that Jesus was GOD manifested on earth but they pray through ex-Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie. They do not believe in an after life and believe that Africa (called "Zion") is heaven on earth. Rastafarians are best known for their dreadlocks and use of marijuana which was given by God for medicinal purposes and for use during "fellowshipping". We will join some of their meetings and promise not to make use of their meeting enhancement substance. The Atheist What a time I had with an atheist recently. This guy was the first atheist that I've meet in Zimbabwe. This guy (let's call him Matt) is a pastor's son and was raised with GOD. His Dad however left the church to go into business. Something must have happened causing him to reject GOD and even the existence of any god(s). Stating that he appreciated my concern for him he made the following comments:

Christianity doesn’t make sense... I can’t reconcile the God Christians preach with what actually happens here on earth. (A sad reality of what we as Christians show.)

My best argument against the God you preach about and the contradictions I mentioned are in the relationships I have with my dad and my two beautiful sons. Quite simply, irrespective of any of my actions and irrespective of any of my kids' actions, my father will never send me to hell, and I will never send my kids to hell. I don’t care if they slate me, disown me, reject me, deny me, even murder me; I will never send them to hell. I cannot, and will not, accept a God that will look or treat me any differently to how I treat and accept my kids or how I have been treated by my dad.

It’s not up to them (Matt's sons) to find time to spend with me. It’s up to me to mend relationships with them when something has gone wrong. If my children are lukewarm with me, I most certainly will not “spit” them out. What kind of a father would I be if I did that? If my relationship with my children is lukewarm, the fault lies with me, not them.

People don’t find God, because he is not around to be found. In the book of Job God places restrictions on Satan. If Satan is the creator of sin, then God

shouldn’t have created him. I mean really, how stupid can you get. Create something that

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We hosted the Buchan team. From left to right - Steve, Fergus, Francis, Fraser, Kevin, Dion, Sally Jaco

and Karin. We learn from their experiences!

destroys all your other creations, and then allow that creation to carry on living???? Doesn’t make sense. If Satan is “f&%$@g” up everything, then really, just do away with him or don’t create him in the first place. Your God apparently has the power, so why doesn’t he???? Once again, it doesn’t make sense because it doesn’t exist. God created Satan, then the problem must lie with God.

The bible says if your eye causes you to sin then pluck it out. Well God should take his own advice, IF Satan and free will are causing his children to sin and be apart from him, then take those two things away. Its not rocket science.

Once again, when I stick my hands in his side and my fingers in his hands, then I will believe

My response was as follows:

There are two "minor" problems; I can not reject GOD because people misrepresent HIM and

You can never compare the relationship of Father GOD with the one of you with your Dad and kids. I can appreciate that you love them to bits. The thing is, you will let them get away with murder, and you will always prefer them. I can name many politicians, especially in South, that allow their family to steal the nation into bankruptcy because of their love for their family...

I serve an absolutely righteous GOD who laid down HIS life in an effort to win the whole world, to make every person legally righteous in HIS eyes. Again, no human being will lay down his life for those that passionately hate and deny him, except righteous GOD. Funny thing, even if you deny HIS existence, HE would have done it again, even if it was for only you!

The Ancestral Worshipper Wanting to meet with Zanu PF leadership, I made contact with them through their website and got response from one of their PR officers. On thanking him, I asked him if he was a Christian and he commented that he was not. His understanding of Christianity as follows:

No, I am not a Christian. And, for your own information let me briefly give you the history of Christianity in the place

where I come from. I am a descendant of XXX clan, hence my surname XXX. The XXX clan have a place named after it – XXX. In the 1880s my grandparents had fierce battles with whites when they invaded the place.

My clan had their own way of praying to God, Mwari or musikavanhu, in my language. Whites then introduced their way of praying and built Roman Catholic churches all over XXX area. That the places of praying to white man's God is called Roman, it sums it all – it’s a Roman way of doing things and has nothing to with the XXX people. My clan was vanquished in these wars. The Whiteman’s way of doing things, including praying, became the way of life.

So in short the bible has 133 years after being introduced to the XXX clan. To me the Bible and what it stands for remains foreign and Middle East culture that has no benefit to me.

That my grandparents were praying to God shows that they recognized the creator, and how they praised the creator is important to me and I will continue following their

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Letters of approval from Zimbabwean Police. A

miracle in itself!

footsteps. I want to believe, there is no way they could just think of doing that from the blue. Something must have happened to do it that way. Their God must have spoken to them. Historical, every clan in this world has its own way of praying to their God and this includes my clan, the people of XXX.

And, for one to follow someone’s way of praying, I think its stupidity of the highest order. Yes, culture changes and can be borrowed but the creator or God or whatever the name does not change and no one will know.

I responded sharing the good news of Jesus with him after which he made the following incite-full comments:

Whites practice Christianity and blacks their own traditional praying across the tribes. Blacks never had the Bible, we shared our believes through oral and practice. Christians follow Jesus but blacks follow the departed as they were told time immemorial

by their forefathers. Blacks don’t sit in churches but do pray to their gods under a tree, and it has to be a tree

known for that not just any tree. Blacks don’t believe in hell. All you are saying is Christian biased, what about Muslims, Judaism, Hinduism, etc, Who

told you that Christian beliefs are the righteous way only? Where is Mecca, not in Africa, neither in XXX?

Blacks don’t have the Bible. Jesus only comes in the Bible not in the black way of doing things.

It's wrong to call God HE, equating God to be male, no one knows. In black culture Jesus is untrue, Jesus is not even mentioned, in-fact those that brought the bible say so.

Sin is a myth, why would God allow people to commit sin, yet he can destroy that sin. Which is more powerful, God and sin?

The bible is a historical religious book. Jesus, no, no, no, I can only be saved by

my God and those that my God told how before me in my Clan.

He then went on to explain political matters etc. He invited me to meet with him. I basically gave him a run down from Genesis to Revelation explaining that GOD chose us first and loves us unconditionally. We will keep you informed. Jehovah Witnesses On waiting for Mavuto in town, I noticed three white JW's walking towards me. I positioned myself in the middle of the sidewalk forming an obstruction or positively speaking, a very noticeable target for any person looking for someone to witness to. Lo and behold, they missed me; one passing on the left and the other two on my right. I had to then stop them and start sharing the gospel with them. They stopped me stating that we had met previously at a JW leadership braai. I continued sharing and invited them to come to our house for "bible study" which never happened. After many months the local JW leadership came to the conclusion that I do not want to learn the "truth" and that they will not communicate with me anymore. They said that they will however pray for GOD to "remove the veil blinding me from the truth". Well, what can I say? I've lost some

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friends but as there is thousands of JW's walking the streets, I soon found new buddies and will continue sharing with them. A tip for starting conversations with people from other religions: ask questions like "So, what do you believe? Please explain." It is very simple and shows interest in them and their believe system. For detailed discussions between me and the mentioned people, please contact me. 7 Clocolan House We are standing on 98 visitors for the year and hit the 300 mark from the time we moved into Bruce's house. We were truly blessed having Karin's dad’s visit coinciding with a visit from Messiah Ministries. They are headed by Fergus and Fraser Buchan. (Fergus is the brother of Angus Buchan, well known South African evangelist.) This father and son team are operating throughout Africa focussing on remote and unreached areas. Apart from Fergus and Fraser, their team included Steve DelaPorte, John Knox and Francis Chitura. Steve and Kevin joined us on our first open-air "preach" in the Bulawayo city centre. Meeting with people like these experienced missionaries equips us as we spend quality time with them. The house needs maintenance and we were given a shop soiled gate motor to replace the lightning damaged unit. For visitors, the intercom will be working again! FAMILY As mentioned, we had a two week break visiting a resort on the coast as well as our family and friends in Pretoria. It is a privilege to have parents, brothers, sisters and off course two beautiful daughters! We also visited our church family as well as with other supporters. To you all, MANY THANKS! NEEDS & PRAYER REQUESTS As mentioned, we are truly blessed and honour GOD for the people supporting us in various ways. Please pray for the following:

For Mavuto's family to come into the fold. For our training weekend in Gweru, 20 to 23 June. For opportunities to reach Muslims and Jehovah Witnesses in the city. For our residency applications to be approved. With the elections around the corner,

nothing is happening. We have favour with Immigration and believe that we will get a permit.

Pray for our supporters! We are truly blessed through their faithful giving. Keep on praying for the Mighty Men Zimbabwe. That we will work in GODLY wisdom and

that we will find favour with all role players. Thank GOD for Bibles we got from supporters, again. Thank you!!

Should you need any further information, feel free to contact us.

Stay blessed, The Pitzer Family

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Jaco & karin pitzer news letter 8 10 june 2013