MOUNTAIN CLIMBING MARATHON

​“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” Isaiah 52:7
 
Sixty Years by God's Grace and Mercy
On 21 January, I turned 60 and climbed Table Mountain. It was a most appropriate way to celebrate six decades of God's grace and undeserved favour. By my calculations, it was at least the 43rd time I have hiked to attain the summit of Table Mountain. The week before was my 80th hike up Lions Head. There are numerous other mountains that I have climbed, including Mount Mulanje in Malawi, but Table Mountain is my favourite. What a spectacular view, all the way to Cape Point, Hermanus, the Hottentots Holland, the Helderberg, Robben Island, Blouberg and Table View, the tops of the Twelve Apostles, Devils Peak and so much more. The Table Mountain hike is, in so many ways, the high point of the GCC and has frequently fallen on my birthday. At 1087 metres, we read Scripture, sang Hymns to the glory of God and interceded for our city, country and continent.

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Completing the GCC 2020
Yesterday, we concluded our three-week Great Commission Course (GCC). The first part of the GCC was the Biblical Worldview Summit (BWS) where over 80 participants came from as far afield as the Congo, Kenya, Zimbabwe and the USA. The BWS forms the first phase of the GCC. Packed and productive as the BWS was, the smaller number of participants undertaking the GCC were quickly transitioned into a far more demanding schedule, which kept all of us busy from 6am in the morning, until, frequently, way past midnight.

Let the Whole World Hear His Word
To get an idea of what we have been involved in over the last three weeks, all in all, the GCC involved: 15 speakers; 60 lectures/presentations; 29 worship and Bible Drill sessions; 23 films, including all eight of the Way of the Master Basic Evangelism Training Course; 10 workshops; 9 Just a Minute Debating/Public Speaking Skills games; 5 hikes, including night hike Bible smuggling simulation infiltration and exfiltration hikes with backpacks of Arabic Scriptures, in the dark, across rivers and in complete silence, a Lions Head hike and the Table Mountain hike. It also involved a Work Party at a local mission station; radio recordings; dragon boating team building in Table Bay Harbour; 17 energetic P.T. sessions; 10 assignments and 7 exams. What with all of the lecture preparations (I had 34 sessions and marking of assignments), I seldom got to bed before 2am. Several of our leaders, including Hunter, Tobie and I, came down with flu and fever and lost our voices for a time, but we did not allow that to stop us from fulfilling all our duties and responsibilities and attaining the summit of Table Mountain.

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Written Responses from Participants
Some of the written responses, which we have received from participants, includes: “A great experience!”; “The GCC is focused on God and that is rare in these days!”; “Very challenging! It made a big impression on me.”; “Great challenging lectures that stretched mind, body and character.”; “Intense, daring, beneficial and essential.”; “Fun, exciting, growing experience, great fellowship and great overall.”; “Experienced dedication.”; “Enjoyed the challenge.”; “It was a great and awesome way to prepare for the mission fields.”; “Excellent course!”; “I loved it!”; “This is the first camp that I have been to that takes Christianity seriously and doesn’t just play around.”; “I learned how to really reach the lost and how to defend my Faith.”; “Fun, exciting, fruitful!”; “An excellent programme” and “Uplifting!” Please pray for our participants as they travel home, begin college, head for the field and seek to apply in their daily life and implement in their congregations and communities what they have learned and experienced during the last three weeks.

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March for Life
Please also pray for our upcoming March for Life to Parliament on Thursday, 30 January 2020, at 12:30pm, to mark the 23rd anniversary of the legalisation of abortion on demand in South Africa. Africa Christian Action has been leading the pro-life movement in South Africa since 1991, organising annual Life Chains; Marches for Life; National Days of Repentance and submissions to parliament; media campaigns; bringing in pro-life films and giving presentations at schools, churches and youth groups. Visit www.christianaction.org.za website for articles and links to audios and videos and many great resources to empower you to be effective Salt and Light in your community, to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves…” Proverbs 31:8

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Momentous Milestones
Last year (2019) marked Lenora and my 30th Wedding anniversary and 40 years since I began the daily Bible study and prayer fellowship in the South African Army, out of which grew our Frontline Fellowship Mission. This year, 3 April, will mark 43 years, since I was converted to Christ.

Thank You for Your Prayers and Messages
Thank you very much to all those who have sent me birthday greetings, for all those who faithfully pray for and support our Mission, for all your encouragement and practical help over the years.

Rescued from Rapture Fever
It is an amazing milestone to me to have reached my 60th birthday. I never really thought that I would live this long. Back in 1977 when I was converted, we were whipped up in Rapture Fever, with The Late Great Planet Earth, Like a Thief in the Night and A Distant Thunder, convincing many of us that we were The Terminal Generation, living in The Last Days, if not the last hours, with endless speculation of the planets lining up in 1982, wars and rumours of wars, earthquakes and other indicators that we did not have that much time left.

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Reckless Short-Term Vision
As a result, in my early years as a Christian, I did not consider marriage, never thought that I could have children, let alone grandchildren! I was also closed to the idea of Bible college, or Theological training, as there just was not enough time! I was an evangemaniac, but did not put much attention to discipleship, or thinking of planning long-term, as many of us were really convinced that the Lord was coming before the end of that year! All of that and my natural adventurous and somewhat reckless spirit, led me to take far more risks than I should have and it is only by the grace of Almighty God that I survived ambushes, arrests, aerial bombardments, artillery and rocket barrages, in some of the most dangerous war zones on the continent.

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Providential Protection
My mother also reminded me that as a child, I was always getting into adventures, like getting swept over a waterfall and in my early years, seemed to be in hospital frequently. She commented that there must be a special angel assigned to enable adventurous little boys to survive into adulthood. I can only thank our merciful Saviour and Lord for preserving and protecting, redeeming and rescuing me on so many countless occasions. Sadly, I have all too often taken God’s protection, provision and mercy for granted. Looking back, however, I can clearly see the guiding hand of Almighty God, mercifully extended over my life and that of my very adventurous children. Being a parent and a grandparent most certainly gives one another perspective and has helped me appreciate my parents so much more and the grace of Almighty God, far more than ever before.

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The 21st January
My birthday coincides with the birthday of General Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson and the day that communist tyrant, dictator, mass-murderer Vladimir Lenin died.

Isandlwana, Rorke's Drift and the GCC
After completing the Table Mountain climb on my birthday, I spent the rest of the night, into the early hours of the morning, marking the assignments of our GCC participants. So, that the next day, 22 January (which is the anniversary of the battles of Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift in 1879), we could conclude our GCC 2020 by awarding those participants, who had completed the course and passed all the exams and assignments, with Certificates and handing back their marked exams, with Personal Evaluations of their performance and characters as observed by our missionary team leaders. Every participant was given books and a GCC 2020 Data Disc with a vast amount of lecture notes, manuals, books, audios and resources, to enable them to disciple and train members of their family, congregation and communities in Missions and Evangelism.

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Upcoming Missions and Projects
We are barely three weeks into the New Year and the new decade and there is so much more that lies ahead of us. On hikes and over meal times, we have been planning upcoming cross-border missions and there is much excitement over the many projects and invitations for ministry, which we need to respond to, all throughout Africa.

​Audio Visual Resources
Please be sure to listen to our ongoing From the Frontline podcast, which is uploaded every week and the sermons, devotions and lectures from the Great Commission Course, which are being regularly uploaded onto our SermonAudio and Vimeo page on www.FrontlineMissionSA.org.

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Printing Projects
There are new books ready for printing, including the greatly expanded and updated Great Commission Handbook, which we want to donate to Bible colleges throughout Africa.

Social Media
If you want to see some of the pictures of the Biblical Worldview Summit, click here on the Facebook page, or from the Great Commission Camp and Course, click here.
You can also see pictures of our literature ministry on the Literature4Africa Facebook page, click here and Frontline Fellowship, click here.

Audio Visual Boxsets in Production
We will soon have the Biblical Worldview Summit and Great Commission Course 2020 audios, videos and data discs ready and available in boxset version, for those of you who would like to benefit from much of the programme, but were unable to participate.

Thank You
Thank you very much for all your prayers, encouragement and support, without which none of our ministries would be possible.
 
May God continue to be your joy and strength.
 
Yours for the fulfillment of the Great Commission
 
Dr. Peter Hammond
Frontline Fellowship
P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
Tel: 021-689-4480
[email protected]
www.FrontlineMissionSA.org
www.ReformationSA.org
www.livingstonefellowship.co.za
www.christianaction.org.za
www.WilliamCareyBI.com
www.hmsschoolofchristianjournalism.org
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For those who want to prayerfully and financially partner with us in ministry:
Our banking details:
 
For South African supporters:
Acc. Name: Frontline Fellowship
First National Bank – Rondebosch
Branch code: 201509
Acc. No: 5017 0589 260
Swift No: FIRNZAJJ (for overseas supporters)
Ref: Initial and surname and what it is designated for.

For overseas supporters wishing to donate into our South African account:
Acc. Name: Frontline Fellowship
Acc. No: 5017 0589 260
Swift No: FIRNZAJJ
First Rand Bank - 2nd Floor
No 4 First Place, Bank City
Johannesburg, South Africa, 2000
Branch Code ZA201509
Ref: Initial and surname and what it is designated for
 
For supporters donating from the USA:
You can go to www.frontlinefellowship.net/support, or click here.

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