Every month in 2021 we will be praying for a people group somewhere in the world, but we will also be praying for our own BBC global workers who live and work among that people group! This will be an incredible way for us to support our global workers and for you to get to know who they are.
April: The People of Cape Town
Global Workers: Danielle and the Aaron Family
Danielle is a long-time member of Brentwood Baptist and served in the children’s ministry. In 2004 she went on her first mission journey to Cape Town, South Africa, and that started her love for the area and the people. In 2008, Danielle moved to CapeTown to serve at Living Hope. Her role there is teaching, training, and mentoring the Life Skill Educators who run afternoon children and teens programs in five different communities. She also plans six or seven Vacation Bible School curriculums a year for the children and teens programs. In July 2016, Danielle joined the church staff at King of Kings Baptist Church as the Children’s Director. Danielle now serves in both ministries and the blessing is that King of Kings is the church that started Living Hope so it feels like a wonderful gift to be a part of both. Danielle has been serving in South Africa for almost 13 years and feels very much that this is her heart home!
How You Can Pray for Danielle:
Pray for Danielle’s 3-year visa renewal to be approved.
Pray for Danielle’s ministry and curriculum planning at Living Hope with the Life Skill Educators and all of the changes that are being made due to Covid restrictions.
Pray for the children’s ministry at King of Kings where Danielle is the Children’s Director as they begin in-person Kids Church again and need new teachers and volunteers.
Pray for Danielle as she balances serving in two ministry roles, and for strength, wisdom, and guidance.
Pray for health and safety for Danielle.
The Aaron Family:
After seven years of working as a Registered Nurse in cancer care in the Mid-TN area, Amy relocated to South Africa in 2011 as a Brentwood Baptist missionary to work for Living Hope, where she met and married Steve, who was born and raised in Cape Town. They have been married 8 years with two beautiful children, Anna born in 2017, and Luke born in 2019. They are blessed to both work for Living Hope where Amy is currently the Donor Coordinator and Steve works as the Facilities Manager for the 8 campuses that Living Hope runs.
How You Can Pray for the Aarons:
• Grace for a visit to the USA if and when that becomes a possibility
• Wisdom and provision in ministry as we respond to the many needs of Living Hope
• Safety in the face of growing crime rate
• New and deepened friendships with non-believers especially in our neighborhood and our children’s school
• Increased influence and impact for the spread of the Gospel in our local area
• Spousal visa renewal for Amy coming up and paperwork for Luke still to be filed
CapeTown:
The legacy of apartheid continues to impact the nation. Despite progress in some areas, inequalities and injustices of the past continue to shape the future.
Pray especially for:
a) Reconciliation among all races. This applies not just to black-white dynamics, but also to coloured and Indian peoples as well as to relationships among various black ethnicities. The “rainbow nation” must still deal with contempt, mistrust and deep-seated hurts and fears among peoples of this diverse but troubled land. Pray that the Church might lead the way by living out the truth of oneness in Christ Jesus.
b) Poverty and economic inequality. Land redistribution and affirmative action in employment are contentious initiatives that seek to assist the previously disadvantaged, but they come at a cost to the efficient running of the economy. Extremes of wealth and poverty persist. The black majority itself includes a wealthy elite and a poor majority, but the middle class is growing. Pray for economic measures that might uplift those most needing assistance without crippling the effective running of the economy.
c) Violent crime rates are alarmingly high. The proliferation of illegal firearms, poverty, desperation and lack of justice fuels hopelessness and anarchy. Pray for those working for justice and for people’s safety – especially pray for the beleaguered police force. Pray for Christian ministries working with children at risk, jobless young people, prisoners and the police force. Pray that the spirit of violence might be bound under the authority of Christ.
(Information from Operation World – https://www.operationworld.org/country/sout/owtext.html)