Dr. Jay was an avid mountain climber and hiker, and it was my joy and privilege to hike with him in Yosemite National Park.

Now he is exploring Aslan’s country, further up and further in. 

Now Dr Jay can say in the words of C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle: 
“I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now...Come further up, come further in!”

Now at last Dr Jay is “beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”

Along with all the Saints, Dr Jay can now say: 
​“The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning”

Massive attendance at Funeral service for Rev Erlo Stegen
Sunday 8th October was an incredible experience at KwaSizabantu mission in KwaZulu-Natal as multiplied thousands of people poured in from all over the country and even from around the world to pay tribute to an extraordinary Missionary Pioneer and Revival preacher, Erlo Stegen who passed away at age 88 on 26 September. ​

Sunday 8 October at KwaSizabantu mission in KwaZulu-Natal, the funeral service for Erlo Stegen was attended by prominent local, provincial and national leaders as well as foreign visitors from as far away as Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Paraguay, USA, Australia, Zimbabwe and Swaziland. The auditorium at KwaSizabantu mission was filling up ready from 8 AM. ​

​God’s Truth is Marching On
After many filed past the coffin, the service formally began at 10 AM and continued until 4:30 PM after which the burial service took place. With the brass band, the combined choir of KwaSizabantu mission co-workers, students and staff sang: "God’s Truth is Marching On.”  The atmosphere at the service was electric and all were challenged by the Scriptures, the singing, the testimonies and by the life and legacy of God's Bondservant.

It was like a State Funeral for the Kingdom of KwaZulu. Representatives of the Royal family of KwaZulu, The local mayor, the provincial premier of KwaZulu, many chiefs and pastors from all over KwaZulu-Natal testified of the tremendous impact the life and teachings of Erlo Stegen made upon them and their communities.

​Even previous president Jacob Zuma was present and testified that Rev Erlo Stegen was a hero of God, a diligent worker, a courageous leader and a generous man whose message was powerful because he lived what he preached and his life pointed people to God. ​

Family Legacy
The 6 daughters of Erlo Stegen, their husbands and uncle Erlo's 25 grandchildren sang as a family choir. They all live on the mission, in and around the home of Erlo Stegen. Their devotion to their father and grandfather in caring for him for the last 2 years of ill-health is inspirational.

​Dr Albu Van Eerden commented to me that had uncle Erlo remained in hospital, he would have died 2 years ago. ​

​It was only the extraordinary devotion of his children and sons-in-law caring for him at home that extended his life on earth this far.
The eldest daughter of Erlo Stegen, Hulda declared: "my father was my example, my pillar, and my Hero and I am going to miss him a lot!"
Uncle Erlo's daughter Ruth declared that "we want to build upon the solid foundations he laid and we want to be faithful to the Scriptures he taught."
​
​Tributes by leaders
Various church and political leaders stated that Erlo Stegen obviously loved God and loved God's people. He was a true man of God who turned away from sin and wholeheartedly pursued righteousness leaving us a very good example to follow. He taught us to do what we can with what we have and to trust God to do what we cannot. To be strong in the Lord and very courageous. Erlo Stegen has now completed his work and it is up to us to continue this great work. 

​​Most people make no impact on the world. They're just born and die and there's no indication that they even lived. But Erlo Stegen greatly impacted many thousands of lives for the Gospel, leaving the world a much better place than he found it. Erlo Stegen brought many people to Christ and he has left behind a multitude of dynamic ministries. The support of his co-workers and children most certainly made his work even more effective. The challenge is how will we continue this work? How faithful and wholehearted will you be? 

​Message from the king of the Zulu
The King of the Zulu nation sent the message that indeed the entire Zulu nation is bereaved and the King especially as he looked on Erlo Stegen as his own father since the previous king had died. The King declared that he looked at the KwaSizabantu community as his family now. 

​See also other articles on the incredible life and legacy of missionary pioneer Erlo Stegen Click on the image to view:

​Writen by:
​Dr. Peter Hammond
peter@frontline.org.za
PO Box 74 | Newlands | 7725 | Cape Town | South Africa
Tel: +27 21 689 4480

​Seeing is Believing
The dynamic community and vibrant Christian witness of KwaSizabantu mission is striking and refreshing in a world that has become so secular, selfish, superficial and decadent. Early in my Christian walk I had grown dissatisfied with the shallow and worldly standards of all too many congregations. Where was Book of Acts Christianity? Well, at last I had found a community that took the Bible, particularly the book of Acts seriously. Lives were transformed. I met people from all walks of life and from all over the world who had been dramatically changed through the teaching and preaching of the Word of God. Thieves who had made restitution. Witches and Satanists converted. Gangsters and drug addicts set free. People healed, body, mind and spirit. Around the dining room tables I learned many a testimony of transformation.

​Serious
After my first presentation at the conference, Uncle Erlo rebuked me for finishing so quickly. "We are not playing around here!" He declared. "We are serious and want you to feel the liberty to say what needs to be said. Hold nothing back! Do not give us an abbreviated sermonette! Next time, we expect more from you!” That was certainly the first, and maybe the only, time I was rebuked for presenting a message that was too short!

​Hospitality
I was also horrified to have Uncle Erlo and Aunty Kay give up their bedroom for me! As a young single 26 year old missionary, I was more used to sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag than taking the bed of people double my age!
But apparently that was normal for Uncle Erlo to move into one of his children's rooms to host a guest.

Extraordinary Exertions
In January 1992, I was driving, with my wife, Lenora, and our first child, Andrea, en route to KwaSizabantu mission when the engine of our car seized and we were broken down by the side of the road in the blazing heat, of the Karoo, not far from Three Sisters. Approximately 560 km from Cape Town and still  a thousand kilometres away from KwaSizabantu mission. I wrote a message requesting help from the Automobile Association and gave this paper to a passing motorist. Some hours later a tow truck arrived to tow our vehicle to Richmond. After some fruitless hours trying to organise repairs, I found a call box and telephoned the switchboard at KwaSizabantu mission. They put me through to Kjell Olson. ​

​I informed him of our vehicle breakdown and the fact that I would not be able to make my commitment to speak at the Discipleship Training Course beginning the next morning. Kjell told me to “wait a minute” and within a minute he returned to inform me:
"Uncle Erlo says that you should wait right where you are. He is sending his driver with his car to fetch you!" But we were a thousand kilometres away! Yet, 3 hours later, Gideon Jacobs arrived to tow our vehicle to the KwaSizabantu mission station at Smithfield in the Orange Free State. That was over 280 km away. When we arrived there his wife had supper cooked and on the table for us. As we were finishing supper, Uncle Erlo's driver arrived with his vehicle to transport Lenora, Andrea and I through the night to KwaZulu-Natal. As we drove through the gates of KwaSizabantu Mission, the sun was rising. After a quick shower, I was able to make the first meeting of the Discipleship Training Course. Two weeks later, Gideon Jacobs came through to pick up one of our missionary field workers to drive my vehicle, which now had a repaired engine, back to KwaSizabantu so that we could drive home again. The coordination of uncle Erlo's co-workers to make all this happen was impressive. And who do you know that would go a thousand kilometres out of their way for you ?! A friend in need is a friend indeed!

​Historic Field Trip
Knowing of my interest in history, Uncle Erlo once organised for his pilot to fly Lenora and I to Ulundi, so that we could visit the local Museum and battle site. He also arranged for a contact of his in Ulundi to drive us through to UMgungundlovu, Dingaan's Royal kraal.

​Home away from Home
Our firstborn daughter, Andrea, took her first steps at KwaSizabantu mission. Andrea was so welcomed into the Stegen family that she could run into uncle Erlo's room and leap on his bed, or jump onto his lap if he was reading. The Stegen family graciously included Andrea in their outings and she enjoyed many wonderful experiences with them.

​Ready At All Times
There were times that Uncle Erlo would send someone  to call me to his room where he would ask me if I would be ready to take that Sunday morning’s sermon at the auditorium. Each time I responded that Francis Grim, the head of Hospital Christian Fellowship, under whom I had trained, had declared: “a missionary must be ready to preach, pray or die at a moment’s notice!” “We need to be BA and RFA – Born Again and Ready For Anything!” It was a privilege to receive critical feedback and instruction from Uncle Erlo. Many an evening after the service, I would sit around the kitchen table with Uncle Erlo having tea and biscuits discussing different aspects of ministry and discipleship. Uncle Erlo was wonderfully used of the Lord to inspire me to a deeper devotional life, a lifestyle of repentance and a hunger for holiness. He regularly called upon me to give presentations at Ministers Conferences.

​Providential Provisions
Uncle Erlo visited our home and mission house in Cape Town, and  prayed for the healing of our son Christopher when he was born with kidney failure, and given no chance of survival by the medical specialists. On two occasions, before departing on missions behind Iron Curtain into Eastern Europe, I received an envelope with Deutschmark cash from Uncle Erlo. Evidently there was a time that the South African Postal Service was reliable and efficient! However, as a matter of policy, for security reasons, I did not reveal upcoming missions to anyone, especially missions behind Iron Curtain. Yet Uncle Erlo was so in touch with the Spirit of God that he was prompted to send the provision we needed in the very currency we would most need just before these important behind the Iron Curtain missions!

​Reformation 500
In October 2016, Uncle Erlo sent the Euro Choir to us in Cape Town to help launch our Reformation 500 events. We organised a bold outreach with the Euro choir singing from the amphitheatre at the waterfront. As Uncle Erlo led in prayer at the beginning of this open-air concert, security guards came to me demanding that we clear the stage and cancel the event as “a Jewish woman had complained that the man had mentioned the Name of Jesus! We cannot have proselytising here at the waterfront," I was told. As a delaying tactic, I requested to see the supervisor, explained that the choir were guests from Europe, that this event had been long planned, its significance as part of the Reformation 500 movement and that the constitution guaranteed Freedom of Religion. But the supervisor remained adamant that we must stop the concert. By this point, Uncle Erlo had completed his prayer and the large crowd was joining in singing with the Euro choir.

​I pointed out how popular the event was. "The crowd loves it!" The supervisor finally agreed to drop the matter. It was a successful outreach and many evangelistic conversations resulted in this busy tourist attraction.
The Euro choir then sang at the Reformation Sunday service at the oldest Protestant church in the southern hemisphere, Strand St, Lutheran Church. On Reformation day, the Euro choir led us in worship for the Reformation Celebration at the Huguenot monument, followed by a concert in the Dutch Reformed Church in Franschhoek.
In October 2017 Uncle Erlo organised for the Euro Choir to join us for the Reformation 500 celebrations in Wittenberg, Germany.

​Love in Action
When, my wife, Lenora contracted cancer, Uncle Erlo donated to us a Kangen Water machine which definitely improved the health of all of us and kept Lenora cancer free for years.
When after months of being cared for from home, Lenora passed into eternity, Uncle Erlo sent co-workers Ian and Karin Engelbrecht, with gifts and meals to our home. When Uncle Erlo heard that I was looking for a suitable farm where we could bury Lenora, he offered the Mission’s farm at Franschhoek and the mission organised a supper for family and friends who attended the graveside service. In so many thoughtful ways, uncle Erlo and his children have cared for our family. When I suffered a stroke, they invited me to come and recuperate in their home at KwaSizabantu Mission. The Stegens are a magnificent testimony to the grace of God.
 
Far-reaching Impact
When one considers the immense spiritual impact of the various ministries launched by Rev Erlo Stegen, including Radio Khwezi, Cedar College of Education, Domino Servite School, the Emsini Care Centre for HIV/AIDS patients, the CYPSA drug addict rehabilitation ministry, The Maqhogo mission in the Tugela valley and mission stations as far afield as Malalane, Paraguay, Romania and Russia, Erlo Stegen stands out as one of the most productive, effective and blessed missionaries in the history of South Africa.

Most Blessed and Effective
KwaSizabantu Mission is the most extraordinary, exemplary and effective Mission in all of Africa, possibly in the world. When I asked Rev. Bill Bathman, if I was overstating the case to declare that KwaSizabantu Mission is “the most blessed and effective mission in Africa”, he replied: "Peter, you can upgrade that to the world. ​

​I have ministered in 114 countries and there is no ministry on earth to compare with KwaSizabantu Mission in terms of missionary effectiveness and spiritual impact." I cannot think of any ministry, or government department for that matter, which has accomplished more to practically help people than Uncle Erlo and the Mission of KwaSizabantu. His biography: Bondservant of Christ should be Required Reading for all missionaries and Theological students. It is an inspiring case study of an Example of Excellence in Missions, ministry and Revival. Not since Andrew Murray has South Africa seen a minister of the Gospel so blessed by evident mercies of God.

​Bondservant of Christ
This inspiring and challenging book by Dr Elfrieda Fleischmann consists of over 300 pages, with over 209 photographs, many of them in colour, including the historic context, conversion and calling behind the Revival. It reveals the historic roots of the unique work of God at KwaSizabantu mission, beginning with the Revival in Germany in the 19th-century and the launch of the North German Mission Society in Hamburg and the Ministry of Louis Harms and the ship they built, the Kandaze, to transport Christian missionaries and farming families to reach Africa for Christ. Bondservant of Christ is an extraordinary record of the family background and early life of Erlo Stegen, who from his teenage years has been dedicated to reaching Zulu people for Christ.

​To obtain your copy of the inspiring Bondservant of Christ book: https://www.christianlibertybooks.co.za/item/KSBBONDSERVANT
 
You can learn more about KwaSizabantu Mission. Visit their official website: https://www.ksb.org.za/
​
See also: https: https://www.frontlinemissionsa.org/articles/70-years-of-revival-at-kwasizabantu

See also: https://www.frontlinemissionsa.org/articles/erlo-stegen-an-example-of-excellence-in-missions-ministry-and-revival

​You can listen to From the Frontline: Considering and Celebrating the Incredible Legacy of Missionary Erlo Stegen
https://fromthefrontline.podbean.com/e/from-the-frontline-episode-278-incredible-legacy-of-erlo-stegen/

Funeral service for Erlo Stegen
10 AM Sunday 8th October, KwaSizabantu Mission, live streamed: https://www.ksb.org.za/

​Writen by:
​Dr. Peter Hammond
peter@frontline.org.za
PO Box 74 | Newlands | 7725 | Cape Town | South Africa
Tel: +27 21 689 4480

​On Tuesday,26 September, I arrived at KwaZulu-Natal just as the news broke, that Uncle Erlo, The Founder and Director of KwaSizabantu Mission had passed into eternity at age 88. As I arrived at the Stegen home, I was asked to speak to the family and co-workers gathered on the lawn. I reminded our good friends that Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted. That he took our griefs upon the Cross. Our Lord Jesus Christ wept at the tomb of his friend Lazarus. He reminded Martha that her brother would rise from the dead. Martha acknowledged that he would rise on the last day.

​Jesus declared: I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in Me shall live, even though he dies. Rev Erlo Stegen has run the race and kept the Faith .There is a crown laid up for him in glory. We must praise God for a life well lived and for the life and legacy of this extraordinary Bondservant of Christ.

We have lost a great leader, friend and example of excellence, but he has gained everlasting Life and a "Well done good and faithful servant!" from the Lord he so faithfully and energetically served for over 7 decades. While we remain in the land of the dying. Uncle Erlo is now in the land of the living. Where there is no need for oxygen machines, wheelchairs or crutches! His 6 daughters, Hulda, Ruth, Naomi, Elisabeth, Dorothy and Esther, assisted by their husbands and children, have diligently cared for Uncle Erlo in their home, for the last 2 years of ill-health. He died of multiple organ failure, particularly renal failure and respiratory failure, It has been an extraordinary labour of love. ​

​God's Apostle to the Zulu
Yesterday, Wednesday, 27 September, the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal came and spoke at the Stegen home: "Reverend Erlo Stegen's contributions to the spiritual, economic and social fabric of KwaZulu-Natal were immense, and his loss will be felt deeply by all those whose lives he touched. His dedication to his faith and his tireless efforts in promoting peace, unity, and compassion have left an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of many.
​
"Reverend Stegen played a huge role in stimulating the economy of the province for many years. Through his farm and factory - based in KwaMaphumulo, he employed many local people who provided for their families and next of kin," said Premier Dube-Ncube "As we grieve this profound loss, let us also take comfort in the legacy that Reverend Erlo Stegen leaves behind - a legacy of faith, love, and service to the community. His teachings and his work have undoubtedly left a lasting impact on KwaZulu-Natal.”
King Goodwill Zwelithini described Erlo Stegen as: “God's Apostle to the Zulu.”

​The teamwork and generous catering and complex logistics involved in all the hospitality and catering for the many guests is impressive.
The Stegens and their co-workers have the gift of hospitality. I am concerned that after the daughters have devoted over 2 years to caring for their ailing father at home, they must be physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted, but now they are determined to run another marathon of hospitality for the many well-wishers and members of the wider community who naturally want to see Erlo Stegen's children at this time. My family knows how exhausting caring for a dying loved one is. The resilience, Love, loyalty and dedication of Hulda, Ruth, Naomi, Elisabeth, Dorothy and Esther are a tribute to their father.
” looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our Faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the Throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

​Required Reading for all Missionaries and Theological students
One of the best ways of learning from the life and legacy of Erlo Stegen is to study his life. The best book produced on his testimony and ministry, so far, is Bondservant of Christ. Having read every word of this inspiring book, Bondservant of Christ by Elfrieda Fleischmann, I cannot recommend it highly enough.​As someone who has regularly visited KwaSizabantu Mission since 1987,I can testify to the truth of this remarkable book.


​Having also read Kurt Koch’s landmark God among the Zulus and other books on the Revival, attended almost every Ministers Conference, I thought I knew a lot about the Mission, but Bondservant of Christ  revealed so much more. In fact no one can comprehend just how much God has accomplished, by his grace, through Rev Erlo Stegen and through his family and faithful co-workers. KwaSizabantu Mission is the most extraordinary, exemplary and effective Mission in all of Africa, possibly in the world. When I asked Rev. Bill Bathman, if I was overstating the case to declare that KwaSizabantu Mission is “the most blessed and effective mission in Africa”, he replied: "Peter, you can upgrade that to the world. I have ministered in 114 countries and there is no ministry on earth to compare with KwaSizabantu Mission in terms of missionary effectiveness and spiritual impact." I cannot think of any ministry, or government department for that matter, which has accomplished more to practically help people than Uncle Erlo and the Mission of KwaSizabantu.

​Bondservant of Christ should be Required Reading for all missionaries and Theological students. It is an inspiring case study of an Example of Excellence in Missions, ministry and Revival.
This inspiring and challenging book consists of over 300 pages, with over 209 photographs, many of them in colour, including the historic context, conversion and calling behind the Revival. It reveals the historic roots of the unique work of God at KwaSizabantu mission, beginning with the Revival in Germany in the 19th-century and the launch of the North German Mission Society in Hamburg and the Ministry of Louis Harms and the ship they built, the Kandaze to transport Christian missionaries and farming families to reach Africa for Christ. Bondservant of Christ is an extraordinary record of the family background and early life of Erlo Stegen, who from his teenage years has been dedicated to reaching Zulu people for Christ.
Bondservant of Christ  Should Be Required Reading for all Missionaries and Theological students
To obtain your copy of the inspiring Bondservant of Christ book: https://www.christianlibertybooks.co.za/item/KSBBONDSERVANT

To view the LovingLifeTV (based in Australia) programme where I was invited to tackle the attacks on KwaSizabantu Mission: Kwasizabantu Mission - Revival Under Fire in Zululand: click here:
https://vimeo.com/846320535
 
You can learn more about KwaSizabantu Mission visit the official website: https://www.ksb.org.za/

​Protesting the Unethical Journalism of FakeNews24/7
On Wednesday 16 August, a group of  Christians in Cape Town made a public stand against the unethical journalism of FakeNews24/7 who produced a stream of outrageous attacks on Christian missions.

​
Investigative journalist and Author Gerda Potgieter was part of this protest outside the headquarters of News24. Gerda completed a masterpiece of investigative journalism: a Journey to the Truth: the case of KwaSizabantu Mission.Facts can really Ruin in a good story
Responding to the sensational scandal mongering  and irresponsible failure of News 24 to do basic background research on the unsubstantiated allegations they gave such prominence to, Gerda has unravelled the web of deceit and intrigue behind the extraordinary


​malicious campaign led by Adrian Basson and his so called News24. They produced over 117 articles against the exemplary KwaSizabantu Mission in KwaZulu Natal. A Journey to the Truth reads like a detective novel, it is a real page turner, I could not put it down.
 
Christian Truth versus Pagan Lies
The truth behind the rumours and accusations needs to be known. Ultimately this book, although beginning with the negative attacks, is positive, uplifting and inspiring. I think it needs to be Required Reading for every journalist. Exposing shoddy and superficial scandal rags and demonstrating real investigative journalism, doing the hard work necessary to get to the facts and present the truth.
It is not often that one has the opportunity to unravel complex intrigues in order to get to understand the reality behind the headlines. Gerda has done us all a great service in producing this landmark book. She proves that facts can really destroy a good story.

Bondservant of Christ  Should Be Required Reading for all Missionaries and Theological students

To obtain your copy of the inspiring Bondservant of Christ book: https://www.christianlibertybooks.co.za/item/KSBBONDSERVANT

​



​


​See also: https://www.frontlinemissionsa.org/articles/70-years-of-revival-at-kwasizabantu



​The funeral of Erlo Stegen is scheduled for Sunday, 8 October at 10 AM. It will certainly be livestreamed as well. https://www.ksb.org.za/

​A Memorial Service to Celebrate the Life and Legacy of Rev Erlo Stegen was held at Livingstone House on 06 October 2023 at 18:00.

KwaSizabantu Mission is the most extraordinary and successful mission station on the continent of Africa. KwaSizabantu originated 70 years ago when God graciously sent Revival among the Zulus.
​
The founder of KwaSizabantu Mission, Rev. Erlo Stegen is the second youngest of 5 brothers. In his testimony, he explains that when he was growing up, he only went to church because his parents compelled him to go. His attitude was: “When I’m grown up, I’ll throw all this religious stuff overboard.”Then God began to convict him of his disobedience towards his parents, his quarrelsomeness with his brothers, and the wickedness of his own heart. “I was a lost sinner, in spite of the fact that I said my prayers and went to church. God says, ‘The soul that sinneth, it shall die’.” Ezekiel 18:4 “If sin rules a person’s life, that soul shall die, unless he confesses his sins and forsakes them. I cried to God, ‘Lord Jesus, I need you! Change my life and save me from my sins’.” ​

​Erlo Stegen was a missionary for 12 years before the Revival broke out. He was determined not to“play church.” He preached straight: “ Repent and change your lives. If you don’t, you are on your way to hell.”


​He saw the debilitating and devastating impact of ancestral worship and witchcraft. One day, after pointing out in a sermon that the founders of all others religions are dead and buried, but only Jesus is alive forevermore. “His grave is empty because He rose from the dead. He ascended into Heaven and all power in Heaven and on earth are given unto Him. There is no other name given among men by which we can be saved other than the Name of Jesus. There is only one way: Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth and the life. He is the same today as He was two thousand years ago.”

He had hardly finished the sermon, when an old woman came up to him and pleaded with him to pray for her daughter who was insane. Erlo Stegen described the shocking scene: “In the middle of the hut I saw a girl sitting on the floor, her arms bound to the center pole with wire. The wire had cut deeply into her flesh, so that blood was flowing down, and she was covered with scars and wounds. She pulled at the wire with such violence, that it cut deeply into her arms. She spoke incessantly in foreign languages.” Her mother explained that for weeks she had not eaten anything, nor slept. “She breaks the strongest ropes, then she runs around into the neighbours fields and gardens and destroys everything. When she bites someone, she won’t let go. Look at my cattle pen. I don’t have any cows, sheep or goats left. Every animal I owned, I sacrificed to the spirits. The cows I didn’t kill, I had to sell them to pay the witchdoctor. I haven’t got any money. I am at the end of my strength.”

Then the missionary drove this troubled girl to his parents’ farm where they provided a room where the girl could stay while she was prayed for. The demon-possessed girl smashed the furniture, pulled out the springs from the mattress, broke the windowpanes and frames and turned the room into a pigsty.

“We prayed day and night for three weeks, but the girl wasn’t healed. Instead I was at the end of my strength and close to a nervous break down. The girl sang her satanic hymns incessantly. The girl blasphemed the blood of Jesus. Horrible, sacriligious songs resounded throughout. The girl renounced the blood and death of the Lord Jesus as only the devil could do. What was I to do? Everyone had heard me preach: ‘don’t go to the witch doctors, don’t sacrifice oxen and goats to the spirits. Jesus is the answer to every problem, come to Him.’ We Christians had failed. In the end we all gave up and had to take the girl back.”

​Erlo Stegen was a missionary for 12 years before the Revival broke out. He was determined not to“play church.” He preached straight: “ Repent and change your lives. If you don’t, you are on your way to hell.”

He saw the debilitating and devastating impact of ancestral worship and witchcraft. One day, after pointing out in a sermon that the founders of all others religions are dead and buried, but only Jesus is alive forevermore. “His grave is empty because He rose from the dead.
​He ascended into Heaven and all power in Heaven and on earth are given unto Him. There is no other name given among men by which we can be saved other than the Name of Jesus. There is only one way: Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth and the life. He is the same today as He was two thousand years ago.”

He had hardly finished the sermon, when an old woman came up to him and pleaded with him to pray for her daughter who was insane. Erlo Stegen described the shocking scene: “In the middle of the hut I saw a girl sitting on the floor, her arms bound to the center pole with wire. The wire had cut deeply into her flesh, so that blood was flowing down, and she was covered with scars and wounds. She pulled at the wire with such violence, that it cut deeply into her arms. She spoke incessantly in foreign languages.” Her mother explained that for weeks she had not eaten anything, nor slept. “She breaks the strongest ropes, then she runs around into the neighbours fields and gardens and destroys everything. When she bites someone, she won’t let go. Look at my cattle pen. I don’t have any cows, sheep or goats left. Every animal I owned, I sacrificed to the spirits. The cows I didn’t kill, I had to sell them to pay the witchdoctor. I haven’t got any money. I am at the end of my strength.”

Then the missionary drove this troubled girl to his parents’ farm where they provided a room where the girl could stay while she was prayed for. The demon-possessed girl smashed the furniture, pulled out the springs from the mattress, broke the windowpanes and frames and turned the room into a pigsty.

“We prayed day and night for three weeks, but the girl wasn’t healed. Instead I was at the end of my strength and close to a nervous break down. The girl sang her satanic hymns incessantly. The girl blasphemed the blood of Jesus. Horrible, sacriligious songs resounded throughout. The girl renounced the blood and death of the Lord Jesus as only the devil could do. What was I to do? Everyone had heard me preach: ‘don’t go to the witch doctors, don’t sacrifice oxen and goats to the spirits. Jesus is the answer to every problem, come to Him.’ We Christians had failed. In the end we all gave up and had to take the girl back.”

Erlo Stegen thought that he was a complete failure. “I had preached the Gospel for 12 years and there weren’t even 12 true Christians in conformance with Biblical standards to show for it.” Many hundreds of people had come forward at his Gospel meetings and made public commitments to Christ. He knew that many of these converts still craved cigarettes, engaged in worldliness. He knew that the Bible taught that we were to“Love not the world, know the things that are in the world”1 John 2:15 and“Be not conformed to this world” Romans 12:2. Yet he perceived that his converts were still worldly.

He then challenged his whole congregation to come to two Bible studies each day: 7 AM and 5PM.“We will take our Bibles and we won’t explain anything away. We won’t justify ourselves either, but accept things as they are written.” Jesus said: “ Whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise shall enter therein.” Luke 18:17 and “Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

They started by studying the Book of Acts. From the outset the Lord took hold of their hearts. The more they studied Acts, the more their hearts were broken. They saw how the early Christians continued with one accord in prayer. They marveled at this miracle. Not quarreling and slandering behind one another’s back, but with unity in spirit. The death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ had so deeply affected them that they were in harmony. They saw that the Lord had promised the power of the Holy Spirit for them to be witnesses for Him (Acts 1:8). In Acts 4:31 they read that when the early church prayed, the place was shaken. “We pray and we don’t move the world, the world moves us!” - Matthew 18:3

“The early church didn’t tolerate sin, they had no room and no time for sin, and dealt with it most severely. We worship God and tolerate sin in our midst! If you pray for Revival, you are asking for something the world doesn’t understand. We read the Bible so superficially that we cannot grasp what it is all about.”

Then, a meeting was suddenly interrupted by a young woman, a new convert, who stood up during the service, and asked if she could pray. Her simple prayer was: “Oh Lord Jesus, we have heard what the early Church was like. Couldn’t you come down and be in our midst as you came down two thousand years ago? Couldn’t our Church be same as the one in Jerusalem?

“Revive Your work, O God” became the prayer of the congregation. “A week and a half later, God rent the Heavens and came down!”
​​
​​It was December 1966 when the Revival broke out. Rev. Erlo Stegen explained, “We were at a loss, we had reached a deadlock and we were in a spiritually desperate situation.” In John 7:38, Jesus says, “he that believeth in Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”When we asked ourselves: “Whether such rivers of living water were flowing out of our lives?” We had to answer “NO!”

Erlo stood and challenged his congregation: “Let us search the Scriptures and let the Word speak to us. Let us not twist and turn what we read. Let us disregard our ways and customs, our church traditions and our personal religious opinions and let’s hear what the Bible has to say. Do we really believe as the Scripture says?”

​Erlo Stegen explains that Revivals are terrifying things. When the Holy Spirit comes, He convicts us of sin, of righteousness and of judgment to come. 
​“For God resists the proud” - 1 Peter 5:5

“What is our greatest danger? In reality it is God Himself. There is nothing in this world that we need fear more than God. Even if the whole world were for us, but God against us, we would be fighting a losing battle.”

​“Judgment must begin at the house of God. The first thing that happens when the Holy Spirit comes into a person’s life is that He convicts that person of sin. There is brokeheartedness. Many conversions are not genuine; the ‘converts’ are not born again with the Holy Spirit. There are ‘Christians’ who don’t even know what it means to be convicted of sin. We cannot love Jesus if we do not know what forgiveness of sins means. The deeper the conviction, the greater the love for Jesus. He who is forgiven much, loves much.”

Erlo Stegen testifies how the Lord convicted them of pride, prejudice and idolatry. “‘Let us get down on our knees and pray,’ I wept incessantly and cried out ‘God be merciful to me, a sinner.’” That was the beginning of the Revival.

It was Christmas time when the Revival broke out. “In times of Revival, the Word of God comes alive. It smites us and pierces our heart. The Word of God is like a hammer that breaks the rocks into pieces. It now became clear to me that it wasn’t the heathen who were standing in the way of Revival. I could only cry out: ‘Lord, there is only one person who hinders Your work, and that is me! Please forgive me!’”


​They were praying in a cowshed when they heard a noise like a great wind. “Everybody was conscious of the presence of God. All I could do was to bow down and worship the God of Heaven.”

Then a witch, who was in charge of a training school for witches, came to Erlo Stegen. She said: “I need Jesus. Can He save me? I am bound with the chains of hell. Can He break these chains? If Jesus doesn’t save me right now, I will die today and go to hell!Pray for me, that Jesus rids me of these evil spirits.”

​​Rev. Stegen and some of his co-workers began to sing hymns of victory, of the risen Christ, the Mighty Victor who has overcome the devil, conquered sin and death, paid the price with His own blood! As they sang, the woman flung herself on the ground on her hands and knees and began to move around like a wild animal. The sounds of many dogs barking from within her and a herd of pigs grunting were heard. “We prayed: ‘O Lord set this person free!’ ‘Not by might, nor by power but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.’ - Zechariah 4:6”

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” - Ephesians 6:12

“The moment the evil spirits left her, the expression on her face changed abruptly. She shone like a saint who had been living in the presence of our Lord and Master for many years. With the glow of Heaven shinning on her face and in her eyes, she cried ‘Oh how marvelous, Jesus has set me free! Jesus has broken these chains of hell!’”

Rev. Stegen recounts that for the next months they hardly had any sleep at all as day and night they were so busy counselling and praying for hundreds upon hundreds sick, troubled and demon possessed people. Time and again people exclaimed, “A power within us has driven us to come here. We can’t sleep anymore, we can’t recover our peace of mind, and all we can see is our sins!”

“Hundreds of people flocked to where we were in Mapamulo. We could go out the front door of the building at any time of the day, any day of the week and there would be a hundred, maybe two hundred, people standing outside. Hardened sinners would be weeping like little children. It was as if the Day of Judgment had dawned. The conviction went so deep that some of them couldn’t believe that Jesus could forgive them. They came with tears, and they left with joy. Their lives were changed and all things became new. Children were converted and parents were astounded at their change of attitude and behaviour. Husbands and wives were astounded as their partners were transformed. God kindled His fire and it spread through the valleys and the mountains so that thousands were saved in one week. That happened among the Zulus. There is no limit to what God can do.”

“From that time on the Zulus no longer said that Christianity was the white mans religion. That was the end of that saying. They have experienced that Jesus Christ is their God too. I remember a blind man whose eyes had suddenly been opened walking up and down shaking his head and crying out again and again: ‘Jesus is my God! He is truly my God!’ Sick people would be brought in on stretchers and rise and walk around…As a rule we never prayed for healing before the person involved, has settled their spiritual lives. Divine healing always begins in the heart.” The Bible teaches us in James 5:16‘Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another that you may be healed.’ Healing of the soul is put first. Physical needs are secondary. Spiritual illnesses must be treated first. To be liberated from irritation, anger, resentment and other sins are a thousand times more valuable than to be healed of physical ailments.”

People would come saying, “ We cannot carry on living in sin. We must bring them to the light. We need forgiveness of our sins. We cannot go home without having peace with God.”
A young Hindu woman, together with her 16 year old daughter, came and told Rev. Stegen: “My daughter here has been mentally handicapped since birth. Many doctors have said that she was incurable. So I went to the Hindu temples, but even our gods couldn’t help her. Two weeks ago I met a Zulu man who said to me: ‘why don’t you take your daughter to Mapamulo? There are Christians there that serve the Lord Jesus. If you take her there, they will pray to Him and He will heal your daughter.’ When I heard that I said ‘that is the God I want to serve!’ The moment I said that my daughter was healed and in her right mind. Here she is, you can speak to her.”

​The Mission , though it has buildings to house about 4,500, constantly has the problem of too little accommodation - because of the constant flood of people seeking the Lord. Hundreds, often thousands, gather for daily services. Often people come from other countries and continents. One visiting minister remarked that it was like the first Pentecost. He went around and counted the different nationalities and arrived at 14 languages at a single service.

The auditorium at KwaSizabantu can seat 10,000. Aside from regular Sunday services, this massive structure is also used for special conferences. KwaSizabantu now has about 130 out- stations and mission bases and schools in Switzerland , Germany , France , The Netherlands, Romania and many other parts of the world.

​Rev. Erlo Stegen is assisted by a team of over 120 co-workers and many volunteers. Teams are constantly being invited to preach at schools, youth groups and congregations throughout Zululand , South Africa , and across the border.




​The school at KwaSizabantu Mission, Domino Servite has often had the distinction of producing some of the top students in the country with the highest distinctions.

The Ceder College of Education provides a 4-year teacher training degree accredited by the Potchefstroom University of Higher Christian Education.

Thabitha Adult School is a centre for training illiterate adults to read and write.

​The Mission also uses its 340 hectares of land for intensive farming, a Green House Project, producing vegetables of the highest quality, Kiwi vineyards, produce fruit for local and international markets, a jam factory, turns out thousands of homemade jams and pickles. A bakery produces about 400 loaves a day. A dairy and yoghurt production plant sells to shops, hospitals and airline companies. A water factory produces bottled water and juice for the South African and international market.

KwaSizabantu is a faith mission, which on principle does not solicit funds or gave any appeals for donations. It is a hive of productivity and a testimony to the Christian work ethic. 

It has thrived in spite of times of great opposition and slanderous campaigns against it. As Rev. Stegen says: “Wherever God is at work, the devil is also there to do his dirty counter work. I am of the opinion that the depth of God’s work can be measured by the amount of opposition encountered.”

​Required Reading for all Missionaries and Theological students
To obtain your copy of the inspiring Bondservant of Christ book: https://www.christianlibertybooks.co.za/item/KSBBONDSERVANT
 
To view the LovingLifeTV (based in Australia) programme tackling the attacks on
KwaSizabantu Mission:
Kwasizabantu Mission - Revival Under Fire in Zululand:
https://vimeo.com/846320535
 
You can learn more about KwaSizabantu Mission: https://www.ksb.org.za/

See also: https://www.frontlinemissionsa.org/articles/erlo-stegen-an-example-of-excellence-in-missions-ministry-and-revival
​
To the skeptics, we challenge with the words of Philip to Nathaniel: “Come and see!”

​The funeral of Erlo Stegen is scheduled for Sunday, 8 October at 10 AM. It will certainly be livestreamed as well. https://www.ksb.org.za/

​A Memorial Service to Celebrate the Life and Legacy of Rev Erlo Stegen was held at Livingstone House on 06 October 2023 at 18:00.

To watch the Memorial Sercive as a video click the image below:



​

​In sure and certain hope of the Resurrection of the body
Writen by:
​Dr. Peter Hammond
peter@frontline.org.za
PO Box 74 | Newlands | 7725 | Cape Town | South Africa
Tel: +27 21 689 4480

                                                                                                                                                                                           
​                                       
​  Helga Gertrud Strey was born on 4th August 1933 in Rehoboth, South West Africa, the middle child to Johanna and Rudolf Strey. She grew up with her siblings on Farm ‘Büllsport’ near the Naukluft Mountains South of Windhoek, in South West Africa.During 1936 the family visited the Grandparents (fathers’ parents) in Potsdam, Germany. The family returned to SWA just before the Second World War erupted. As from 1940 Helga and her older sister attended school in Swakopmund where they had to stay in the boarding school hostel for 6 years. At first they attended a German school and later were forced to switch to an English school. In December 1940 their father was taken away to a Concentration Camp along with all German men of “fighting age” and was only allowed to return 6 and 1/2 years later.
In the meantime, Helga’s mother managed the farm with her grandmother, aunt and uncle.
In 1945 Helga's father was released from the Concentration Camp, but was forced to stay in South Africa for another three months. He started working at the Botanical Institute of Stellenbosch University, so the family joined him in Stellenbosch, where the children continued their schooling. When the parents divorced, her mother stayed on in Stellenbosch until they and finished their schooling. The girls went to Bloemhof Girls High, and the brother went to Paul Ross College.
After school, Helga went to Grootte Schuur Hospital in Cape Town to study nursing.
During 1957 she returned to South West Africa to help her sister and brother-in-law look after their 3 children, while her sister was in hospital for 3.5 months. Then her brother Rolf came to visit from Northern Rhodesia and Helga went back to Northern Rhodesia (today Zambia) with him. After her holiday in Rhodesia, Helga went to Johannesburg for further studies in the field of Maternity, after which she moved to Lüderitz, SWA, to work. She was then stationed in Windhoek , where she worked for the State and did Community Health work all over South West Africa. She worked as part of an aeronautical Emergency Response team.
After 4 years, Helga moved back to South Africa where she lived and worked in Cape Town, Somerset West and surrounding areas. She was the head Matron in the Maternity wards of Springbok, Calvinia and Malmesbury. In 2006, Helga joined the Reformation Society and Livingstone Fellowship, in Rondebosch, where she was involved in research of World History, something she thoroughly enjoyed.
During 2020 she moved to Pinelands Place where she continued to stay abreast on current affairs, read voraciously and visit friends, until she ended up spending the final weeks in Gordons Bay.
We have a letter Helga wrote to her nieces of her experiences during the war, which gives some good insights to her early life: "My knowledge of WW2 started just before we returned to South West Africa after a year’s visit to our grandparents in Berlin. We left Hamburg by ship via South Hampton in England. However, because of the pre-war atmosphere our German ship Usambara was guided onto a sandbank. (The harbour Captain of the country has to guide a ship in and out of a harbour anywhere in the world, it is practised even today). 

It was also Christmas time. After clearing the ship off the sandbar, we sailed onto the Madeira Islands. It was 31 December 1938 and Old Year’s Eve celebration dinner. My sister, me and a child minder had a roaming pillow fight with my 3-year-old brother, your grandfather, Rolf. He thoroughly enjoyed it. The children all received an ‘animal’ gift (I remember one was a giraffe) balloons from the Captain. After Madeira we docked at almost every harbour along the West coast of Africa including: Tenerife (on Canary Islands), Las Palmas, in Senekal, Freetown in Sierra Leone, Accra in Ghana, Sao Tome in Equatorial Africa, Luanda in Angola and Walvis Bay in South West Africa where we disembarked and returned by train to Rehoboth where the person who had looked after our farm, while we were in Germany, fetched us in our truck. Beginning of 1940 my sister Erika and I were taken to Swakopmund to the German Boarding school (where we stayed in the koshuis).
​The owner and head of the boarding school was very strict.
I have no good memory of those 3 years. School was also not much fun. At the end of 1940, back on the farm for Christmas holiday. I still distinctly remember 17 December 1940, a car with 2 detectives arrived, told my parents to pack a suitcase with clothes and toiletries. My father was taken away sitting at the back of an open bakkie, not to be seen again for 6.5 years. He was interrogated and moved around in various detention camps in South Africa, e.g.: ANDAWASA (now a new name), Banaimspoort and Koffiefontein. The reason - he was German and therefore an enemy of the state, whether true or not, they did not ask.  His wartime experience was similar to that of most German South Wester men in the country. South West African women and children, i.e., us, were left to fend for ourselves. My mother took over and coped extremely well in difficult circumstances in managing the farm. Petrol, sugar, flour and such like were rationed. My mother was only allowed to bake bread, not cakes! But we secretly sieved the flour enough for a cake, which I loved baking. This was also punishable if caught out.
The family had to save up petrol and tires to be able to fetch us 250 miles from the train station and return, for school, after the holidays. The rest of the time it was donkey cart or horse transport to the outposts where rhea sheep were kept.

After 3 years at junior school, we were sent to a much nicer boarding house and senior school – all German. However, school changed in 1946. By order of the Smuts government: The German schools were closed, we had to go to English school. I must mention in Standard 3 at the German school we had English as a 2nd language. Our German teacher was excellent, he gave me such a good grounding that I never had problems or battled with the English language.
Back to the farm and school holidays. The first year or two my mother’s youngest sister and her husband stayed with my mother on the farm. Uncle was clever, he built a radio so that we could listen to what was happening in the war, it was all very secretive, because nobody was allowed any radio, or guns, or rifles, etc. If they caught you, you were imprisoned. When someone got ill or had an accident – tough luck, help yourself, or ask the neighbour, or if really serious, the neighbouring farmer would take you to the nearest doctor who was 250 miles away. Everyone was in the same boat. Black farm workers and the whites, everyone helped each other as needed.
My grandmother came to stay. Police did inspection rounds unexpectedly to check on all the farms with us early in the war. Grandmother taught us to sew, we had to let out the hems of our dresses, and how to knit and cook. That done, it was play time. My brother and I used to go together, my sister seldom joined us. My mother let a farm worker go with us into the mountains, veld or to the river so that we could explore for the day, of course accompanied by our dogs – always. Terriers with names like Mona, Tinkie, Bessie etc. We each had our own dog, cat, horse and 10 sheep.
We farmed with karakul sheep, some cattle and -+ 30 small herd of goats and pigs.
During winter break some experienced man was hired to help prepare the food and making various types of typical German polonies and schwaly (pig fat) to be used for frying and on breads, bacon, Kessler ribs, chops etc. It was a hectic few days for all. This meat had to last to the next year during the coldest season.
Summer days at school in Swakopmund were wonderful. After lunch we changed into swimming gear and off to the beach and swimming in the sea. I could swim – l learned on the farms water reservoir. The sea was quite rough at times, but we knew how to dive into or under the waves to avoid being tumbled about.
Sundays after lunch we often went to climb up and slide down the dunes which were in walking distance of the town, or on long walks along the beach.
During the war, all we had were the basic needs. As children, we did not know anything else. No luxuries or fancy things, we learned to improvise, or to do without. There was no official transport. Buses and Taxis were scarce because of petrol rations. We walked everywhere; bicycles were almost unheard of. Petrol came in 40 gallon drums and for our little farm shop supplies came by truck once a month.
My mother had a room always open and prepared with bed and water and candle for anyone that got stranded at night, or was too tired or had a broken-down car and needed a place to stay. The person could just come and sleep there without waking anyone up. We never had anyone misusing this hospitality or stealing anything.
We always had country workers from Ovamboland i.e., Northern border of South West Africa to do thehousework and mind the sheep. After a day’s work they would always have a head to toe wash and then come to play with us children in front of the house. I guess they missed their families back home. The other farm workers arrived and did the washing and ironing and made soap – as taught by my grandmother. We did not miss anything much as everyone had the same type of life style. Also, we did not know anything else.
Eventually the war ended, and my father returned home, it was just before Christmas again!
In those days our farms had no electricity and no fridges. The house could not be finished because of the wartime shortages and rationing. There were limited or no materials to be bought. All supplies cane in bags or crates – no cardboard or plastic packaging.”
“Love to all, Tante Helga”
 
Helga was a valued founder member of the Reformation Society. Being well read and well-travelled, her contributions during the times of open discussion after Thursday night presentations were always insightful and challenging. Helga was a stalwart member of Livingstone Fellowship every Sunday and we enjoyed discussions with her. She was an independent thinker, with a strong conviction. She did her own independent research and was always willing to challenge the official narrative, especially when it came to big Pharma and medical malpractice. She maintained a healthy lifestyle and was extraordinarily healthy for her age.
 
You can listen to the: Memorial Service sermon for Helga Strey:  Heaven is a Real Place
https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=827231748197908
To view or download the order of service: https://pubhtml5.com/izbev/vtyl/
​


​

God’s Navy 
Currently, OM Ships operates MV Logos Hope serving destinations around the world. Their first ship, MV Logos, ran aground on rocks off Tierra del Fuego, Chile, in atrocious weather conditions in 1988. Although the ship could not be saved, not a single crew member was lost or injured. The skeletal hulk of the ship is still visible and has become something of a tourist attraction over the years. Over a 17-year period, more than 6.5 million people visited MV Logos during 408 ports of call in 108 countries. Later in 1988, the former Antonio Lazaro became the MV Logos II, which was retired in July 2008. OM's third ship, the MV Doulos, previously held the record for the oldest ocean-going ship still in service. George liked to say that the Doulos was launched the  same year the Titanic was, but the Doulos is still afloat! The owners of the Titanic boasted that not even God could sink Titanic! We say: only God can keep the  Doulos afloat!  The Doulos was retired at the end of 2009. MV Logos Hope was launched into service , in Kiel, in 2009. Twice the size of the MV Doulos, it provides much greater capacity to serve communities.

To learn more of this remarkable missionary, or to download any of his free books visit: https://georgeverwer.com/

If you would like to send a card or letter to Drena, please include your full name, and address and send to:
Mrs Drena Verwer​
62A Glebe Way
West Wickham
Kent BR4 0RL
United Kingdom