Walk in the Light

Just a quick update so I can hop into bed.  So today was absolutely amazing! We started at Walk in the Light, and the 19 others we joined were so welcoming and wanted to be sure we got the full experience on the first day.  We did 8-9 home visits, talking with people who are HIV positive or have TB.  It was incredible how much joy some of them had to see us in their homes and to hear their stories of sorrow that they still somehow find hope in.  One man who was paralyzed by his daughter’s boyfriend who stabbed him in the back lives in a mud hut.   Over the next few days we are working on building him a new house! I loved praying over all the people and how receptive they were of our prayers.  My favorite home visit however, may have been Pendillia’s house.  She is working full time at Walk in the Light, transporting people to the clinic and was the guide of our Hanniville tour.  The last stop was her beautiful home, slightly bigger and nicer than most others.  She is so proud of it and we were able to pray for her in her home: she loved it! In the afternoon we sang songs with the gogos, another joyous experience! I am loving Walk in the Light and even though our numbers are large, I feel God will have many more things to teach us! 

Whirlwind Week

Cave Adventures

11 days is the longest I have left you my faithful readers in the dark.  Art finals, service sites, sickness, and relationships have swamped my schedule.  First I must tell you about how wonderful my camping trip last weekend was.  From the get go we were already trailing from the schedule and it only escalated as we continued.  We drove into a real South African protest against the government in general, begging for improved housing and water conditions.  Rather than picket in front of the government, they find it effective to stop the flow of traffic, so I would say about 400 or more people were chanting and dancing down the road with signs and shouts at their own pace, with 10 police cars trailing behind.  We were fortunate to get stuck behind this mess with no options of going around, so what did we do: we joined! We took formation directly in the rear of the crowd, gathering many stares from onlookers and friendly high-fives from participants.  Careful not to get too close, we observed real life history in the making! What an experience! Other diversions from our destination included mating cows on the road, two separate hitchhikers, wrong directions, and crazy cones. 

God was preparing our way, because when we arrived late afternoon the only cave available for renting was 4 hours walking distance, but just as we were exiting the building a woman offered her closer cave to us.  I (having my mother in me) packed entirely too much and felt extremely weighed down on our 3 hour intense uphill hike.  However, I loved being in God’s beautiful creation and among the deep green grass covered slopes, it felt like we may just be the only 12 inhabitants on the earth.  We slept in a giant cuddle puddle in Wonder cave and in the morning played in our own private waterfall/mini swimming hole.  It was such an enjoyable time with our small group and we really were able to build close relationships and have wonderful talks about how God is shattering our old perceptions and shaping us more toward his will. 

Bonginkosi at a close

I must inform you that God was faithful in giving me hope at my service site, but sadly we are leaving Bonginkosi to begin at a place called Walk in the Light tomorrow.  With fresh motivation we entered the Preschool on Tuesday, hopeful that our songs, crafts, and giant hugs would give hope to the kids.  I have never felt so much love in my life than when I walked into their breakfast Tuesday morning and was immediately engulfed by a 25-kid bear hug that nearly knocked me off my feet.  I began recognizing faces and wishing I had 8 hands so they didn’t have to fight over who held reign over my two hands and sometimes elbow.  In those 4 days, well actually 3 because I came down sick on Wednesday, I was a human jungle gym that spouted songs and games to keep them active constantly.  Our worst moment was when we arrived one morning and the Gogo (grandma) gardener who doesn’t speak English motioned for us to follow her to a dark room on the end.  We found about 60 kids in the dark with no teacher and were left to manage them.  We quickly scrambled to sing as many of the action packed Sunday school songs we had learned when we were 4 and all but forgotten since then.  I have learned so much in my experiences there, but the thing that saddens me is that they believe since we are white we have all the answers and know how to better take care of the kids than them.

The one thing that gave me the most hope was the parent meetings. To our utter amazement 40 parents showed up to our first meeting, willing to participate and find ways to better educate their children.  They listed things that united and divided them as a community and were truly able to see that they were a community that could take action together.  And praise the Lord for one of the parents stepping up to translate for us as our translator was absent.  The second meeting was also a success, raising the issue of bullying and addressing the need of more tools to teach their children English at home.  The parents were willing to listen to us and one parent said to me “Its so wonderful to see people loving our children.”

While we did have some great successes and the children have stolen my heart, our director felt it was right for us to change service sites and leave Bonginkosi behind.  The main reason was that Zodwa, the principal was not equipped to give us enough direction because she was swamped with 96 kids.  However, I did learn many lessons from my time there.  I learned that the ministry of presence speaks loudly and I was blessed to be able to share in the mundane activities of the preschool teachers, encouraging them if only for a few days.  I learned that service is not always tangible and often the results of our work may never be visible to us, but God’s hand is in it none the less.  As one of my team members put it, we witnessed the “real” Africa, in that we can see that so much need exists, but they don’t know how to ask for help because they are stuck helplessly in the mud.  God is teaching me many more things and I am sure he will continue to give me life lessons as I go to work with the teen agers and broken families in the township of Hanniville, gardening, putting on a youth group, working with gogos, and exploring the community that faces the hardship of HIV.  Please be in prayer for my team as we join the 19 students who have been working here for two weeks already.  Also I need prayers that my body will heal quickly and I will not be burdened with sickness this week! 

Service Sites Day 1

My frustrations have been confirmed, as Francis told us last night there is no schedule for us or any sort of structure at all.  As we walked onto the grounds of Bonginkosi—which means “Praise the Lord”—we found 96 children, 3 teachers, a cook, and a gardener, all engulfed by their regular routine.  It is the only preschool in the area, servicing kids ages 2-6 who have lost at least one parent and are starving for attention.  The L-shaped facilities include 3 classrooms, an office, fun playground equipment, a garden, and a kitchen attached to a big room for meals. I will spend my next 3½ weeks here. I absolutely love the kids and fell in love with one already who said “upasse” (pick me up) every time I set her down.  They are all a bundle of joy and show me a little more of how God responds to us in love.  The teachers are timid, but thankful we are there; yet don’t have anything for us to help them with. No projects, or small tasks, only asking to help in the small garden and wash the dishes.  I feel like an unnecessary addition to the chaos, and though we may be helpful in nurturing the children and possibly strengthen family bond, there are so many people here in worse condition begging for willing helping hands.  I came to Africa in obedience, willing to go where God needs me, but I feel like we have been thrown in as leftovers to fill unnecessary slots.  Below is a passage that spoke to me last night as I was preparing to go which I rewrote to fit my situation.  

Psalm 44 remix

O God I have heard with my own ears and seen with my eyes how your mighty power succeeds all evil.  When you gave me loving parents and kept me pure from the ways of the world your favor was upon me and you smiled in on me.

You are my King and my God. With your power you command victories and reveal yourself through answered prayers.  You move my heart—proving your self to be real through Janet your messenger.  I do not trust my bow or my own knowledge.  I do not trust my strong will.  It is you alone who gives us victory over our enemies and humbles the people who may judge us.  O Lord I give you glory all day long and constantly praise your name.

But now you have tossed me aside in dishonor. You allow the enemy to plunder our land.  You have sold us at a pittance, valuing us at nothing at all.  We have been tossed aside like left over’s- unimportant to the group, the object of mockery and scorn.  You have made us the butt of their jokes and we hear the taunts of our vengeful mockers.  The taunts reach our ears begging us to compare our experience with theirs.

All this has happened despite our loyalty to you.  We have not violated your covenant, but rather stayed on your path with our choice to come to Africa.  Yet you have crushed our hopes in the desert, covering our hearts with darkness. If we had turned away from worshipping our God or listened to Satan, God would surely know, for he knows the secret of every heart.  Wake up Oh Lord! Why do you sleep? Do not reject us forever.  Why do you look the other way and ignore our brokenness? We collapse in the dust, lying face down.  Save us because of your unfailing love.  

Marvelous Mysteries

Setting out as adventure seekers, Sarah and I ran into a little more than we asked for today.  As we climbed the steep incline we found ourselves panting and straining for air.  Simultaneous with the telling of Jon’s eerie story, we saw the first item that had begun his strange encounter: a king of spades.  Slowly we continued, awed by the deep, fresh ruts in the road and finally rounding the corner to spot the lurking edifice.  It’s a low building with one long roof over about 12 rooms, each with their own doors, swinging freely open in the breeze.  Not too scary upon arrival until you survey the third door with graffiti, and then the fourth that has a whole that looks as though it was clawed out from the inside.  Sarah mentioned her inclination that a man would pop out of the last door saying “Hey ladies, where you going,” and at that thought we turned and sprinted.  Wrought with adrenaline we imagined footsteps and rustlings the whole way back, and were overjoyed upon emergence from the forest. 

Besides that small incident, life has been normal, well if normal exists in Africa O Africa.  Our battlefield excursion over the weekend proved better than expected.  Our personal historian, an ex-military-cattle advising-75-year-old man named Tony brought the real people out of the history books with flavor and zest.  He made the battles seem as though we were reliving them as we stood on the ground, snapping his stick at us, reprimanding us as tonsil experts if a yawn snuck out, renaming Regan to Nixon, and best of all falling to the ground faster than I ever could all for the sake of showing us how the lines of rifles fit into formation.  The food was also incredible, treated like queens and kings at the Royal Hotel with their spiced chicken green beans, and others as well as delectable grilled tomato/ham/cheese sandwich. 

God is so incredibly good and continues to teach me new ideas everyday! I love God’s Family Life Center Church because the people are real and love to praise God with everything they have, their voices, bodies, and minds, yet still challenge their members to motivate change in the community.  The pastor invited us for a Brie (bbq) at his home after church (pork rashes are my new favorite meat!).  The shining sun made for a perfect Sunday afternoon spent well with new friends, cricket fun, a dip in the pool, and funday relays back at AE.  People continue to challenge my views, teaching me about God’s perfect will.  I am learning the importance to develop leadership skills and exactly how to go about that.  As we prepare to begin service sites on Thursday I pray that God will bond our team and help us be facilitators in the community.  It will certainly be a challenge, but I am willing to face the challenge of unknowns with the skills Francis has been teaching us. He is a true gem and perhaps more will come about him later. For now you need to know that I am confident Jacob and I will be in the missions field someday and I am learning incredible tools that revolutionize a community. 

Random thought of the day: what is the proper etiquette to use when you are sitting on the pot and someone knocks/starts to open the door.  Do you just stammer “Uh.. Im in here” or awkwardly call out an empty “Hello” hoping they don’t respond or shout “Hey! Back off!” I’ve always wondered the proper response so if you have any insights please share.  

Attack of the aggressors 3/4

Finals, stress, and frustrations: all the things I hoped to avoid in Africa.  Well most of the school portion is over now so we can focus on our fun agenda and most importantly serving the Zulu community.  We have a class next week to teach us about community engagement and on Thursday we are set loose into our service sites. I will be serving at a Preschool, nurturing kids who speak little English, working with their families, and raising support for them through gardening.  When it was time for the decision, I had been set on going to Gateway, but God has better plans and I know he will use me at this place.  Hillary and I will be together and we have decided to bake special treats for the kids in the mornings before we go—I am so excited!

Waking up this morning every bone in my upper body ached with pain: the cost of playing ultra intense rugby! Although I was hesitant to go out in the rain, it was the best decision of my life.  Rugby may just be my new calling.  I’ll admit I was slightly nervous having no tackling experience, but the minute I successfully ransacked Sarah there was no return.  I started tackling anyone I encountered: if they had the ball I was there.  It was definitely one of the funnest games I’ve ever played and I shocked myself with my inner ferociousness.  O what a day—only in Africa.  

Hollerin, Holy, and Hectic

I’m stuck! I finished my traveling journal on Tuesday—which was a life-changing day but I’ll get back to that part—and I haven’t been able to write since.  I feel so intimidated to start my new journal and continue on, as if I’m not good enough for it.  It’s becoming almost unbearable, so I’ll have to break it in and start writing immediately!  But back to Tuesday: because of this day, I will never look at life in the same way: 

A) My D-Group has out standing girls who are willing to be vulnerable and go deep with God and probably be my good friends for life

B) At D-Group after sharing our life stories we prayed for ourselves out loud—one of the harder things I’ve ever done—you try it

C) An incredible conversation with Shaun encouraged me to take up my cross and follow Christ everyday and be willing to suffer in His name at any price, even the small ones

D) After 1 am tears and parting hugs at D Group, the prayer chapel beckoned me into its Holy presence. 

E) I finished my journal praying for everything that had happened, wrote into thy hands I commit my spirit, and died to myself, to sin, and to things of this world to live a life for Christ and seek him alone, taking every thought captive, keeping only the ones that honor him.

F) I chose to listen to God’s nudge, woke up Leslie, and in accountability told another human being about my new revelations and commitments

G) I skipped across the lawn at 4am, feeling the joy rise from every bone in my body in a capacity I had never known before.

As for the rest of the week, it’s been a battle to keep the spiritual high and my commitment alive.  It’s truly been hectic with everything from #1 boys choir in the world to sightings of a world cup stadium, coffee overload, and zip lining through the jungle canopy like Tarzan/Jane/George of the Jungle. 

A stunning performance by the Drakensburg Boys Choir, who range from age 7-14 left me wondering how it’s possible.  They came out in perfect suits, singing traditional opera, transitioning into “Crazy little thing called love” and Michael Jackson, and then changing completely to traditional Zulu—sheepskins, drums, stomping, and all.  In my absolute favorite moment the lights went dark and each boy started clicking randomly, sounding like the animals in a forest.  Soon a hush came and a light patter began, followed by drizzle, hard rain, and booming thunder! It sounded so real, with flashes of lightening accentuating the effect.  Their voices were heavenly and their manners perfected! I so enjoyed them!

Today may have been one of the greater Saturdays of my life. Rather than squandering the day in slumber, we rose early to reach our canopy tours awaiting adventure.  In the pioneer group, I was #3 of 10 to zip fearlessly through the trees while admiring a marvelous open view of grassland, lakes, and majesty.  Apparently my body is completely out of control and I never learned how to brake with my hand until the very last (#8) line.  I would fly wildly through the air at unstoppable speeds, crashing into the safety break at the end, once even flipping over, slamming the rope, and falling backwards down the slide (I slightly damaged my arm and burned my hand by incorrect breaking technique).  I had no fear and leaped off the platforms, preparing myself for the nearing bungee date (AHHHH).  To end the perfectly African day, we played nertz and sang along to the Lion King. I have never enjoyed the Lion King so much as I did watching it in Africa, knowing that every one of those animals are within 20 minutes proximity. 

Most delicious meals of the week: sandwich #1 bacon, avocado and feta, and sandwich #2 grilled ham, cheese, and tomato.  

Miracles Abound 2/22

Another Monday means the start of our 5^th week here: our time is rapidly fleeing exponentially!  Although I’m stuck listening to group seminars in biology, I can blog happily knowing I only have 2 weeks of school left! Within the last week, I have been enjoying seeing each personality here truly shine and watching individuals take leadership roles, encouraging the rest of us.  We are slowly becoming a close-knit community, venturing out in trust, shared desires, and bonding in fun.  The chapel committee challenged us to give up our comforts for Christ, not serving out of our own good, but to glorify God’s purposes.  In that we challenged ourselves to partake in different Lent, thinking about Christ whenever we begin to miss things at home.

Following chapel, we were blessed by the most amazing story of God’s hand working that we are likely to ever hear.  The founder of African Enterprise in 1964, who initiated the conference center our campus is on, spoke to us today.  He witnessed the whole apartheid era into its destruction and rejuvenation of South Africa.  The destruction of apartheid, which means “apartness”, began in the late 1980s when the Church ran into theological turmoil.  They had been preaching that the God created different races for a purpose and found support for separate development in the Bible.  When a huge revival type conference was held for pastors of all denominations, Heyns, one of the Dutch Reform Church leaders called for an exegetical study of what the Bible says about race.  They discovered apartheid was a sin, taking away the government’s religious legitimacy to continue the movement. (picture = my chalet)

In 1992 after the outrageous political decision to release Nelson Mandela and unban liberation movements, African Enterprise worked hard to shower the country in prayer.  Marches were happening daily, people were being killed, and political activity was at its highest.  Realizing the need for God to work miracles in South Africa, AE organized a 24-7 two-year prayer.  People called in to sign up for 1 hour, 1 week, or any time they could pray from all over: churches, prison cells, little old ladies, people overseas, and anyone else who wanted to pray for the state of the nation.  Mike says that if you win the heavenly battle than He will bless you with a win on the ground as well.  He has amazing stories about how he took initiative to enable politicians from opposite spectrums to talk to each other through dialogue weekends spent in the bush.  In hearing each other’s stories and what brought each party to where they stand they were able to become friends and work together even if then didn’t agree on every point.  By the time elections drew near in 1994, people were going crazy and everyone thought that South Africa would go up in flames with the amount of explosions.  Much prayer, negotiations, and God moments worked together to create a political miracle.  The three political parties came together and declared to the people to take their place for the elections.  The four days leading up to the election were entirely crime free: the only time in history.  Everyone in the nation knew it had been a complete God moment and began to realize the power of prayer with miracles.