"A people passionate about reconstructing communities"
Team from Jubilee church

Team from Jubilee church

God has been gracious in the sense that He continues to strengthen the bridge between South Africa and the U.K. This week we had 5 guests from the Jubilee Church based in Bromley, UK. They however did not come to do sight –seeing as so many tourists do when they come to Cape Town. They had a different agenda and that was to come and impart knowledge into the lives of people from the community.

They did a number of short courses like: Listening and counselling skills, first – aid, c.v writing and interview skills with the community.All the courses took place and was hosted at Impact Direct Ministries. Over the years the Jubilee Church has been sending from members to come and impart their skills into the lives of people here. We as Impact Direct would like to thank the Jubilee church for sowing into the lives of many and allowing their church members to come to Cape Town.

Bradley Before

Bradley Before

Bradley After

Bradley After

To those who have an interest to read the story of an individual who didn’t really understand what life was really about, who neither had a positive guide to teach and show him how to make the right choices in life, if they told you what was right they would always do the opposite of what they say. Well I think nobody gets to choose the situation they are born into, but I guess, and I firmly believe that you can change your situation or your circumstance. Change is inevitable change is possible only if you decide you want change, the whole world is talking about change, and yes there has been change but are we living for the change and the difference that we can make in our Families, Homes, or community, country or nation.

My name is Bradley I am the second oldest of five kids, I am currently situated in Cape Town Athlone Bridgetown, I have been living in Bridgetown all my life, Bridgetown is one of the most popular areas in terms of gangster ism and drugs. I grew up with a single parent my father was shot and killed when I was to 2 years old, my younger brother from my father side was shot and killed, then I had a cousin who was also shot and killed in gang related activities.
Why I am saying this is because one of the most Notorious gangs the Young Americans have been birthed out of our community not only did it start in our community it was actually a group of men that I new on very close and personal level, well my Father at that time was chosen to be the leader of this so called gang who had just emerged.

My uncle, who was involved in strategic planning, as to what the gang planned to do. 3 Generations later I found myself in the same cycle, and wasn’t sure if I was going to spend my life in prison or end up dead as my father. In our society we look up to gangsters and drug dealers as our role models, we have no one to guide us neither is there any compass to direct our paths, and so we choose our destiny to die for what we stand and believe in, it has been 16 years of my life that I have been enslaved and controlled by gangsterism and drugs.

Mike Santer, a businessman from the UK, greeted the church and gave his blessings from abroad and then he asked the church to pray for Southampton and the church in the U.K. He had a video camera that he used to record us praying for the church in Southampton.

Gary Wills, an IT lecturer from the UK, will be bringing the word to our Church.
Reading from Matthew 13 vs 53-54: “When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked.”

Dr Gary Wills bringing the word.

Dr Gary Wills bringing the word.

Hi Ladies

Its that time of the year again,We at Impact Direct Ministries are hosting a benefit for women from diverse walks of life,this is a follow up of #EEC2009 = Educate,Empower & conquer…you have the key, THIS YEAR #EEC2010 …. I AM WOMAN!

Please join us on the 27th of March 2010 for a breakfast conference that you’ll never forget.Cost per ticket is R130.00.

As you know for those who attended last year it was a stunning venue,we promise to deliver again.
Please leave a comment if you are interested in a ticket/s as we only have 20 tickets left. Alternatively call Fran Chauhan on : 0732254607 or
Rene Parker on: 0798118536.

Jemima getting ready to pamper those feet.

Jemima getting ready to pamper those feet.

Every Wednesday is very special day for the senior’s of Impact Direct, as they are treated like royalty, having their feet and nails pampered. The group consists of 180 seniors broken up into smaller groups of 20-25.

“When we come to have our feet pampered, we feel brand new like a different person, you feel the Love of the volunteers. I can’t wait for the next session” Gadija Joseph who has been coming for the pampering for 2 years.

“It’s an awesome experience; seeing different faces people, knowing that there’s different emotion’s that come along; I love taking the blood pressure, knowing that the pressure has underlying issues, bitterness emotional and unresolved issues; I always ask the Holy Spirit to lead me to edify the people.” Gail Osborne a volunteer at Impact Direct.

The pampering which has been running for 5 years now.


Today was one of those days where we will be taking the Advice Support service to another level in collaboration with 4 other Non-profit organisations and supported by Department of Social Development. The Substance Abuse Mobile Counselling pilot project will investigate the use of cellphones as a counselling and support medium for people who are impacted by substance abuse.

All the NGOs came together today for the oficial launch of the mobile counselling pilot and having a group of people working together, coming from different backgrounds was amazing to experience as the dream and vision for establishing many of these Reconstructed Living Lab spaces across South Africa are moving towards becoming a reality. Although all the mobile counsellors from the various organisations came together for the launch at the Impact Centre, the group will be working remotely with the support hub being at the birth place of Advice Support Network at IDM’s Impact Centre.


With all the excitement in the air and representatives from different organisations coming together through the purpose of using cellphones for social change seeing the impact the session of the launch had on those in need of support was incredible. During the first two hour session of the pilot, 103 subscribers made contact with us and 2034 messages were sent to people in need of support in the area of drug addiction.

The best part of this good start is that it is only the beginning as we will see more lives be reconstructed through people and the use of technology.

You have the Key….

Hello ladies,

We are hosting a women’s conference on Saturday, 17 October 2009 from 9am-1pm at Ratanga Junction.

Target audience: Women between the ages of 20-40years.

The theme is: You have the key. Join us as we celebrate the key in You. Educate, Empower & Conquer..

There will be 3 amazing women speakers, breakfast will be served and lots of prizes and a goody bag for each lady attending.

Ticket cost: R100

If you would like to attend or find out more about it. Please send me a message.

Have a fabulous week further!

Today we started a world’s first by offering training to the National AIDS Help Line using our Advice Support technology to offer counselling via Mobile Instant Messaging (MIM). This Pilot is supported by Cell-Life, HIV organisation Right To Care and PEPFAR which will allow for this service to be fully funded for the duration of the Pilot. What this mean for the National AIDS Helpline is that it would be now the only organisation in the world to offer counselling with regard to HIV/AIDS using Mobile Instant Messaging using the technology (see image below)that was developed by a community on the Cape Flats in the Athlone Living Lab.

The first day went well as we introduced the future mobile counselors to “The Art of Mobile Counselling” and “Mobile Phones for Social Good”. The training is being done by myself and Craig Ross, member of the Reconstructed Team, and will keep you updated on the progress of the week. Also look out for a post on the “Art of Mobile Counselling”. To add the National AIDS Help Line on MXit you do the following:

1) Add Contacts
2) Got to Jabber or Google Talk option
3) ID: redchatzone@gmail.com (Jabber) or redchatzone (Google Talk) and Nickname: Red Chat Zone
4) Accept Contact

This service will be live Mondays to Thursdays between 3pm and 5pm.

Note to Joyful Christian Wife readers: Originally, I wanted to bring this story to you in audio podcast format, however, a difficult phone connection made this very challenging. Instead, I present Brent William’s story in a written interview.
This is a story published by Marlo Wallace Boux on her blog…The Joyful Christian Wife .She is the host of The God Talk Radio show that is based in Winnipeg,Canada

Brent Williams hales from Cape Town, South Africa. He is a former methamphetamine addict and an ex gang member. He is, however, so much more that those things. He is the son of a loving mother who risked her own life to see him through those days and journey with him to where he is today. He is also first and foremost a devout Christian. Now a drug counselor, himself, Brent works to help others get off the destructive path that he, himself once walked.

JCW: Brent, describe your life with gang and meth before you handed it over to the Lord.

BW: My life was totally out of control. I was one of the first meth dealers in the area where I live. I got involved in various horrible gang activities and was harming everyone around me. And being on meth and other hard drugs for eight years did not help one bit. I became so dependent on drugs that nothing else mattered to me.

I had been trying for numerous of years to come off from drugs and was struggling all the time. There were times that I would stop for a month, or two months at a time, but then would find myself doing drugs again. After this happened I would go into a pitiful state where I would go on a binge and would wonder how this could happen again. I would condemn myself and would say things like: “Will I DIE doing drugs?”

I became withdrawn from the family and my gang became my life and family. I respected the gang members more than I did my own mother and father. Because I was using so long, I also became psychologically unstable. I would go on all sorts of ‘trips’. I always thought that people were out to kill me. I even started to think that the people closest to me wanted to kill me.

JCW: Talk about the day you decided to follow Jesus.

BW: That morning I had broke up with my girlfriend. At this point I had already lost everything that was dear to me; my relationship with my parents, my job that I had, and most of my belongings. Losing my girlfriend – for me – was just the last straw.

So I did what most (if not all) drug addicts do when they are faced with issues and problems in their lives; I ran to drugs. I went on a drug binge and this particular day I was feeling at my lowest. The more drugs I did the more depressed I became.

The drugs were not making the pain go away. It was only making it worse. When evening came and I had had enough of the drugs, I went home and told my mom I was going to commit suicide.

She told me not to talk like that as it was foolish. She told me:”Why don’t you give Jesus a chance and He will take away all your problems. I asked “what can Jesus do for me” as I have done so many harmful things to others including my mom.

Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. Philippians 4:6 (NLT)

I had nothing to lose and called out on the name of Jesus to help me with my drug addiction. I felt a warmth and love in me that no human could possibly give you and I felt the tangible presence of God. I burst out in tears and commited my life to Christ that evening. The urge and desire to want to do drugs was taken away by the power of Jesus.

JCW: Brent, talk about the transformation – your triumphs and struggles over the past 2 years.

BW: I know that God allowed me to be tested so that I would have a testimony to share with many out there that are still trapped on drugs. I found that everytime I shared my story, healing was taking place within myself. I knew that going back to drugs was not an option for me any longer.

I am presenting hope to a person that is finding himself in a hopeless sitaution. So as long as I am on the face of this earth I will serve Jesus and won’t stop spreading the gospel and what Jesus has done in my life.

In terms of the struggles – I have been faced with many tests over the last two years. I realised that I need Jesus Christ every single day of my life. Early this year something happened to me and I thought that it was the end of my walk with Christ. I wondered how God could allow something like this to happpen.

I was thinking I was going to go back to using drugs. But God is faithful. He will allow us to be tested but will always provide a way out. So through all of that I had to trust God with my emotions and had to ask The Holy Spirit to help me.

The word of God also says that what we go through is to shape and mould us and prepare us for the purpose and plans God has for our lives. So I am back on track and can already see how God is working in my life. So, yes, this is a narrow road that I am walking on and it can be difficult at times but i just have put my trust in God.

JCW: Would you talk about your work at the Impact Center?

BW: I am currently a drug counsellor at The Impact Centre. Myself and friend Bradley Niadoo are also running the Daily Drug Programme. This is where recovering addicts come in on a daily basis to break being caught up in the vicious cycle of drugs.

We start our day off with a daily devotion and commit the day to God. We then take a break and they come back for life skills training and then we have reflections of the day and what they have learned.

I am also working in schools where we do in-house counselling with problematic youth who gets sent to us. We also do online counselling and am one of the counsellors on that particular project. I am also very involved in the ministry side of the Centre. I consider everything I do at the Centre ministry.

**You can hear Brent give his testimony courtesy of Impact Direct Ministries Podcast.

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I want to thank Brent for sharing his personal story. If you would like to learn more about him you can find him online at his blog. If you are on twitter you can follow Brent and read what he is doing with Impact Center.


“I’ll sing to you Lord a hymn of love for your faithfulness to me – I’m carried in everlasting arms. You’ll never let me go, through it all.”

The worship team led the congregation of the saints into a realm of absolute intimacy with the Holy Spirit as His presence filled the place. This worship and adoration of our Lord ushered in the unadulterated Word of God broken to us by Pastor van Wyk.

Bread of Life

Do we consider how often we eat food when we are hungry? This is how often we need to be feeding off the Word of God. It should be like the food we eat.

This morning the teaching was lead by Pastor Van Wyk. The theme verse was in Hebrew 3v12. Pastor Van Wyk opened the teaching with a strong statement of truth: “Faith in God comes before love of the saints.” The great message for the saints this morning was indeed a warning against unbelief.

When we harbour unbelief, you are considered to be wicked. When you are not a believer, then there’s unbelief in your heart. Unbelief cancels faith and faith pleases God. Surely the deduction is that when we do not have faith in God, then we displease Him. The call is to have the type of faith in God that holds onto Him even when He doesn’t turn up and then to still have the courage in unwavering faith in Him.

Faith starts in your heart not in your mind. Faith finds its roots, there in the centre of your being. The warning in the Word is to guard your heart above all else. This includes taking an active stance in guarding your heart against unbelief. Unbelief sets you on a path away from God toward rebellion. Unbelief despises and rejects God. Self-pity sprouts and leads to rebellion and then turns you from God. A manifestation of rebellion to God is often times seen in people opposing leaders.

Many times, leaders do not choose to be leaders. Their rank was chosen for them by God, the Sovereign. It is He who appoints persons to positions of leadership and it is He who equips them to operate in their ranking.

Just as faith starts in your heart, unbelief also starts in your heart. Constant murmuring and complaining spoken from a heart of hopelessness is the most common manifestation of an unbelieving heart.

When we claim to be believers in God, we are expected to have a strong belief in Him. This along with faith, separates us from those who live in unbelief and darkness. How then is it that we call ourselves believers yet we still carry on nuturing and unbelieving heart? Somewhere, something is wrong in our faith walk with God. We need to take time to reflect and investigate our hearts openly and honestly before God. We need to confess the unbelief in our hearts in true sincerity and ask God to forgive us as this is a sin.

Furthermore, we need to take an active decision to have our minds renewed all the time and be careful to guard our hearts in maintaining an active faith in God. Amen

By Marion Le Fleur