Rev (Dr) Ntavhanyeni Phaswana of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa, Vhuilafuri Parish, and well-known educationist, recently decided to celebrate his anniversary as an ordained minister in the Holy Land.

Phaswana and his wife Angie’tjie visited Israel, Palestine and Egypt. Speaking to Limpopo Mirror upon his return, Phaswana indicated that the Bible is best understood if you relate it to the places where things happened.

“In the gospels, Jesus teaches that people need to be changed from within. This idea is often referred to in the gospels as being reborn. They teach that people are capable of undergoing a definite inner development and change. This inner development requires that people become more understanding and aware of themselves, of others and of their relationship with God and the Bible,” Phaswana explained.

According to him, South Africans are to have that inner development “if we are to do well as a nation guided by religious principles, irrespective of the church denomination one belongs to.”