Long Term Missions in Cape Town

H.E.A.L. with Jesus - a diagram

2008-01-09T07:57:00.000-08:00

This is what I believe God is showing me for the calling He has for me...in South Africa and even beyond!

May the broken be healed and may Christ be proclaimed!!!

H.E.A.L. - the five finger mission statement

2008-01-04T15:35:00.000-08:00

The following will help us all to focus on what God has called me to in South Africa and beyond.
As simple as a hand, so is what I believe the Lord is showing me for my life. A hand has 5 fingers, four fingers and one thumb to bind them together.
When I see a hand, I see four fingers showing the mission statement and one thumb to bind all together symbolizing Jesus through whom I am able to do this. Only with Jesus I am able to point to healing and restoration, to encouragement and accountability and to healthy leadership as well. The hand is only complete with the thumb.

One finger stands for H.ealing and restoration- this means the process a person needs to get unstuck, to see change and to be restored inside out.

Another finger stands for E.ncouragement and exhortation- this means the importance of giving encouraging words during a healing process.

Another finger stands for A.ccountability and Application- this means to stay in reach of others, to share deep thoughts and emotions with others and to let specific people talk into our lives. Application is a very important component. It means that I need to be practical and to have tools ready to be applied in real life!

The fourth finger stands for L.eadership and constant learning- It is important to know what healthy leadership is and also that we need to learn constantly.

The thumb symbolizes Jesus and HIS role in this mission. He is the beginning and the end and through Him I will be able to be God’s hand extended.

This hand shall be extended to an aching world in need of healing and restoration, in need of a change, in need of life, in need of JESUS.

God is using ME

2007-11-26T06:39:00.000-08:00

HI, my name is Kerstin Berthold. I love my name. It means: Belonging to CHRIST! My name is the program of my life! I am glad to be Kerstin and not anyone else! In the past 2 weeks, God has renewed my mind and soul and I feel He gave me new and fresh water to drink. I realize how much I felt overwhelmed with the idea of being a missioanry sent to a different nation. Now, not only my mind, but my heart udnerstands what it means to be called, sent and loved in all the processes. God called me, Kerstin, with all my good and all my bad traits, feelings, thoughts. I am glad that I am not a superwoman...just Kerstin. God has called me to bind up broken hearted, to point to HIM and talk about HIM, to be a living testimony of HIS love, hope and strength on this earth.

I am ready!

I am ready to be Kerstin, be renewed on an ongoing basis ........

God rekindled my heart: where does HE send me?

2007-11-02T06:18:00.000-07:00

God has rekindled my heart for it this week as well:
In my quiet time, I saw a picture of a theatre house, a dance rehearsal room with the jury sitting down with the crowd and up on stage a spotlight waiting for the main person to enter the stage: First there came a woman, she told the story of a broken lady which moved me (sitting in the jury) to tears. She broke down as the next candidate came on stage: a man, not knowing who he was, lost and wounded. One after another came…. hurt people, beaten women etc. My heart ached and I cried heavy tears. “These are the people I send to you, Kerstin. And what you are feeling now is only a slight little bit of what I am feeling in my heart, says the LORD!”

It is to those that God called me and whatever I need to do I will do and whatever I need to learn and be challenged with, here I am God, use me.

Missions work and the role of the church

2007-08-21T03:52:00.000-07:00

I am learning more and more how big missions work. It is the will of God to go and share the good news and make disciples. The latter is a big part of the mission God has given me.
My heart is to disciple in the area of healing, to share resources and to pour out myself to point to God. May His any person's identity in Christ be revealed and the truth will set this person free. The Lord is the healer and perfecter, the healer and restorer of our souls.

As a missionary I can give the church a part in this, so that the church can own what God is calling me to as well. This seems then to be for the greater glory because the church opens herself up for more in His kingdom. This can bring new life to the church and can give broader vision and new vision to her members. It is like catching a bug, it is contagious and sooner or later it is not about the missionfield that God has given me, but about the Lord doing HIS work in the missionfield as well as in the church supporting and walking with me. This is an exciting symbiose, an exciting teamwork.

I will write a more detailed entry about what God has put on my heart as a missionary for HIM.
It is about HIM , only about HIM.

Jesus showed me a vision = the foundation of this healing ministry!!!

2007-07-30T03:20:00.001-07:00

A few months ago, in the middle of a worship service as I am singing and praising God, I had a vision..clear before me....I would say I lived the vision:

I saw me standing in a dark corridor. In front of me was Jesus. He looked at me very calmly. As I looked over his right shoulder, I saw a door standing open. Out of that room came a hideous smell. It smelled like death , pain, fear and the most horrible thing you could imagine.

I panicked and wanted to run. "Fear not, my Kerstin, "said Jesus," would you go with me?" He pointed to that door and I screamed: "NOOOOOO, Jesus are you nuts?????? I won't go near that door, near that room!"
In my mind, thousands of thoughts ran back and forth: Well has Jesus ever let you down? No. Has he been mean to you in any way? No. Well, then go with him and trust. So I did and I thought I should do it quickly so I would not change my mind out of this immense fear that I sensed.

We came to that room and the smell was nearly unbearable, I felt my gag reflex and my whole body revolted. I wanted to run away, run as fast as I could to a place as furthest away possible. Jesus took my hand and we entered the room.

To my right I saw a carcass- that is where the hidous smell was coming from. We walked past that and Jesus sat me on a white hospital bed right across from that carcass. We both sat there and I struggled with the smell, with the strong urge to run and the panic that had taken hold of me.

As I looked at that carcass, I realized that the carcass was ME. I was in a deep shock and did not know what to do. Jesus sat down right beside me, on the left side of me; he took my left hand into his and put my head on his shoulder. Then he said the following:
"Kerstin, do not be afraid, what you see in front of you is only an echo of the pain, the fear and the death that has happened to you. It is not real. I am real, squeeze my hand! I need you to stay in the pain of your wounds a little bit longer, so I can fully take this pain away from you. It is part of my healing that you need to feel it and not run away or fight it away. Stay with me and trust me, I AM HERE WITH YOU!"
Wow, I suddenly found myself back i the worship service, totally
amazed for Jesus had just shown me how HIS healing ministry works and how much I
just want to run away as soon as I encounter pain.
This I take as the foundation of the healing ministry that God has put on my heart. It is about HIm and how He can help us to deal with our wounds, the wounds from our past and all the hard stuff, the death inside of us.
May Life come forth and may Healing begin in Jesus' matchless name!!!!!

New National Anthem of South Africa

2007-07-22T14:01:00.001-07:00

I love this anthem, have a look at all the different lagnuages in it :)

CApe Town/ Kapstadt

2007-07-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

Cape Town
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cape TownKaapstad, iKapa
Panorama of the Cape Town city bowl from the Waterfront to Table Mountain
Flag
Nickname: The mother city, or The Tavern of the Seas
Motto: Spes Bona (Latin for "Good Hope")
Location of the City of Cape Town in Western Cape Province

Coordinates: 33°55′35″S 18°25′22″E / -33.9264, 18.4227
Country South Africa
Province Western Cape Province
Municipality City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality
Founded in 1652
City council - Mayor Helen Zille
Area - City 2,499 km² (964.9 sq mi)
Population (2001) - City 2,893,251
- Density 1,158/km² (2,999.2/sq mi)
Postal code 8000 / Area code(s) 021
Website: http://www.capetown.gov.za/

Cape Town (Afrikaans: Kaapstad /ˈkɑːpstɑt/; Xhosa: iKapa) is the third most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the City of Cape Town. It is the provincial capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislative capital of South Africa, where the National Parliament and many government offices are located. Cape Town is famous for its harbour as well as its natural setting in the Cape floral kingdom, including such well-known landmarks as Table Mountain and Cape Point. Often regarded as one of the world's most beautiful cities because of its geography, Cape Town is the most popular South African destination for tourism (Cape Town in 60 seconds.)
Cape Town was originally developed as a victualling station for Dutch ships sailing to Eastern Africa, India, and the Far East more than 200 years before the construction of the Suez Canal in 1869. Jan van Riebeeck's arrival on 6 April 1652 established the first permanent European settlement in South Africa. Cape Town quickly outgrew its original purpose as the first European outpost at the Castle of Good Hope. It was the largest city in South Africa until the growth of Johannesburg and Durban.
According to the 2001 Census, the city has a population of 2.95 million.[2] Cape Town's land area of 2,499 square kilometres (965 sq mi) is larger than other South African cities, resulting in a comparatively lower population density of 1,158 people per square kilometre (2,999/sq mi).[2] Cape Town is town twinned with Nice in France and Haifa in Israel.

Information on Cape Town

2007-07-14T14:30:00.001-07:00

Cape Town is fast becoming one of the world’s most loved destinations.
Cape Town on Sale celebrates Cape Town’s wonderful winter season, enticing you to discover and explore the gems in our backyard. Don't hibernate this winter, get out and about and enjoy this special season in Cape Town. Winter is a wonderful time to explore the fabulous places and activities that Cape Town and surrounds have to offer. It is all about being pampered, playing, great food, wonderful wines, nature in its full splendour and celebrating the creative world of sound, style and art. It is a time to slow down, relax, unwind, be spoilt and gather around fireplaces with friends and good wine and taking a well deserved break.

Take a Virtual Tour of Cape Town

My updated support letter

2007-07-13T21:25:00.001-07:00

July 12th, less than 3 weeks to go
I blog regularly on: http:/freiheitwelcometomyworld.blogspot.com/

SOUTH AFRICA-CAPE TOWN

Dear family and friends,
Here I am, less than 3 weeks before the big move. I will go home to Germany, get my visa and
then go to Cape Town as soon as I have enough funds.
I am doing ok in all this, am so glad that God provides me with peace and trust and all that. I
know that He is here and He is working in all this. Thank you so much for your prayers!!!!!!!
Trust is what my theme is these days…a trust that is weak and raw and vulnerable, a trust
that can only come from my God
July 12th, less than 3 weeks to go

On the weekend of the 21st/22nd of July I will be up on stage at all the East Hill services to
be interviewed by Ted Roberts on my upcoming mission. I will also have a table in the
foyer and will be there to talk to people.

When will I leave the U.S. for South Africa?

My last day of work at East Hill Church will be Friday, July 20th, 2007 and I will fly home
to Frankfurt, Germany exactly one week later on the 27th of July. I am returning to Germany to
apply for my visa which must be done from my home country. Then I will have approximately
three months in Germany to work and be with friends and family before I embark on my new
adventure to Capetown, South Africa.

NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS
How is my support going?
I have a lot of people praying for me and to be honest that is the most important thing right
now. It helps not to stand alone
The finances are slowly coming in. I should have about 1700 $ by now, but need at least
3,200$ to be able to have a “reserve” here at East Hill at all times in case of emergency PLUS
the money for the first 2 months there that I can spend: in all 6,400 $. I believe that God will
provide and bring it in. If I cannot cover the first months in Cape Town, I cannot be sent out
yet. Also, I need to have the “reserve” money in at all times. If I fall under the

3,200 $, I
have 60 days in financial emergency state before I would need to leave the field to go
home and build up my support again. Certainly, I would not want to go there.

How can you support me in this?

- with your prayers. During this season of transition I am need of spiritual protection
over my emotions, decisions, thoughts and actions. I need discernment and God’s
wisdom for balance. Likewise, you can pray for a good and stable family that will open
their home to me in Capetown. My e-mail address is newborntigger@yahoo.com and I
would love to hear from you at any time.

Financially, I am going to need approximately $1,650.00 a month in support. While East
July 12th, less than 3 weeks to go
I blog regularly on: http:/freiheitwelcometomyworld.blogspot.com/
Hill will be giving me some financial support, it will not cover the full support amount that I
need.
My IMMEDIATE needs are 2 months worth of my budget as
reserve PLUS 2 months of my budget to actually spend on
housing and food to be able to go: 6,400$
If you need a tax receipt, you can send payments to East Hill
Church. Please make sure to note "South Africa Long Term
Missions” on the memo line of each check.
The address of The East Hill Church is:
East Hill Church, PO Box 650, Gresham OR 97030
All my support and funding goes through East Hill, so please make the check out
to East Hill and send it to the address mentioned above. Thank you!

Finally, If you have any questions about my plans or want further information, please do
not hesitate to contact me. I’d love to hear from you as well
May God bless you!
Sincerely, Kerstin