We drove up a mud road that was very irregular from the weekend rains. Deep tire ruts left evidence of people struggling to climb the hilly path into the village community. Equipment was working to smooth the damaged road.
This has been a week of clouds and rain. There are few things more calming than a soft rain. It cleans the air and the heart. It replenishes the parched ground and the dry soul. The bright green grass and trees shine with the kiss of freshness. When we entered the church yard I noticed a sitting area outlined by half buried tires. The seating was clearly taken from an old bus. The metal framed seat was placed under a small tree in an attempt to capture shade. Simple but useful in a poor community. The simple church structure was cinder blocks. I walked into the building that was lined with wooden benches for chairs. Almost a dozen youth workers were already present for leadership training in the Bible. They had no Bibles with them. We provided Bibles and jumped into the Word. I questioned them about any Bibles they knew about. They knew paraphrased translations like Good News, Living and others. When I asked if they read a Bible none of them raised their hands. I asked why and they said they didn’t understand it. They relied on the pastor to teach them. Unfortunately he has no formal Bible training. They became electrified when we did a inductive Bible study approach that required them to do observations and ask questions. They had never looked at God’s Word in such a way. You should have heard the discussions, questions and comments. The Bible came alive and they were ecstatic. One student said to me,this will change how I relate to Jesus and the Bible. Thank you for changing my life. Their thankfulness touched my heart. They were willing to spend endless hours talking. At the end of our three hours of interaction I needed to take a restroom break. I walked outside to the outhouse. The cinder block outhouse had male and female stick figures painted on the entry points with black spray paint. I noticed the unique detail they placed on the figures to distinguish each. Ear rings on the girl and a stick in the hand of the boy. The strong smell of human waste hit my nose as I walked in. The outhouse took me back to my childhood and my grandfather’s farm. These people may live in a poor village but they are rich in many other ways. Their love and desire to know Jesus more intimately is very refreshing. Thank you so much for sending us to touch their lives. More than 80 were involved in training during the week. It is also a fascinating joy to see the flowers of Africa during their spring. The Jacaranda tree is in full blossom and exhibits a rare canopy of beauty. The bright purple flowers cover the tree like a blanket with thousands of blooms. The brightness of the color can capture your attention from a great distance. Now the Bougainvillea has appeared with a deep crimson to compliment the Jacaranda buds. We have noticed one spot where the two intertwine with one another. The stunning beauty captures your imagination and soothes your thoughts. This coming week is an important time for us. It is our annual spiritual retreat. We go away to focus on the Lord, His message and His heart. We would appreciate your prayers as we seek his guidance for the future. Pray that our hearts are invigorated by His presence and our vision is clarified by His voice.
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![]() We were having a game drive in Africa with guests of Amathunzi. All of sudden we spotted a lone zebra walking with another antelope. They were isolated in a large valley away from other groups of animals. I thought that seems odd. He had been named by the managers of the farm teenager. He was kicked out of the dazzle (herd) by the father only a week or so earlier. A new baby had been born and he was no longer the center of attention. In fact his presence in the group was a hazard to the little one. Teenager was looking for anyone who would focus on him and potentially give the consideration he desired. It amazed me that he stopped and looked at us. Then missionary Rolf Weichardt got out of the vehicle and walked in the direction of teenager. He began walking to Rolf. He didn’t seem to shy away or have any fear of a human. ![]() He walked right up to him and touched his hand. No snorting or fearful gestures were displayed. He genuinely wanted contact. You could tell that the removal from the dazzle had been painful and potentially confusing. I thought of the many people we have encountered during our ministry years who expressed some of the same desires displayed by this young zebra. It was amazing that when he finished inspecting Rolf he began a walk toward me and the vehicle. I was taking pictures and he took notice. He came all the way to the land rover and reached up to touch my hand. ![]() We had a close moment that reminded me of the same thing I had seen before. I had seen it in the eyes of many teenagers in my ministry years. Young people were yearning for an adult to look them in the eye. They wanted some focused attention. They wanted an appropriate touch that said they were ok. I have found that is true of everyone. Have you looked your spouse or children in the eyes today? Have you provided them some focused attention? Have you given them a hug? Everyone wants to feel loved by someone. Don’t miss your opportunities that are all around you. There is a white man in the house! Those words echoed throughout the building as I walked into the church and sat on the front row. The small township church was crammed full of people. It was standing room only.
The music was so loud the water bottle in my left hand vibrated. I have always been amazed at the volume of singing in African churches. The people sang and danced with all of their energy. Wow, what a moment of worship! I stood and opened the Bible and you could see the smiles on the faces of the people. They loved the Word. Each key point provoked a response from people in the crowd. My focus was on the young boy Daniel and his maturity living in a pagan land for his whole life. I found myself in a different village every day this week. I saw some very poor areas and had a chance to see everyday life as it is happening. You could see the inquisitive looks on people’s faces when they noticed a white man was coming to their community. One man said to me it must be glamorous to live in America. I told him he had watched too much television and chuckled. On Tuesday I walked into a Kentucky Fried Chicken (in a larger community) with Ronas to eat lunch. We had spent over three hours in classroom during the day and it sort of felt familiar to visit an old KFC. When we walked into the door I noticed the long que (line) with a Sangoma (diviner) at the cash register. He was dressed in traditional beads and a wrap around cloth so common in African culture. The red, white and black colors made him unmistakable. No one seemed to speak with him and he walked alone. When he neared me he noticed someone who had questions for him. He stood behind me and talked for a short minute. When he finished I stepped slightly to the side and we bumped into each other. I wanted to see if he would look at me. He was a very small man in stature. He was shorter than Cathy and when he looked at me his eyes became big. You could see fear on his face. He raised his hand as if to say he was sorry and quickly went on this way. He did not speak. Could it be that he saw the Holy Spirit in me? Some people had warned me not to look in the eyes of a Sangoma. That warning came from Christians. He is supposedly in contact with the ancestral spirits. Illnesses are thought to be caused by unhappy ancestors, if they are not respected or acknowledged sufficiently. When I told the story to Cathy she just smiled and said, greater is He who is in you than the one in him. If you want to find a traditional healer in the urban city areas, you need look no further than the classifieds in the newspapers, street billboards or the flyer left on your car windscreen. They correct bad luck, sexual problems, bewitching people, misunderstandings and HIV just to name a few. It is amazing how Satan has a hold on the people of Africa. Please pray for them that their eyes will be opened to Jesus. ![]() A Kingdom Leader has the head of a learner. They are open to learn by listening and asking questions. They are progressing despite continual buffeting from a tide of problems coming in their path. Have you become skilled in the affairs of life with practical wisdom and wise management? Do you form the best plans and select the best means to accomplish goals? You can do so by seeking sound judgment and good sense through quality questions. Jesus modeled this for us at the age of twelve. Luke 2:46 says, After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.(1) We are praying for you now. Cathy and Danny Sartin Deeper Still Missions, Inc. P.O. Box 343370 Bartlett, TN 38184-3370 www.deeperstillmissions.com (1) The Holy Bible: New International Version. Electronic ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Lk 2:46 Copyright © Danny Sartin and Deeper Still Missions. All Rights Reserved. Re-Prints Deeper Still Missions devotionals are protected by international copyright laws. To request reprint permission contact the offices of DSM. Permission is granted and encouraged to forward this email in its entirety to others without making any changes or deletions. There is a beauty here in Africa that is stunning. Currently the Jacaranda tree is in full bloom. It produces a bright purple blossom that is very eye catching. Set among green trees it spreads far and wide over the canopy of smaller trees and landscape. It is almost staggering among the foliage.
This week has found us spending down time with Ronas and Busie Marule. We went north to the Kruger Park and saw animals and talked. What a invigorating time. Each moment we spent together you could feel the relationship slip deeper and deeper. You should hear some of the topics of discussion. The laughter and joking seemed continual. Ronas stated, it is so soothing to get away from the stresses of work and home. This was truly restful and pleasant.It is the same thing Jesus said to his disciples when they came back from their first ministry experience. Come away with me to a lonely place and rest. The week of solitary laid the foundation for the future and what God might do in the next five years. It is amazing how our busy lives prevent us from looking past tomorrow. Last week the Youth for Christ South Africa staff conference was a joy. But the week began with an interesting meeting with an Australian young lady. She came to Africa to serve children in a YFC setting. I asked her about church and discovered she didn’t believe in God. So we had a conversation about her questions and concerns. I really enjoyed it. A couple of days ago I received the following email from her. Hi Dani, How are you doing? It was so nice meeting you during conference and such a shame we did not get more time together. I hope you and your family are well. Are you still in Africa, or have you returned home? I wanted to send you the images of the Australian Santa’s that we talked about. As you can see they are very varied, and this is just a small selection. I also had a couple of questions for you. I have been talking and talking to different people about this confusion in my head regarding the new found wish to have a relationship with God. Everyone has been lovely and open to talk and everything, but I am not getting much in the way of the kind of practical advice I feel I need. I have been told over and over that I need to just take things slowly, one step at a time. And I feel that I have taken the first initial step - deciding I want a relationship with God. My problem is I really don’t know how, when and where to find the next step. I don’t know where to start looking. The other question I have relates to comments I have had from a couple of people. They have mentioned to me that they don’t really know what advice to give given that they have grown up in the church and have always known and felt God in their live. They have had those support structures of their churches around them to help them to understand and know. Having not had this, what should I do? Being too old for children’s church, what is the best way to develop that understanding and foundation knowledge of Jesus and Christianity? Hopefully this makes sense. Would love to hear your views when you get a chance. Thanks What a joy to see God use us in such a special way! That was not planned. Isn’t that the way God always works. This coming week will be fast. I will be teaching leadership to youth leaders in six different communities and ministry sites. It will be three hours of intensive exploration through God’s Word at each setting. A seventh setting will include pastoral leadership from several churches. We ask for your focused prayer during this time. It can be exhausting and your prayer will stabilize our hearts and minds during such a grueling schedule. I stood in the back of the shed listening to the worship. It carried my heart to a new level of appreciation for our Lord Jesus Christ. A four voice ensemble sang with such passion and volume that it seemed like a one hundred voice choir. Oh how I wished you could have been there with us!
I walked to the soccer field where most of the meetings took place at the General Assembly of Youth for Christ International. It was four years ago this month. My mind could picture the huge tent which sat on this location. Flashes of thoughts raced through my brain. I remember the native wear evening when everyone dressed to reflect their country. A pastor from Colorado spoke and left a strong impression on each heart. I see the face of Ajith Fernando and his solid teaching from the Word of God. What precious memories. When I closed my eyes I heard a loud buzz of bees. I looked up and the tree next to me must have hosted thousands of bees. They were busily gathering pollen from the hundreds of blooms on the tree. The marvels of God are so amazing when we stop and quietly take it in. Ministry has turned the hearts and heads of many people upside down at this week’s conference. It can become so confusing when you expect ministry to be more controlled and stable. What do I do with no salary. How do we put food on the table for our family? Cathy and I reflect on many times during the last forty years when those were our questions. How do we pay our house note? Each time it happens you feel flipped upside down. Our grandson Ben loves flying upside down! He laughs and cackles when I do it with him. Then he asks for more. When you become over twenty-one it doesn’t have the same excitement. In fact the older you become the more dizzy it makes you. People shared very painful experiences and opened up to one another. I heard one man talk about his parents who abandoned him. There was a portion of his heart locked up ever since. Another man immediately spoke up and said the same happened to me. He was older and now the head of a family. His advice to the younger man was anointed by the Spirit of God. Wonderful to see God knit them together. This was a busy week with the staff conference. We left on Friday and traveled to Mpumalanga where I began teaching in village churches yesterday. It is so nice. People are so hungry for the Word of God. Remember, God’s promises are in occupied territory. You must look intently into Jesus’ eyes to see clearly the issues in your ministry journey. Finally, do you love Jesus more than YFC? That was the heart of my messages to the staff from around Africa. It is now Monday morning and you have key questions to answer. What will be different for you today? Will you serve Him? Cathy and I are praying for you! Thank you for your prayers of support. ![]() A Kingdom Leader has a vision that is not just a dream. She has taken the picture of the future and shaped it with knowledge, facts and wisdom. She knows where she is going and how to get there. Each leader spends countless hours planning. But it is always bathed in prayer. Do you have a clear picture of God’s call in your life? Have you done your homework, research and strategy? Is your vision shaped by the Kingdom of God? Have you prayed over the details with our Lord? Don’t live in a fantasy. Proverbs says, by wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. (1) Make your dreams come true. Design a plan that makes God’s vision a reality. Cathy and Danny Sartin www.deeperstillmissions.com (1) The Holy Bible: New International Version. Electronic ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Prov 24:3-4 Copyright © Danny Sartin and Deeper Still Missions. All Rights Reserved. Re-Prints Deeper Still Missions devotionals are protected by international copyright laws. To request reprint permission contact the offices of DSM. Permission is granted and encouraged to forward this email in its entirety to others without making any changes or deletions. |
Danny SartinFour decade veteran of youth ministry in churches, Youth For Christ and now is the Founder and Executive Director of Deeper Still Missions. Danny and his wife Cathy spend most of their time mentoring missionaries in Africa, Europe, Central America and North America. Future opportunities include South America and the Asia Pacific area. Archives
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