Missions in the Mall - National Women's Day Outreaches 2018

"Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; beside the gates leading into the city, at the entrances, she cries aloud." Proverbs 1:20-21

63 Volunteers helped us distribute over 6,000 tracts, leaflets and Gospel booklets and over 2,000 balloons with Scripture messages on them, in three shopping malls on Thursday, 9 August (National Women's Day) in South Africa.

We have been conducting these missions in the malls every Women’s Day since 1995.

Over the last eight years, we have been receiving increasing resistance. Most mall managements gave a firm, NO. Several stated that it was against their policy to have any religious charities, or displays, in their malls. By God's grace, and after much prayer and approaching of many shopping malls, we did receive invitations to 3 busy shopping centres in the Cape Peninsula. At two of the malls, we completely ran out of Stop the Traffick! Tracts.

Women and Girls are Not for Sale!
These days, requesting an opportunity to have a table and display in a Mall is almost like smuggling Bibles into a restricted-access country! One has to use some innovative and creative methods. Due to these greater mall restrictions, we focused on mobilising people to take action against the exploitation of women in human trafficking. From last year we started using the name of Traffick Proof South Africa. Last year, we also produced a new banner which boldly proclaims: “Women and Girls are not for sale!”, “Stop the Traffick!” and “Traffick Proof your community”. This banner was again used at a mall that only granted us this opportunity under this politically correct, positive-sounding cause.

Malls – Modern Marketplaces
“While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.” Acts 17:16-17

Malls are a great place to reach people who rarely leave their homes except for work, or shopping. They are the marketplaces of the city. Like the Apostle Paul who stood up in the marketplace of Athens in Acts 17 and reasoned with the Jews and the Greeks, we too have made a bold stand for the Gospel in these marketplaces, amoungst the many idols of materialism, fast food and entertainment. In malls people are often looking to these idols to satisfy the empty void in their souls. Although we could not open-air preach, we boldly proclaimed through our tracts, balloons and one-on-one conversations, that Jesus came to set captives free!

Almost Trafficked in a Mall!
At Parow Shopping Centre, a woman described to one of our volunteers how a possible trafficker tried to recruit her. A charming man had approached her one day at this mall and asked her whether she would be willing to work for him for R500 per day. He told her that would pick her up and drop her off at the end of the day. He did not say what the work involved. Significantly, he asked her if she was single and when she told him she is married he immediately declined his “offer” of “work”. Another woman told our team how her granddaughter was offered a job with a fake modelling agency. The teenager was required to send in photos of herself. Thankfully, her grandmother realised this sounded too suspicious and reported these traffickers to the police. We were encouraged that our stand that day could contribute to warning, or traffick proofing the Parow community.

Balloon Evangelism
The messages on the balloons included: "A woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31:30; "End Modern Day Slavery - Stop Human Trafficking!”; "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves." Proverbs 31:8; "Women and children are precious!”; "If the Son sets you free you will be free indeed." John 8:36; "The Bible is the greatest Book ever written"; "Give us this day our daily bread…" Matthew 6:11; "Read the Bible Every Day."; "The family that prays together - stays together."; "Stop Human Trafficking! - Trafficking is Modern Day Slavery" and "You shall know the truth and the Truth shall set you free." John 8:32.

Child Evangelism
The children were plainly delighted to be given these colourful balloons. Soon the shopping centres were filled with children carrying our colourful balloons with Scriptural messages. It must be hard, even for an irate atheist adult, to take a balloon away from a child! Soon we were seeing even Muslim women, wearing the black hijab, coming to receive balloons for their children.

Trafficking – A Symptom of a Much Bigger Problem
“No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god and did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side.” Judges 8:33-34. Throughout the Old Testament, we see prophets calling God’s people to repentance from their idolatry. Several times, their idolatry is likened to them “prostituting themselves to idols”. Clearly, rampant prostitution and trafficking is one of the many symptoms of a society that has turned its back on the true and living God and has given themselves over to idols. A society where trafficking is common, is a society in the last stages of decline. For a society to tolerate and even promote (the former head of police, recommended decriminalising prostitution ahead of the 2010 soccer world cup) the sexual exploitation of women, means that we have sunk deep into the mire of sin. This is a further warning to God’s people of imminent judgement and a call to repentance.

Leading People to Christ
By God's grace, we were able to counsel over 22 people through our Spiritual Well-Being Questionnaire, leading them through The Way of the Master and Evangelism Explosion questions to confront them with the Law of God and the reality of eternity. To each of these people we gave a free copy of the New Testament and/or The Biggest Question DVD. This one-hour DVD is one of the most effective Evangelistic DVDs available.

The Gospel is the Power of God for Salvation to All Who Believe
Please continue to pray that the Gospel seeds sown will produce an abundant harvest. We are well aware that some of the seed that we sow falls on hard ground, some on rocky ground, and some on thorny ground. However, praise God for the good soil that produces 30, 60 and 100 fold! "Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching." 2 Timothy 4:2

View photos from the outreaches on the Africa Christian Action Facebook page.

Africa Christian Action
PO Box 23632
Claremont
7735 Cape Town
South Africa
Tel: 021-689 4481 
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.christianaction.org.za/
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