CAVITE, PHILIPPINES APRIL 2009

Marjorie Lehman (USA)

Thursday

All of us have been running in a spiritual race this year and we are here to gain strength to continue. A man was in a race and towards the end his friends and supporters were cheering him on. He felt he was so tired that they didnt know how tired he was. We dont know each others struggle but God does. God may not deliver us from the experience but he will be with us in the experience. Sometimes it takes courage to pray. It takes courage to put our life in with our petition. One of the hardest prayers I ever prayed was before I professed. God comes to us in our need. We have been born again once but we need to be renewed again and again. Harold Hilton (Hawaii USA) We love Gods people everywhere. We love his little children everywhere. Convention is salvation: where we can get up and go on, where we can sort things out and set things straight. Sacrifice is salvation, we remember those that have served and sacrificed for us. Psalm 37 v23: The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delights in his way. Last convention you may have said, I am going out from here and my steps will be ordered by the Lord. We went out with a spring in our step. v23: Though he fell. God understands that his people fall. But, he expects us to get up and go on. The children and I have the same problem being quiet in the meeting. I still have this trouble. We adults also have another problem a struggle in our mind to be quiet. Its easy for mum and dad to sit on the bench without squirming but its hard for them to be quiet in the mind. Convention is a place for more quiet in the mind and worship in the heart. Colossians 3 v1: We are now in Christ and because Christ is in our life, we have set our affections on the things above. When we come to convention we realise that our affections have come down a little and we need to reset them. A garage is a place to park the car. It often gets cluttered with stuff and needs to be cleaned out. Our heart is for salvation. Because of our cluttered garage, our car, the most expensive item, is outside the garage. I ask the workers, Do you have too much clutter? I do. We have a cry in our heart, if only I can get to convention. God has the same cry, if only I can get my people and servants to convention. God knows his people and his servants will resort some things. They will all get their affections set on the things above. Jesus loved, gave and sacrificed. We are here today because of this. Sacrifice is a choice. Jesus chose to sacrifice. There has never been a convention where vows have not been made. We then go out from convention to keep these vows. We are helping to strengthen the kingdom when we keep these vows. When did preparation for convention Cavite 2009 start? It was before the foundation of the world. That is when giving and sacrifices came into the heart of God. Celia Dupaya (Philippines) Proverbs 23: My son, give me thine heart. Why is it our heart that God wants? Our heart is precious to God because he can clean it and use it as a dwelling place. Our eyes and ears are the doors to our heart. A natural heart attack is caused by blocked veins. Our heart can also become blocked spiritually and we need to come to the heart specialist. Would we like salvation? We will not have the opportunity if our heart is not clean. He is ready to cleanse us at this convention if we will give him our hearts. Beverly Hopkins (Australia) Are we satisfied in Jesus now? If we are holding onto something that is not in his will, then we cannot be satisfied. Is he satisfied in us at this stage of our life? Is he satisfied with his work that is in us? If we wish to enter in with his likeness, it is a life time work. Matthew 3 v10: And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. These are urgent verses. The axe is laid at the root of the tree. Do we feel the urgency to be right with God now? There will come an end to the patience of God however it is easier for God to be patient when he can see effort and progress. It is never too soon to do Gods will but it will soon be too late. If we only say I will try, it leaves us an option for failure, it is better to say I will. Arnold Blonke (Canada) Matthew 13: The sower and the seed. The Word of the Gospel is the Seed of the Gospel. What is the seed? The seed is life. It is the life of the seed that enables more seed to be produced. A redwood tree has distinctive attributes. It has a sense of balance, it has an insecticide in its bark that kills any insects that try to bore in, and the bark is fire proof. All of this comes from the seed. And every redwood tree is the same because it is in the seed.

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The Seed of the Gospel produces Sunday morning meetings. Sometimes in a district many strangers come to listen to the gospel and make a start. Upon returning to that district the proof of who has the seed sown in their hearts are the ones still attending to the meetings. This property is in the seed. Another property of the Seed of the Gospel is a ministry that is called of God. It is only because of the seed that is sown in their hearts that they can be called of God. The Seed of the Gospel always produces a praying people. It is the kind of praying that is from a child that knows their father. The desire is in the seed. The seed contains life that produces the love of God. It makes us love. It gives us peace. It gives us joy. It will make us gentle and long suffering towards others that make it difficult for us. Jesus is the sower but it is Gods plan that he would use another medium to sow. The first thing that is required is that God will call the sower. The soil were the people. When God made Adam, he was thinking of this gospel. When he made Adam he made a little field. All soil has to be prepared for the Seed of the Gospel by God. If a man wants some fruit from his field he has to prepare the soil before planting the seed. When we sat under the sound of the gospel, God had to soften us first. A soft heart will always accept the seed. Obedience gives us a soft heart. The stony soil had a little bit of soil over the top of the stone. When the sun came out of a little difficulty, it died. God can look after the stones as well. Jonah had a rock in his life and God prepared an experience for him and he was willing. This experience broke down the rock. Unforgiveness is like a rock and we cannot really pray because there is no root system. The thing that we can do to keep these things is to always nourish the seed that is in our hearts. Meetings is something that nourishes this seed. However some do not have meetings: A lady in Berlin did not have meetings when the Berlin Wall was built. After it fell, the workers visited this lady and expressed their surprise at how quickly it had fallen. The lady said, I wasnt surprised! I prayed for it every day. Her seed was nourished by her prayer. Let us be careful to nourish our seed. Neil Evans (Hawaii USA) Matthew 13: A sower went forth to sow. The proof of the seed is in the crop. When I was young my grandmother told me that a Cheerio (breakfast cereal) were doughnut seeds. So we planted some, and we watered them but nothing grew. This is an example of a dead seed. It used to be wheat but had been chopped, cooked, changed, added to and taken away from by man a dead seed. Matthew 13 v25: But while the man slept, his enemies came and sowed tares among the wheat. There is a type of tare that grows with wheat and it looks just like the wheat. It isnt until it puts out fruit the fruit is different. The fruit of the tare is poisonous. The enemy sows seeds of doubt and unwillingness but there is no harvest and no fruit. It doesnt matter if the good seed is being sown or not the enemy is still sowing. We left our field in Hawaii at the end of January and will not return until the end of June. There are no workers there sowing the good seed for this time. But we realise the enemy is still sowing. If we have one life, one little bag of corn. If we sow this, we do not get to keep it but if we keep it for ourselves we cannot sow it. There will be sorrow in sowing however there is joy in reaping when the seed has provided fruit. Ecclesiastes 11 v4: He that observeth the wind shall not sow: and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. There are a thousand reasons why we should not sow but if we observe all these reasons there shall never be any fruit. James Lindsey (USA) Friday

In heaven, when all are there, it will be the most wonderful reunion of all. Who are the people that God will have with him forever? Are you one of them? Acts 17 v26-27: And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation: That they may seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us. God hath made all nations of one blood. We all have a common ancestry. We have all come from Adam but have been made into groups of people. Groups with different names like the Philippine Islands, USA, Australia, or New Zealand. We are referred to as the Gentile people. Gentile means people groups. There was one group that God was especially working with. These were the Hebrew people or the Jews. The Jews were the children of Abraham and Sarah. God blessed them and created a very great nation. He sent with them prophets. He wanted them as a group of people that would praise him and worship him. A group that could help other people groups in the world. The Hebrew people struggled. God promised a deliverer from the offspring of Abraham. God sent his only son Jesus. Jesus means Saviour. The Hebrew people group did not want him. Most said No and only a few said Yes. The ones that said Yes, they followed Jesus. They looked and saw only a few of them and many unbelievers. They said Lord are there few that be saved? Jesus answered, You make it your aim to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Do not be concerned about others. You make sure you can get through the gateway that leads to the narrow way. Someone asked me Do you believe that other groups are saved? I said I do not know their hearts. God knows them better. I do not understand my own heart. Only God knows and can help this. Lets be concerned about ourselves. One day everyone will stand
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before God. James 4 v12: There is only one lawgiver. One thing I know is that he wants all people on this earth to be saved. Are we allowing the saving work of God in our lives? How do we fit? Acts 13 v46: Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold and said, It is necessary that the word of the God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. Paul was a Jew and he went to his people to tell them of Jesus. The Jews were especially loved by God. The question from God is the same for us today. Our answer is either Yes or No. Romans 11 v1: [Paul said] Hath God cast away his people? He loved their forefathers. Is he now only for the Gentiles? [Paul said] God forbid. For I also am an Israelite [a Jew]. Elijah had a great love for God and in his experience Elijah said Romans 11 v3: I am left alone, and they seek my life. But God reminded him I have reserved seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. God was showing mercy. What is mercy? Mercy is time and opportunity to get right with God. Gods mercy is for all people on the earth. Romans 11 v5: A remnant according to the election of grace. What happen on the cross was for me. I am saved by grace. Dear God, cause be to be born again. It doesnt matter Jew or Gentile, or whatever country, I am just a soul crying out for help. I am just a struggling soul crying out for hope. Salvation is a gift, therefore it is by grace. Grace gives gifts. If salvation was a wage, I would have to work for it. With work you get a wage, with grace you get gifts. Sin pays a wage. We can work for sin and get a wage or we can believe in Jesus and get salvation. By faith we believe and the grace of God brings salvation. Romans 11 v24: For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree. We are like ranches on a wild olive tree. We need to be removed and grafted onto the good olive tree. The wild olive is the Gentiles. Salvation is on the good olive tree. Dear God, I am a branch on a wild olive tree. I have no hope. I will never be fruitful. Cut me from this wild olive tree. Graft me onto the good olive tree. This good tree has many branches but they rejected the messier. The Jews lay on the ground cut off from that tree. The branches that belonged naturally to that tree chose not to believe. You have been grafted to the good tree because by faith you chose to believe. And if you choose not to believe, you to can be cut from the good olive tree and fall to the ground. If we repent, God is able to pick up that branch and graft it onto the good tree again. When we are grafted to the good tree, we enjoy what is in the root. From the root flows divine life into that tree and we bare fruit, fruit for God and a wonderful harvest into eternity. God has a great plan and our choice is to decide whether or not we want to be part of that plan. Say goodbye to the wild olive tree. Neil Evans (Hawaii USA) Saturday

Proverbs 22 v1: A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches. I do not remember your name but I know my name. And we care about our name. We dont like our name spoken against. There are many things done for Gods names sake. Psalm 23 v1-3: The Lord is my Shepard; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in paths of righteousness for his names sake. God does all this for us but more than that he does this for his own names sake. Here we are being fed and we are being guided. It is for his names sake. What if we left convention and we had to say God didnt feed me, or God did guide me. He does this for his names sake. I Samuel 12 v20: And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. v22: For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great names sake. God will not forsake his people. God cares about his name. What about our part? Are we ashamed of his name? We want to gladly take his name and the name of his son. We could take his name in vain. A brother worker went for a walk one morning. A stray dog followed him and then proceeded to run in front of a car. The driver of the car honked and yelled. As the brother walked the dog ran into a yard and made a mess on someones lawn. The house owner yelled out at the dog. This dog was walking with him but it would not obey him. We could be walking with God, but not obeying, and bringing shame to his name. Matthew 7 v22-23: Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you. This is a sad situation for these people. They had taken his name in vain and never knew Jesus themselves. Being here I dont know how to say thanks enough for everything that has been done in and for his name. We want to be true for his names sake. Arnold Blonke (Canada) Luke 2 v25: And, behold there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death , before he had seen the Lords Christ. Simeon was an old man when Jesus was born. It seems he was waiting his entire life for Jesus to be born. And because of that, his obedience to wait, he was able to see the day when Jesus was born into this

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earth. Jesus told us that only the father knows the day he will return to this earth. We need to be like Simeon just watching and waiting for that day. When he returns, every willing knee will bow to him and every unwilling knee will be forced to bow to him. We have no idea what it will be like when he returns except for what Jesus said and what John wrote in Revelations. You will be with me in paradise. How do we describe paradise? One picture of paradise is Luke 16 v19-31 where the rich man and Lazarus reached the other side. The rich man looking from the eyes of hell saw Lazarus and the comfort the he wanted v24: Father Abraham have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. Matthew 25 v1-13: Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. The wise had wine and oil in their vessels and their lamps. The foolish only had oil in the lamps. It seems the foolish had already borrowed from the wise before. We can be like that. We can go to the meetings and borrow from others, visit friends and borrow from them. One day we wont be able to borrow any more and we will have to buy for ourselves. By then it will be too late. Ariel dela Cruz (Philippines) Proverbs 30 v24-28: There be for things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise: The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; The conies are but a feeble folk, yet they make their houses in the rocks; The locust have no king, yet they go forth all of them by bands; The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings palaces. Each of these for things that are exceeding wise can be related to a parable from the new testament. Like the example of the ant: the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16 v19-31), teaches us to make use of the time we have. Like the example of the conies: the parable of the wise man that built upon the rock and the foolish man that built upon the sand (Matthew 7 v24-27), teaches us to have a strong and sure foundation. Like the example of the locust: the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10 v25-37), teaches us to form lasting relationships both with people on this earth but most importantly with heaven. This will keep us safe from thieves that want to steal our treasure. Like the example of the spider (lizard in the Filipino bible) that knows how to enter a king's palace and how to stay there: the parable of the man without a wedding garment (Matthew 22 v1-14), teaches us the importance of being clothed with what is righteous so that we can enter and keep our place in our heavenly king's palace.

Harold Hilton (Hawaii USA) Forgiveness is salvation. Ephesians 4 v23: And be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Think of a new man with a new spirit and a new heart, renewed here at convention. There was a cute little girl back home that we called Honey-bee because she was always so busy and Honey-bee had a cat named Smoky. One day when we were at Honey-bees house, we had a special invitation. We were invited to a tea party. There were little cups and a little pot. With Smoke in one arm she poured tea with the other. We played and told Honey-bee that she made very good tea. A few weeks after our tea party, Honey-bee wanted to go to a special event. She asked her mum if she could take her. Her mum said that she would. The day before the event, mum (Tammy) and Honey-bee talked about the event. But the next day Tammy got busy and she forgot to take Honey-bee to the event. She felt terrible. Tammy called Diana (Honey-bees real name) to her and put her on her lap. She said, I am so sorry. I told you that I would take you but I forgot. Honey-bee said, Mum its ok, Ive already made up my mind not to be mad. Honey-bee didnt realise that his is the truth of salvation. If we have made up our mind to not be mad, we have made up our mind to forgive. Be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Jesus taught to agree with your adversary quickly. If you dont you will be taken to the judge. Mixing a little water with the dust will give you mud. What is easy to clean, dust or mud? Take care of the dust before it becomes mud. We have come to Cavite to make vows. A good vow to make is I have made up my mind to not be mad. I have made up my mind to quickly forgive. If I dont, things will get muddy and messy quickly. We can say, These people are not my adversary because I have made up my mind not to be mad. Before we lose our mind, lets make up our mind. If there is someone that we need forgiveness from we go now and then before we lost our mind. Forgiveness is salvation. Matthew 17 v1-2: And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James and John up into a high mountain to be apart. And was transfigured before them: his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. What if Peter had not been obedient and gone up that mountain? In this experience Peters heart was transformed but not many days before Peter had been told by Jesus Matthew 16 v23: Get behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of man. Peter could have been easily offended by this. He could have said, Hmmph, you said I dont think like you so I dont want to go with you this time. But Peter went with Jesus because he had made up his mind. He had forgiven for any offence that had been made. That experience was kept in Peters heart to the end of his life. If Peter had not made the right decisions in his life, he would have missed the mountain. I believe Peter had good friends that helped him through the offence. Forgiveness is a choice. We choose to be offended or we choose to forgive. If you choose offence we cant help you. That is your choice and you live with the consequences. If you choose forgiveness than Jesus will help you.
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When Jesus was teaching his plan of salvation he said, Lets forgive so that God can forgive us. When did Jesus forgive his adversaries, his enemies? After they said Im sorry. You do not read of a chief priest or soldier saying Im sorry. But Jesus still said, Father forgive them. At Sante convention 1993, a lady said I want to always forgive. A man said to her, Wouldnt it be easier to forgive if they said sorry? This lady was Mrs Walker, John Walkers mother. John and his companion (USA workers) were killed by a drunk driver while they were on their way to Hawaii. Mrs Walker did not wait for the drunk driver to say sorry. We are at a time when many things are going to happen to the children of God. Our immediate hope is to get it right in our mind before we leave convention. Dont ever get yourself into a position where you cannot walk up to anyone anywhere and say its good to see you. Dont ever walk around with unforgiveness in your heart. James Lindsey (USA) John 8 v21-26: Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go ye cannot come Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world This was a very surprising message to these people. It can be applied to ourselves. In your alphabet you have a letter called you U. If you turn that letter upside down it looks like . U represents Jesus, he came down from heaven to the earth and then returned back up to heaven. represents us, we come from the earth, we grow and reach a peak and then grow old until we die and return back down to the earth. It seems to be a popular belief that everyone goes to heaven. A lot of people believe that their cats and dogs go to heaven. It is because of blindness. Jesus said you will try to follow me but you wont be able to see me or go that way. It is important for us to believe. We must believe all the things that God wants us to believe. Sometimes people say they would like to be more willing. But the question to ask is, do they believe? Even for myself I have times that are difficult. I ask myself, James, do you believe? John 8 v31-32: Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. If you believe you shall know the truth and you shall be free. Jesus had to tell the Jews you really are not free. You must let me do to you what my father wants before you can be free. We are not free, we are slaves to sin. Sin wants to be our master yet Jesus came into our world to be our master. Through Jesus we go from slavery of sin to a servant of righteousness. Jesus has come to make us free. Believe that and be free. Margaret Hanson (Canada) Sunday

Something serious has happened to me here. My heart is stretching. It didn't happen five weeks ago when I arrived and not when all the welcome letters came but it has been happening gradually until my heart now feels really full. A brother wrote to me before I came. He said, 'Be careful, the Filipino people will get into your heart.' When I was a young girl, a teacher gave me some clay and told me to make a vessel. I made it very beautiful and I know because my mother said to me, 'Its beautiful.' 35 years later I look at that pot and it looks very clumsy. The walls had been made about 1cm thick and I wondered, 'How much could that pot hold?' Not very much. Maybe just a few little safety pins. I thought my mother would have put something special into it but there was no room. If I made it over again, I would put more pressure on the inside. If I had, there would have been more room in the pot. Clay doesn't talk but we are like clay. There are possibly 800 little clay pots here. We have a potter that is working to create a vessel with our lives. Sometimes our potter puts a little pressure on the inside and we say 'No!' Sometimes we say 'Ouch!' and draw back. God wants to put treasure into our hearts. How much treasure? It depends a lot on how much you let him work inside. Shallow, narrow and selfish are some words that will keep out the treasure. If I had a treasure naturally I would put it in a steel lock box but no one would ever see it. What God does is put his treasure in a little earthen pot so that everyone can see it. Sometimes we are freed of that pressure inside. Sometimes we think that we might break. We need to trust and allow the potter to work so that we can be filled with the special treasure that will last into eternity. Alec Wright (South Africa) Ezekiel 1 v10: As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. v12: wither the spirit was to go, they went. Ezekiel had a vision. He saw a certain creature that had four faces and wherever the spirit went it also went. Jesus had all the four faces and he knew how to show a certain face to a certain experience. Why does God not use angels to preach this gospel? Instead using weak and feeble vessels to spread the glorious message? Because when people look at the workers, they see someone that is struggling just like them. However they have a message that can touch your heart.

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I struggle to learn a new language and even when I do, I find it hard to understand. There are some that I do understand though, the ones that are also trying to learn the same language. We understand the ones that struggle like we do. We understand their struggle in the meetings. A lion needs speed and strength to catch its prey. If they only have speed, they could catch the prey but not kill it. If they only had strength, they would only be able to kill the prey that they couldn't catch. Can we thank God if he chastises us? To thank God for the experience takes the courage of a lion. It takes an eagle to see the danger. The fish looks at the bait but doesn't see the hook inside it. An ox is an animal that is obedient to his master without complaint. All of these things work together. When it comes time to forgive, we may need all the faces: the man to see man as a man; the ox for obedience to forgive; the lion for the courage to do so; and the eagle eye to understand that if I don't forgive, I will be lost for all eternity. Nancy Layman (Philippines) In a little while we will be all leaving. God has brought us here to give us a new hope. We may go back to the same situation, maybe to the same battle but this time with a clearer vision. We go with understanding that if we cry out to him he is waiting to help. If God is for us, who can be against us. When soldiers go to war, their most important weapon is obedience. When we go, we face our own little battle but that is only part of the battle. God can see the whole picture and what battle strategy is required for that. Titus Lehman (USA) Thank you for your testimonies. Thank you to those who stood and sat down again. We know you are still standing for the Lord. When I was invited to my first convention I said I didn't want to go because I didn't believe in women preachers. My mother showed me some verses so I went but decided I wasn't going to like it. At the convention something changed my spirit, my love. I made my choice at that convention. At the end, I didn't want to leave. When we leave today, we can't take the tent but we can take the spirit. Matthew 13 v33: The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a women took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. There is an influence in the world and there is an influence from God. The doctrine we have affects how we live. We have heard about the resurrection. The resurrection affects how we live. Mark 8 v15: Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. Herod was the king. As a king he has the power to do whatever he wants. That is the same as the influence of the world today. It is important that we all end up in the same place. When adults meet the gospel, they make an abrupt change. When children grow up in this way, they change gradually as the spirit works. Often we think waiting is a waste of time but its not when we are waiting on God. There is a lot in this book that we haven't spoken about but we don't have to stay here to learn. We just need to stay sensitive to the spirit.

Other thoughts Everything that comes from God has no end. It is impossible to talk against someone that you pray for. Be honest even if others are not, will not and can not. If we love our teacher it is easier for us to learn. The only way to victory is to make a vow. What did you think of first as you awoke this morning? Give thanks to God because he doesnt choose people from Universities to go into the harvest field. He chooses people from among you. I want to continue and I need your prayers to do this.

Alec Wright (South Africa) I don't have a very interesting testimony but I do have a testimony. I come from the Cape. It used to be called the Cape of Storms or sometimes the Cape of Good Hope. Sometimes I lived in the Cape of Storms and sometimes in the Cape of Good Hope. It didn't depend on the wind but what was inside me. The Cape is the most southern tip of Africa. In the olden days it was a very important place for ships. It was the place for supplies of fresh fruit and vegetables and caused colonies to start.

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Part of the Cape has very rough seas and waves up to 50 metres. A ship would travel from England to the Indies and stop at the Cape for supplies. The boat would be loaded and someone would want to add to the load. The captain would say 'No sorry its fully loaded.' He would then be bribed to take the load. This could happen to the same ship many times. The boat then starts sailing on the west coast of Africa and its fine. When it got to the Cape of Storms, the overloaded boat would sink. Later they decided to put a water line on the boat. You people with busy lives must watch it. Its ok if you are in calm waters but watch it when you hit heavy seas. Don't get too loaded in your life. I am one of the fortunate ones that didn't land on the rocks and I am thankful. I was born at the Cape to faithful parents. When my parents found the truth they made a clean cut. I often saw my parents kneeling at their bed and praying. I also noticed that my parents loved the workers. My father had an old car in the garage and one day my parents were away. I took the opportunity to see if I could drive. I started the car and tried to go in reverse but it would stall. So I put on more throttle and it shot forward against the wall. It broke the front fender and I managed to put it back and refit the fender and never told my parents. Years later I told the and my father said 'I thought that happened to the workers when they were driving.' But still, even though they thought that, they had never criticised the workers. I had reason to believe everything the parents told me. They didn't tell me of Father Christmas but they told me about God and heaven and hell. I had five siblings, all professing. Before I went to school, I was already worried about my souls salvation. I remember laying awake for hours worrying. Together with that I realised I was a very very naughty boy. I am ashamed to say that at school I used to use the most vulgar language that I knew. At the same time I knew that God was troubling me. I tried to read the bible but couldn't read very well. One day I read and understood: 'My God why hast thou forsaken me?' For the first time God used the bible to speak to me. Now I am 9 years old and the sister workers came to our district and I am worried sick. Over and over I prayed, God please spare my life. At that stage I already knew that sometimes children also die. At school there was a boy I used to sit with. One day he wasn't there, he had drowned at 5 or 6 years old. One day my grandmother walked outside onto the verandah and I watched her die. It was strange to know that my grandmother was gone forever. I dot think it is wise to hide death from children, they need to understand. Then started this Cape of Storms in my life. I want to serve God but I am too young. I asked the sister workers, 'Am I too young?' I like to tell the children, if you are sure that God is working with you than you are not too young. Some children grow up in a professing home, make the choice and say their testimony is nothing special. In Zimbabwe, many ladies give birth out under the stars but it doesn't matter when a birth takes place, it is always a wonderful thing. At high school I started to worry, is there some other way. The teachers and the principal were all good people. We get killer thoughts. I thought if I doubted I had to go and see if there is another way. You do not waver between two convictions. I am glad that God kept me anchored. I would read the bible and believe that this place contradicts this place but after years I realise how foolish I was. A little foolishness can rock a boat very severely. We didn't have many friends in the area I was brought up. There was a family that had 6 girls. Quite remarkable young girls. The elder professed. After she professed, her parents later professed. I was drawn to her virtuous life and a relationship started to develop. I had suspicion she was thinking of the work. I asked her if she was and she said 'Yes'. She asked if I did, 'Of course you think of the work!' You hear about it at convention and you get the sick feeling in your stomach. But the relationship developed and love can be very intoxicating. Its like having a little bit of strong drink in your glass. Any human emotion can be intoxicating if you have too much of it. A little jealousy can help your marriage but too much can destroy your life. Trying to improve your life bit by bit is ok but too much and you lose control. The thought of the work was very sweet to us. A man would travel around the world to get to the girl he loves. I don't think there is anything stronger. Sorry I am wrong. I am here today because of the love of God and there is nothing stronger than that. We both offered for the work, it wasn't easy but we really felt like workers. But... we both started fighting the battle against human love. We got engaged. Before one convention, we stood at the piano and sang 'Teach me how to love as thou hast first loved me.' This girl started crying. Since we had turned from the work, we hadn't spoken about it but I can say that those days were the most unhappy days of my life. Anyway, she was condemned because our love was not the pure unselfish love that gave us salvation. I moved away. For four years I prayed to God, 'Show me what you want'. At one time I vowed to give my life to God. At the end of four years there was one day I had a conviction. There was no one near me and I was not reading my bible but I got the message, 'God has called me into the work'. Maybe that's why I spoke today about the courage of a lion. You people who are married, we do believe that that is your place. You have a sacrifice everyday to make a happy marriage. I had a brother and a sister that left the work. It wasn't very encouraging to me but they fulfil useful places now. This week I speak to my brother on Skype and I see the joy on his face, their granddaughter has just offered for the work. In South Africa they have little dams and the birds live there. Time of drought comes and the water starts getting less and less. The birds look sad and scared as the water dries up. They wonder where are they going to go. Maybe that is what speaks to young people. The pool of water of the world gets less and less. God has given you a joy that gets better and better and better as time goes on. Many a day the thought that has been on my mind is just the cry to God to 'Save me'. The bible tells us that not many noble are called. Many a day I cry to God to be merciful to me a sinner. Many a day the storms of life toss our little boat. None of us can rest. We still need the grace of God to help us walk aright.
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