Where to begin? Quite a lot has happened since the previous post. So much so that when I sit down to put it all into words I am ironically speechless. At this point the days begin to run together, and taking a step back you can begin to see the brushstrokes of the picture that God is in the process of painting this Winter in Mpophomeni (if you are reading this from the States you may have forgotten that in the southern hemisphere it is Winter. If you were living here you surely would make no such mistake- for the weather would not allow you to do so). Each individual moment, conversation, occurance, now begins to take on a deeper purpose as we become more and more perceptive to what our time here has been and that which we have found purpose in.
As we briefly mentioned in the last post, there have been other friends amongst us at the Centre. Throughout our time we have worked with a UK Tearfund Team of 9 girls, Claire's brother and three of her friends, two seminary students who 'hail' from Cambridge University, as well as a brief visit from several NYU students. Needless-to-say, it has been a pretty hectic atmosphere. During the last week of the kids' holiday (school break), we all were a part of a holiday club (VBS-type program), which consisted of a plethora of games (that were just as exciting for the staff and volunteers as they were for the kids) in the morning, and devotionals in the afternoon. Now that school is back in session, the mornings have calmed down considerably since the kids are at school. It has been encouraging to see how each team has been but a small piece of the puzzle, and how everyone seems to have found their niche in interacting with one another and the staff. As far as the five of us our concerned, we also have really grown together over the past few weeks. Last weekend we were able to have a brief retreat to the beautiful Drakensburg mountains, and while there God really reminded us of why we are here and we were able to be further united in purpose and cohesiveness. We all desire to lay down our individual pride and agenda in order to be used all the more as a unit- as a small glimpse of God's Kingdom, and to strenghten one another in our work at the Family Centre.
This trip has been one of incredible learning for all of us. But for me the interesting piece of this learning is that it hasnt necessarily come through God working in blatantly extraordinary and supernatural, standout experiences. Rather, it has come through the daily rythms of life. The daily grind of waking up, eating, sleeping, talking, playing- these have become my purpose. My perspective has been shifted such that these activities have become my mission in many ways. I continually try to remind myself that in the midst of all each of these happenings I have an opportunity to come alongside the work Jesus is already doing to bring about an increasingly realized glimpse of the Kingdom that is yet to be fully realized. In sharing a meal with a group of Zulu men in the township, in jumping out of my comfort zone to talk about real issues and hopes, in being genuinely thankful for the blankets on my bed or the occasional warm shower, I offer each of these up to God as an offering, praying for blessing, and hoping that God will use my feable, everyday tasks to somehow be a reminder that we are not alone--that God is actively pursuing the hearts and minds of the people of Mpophomeni, and that His love is perfect.
I have learned a huge lesson in humility in this trip. I am not needed. Our team is not the center of the Family Centre nor their purpose. We do not have our name on a plaque on a building that we built. We do not lead the daily activities. At first this may seem like a negative thing, but I have come to think that if I allow God to work in my heart I will see that in fact this is not the case. The reality that the Centre is self-sustaining, that God has raised up from within this very community leaders who are more capable than I, that this place will exist long after we are gone. And in reality this is far from negative- it is the most ideal and beautiful situation concievable. It may be hard but I am striving to lay down my agenda, preconcieved notions, and plans for this summer and through surrending them to God- to simply come alongside the work that is already happening and to not take the role of leader or builder- but rather of servant, encourager, and friend. This has become my community. I have found a family here. And it came from doing little in terms of tangible accomplishments. The relationships I have built here and the conversations I have had the privilege of being a part of are unforgettable. As such my prayer is not that we leave a picture on the wall or a brand new something or other, but rather that our time will be as incredibly rich and transformative for the staff as it has been for us. That they too will have found a family in this season, and that within that they too would see God's fingerprints all over this time.
One passage that has really resonated with me as I have read through Romans a time or two on this trip is Romans 12:18-25. Although we will never fully understand life in the township, through living here you do catch glimpses of the deeper issues facing them, be it poverty, AIDs, unemployment, alcholism, etc, etc. You begin to recognize the complexity and the gravity of these situations. You see a community that is longing for the day when God's glory is fully realized. You see this community groaning "as in pains of childbirth right up to the present time." But the beauty is that in recognizing the depths of these problems, you can concurrently understand the ways God is working beneath the surface. You can catch glimpses of the promise that this passage talks about, you can see the ways the Holy Spirit is working to make this reality. And it is awesome. Praise God for the change occuring in and through the Family Centre, our team, the other volunteers, and that special place called Empophomeni.
Alas we are fast approaching the end of our time here. In reflection on our time we can see where we have come from, but our prayer is that God will continue the good work He has started. That in these nest few days and long after we are gone that this hope we have found so evident will continue to be pervasive in the lives of the people in this community, our community.
