Rev Hendrik du Plessis
Introduction
We were recently able, by the grace of the Lord, to reach out to Motopi and Mababe, with the aim of offering spiritual support not only to the congregation there, but also to Dorette, who, in her old age, continues to do valuable work. Also mentioned is a rare narrow escape that she experienced the morning of our departure from D’kar.
A narrow escape
While we were on our way to Motopi, Dorette phoned me to tell me about a terrifying experience that she had that morning at around 5:30. She was on her way to the gate when a hippo bull charged her into her yard. Luckily, there was a marula tree, the one in the photo, and she was able to run around the tree to escape the animal.
She stayed as close to its tail as possible the whole time to get away from its mouth. She says she literally prayed out loud for protection while walking around the tree. After what felt like half an hour to her, the hippo finally halted. She was then able to open the gate quickly, slip out, and stand behind it. When the hippo saw that the gate was open, he ran out. Dorette says that if the hippo had walked around the gate where she was standing, she would not be here today. She considers it an absolute grace from God. After the incident, she went back to her room and prayed and praised the Lord for His protection.
Evening events at Dorette
That night, we were just about to go to bed when the same hippo broke through the fence again and came into the yard. We struggled until 12:00 that night to distract him from the gate, trying to prevent him from damaging Dorette’s new gate. It is a sturdy gate that she recently had fitted for P6000. Unfortunately, the hippo did damage it the next night.
The second night, the bull was in the yard with the cow, which made the situation even more complicated. We did not get to bed until after 4:00 on Sunday morning. At one point, he charged at us when we tried to scare him away with stones, but luckily, he couldn’t get through the fence and stopped at the fence in his rush. That’s when I saw how fast he could run. If it hadn’t been for the fence between us, he could have easily gotten to us.
Church service and visiting
The Sunday morning church service in Motopi was well attended, with many people present, especially young ones, which is a positive sign for the future of the congregation. Unfortunately, Dorette was unable to attend the service. The previous day, she fell and injured her foot. When I helped her, we decided that she should rather stay home with so much pain. It would later turn out during the medical examination that she had torn her ligaments.
After the service, we spent the rest of the day at her place, where we could talk, pray, and support each other. She turns 82 this year and remains an inspiration to us all through her faith and resilience. On Sunday evening, the people from Wild Life were able to shoot the hippo that caused so many problems, and the next day, they moved two hippos to an area with more water.
Departure to Mababe
The next morning, we left Motopi for Mababe. The road was not as bad as the last time. Only after the rain does the road get worse. From Shorobe, where the dirt road starts, it was about an hour and a half drive. It was very hot. We only realized the next day how hot it really was. Our tents had to stand in the sun all week. All the leaves of the mopane trees, which normally provide shade, had fallen off. The photo on the right shows how scarce the shade was there. This is, in fact, where our tents were pitched. The man in the photo is a truck driver for someone. The truck broke down on the road outside Mababe. We met him in Mababe. When he heard we had Bibles, he was very desperate and did not want to return to the truck without one. In the end, when he did not get a lift back, we took him back. It was only 4 km, but because there are so many lions on that road, he was too scared to walk back.
Despite the exhausting heat, it was a very blessed week. Twice, we were able to show the “Walking with Jesus” film. The other evenings, we held personal Bible studies for the people at home. The conversations were profound. Each time one realizes the need for the Gospel in Africa. Africa is full of churches, but very few of their leaders open the Bible to explain or study the Scriptures. Most of the churches were founded for secular reasons, even if it was just for singing to get into some kind of trance. When you preach the Gospel to someone, you normally appeal to such a person to go to church, but preferably not in Africa. Rather, you appeal to him not to go to church, or to leave his church. There are so many cultic churches and cultic heresies that if you persuade him or her to go to church, you are sending him or her to a beehive of cultic activities.
During such an outreach, there are many things to be grateful for. First of all, it is a golden opportunity to spread the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. Every time one realizes how privileged we are to do this without persecution. Secondly, without the contributions we receive from you, it would not have been possible, and for that, we are deeply grateful to the Lord. Apart from the fact that we have to eat there, we also need diesel and a vehicle to reach these points. Something one is deeply grateful for is the people’s reception. Their reception is an open door for us. Weeks before we reach out to them, people call us to hear when we are coming. Words like “We miss you” mean a lot to us. When we get there, they are not only happy to see us, but the place where we pitch our tents is swept clean. These are all things that we do not take for granted.
The outreach was marked by challenges but also by clear signs of God’s providence and protection. True to his Word, we remember the Words of our Lord Jesus in John 6:37: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” It is not for us to find out who the Father gave to his Son. We preach the Gospel, and the Father draws people to his Son through the Gospel. In John 6:44, the Lord Jesus says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” So it is not about my ability to persuade, but about the Father who draws. It is He who makes it possible for us to reach out to people, and through the preaching of the Word, He draws them by His Spirit to belong to His Son, and such a person the Lord Jesus will never cast out, because it is a precious gift from His Father to Him. So it was with the murderer on the cross in Luke 23:42. The moment he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom,” the Lord Jesus immediately responded: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Why such beautiful words to a criminal? Because no one without the Father who draws will ever be able to ask, “Remember me, Lord,” and the Lord Jesus immediately sees him as a gift from His Father, and he is answered accordingly.
We once again ask for your intercession for Dorette, who is so vulnerable due to her age and recent injury, as well as for the congregation of Motopi. We ask for your intercession for the people of Mababe and also Khwai. From time to time, we also try to reach out to them. On the way to Mababe, we drive through Sankoyo, where we have already distributed Bibles. Khwai is 37 kilometers beyond Mababe. We have also held Bible studies and distributed Bibles there. We pray and the Lord opens doors for us, because those who belong to the Lord Jesus will necessarily come to Him. This makes missionary work the most successful profession on earth, because the Lord is faithful to His Word.
Your brother in Christ,
Hendrik du Plessis.