Hard Things

Casting Crowns has a song called "Jesus Friend of Sinners" and the chorus goes like this:

Oh Jesus, friend of sinners

Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers

Let our hearts be led by mercy

Let us reach with open hearts and open doors

Jesus, friend of sinners

Break our hearts for what breaks yours."

It's that last line...if I'm going to sing those lyrics, I better mean it.  

The last couple of days have been particularly interesting and quite difficult too.  South Africa is a country of breathtaking beauty, but alongside that beauty are the scarred remains and the human carnage of a dark and ugly history.

Our hosts at Seed of Hope have been doing a good job of helping us to see all aspects of the country, including the present reality of life in South Africa, particularly for the black communities.  We have seen some situations which have disturbed us greatly, and moved us to ask hard questions, for which there are no simple answers.  Our gut instincts are to "fix" things, yet we are learning that's not always what's best for everyone involved.

In asking the questions (such as... What would Jeremiah 29:11 look like for the little granny- blind, bedridden, locked inside a hot, dirty hut without water or food?  Where is the hope for the 13 year old girl infected with HIV? How can I go home to my nice house, cars, and excess of absolutely everything?...etc. etc.) I find that I am desperate for justice!  And yet I KNOW that God is present here the same as He is with us at home; His word applies as much to the South Africans as it does to us.  I have needed to remind myself of these truths several times over the past two days.

The Zulu people are oppressed in many ways- government corruption, ancestor worship, cultural issues, and especially the legacy of hopelessness they have as a result of apartheid.  One thing I found out today, is that unlike some of the previous experiences our church has had with those living in extreme poverty, most of the black South Africans actually FEEL poor.  They have been oppressed, segregated and de-humanized for so long that they now believe the lie that they are worthless and can't do for themselves.  In essence, they are without hope in many cases.  However, those who have put their faith in Jesus and are finding hope DESPITE their circumstances.  Their faith is deep and strong, and sustains them through challenges which we in North America could never imagine. 

I have a profound respect for the staff at Seed of Hope, who have chosen to live and work among the people here, building genuine friendships and pouring themselves into the lives of others.  You should see how amazing these people are!  Their love for one another and the unity they have are awe-inspiring!  And they are bringing Hope to the community of Bhekulwandle in the name of Jesus.  

I look at their work here and I listen to their stories and I ask myself, "God, what must change in me so that my heart DOES break for what breaks yours?"

And what am I going to do about it. 

Angela

teachers

Today we had the opportunity to take the teachers out for coffee.  It was great to see them relaxed and having fun. Thola, Mandisa, Zinkle, and Penny teach an after school program called Simunye.  They work with students age 4-11.   It was encouraging to see their love for the Lord and passion for children.

In the morning we were given a tour of Durban and given some history on apartheid. I was moved by all the injustices the black South Africans had to endure.  My thoughts were God loves the Zulu people, how is it that any one could treat them so poorly.

These questions are not for us to understand.  We need to trust God's soverienty

Julia.

Health team visit to Max

Today I accompanied Jabu and Buli (our community health team) along with our driver Sue to a man named Max who was in stage 2 AIDS. This was the first time the team made a visit to this 37 year old man. His girlfriend was tested earlier this year and tested positive for HIV. She was given anti retro viral drugs (ARVs) and is now fine. We found Max laying on his side in bed. He refuses to take the ARV s. Jabu and Buli take turns talking to him sometimes lecturing other times pleading for him to take the drugs and get better.                                  Finally they turned to me and asked if I would pray . Max looked tired. I asked him a few questions about how he felt and then about the kind of work he did. He said he installed tanks for gasoline and diesel. I then held his hand and said enthusiastically that I too worked with gasoline but in a refinery. His eyes sparkled and he smiled. He squeezed my hand with a strong grip. I prayed for this beautiful man and thanked God for placing me in his home at this time. I trust God who has a purpose for this couple that He will give Max the courage to choose life and take the medicine that will make him strong.

Nico

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Choices

Life is full of choices. On Sunday, the group I'm with were given a choice. We could stay at the hotel, we could walk to a nearby church on our own or we could hop on a bus to visit the JL Swane Church Centre in the township of Guguletu. I chose the latter and I'm glad I did. Here's why:

We had the privilege of meeting with the lead pastor, Rev Dr Spiwo Xapile,  prior to the service. He took the time to tell us about the history of the church: how it was the first to embrace the needs of the rapidly growing HIV positive community; how instead of hoping people would come to the church, they would focus on having people go out into the community to meet people, get to know them, understand their needs and then point them to Our God. He described the difficulties of their journey, but underscored the victories that God is bringing on a regular basis - victory that most often is reflected in restoring hope to people in an otherwise bleak circumstance. As a result of their ministry they have found that people, organizations and businesses have a desire to support the work of the church, because they recognize the unique value that it is bringing.

Here's one other thing that stood out: they decided that they would not start any ministry, except that which grew from the gifts and passions of the people and were able to be brought together with another community organization which was addressing the need. That way they were helping people to serve and building into their community.

Their greatest form of discipleship (helping people grow in their relationship with God) was to encourage them to discover growth through "presence" - intentionally valuing the other person....love that!; maybe it sounds familiar...yet we have so much to learn from what the Lord is doing in South Africa.

We then went into the Zulu language service and though we could not understand very much, we were completely captured by the presence of God; the joy and hope in the Lord that was shared by this community - a community that we might otherwise fear knowing, let alone getting closer to through serving and authentic friendship. The sermon was based on Joshua 24:15, the choice of Joshua to follow the Lord, and his invitation for others to likewise make a courageous choice in the face of an uncertain future. he then tied that passage to the Luke 15 passage about the Compassionate Father (or Prodigal Son) and the choices both the son and the father had each step of the way. Ultimately, despite their differences and their options their choice was to be together through forgiveness and the result was celebration. (If I understood Zulu, I'm sure it was better than I just described).

But more than the message, the reflection of that truth in the community that gathered there had a greater impact. As the service closed, the Dean of our Seminary was invited to say the Benediction - just as he opened his mouth to speak, the people as one voice began to sing this song, in english. I was fortunate enough to capture it (audio not video), hopefully it communicates a message deeper and brighter than my too many words.  Those who are singing (which is everyone) have a choice they can give in to hopelessness and despair or find hope and joy, strength and purpose in Our God.

Thanks for continuing to pray that God would allow us to see more of what He is continually showing us.

Deve

Oasis

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When you hear the word "oasis", what sorts of word pictures form in your mind?  Do you envision a cluster of coconut-laden palms rising from a glistening pool of blue water in the middle of a sandy dune?  Most people would.  Throw in a few camels and you'd pretty much cover it.

Today we visited a church where many Seed of Hope staffers attend, which is located in Amanzimtoti and is aptly named "Oasis Church".  It was just exactly that.  Not knowing what to expect, we arrived and quickly took our seats, awaiting the service to begin.  We were simply another little group of visitors; no fanfare, no grand welcome.  It allowed us to take in our surroundings and to notice, for example, a huge mural painted on a wall hanging- the church's vision statement: "Our vision is to see people come to know and love Jesus, becoming dedicated followers of Christ to the glory of God through the church".  Sound familiar?

Oasis church became for us a place where our souls received a cool drink of the water Jesus offers; that life-giving, living water that refreshes and replenishes.  From the familiar songs we sang, to the opportunity to pray over babies being dedicated, to an excellent message titled "the gospel according to Joseph", we felt that our worlds are not so dissimilar and not as far apart as we once thought.  It was so evident that we did not bring God to South Africa;  He has been here since the beginning and is alive and at work in the hearts of the people here.

Our visit to Oasis Church was an amazing time of worship and rejuvenation.  Tomorrow we head back to Seed of Hope to begin our second week there, and we're ready and willing to see God's plans unfold.

Simply an amazing privilege to serve these precious people.  Pray for the team to run the race set out before us, trusting that He who began a good work will be faithful to complete it.  Pray for the Seed of Hope staff to feel confident about sharing their stories with us.

Thank you for your continued partnership and prayer.
Angela

Thursday Teen after school ministry

Musa is one of Seed of Hope 's staff. He is a special mentor to a group of teens meeting every Thursday after school. Les and I were invited to attend. Here we were faced with 20 teenagers both girls and boys in a circle and the session began. Musa asked everyone to tell about a challenge we faced in our lives. Most of the people mentioned drugs and alcohol, being lazy and not liking school. Then they asked me tough questions like what is love, how many girl friends I had and what would I do if I won the lottery. I said that God is love in the purest sense. They were just interested in having many lovers. There was only one who said she had the same boyfriend for a year.  I was wondering how this attitude contributes to the high rate of Hiv in the community. I prayed for God's love to touch them so that they may feel good about themselves and not be tempted by Satan's offers of quick pleasures with painful consequences. Hope and encouragement is what they need.

   The next day we had the pleasure to work with Goodman who is a maintenance man at Seed of Hope. He is 47 years old, gets up at 5 every morning to run before working all day. Then when he gets home, he works on his house, making bricks one at a time for walls. He has no help since all the men he knows just want to drink. Goodman is also a cyclist and will easily go 90 km in 3 hours.  He runs an annual ultra marathon of 90 km from Durban to Petermaritz. I pray that this man can be a good mentor to those teenagers. There seems to be no sports activities. If there were maybe there wouldn't be so much drugs and alcohol abuse.  This feeling of hopelessness would then be addressed. Lots of tough challenges.

Nico

comfort zone

Friday I was asked to help the maintenance man.  His name was Goodman.  Nick and I put screening on three doors and replaced window panes.  They were putting plexiglass in the broken ones.  Compared to a teen sharing time, where they asked us very difficult questions.    Like what is love, how many girl friends did you have, and what would you do if you won the lottery.  Really hard questions out of my comfort zone.  God is working in wonderful ways and I thank you for your prayers.  Les

Zulu

Part of the preparations we could do before our trip to Seed of Hope was to try to learn a few phrases in Zulu.  With the help of a Zulu-English translation app and some YouTube videos, I managed to figure out a couple of simple words to say in greeting to our new Zulu friends.  Let me tell you how glad I am that this was placed on my heart.  Of course my pronunciation was like an English girl trying to speak Zulu, that goes without saying; but the looks on their faces when I walked in and greeted them with a smile and a robust "Sawubona" (hello) was priceless!  Right away, shy faces lit up in wide grins (and sometimes hilarious laughter hehe) and my greeting was returned and a friendship begun with one simple word.  For me, this little thing is a huge answer to prayer, as I am so shy and am TERRIBLE at making small talk!  But even my sad attempts at the language has led to conversations, more new words and phrases, and now they are (mostly) rolling off my tongue with relative ease and I can greet the people not as a stranger but as a friend.

I want to tell you a little about the people at Seed of Hope.  We have met most of the staff there, and a  few of the people from Bhekulwandle as well.  They remind me a lot of you at home- very warm, very caring and compassionate and totally in love with Jesus.  Being with them makes my heart so full!  And they are just like us too in that they have children to care for, health issues to struggle with, bills to pay and jobs to attend to.  But they also have this passion for the work being done here in this community that is so contagious.  Their involvement with the Zulu community is so all encompassing- the holistic development of the individual and the community as a whole, centred on biblical principles with the gospel as the cornerstone of all they do.  Because of this, the people grow in their sense of worth in God's eyes, knowing that they are loved by Him.  These are universal principles which can be applied in any community in any part of the world!

We are still learning and have much, much more to see and experience so please bear with us as we try to capture it all and relate it to you.  Right now I want to introduce you to my new friend, Zama.
She is one of the leaders of the Health Care program, and her job is to be a support to families and individuals facing a myriad of health related issues, from HIV/AIDS support to nutrition counselling and prenatal care among others.  She has these eyes that absolutely sparkle, and when she smiles at you, you can't help but smile back.  And I absolutely LOVE her!  Julia and I had the privilege of treating two of the ladies to coffee yesterday and we learned about these women's own personal stories (or as much as you can during an hour at the coffee shop).  These women have stories that are difficult to hear and yet they shine with God's love.  They are passionate about their work at Seed of Hope and they LOVE their community.  What an inspiration!  I could write for days about this but I better save more for later.  In the meantime, please pray for Zama and Jabu, and all the other staff at Seed of Hope.


On a personal note- I'd like to thank my prayer partners for pulling double duty these last few days.  I have been suffering with a migraine for about 3 days since we landed.  I suspect it was the change in altitude over the three flights, and it has not been good.  But God is faithful and the pain has subsided so that I'm feeling more like my old self.  Thank you for praying!
Or as the Zulu would say... "sanibonga!" (Thank you all) ;)

Ngiyakuthanda (I love you ❤️)

Angela

Light in Darkness

Today was my first full day in Capetown.

 I left our SEMC team at Seed of Hope yesterday afternoon as they were serving among the people at the centre. They have some stories that we shared together at our FaceTime meeting this morning, hopefully we'll get them posted on here before long. 

Here's a couple things you should know about our how the Lord has used this team: they are serving the Lord with humility and excellence. In fact, the CEO, Carl Waldron and I had a wonderful conversation about the character of our team as we drove to the airport. He has appreciated their level of preparation (almost 18 months) and their willingness to learn and to serve. That kind of feedback is a reflection, not just on the team, but on our church family. 

Before leaving the team, I had a chance to talk to one of their leaders, a local man, Mosu. He works with teen boys, mentoring them and helping them discover their gifts and abilities. He shared with me the story of a young man who had recently graduated metrics (high school), with rarely having missed a day. He was ready to go on to the next step. He was told when he started, that if he came to school, he would be able to be a doctor. So he came to school. Unfortunately, that's all he did. He didn't actually learn anything. Worse still, the teachers hardly taught him anything. In fact, it's not unusual in the rural communities where these boys live, for teachers to be regularly absent from the classrooms. 

That's where Seed of Hope is making a necessary difference, bring the Light of Jesus into the Darkness of complacency, mediocrity and hopelessness of this densely populated HIV positive community. This community development centre is going into the schools and providing instruction with integrity that is much needed and making a difference. 

Through the mentoring process, this young man is discovering that while he may not be able to be a doctor (right now), he does possess skills and talents that can be of benefit in his community and even give him the opportunity to work for a living!  

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Today (in Capetown), after a long day of walking through District 6 in Capetown, an area that was demolished by the Apartheid government; who also sent the 60,000 residents to segregated areas - breaking up families and friendships. Damage done, only because of the colour of people's skin.  

We also visited Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela and all the other "political prisoners" were sentenced to cruel, inhumane imprisonment. (the cell is about 6.5 ft x 7ft, the mat is the bed, the bucket is the toilet).

Hopefully, stories about that visit can be shared with you later. 

We ended the day, debriefing with a man named Walter Fieuw. He works with an organization that seeks to advocate to the government the needs of NGO (non-government organizations) regarding the actual needs of the people, as the country continues to heal from the deep post-apartheid wounds. 

He made two statements that caught my attention, as he talked in particular about the disparity that still exists in many rural townships: 

• "How do we position ourselves to contend with the issues in our communities?"
• "The church can bring a redemptive element that is missing in our community." 

I share this because it causes me to process three things: 

• Seed of Hope is an organization that is asking those questions and seeking those solutions, here in South Africa. How can we encourage this to continue?
• The SEMC is beginning to ask those questions and is more willing than ever before to seek those solutions. Who will be willing to give themselves to further this?
• the theory of his observations, are not just theory, they are reality and our team has been blessed to walk among the story that God is unfolding. The darkness will never win against the Light, how do we mobilize more people to shine the Light of Jesus in their communities, both here in SA and in Sarnia?

Oh, and I also saw real live penguins. :)

Thanks for continuing to pray.

Deve

HEritage Day

After two and half days travel we started ourfirst day at seed of hope.  It was the National Holiday and the entire complex was alive with activity preparing for the festivities. I was assigned to the Braai that's South Africa bbq. Booreworse and chicken cooked on real charcoal using two half barrels. There was enough food for 300 people.


The Zulu community came out dressed in beautiful traditional dress with beads and their hair all braided. The program took place in a large tent and included dancers singers and speeches. Great sermons along with the fellowship of people that came from such diverse backgrounds created a most welcoming awesome experience. We Canadians were not front and center and Les did an outstanding solo performance. Talk about being out of one's comfort zone. We then sang O Canada including Musa a Zulu staff that happened to have a Canadian top on that matched ours. Thank God for this amazing welcome to Seed of Hope.

Nico

Breakfast

The place we're staying is a number of cabins on a hillside. We're surrounded by trees of all kinds.  Fruit, like papayas, bananas a and mangoes grow wild. As the sunlight breaks the darkness of night, it is accompanied by a symphony of birds.

 But there are also monkeys. Now before you get too excited - think about this - have you ever been to Niagara Falls and laughed at the Japanese tourists taking pictures of squirrels? Well, today we were brought back to that thought. As we marvel at the sight of the monkeys prancing across branches and jumping from tree to tree, we were reminded by our hosts that they are like pests, rodents that people want to keep away from their yards and homes because of the damage they can do.

So call me a Japanese tourists, I accept it, because these monkeys are cool breakfast companions.

Breakfast is amazing, served in what Angela calls "paradise".


Deve

Africa

I always knew Africa was big, but this is really big. It took 11 hours to fly from London to Johannesburg. Right in the middle of it, I got out of the plane to take this picture from space...(ok, I'm kidding, but the 3D tracker is a cool piece of technology).  The others have done an excellent job describing our surroundings, so let me share with you something that stirs within me: Ebola.  No I don't have it; we're not near it and no one I know has it. However, for the last number of weeks the way in which we (in the west) have been talking about it has bothered me, but it didn't seem like very many people were willing to actually have a conversation about it.

One thing I did this evening was purchase a couple of local newspapers. In one of them was an excellent article written by Ishmael Beah. A few years ago he wrote a biographical must read for all adolescents called A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier.  Let me encourage you to read this article and get an African perspective on the Ebola crisis and also a perspective on the potential that our western media, at times, can have to cause more separation between people.

It's a little strange to think I'm in Africa and yet it seems like the perfect place to be right now, because I just know that God has been at work in great ways here and our team gets to witness it first hand.  Thanks for praying for us along the way.

Lalani Kahle (Good Night)

Deve

First day

We are here at our accommodations in Aman Zimtoti.  WOW!  Even though it is the driest spring they have seen in 10 years it still is beautiful.  Trees all around us with many bird singing in the tree tops.  Cam, our host is  looking at the clouds hoping for rain.  He tells us that some places are rationing water there is such a shortage.   For those of you who have gone to El Salvador it is a lot like the rolling country side we have seen there.

We have gotten an over view of what our week will be like.  We are excited for tomorrow where we will meet the staff from Seed of Hope.  South Africa is celebrating Heritage day tomorrow where we will be participating in a Braa.  (barbecue).

We are looking forward to seeing what God has in store for us this week.

Thanks for your prayers
Les and Julia

Hello from South Africa! After 2 1/2 days,  3 flights,  tin-foil covered mystery meals too numerous to count, and approximately 3 hours of sleep (in total....) we have safely arrived at our destination.

Thank you for your prayers - we definitely felt them covering us throughout the course of the long journey down.  The flights were smooth and on time; all is well.  The team is tired and fighting jet lag, but we're all feeling good, and really anticipating the next 10 days or so of what God has in store!

Some musings (because that's what I do... I like to muse)...
The rumble of the engines gearing up for takeoff never gets old.
We have already learned that we need to expect the unexpected, and be ready to adapt quickly to change.
The first glimpse of the African sunrise over the wing-tips of the plane will stay with me forever.
Where we are staying there are MONKEYS! yes...real, live, wild monkeys.  Hopefully I will get a picture.
The shower is open at the top ... :) It's quite lovely to shower under the canopy of trees.
Vegetation is lush, and the dirt is red dust.  The rainy season is coming and the people are anticipating it greatly.
And last...I am falling in love with this country already.  Thankful for this opportunity to learn and serve.
Angela

Ready to Fly!

Well thanks so much for praying for us and allowing us to prepare for this trip! In so many ways, these last 2 and half years has gone by quickly. From our first meetings with Dan Wiens (Seed of Hope) to these last hours before flying to South Africa, we have seen the Lord at work in many ways. Please pray for us: Les, Julia, Nic, Angela and myself (Deve) as we ready ourselves to serve where the Lord asks to serve, to learn what He wants us to learn and to change what He wants us to change.
Pray for our families at home and for the new relationships we will foster. Thank you all.