Author: Pete and Sumari Witt

One of the girls recently baptized at our Bedfordview church plant began asking questions because she had noticed something different in three of the boys.

Their lives were changing, and she could see it.

We recently started a youth gathering at Bedfordview, and as we taught the young people about baptism, we had the joy of seeing five of them take that step. Each has their own story, but hers was especially encouraging to us. Seeing the changes in those boys led her to ask questions and then respond to the gospel herself.

It’s easy to think that sharing Jesus means knowing exactly what to say. Words matter, of course. But sometimes a conversation begins because someone notices a change in a person they already know.

That’s one of the things we love about serving in a local church. We get to teach and pray with people, but we also get to walk alongside them as they begin following Jesus—and sometimes see how their lives encourage others to follow Him too.

Please pray for these five young people as they continue growing in their faith. Pray that they would come to know Jesus more deeply, find good friendships in the church, and learn to follow Him in their everyday lives.

Thank you for praying with us and helping make this ministry possible. It was such a joy to celebrate these baptisms together!

Before Thomas taught on repentance, he asked the students to pray for him. Caleb stepped forward.

One of the greatest joys of discipleship is watching people move from receiving to beginning to help others follow Jesus.

Recently, each of our ROOTED students prepared and shared a short teaching on repentance. Thomas had only joined us a few weeks earlier, but before he began, he asked the other students to pray for him. Caleb stepped forward, and the group gathered around him in prayer.

It was a simple moment, but it captured something we deeply desire for our students—not just growing in confidence or knowledge, but learning to depend upon the Lord as He equips them to minister to others.

We are seeing that multiplication happen in other ways too. Some of our returning students are now helping newer students learn how to engage with God through Scripture, while the whole group continues growing in sharing the gospel and serving practically wherever there is a need.

This is what we hope ROOTED will produce: disciples who know Jesus deeply, obey Him faithfully, and increasingly give away to others what He has given to them.

Welcoming our July ROOTED students from South Africa and the United States into our home.

Only a couple of days after arriving home in South Africa, we opened our home for a welcome dinner with our ROOTED students.

This month, new students from South Africa and the United States joined those continuing the journey with us. It was a joy to see everyone gathered in one room—sharing a meal, beginning new friendships, and preparing for the months ahead.

ROOTED is about far more than attending classes. It is a discipleship journey in which students learn to know Jesus more deeply, obey His Word and His voice, grow in character, serve sacrificially, and become more fully equipped to strengthen His Church.

Please pray that these students would give the Lord their wholehearted “yes” and allow Him to do a deep and lasting work within them.

One of the greatest joys recently was being invited into a local high school where ROOTED has begun ministering.

I had the privilege of preaching the gospel to the students and was overwhelmed as 32 of them raised their hands to respond — repenting and surrendering their lives to follow Jesus wholeheartedly.

Since that day, our ROOTED students have begun having follow-up conversations with many of them, encouraging them to continue walking with Jesus in their school, their families, and their daily lives.

Please pray with us that the seed of the gospel would take deep root in their hearts and that the Lord would strengthen them as they begin this journey of faith.

Last month I had the privilege of sharing the gospel in three different churches across South Africa—in Hoedspruit, Pongola, and Potchefstroom.

Across those gatherings, 11 people responded to the gospel by surrendering their lives to follow Jesus.

We never want to lose the wonder of moments like these. Each number represents a real person, a real story, and the beginning of a new life with Jesus. We are deeply grateful for every opportunity the Lord gives us to preach His truth and invite people to respond.

At our recent four-day camp, we saw the Lord do beautiful work in the hearts of our students. Through teaching, prayer, activations, and extended time together, conversations deepened and walls came down. It’s always humbling to watch young men and women lean in to what God is stirring within them.

One especially meaningful moment came when the students suggested we pray for Konrad, who prepared most of the meals for us during camp. The students had taken responsibility for preparing a few meals themselves, but they wanted to honor Konrad for the joyful way he served us and the incredible meals he prepared throughout the week. They gathered around him, laid hands on him, prayed for him, and thanked him — a simple but powerful expression of gratitude and maturity.

As we’ve reflected on the past year, we’ve been reminded once again of the Lord’s faithfulness through the lives He is shaping. Recently, this was especially evident as we revisited a video we recorded last year with one of our discipleship students, where she shares her testimony of how God has been at work in her life—drawing her deeper into Scripture, healing, and renewed trust in Him.

Stories like hers are a gentle reminder that steady, relational discipleship bears lasting fruit over time. We remain humbled and grateful to witness the ways God works through simple obedience and faithfulness.