Home Office Directors’ Report
We are thankful for how God provides for His people and His work. As life and ministry in the USA unfolds, we find it exciting, at times overwhelming, and sometimes just plain hard. But it always causes us to trust in the knowledge and truth that God goes before us, has opened the way, provided for our every need beyond what we could have imagined, and will accomplish the work He has begun! We are, quite simply, His children, asked to follow His lead, trust His timing, and rest in Him.
At the beginning of August, the department chairperson for MBI’s Intercultural Studies Department asked if we would consider being instructors for one of their Intercultural Engagement Classes for the fall term. We enthusiastically agreed, and beginning on August 23rd, we went into Chicago for the day and taught a 3-hour class of 16 students. What an opportunity to express our heart for sharing the Gospel cross-culturally! Please pray for us and for our students for this term. ~ Greg and Carlene Seghers
June 18th a senior student from MBI, Isaiah Durant, trained with Gauteng missionaries for eight weeks. Teaching at ZEBS and participating in Bible training, interacting with amaZioni families, and setting up evangelistic events, Isaiah is also excited about the experience he gained while in South Africa. We had a chance to visit Isaiah while at Moody the other day; later, he shared about his internship in class with our students.
August 3rd to 16th a team of five people from Northbridge Church in Antioch also traveled to SA to share the Word, their testimonies, and hearts. Hosted by Greg and Sarah Akers, these were well received by school children, Bible classes, and amaZioni people in their services and communities.
September 2023 Louise Adkins is currently in the USA, and in addition to sharing with her ministry partners and supporting churches, she will be helping us at an Internship Fair hosted by MBI on September 20th. On that day, she’ll also participate with Nozipho Swart and Carlene in a panel discussion entitled: “3 Friends, 5 Cultures.”
Sept 24th to Oct 1st Jon and Lauren Emanuelson, Stephen and Jessica Langley, Louise Adkins, Dennis and Caitlyn Boatman, and ourselves will participate in their “Convocation,” which is an annual Missions event at Christ Community Church in Zion.
“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.” ~Ephesians 3:20
Board Member Spotlight
Our newest board member, Matthew Sheers, was born to Christian parents preparing for ministry in Colombia, and accepted Jesus at a young age. Since his family were missionaries with TEAM, Matt attended a boarding school in Venezuela and, thereafter, a small Bible college in West Virginia, where he met his wife, Sandy.
Matt never felt the Lord calling him to full-time ministry. Yet, a conversation with his father influenced Matt’s sense of serving as a Christian in the workplace. In Bible College, receiving college credit for courses that, by his father’s standards, would not have passed for devotions, Matt’s father supported his son’s decisions but emphasized that the local church is “the only hope for this world and our Savior’s only plan to save it.” Even for laymen, “it is the only game worth playing, and you should play it with all you have.”
Attending a secular college for his accounting degrees, Matt and Sandy remained intentional about serving in the local church. They have led ministries for children & young adults, and Matt served as a deacon, an elder, and church treasurer. Still interested in missions and God’s vision for building His Kingdom, Matt and Sandy took a mission trip to Cuba and supported missionaries in addition to their tithe. Matt then became a board member and later CFO for TEAM from 2016 to 2020.
Now living in Shenandoah, Iowa, Matt and Sandy continue to serve in their local church and share the vision of God growing His church around the world. In retirement, Matt and Sandy feel called to support their children and grandchildren as the Lord gives them the opportunity.
One Day in the Life of a ZEMA Intern
Isaiah Durant is currently a Sr. and Moody Bible Institute. Isaiah spent eight weeks in South Africa this summer. We asked Isaiah to share a day in the life of an intern and one significant conversation he had while serving the amaZioni in South Africa.
A day in the life of a ZEMA intern.
One of the most eventful days during my time in South Africa was ZEBS at Standerton. Standerton is quite far away from where I was living in Johannesburg. We planned to pick up all the teachers along the way, so we woke up at 4:00 a.m. We were on the road from around 5:00 until 9:00 a.m. Each school has a roster of who teaches when, and I usually would teach the third and the seventh lessons. However, on this day, while I was teaching my lesson, they changed the schedule. After finishing, I was handed my second lesson and asked to return to the front and teach my lessons back-to-back. I don’t think I taught very well because I was just not ready to go, but the Lord used it anyway. Paul needed me to finish my teaching so I could go to another site, in Standerton, where we would show the Jesus film. He wanted me to help set up for the event to follow. Not just to set up but also to be there while Abi (Paul’s daughter) popped the popcorn, so she wasn’t alone on the other side of Standerton. We finished setting up the tent, which took a lot of manpower. Then we started popping the popcorn. I didn’t help with the popcorn at all. Instead, I started going around the area and telling the kids that we were going to show The Jesus Film. After I recruited upwards of fifty kids, I played soccer with them for over two hours till we started the movie. Then we handed out juice and popcorn at the movie until it was finished. It was dark and around 30 degrees Fahrenheit when we finished, so people scrammed fast. Then we had to stay another hour plus and fold the giant tent tightly back up and pack it away. My hands were absolutely freezing! After this, we stopped at KFC on the way home, smacked down some food, and arrived home around midnight.
A Spirit lead conversation
One Saturday, we were teaching ZEBS at Verena. It was towards the end of the day, and I had already taught both of my lessons. I was walking outside when I heard a commotion from the street. I ran down there to see what it was, and I saw eight teenage boys jogging in front of a pickup, wearing tribal gear and singing a song. I asked a young man nearby what this meant, and he told me they had just come down from the mountain on the right of passage. Talking with this guy, who looked like more of a boy than a man, eventually he realized I was American. He asked me why I would be on the other side of the world in a tiny, impoverished town like Verena. I told him I was there to preach the gospel. I told him I’d rather be in a less desirable place like Verena doing what the Lord asked of me than doing anything else. He was shocked, to say the least. He said people around his town people do not have that same dedication to Christ and that they don’t obey like I do. I told him he needed to be the change. I told him to marry a godly woman, raise a family to follow the Lord and live as a light. I asked him his name; he said it was Perfect. I prayed for him. Then he said, “Isaiah, I know that the Lord has sent you here to me today.” I still pray for Perfect on a regular basis. I know the Lord orchestrated such a wonderful interaction like that.
Over the past few months, power has been off most days for 4 – 10 hours per day
There are many issues with the electricity supply in South Africa. For over 15 years, Eskom, the government-owned electrical utility, has instated rolling scheduled blackouts called “load-shedding.” We are currently in the process of planning for solar-powered, battery-backed-up, smart inverter systems for Sunbury Christian Camp and the ZEMA missionary homes. Over the past few months, power has been off most days for 4-10 hours per day. This load-shedding affects not only the ability to live but is also a hindrance to our ministries to the Zion churches.
We are seeking to raise $200,000 to purchase the necessary equipment to provide a stable and long-term electricity supply for the ZEMA properties in South Africa. Loving InDeed Inc. (www.lovingindeed.com) has agreed to match the first $5000 ZEMA receives in donations to the Alternative Energy Fund. Loving InDeed is a charitable organization whose purpose is to partner with like-minded not-for-profit ministries to improve the quality of life for at-risk people spiritually, mentally, and physically through the completion of self-sustaining projects. To view ZEMA’s Alternative Energy Fund Project click HERE.
Please click HERE to look at this recent news article for more information on load-shedding in South Africa.
PLEASE NOTE: Because individual ZEMA missionaries rely on faithful donor support, any donations toward ZEMA projects, such as the “Alternative Energy Project Fund,” should be over and above the supporter’s current giving commitments. Each missionary is grateful for your participation in their ministry. ZEMA values your commitment and trusts that the Lord will provide for these special projects without jeopardizing missionary commitments.
