The cadets of the Champions of the Mission Session had a wonderful campaign in the Limpopo Division. It was a seven-day-long campaign that incorporated the Easter weekend. The aim of the campaign was to support the Division in their initiative of expanding the work of The Salvation Army within the Division. The Divisional Leaders shared their vision with the CFOT, which is motivated by the Territorial Theme “Growing Side by Side”, to reach out to the communities of Limpopo where The Salvation Army does not exist. That was not the only aim, but also to start TSA Youth ministries in the universities within the Division.
There were five communities targeted by the Divisional Leaders, and with the grace of God, we were able to minister to all five communities, including the University of Limpopo. The aim was also to visit the university, but due to some challenges, we were unable to enter. However, we conducted our ministry outside the university; we conducted open-air and one-on-one evangelism, believing that the seed was planted and will germinate, grow and bear much fruit in God’s time. This ministry took place on our first day.
On the second day, we proceeded to the second community. We witnessed God at work through the cadets and the local team as they worked together. In the community, we found a number of people who were previously Salvationists, and although some have joined other churches they were eager to return to The Salvation Army should the work commence again in the area. Some contacts made were with Salvationists from our neighboring countries who have been longing to find their local spiritual home, and now they will have one. In the afternoon, we had a great meeting in the community hall, and approximately 15 first-time seekers were in attendance.
On the third day, the cadets visited two more communities, and it was a blessing to see more people making decisions for Christ. In this community, we had the privilege to visit a royal household where we were warmly welcomed. We were able to introduce The Salvation Army and share a word of prayer with the local chief’s representative, as the chief was not present. In all these communities, we ministered to young people through one-on-one evangelism and Kids Clubs (Joy hour). We believe their lives will truly never be the same again.
The last outreach was on the Saturday of the Easter weekend, where we visited a community where The Salvation Army had built a house for a family after they lost everything due to a storm. Due to the support given to this family, the local chief was open to having a Salvation Army Corps open in the community. Despite being challenged by bad weather, we were able to minister to the people of the community, including young people. The response was positive, and five people responded to the call of salvation.
God blessed the cadets with a wonderful and Spirit-filled Easter weekend. The Word of God was preached in a powerful way. God’s people were blessed and responded to the messages shared throughout the weekend. The cadets ministered in various ways, through prayer, testimonies, music, drama and spiritual dance.
The overall campaign was not only a blessed time for the cadets, but it was also a learning experience for them. Cadets learned a lot about themselves, the ministry and the Lord as they ministered throughout the campaign week. The CFOT is grateful to God for the journey mercies, protection, the anointing to minister effectively to His people, and for the opportunity given by the Limpopo Division. We believe that the experience, lessons learned and beautiful memories of this first campaign for the Champions of the Mission will be carried by the cadets throughout their ministry.