Hello dearest family and friends,
I (Rob) am writing you from the computer here at the Mpophomeni Family Centre. It is my 5th day here in Mpophomeni, and our 5th day of all of us finally being together. Alyssa and I adjusted quite quickly with regards to my sleep cycles. After that first night, I have slept during the normal hours and have had restful sleep which has been a blessing to hit the ground running with little to no exhaustion. Friday we took part in a staff retreat with approximately 30-40 combined staffworkers. It is exciting to see how God has grown and changed the ministry here in Mpophomeni. The Family Centre combined with the Ethembeni AIDS/HIV care centre is now the second largest employer in the township behind only the municipality which employs the police, and garbage disposal etc. That is a huge accomplishment for bringing the Kingdom here in the township considering that 80% of the township is unemployed. So much more growth and change is on it's way. Saturday we had a day in Durban since the Family Centre is closed on the weekends. Spent some time seeing old sites that we had seen in our previous time here. Being here is paired with interesting emotions, very different from last spring in good ways. Much less of a honeymoon experience and one more of real life exposure. It is a blessing and gift to wake up among the people that we desire to understand --> love --> work alongside. Who knows where God will take this 2 months,I just hope we will maintain an attentiveness to His direction and not our own, so that what HE desires for His people will be accomplished through people small such as our team. That would be a humbling experience to be a part of. I feel so much joy living in community with God's children young and old, black and white, HIV infected/not. Please pray for God's vision to continue to take over our eyes, hands and feet here. Sunday was a day of worship and rest @ Mpophomeni International Church. So much freedom for my heart was found there. Worshiping God uninhibited is a powerful thing to witness and be a part of. The service was approx 3 hours but felt like a bat of the eye. We had 50 guests from sister churches, as this was a commissioning Sunday of sorts. MCI had been worshiping in a tent outside of the Centre for several years, but recently due to growth needed a change. This Sunday was their first @ an old tavern. Taverns in the township are dangerous places of intoxication and also violence. Multiple muders had occured in this building and now we were claiming the building for God's Kingdom. Many brothers and sisters (bhutis and usisis)shared a great vision of restoration and reconcilliation. This is exemplified by the transformation of the building, but also the many hearts impacted.
With regards to accomodations/diet, (this is for you Ma.) the five of us are staying a five minutes walk away from the Centre in a home approximately the size of our living room and dining room combined @ Trillium. No oven, but a electric burner and microwave to heat food. My diet has been steadied by @ least 4 cups of coffee or Roibos tea each day. Cornflakes in the morning, pb and j @ noon, and then a more substantial meal at night such as mac and cheese, or grilled cheese etc.We have no heat or warm water, so that is deturrent enough not to take a shower, especially when the temps are in the mid thirties at night. It's okay though because during the day it barely scrapes 70 (quite comfortable actually) thus I don't sweat which is pleanant. We will manage to get to Howick (small community 10 minutes east of here) and Claire's cottage(the British missionary)and hot showers about once a week. Welp that is all for now. Time to get busy. I will hopefully have internet access twice weekly. Trusting God is sustaining and growing in you all where you are called this summer! Love you all.
inKosi Mayibe Nawe (God bless you) Sala Kahle (Stay well)
Themba- Sipho -Njabulo VerWys
