In the Deep South, Pt. 2

Our first week here in South Africa has flown by, and now our first spell in Khayelitsha is almost over - tomorrow night we will get on an overnight bus for 12+ hour trip to Transkei, where we will spend a week in rural ministry.

For the last week, we have been busy continuing the work in Khayelitsha - successfully finishing the fence at the preschool, doing several Sunday Schools with kids in different neighborhoods, sharing testimonies at netball games and youth worship, leading Bible studies and painting one of the preschools - all the while learning to appreciate the Xhosa culture and drinking from the fire hose of Pastor Ohm's wisdom as he talks to us late into the night about living "For the Kingdom!"

We have done evangelism twice in the neighborhood of Monwabisi (where we built the fence), and it was such a joy to get to meet the people in the neighborhood, to listen as they shared bits of their stories, and to explore God's word with them. The last time we went, Carl and I ended up talking for forty-five minutes with one family, sharing stories with each other over coffee, laughing as we (two white guys) sing to them in Xhosa, and praying together and reading from Galatians and Philippians.

As you can probably tell, Carl made it in safely, and Beth and Andrea will be arriving later this week. Today, we had a great time visiting the Baptist church and sharing testimony about our experiences in Africa. We took the day to rest and enjoy the beauty of Table Mountain as it overlooks Cape Town.

Tomorrow, we'll have one more day in Khayelitsha before heading to Transkei for the next week. Please pray for us while we are in Transkei, doing evangelism, Sunday schools, and youth services (and learning to enjoy bathing from buckets and warming ourselves Xhosa-style by the fires in the middle of the huts.)

In the Deep South, Pt. 1

I have the chance to send off a quick e-mail to update you on how the trip is starting. Eric and I arrived safely on Sunday night, and on Monday we were off to Khayelitsha, joined by Simon, a German missionary who has come down to lead us around Khayelitsha (while infusing us with his passion for the Gospel and almost killing us with his crazy driving), and Beauty, our team member (and Xhosa translator!) from Khayelitsha. The first day ranged the gamut from the joyous - singing, playing games, and telling stories with children . . . to the sobering - sitting with a mama whose son had just been murdered and sharing in her deep grief. It is both a joy and a shock to be in a world so different than ours and yet to also see how the differences our bridged in our shared humanity and the power of the Gospel.

Our third team member, Panayiota, arrived safe this morning after flight difficulties, and we embarked on a day of building a fence for one of the preschools to make it safer for the kids. It was a day of a lot of digging and sore muscles and trying to find the perfect mixture of cement and sand, but fun for the chance to use the strength of our bodies to serve these people. The kids in the neighborhood even joined us in the work - before long, none of us were able to find shovels because all the kids were busy excavating small caverns. In the evening, we were able to meet with a Bible study from one of the soccer teams - sharing bits of testimony and Scripture and seeing how sports can be used as an avenue to share the Gospel. Chris, the Khayelitsha local who coordinates the soccer ministry, shared his testimony tonight and then presented the Gospel to the guys, a number responded with interest - it is encouraging to see the soccer team the relationship for these things to be talked about and for continuing discipleship to occur.

Here's a quick rundown of some stuff we'll be up to in the coming two weeks, so that you can keep us in your prayers :)

• Carl, our fourth team mate, arrives tomorrow morning after delays from canceled flights.
• Tomorrow we'll be finishing the fence and doing evangelism in the neighborhood.
• Thursday we get to serve at soup kitchen for poor elderly men and women.
• On Friday we'll be playing soccer with Rainbow Sports Ministries
• On Saturday we'll be teaching in the Sunday schools
• Saturday afternoon, we get to take part in youth worship night - this is the first of many to come as the youth start school again and are fresh off of a great camp with a team from Toronto (for those of you who read these e-mails last summer, I was with the Toronto team last year when they did the first camp. They came back and did two more this year with great fruit.)
• On Sunday, we have been invited to share at a white Baptist church in Cape Town, the home church of one of African Leadership's board members. This is huge! It is the first time that a local white church has invited African Leadership in, wanting to get involved with their ministry. Please pray for this time!
• On Monday, we'll head to Transkei, the rural Xhosa homeland in Eastern Cape. We will spend about a week there, doing mainly evangelism and children's/youth programs. Beth (teammate #5!) arrives the day after we leave, and she will be coming Beauty to meet us in Transkei.
• Afterward, we will be back in Khayelitsha for a few days, the whole team united at last! (Andrea Romero, our sixth and final teammate, arrives while we are off in Transkei.) In this time, we'll also have the chance to see two other ministries: Learn to Earn, a ministry in Khayelitsha that provides job training, and Living Hope, a clinic which serves AIDS patients.

Not sure how often the e-mails will happen, but thank your for your prayers and notes! I look forward to telling you more in the near future!

For the Kingdom!

To the Deep South! (South Africa that is)

Tomorrow morning, I will be boarding the plane to head back to South Africa! The last few days have gotten me excited for the trip as more of the final details have come together. We will be spending the first week in the township of Khayelitsha, working with African Leadership's sports leagues, Sunday schools, preschools, and high school ministry. Then on July 23, we will head 12+ hours away to Transkei, the rural Xhosa homeland in the Eastern Cape for a week of ministry there. Afterward we will be back for a few more days in Khayelitsha (although many of the others will be staying longer). In this time, we will also get to visit an AIDS clinic called Living Hope.

Even though we've been talking about it for months, it feels like the trip is suddenly here. I don't feel totally prepared - I'm not sure I ever really have - but I'm excited to see how God uses this trip to work both in and through our team. I was deeply encouraged by the sermon this past Sunday, looking at Ephesians 2-3 and all the reasons that Paul has to "kneel before the Father:" God's grace bringing us from death to life, our new purpose of doing the good works that God has prepared for us, being part of the Body with the saints, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, to name a few. I want these promises to sink in ever deeper so that I can pray for the South African church what Paul prays for the Ephesians:

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.

For those who want a glimpse of the places we'll be visiting, I have posted pictures from last summer. Please also check out our team blog at sajourneys.blogspot.com.