The Call Is Going Out!

Many of you have heard the story of how the Lord brought Farming God’s Way into being and how, right at the beginning, He gave us Isaiah 58 to guide us along His straight path. Isaiah 58 begins with a very loud Trumpet Call that announces God’s process that results in those, who are obedient to that call, being named as the “Rebuilders of the Ancient Ruins, on the Age-old Foundations, Repairers of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”

A Dramatic Beginning
Well, for us in Africa, that call to the rebuilding process is really beginning to happen in earnest. We believe that the Lord is selecting Zimbabwe as His beginning point because “He chooses what is foolish in the world to confound the wise and what is weak in the world to shame the strong.” The most foolish and weakest nation in the world at the moment seems to be Zimbabwe. When we look at the international news, Zimbabwe is often depicted as the laughing stock of the world. We have recently witnessed the fastest crash in history of any nation’s economy and probably also its agricultural production. In FGW/Foundations for Farming the Lord has given us His foundational platform to address both of these collapses (ruins), because Isaiah 58 shows us that it first requires the right heart and motive of the True Fast, and then that Agriculture is the Entrance Point for the National Rebuild.

A Call Round the World
The Trumpet Call is being blown loudly to the churches in Zimbabwe at the moment and it will reach a crescendo just after this next Champs (7-9 September) on the 26th September, when a Call to Prayer will go round the world to the Zimbabwe Diaspora and all those interested in the Rebuild/Transformation of Zimbabwe and Africa. The Trumpet Call initiative is being co-ordinated through a partnership between the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe and Foundations for Farming – and includes a team from the United Kingdom that is mobilising international prayer for the 26th September which will give support to the gatherings of hopefully between 300-500 000 in Harare, and large gatherings in the other major cities. Parallel to this there is an inspired initiative to have 55 Foundations for Farming sites prepared and immaculately ready by the 26th as training points strategically placed throughout all the rural areas of the nation. The vision is that the Church will truly be used by God to feed the nation this year!

The appeal is for all the churches in Zimbabwe to forsake their local gatherings and travel on Sunday the 26th to a huge central venue to worship and call out to God for the healing of the nation His Way. Because the rebuild begins with the faithful use of the land, we will be appealing (on TV and every available means) for everybody in the nation to plant at least a symbolic patch of maize On Time, At Standard, Without Wastage and With Joy! This patch can be as little as four plants, preferably in a prominent, easily visible position i.e. in front of each dwelling place, 75cm x 60cm apart, fully mulched, at the Highest Standard possible! We want to honour and lift up Jesus so that He draws a multitude to Himself!

Please Pray for this Momentous and Critical Time
The year 2011 brings the referendum for a new National Constitution followed by the National Parliamentary Elections for Zimbabwe. There has been a strategic lull in the tensions in Zim during the season of the Football World Cup, and we expect the Evil One to have one last diabolical attempt to maintain dominance of the nation. This siege may be the most violent and repressive of all. We pray that this will be a great prompt for the National Church to unite and turn back absolutely wholeheartedly to God and to seek His Face and His Ways. In fact this very turn back to God will be the best way to protect the extremely vulnerable ones from great harm and suffering. Please pray for them and for the clearance of the way for this exceedingly significant gathering to happen. It will need a miracle from the Lord!

This September Champs will Point the Way to the 26th
I appeal to the Champions and Supporters from the other nations not to think that this is just another “Zim thing”. It really is a Continental Quest that is beginning with the ‘Foolishness’ and ‘Weakness’ of the Zimbabwean situation. It is also a Significant Milestone in the Breaking of the Yoke of Poverty, Hunger and Injustice of the Downtrodden in Africa and the Whole World! We believe that the coming incredible contrast seen in the transformation of Zimbabwe from being the laughing stock to being a shining example will so astound the world and especially the nations of Africa, that it will truly be used by the Lord as a discipleship model to many, and perhaps all nations.

Please can we put away any differences and disagreements we may have and come and gather and unite before our Gracious Holy God and seek His face together at this next Champs! There will still be some of our usual teaching and brushing up for the coming season, as well as great fellowship and many brilliant testimonies of the amazing things the Lord is doing through FGW/Foundations for Farming. PLEASE COME and PLEASE PRAY!!!

Longing to see you all again!

Much love
Brian and Cath