Volunteers July 2009 IBC

Editor's Note: Click on the Thumbnail for a larger size picture. The full size pictures are about 930 pixels wide...a good size for a PowerPoint presentation or for printing. Please down load these pictures and share with others in a format that best fits your audience.
We have been especially blessed this past month by the visit and work of a volunteer team led by our home church, Ironbridge Baptist in Chester, VA. The team worked hard in four villages, sowing gospel seeds door to door, leading VBS, showing the JESUS Film, and indirectly training “baby Christians” of a new church plant. The IBC team endured many cold nights and mornings without any complaints and were a huge encouragement to the Melvin family. It was a joy to work alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ again but very sad to see them go.
A sweet reunion with some of the IBC team… team leaders Bob and Shirley Toler catch up on the news with Tom.	Scriptural directive, prayer and orientation before God’s work begins.	Eli, Jacob L., Zachary and Jacob S. enjoy the reunion.
Daily the team took a one hour trek (one way) to the harvest field. I count nine… Where is Bill? Ooooh… he’s taking the photo. J	Daily we formed a small circle and started the mission work with singing, praying and a devotion.	At the end of the day we became a Big Circle.
Gordon delivers the devotion during our morning circle.	The SON is shining down on Bill as he gives the evening devotion.	Tom and Cindi meet with the church leader and the leader of the interpreters seeking God for the best plan.
Bob preaching a powerful Sunday service… there were so many we had to assemble outside.	Taking it (the gospel) to the streets… well… ok… dirt roads.	Jesus... God's free gift is for you...
Heaven on earth…	Another group who went door to door sowing the good seed.	Are they home? Will they receive Christ?
Are they home? Will they receive Christ?	The children and their teachers were always having fun.	The gospel message given to the Basotho children.
Now that’s a soccer ball…	Where do they get all of that energy…	Setting up the Jesus Film set up before it gets dark.
It’s almost time to show the Jesus Film in their Sesotho language .	The Interpreters: Sefiri, Neo, Tsepo, Tanki, and Mphosi.	The Ironbridge Baptist Volunteer Team
Pray for the men in Lesotho… this is a very big problem. Many of the men want nothing to do with church.	Many Basotho go hungry due to the lack of rain. Only a few are harvesting this year.	Pray! These people who live here are rich. They deceive Basotho and sell plants (Muti-African traditional medicine) for healing.
Pray for the herd boys living in the fields. They start at the age of 6 and never attend school.	Pray for the interpreters -- that they stay pure before God for they are the next generation of godly men for Lesotho.	Pray for the Baptist members of Vukasenzela that they will use what they learned to reach many Basotho for Christ.
The team took a break and rode Basotho ponies into the mountains.	Basotho are the only Africans that ride ponies for transportation.	Basotho ponies are sure footed to climb the rocky cliffs.
Lesotho is the real thing… it almost looks like a back drop	Celebration time after the works of God… Give God the glory for what He has done and going to do…	Celebration time after the works of God… Give God the glory for what He has done and going to do…
Now we ask you to pray for us and the few church members who are being trained to follow up on the new decisions made for Christ. Our prayer is that many will commit to one of the Bible studies being offered in three of the four villages to learn more about how to live out their new found faith. Our vision is that God will raise up leaders in each village to lead the small groups that could eventually become churches.