In the last weeks since I have written, God's fingerprints have firmly been stamped all over our collective lives as the South Africa Resource Team. His hand has so clearly guided the transformation that is occurring within my heart, our team, and on into Mpophomeni. He has been winding His thread through our journeys for nearly 8 months now since the dream began. He has been with us walking alongside us in the spiritual and relational valleys, winding/confusing paths I/we have experienced. Often in times like these it is difficult to see Him and understand His plan. On rare occasions it seems, God provides hilltop realizations/experiences. Opportunities to look back on the slope that lay behind, and fully recognize where God has been in it all. God has known all along the path we have wandered down as a team. A path that for nearly a month, winded unnecessarily, as we floundered about on our own. It is evident in reflecting on our preparation as a team, just how American and individualistic we were/are. This realization also allows me to understand a bit more of my struggle through this past year. I feel as though with each passing day in America, a part of Themba was lost. Themba meaning HOPE in Zulu, was one of the names I was dubbed by my closest friends here, namely Zwe and Khanyi. The concept of myself as Themba, became a symbol of experiencing the fullness of God's love, life and joy. Slowly I began to lose sight of who God created me to be. I began to allow myself to be defined by other things beside Christ. I continually drifted and searched to no avail, for how I could continue on as Themba in America. As a result, I approached this summer and trip much less as a team and much more from the perspective of individuals, each with different personal expectations of our time in Mpophomeni. Each desiring the fullness that God offered and provided in various ways our previous time, but none knowing how to reach this intimacy and community. As I reflect on what God has done, I realize how He took my expectations of further community development/ministry experience, and molded it to His desires of what He intended to teach me. These passages drive straight to the heart.
-"Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them." 1 John 2:9-11
We were desiring to love Mpophomeni well, but were struggling to love each other well. As a result we were staggering about in the dark, desiring God's glory amongst the people, but clueless as to how we could take part. In short, the Holy Spirit conquered the fear and darkness within us. Fears of vulnerability and the darkness of our selfish nature, into the light of HIS love. We were depriving God of glory within our pride, our stubbornness and inability to acknowledge bitterness/apathy in our hearts.
-"We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister." 1 John 4:19-21
In my heart there was great dissatisfaction that we were not experiencing the fullness of what God has for us. Praise God that He has broken our individual selves down, and is busy creating something new in us. Something that honors HIM so much more completely and fully than we individually are capable of! As this transformation has occurred, God's blessing is so clearly upon us and our interactions within the Family Centre. There has been an incredible change within our hearts and minds that can only come from HIS spirit. The JOY He affords us as a result is indescribable and pure. Hallelujah. It is with open hands that we desire to offer up these last weeks. God, glorify yourself in and through us. As we each day come to love eachother more and better, out of God's love within us, God is opening doors of relationships and conversations not possible without Him. Each day we are drawn closer and closer to the heart of God. The best place to possibly be, at "Indawo Yothando." A place of love!
-Themba
30 July, 2011
26 July, 2011
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.
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.
13 July, 2011
a small piece to a BIG PUZZLE
My deepest apologies to you all for how long it has been since we have updated you all with our time in South Africa. We have found internet somewhat difficult to come by. But enough dabbling with the excuses... I will do my best to give a proper update:
Since Themba's (Rob) last update there has be an amazing amount of life occurring here in KwaZulu-Natal (the S.A. province we are in). Between waking up at 8 AM for breakfast and devotions and soapies (soap operas), our full days from 9-4:30, cooking our team meal at the Family Centre and a 5 min walk back to our house... we spend the remainder of our evenings watching DVDs, reading from our massive and extremely intellectual collection of books, journaling, trying to extinguish our mouse problem, sipping on hot drink number 179, playing cards (preferrably, Rook) or sharing our hearts through meaningful conversation. "This isn't a sleep-over, this is life" we do together.
One of the most memorable moments since the last post... (as I contemplate sharing this)... was a robbery that occurred at our ikhaya (home) here in Mpophomeni while we were out one evening. The story is quite lengthy to give you a full explanation but by the end of our night, which ended around 3 AM, we had driven all over Mpophomeni, became further aquainted with the local police force, recovered all of our belongings and shared some of our racing thoughts and emotions with one another. To say it lightly... that was the worst night of sleep that I have gotten since being here. The perpetrator was actually the sister of our landlord, and her boyfriend, so the crime was not at all a random one. Evidently it had been part of their plan to use our home for an evening when they were certain we were out for a night. The whole night probably would not have happened if we had left on our lights on (a way of informing the people you will be back soon). Fortunately Ethembeni helped us respond accordingly to the event by providing us funding to replace the already broken windows and put up "body guards" (essentially, stylish metal fences welded in behind the windows). Though we were shaken from our misperception of the invinceable high horse we were on, we learned many valuable lessons from the experience. Asking God for a confirmation to continue our stay in the township, with safety in mind, we were extremely encouraged to find the protective attitude our staff took, the commradery the community took up, and the amazement for our desire to stay there from one of the local community church members (from a predominantly white congregation). It was enlightening to see how much of an impact our residency was making in the lives of the South Africans. May it be known that we feel very safe and protected by the preceding events and attitudes we observed. As put by Rob, "It was the best and most harmless wake-up call we could have received." There is a fine line between fear and awareness and that is a narrow path us Christians musn't be afraid to walk.
Most of our other excitement has come from a bit more harmless sources. We have dedicated a large majority of our time, food, and resources to help build our relationships with our friends, and local community members. We have been arranging a lot of weekly gatherings, whether it be with the local church pastor's home, using the Family Center to have isikhathi majitha (guy time) with our Zulu brothers, Monday morning breakfasts that we share with all of the staff and volunteers, or heading across the valley to visit our APU friends in their ministry. A huge lesson that God has been teaching me is the impact of your physical presence. Even without words, showing up and acknowledging your brother or sister can be one of the most powerful and validating acts we can do as members in this global community. One of my goals as I practice being present is to speak through action and behavior, rather than through words. With the magnifying glass that this culture serves as this is the moral standard that I continue to strive for: Words express what we know, but actions express what we feel and believe. After reading Philippians 2, and trying to exemplify that passage with this motto in mind puts to perspective the power that we have in acting in our faith and becoming the religion that we study. This is the good news.
(This next paragraph can be read with an English accent if the words are " ".) Since July 4, we have been joined by a "heap" of United Kingdom-ers. There are a total of 12 "quite" friendly "mates" that we have made "proper" friends with since their arrival. It appears that a majority of our time will be spent together so I'm sure that we will have much more relationship and experiences to share together. When we celebrated the 4th with 4 other Enlgish people, I knew that the our relationship was destined to be one that can transend their "pernickety" approach to our American tendencies. Probably one of the most ironic things that I have ever been a part of.
Our time has been flying by and I can't believe that there are only 3 more weeks here in Mpophomeni. In many ways, my special memories of this place have made it difficult to re-enter this ministry as such a small piece of the puzzle. My previous experience was very intentional and intimate with 6 fellow APU friends. Our role last time was a very relational and transactional on many levels of their ministry, almost as if we were helping to make the steam in their engine. This time around, my role, as "the short-term missionary", is a humbling and lowly one. I feel as though I am watching the train fly by. This ministry has picked up so much steam and momentum, that I often stand back and realize that the purpose God has called me back for is to see the strength and faith of people I came to hypothetically bring encouragement to. I will keep searching and striving to inject all of myself into this experience and relationships that I have here. There is no doubt that God has a purpose and plan in his movements through me. However, it is an important reminder to be confronted with the reality that God is in more control of revealing his puzzle than I; just a tiny piece in the mosaic of the "unkulu" Kingdom.
Since Themba's (Rob) last update there has be an amazing amount of life occurring here in KwaZulu-Natal (the S.A. province we are in). Between waking up at 8 AM for breakfast and devotions and soapies (soap operas), our full days from 9-4:30, cooking our team meal at the Family Centre and a 5 min walk back to our house... we spend the remainder of our evenings watching DVDs, reading from our massive and extremely intellectual collection of books, journaling, trying to extinguish our mouse problem, sipping on hot drink number 179, playing cards (preferrably, Rook) or sharing our hearts through meaningful conversation. "This isn't a sleep-over, this is life" we do together.
One of the most memorable moments since the last post... (as I contemplate sharing this)... was a robbery that occurred at our ikhaya (home) here in Mpophomeni while we were out one evening. The story is quite lengthy to give you a full explanation but by the end of our night, which ended around 3 AM, we had driven all over Mpophomeni, became further aquainted with the local police force, recovered all of our belongings and shared some of our racing thoughts and emotions with one another. To say it lightly... that was the worst night of sleep that I have gotten since being here. The perpetrator was actually the sister of our landlord, and her boyfriend, so the crime was not at all a random one. Evidently it had been part of their plan to use our home for an evening when they were certain we were out for a night. The whole night probably would not have happened if we had left on our lights on (a way of informing the people you will be back soon). Fortunately Ethembeni helped us respond accordingly to the event by providing us funding to replace the already broken windows and put up "body guards" (essentially, stylish metal fences welded in behind the windows). Though we were shaken from our misperception of the invinceable high horse we were on, we learned many valuable lessons from the experience. Asking God for a confirmation to continue our stay in the township, with safety in mind, we were extremely encouraged to find the protective attitude our staff took, the commradery the community took up, and the amazement for our desire to stay there from one of the local community church members (from a predominantly white congregation). It was enlightening to see how much of an impact our residency was making in the lives of the South Africans. May it be known that we feel very safe and protected by the preceding events and attitudes we observed. As put by Rob, "It was the best and most harmless wake-up call we could have received." There is a fine line between fear and awareness and that is a narrow path us Christians musn't be afraid to walk.
Most of our other excitement has come from a bit more harmless sources. We have dedicated a large majority of our time, food, and resources to help build our relationships with our friends, and local community members. We have been arranging a lot of weekly gatherings, whether it be with the local church pastor's home, using the Family Center to have isikhathi majitha (guy time) with our Zulu brothers, Monday morning breakfasts that we share with all of the staff and volunteers, or heading across the valley to visit our APU friends in their ministry. A huge lesson that God has been teaching me is the impact of your physical presence. Even without words, showing up and acknowledging your brother or sister can be one of the most powerful and validating acts we can do as members in this global community. One of my goals as I practice being present is to speak through action and behavior, rather than through words. With the magnifying glass that this culture serves as this is the moral standard that I continue to strive for: Words express what we know, but actions express what we feel and believe. After reading Philippians 2, and trying to exemplify that passage with this motto in mind puts to perspective the power that we have in acting in our faith and becoming the religion that we study. This is the good news.
(This next paragraph can be read with an English accent if the words are " ".) Since July 4, we have been joined by a "heap" of United Kingdom-ers. There are a total of 12 "quite" friendly "mates" that we have made "proper" friends with since their arrival. It appears that a majority of our time will be spent together so I'm sure that we will have much more relationship and experiences to share together. When we celebrated the 4th with 4 other Enlgish people, I knew that the our relationship was destined to be one that can transend their "pernickety" approach to our American tendencies. Probably one of the most ironic things that I have ever been a part of.
Our time has been flying by and I can't believe that there are only 3 more weeks here in Mpophomeni. In many ways, my special memories of this place have made it difficult to re-enter this ministry as such a small piece of the puzzle. My previous experience was very intentional and intimate with 6 fellow APU friends. Our role last time was a very relational and transactional on many levels of their ministry, almost as if we were helping to make the steam in their engine. This time around, my role, as "the short-term missionary", is a humbling and lowly one. I feel as though I am watching the train fly by. This ministry has picked up so much steam and momentum, that I often stand back and realize that the purpose God has called me back for is to see the strength and faith of people I came to hypothetically bring encouragement to. I will keep searching and striving to inject all of myself into this experience and relationships that I have here. There is no doubt that God has a purpose and plan in his movements through me. However, it is an important reminder to be confronted with the reality that God is in more control of revealing his puzzle than I; just a tiny piece in the mosaic of the "unkulu" Kingdom.
02 July, 2011
So much to thank God for.
I am officially 12 days in. In other terms of measurement this equates to:
- 3 showers
- Easily over 36 cups of rooibos/coffee
- Approximately 16 bowls of corn flakes
- 1 book read
Time seems to be doing anything but slowing down. Not that the pace of life is stressful or fast, it's not. I am actually finding plenty of time to "slow down" each evening. Working on maintaining a consistent journal. So much happens each day, it is a daunting task to even begin jotting things down. Staying motivated in that regard is crucial. I know the purpose of it is to one day be able to look back and see God's faithfulness... I desire that one day, now it just seems arduous. Nonetheless, God is definitely making Himself known daily here. In those small things, the smiles, the expansive sky, a loving touch. (definitely feeling the love these days considering touch is my love language.)
A touch can be such a humanizing thing and an incredible human expression of God's love. So many of the children have a deep longing for this acknowledgement, in physical form, that they no doubt deserve yet likely have been depraved of in their short lives. It's a desire that is innate in us. To touch and be touched. A Godly exchange in humanity. These are moments that I cherish, these are moments that I hope God will grant me increasing sensitivity, that I might take note of Him around me.
In other news, we have gotten together for our first time with the Howick Community Church youth, to begin some relationships with them with our ultimate hope to bridge understanding between them and the township youth. Be praying for God's direction and hand in this. Within ourselves we can do nothing. Which is a relief that we can place this in His hands and just make ourselves available.
In other requests, safety here in the township is a risk that we cannot ignore. So long as we keep our wits about us and stay street-wise, we are just fine. There have been some trip ups, so we could definitely use some prayer with that regard!
Major praise to acknowledge. The Mpophomeni Family Center ministry, it's staff, social workers, child care, are amazing! God's hand is upon this ministry, and boy is it apparent. It astounds me how perfectly each staffer fits their roles, the way their skills and passions match up to exactly what is expected of them! They are seriously some of the most incredible people I know. If there is one thing that I would love to emerge from this summer with, would be the knowledge that we provided these brothers and sisters in Christ an encouragement. Time to wrap it up, much love and peace to you all. Hopefully we can keep you updated a bit better this coming week! Sala Kahle!
-Themba
- 3 showers
- Easily over 36 cups of rooibos/coffee
- Approximately 16 bowls of corn flakes
- 1 book read
Time seems to be doing anything but slowing down. Not that the pace of life is stressful or fast, it's not. I am actually finding plenty of time to "slow down" each evening. Working on maintaining a consistent journal. So much happens each day, it is a daunting task to even begin jotting things down. Staying motivated in that regard is crucial. I know the purpose of it is to one day be able to look back and see God's faithfulness... I desire that one day, now it just seems arduous. Nonetheless, God is definitely making Himself known daily here. In those small things, the smiles, the expansive sky, a loving touch. (definitely feeling the love these days considering touch is my love language.)
A touch can be such a humanizing thing and an incredible human expression of God's love. So many of the children have a deep longing for this acknowledgement, in physical form, that they no doubt deserve yet likely have been depraved of in their short lives. It's a desire that is innate in us. To touch and be touched. A Godly exchange in humanity. These are moments that I cherish, these are moments that I hope God will grant me increasing sensitivity, that I might take note of Him around me.
In other news, we have gotten together for our first time with the Howick Community Church youth, to begin some relationships with them with our ultimate hope to bridge understanding between them and the township youth. Be praying for God's direction and hand in this. Within ourselves we can do nothing. Which is a relief that we can place this in His hands and just make ourselves available.
In other requests, safety here in the township is a risk that we cannot ignore. So long as we keep our wits about us and stay street-wise, we are just fine. There have been some trip ups, so we could definitely use some prayer with that regard!
Major praise to acknowledge. The Mpophomeni Family Center ministry, it's staff, social workers, child care, are amazing! God's hand is upon this ministry, and boy is it apparent. It astounds me how perfectly each staffer fits their roles, the way their skills and passions match up to exactly what is expected of them! They are seriously some of the most incredible people I know. If there is one thing that I would love to emerge from this summer with, would be the knowledge that we provided these brothers and sisters in Christ an encouragement. Time to wrap it up, much love and peace to you all. Hopefully we can keep you updated a bit better this coming week! Sala Kahle!
-Themba
27 June, 2011
The whole family is here!
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
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
21 June, 2011
Willingness
Rob and I head out today!! There are so many different emotions flowing through me right now! I'm stressed out packing and figuring out last minute details, so ecstatic to be reunited with old friends, nervous about being the only girl on the team, and ready to see what God has in store for our time at the Family Centre. With all these different emotions all at once, the one thing I am sure of is that I am willing to go and do whatever God has for me and the team. This doesn't mean that I am or will be prepared for whatever is in store, its just that I am simply willing. I am trying to prepare myself, but how do you when you don't really know what is waiting around the corner? So I am focusing on preparing myself to have an open mind and heart and allowing myself to be uncomfortable. I need to be uncomfortable. I have been comfortable for too long and I need to feel whats its like to be out of my element and uncomfortable again.
I have been having ongoing conversations with Claire (a dear friend and wonderful British young woman who has committed three years to serving at the Family Centre) about what I can help her with during my time, and the boys have also been in conversation as Eli mentioned. Claire and I came up with a few things such as helping do more educational things with the children and helping her plan and run a Holiday Club (or VBS). My main passion for wanting to go back to South Africa in the first place is simply to encourage my friends in their ministry and aid them in whatever way they see fit to improve their ministry. The Mpophomeni Family Centre does so many wonderful things for their community, I want to remind my friends that what they are doing is incredible and needed. I want to remind them that all their hard work blesses many lives around them, including mine. I guess I want to give them a bit of a break and hold the crying baby or wash the dishes so they have a chance to sit and relax for a moment. My desire is to come alongside my friends and share some of their burden and share Christ's love with them as they share it with their community.
READY and WILLING,
Alyssa
I have been having ongoing conversations with Claire (a dear friend and wonderful British young woman who has committed three years to serving at the Family Centre) about what I can help her with during my time, and the boys have also been in conversation as Eli mentioned. Claire and I came up with a few things such as helping do more educational things with the children and helping her plan and run a Holiday Club (or VBS). My main passion for wanting to go back to South Africa in the first place is simply to encourage my friends in their ministry and aid them in whatever way they see fit to improve their ministry. The Mpophomeni Family Centre does so many wonderful things for their community, I want to remind my friends that what they are doing is incredible and needed. I want to remind them that all their hard work blesses many lives around them, including mine. I guess I want to give them a bit of a break and hold the crying baby or wash the dishes so they have a chance to sit and relax for a moment. My desire is to come alongside my friends and share some of their burden and share Christ's love with them as they share it with their community.
READY and WILLING,
Alyssa
13 June, 2011
Keeping you posted Umfowethu naUdadewethu (my Brother and sister)
Well where do I start!? Being back here is amazing! Everything my heart has needed. We are skipping the touristy feel of being here with the APU semester. We are staying in the township Mpophomeni, like I said, and that is just insanely awesome. It has to be like 40-45 degrees in the house every night bc the whole house is made of concrete. ha Fortunately we have thick blankets and a nice heater to keep us warm while we sit inside and watch movies or sleep. Lets just say... I will have had more hot coffee or rooibos in these two months than in all of my life. I am def going to walk away from this relating to the african people that much more recognizing how little they live with.
Being at the family center is sooo great. We just had Chiraphone aka Jubulile (our World Missions director) come through for 4 days and she helped us get the ball rolling just a little bit faster. Her Zulu, cliche phrases and go getta attitude broke the ice even more for us. It was such a blessing to have her heart warming conversations and Zulu dance moves with us. I had a meeting with her, and 2 others from the Ethembeni team and I walked away with such hope. Here is what it encompassed:
Being here for a week and a half now I have certainly noticed... a huge difference in the operation of the Family Center. It occurred to me last time here I felt like the steam in the engine for them. We gave them that extra spark... now... It is like watching the train fly by!!! Everyone has their role... everyone knows what they are doing... and there are programs set up for everything! Even down to making sure the children are empowered to learn life skills such as making their food and cleaning their dishes. There is so much life, so much color, and so much pride in what they are doing! It is amazing... but definitely an adaptation to what I was expecting based off of my last experience.
I was wondering where I was going to be making my time intentional these next 2 months... but the meeting I had with CK, and the 2 others really got my creative juices flowing. We are going to be doing some real counter cultural work. Very strategic, very tedious, and probably not very rewarding. We are going to attempt to tend to the wounds of Apartheid. Our story... APU's story... has been one of being, one of relationship, one of simply love and encouragement. This story of God honoring relationship has been a light to one of Ethembeni's director Grant Edkins (a white male S.A.'n) and he wants us to share that example of our meaningful relationships.
We have a very neutral position in both people groups and ability to relate to both parties... We don't know how we will begin to build this bridge but know that it can and will be done through God's grace. We will be targeting youth groups of white South African's and probably inviting them to come and work with us at the Family Center.... that is about all that we have thus far. Pray for strategy and discernment. We need deep insight into the hearts of S.A.'ns and more than anything a necklace of love to be our main adornment. God's favor is upon us in this time.
Being at the family center is sooo great. We just had Chiraphone aka Jubulile (our World Missions director) come through for 4 days and she helped us get the ball rolling just a little bit faster. Her Zulu, cliche phrases and go getta attitude broke the ice even more for us. It was such a blessing to have her heart warming conversations and Zulu dance moves with us. I had a meeting with her, and 2 others from the Ethembeni team and I walked away with such hope. Here is what it encompassed:
Being here for a week and a half now I have certainly noticed... a huge difference in the operation of the Family Center. It occurred to me last time here I felt like the steam in the engine for them. We gave them that extra spark... now... It is like watching the train fly by!!! Everyone has their role... everyone knows what they are doing... and there are programs set up for everything! Even down to making sure the children are empowered to learn life skills such as making their food and cleaning their dishes. There is so much life, so much color, and so much pride in what they are doing! It is amazing... but definitely an adaptation to what I was expecting based off of my last experience.
I was wondering where I was going to be making my time intentional these next 2 months... but the meeting I had with CK, and the 2 others really got my creative juices flowing. We are going to be doing some real counter cultural work. Very strategic, very tedious, and probably not very rewarding. We are going to attempt to tend to the wounds of Apartheid. Our story... APU's story... has been one of being, one of relationship, one of simply love and encouragement. This story of God honoring relationship has been a light to one of Ethembeni's director Grant Edkins (a white male S.A.'n) and he wants us to share that example of our meaningful relationships.
We have a very neutral position in both people groups and ability to relate to both parties... We don't know how we will begin to build this bridge but know that it can and will be done through God's grace. We will be targeting youth groups of white South African's and probably inviting them to come and work with us at the Family Center.... that is about all that we have thus far. Pray for strategy and discernment. We need deep insight into the hearts of S.A.'ns and more than anything a necklace of love to be our main adornment. God's favor is upon us in this time.
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