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Welcome to the African Enterprise December newsletter

Growing up in Zimbabwe, Christmas meant receiving a set of new clothes, celebrating with family by dancing to loud traditional music and eating lots of food including delicious meat from a slaughtered cow or goat. It was a day when there was plenty of food for everyone, even the neighbours would be invited. I always looked forward to the festivity of Christmas and loved the annual tradition of receiving new clothes. Whilst my family attended church on occasion throughout the year, we had very little understanding of Jesus.

Upon coming to faith, I learned the true meaning of celebrating Christmas - it is a time when Christians rejoice in God’s plan of salvation. Christmas is when Jesus, God’s Son was born into the world, became Emmanuel “God with us” and lived as one of us. Later he would take our place and die on the cross, paying the price for our sin so that through him we may be reconciled to God the Father. Christmas truly is about God’s ultimate gift to the world - Jesus.

Through your support this year, AE Australasia has been able to fund our AE National Teams to reach hundreds of thousands of people with this gospel message and delivered 11 aid and community development projects including the recently completed 60,000 litre water and sanitation system in the community of Amsterdam in Harare, Zimbabwe. The joy and delight seen in peoples’ faces is a blessing to behold. Thank you for your generosity in 2023.

In 2024, AE Australia is seeking to resource the training of hundreds of pastors using Moore College’s PTC Course. Amongst other initiatives, we also hope to deliver a Trauma and Healing Education program to students in 30 schools in Juba, South Sudan. The program gives a biblical response on dealing with trauma and pain whilst improving literacy.

I am also pleased to announce that AE Australia’s short-term missions will recommence in 2024 with a youth mission in Rwanda and a medical mission in Malawi. Alongside these exciting plans we will continue to share the gospel through annual national missions and Foxfire youth evangelism.

Our evangelists are obeying the Great Commission and are continually praying and trusting the Lord for a harvest of souls in 2024. Please consider providing a gift this Christmas to support the ongoing work of AE. As we celebrate Jesus in Australia, please also consider increasing your financial support to reach the nations of Africa with the gospel.

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Romans 10:14-15

Whether this Christmas finds you joyful, thankful, happy or tired, grieving, overwhelmed or despondent, I pray that Jesus’ love for you will be evident and he will give you peace and hope. I also pray that you will have many God given opportunities to share the gospel with friends and family in this Christmas period.

Have a blessed Christmas.

Discipling young believers in Ethiopia

The Student Discipleship Program is a critical ministry of the AE Ethiopian team. The basic objective of the Student Discipleship Program is Building the Church of Tomorrow, Today, through discipling the next generation. The program has a broad focus, targeting students from grade 5 until young adulthood.

This consistent sowing of gospel seeds has led many young people to Christ. Christian youth can be reached yearly with new skills and strategies to learn and implement in their own walks with Jesus. Read the latest update from this program now!

“I need Christ” - Yankho encounters Jesus

Malawian man Yankho’s personal struggles began when his father passed away. Only a teenager at the time, he had barely begun to process his grief over what had happened before his mother had remarried and his stepfather moved in.

Initially, things were fine but slowly over time his stepfather changed and revealed his true colours to Yankho. His stepfather began to insult Yankho, which escalated to serious verbal abuse. This made Yankho long for a new family and in a bid to feel a sense of belonging, he joined a group of youths that soon led him to a life of excessive drinking. He looks back and sees that this was like trying to quench fire with fuel because it only worsened his situation. His stepfather eventually chased him out of the house resulting in him squatting in a shack.

Yankho was miserable, lonely and trapped in alcoholism.

But on the morning of October 23 2023, Yankho’s life was drastically changed during the Lilongwe Adziwe Yesu mission.

Please join us in praying for African Enterprise!

• Thank God for sending His Son Jesus to our world, to seek and save the lost and bring salvation to all who ask.

• Thank God for the Amsterdam Park borehole in Zimbabwe, now opened and providing clean water to over 20,000 people.

• Pray for the support offices of AE – in Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Canada, Hong Kong, Europe and Ireland. Pray that we would offer excellent support, sufficient finances and wise counsel to the teams in Africa.

• Thank God for the construction of the Soweto Kayole maternity unit, which will enable continuity of care for women and their babies in Kenya.

• Pray for Australian CEO Simba Musvamhiri as he makes plans to visit churches in 2024 to encourage partnership with AE. Pray that God would give him clarity in his communications as he speaks about the work of AE.

• Pray that God would refresh and restore teams in Africa over Christmas, with new zeal and passion to serve Him.

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