Rebuilding Family in Community in the nations of Africa

God led us to South Africa in November 2000 with His own divine purpose: To Rebuild Family in Community in the nations of Africa.

Having served the poor and homeless in the inner city of Atlanta for 10 years, we felt ready to serve the poor, oppressed and relationally broken people of Cape Town. To our surprise, God led us to a place we were unfamiliar with, but promised to show us if we'd be willing to learn. He led us first to a place in relationship with Him and one another. In our experience with Blood N Fire Atlanta, we'd come to be at ease with caring for the needy and evangelizing in His name. Out of our comfort zone, God now wanted us to know the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord!

Since then God has had us on incredible journey discovering a love we could only dream of before, not only in our marriage but in our family in community. 1 Corinthians 13 has made all the difference in our merging in love with God and being willing to serve others versus serving ourselves. Fifteen years ago, selling our home in suburbia USA to start a full-time work with the poor in the inner city of Atlanta; we set off from Atlanta Vineyard Christian Fellowship to launch Blood N Fire Ministries and it was prophesied:

"Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. In that day, declares the Lord, 'you will call me 'my husband'; you will no longer call me 'my master.'

In that day I will make a covenant for them... I will betroth you to me forever;
I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion.
I will betroth you in faithfulness and you will acknowledge the Lord. In that day I will respond, declares the Lord...

I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called 'Not my loved one.' I will say to those called, 'Not my people, 'You are my people'; and they will say, 'You are my God.'" Hosea 2:14

Applying Christianity as a lifestyle, not a system of rules in our home, marriage and family, testifies to the truth prophesied that day. As we learn to live a holy life, a life in community, we've found that there isn't a formula, only an experiential relationship with God and one another. We've endured countless trials and hardships in our journey, yet we choose to believe living by the law alone brings only wrath. Romans 4 admonishes us not to waver in unbelief but to be strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, BEING fully persuaded that God has power to do what He has promised. This is righteousness and it was credited to Abraham not only for him but for us who believe in The Father who raised Jesus from the dead, paying for our sins and raised to life for our justification! The place we fear most just may hold the divine assurance we need to overcome. God's heart is that we not fear one another, but serve one another in love! Recognizing our differences as our uniqueness helps us realize how we are called to work together as a body. As the church we are called to speak the creative and liberating truth of God by BEING who He has made us to be. Jesus' disciples, filled with Holy Spirit, had the courage to be who God had made them to be, and they ushered in the power and presence of the Kingdom of God through signs, wonders and miracles!

While praying early one morning in Kirstenbosh Gardens a worker appeared like an angel. No sounds alerted me of his approach. Suddenly he was just there! I watched him weeding away and a word came to me by the Spirit: "Africans born on African soil have no concerns about belonging somewhere else, they know where they come from." When we know who we are and where we come from, there is God's peace! There we can learn how uniquely we complement one another, how to affirm and work together in unity. Then I saw a garden, God's garden and in it were many varieties of plants. A blue flower next to a pink flower caused each to be all the more beautiful. Ones with different leaves, stems and flowers creatively amazed the uniqueness of another that was very different from it. God was showing us that we all are different; whether African, American, Chinese, Mexican, etc. But when we know "the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord" upon us, we become who He made us to be! Alone we do not possess the wisdom, courage and power needed to set the captives free. Isaiah 61 teaches us it is because the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon us! It is by God's grace and His divine Holy Spirit that we live and move and have our being. What happened at Pentecost? They believed Jesus and waited for the counselor to come! Holy Spirit, the divine presence of the Kingdom of God healed, imparted and transformed them! They met together daily, broke bread together, prayed, devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and many were added to their number; many were healed and set free. God has been teaching us how to spend time in His presence, to BE who we are as Jesus also demonstrated; then we will do what our Father is doing. Mahanaim is that place where God dwells within us, where His presence compels and transforms, melds and moulds us into one body, one mind, one spirit, one Bride.

Janice VanCronkhite gifted Blood N Fire, RSA with a prophetic painting recently, entitled Streams from the Fountain. Holy Spirit revealed:

"As I prayed about a painting for BNF SA, I woke with the image of the fountain in the Hill's pool area. It represents a lifegiving Holy Spirit flow. I painted the living water silver and gold, silver to represent redemption and gold, the nature of God which is the result of the emersion in His presence and the importance of spiritual family. I felt it significant that the song by Kevin Prosch, Streams From The Fountain is sung nearly every week at the Hill's twelve meeting, whether planned or not. The beautifully lush flowers and different fragrances around the pool speak of God's people coming together with their different gifts and aromas to form a beautiful Kingdom garden which is fed by this Fountain. To further confirm what the Lord was revealing, my daily Oswald Chambers reading finished with Psalm 87:7, "All my springs are in you." He is our supply. "For with You is the fountain of life; in your light we see light." Ps 36:9"

This is exactly who we've meant to be; especially as God reveals and sends us to the nations of Africa.

"Let Him cleanse and purify you; wash your conscience clear and fine,

Pry you loose from the world's ambitions, ravish you with the joy of life."



Streams from the Fountain, Kevin Prosch
<