Becoming part of the community

Hello friends, family, and co-laborers in Christ,
Time seems to be flying by this year, we can't believe that the year is just about half over already. The last couple of months have been a really busy time. From a team from CCT stopping through for a few days on their way to Malawi for a pastor's conference to visits from family for both us and the Sexton's....We've been busy with guests and it's not over yet, my mom will be coming over in a few weeks for about a month. It's so great to share the work that the Lord is doing here in Paarl with friends and family, it paints a clearer picture for them when we talk to them about what we're doing from day to day.

Thank you for praying for the CCT Malawi trip...from what I hear; the Lord did incredible things over there and I have no doubt that prayer was the key to the success.

We have been experiencing slow but consistent growth in our Sunday morning services, almost every week at least one new person has shown up to check us out (some have come back, some haven't) . The new venue God gave us is in a great spot to be seen by people driving by on Sunday mornings so that's a good thing. It is exciting as a church to become more and more a part of the community and not thought of as a cult or some weird sect. The most exciting thing is to hear people tell us that they have been looking for a church that just teaches the bible..nothing less, nothing more. It's wonderful confirmation when people come up to me after the service and say that there is such a need for simple bible teaching churches in South Africa....After all; thats what the Lord spoke to us before we ever came here in the first place.

Please keep our small and precious flock in your prayers as these first years are so crucial for laying a solid foundation for this work, a foundation of doctrine, fellowship, and prayer. The enemy hates any work built on Christ and we are seeing that reality more and more all the time. We do sense and feel your prayers as great things are happening not only in the church but also within the many ministries we do during the week.

Please keep the Sexton family in your prayers; they are an incredible blessing to us in the ministry, besides church stuff...they are busy with various children's ministries both on the farms and in Mbekweni through the week. Please pray for our upcoming Calvary Chapel Men's conference that we will be hosting this coming Saturday morning (24th). I am excited about the opportunity for men of God to get together and spend time in teaching and prayer for our communities and families.

We will post some more pictures soon, we just wanted to get this newsletter out to you all as soon as possible so you can be aware of what's been going on.

Thank you for your prayers and support...Misty and I are doing great, just learning how to be parents and Spirit-filled spouses and hopefully an example of God's amazing grace and patience. We love you all so much and we love getting e-mails from you..so please write.

Blessings in Christ,
The Portland's