Jesus said to the church at Philadelphia, "See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word..."

I too have little strength, but God has placed before me an open door, and I simply pray that I will keep His word and endure as the believers in Philadelphia did.

When I say that God has opened the door, I truly mean that GOD DID IT, and in ways that only He could.

When we talk about ministry in South Africa one of the things that always comes up is how South Africa is a melting pot of other African nations, and how making an impact here could have a profound influence across the continent. And yet, that is all just theory. The reality requires God's work in reaching people, calling people and discipling people. The best I can do is to daily seek to be His tool in this work.

Interestingly, the four young men that I have the greatest opportunity to invest in right now come from four different African countries.

From South Africa (in red on the map above): Norman is a friend and ministry colleague here who attends Bethany Baptist Church faithfully, serves in many ways at the church and is pursuing a Bible College Education. He is 22 years old and works full time, but still remains committed to serving in the church. As we have spent time together, we have been able to sharpen and learn from one another. Norman is faithful and humble- the kind of young man that I believe Paul was describing in 2 Timothy 2:2. He is a Zulu speaking South African who will, I believe, have a greater impact on the people of this country than I ever could.

From Malawi (in yellow on the map above): Taurai is a young man in our church who came to South Africa to study at the University. He lives close to the church and has become not only a faithful attender, but a close friend. He is only 17, but has already started his first year of college. He has more energy than any of the rest of us and a humble, teachable spirit that I find very refreshing. I usually see him at least 4 or 5 times a week and I look forward to watching what God will do in and through him.

From Democratic Republic of the Congo (in green on the map above): Germain has only been in the country for 2 or 3 months. He also came here to study, but first needs to learn English. The first time he attended our church a few weeks ago, he was only able to speak French. His greatest need was to have opportunities to be with English speaking people and apply the things he was learning through personal study. Since the day I met him, he has been joining me several times a week and simply coming with me to do whatever I am doing- attending our church small group, leading the Bible study at the University or teaching at Kenneth Gardens. He told me the other night that if not for God arranging these opportunities, he doesn't know when he would have put together his first English sentence. Germain will likely return to Congo someday and impact many lives there, and he is studying international relations with the aim of becoming a foreign diplomat or an international businessman someday, which will be significant if he chooses to use those opportunities to build God's kingdom.

From Zambia (in blue on the map above): Patson is one of the high school guys that I play basketball with regularly. He was recruited to come to South Africa and play basketball because he is 6'10" and athletic. When Bay Forrest and Joe Odhiambo saw him a couple weeks ago during the basketball clinics we were hosting, they felt that he had potential to play basketball in the States eventually. Last night Bay sat down with Patson and talked to him about what he needs to work on in order to reach that next level. Bay is committed to seeing guys be discipled and that was a strong focus in what was said. Patson wants to pursue those opportunities and if he remains committed to it, that is going to mean I will have a lot of time spent with him doing basketball workouts and very intentionally discipling him.

These open doors are things that I could never orchestrate myself, and God has not given them to me because of any great giftedness which I possess. I have little strenth, and I have done nothing more than just barely hold on, but in doing all that I can to hold on, I have seen that it is God who is holding me. That is what enables me to serve.

The open doors are there, but it is prayer that is needed. That which only God can do will be seen only if we pray. Please... pray!