Yesterday Cathy and I sat on the stoop (porch) and gazed out on the fields and mountains of Amathunzi. Zebra came walking lazily by in front of us. Eland are off to our left scrapping their horns on the trees. There are three new babies among the eland group. Pigs and chickens are off to our right. Weaver birds are chirping and continually building nests on the large tree in the yard. What a great place to feel serenity in your heart. Together we thanked the Lord for the joy of being in such a tranquil place.

Rolf and Lizzie Weichardt are the first missionaries we visited in Africa five years ago. Over the years they have networked us around the country of South Africa and given us great opportunities of ministry in the hearts of other Africans. We love the kinship God has given us during these years.

Rolf picked me up from the Cape Town airport with two of their children. Tenille and Mikhail road back to Amathunzi with us. It is so nice to be around some missionaries who feel like an extension of our family. We have know them since 1994 and their first trip to America. Then Rolf said that Mikhail had something to share with me.

Mikhail (12) had been studying the Bible in school  as part of his curriculum and was struggling with his Afrikaans translation. ‘I just could not understand it,’ Mikhail said. He went to his father and got his copy of the Life Application Bible and began to read the NIV translation and notes written on the bottom of the pages. When I read the Life Application notes the passages became very clear to me for the first time…it just is so complex in my mother tongue.He took his test and made a 94%. He was very excited that the Bible can now make clear sense for his class.

For me it was a gratifying moment to realize work that I did twenty years ago had been useful in the life of our friend’s son. God’s Word never returns void but it is so nice to see and hear some of those results.

I spent the last week in Magaliesburg teaching the team Ikageng the Bible. I also spent time with Blessing and Ingrid Mpofu. We went away for the weekend to Durban and the Indian Ocean coast. They needed a chance to get away and rest from the rigors of ministry life. It was a special time to refocus and renew their hearts.

Our stop at the battlefield of Rorke’s Drift was very touching for us. How so few (130 British Soldiers) fought off so many (4,000 Zulu’s) in a fourteen hour battle. Wave after wave was repelled by the defenders to the point of exhaustion.

It is certainly a great example of the spiritual battle we face in ministry leadership. The enemy is relentless and seems to never slow down or run out of warriors. Satan is persistently prying our hearts for weakness and our minds for confusion. He will take down every missionary he can catch unaware.

Please pray as Cathy and I decompress ourselves this month and I begin writing a book that has been in my heart for years. Your kind attention to our hearts would be greatly appreciated and wisely used. Thank you.

Cathy and Danny Sartin



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Many see the Word of God. . .few observe!

8 hYou shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.[1]

What does it mean to have a sign on your hand or between your eyes? The answer for the Hebrew people was a small leather box that was strapped around the forehead. It was called a phylactery.

PHYLACTERY* Small prayer case containing Scripture passages worn at times of prayer by pious Jews. Orthodox Jewish males wear two small, black leather cubes or boxes, with Scripture inside, at the time of prayer.

In its original form the phylactery was probably not a box containing Scripture but a strip of parchment on which four passages from the OT were written in Hebrew. The passages were Exodus 13:1–10 and 11–16, Deuteronomy 6:4–9, and 11:13–21. The Deuteronomy 6:4–9 passage contains the “Shema”—the confession of God being one Lord. All four passages contain the idea that God commands his people to bind his ordinances and commandments upon their hands and have them as “frontlets” between their eyes. Some Jews took this figuratively or spiritually and did not actually wear them. Other Jews took the command literally and began wearing portions of their Scriptures on their foreheads and on their hands. Exactly when they began to do this is not agreed upon by scholars. There is an explicit mention of the practice as early as 100 bc in a Jewish nonbiblical document. It is thought by some to have begun as early as the fourth century bc, if not earlier.

In Matthew 23:5 Jesus condemned the scribes and Pharisees for, among other things, making “broad their phylacteries.” The context of the passage is Jesus’ -condemnation of ostentation in religion. Apparently, the broad phylactery would impress others with how religious the wearer was. It was evidence of pride, pretense, and hypocrisy in religion.

See also Amulet; Frontlet.[2]

The box was to be worn during prayer. So the focus of the box was to remind you of the key scriptures foundational to your faith. It was not to impress others with your faith. It was not used for converting non-believers.


Cathy and Danny Sartin

Deeper Still Missions

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Bible Nuggets are written for pastors and missionaries who desire to go deeper still in God’s Word. 

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h ch. 11:18; Prov. 3:3; 6:21; 7:3; See Ex. 13:9


[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2001 (Dt 6:8). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.


[2] Elwell, W. A., & Comfort, P. W. (2001). Tyndale Bible dictionary. Tyndale reference library (1042). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

I sit in the assembly hall of the Area One Camp in Missouri. Hundreds of young people race into the  doors seeking a seat. Music is blaring and videos are dancing on the screen and walls. For many decades settings like this have been the spiritual birthplace of generations.

My mind goes back to the late 60's and 70's when I first experienced such retreats. Faces of young people race across my mind who saw their spiritual birth at such events. They are no longer young people but the spiritual transformation has carried over into adulthood. What sweet memories these moments bring to the surface.

I wonder how many surprises will come in Heaven as the Holy Spirit's work will become evident. We never know what affect ministry events have in the lives of many young people.

I have sat in the role of youth leader so many times over the last forty years. I sense the concern, caution, desire and hopes of the youth leaders in this crowd. The mental wrestling can sometimes become overwhelming. You know, we struggle against powers and spiritual forces of this world.

Flying home from Africa to be present and share God's Word with these leaders has been a great joy. Cathy has remained in Africa with the Weichardt family in Amantunzi. She has relaxed in the calm surroundings of the game farm. Yesterday she and Lizzie took a three hour walk in the veldts (fields).

I visit my parents in Texas on Saturday and drive to Memphis for a quick return to Africa. It has been a whirlwind for the last two weeks. Flights back to America, a board meeting with the New Life Deaf Ministry of Honduras, and now the Area One Camp.

Pray as I return to join Cathy on the Dark Continent. The light of Christ makes the trip exciting and intriguing.

Cathy and Danny Sartin



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Copyright © Danny Sartin and Deeper Still Missions. All Rights Reserved.

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A Kingdom Leader is always careful about the steps they take. They consider and observe each footstep with focus and precision. They march with awareness about their surroundings and circumstances. They walk circumspectly.

Do you know the truth about yourself? Do you know your strengths and weaknesses? How are you doing? Where have you been? Where do you want to be? Are you willing to examine your leadership, spiritual life, temperament, listening and communicating skills?

Paul says, Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, (1)

You should look within, around and ahead. This will give you vision, strategy and perspective for the future.

Cathy and Danny Sartin

(1) The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Electronic ed. Wheaton, Standard Bible Society. 2001, Ephesians 5:15

Copyright © Danny Sartin and Deeper Still Missions. All Rights Reserved.

Kingdom Leadership is written for missionaries and ministers serving our Lord in various parts of the world.

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We spent four hours driving through Swaziland until we came to an unmarked dirt road. We turned up the hill and immediately began dancing over the bumps and rocks. The dirt road was filled with gullies from hard rain and hundreds of little bumps from former vehicles. The car would swing back and forth and create a dust storm behind us. The road would switch back and forth as it climbed the side of the mountain and went from one peak to another. Then came the surprise of another vehicle shooting down the hill in an almost uncontrollable manner. The fog of dust behind them would temporarily blind you and you would take a deep breath and hope you don’t go over the cliff.

We drove thirty minutes on the dirt roads until we saw a sign announcing the village of Ka-Phunga. (Swazi for smell, presumably the blood smell from the war with the Zulus) You could see some simple buildings. Then it struck me. Here in a remote area of Swaziland was a Korean vehicle and center built to introduce Buddhism to the tribes in the mountains. They had poured vast amounts of money into this community center and had staffed it with many people. It was as if the thought had never occurred to me that Buddhists would be attempting to spread their faith in such a place.

We continued the climb until we reached some areas that were familiar to me. I saw a home of an elderly man who I had prayed with over a year ago. The missionary noted that he is doing better. Memories flashed in my mind of the house, the people, the room and that special moment from the past.

We came closer to the home of Numsa Lukele and the hundreds of orphans who are victims of the HIV/Aids epidemic. Over 900 children in these six small villages are continuing without their parents. Unfortunately those child led homes are scattered over a vast and remote area of these mountains. It can be an additional 45 minute drive just to reach another village. The school in Ka-Phunga has a water well available only for the children attending that school, not for the community.

Water is a precious commodity in this remote place. Everyone must walk to the streams lower in the valleys to draw water for use at home. Several hours each day is taken by the task of gathering water. It is their way of life.

We turned off the dirt road onto a path with tire ruts from recent rains. We passed mud homes, roaming cattle, walking children and huge boulders. The path got smaller as we drove back into the remote mountain top near our destination. It switched back and forth over large rocks and muddy puddles. Then we reached the gate and turned into the corn field headed to Numsa’s home. The arduous journey was now over as we pulled into the yard of the Lukele home.

We were greeted by family members and the stately matriarch of the family. Numsa lovingly put her arms around Cathy and myself when we walked into her home. Her welcome was very warm. Unknown to us she had prepared a lunch for our arrival.

We sat, ate and discussed the ministry she is orchestrating among the orphans. 29 Gogos (grandmothers) are partnering with her to reach out and teach these orphans how to grow corn, prepare a meal, and run a home for their brothers and sisters. She has gotten permission from local tribal chiefs to plant a field of corn for the orphans in each village area. Each grandmother plants a vegetable garden to assist the children with food. They teach life skills and the truth of Jesus Christ to these lonely children.

My heart soared as the reality of this vision in the heart of Numsa became more clear. Harvest time was recent in the corn fields. Numsa took Cathy and me to see the harvested corn. The corn crib was full. I noticed a second crib for corn but it had only a third of the amount in Numsa’s crib. My heart sank when she told me this crib is from the children’s field. I asked why one was so full and the other is very short. The money was three weeks late to purchase the seed corn and the crop did not produce as much. Late, why? The ministry funneling the money to her group had been slow to process and send the money. Politics had clearly played a role. The crop would have to be subsidized by corn purchased to fill in the gaps.

We visited a small feeding center for orphans in the immediate area. Over 50 children come to get a meal once a day. Outside the gate two bulls charged and wrestled with one another. Their horns were locked and dust was flying. The local people hardly took note. It was amazing for us.

Cathy and I delivered a small gift and some money from a generous lady in Memphis to purchase 15 bags of corn to be used in November. It will take 25 bags each month for four months to fill in the gap of corn. She was very excited to see the funds come to start the process of securing additional corn. Her excitement was written all over her face.

Her little grandson was in the room with us and became a point of interest for Cathy. We both worked on getting him to smile. It took a while, but he finally came around. I wondered how long it takes to get the orphans to smile.

Thank you for sending us to Africa. Cathy flies to Cape Town while I return to the States to teach at a youth conference in Missouri. Pray for us as we are apart for two weeks on two continents. We know your prayers are vital to us and it shows in what God is doing.  It’s a privilege to have you join with us to serve our Lord

Cathy and Danny Sartin



www.deeperstillmissions.com

Copyright © Danny Sartin and Deeper Still Missions. All Rights Reserved.

This on the field report is written for those who support Deeper Still Missions and our goal of missionary retention.

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