Africa Country
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Africa, the second largest continent (after Asia), covering about one-fifth of the total land surface of Earth. The continent is bounded on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, on the north by the Mediterranean Sea, on the east by the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, and on the south by the mingling waters of the Atlantic and Indian oceans. |
Ed and Sonja Corbin, Missionaries to South Africa and Zambia, have been pioneer children's ministry leaders for over 40 years. They blazed the trail as children’s pastors, children's television celebrities and as children's ministry missionaries in Africa. After 23 years of service as missionaries, they returned to America in 2012, where they have served as children's pastors in two churches and have traveled extensively as itinerant speakers.
In 2015, Jacques van Bommel, our spiritual son who served with us at Jackson's Ridge in South Africa spent some time with us at our home in Branson, MO. He had a God-idea request for us: return to South Africa, and become the Grandfather and Grandmother of the Reaching A Generation Ministry.
RAG is huge...the largest children's ministry organization in southern Africa (to my knowledge). They are involved in all aspects of children's ministries...traditional ministry like community evangelism outreaches, working in the public school systems and training children's ministers. They lead hybrid ministries like Center Shot (which uses archery as a means of evangelism), drilling wells to provide clean drinking water, and creating a girl's home in Zambia to rescue young girls from becoming child brides. RAG is an amazing and powerful ministry!
REACHING THE UNREACHED IN REMOTE VILLAGES
We left Victoria Falls and headed west into an area of Zambia never seen by tourists. After a couple of hours, we hit the potholes and the pain began. This is the worst road I had ever been on in my entire life. We zig-zagged from left to right trying to find safe passage across the massive holes. Finally we arrived and were ushered into beautiful accommodations at Shikwaru on the Zambezi.
It was at Shikwaru that we trained workers for two full days. These were the workers that led over 40 children's churches in remote villages in western Zambia. Over 7500 children each week are ministered to by these children's ministers. These are the Lozi people and they lead a rugged life in an area void of industry and jobs. This is also an area where there are no churches and no missionaries.
After receiving hours of training and rehearsing their evangelism program, we loaded about 40 people into the back of two 4X4 pickups and headed deep into the bush of rural Zambia. Two hours later we arrived at the village of Kapau.
First to arrive were two school teachers, then the children, then the mothers and then the village elders. Everyone sat outside under a big shade tree. This is the first time a Christian gathering had ever occurred in this village. As I preached the Gospel, illustrated with a paper-cutting object lesson, the Holy Spirit began to move and prepare hearts. When the altar call was given, nearly every person in the village repeated a sinner’s prayer.
What a beautiful sight! What an honor to take the name of Jesus into an area that had never heard. This was the first time! But it was not the last time. A children's church has now begun in Kapau village..
In 2015, Jacques van Bommel, our spiritual son who served with us at Jackson's Ridge in South Africa spent some time with us at our home in Branson, MO. He had a God-idea request for us: return to South Africa, and become the Grandfather and Grandmother of the Reaching A Generation Ministry.
RAG is huge...the largest children's ministry organization in southern Africa (to my knowledge). They are involved in all aspects of children's ministries...traditional ministry like community evangelism outreaches, working in the public school systems and training children's ministers. They lead hybrid ministries like Center Shot (which uses archery as a means of evangelism), drilling wells to provide clean drinking water, and creating a girl's home in Zambia to rescue young girls from becoming child brides. RAG is an amazing and powerful ministry!
REACHING THE UNREACHED IN REMOTE VILLAGES
We left Victoria Falls and headed west into an area of Zambia never seen by tourists. After a couple of hours, we hit the potholes and the pain began. This is the worst road I had ever been on in my entire life. We zig-zagged from left to right trying to find safe passage across the massive holes. Finally we arrived and were ushered into beautiful accommodations at Shikwaru on the Zambezi.
It was at Shikwaru that we trained workers for two full days. These were the workers that led over 40 children's churches in remote villages in western Zambia. Over 7500 children each week are ministered to by these children's ministers. These are the Lozi people and they lead a rugged life in an area void of industry and jobs. This is also an area where there are no churches and no missionaries.
After receiving hours of training and rehearsing their evangelism program, we loaded about 40 people into the back of two 4X4 pickups and headed deep into the bush of rural Zambia. Two hours later we arrived at the village of Kapau.
First to arrive were two school teachers, then the children, then the mothers and then the village elders. Everyone sat outside under a big shade tree. This is the first time a Christian gathering had ever occurred in this village. As I preached the Gospel, illustrated with a paper-cutting object lesson, the Holy Spirit began to move and prepare hearts. When the altar call was given, nearly every person in the village repeated a sinner’s prayer.
What a beautiful sight! What an honor to take the name of Jesus into an area that had never heard. This was the first time! But it was not the last time. A children's church has now begun in Kapau village..