>Report of the trip to South Africa from May 17th until May 24th 2007.
Preparation:
The period of preparation for our trip to the south went very smoothly. Our church, Rafaël Goes, supported us with the whole project by prayer, and moral and practical advice. It’s good to have a spiritual covering.
We get a lot of support from our supportgroup. They pray for the project and our mission. We regularly get encouraging pictures and words, but also words to stay close with God and to accept his leading completely.
We sent several e-mails to the personal assistant of the president of South Africa. Eventually, they remained unanswered. At the time of arrival we will hear how to solve this problem.
May 17th 2007.
At 5:00 AM, May 17th we leave for the Schiphol airport. At the airport we go to the prayerroom. For this mission we get the scripture: Psalm 85: 8-13
“I will listen to what God the LORD will say;
he promises peace to his people, his saints—
but let them not return to folly. Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,
that his glory may dwell in our land. Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. The LORD will indeed give what is good and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.”
During our flight to South Africa we prayed this scripture and memorized it. As preparation we read 1st Timothy, 2nd Timothy and Titus. We go as obedient disciples. After a flight of 11 hours we arrive. There we pray to find the correct way to the hotel. Everything went smoothly. After arriving at the hotel, we ‘cleansed’ and consecrated the hotelroom.
May 18th 2007.
Scripture of the day: 1 Timothy 2:1,2
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
Today we pray for the president and the parliament. After searching for a little, we find the government building. The president lives right next to it in the ‘Tuynhuys’ (a small palace). After conversations with the guards and the other officials we are allowed to enter the government building, but we are not allowed to enter the space where the parliament is. And the president is not at home.
We pray for an answer. Then we go and take possession of the area, the government building and the palace of the president. The area is about 4 kilometers in size. We proclaim the letter of Hebrews over the area. We intercede for the president and the parliament. Then we rebuke the spirit of manipulation and abuse of power.
The letter to the Hebrews is a powerful proclamation to return to God’s Word. We pray that the churches around the area become the heart of South Africa again. At the garden of the president we pray and bless him. And we thank God that he gave this president the power. We pray that he will treat God’s people well. We bless him with God’s love, kindess, justice and wisdom. We end with speaking out loud God’s love over the parliament with 1st Corinthians 13.
In total it took about 2 hours. At night we pray and celebrate the Lord’s supper in the restaurant. One of the staff speaks praises of what we are doing. We tell her about our mission.
May 19th 2007.
Scripture of the day: Hebrews 1: 7 and 14
“He makes his angels winds, his servants flames of fire.” Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
It’s storming and raining. We are planning to intercede today for the African continent, so we pray for good weather. We go to Cape of Good Hope, to Cape Point. This is the place where the Atlantic ocean and the Indian ocean come together. It’s the most southern tip of the earth.
The staff of the hotel doesn’t understand we want to go there. With the bad weather we won’t see anything. So we tell them that our purpose is to go and pray there. A car from the hotel serves as a taxi. It’s about one and a half hours drive. It keeps on raining until we get very close to Cape Point. Then the sun starts shining. God answers our prayer at the right moment.
With a train we go to the highest point where there is a lighthouse. We bless the ocean with God’s love and streams of living water. With the light of the lighthouse God’s love is shining over the continent. While there is a strong wind, we proclaim over the continent of Africa the letter to the Colossians. There was such a strong wind that the pages of the Bible were almost torn out. It’s like the continent who is that eager to get the Word of God. At the moment we are finished it starts raining again. The trip back to the hotel is accompanied by torrential rain.
Later we read in the paper that it was really storming heavily that day.
Back in the hotel we have contact by phone with our supportgroup at home. We thank them for their prayers. It really supports us and we ask for prayer against the physical attacks we experience and also prayer for a good night of sleep. We asked this because the beds in the hotel are quite robust.
In the night we pray for the people of our supportgroup, North Korea and Africa and we celebrated the Lord’s Supper.
May 20th, 2007
It’s Sunday.
The scripture of the day: Hebrews 1:13
“Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”
We are led to a service from the Methodists. The sermon is about John 17. A very touching and appealing service about prayer and intercession. The first part of John 17, Jesus prayed for himself and then for the people whom God entrusted to Jesus and at the end for everyone who believes the Word. Thus, also for us.
It’s a call to be who you are. We are strong in God, even though we seem weak. Make sure you are a difference in the world. The church is a hospital full of sinners. Be healed, so you can heal others in God’s name.
Together we pray for Africa. A continent where women and girls are raped by those who are supposed to protect them. A continent where women care for the children of others, while their own children are far away. And a continent where physical slavery is replaced by economic slavery.
After the service we go to the park behind the government building. This park is the kitchen garden of the first colony. We want to make it God’s kitchen garden again with fruits from God for the Republic of South Africa. We take possession of this park by proclaiming the whole book of Hosea. By binding the powers of darkness and by covering the park by the blood of Jesus.
We are pretty heavy attacked physically. But strongholds are demolished and we speak out cleansing. Spirits of manipulation and abuse of power (Colonisation/ apartheid) are banned. Also the spirit of impurity. We bless the park with the first letter of John: life, pure truth and love.
Again it’s bad weather with intense rain showers and we are heavily attacked physically. But the sun shines during our two hour long proclamation. We go protected under His blood and in the power of the blood of Jesus.
The staff of the hotel becomes very curious about what we are doing all the time. They see us praying and doing things with the Bible. Are they priests????? We tell them about our mission. They really like what we are doing. This is also a way of sharing the good news.
May 21st, 2007
Scripture of the day: 2 Peter 3:13,14
But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.
Today we go to Cape of Good Hope. The taxi driver is also curious of what we are doing in South Africa, being here outside of the tourist season. We tell him about our mission, he is surprised. He talks about his hurt about the period of the apartheid. In response we tell him about forgiveness for him, so he can be set free from it. He agrees.
Unlike the weather forecasts predicted, the weather at Cape of Good Hope is very good. During our trip we enjoy the beautiful views of the coast and the blue/ green sea. This time we go to a mountain in the area where the warm water of the Indian Ocean meets the cold water of the Atlantic Ocean.
We climb on the highest steep peak that is about 300 meters high. So now and then we need to use our hands and feet to climb. There we proclaim Psalm 11, 14 and 57, 1st and 2nd Peter entirely, over the continent. That the continent may return in God’s arms and to God’s Truth. That marriages may be lived out in God’s order again.
On our way back it starts to rain again. The driver was surprised that it was dry and sunny while we were praying. God takes good care of us.
Back at the hotel we e-mail. For this we need to make a new Yahoo e-mail address. Someone there helped us do this.
Just to be sure we call and talk with a few people from our supportgroup back home.
May 22, 2007.
Scripture of the day: Jeremiah 1: 4,5
The word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Today, we go to the kitchen garden of South Africa, the park, again. On our way there we buy a Bible we are going to send to the president, in due course. We take possession of the area and ‘lay’ the cross over the park. This we do by proclaiming Jeremiah 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11 and 12, Amos 5 and 9, 2nd and 3rd John, Jude and Revelation 1 and 2. We finish with the Lord’s Prayer.
The forces of darkness are strong but eschew for God’s Word, Truth and Light. Every time we see ‘Israel’, we replace it with ‘South Africa’. These scriptures describe the condition of South Africa well. During our time of proclamation we are under heavy attack and we are completely exhausted afterwards. But also fulfilled and experience God’s peace.
For the next day we order a helicopter to take possession of the area Cape of Good Hope. First we surveyed the possibilities to do this by car, but that wasn’t possible. God gave us the scripture ‘Carried on Eagles Wings’. Then we see a leaflet: ‘Fly like an eagle’. That ended up being the solution. A tour with a helicopter to take possession of the area.
Like previous days we end the day with praying for South Africa and Korea and for the intercessors back home.
May 23, 2007.
Scripture of the day: Isaiah 40:31
But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Today we have been taking possession of Cape of Good Hope by taking a tour with a helicopter. The tour started in Cape Town along the coastline to Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point and from there back along the other side.
We tell the pilot that we will proclaim some of the gospels over the area. Matthew 27 and 28, Mark 15 and 16, Luke 23 and 24, John 19 and 20 and we finish with 1 Corinthians 13: the Love.
We got the headphones and a microphone. So the other pilots and home base also heard what we read. The one reads while the other blesses the area with love, breaks down strongholds and cleanses and covers the area with the blood of Jesus.
At take off we start reading the Bible. After about 50 minutes we will arrive. Exactly at that moment we finish 1 Corinthians 13. God’s love above all, the love for God, each other and yourself. The cord of three strands of love for the entire African continent. We took possession of the area as if we soar on wings like eagles. Underway, the pilot asked us which Bible scripture we were reading.
Back in the hotel the staff asked us about our experiences. They continue to be surprised.
In the afternoon we are buying some presents for the kids. It became four wooden hippopotami. The lady who sold it to us, also blessed us.
At night we prayed again.
May 24, 2007.
Scripture of the day: Isaiah 32:1,2
See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.
Today we go to the park again. We make the cross and proclaim some of the gospels to the four corners. Mark 15 and 16 to the south, Luke 23 and 24 to the west, John 19 and 20 to the north and Matthew 27 and 28 to the east. Each time we started in the middle where we prayed the Lord’s Prayer. The cross is settled with 1 Corinthians 13. Around 2:00 PM we were finished.
That afternoon at 5:00 PM we left for the airport. At the airport there was no prayer room, so we prayed prayers of thanksgiving for the mission and interceded for our way home in the departure hall.
That night we fly from Cape Town to Amsterdam. We are under quite an attack during the flight. Corrie even becomes sick, but after praying we are able to endure it. We come home exhausted.
The next day we take possession of our own property again and laid the cross over it. And protect it with the blood of Jesus. We cleanse each other from everything we saw, heard and thought during this trip with prayer.
God’s peace returned to us, in our thoughts and acts.
Hans and Corrie van der Have.