Staff and students marvel as God provides for His school, building on their faith and prayers.
by Loago Setswalo, class of ‘12 Founder/Director of Purelight Missions Training Centre*
We have existed by a miracle, we have been sustained by miracles, and now we are expanding the ministry by miracles of God. The property we bought was way below market value—108 hectares at $60k USD, and at that time we only had about $40k, but God provided the funds and we secured the property. How two poor Africans who had just graduated could raise that money is a testimony of its miraculous establishment.
Our secret has been prayer, expecting great things from God, and hanging on to the promises of God by faith. We pray and fast once a week, pleading with God to provide for our needs, and what God has been doing has shocked and enriched me. We bought this farm with just one main building on it, and in less than two years the Lord helped us raise all the money needed to build the ladies’ dorm, administration block, and staff quarters! This is at an estimated cost of $200k! Our students have testified how these miracles transformed them.
Not only do we see God’s hand in the infrastructure, but also in making provisions to meet the monthly operating expenses. Generally, our students struggle to pay their bills, and for years we had very few regular donors, but the students have always eaten healthy meals, our electric bills are always paid, and we still have enough to pay staff stipends and expand the buildings on the farm. Many have asked me to share with them our fundraising strategy, and I guess it’s prayer! In the past seven years of our existence, there has never been a month where we have failed to meet our monthly obligations due to lack of funds, or where staff stipends were not paid.
Since last year we have been witnessing a miracle developing before our eyes—the building of a conference center. The estimated cost for this center is about $400k. The progress made thus far is amazing! We managed to lay the foundation and used bricks to build the wall up to roof level. This is a 300-capacity conference hall with a recording studio, computer lab, library, staff offices, showers, and ablutions. It is the biggest building on our farm. We have been able to pay all the money needed for its construction, and we are now praying for the Lord to provide funds for the roofing and furnishing of this center. You can be part of this miracle!
This center has tried my faith more than any other project, and “in reviewing our past history, having traveled over every step of advance to our present standing, I can say, Praise God! As I see what God has wrought, I am filled with astonishment, and with confidence in Christ as leader. We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.”1
1 Ellen G. White, Christian Experience and Teachings of Ellen G. White,p. 204.
*An alumni project supported through Hartland’s “Lord, Send Me” program