FCE NEWS

Dear Prayer Supporters

In September this year, FCE will be celebrating its 21st birthday. It is with mixed feelings that I think

of those early years. On the one hand I remember the excitement of a new start; on the other hand I never want to go back to those uncertain times. I still remem-ber our parents’ shocked unbelief that we could resign from our safe careers; the bitter reaction from the com-munity at so much irresponsibility and all the stories that went round. I could not answer all the questions: Where are you going? What are you going to do? How are you going to survive? What about your wife and children? These questions were not only asked by others; I also struggled with the Lord in the dark hours of the night. Then came the packing up, leaving our safe haven in Clanwilliam, unpacking in a former student residence in Stellenbosch, where my wife didn’t even have the cour-age to put down our furniture.

It is 21 years later. Out of nothing the Lord has built up an established interna-tional mission organisation. I remember the soft whisperings in the quietness of many nights: “Do not despise the day of small beginnings.” (Zech.4:10) I still cling to the Word of the Lord that came to me clearly in those days to confirm my calling: “Be strong, says the Lord, and work, for I am with you... My Spirit re-

mains among you; do not fear!” (Haggai 2:4, 5). There were times when I did fear and there were times when I was discour-aged. I remember the day, three years after we had commenced with this work, when only I, Anita and Jannie Compion remained of all who had started with us. That day I laid in faith all my plans, dreams, ideas, my wife, children and my-self on the altar. The vision that the Lord had given me, first had to die.

“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” (John 12:24)

In this year of celebration I want to remember FAITH that anchored me, HOPE that drove me and LOVE that compelled me, so that He can bring in a great harvest through FCE. I want to testify of staff members who had put their hand to the plough without looking back, and who are still building God’s Kingdom with me. I want to tell about students whose minds were renewed, so that they could know God’s will. I want to rejoice over missionaries who were trained to lead to the Light those who live in darkness. I want to celebrate with the angels over the souls who came into God’s kingdom. I want to cry with thankfulness for the many children who had been wandering around aimlessly, but now can read

their Bibles. I want to laugh with fathers who can provide food on the tables and mothers who were empowered to clothe and care for their children. I want to thank all the FCE prayer supporters who had been our right hands throughout the years and who share this harvest. And I want to honour Him who called me, equipped me and entrusted His vision to me.

Jesus Christ, making disciples through us worldwide, by building a Highway of Ho-liness, through Educa-tion and Training.

Neels

“Do not despise the day of small beginnings.”

en route...

Tel/Fax: +27 (0)23 2310 208 info@fce.org.za

FCE’s “COMING OF AGE”: 21 Years En route with God

FCE’s calling and vision are based on the commission given by God to Zerubbabel, to rebuild His temple. He had to start with the work on the “twenty-fourth day of the ninth month”. (Haggai 2:10) Therefore, on the 24th of September 1990, Neels and Anita de Jager and three others departed on a 6-week fact-finding mission to the USA and Canada to find out more about Christian educa-tion and Christian school curricula. This date is com-memorated as the origin of FCE. This was the first step on the road of faith on which the Lord has been taking FCE step by step for the past 21 years.

aFRIca

“In this place I will grant peace!” (Haggai 2:9) Greetings from Stellenbosch, where we are experiencing peace in a lovely Victorian style home that the Lord has given us.” These were the opening words of our first newsletter that we had sent out to our prayer supporters in January 1991. Much has happened since then, when we started moving from house to house in Stellenbosch. From there we moved to Wellington, established various training centres in Africa and then also set up FCE’s head office in Wolseley. We are still experiencing God’s peace wherever we live and work.

The exodus from Masaiti to Koti ni Eden (Zambia) in No-vember 2010, went amazingly smoothly. This move to our own buildings and own land is also a spiritual experience. The Lord spoke to us very clearly. We realised we had to be alert, we may not be caught up in negative lifestyles – this is a NEW BEGINNING. Koti ni Eden with its red brick build-ings, wooden pillars and thatched roofs, create the image of a luxury lodge. Early in the mornings the birds announce day-break and in the evenings the sun sets behind the trees in deep reds and purples. During mealtimes everybody enjoys the fellowship around the tables, while the children are playing on the lawns and in the trees. Drifting in from the surround-ing villages you hear the voices of the local people and you KNOW that this is the place where the Lord has called you to be a light unto the nations.

We praise the Lord for what He has established and are deeply thankful towards prayer and financial supporters from many parts of the world who provided finances, prayed and came to help physically to set up the following:• Kitchen and dining hall for 250 people• Ablution block for 250 people• 4 Dormitories for 100 students• An Open plan office building with 2 offices• 10 Classrooms and a conference room• A library• 3 Houses for FCE staff• 1 Farm shed• 4 Hectares of fruit trees and nurseries• 8 Classrooms for the Community school• 1 School hall in the form of a ‘lapa’

From Stellenbosch to 1991

The Lord is doing something NEW. He confirmed that to us from Ezekiel 37:14 - “I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it’, says the Lord.” This is what the Lord has promised us. We experience His presence daily and therefore we are working and living in contentment and peace.Koti ni Eden is not completed yet and we trust the Lord for the following:• 9 Single quarters for staff• 4 Two-bedroom houses for staff• 3 Three-bedroom houses for staff• Cement and catchment dam• Access road from the main roadPlease pray with us for the above, as staff members are cur-rently living in the student dorms and more than one family

are living together in the single homes. The installation of electricity at Koti ni Eden was certainly a modern day miracle about which we cannot stop testifying! Ten years ago, when the building project at Koti ni Eden was started, we applied for electricity from the government. But our requests fell on deaf ears. It would have cost FCE R900 000 to install electric-ity lines up to Koti ni Eden. We made this project known to our prayer supporters far and wide, also without any response. About a year ago, the government announced that they would install electricity lines to Koti ni Eden over a distance of 29km, as part of the rural electrification project. Our only responsibility was to connect the substation with the college buildings and the houses. On 11 February the electricity at Koti ni Eden was switched on – at no installation cost to us! We worship a great God!

From biblE STUDIESPeople often ask where and from whom we received our course content. We have only one answer: We prayed it down from the Lord. The first ten months of the first year in Stel-lenbosch, we sat at the feet of our Master. For months we could not plan ahead for more than a week, as we really did not know what the Lord had planned for us. The following is an extract from our second newsletter of 1991: We are cur-rently doing spiritual training. We are using various teachers and video material. We are attending seminars and helping with camps. The training programme includes the following topics: The Lord’s Prayer as Model; Praise and Worship; The Kingdom of God; Spiritual Warfare and Prayer in Action. It is a privilege to experience this training programme. The Lord

is renewing our minds according to Romans 12:1,2.The course content was entrusted to us by the Lord and the renewing of the mind is still the core of our training. Prof. Thinus Dreeckmeier joined us years ago and he is committed to see to it that our curricula are Biblically integrated and

Christ-centered. We are at the moment busy with the 3-month Disciple-

ship-Mission Training in Wolseley and at Kalungu. Our students come from the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Southern Africa. In April, more than half of them will be going for the second phase, the Cross-Cultural Mission training, in Zambia and Malawi. The rest will be go-ing back to their homes and workplaces to serve with renewed minds as disciples of Jesus Christ.

TRAINING CURRICULA

to

4 July – 18 September (3 months) :Discipleship-Mission Training (Foundation) Wolseley and Kalungu (Zambia)10 October – 20 November (6 weeks) : Discipleship-Mission Training (Condensed) Wolseley

COURSE DATES

2011Koti ni Eden

Contact the FCE office for more information on the courses.• Your mind will be renewed• Your relationship with the Lord will be deepened• Your passion for the lost will be awakened• Your life will become purposeful and significant.

fROM PRIVATE CHRISTIAN SCHOOLSomeone once said, “If your vision is not big enough to scare you, then it is not from God.” God graciously never gives us the full picture and therefore we could not, in 1991, see further than the foundation of a private Christian school. In a newsletter of 1991 we wrote: “Our vision is to establish private Christian schools that are built on the Word of God and that are Christ-centered.”

The vision of a private Christian school in South Africa was never brought to fruition. The Lord had led us from those who have to those who do not have. That is why we have a Training College at Koti ni Eden today, where teachers and community workers are trained. The students who are trained at this college, are equipped to serve in areas where there is great need. Today, Hendrik Jansen, one of our very first students, is now a lecturer at the training college. One of our ex-students, Luke Sichone, is principal of the school which was erected for the children from surrounding villages, and nearly all the teachers at this school were trained at the FCE Training College. The school has 160 children and was nominated as one of the schools with the best academic results in the Copper Belt area of Zambia.While we saw exclusive private Christian schools in South Africa, God saw children and families in Africa, worshipping and serving Him with joy. This is His plan and vision for FCE.

TRAINING COLLEGEto

FCE BusinessesA prayer supporter from the North of South Africa gave us a biltong shop to run, to help in financing FCE projects. Gert and an FCE team did the interior decoration.

Somerset West, South Africa

Okahandja, Namibia

Masaiti,Zambia

Kalungu,Zambia

www.kingshighway.co.za

King’s Highway Guest house

BUSHVELD BILTONG AND BRAAI(Beach Road in the STRAND – opposite the tide pool)• Beef and game biltong Dry sausage Chilli and Chutney bites• Frozen venison: Kudu steak Blue wildebeest for “potjiekos” Giraffe neck for stews• Nibbly bites for the kiddies• Bric-a-brac for mums!

Also visit our Biltong for Africa shopin Somerset-West in Lions Square shoppingcentre

order your copy today

R120 with dvd and postage included

Yes Lord YesBrian and Barbara’s new CD