Karibu: A New Year - 2014

29 May 2014

A New Year - 2014

2014 began with many challenges. Ill health is being faced by friends and family and this is teaching us to stand together and support each other in every possible way. The Lord has promised never to leave us or forsake us and it is good to stand on this promise and to know that he is with us through all that we face. He was IN the fire with Daniel’s friends and IN the lions’ den with Daniel. In the den, He took control of the situation and His angels shut the lions’ mouths. Those lions were starved for a period of time, leading up to the “event” and so nature would have caused them to attack and eat immediately when the prisoner was thrown into the den. Yet they remained placid and could not open their mouths. And so too, God will tame any situation that we are faced with.

We also lost a good friend and son who died in March 2014. Peter Smuts was called Home after a short battle with a rare form of cancer. His faith and testimony to the end brought much glory to the Lord and encouraged many people. We miss him dearly but know that the Lord has a greater plan. From the foundation of the earth, His timeline for Peter on earth was 64 years, 4 months and 4 days. This revelation has given us peace and is helping us accept what has happened.

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ABOUT US

Johan was born in Bellville, Cape Town and spent most of his childhood in Pretoria, where he matriculated in 1968. He accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour in 1971 and was baptized in the Holy Spirit. It was here also that the Lord placed a calling on his life, which took him to the Apostolic Faith Mission’s Theological College.

Alta had accepted the Lord as Saviour at the tender age of 8 years old. From an early age, began to experience the Lord’s guidance in her life and she developed a love for prayer, especially praying directly from the Bible.

They were married in June 1975 and were blessed with three wonderful children, Jean-Pierre, Tanya and DeWett. Jean-Pierre is married to Genevieve. After a long battle with ill-health, Tanya went to be with the Lord in November 2006. The Lord’s faithfulness throughout her ordeal has increased Johan and Altas’ zeal to serve Him.

MINISTRY

Since completing Theological College, Johan have pastored various churches throughout South Africa. They were also involved in Christian education and Johan was Administrator of Psalmody Christian School from 2001 to 2003.

Johan met Tom Ingles of Psalmody International, in 1984 and began presenting this praise and worship course in various places. Teaching praise and worship as a lifestyle became the foundation on which their ministry was based. As a result, Johan and Alta foundered Praise Vision Africa, an organisation whose vision is to present praise and worship seminars to pastors and church leaders, throughout Africa.

In 1993, Karel Saunders invited Johan to minister on this subject in Zambia, Malawi and the DRC. Thus began their association with AFMIN. In 2006, the Lord clearly directed Johan to resign his associate-pastor position in the church in Cape Town, so as to concentrate fully on the ministry throughout Africa. Today Johan and Alta head the Tanzanian, Kenyan, Ugandan and Namibian projects on behalf of AFMIN.

Besides their work with Afmin, Johan and Alta lead a “household” ministry consisting of a group of spiritual sons whom they are fathering and raising through Biblical teaching and practical ministry, so as to prepare them to later father spiritual sons of their own. They also visit fellowships and other households within South Africa and Namibia, where they minister on subjects such as the Kingdom of God, Father/Son relationships, and the Orphan Spirit.