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Missionary Michael Radebaugh

2008-09-10T01:46:00.004+06:00

Last month Sandton Bible Church (a hearing church) hosted a missions conference. Brother Michael Radebaugh was asked to share his testimony of how God was with him in the dark times.

He had many opportunities to witness to the others there, and also preach on Sundays. When I had the opportunity to visit him, I was struck by his amount of joy. It was an encouragement to me that no matter the circumstances, when you have the Lord you can make it through with joy.

His recent September trial ended in disappointment, as it was postponed until November 5th. There have been all kinds of problems in the courtroom, and with the witnesses. We are praying that it would all be resolved soon and the truth of his innocence would be brought to light.

Michael is working with hearing people in the Chloorhop area, having started Chloorkop Independent Baptist Church. His co-pastor is Donovan May. He is a South African, and the son of a pastor. They are both excellent at working with children, and teaching and preaching the Word of God.

Please pray for their ministry not to be hindered from all that is going on with the trial. Though it is not easy to see others suffer, we know God has a greater plan than we can see.

Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

Brother Simphiwe

2008-09-10T01:01:00.003+06:00

We invited Brother Simphiwe to preach at our Katlehong Church on July 27th. He is well known to many people in the area because he is an alumni of the Deaf school.

It was great to see him preach in his sign with their culture, and be such an encouragement to the people. Several souls were saved that day. One man who was saved was one of Brother Simphiwe's best friends growing up.

Simphiwe also stayed in Johannesburg for one month. He shared his mission burden at a conference in Sandton, and is trying to raise additional support. When he reaches his goal, he can go back to traveling around South Africa in Deaf schools preaching the Gospel. He also will inform the students of our Deaf Bible College, so those who are interested can attend when they graduate.

Simphiwe has currently stationed himself in Capetown working in a Deaf church that lost its leader. He is directing them back toward Biblical truth, and discipleship. This church is not associated with the church in Chloorkop, but Simphiwe felt burdened to help them.

Please pray for him to raise the support he needs so he can get back to traveling and spreading the Good News in South Africa.

Fourth of July

2008-07-10T15:37:00.003+06:00

This year the embassy held a get-together for Americans at the embassy. They had burgers and dogs (though they weren't American), various desserts, side dishes, and drinks. They also offered popcorn and ice cream free of charge. A man selling corn dogs was there as well.

It was beautiful weather, and our friends Mike and Paula Ferus and their son Alex came and stayed the weekend with us so we could all go together. What a great time we had! We are thankful the Lord allowed us a refreshing time with our friends. Here are some pictures from the afternoon.

You never realize how much freedom and wonderful things you have in America until you've lived somewhere else for a few months as a resident. Whew! What a difference! God bless America.

Soccer Tournament

2008-06-28T15:12:00.000+06:00

We recently hosted a soccer tournament for Deaf teams in the area. It was a great opportunity to meet people, give them exposure to the Gospel, and also let them know of the various churches we have started in their areas.

The Lord blessed with a clear day, sunshine, and a huge turnout. Over 100 Deaf people came to either participate in, or watch the match. When we shared the Gospel, 13 souls gave their life to Christ. What a blessing!

We also had a station set up to sell Pepsi, hot dogs, small snacks, and candy. The Deaf people who came were surprised and happy with the low cost of the foods we were selling. They could pay double what we charged. They asked Bro. Chris to provide the food for the Super Eight soccer tournament, but we'll see about that. It's quite a drive, so we couldn't keep the prices so low. When it's in our back yard, it's easy to keep it cheap.

We just praise the Lord for the opportunities He gives us to reach the Deaf people of South Africa with the Gospel of Christ. Thanks for praying! There is fruit for your labor. God bless!

Students From Crown College

2008-06-16T21:06:00.003+06:00

Last week two students from Crown College came to visit. Joy and Megan are learning ASL, and wanted to spend their summer working in the field with Deaf people. They spent two weeks with our ministry (at Brother Chris' house) and are now in Zambia with Bro. Johannes.

They came with us to our church two weeks ago on Sunday. I believe they really enjoyed their time with us, as we did with them. I know our sign language is different, and I'm sure that has been a challenge for them.

They have a website where they recently blogged about their time at our church. If you want to check it out, you can click here.

Once they are done in Zambia, they will return to Joburg and work in an orphanage called Door of Hope for another month. Please pray for them as they are away from home and family. God bless!

Second Sunday

2008-05-26T12:50:00.002+06:00

Well, God is definitely working in Katlehong. Our second Sunday surprised us with six new visitors: five men and one woman. During Sunday School I started teaching through the discipleship lessons. Most of these people have never heard the truth from God's Word before, so we want to make sure we give them the best foundation possible.

After Prince closed out his preaching service, I gave another appeal for the Gospel. I am learning not to be so surprised by people responding, but you just don't see it happen in the States. People want to think about it, to wait. They don't answer honestly that they have sin. Not so here.

The first time I asked if people wanted help learning about how they can go to Heaven, all six visitors raised their hands. Praise the Lord! I couldn't believe it. I was ready for someone to say no, but they all responded. And they all readily admitted their sin in humility and realized they had offended God and broken His law.

It's truly amazing. We had thirteen in total attendance. What a blessing from the Lord! Please continue to pray for these new Christians. They all have struggles in their lives, and many of the women come from broken or battered relationships, and are raising children on their own. God can and will heal them, we just need the time and words to help them along.

We are so thankful for His infinite wisdom, and are amazed that He would use us. His Gospel is still the Good News that changes lives and encourages hearts. Praise the Lord!

Our First Bible Study

2008-05-19T23:10:00.003+06:00

Yesterday was our first service in the Katlehong School for the Deaf. We didn't know what to expect, whether it would just be us and our kids, or if people from the community would show up. We had made flyers and distributed them at the Deaf Office, but it was no guarantee anyone would come.

We were pleasantly surprised when seven people showed up! Four women and three men. They were very nice and happy to be able to come to a church much closer to their homes. Many of them lived close enough to walk.

Things didn't start out as smoothly as we would have liked. No one from the school was there to open the building for us, so we all stood around talking for about forty five minutes. They didn't seem to mind. By the time we were able to get into the right building, it was nearly eleven AM. I led the songs, and Prince did the preaching. He shared a great message about the truth of the Bible, and the necessity of salvation.

I know many of you have been praying for us, and for the Deaf of the community to come. What a blessing it is for me to report that six souls were saved that morning! The one who didn't get saved is a woman we already knew had already professed Christ from the church we attended in Chloorkop. Four of the six who were saved were from Jehovah's Witness church.

They had a lot of questions about the Bible, and about their former church. We were able to show them from the Scripture the error from the faith of the JW church. Many of them felt pressured from the JWs to attend, and to read their literature. One man didn't like all the pressure, and quit attending.

What a wonderful and exciting blessing it was for us to have so many come, and to have their hearts be prepared to hear the Truth of the Gospel and respond to it!

Thank you for your faithful prayers. This is just another example of the wonderful things God can do when we allow Him to do the work. Praise the Lord!

2008-05-17T22:38:00.002+06:00

Recently one of our friends, Andrew Parker, a student at NTID/RIT asked if he could ship us some Chick tracts with our church name and address on it. I thought it was a great idea, and certainly a blessing!

I didn't expect him to send 1,000 tracts! Wow! That gives us an easier job when we pass out tracts, as they people only need to turn it over to see the location of the church, and our service times.

Thanks Andrew for thinking of us and giving us such a wonderful blessing! I am sure souls will be saved because of your gift. God bless you Brother.

Bible Study Location

2008-05-14T00:01:00.002+06:00

On May fifth Prince and I had a meeting with the Principal of Katlehong School for the Deaf. He approved us to use the building for a Bible Study on Sundays. Also he wants us to come on Thursdays and do meetings for the children who attend the school.

There are a lot of Deaf people in the area, and we pray they will attend. Prince found out they were having a meeting of those Deaf who live in the Katelhong area, and praise the Lord he was able to attend and advertise our meeting for Sunday. Several people expressed an interest.

Some faithful Deaf people from our church in Chloorkop wish to continue attending church, but can no longer afford to because of the increased taxi fares. The prices for taxis goes up as the price of fuel increases. This puts a huge financial burden on our Deaf people. They may be able to attend our church, as some of them live close to the Deaf school. This will surely be a blessing to them, and also to us as we will have some familiar faces in the beginning.

Please pray for souls to be saved, for wisdom as we meet and deal with new people, for our kids to understand why they won't see their friends in Sunday School anymore, and for God to be glorified in all that we say and do.

Here are a few pictures of the school's property. They have a wall around the school, and you can see they also have barbed wire around the top. This school is located approx. 25 miles south of the church in Chloorkop, but it makes a big difference to people depending on taxis for transportation.

Thanks for your faithfulness in praying! God bless you Friends.

Steel Seal- Wonder Liquid

2008-04-29T00:42:00.001+06:00

Our car blew the gasket a few months ago. It was a headache to keep filling up the radiator tank with water before any trip. So we replaced the radiator, but the problem persisted. Then we knew for sure the gasket blew. We were faced with three choices; replace the cylinder head gasket which would cost 4,000 Rand (520 dollars), second: replace the engine which would cost 4,500 Rand, or use a product made in America called Steel Seal. This would cost us roughly 490 Rand (including shipping). Guess what we chose?

This product has worked great. And after replacing the water pump, we see no more problems. Praise the Lord for an easy and affordable fix to our problem!

Deaf Evangelist from SA

2008-04-13T01:36:00.002+06:00

Brother Simphiwe is a travelling evangelist sent out by Bible Baptist Church of the Deaf here in SA. We have known him since 2004. We met him in the States while he was studying at a Deaf college in GA, and we've kept in touch ever since. Simphiwe is a fruit of Chris and Lucinda's ministry. Now he travels to Deaf schools all over SA. He has been to eleven of 46 schools. Many souls have been saved. A few weeks ago in Limpopo Province 26 Deaf souls were saved at a school, including the principal.

Now Simphiwe will focus on helping a Deaf church in Capetown. They need revival, so he will be settling in there for a while, perhaps permanently. He has left behind a wonderful ministry that someone needs to step into and take over. The children who have been won in the schools also need follow-up teaching to strengthen their walk and lead them in discipleship. It is too large a task for one man.

Would you pray that the Lord would burden someone in our church to take up this ministry? We know the Lord has the workers, we just don't know who they are yet. And please pray for Simphiwe, that the Lord would protect and bless him in his new venture in Capetown.

Thank you!

Missions Conference 2008

2008-04-08T21:40:00.001+06:00

Our home church just started their missions conference this week. It's an extra- special one because many of the missionaries sent out by our church are home on furlough, and three families are currently on deputation raising support. And all the preaching is being done by the staff at FBBC. That's really neat.

My wife's prayer group decided to do a little advertising for us this year and had green T-shirts made up. On the front in the right corner there is a map of South Africa with the words 'Pray for the Deaf of South Africa'. On the back in huge letters it says 'TEAM TSOUKALAS'. What a surprise and blessing to know that though we are gone, we are not forgotten. Thanks to everyone who supports and upholds us through prayer. God bless you!!

Update From the Prison

2008-03-31T12:00:00.000+06:00

Today I went to the prison with the Radebaughs to the prison where their nephew is being held. One of the Deaf preachers, David, came with us. We wanted to visit the Deaf man who was saved a few weeks ago. We wanted to check up on him and see how he has been doing.

We shared the Word of God with him, and asked him questions to make sure he understood. It seems he is understanding, and interested in the Bible and learning God's Word. We also talked about his crime and how actions have consequences, and that he must serve his prison term. I wasn't sure how he would respond to that, but he was not at all angered by it. He seems to have the peace of the Lord in his heart. When it was time to go, I asked who would like to pray, and the Deaf prisoner volunteered! What a blessing to see the fruit of the Lord's work in his life.

Please continue to pray for him. I plan to try and visit him weekly to be an encouragement and to feed his spirit. Thank you!

Food for Thought

2008-03-22T18:09:00.003+06:00

One challenge I have faced in teaching in the Bible College is the lack of proper education afforded Deaf people here in South Africa. We all know Africa is behind in many areas, and their educational system is no different. While they do have programs for training teachers to work solely with Deaf children, there are simply not enough.

There are currently 46 recognized Deaf schools in South Africa. Schools always have a lack of teachers. One common practice here in South Africa is to place teachers where they are needed, regardless of their 'fit' within that school. Therefore, many hearing teachers who have never even been exposed to sign language are placed into Deaf schools in order to 'fill' a place.

Many Deaf children who attend these schools do not receive any kind of education. Imagine yourself living in America. Your school is short of teachers, so the government places any certified teacher in your school. The problem is, your class gets a teacher who only speaks Russian. She does not know any English whatsoever. She continues to be your teacher until you 'graduate'.

Now, when you have 'graduated' from this school, are you prepared to be involved in American society? Of course not. While you have physically attended school, you have not learned anything, because your teacher did not speak your language. That is how it is for many Deaf people in South Africa.

The majority of Deaf Africans are illiterate. They have great minds, and are very interested in learning things. The Bible is no exception. They are limited only by their lack of quality education. It is difficult to teach an adult the basic skills necessary for reading and writing English properly. They have acquired so many bad habits. Where do you begin?

Where did this lack of care in Deaf education come from? Well, Socrates and Aristotle had definite ideas on Deafness. Aristotle made the statement:

“All those who are deaf from childhood are also dumb; they certainly make some kind of noise, but they have no language.”

Aristotle, believing that speech was the distinctive characteristic of humans, and that because the speech of Deaf persons was clearly not intelligible, thought that Deaf people lacked the important attributes that could impart intelligence upon humans. Aristotle has been accused of propagating the untruth that Deaf persons were not capable of abstract thought and were somehow a bit less human than hearing persons.

He influenced not only the Greek mindset, but the western world as well. Because a person has no spoken language does not mean they have inadequate learning abilities, or that their form of communication is inferior.

The problem lies in the type of education offered them. If people (whether consciously or not) continue to have the mindset that Deaf people are inferior, there will be no effort made to ensure they receive the same quality education available to hearing people.

So, please think of this as you pray for our ministry, that God would show us how best to help the people we are ministering to. We are very thankful the Holy Spirit leads ALL people into ALL truth, regardless of their education level, societal standing, or language.

Praise the Lord.

The Location

2008-02-27T13:07:00.003+06:00

Next month, a deaf African man named Prince and I will be starting to establish the third Deaf church here in Jo'berg south. We won't be calling it a church in the beginning, because we need to find believers first, so it will start as a Bible study.

We will be starting this Bible study, because many of the Deaf people in the area cannot afford to pay for a taxi to ride to the Deaf church we attend north of Jo'berg. There are many Deaf people south of the city, and we want the best location for them to be able to attend. If they have to switch taxis, they are less likely to come. We are praying God would provide a place for us that would have access by ONE taxi for most of the Deaf in the area.

We so appreciate your faithful prayers, and interest in the ministry God has given us. May He bless you richly!

A Visit to the Prison

2008-02-22T14:28:00.001+06:00

For the past two Mondays, I have been visiting a Deaf man in jail for a crime he did indeed commit. I was there to visit a missionary friend who has been imprisoned due to being falsely accused of a crime. Things are moving forward, and we are anxious to see what God will do.

Back to the point- I was visiting this Deaf man named Sandile. He has heard the Gospel before, and has been very open to it, but unwilling to make a decision.

I decided this past week to bring with me a booklet that has pictures and signs in it entitled "What Happens After You Die". We went through it, and when we were through, he had realized that his sin was not only against the person he had hurt, but also was a breach of God's law.

Sandile prayed for forgiveness, repented, and put his faith in Christ!

What a wonderful ministry opportunity that we would never have had if our missionary friend had not been falsely accused. God does bring good into every situation, if we have the patience and humility to wait for it.

Praise the Lord!

Settling and Serving

2008-02-12T20:19:00.000+06:00

Well, we have been here in South Africa for 118 days according to my Wife's blog. Hard to believe the time has gone by so fast.

We have had so many different experiences here, and many things take time to get used to. God has provided us with a comfortable home, friends, and plenty of opportunities to serve Him and the deaf of South Africa.

Please continue to pray for us as we serve here. I will try to update this often, though I am new to this, and not much of a writer. But I know it's good for those back home to see what's happening in the ministry the Lord has given us.

May God bless you as you serve Him today!