Spreading message of hope

WHITE RIVER – Aiming to reach 10 million people with a message of hope sounds like an impossibly ambitious undertaking, but it is one Adam van Deventer has dedicated his life to.

Adam started Ten Million Souls Ministries in July 2008 after his brother-in-law shot and killed his own wife, then Adam’s wife and daughters before fatally shooting himself. Through the grace of God he was able to forgive his brother-in-law and committed to recruiting two million souls for God for every person that died that day. Adam has since found a kindred spirit in Melanie and the two have been married for several years.

The ministry is interdenominational and works with churches to build bridges on the foundations of the Christian faith. They facilitate outreaches, weekly men’s gatherings, talks at churches, schools, businesses, home churches and family gatherings. Adam also provides pastoral counselling. He and Melanie also present relationship camps. Special boot camps help couples learn more about each other. The latest branch of Ten Million Souls is youth ministry. They are currently working on a five-month gap term for young people aged 18 to 25 called Building Foundations. They plan to host this course twice a year on the ministry’s premises situated on the Plaston Road.

The aim is to prepare young people for the pressures of adulthood. The course will cover various topics like relationships, financial choices, life skills and the work environment and how to handle it all through applied Christian values. Young people will also be doing job shadowing, community responsibility tasks and learn about the practical application of the Christian faith.

The couple are in the process of converting a house on the premises into accommodation for eight people. The project is completely dependent on donations.

Another project the couple has high hopes for is Project IRH. The abbreviation stands for Invisible Right Hand for Individuals Requesting Help and comprises a network of individuals and businesses that anonymously donate to people in need.

Adam says they want to help those who have fallen on hard times without burdening them with guilt. Melanie says they don’t want to make people dependent on these donations, but just want to enable them to get back on track.

When a donation is needed, a SMS is sent to all members of the network requesting financial aid, contacts, work, information, services, prayers or moveable assets. They are working towards 1 000 members, creating jobs and narrowing the gap between rich and poor. The couple works through the grace of God and are mostly dependent on donations to cover the day-to-day costs of running the ministry. While Melanie is a professional photographer and can regularly be seen at weddings and other functions in-between her work for Ten Million Souls, Adam has his hands full running the ministry.

To accomplish what they need to do they look at what they have available and work accordingly. Thankfully they are supported by a great network of people.Having to balance so many different projects and activities can take its toll and Adam says they’ve had to adapt and grow to meet the challenge. They had to set boundaries for the people in their lives to enable them to make time for each other and for reflection. As the ministry grew, they also realised they had to start asking for help.

Touching the lives of so many others through ministry work has had a profound impact on them both, including teaching them reliance on and trust in God. Adam and Melanie agree that it has also made them humble because they see the needs of the community and get to know the people behind the needs. “It makes you content with what you have, builds upon your values and helps you to learn from others’ circumstances,” Adam says.

Melanie says the look on someone’s face when they receive the help they need is priceless. “Forming a friendship with the person behind the need is worth more than money, it has eternal value.”

To get involved, contact Adam on 071-539-4678 or moisson70@hotmail.com.