Mack - South Africa

Dear Partners in Ministry,

We're sending this note to you to keep you updated on what is going in our lives and ministry and also to solicit prayer on your part.

Our schedule for this summer is hectic:

GMI Conference - Israel June 21 to July 1
Pennsylvania - Brief time with relatives
Little Rock, AR for a few days
Carol speaks at the women's conference in California
Wayne does one week of teaching at The Master's College
Saturday - speak at a men's conference

Back to Little Rock, AR where we will stay
Marriage Conference at Jerry Wragg's church in Florida September 12 -14
Head back to South Africa

While in Little Rock I'll be teaching a course for the Expositor's Seminary and also doing whatever I am asked to do and whatever my strength will allow me to do in terms of teaching Biblical Counseling material at the church on weekdays and on Sundays.

As you are probably aware, we now have two HIV positive orphans living in our house. Actually we're talking about the section of the house where Josh and Marda and their children live. We don't have any room for more in our section of the house. The plans are to increase the number of children. To do that the house will have to be enlarged and perhaps a staff worker will have to be hired. We have a contractor who has already come and told us how the house could be enlarged to accomodate and parent up to 10 or 11 orphans.

The problem is that to do that will require some money that would have to be raised somehow, but, if it is of the Lord, He will provide somehow.

We are now trying to encourage others to do the same in their families, that is, as far as taking some orphans (not 10 or 11) into their homes and raising them. There are millions of orphans in Africa and hundreds of thousands of them close by in the Pretoria and Joburg area (some HIV positive and some not).

The challenge is enormous and we are thinking (just thinking at this stage) that perhaps the best way to make our little dent in the problem without incurring the enormous expense of purchasing land and building houses and facilities and also to provide a Christian family upbringing would be to encourage Christian families to open their homes and become foster parents.

Josh and Marda have set the example and the idea is being suggested to men in a Bible Study group that Josh and I have led. It has also been floated by others. For these men, it is a totally new concept that God is using to stretch some and is also meeting with some hesitancy on the part of others. The hesitant ones have said that if they did this their Africaner relatives would be highly offended. We're not pushing, but just sowing some seed. We'll see what God will do.

Incidentally, Josh has found a series of messages by Jonathan Edwards on our responsibility to the poor. He would like to see them put out in a book form with study guide questions. He says they are terrific. Also, Josh is just about finished with all his work for his DMin at Southern. He finished the last segment of his dissertation two week ago and has sent it in.

He's been doing some preaching in black churches in settlements as well as preaching at Grace Fellowship Church at least once a week. I'm right now doing a series at the church on Maintaining Sexual Purity and Sanity in a Sexually Impure and Insane World. We're gearing up for our 7th of 8 weeks of modules for this cohort of people. We'll be doing Problems and Procedures in this module and then Observations and Practicum in the next.

I'm doing a couple of family camps in February and March and along with Josh some Biblical Counseling teaching at Tim Cantrell's church. Later in the spring, I will speak at a Pastor's conference sponsored by Evangelical Press in Barberton, South Africa. And then I'll participate in the Shepherd's conference in Joburg, Polokwane and Capetown.

Carol is doing a women's retreat at Grace Fellowship Church in February and she and Beth and Marda plan and prepare the food for the meal that we provide for 50 or more students one evening when GSM classes are in session. Carol also teaches a women's Bible study where they are using my new book, It's Not Fair, as the basis for their study.

Blessings and thank you for your faithful partnership with us in ministry.

For Him,

Wayne and Carol Mack
James 1:27
Romans 14:7, 8