Compelled

God's Protection

2010-06-16T08:02:00.000+02:00

I was reminded recently that it has been a very long time since I have updated our blog. Things have been a little hectic to say the least. There are so many great things happening to share with you though and I hope to do so soon!

I thought I would just quickly share with you God’s protection over us the other evening to get things started. I came downstairs Monday morning to discover Monday morning that we had had some visitors during the evening. It seems that at about 3am someone broke open a window in our study and put a child in through one of the gaps in the burglar bars. They then proceeded to help themselves to my computer, Sybrand’s cell phone, our digital camera and lenses, some money and my winter coat. All in all about 6 to 7 thousand dollars worth of things.

While there is an incredible sense of violation and fear that comes from this (mostly from knowing they were in the house while we slept), we are so aware of God’s protection over us and care for us. For one while they stole money out of Sybrand’s wallet, they left the wallet and all the cards etc in it. They also dropped my external hard drive on their way out the window so I have only lost about 9 months of work and our pictures for this last year are on Sybrand’s computer and not mine. But more then that it is obvious that they were trying to break the bars and actually all get in but were unable to do so. One of our neighbors who woke up and saw one of the men running away saw that he was carrying ropes. We are sure that if they had gotten in and upstairs, things would have been much worse. We can’t allow ourselves to think of the what if’s though.

We are thankful too that God has provided in amazing ways for us to purchase our own home which has wonderful security. I say that very aware, however, that nothing happens to us outside of God’s sovereign plan for our lives and that is far better security then any man-made system!

Please pray we would continue to trust the Lord in the midst of this! And pray for our continued protection and safety. It is a reminder of the fact that South Africa isn’t safe.

Baby News

2010-06-16T08:00:00.000+02:00

I thought I would also let you know how things are going with the baby. For those of you who don't know, we are having a little girl who is doing very well! We are naming her Carol Marie after our mothers. We are so thankful God has preserved this little one's life and has kept her safe in my womb. God has been so gracious to us! Lord willing, I will be having a c-section on August 19th.

Introducing Baby de Swardt

2010-01-14T19:36:00.000+02:00

There are many things I had planned to write to update you on our lives but this seemed the most important one this evening. God has been gracious to us and we are expecting our first child August 24, 2010. It was a thrill to go to the doctor today and see that little heart beating. Please be praying that we would continue to trust the Lord in the midst of this. Some of you know we experienced two miscarriages last year. The doctor is very pleased so far with what he sees but we do trust that God knows what is best and will bring it to be.

Sad News

2009-11-12T20:02:00.001+02:00

I received some very sad news today. Pictured above is one of the gogo's (grandmothers) I knew in Katlehong. She and another gogo lived together and were caring for 6 children. They were some of the hardest workers I knew. One day I showed up and saw corn growing around their shack. They were raising it to sell on the side of the street. Apparently, on Tuesday she and her granddaughter were crossing the railroad tracks and her foot got caught as a train came down the track. She was hit by the train and killed while her granddaughter watched. Please pray for this family! Pray that they would be comforted and pray for the children who are left behind. Pray for the granddaughter who saw it happened and is obviously traumatized. Pray that this will be an opportunity for the gospel to be shared!

More Women's Retreat Pictures

2009-10-29T21:43:00.000+02:00

More Women's Retreat

2009-10-29T21:37:00.000+02:00

They treated us to some wonderful singing!

I love Ivy! She has grown so much in the last year and is a lot of fun to be with.

LBC Women's Retreat

2009-10-29T21:34:00.001+02:00

We had our LBC Women's Retreat this last weekend. It was a wonderful time away though I missed my husband terribly. (Its just not as fun to go away anymore.)

The women really enjoyed true fellowship and really encouraged each other. We had great teaching on the book of Phillipians from Megan Wooley and enjoyed a time of sharing and application in small groups after several of the talks.

The women love to spend time together and are true biblical friends!!!

One of the most encouraging things for me of the weekend was coming up to the porch during free time and finding Dinah and Johannah doing their Sunday School homework. These women love the Lord and are soooo teachable! Dinah says one thing she is most thankful for is her English classes because now she can read the Scriptures for herself.

Personal Update

2009-10-29T20:58:00.001+02:00

We continue to love married life! Many of you know that it has been a tough couple of months for us physically and we continue to covet your prayers. We have experienced two miscarriages in the last 6 months which has been a difficult trial to walk through. We have been sustained in the midst of this trial and continue to trust God’s perfect plan for our lives. Additionally, Sybrand has had nasal surgery and experienced some complications from the surgery that seem to now be sorted out. As a result of some of the testing they did, they discovered he has an immune deficiency which they are in the process of trying to discern the best way to treat. The result of this is that he gets sick easily. Please pray that they would be able to decide on a course of treatment that would be effective and helpful in building up his immune system.

In the midst of all of this, we found out that his mother’s cancer had progressed and she is in the process of receiving intensive chemotherapy. She is a believer and has been a wonderful testimony of trusting the Lord in the midst of this trial.

Needless to say, this has left us a little tired and worn out. Please pray that God would continue to refresh us and revive and that we would walk by faith and not by sight.

We are thankful that after two years of waiting my application for permanent residency was approved! It means that I can now apply for a South African ID number which is similar to having a Social Security number in the states. It is such an answer to prayer.

Tyndale Christian School

2009-10-29T20:52:00.003+02:00

Over the last few months God has been expanding our ministry at Tyndale Christian School which was originally started by members of our church and meets on our church property (although it is not our church’s school). We were approached several months ago and asked to consider becoming part of the school board and helping to give direction to the school.

The school is struggling right now. It originally was spiritually strong and founded with a commitment to sound biblical theology. Over the years as the original founding members of the school have left, the school has lost its theological grounding and has begun to struggle. On the board there has been a spilt between the charismatics and those that are more reformed in their theology which has led to division. Shortly before we joined the board, the majority of the board members who were causing the division stepped down and now the school is in the process of rebuilding.

It has been exciting for us to become more involved. We are both committed to Christian Education and the importance of it. Additionally, the school is about 80% black and has many children coming to school from the townships. We would love to be a part of the school becoming more effective in its ministry to these children who so desperately need a solid biblical and academic foundation in life. My previous experience in the township has shown me how vital this is if we are going to reach our townships for Christ.

Let me introduce you to one of the students who is a picture of the kind of child we are trying to help. Pictured at the top is Sihle M. who has attended the school since the 1^st grade. He is currently the Head Boy at the school. His mother died shortly after he was born and he has been raised by his aunt. He comes to the school from one of the local townships. His family is involved in a church where Christianity and ancestral worship are mixed. He knows that is wrong and can share why it is. Please pray that he will be strong in the midst of this. Next year he will be going to one of the local high schools which has an excellent academic reputation. In addition to receiving a solid academic foundation at Tyndale, he has also been given a solid biblical foundation and has been equipped to share Christ with others in the township as well as for future ministry.

Additionally Sybrand has had a wonderful opportunity to work with the teachers. He is presenting the Changing Hearts, Changing Lives material to them on a weekly basis. Our prayer is that this will help the teachers not just minister to the children on an academic level but to be able to help them shepherd the children’s hearts and impact them spiritually. Many teachers have commented on what a help these times have been to them on both a personal and a professional level

Update Continued

2009-10-29T20:42:00.004+02:00

I am continuing to enjoy leading our women’s Bible Study. We are currently studying working through the book, ‘Reaching the Ear of God’. Last week we spoke on how God has met our needs so abundantly. As they responded to that, they began to speak of the many in our church who are struggling. We have many women in our church who are supporting whole families on about $400 a month. One woman shared with me recently her concerns over her family in Zimbabwe who are starving because of lack of food. In response, they began to develop a plan of how they could better minister to them in practical ways. It is so encouraging to see them begin to take action to reach out and tangibly minister mercy to the poor within our own congregation.

We are also in the midst of planning for our Women’s Retreat. Sybrand and I identified several women who could potentially be trained to help in the leading of our Women’s Ministry and asked them to help me plan for the retreat. It was so encouraging yesterday to meet with them and hear their ideas for the retreat and how we can accomplish our goals. I am praying that this group will be the start of a Women’s Committee that can help disciple and minister to the women at our church.

A highlight for me has been the Sunday School class I have begun for the domestic workers who come to church. The sincere, simple faith of these women has been a real encouragement. They ask good questions every week are beginning to open up and share their own personal struggles. Several of these women have commented that they truly understand the gospel for the first time. They also have said that they are beginning to understand the Bible for the first time and have asked to learn how to study it for themselves. In response, we have begun a series with them on ‘How to Study the Bible’.

One of our prayers in starting this group was that we would begin to see the women more fully integrated into the life of the church. We are beginning to see God answer that prayer. Some of them have started coming to Sunday evening church and to the Wednesday prayer meeting which is very unique in a South African church setting. They also keep less to themselves. Please pray that this would continue.

As a side note, it has been so fun to get to know these women. The woman to my right in the picture name is Johanna. I was recently talking to her and found out that when she got married about 25 years ago, her husband had to pay 4 cows for her and what would have amounted to about $1200. Two of the cows were used to feed the guest at the wedding and the other two were used to help sustain the family. Johanna’s husband died after 12 years of marriage leaving her with three children to raise and care for. She shared with me that they are slow mentally and have been unable to find work even though they are looking for it. Yet in the midst of it, she expresses a deep love for and trust in the Lord.

Please don't die of shock....

2009-10-29T20:11:00.008+02:00

I was on a friend's blog that lists when the last time a blog was updated and saw that it had been ten months since I had written on ours. So, for the one person who still checks it, I decided to update. Needless to say, life has been a little crazy since December! We continue to be thankful for the opportunity to minister at Lynnwood Baptist Church. We have really enjoyed opening our home to people in the church and getting to know them better.

Sybrand recently began preaching a series on 1Timothy on Sunday mornings. This has been a great opportunity to re-establish in people’s minds what God intends the church to look like. He also has been teaching an Adult Sunday School class based on material from CCEF called ‘Changing Hearts, Changing Lives’. The focus of this class has been to help people better understand how behavior reflects our heart and that it isn’t enough to merely change our external behavior without dealing with our hearts. Many have commented on how helpful this material has been in their personal walk with God and how they have been able to help others who are struggling. As with any teaching that confronts our hearts, there has been resistance to it. So often we are content with external behavioral change and knowing the right things and don’t want to confront the issues of our heart idolatry.

One woman we met with recently shared how she was so convicted that she stopped coming to church for awhile. We are thankful though that God has begun to till up the soil of her heart and she is starting to deal with some issues in her heart and seeking help and is back in church again.

We are grateful for the 5 new families God has brought to the church over the last few months. They have been a wonderful addition and have brought a breath of fresh air to the church. Sybrand has begun to meet with these men in a Discipleship Group. They have proven themselves to be faithful, teachable men. The hope is that as they are equipped they will go out and find men that they can each disciple and pour their lives into.

Sybrand's Small Group

Additionally, we have many Africans who wander into the church looking for help. Every Sunday it seems that’s someone will wander in off of the streets. I think in part it is because of Lynnwood’s long standing ministry to the poor in our area. Just the other day a man from Zimbabwe who is struggling with some issues in his life and wanting help, stopped by the church. Sybrand had a wonderful opportunity to share the gospel with him. We are praying that he will come to church and we will have continued to ministry to him.

A picture from church camp last April.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-26T08:12:00.002+02:00

Thought you might enjoy seeing a picture of the group that celebrated Christmas with us. I think we had 27 people in all. Some of the guys from the Congo that were with us mentioned that it was the first Christmas that they had ever received a present at.

Prayer Requests

2008-12-23T07:50:00.001+02:00

Please pray for Sybrand and me as we begin our married life together. Pray that we will be a couple that honors God. Additionally, pray for us as we settle into ministry at a new church and with new people.

Pray for wisdom for Sybrand as he preaches to a wide spectrum of people and desires to make God’s Word practical to all that come.

Please pray that God will give us wisdom as to what to do about my house. We had thought we had sold it but some complications came up this week that have made us need to rethink this decision. We are evaluating whether we should rent it for awhile and sell it later when the real estate market has recovered some. Pray that if Lambano does purchase it, the sale will go through quickly and smoothly.

Please pray that God would give Sybrand and me wisdom as we decide what my ministry should entail.

Continue to pray for Martha as she takes over my responsibilities. Pray that God will use her greatly as she ministers among the people of Katlehong.

More Changes

2008-12-23T07:48:00.000+02:00

Change in Mission’s Agency: One additional change that came about very recently was due to the news that GMI will not allow me as a married woman to stay on as a missionary. While this came as a surprise to me, I know it was not one to God and have seen His work through all of this. Shortly after I heard this news, I came into contact with Biblical Ministries Worldwide which is a mission’s agency operating out of Atlanta, Georgia. As I interacted with the field director here, I was encouraged by the passion they have to plant churches in the townships. The more we talked the more I saw that our philosophy of ministry was very similar. For many reasons, coming under their leadership seemed a natural fit and as of January all of my support will be channeled through them. This has been a sudden change and I have seen God work to bring together many pieces of the puzzle and continue to care for Sybrand and I. If you have more questions about this, please contact me. I am so grateful to God for those of you who have supported me through out the years.

Your giving has made my work here possible and your continued giving will help to make my continued ministry possible. If you would like to continue to support us, you can do so by mailing your checks to:

Biblical Ministries Worldwide
1595 Herrington Road
Lawrenceville, GA 30043-5616

Checks should be made out to Biblical Ministries Worldwide with a note attached that they are for the support of Sybrand and Beth de Swardt. Additionally, you can find information about automated giving at http://www.biblicalministries.org/support/automated.htm.

Looking Ahead

2008-12-23T07:47:00.000+02:00

When I look ahead one word comes to mind: Change!

Change in status: In a little less then a month, I will be a married woman and on top of that be a pastor’s wife. While it at times in a little scary, I am thrilled with where God has brought me.

Change in Location and Ministry: A little over a year ago, I spoke at a women’s retreat. I came home and told my mom that it was a church I would love to be part of. Little did I know that a year later God would call my future husband to be their pastor. We are excited to become part of Lynwood Baptist Church in Pretoria for many reasons. It is a small church of about 100 people that has been without a pastor for almost three years. The unique thing about this church is that it is a mix of color and race which is very unusual for a church in South Africa. We are thankful for the opportunity that God has given us to minister at this church.

In many ways, God has uniquely prepared this church to reach out with the message of salvation specifically and to reach the black community where the gospel is desperately needed. This is especially true given the mixture of traditional (ancestral) worship, the prevalence of witchcraft, the HIV crisis, and tremendous poverty in these communities. The church is eager to get involved where very few are willing to go. Several factors have helped to lay the foundation for this kind of ministry in the church.

· The church has been involved in a church plant in the township in the past and is open to being involved again in this with the added component of training and equipping pastors in that specific context.

· The previous pastor was a Zambian who helped to lay a wonderful foundation of interracial relationships within the church. (Please note that while this is not unusual in an American church context, it is in a South African church context.) The church is well integrated both in the congregation and on the leadership and this gives added credibility as we reach out .

· The church is already involved in a ministry to domestic workers and hosts a weekly service for them.

· The leadership is desiring to develop in its outreach ministry. We have had several conversations with the leadership within the church recently where they have indicated that they believe the church really needs to grow and develop in reaching out effectively to the black community.

Sybrand and I have spent a great deal of time thinking through and praying about my potential ministry in the church. There have been many opportunities presented to us. I will just share a few of them with you.

· God has already brought people from the township to our church that are great vehicles to take the gospel to this context and so have a tremendous impact for Christ in the townships. Many of you have often heard me talk about how the gospel is really the only solution to the crisis facing South Africa’s townships. Because of the make-up of the church, I have a unique opportunity to combine my desire to be involved in women’s ministry and my passion to reach our townships for Christ. We would love to see these women more fully integrated into the life of the church which must be done through building relationships with these women and, Lord willing, to disciple some of them equipping them for the task because of the potential to have a tremendous impact for Christ in the townships. We have discussed beginning with a Women’s Bible Study specifically for them. We are thinking of starting with an evangelistic study that they could bring their friends to which would serve as a way to help them begin to reach out to those around them.

Our prayer is that God would equip these women and help us, as a church, to develop avenues into the townships they live in where we could begin to develop mercy ministries. They can serve as a bridge into these spiritually dark communities. We really desire to see our church more actively involved in meeting the needs (spiritual and physical) of our townships. These women could help us lay the foundation for this. Please pray that God gives us wisdom as to the best way to do this.

· We have also been encouraged by the contact we have had with a missionary couple relocating to South Africa from where they have been serving in Germany. They are part of a work called Thandanani (http://www.thandanani.org/default.aspx). Thandanani, from a Zulu word meaning "love one another," is a ministry begun by Biblical Ministries Worldwide-South Africa to foster a church-planting movement in the rural villages of South Africa, villages shattered by the AIDS epidemic and struggling to cope with the orphans that the scourge is leaving behind. The ministry they are involved in could be a wonderful one to partner with as we begin to reach out to the townships in practical ways.

· Additionally, Sybrand and myself have been approached about the opportunity to become involved in the Christian school that uses our church property. They are in the process of re-evaluating the purpose of the school and are thinking of using the school as an outreach into the community by providing children with a solid Christ-centered education. These children would then be equipped to go back into their communities and reach them with the gospel of Christ. We are working on building some bridges with the school by teaching some Bible classes once a week. The school is a mixture of black and white students and we hope in these classes to help deal with some of the issues that they are facing in a daily basis including issues like racial tension, AIDs, sexual purity and how to stand for Christ in a pagan world. Potentially, especially given my background in education, there are many opportunities for ministry at the school.

· I have been asked to help some with the administrative work of Grace School of Ministry (The counseling training program my father has started.) which is modeled after the counseling program I administrated for many years at The Master’s College. This year, they have 60 students involved from all over Africa (whites and blacks) and even parts of Europe. It is a great way for me to use some of my previous experiences to help in the training of nationals- many of whom will minister in the poorest areas. Given it is a distance learning program, there has been a need for someone to help in the area of student contact. I will be involved in helping to encourage the students in their studies and providing help in keeping them on track with their studies and helping to answer questions that arise in the course of their studies. Additionally, I will be helping with some of the grading.

· If you are aware of anything that is happening in Southern Africa, you know that things are a mess. Just look at Zimbabwe for example. Many are fleeing to South Africa and we have a unique opportunity as we minister to them to potentially not only influence South Africa but all of Africa. Our church has many refugees from various parts of Africa. Many of these refugees desire to go back to their home countries. As they are equipped, they have the potential to go back and influence their countries for Christ. It is a tremendous opportunity for our church.

Please pray that God would give Sybrand and me much wisdom as we decide what is the best investment of our time for the sake of the kingdom. Our first priority is settling into church life at Lynwood and focusing on our ministry there. Please pray for us as we get to know the people and especially for Sybrand as he begins to shepherd them.

There are many possibilities and we do not want to neglect what we believe to be our first priority right now – the church. Figuring all of this out will take some time to figure out especially has we settle into ministry at a new church.

Highlights of the last few months....

2008-12-23T07:46:00.000+02:00

Teams: One of the biggest highlights was the two teams that came to minister here. The first was a team from The Masters College. They came primarily to minister at the two primary schools that I have been involved in. They were here for six weeks and had an incredible impact with the students and teachers at the schools. I can’t tell you how many comments I had about their attitudes and servant spirits. I was also told by a teacher that for the first time they saw what a Christian should look like. They were an amazing testimony to those they came in contact with.

The other team was the combined team from Grace Community and Calvary. They were a blessing and had many opportunities to share Christ and the gospel with many of the various schools in Katlehong. Keisha Reed who has been here ministering for a year along with our Malawian interns at the church have followed up with a Bible Study in one of the schools.

Martha: A real joy for me these past months has been to spend time training Martha to replace me in Katlehong. She and I have spent a great deal of time together and she is a real encouragement to me and a great asset to the ministry at Lambano. A particular joy for me has been the fact that Martha has started taking the Biblical counseling courses my father is teaching here in Pretoria. Seeing her grasp these truths has been thrilling and it is especially exciting to be leaving someone biblically trained to continue the ministry.

Evangelistic Bible Study: We started and have completed the evangelistic Bible Study in Katlehong. I taught the first week and it became clear that I was more of a hindrance then a help because of the language issues. Martha stepped in and has taught the class while I handed out food parcels so our worker could come. One woman made a profession of faith and about 10 others heard the gospel. Pray as Martha continues with this study in the New Year.

Katlehong Church: Many of you know that I have been praying for a church to be planted in Katlehong. Well, I recently found out that God answered my prayer 4 years ago and I didn’t know it. Through some new contacts, I heard of an American who has been ministering in Katlehong. I meet with him and his wife a few weeks ago and was encouraged by their love for the Lord and their selfless ministry to the people of Katlehong. It is even in the same area that the people we help live in. Martha visited the church and it seems solid. How exciting to finally have a church to send people to! Martha plans to go one Sunday shortly after Christmas with some of the children we sponsor in Katlehong. The pastor has offered to pick up the children for Sunday school in the weeks following.

Other opportunities: Other the past few months I have had many opportunities to minister to various women’s groups at several churches. Included in this was an opportunity to speak to a group of pastor’s wives on my favorite topic: discipleship. Additionally, I was able to be involved teaching a women’s class at Grace School of ministry (my father’s counseling course.) It was a real joy to be able to work with women from various parts of Africa.

Apologies....

2008-12-23T07:43:00.002+02:00

I have been a very bad blogger and to the two of you who still read my blog, I am about to update. I'm not going to post pictures right now but will soon.

God's Faithfulness!

2008-07-22T16:34:00.000+02:00

I'm engaged to Sybrand de Swardt!!!!!!

Many of you already know but in case you haven't heard, God has brought a wonderful godly man into my life and we are getting married on January 17th in Cape Town, South Africa.

The ring-

This is the view from where we got engaged in Kruger National Park last week. It was Olifants (Elphant) Camp in the park. It was an amazing site we looked down on.

A picture of the two of us from earlier in the day.

The first picture of us as an engaged couple. Sorry for the shadows.

The Story:

My dad teaches counseling courses in Grace School of Ministry in Pretoria four times a year. The classes started October 2006 with pastors and others coming to attend the classes for a week at a time. At the end of the March class, my dad realized that one of the men in the class was a single pastor. He mentioned it in passing at the end of the week to my mom and me. I found it kind of funny. I mean the guy lived in a small town outside of Cape Town. How was I going to meet him?

Well, while my dad was completely innocent in the next part of the story, my mom did a little scheming. She decided that it would be a good idea to invite the whole class over for dinner the next time the class met in October. She figured that way we would have a chance to meet. Once again, I found it all funny. I mean what was going to come of it. He wasn't going to meet me and want to date me.

So, that October about 50 to 60 people came over for dinner. We were introduced but it ended there that evening. I had come to the place in life where I really thought God had meant for me to be single. I even said that to my mother at the end of the evening. I wasn't upset about it but rather really wondered if I wasn't more effective in my ministry single then I would be married. I was content with where God had me. I loved my life and ministry. (Interestingly enough, Sybrand was at the same point in his life and thinking as well.)

(As an aside, the other part of the story I only found out later was that the summer before my mom had prayed faithfully every day while she did some physical therapy on her neck that involved being on her knees for an half hour a day that God would send me a godly husband. Amazing isn't it?)

Well, she gave it one more try and at the end of the November class had everyone over for dinner as well. It was at the end of the evening when Sybrand came into the room I was in. He was looking for the person he had come with to tell them it was time leave. He sat on the opposite side of the table from me and began talking to a couple sitting beside him. My mom and sister-in-law came in about that time and sat beside him and began talking to him. I knew I better join in the conversation or else I would be in trouble :). So, I joined in.

We began to talk and as we did the others around us began to disappear. It wasn't a long conversation but it was nice. During it, he invited me down to Cape Town about three times. I didn't think much of it. Most South Africans want to show visitors their part of the country. My mom asked me what I thought after and I told her it I thought he was really nice but what was going to come of it? What I only found out later was that Sybrand went home and couldn't sleep after we met. I'll let him tell that part sometime.

That next week he wrote my dad and asked him for my contact information. I was sooo impressed with that. I knew there were other ways he could have gotten it but to go through my dad scored big points in my book! The next day (which was Friday) I heard from him for the first time. I kept thinking this is so different. There was no doubt that he was the one doing the pursuing and it was so wonderful to have it that way. We began writing and in the middle of December I went down for a long weekend.

It was a wonderful weekend. I think we talked almost every minute we were together. Its been an interesting, sanctifying journey since then. I certainly have realized I am a lot more sinful then I ever thought! But God has been so good to us and while we grow in holiness he has also knit our hearts together in a way that only He can. I know I am far better with Sybrand then I am without him in every way.
This last week we spent a few days in the Kruger National Park visiting a pastor friend and seeing animals. Wednesday we left the house at about 5am to get in the park early. We drove way up that day to a part called Olifants (Elephants). We walked all over the site. I couldn't figure out why. We finally came to this very quiet section with a wonderful view. We sat down and looked for a while. Then we prayed together. Earlier as we had walked around, Sybrand had shared the significance this site had had in his life while a child. He mentioned he thought it was an appropriate place for a new beginning. As we sat there, he gave me a small box with an amazing ring in it and we soon became an engaged couple.

Please pray for us as we enter this new stage in life. Pray that God would help us to glorify Him as we prepare for marriage.

TMC Team 2

2008-07-03T08:29:00.000+02:00

TMC Team

2008-07-03T08:27:00.000+02:00

I've been meaning to post these pictures for awhile. The TMC team left last week after being here for 6 weeks. What a blessing they were!!! I was so impressed and encouraged by their servant spirits and the way they faithfully ministered in difficult circumstances. The impact they had for Christ on the children and teachers at the schools where they taught was great. Both prinicpals came and shared with me the difference they had seen in the children since the team had come. More then that, I could see it on their last day at the schools. Everywhere I walked there seemed to be crowds of children gathered around the students clinging to them. They laid a wonderful foundation for others to build on as they lived out the gospel.

Katlehong Outreach

2008-07-03T08:06:00.002+02:00

I have asked you to pray several times for an evangelistic Bible Study we are starting in Katlehong. Several weeks ago we started that study. I taught the first week and as I did it became very clear to me that my teaching the study was more of a hindrance to the study then a help because of the language barrier. Martha, who works in the Lambano office and has been helping in Katlehong, quickly agreed to teach it for me and she has been doing a wonderful job.

A real answer to prayer is that the second week we met one of the women, Anna, made a profession of faith. Pastor Vuyo and Keisha are beginning to meet with her to help her better understand the gospel and the commitment she made. Please pray that her conversion would be genuine and that she would stand strong in the midst of persecution that will come as she walks away from ancestral worship.

Please pray for Martha as she teaches each week. Pray that God would help her as she translates each lesson into an African language and that she would be able to explain the truths of the gospel clearly to those who come.

Please continue to pray for this study and the women who come. I have included a list of their names below so that you can pray specifically for them.

Nosisi Radebe

Bellinah Malinga

Phumzile Nkosi

Elizabeth Mthembu

Christina Mohlambe

Thandeka Msomi

Anna Monethi

Matshidiso Khabanyane

Sibongile Makhubo

Mpho Mokokodisi

Christina Mavuso
Doreen

May 2008 Prayer Letter

2008-05-28T07:12:00.001+02:00

I'm back. Sorry it has been such a long time. Below you will find a copy of my recent prayer letter. If you would like to be on my e-mail update list, please let me know!

About a week and a half ago, 8 tired students arrived from The Master’s College. They were joined a few days later by 2 others. The original plan was for them to teach English in the two schools we are connected with in Katlehong. The subject list that they are helping to teach rapidly expanded when we met with the principals. In addition to English, they are now teaching Science, Math, Art, Life Orientation, Computers and Music. The schools have been very excited to have them here and have made every effort to welcome them. One even went as far as to have a Welcome Ceremony that included singing, traditional dancing and other acts.

The hope is that their ministry would continue to help us build bridges into the community that would provide avenues for us to share the gospel. What a tremendous blessing they have been to the ministry here. Many of them have had the opportunity to share the gospel in conversations with teachers and students and some have had opportunities to share the gospel in their classes. They have built wonderful relationships with both the teachers and the students and have been wonderful examples to those around them of what it means to follow Christ! One of the assistant principals made a comment to one of the students that really sums up the impact they are beginning to have. She said that to some people church was a hobby but she could tell that to them it was their life.

Another exciting development in the township has been the community worker God has provided us with. Many of you prayed with me that God would provide someone who was trustworthy and who was a genuine believer and able to share Christ with those we minister too. God has answered that prayer. In February, Pastor Vuyo, who is a graduate of Christ Seminary and also pastor of the church plant associated with our church, began to work with us in this capacity. He has been a wonderful addition to the work there and shares my burden to see a church planted in Katlehong.

An additional exciting development has been the fact that, Lord willing, we should receive the funding in June to begin the hot lunch program at these schools. We will be feeding around 2500 students lunch every day. For many it will be the only meal they receive daily. This is a huge undertaking but we are very excited to have it come to fruition finally!

Praise and Prayer Requests:

1. Praise the Lord for the great team from The Master’s College and their wonderful attitudes and their servant spirits. Pray that God would bless their ministry and that they would have opportunities to share the gospel with those they come in contact with.

2. Please pray for the safety of the team and those of us who visit Katlehong regularly. I know news of the violence in the township has reached the states. So far the violence has been directed at those living in the townships that are from other African countries. Katlehong has been relatively quiet compared to some of the other townships in Johannesburg and we are taking every precaution to ensure their safety but your prayers are appreciated.

3. Please pray for the safety of some of our Lambano workers who have been impacted by the violence where they live.

4. Praise the Lord for providing us with a trustworthy community worker and please pray for Vuyo as he tries to develop relationships with those we are helping,

5. I am starting an evangelistic Bible Study in Katlehong in two weeks. Please pray that God would draw those who come to Himself.

6. Pray that God would give wisdom and help as we start the lunch program soon. The project begins with building kitchens at both schools in addition to a dining hall. Please pray that this process would go smoothly and that God would provide us with the right workers for this project.

Praying Children

2008-03-13T20:48:00.000+02:00

One of the greatest encouragements to me is knowing that people are praying for me and the work here. An even greater encouragement is the two children below who faithfully pray for me every night. What a great thing for children at such a young age have a heart for mission and develop a pattern of prayer.

Mark prays faithfully that God will keep me safe.

Kyla began praying for me before I went to Africa and has continued to pray for me and the children here.

Catching Up 3

2008-03-13T20:37:00.001+02:00

I spent the final part of my trip in Atlanta, Georgia with some dear friends (John and Connie Blackburn and Jack and Barbara Enter) from Providence Church. We had a wonderful weekend together in the mountains and I was given the opportunity to share about the work here in their services. It is a great joy to have this church now partnering with me in the work here.

I came home and was able to enjoy a few days of rest and relaxation with my frien, Sybrand De Swardt, in Cape Town.

Catching Up 2

2008-03-13T19:52:00.000+02:00

One of the favorite parts of my trip was the week I spend in Napa with Tom and Dee Ellison.
We had great conversations, lots of laughs and made some great memories.

Tom with his grandson Mark who is one of my favorite kids.

I haven't been to Disneyland in years. I had a great day there with the Martson's.

Catching Up

2008-03-13T19:46:00.000+02:00

I know I have been a very bad blogger lately and I and I am very sorry about that. Many of you know that I spent about 6 weeks in the states in January and February. It was a wonderful busy trip. I had a great time catching up with many of you and renewing friendships and sharing what God has allowed me to be part of here in South Africa. A big word of thanks to those of you who helped to make my trip so special. You truly refreshed my heart!

I thought I would show you in pictures some of the highlights of my trip. I started with a week at my oldest brother's. I had such a great time with them. Nothing beats spending time with family. It was a little shock to my body to go from summer to winter- especially the night we went tubing in the snow :).

Below I am pictured with some of my all time favorite people, Robert and Eilene Marston. I was so thankful for all the encouraging times I had with them and their family. What a blessing it was to me!

Eilene and Carol are like true sisters to me!

Sorry its been so long!

2008-01-15T07:38:00.000+02:00

I know it has been a long time since I have posted and I apologize. I do plan on writing an update soon! In the meantime, here is a short video that a friend (Thanks Jesse!) put together for me with some highlights of my ministry.

Quick Update

2007-12-12T18:27:00.000+02:00

My mom reminded me yesterday that my blog has been very quiet lately. I am sorry about that. I won't get to a full update tonight but I did want to share a few things. It has been a long two weeks. We found out that my new worker in Katlehong had stolen from us. It was very sad and very disheartening. We (I) had high hopes for him. Please pray that God would lead us to the right person to take his position.

I also wanted to let you know that I will be in the states for about 5 weeks right after Christmas. I will be in PA visiting family from December 27th until January 2nd and then in Los Angeles from January 2nd until January 31st. I will be spending a week in the middle of this time with some dear friends in Napa. I leave LA January 31st and will spend a few days in Atlanta before heading home. I would love to see as many of you as possible and catch up! I'm also available and willing to share in any groups or Bible Studies about the ministry here.

I'm looking forward to a long weekend in Cape Town this weekend. This will be my first time there and I am looking forward to seeing an other part of this country.

Funny Sign

2007-11-26T07:40:00.000+02:00

Ok, I saw a funny sign at the stores the other day. It said: Christmas Sale on Beach Towels.... There's just something about a warm Christmas that still feels weird to me.

Speaking of the beach, I am off to Durban to meet up with Josh and family for a few days. I am looking forward to coming back a few shades darker (I know... its dangerous.) and a little more rested.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T21:18:00.000+02:00

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I have wonderful memories of times spent with family and friends. And once again I am reminded of all that I have to be thankful for. We serve an amazing God who treats me much better then I ever deserve and with much grace and mercy! I am grateful for all of you who so faithfully support my ministry and make it possible for me to be here and I am thankful for my faithful friends and family who love me and care for me! What a blessing to be part of the family of God.

Todays Thanksgiving was a little different then most. I celebrated with Josh and Marda and the girls. Marda had ordered a turkey that was suppose to be delivered to the store yesterday. When she went, it hadn't come in and she was told it might come in Thursday or Friday late morning.... A little bit a problem. There wasn't another turkey in the store. So, we had chicken. Welcome to Thanksgiving in Africa :) The girls were afraid Thanksgiving would be ruined but it wasn't because when it gets down to it- its really not about the food.

Oh, and due to the fact that there is no such thing as pumpkin in a can, I made my first pumpkin pie completely from scratch and it was pretty good and pretty easy. I still need to figure out how to make my crusts look pretty though. Any suggestions???

Fun Pictures

2007-11-15T20:50:00.000+02:00

Summer is here and the kids are really enjoying their pools!

Random thoughts from yesterday

2007-11-08T08:23:00.000+02:00

I'm not sure how best to describe yesterday. I started out the day by taking our doctor to work at the government clinic in Katlehong. She works there every other week with the ECHO team which is a team that is suppose to be helping to make changes to how the hospital is run. Problem is she has shown up and they don't. As we got to the hospital you have to drive through security. I've done that before but yesterday they asked if I had a camera with me. I did and they wanted to keep it until I left the hospital. Hmmm... don't think so. Since, I knew I wanted to have my camera at the end of the day I said I would drop the doctor off and leave without coming in. But it does make you wonder. What are they afraid I will take pictures of? The high level of care going on in the hospital????? Another, hmm... don't think so.

From there I went with our two community workers to do some home visits. When someone asks to be fed by us, we visit them and make sure that they are needy and fit our criteria. As I walked into these homes and sat with the flys swirling around my head, I thought of God's sense of humor that He would have such a germaphobic person ( I mean I don't even like to shop in Walmart because I think its too dirty and I certainly won't use the restrooms there.) doing these kinds of things and being in these kinds of places.

One home (and by home I mean a 10ft x 12ft tin shack) we were going to we planned on telling the woman that if she had enough money to buy alchohol, she had enough money to buy food. When we arrived, she was gone but her 12 year old daughter was there and the grandmother. The shack was filthy and there were clothes lying in a pile outside it in the dirt. (This is very unusual. Most keep their shacks cleaner then we keep our houses.) The daughter hadn't been to school because the mother is using the daughter's grant to buy alchohol instead of things like school shoes. Because she didn't have shoes, she couldn't go to school.

We asked where the mother was. It seems that she has gone to stay with her new boyfriend and left her daughter to stay with the old one. It still shocks me that a mother could do that. It is like she is asking for her daughter to be raped. I asked the grandmother if she could have her granddaughter stay with her but the mother is so abusive she is scared to. My heart was very sore as we stood there. I thought about bringing her back to Lambano to stay and figured I'd ask Lyn for forgiveness when we got there :). I knew though that we need to get Social Services involved. So, I gave our community worker money to buy her shoes and took them to the Social Servicies office. They should remove her from the home. I'll find out this afternoon what happened and if they didn't I might be bringing her back here. We then picked up a 14 year old at the hospital who ius very sick and possibly about to die. We brought her back to Lambano and will care for her here. We are praying that we got her soon enough and can nurse her back to health.

Well, that was the heavy part of the day. That night I went to the Christmas program at the school our kids attend. I know it seems early but schools here close in November for the 'summer' break which seems very strange to me but it is summer here. I was absolutely amazed at the program. You'll see a picture below of something I don't think you'll see happen at any public school in the states or that has happened in maybe 30 years. Yes, that boy is reading the Christmas story from the Bible...... Wow! A Christmas concert were they sang about Jesus. I think they only sang one song about Santa.

They had kids acting out the story as they sang. Kamo below was a angel.

Timmy was Jospeh. I don't have a picture of her but one of his twelve girlfriends was Mary. We are working on the girlfriend thing :) but school has been great for Timmy. He really has excelled and is quite the man on campus it seems.

Seiya was in the chorus that sat in the back.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable concert and all the kids did a great job! It was a good way to end the day. I love Christmas!

Charity Mile

2007-11-04T18:43:00.000+02:00

I spent yesterday at a charity event for Lambano. Each charity was represented in a competition and we came in second- winning R60,000 (about $10,000). God was good!

It was a little funny because each charity was represented by a celebrity and being American I had no idea who most of them were. And I have to tell you besides the money given to Lambano the best part of the day was that some of the Springboks were there. For those of you in America, the Springboks are the South African rugby team and we just won the World Cup. Its kind of fun to have a team that represents the whole country instead of a state or a city. It really brings people together. Anyway, I did what I never do and in an effort to make some of my South African friends jealous had my picture taken with some of them there. To fully understand these pictures, you have to understand what a big, huge things Springbok rugby is here. I have to say they were very nice guys and were very gracious with the people at the event.

With Jake White the coach

With Juan De Viliers

With Schalk Burger

Update

2007-10-28T11:21:00.000+02:00

The little girl who was pictured below died this morning at 9:10am. We are grateful that she passed away peacefully and quickly. Please pray that God would comfort the family at this time. Please pray for the funeral. One of our pastors, Vuyo, will be holding and will share the hope of the gospel. Pray that people will hear and respond. Thanks!

Very Funny....

2007-10-26T19:30:00.000+02:00

Ok, this You Tube clip is so funny..... Sadly its what many people think Biblical Counseling is but it isn't... Anyway, enjoy!

2007-10-25T11:14:00.000+02:00

Here are some pictures of the little girl I mentioned below. Please continue to pray for her!

2007-10-21T20:31:00.000+02:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. Its not that I don't have things to post because I do. My home phone has been down for about 5 weeks and my internet stopped working last Saturday..... I feel very disconnected to the world right now. I'm connected right now but it is costing me a small fortune to do so which means you will only get a few quick highlights.

1. This past Tuesday marked the end of my second year in Africa. Wow, time flies!

2. Please pray a new child we got on Thursday. She is 10 and weighs 22 lbs......Needless to say she is very sick.

3. And in less sobering news South Africa won the World Cup in Rugby for the first time since 1995.

Concert Update

2007-10-11T16:55:00.000+02:00

A few weeks back I ask you to pray for a concert a youth group was hosting in Washington to raise money for our hospice. Sam Neylan posted a report on it on her blog today. (If you click on her name, it will take you to it.) You'll be encouraged by what you wrote. It is pretty cool to see how God can use even the internet to bring people together.

Bayley Jordan Mack

2007-10-10T15:13:00.000+02:00

Introducing the first African- American Mack! Bayley Jordan was born on Monday at 7:50am. She weighed 7.05 lbs and was 18.9 centimeters and is very cute!

Much to McKenna's delight (as you can see below), she was born with red hair!

Christmas in October

2007-10-04T22:35:00.000+02:00

Today was a very fun day. It started off by having an encouraging time with our new worker. How refreshing it is to work with someone who on their own prays with parents about their sick children and who willingly volunteers to help wherever he can even when it isn't in his job description. WOW! What a difference!

Then in the afternoon I got to play Santa. Someone had sent money to help buy school uniforms for some of the children in Katlehong. (Actually two people have.) They specifically wanted to help two children I have mentioned in the past who are living with their grandfather. Now I work with people who have nothing but honestly these kids have less then nothing. I think they have one set of clothes. Its pretty sad.

Anyway, I took them to the shops today to buy school uniforms. I think they were a little overwhelmed with it all. I had some money left over when we were done and took them to a clothing store and let them choose some new clothes. I asked the woman who was with me if this was the first time they had been able to buy new clothing and she thought it was. It was really fun to show love to them in this way. How fun to think that they are going to school tomorrow for the first time with a school uniform on and that when they get home they have some clean, new clothes that aren't torn and needing to be thrown out to put on!

One neat thing was the attitude of the woman with me. Its not like she has much. She has three children and lives in a shack in a squatter camp. I wondered what she would think about the money being spent on these kids and if she would feel bad I wasn't buying for her children. But she wasn't. She was genuinely excited about the good being done for them without a hint of jealousy. What a great example she was!

Its Fixed... I Think....

2007-10-02T22:19:00.000+02:00

I think my e-mail is fixed..... Its been a long couple of weeks without it. My e-mail address has changed in the process. It is now beth@gracechurch.co.za. Thanks!

A Couple Of Things To Pray For

2007-09-29T20:25:00.000+02:00

Just thought I would pass on a couple of things to pray for. About two months ago, I got an e-mail from a Master's College grad that had heard of the work here through a mutual friend (Thanks Courtney and Sam!). Her church youth group wanted to do a concert fundraiser to raise money for the ministry here. Was there anything specifically that they could raise money for. Well, while I was dying to say money for a new school, I know the larger priority right now is the money needed to finish the hospice we are building. It was so encouraging to see Christians that I don't know desire to be involved in the work here! WOW! Really, I can't tell you what an encouragement it was to me to get that e-mail. The concert is this weekend so please pray God lays it on people's hearts to give! Pray too for any who come to the concert who don't know Christ and that this might be used to soften their hearts to the gospel.

Please also be in prayer for my dad. He came back from the states with a bad case of bronchitis. (Those of you who are familiar with how long a bad cough stays with me can rest assured that it is a genetic thing :)and his will last even longer.) He teaches class this coming week for about 7 hours a day for 6 days straight. Please pray that he is sufficiently well enough to survive the week. I'd ask you to pray that if he isn't that he would ask someone else to step in but if you know anything about my dad- you know that will never happen :).

Sani Pass

2007-09-29T20:22:00.000+02:00

When you live in Johannesburg, sometimes its good to get out and see that all of South Africa is not a major city. Last weekend I went with a couple from church to the Sani Pass which is a road up the Drakensberg mountains into Lesotho.

Above is the view from the top. The front part of the picture (the stones) is what the road looked like we drove up.

Here are Alan, Nicolene and Emma at the bottom of the mountains.

Another view from the top.

2007-09-29T08:13:00.000+02:00

Just a quick note to let you know that my e-mail has been down for about two weeks now. I have had it here and there during these last two weeks but nothing consistent. And now I can't get it at all.... So, if you have e-mailed me and I haven't responded, chances are I didn't get it. Wait a couple days to send it again.... Right now its going to somewhere in cyberspace and not anywhere near my e-mail in-box.

Backwards is really forwards.......

2007-09-20T20:32:00.000+02:00

When we found out about Meise and what she had been doing, it felt like our project had taken a hundred steps backwards. In fact at one point Lyn even said to me that maybe we should shut it down for awhile to regroup. The more we heard and the more we saw of what she had done the more discouraging it was. But you just keep reminding yourself of the truth. God hasn't made a mistake yet. This isn't and accident. Somehow and someway he is going to work through this. And He has.

What seemed like a hundred steps back has really become a hundred steps forward. For me, it has been good to have to be more hands on in Katlehong. There are a lot of things Meise has done for us that I have done in the last few weeks. Last Friday, I spent a large portion of the day taking one of the 80 year old grandmothers to the doctor and helping her do somethings at the bank. As a result, I had some great conversations with the woman who went with me to translate about spiritual things. I've also had the chance to meet with most of those we are helping up there and begin to build deeper relationships with them. Because Meise tried to keep them away from us for fear that she would be caught out, her not being part of our project has freed them to share with me in new ways.

We also have hired two new workers. Both who claim to be Christians and one I am fairly certain is. The Christian is actually a man who is a widower and has three small children that he is looking after and raising. Not a big deal to many of us but you have to understand in their culture the men typically have children and leave. He's really the first one I have met who is actively involved in his children's lives in the Katlehing area. Men there just don't do that. He also has been involved in going into schools and teaching about purity and abstenice (another unheard of idea here). I'm looking forward to capitalizing on some of his contacts at the school!

We also found out why we have met with such resistance from the clinics in Katlehong. We had had a great meeting with one and they had agreed to give us the names of children they think are HIV positive for us to follow up on. When Meise went to get the names, they refused and all of a sudden started talking about privacy issues. Doreen (the other person we have hired) went and spoke to the clinic this week and they told her that they were afraid to give Meise the information because they were afraid of how shoe would use it against people. They would be more then willing to give us that information now for us to follow up.

It has been an encouraging few days. I've prayed (and I know many of you have) for this project and that God would give us inroads into the community and make us effective there. It has been exciting this week to see how He used what seemed like a hundred steps backwards to accomplish this! Thank you so much for praying. Your prayers are such an important part of the ministry here!

On a different note, I am very excited that my parents return home from three months in the states this Sunday! Yahoo! I really am serious about hiding their passports next year so they can't go. :-)

I'm also looking forward to going away this weekend with some people from church. We are going to Lesotho which is a small country in the middle of South Africa. It should be a lot of fun!

Prayer Letter

2007-09-08T10:21:00.000+02:00

I recently sent out an updated prayer letter to people. If you didn't receive it but would like to, please let me know and I would be glad to forward it on to you. Or if you received it and would like to be taken off of the list, let me know that. You can either leave me a comment with your e-mail or send me a quick note at beth@grace.org.za.

Thanks!

Today is the day

2007-09-04T07:26:00.000+02:00

Thanks so much for all you who have been praying for the situation in Katlehong. Lyn and I met yesterday with the witnesses and man, it is twisted- really twisted. We found out that she stole the money to pay for her daughter to get Sangoma training (which is witch doctor training.) We actually think that might be why God choose to reveal it now- because what she was using the monies for was so warped and just evil.

The hearing is today where we present our witnesses and she is able to defend herself. Please pray for that and for the outcome. Continue to pray that God would be lifted high even in the midst of this. Once the hearing is over, there are a myriad of details I will need to work through in the township as far was where we go from here. Please pray for wisdom in that!

Its been a long week

2007-08-29T15:59:00.000+02:00

Its been a long couple of days. I've been sick for one. I've had a fever, sore throat thing that I haven't been able to kick but more then that sometimes the reality of life and ministry hits you.

We found out this week that our community worker has been extorting money from some of the people we (being Lambano) are helping in the township. God graciously allowed us to find out by having a grandmother we have given money to go to a social worker we know to ask her to call Mamma Lyn to see if she could just have a little more time to come up with the R950 (about $150) that we were asking her to pay us back. In God's providence, the social worker knew that we would never ask for money back and called us. So, yesterday we set up a sting operation and gave her the money to give to our worker, told her what to say and sent a witness with her. And she was caught. (She doesn't know it yet but I am safe writing it here because she can't read or write.)

Please pray. It has the potential to get ugly- really ugly. Please pray that God's name wouldn't be dishonored. The people we work with know we are Christians. My prayer is that our testimony in the area wouldn't be hindered. Please pray for wisdom. Its a tricky situation. We have to somehow distance ourselves from her in the community so she can't continue to extort money from people which means that things will become public. We will, Lord willing, be having a meeting on Monday with the women we are feeding to let them know what is happening and try to discern if it has occurred with anyone else. Yet at the same time it makes my heart sad to have to make it so public. Pray as well that we would respond to sin in a loving and compassionate way and not in anger. Frankly, yesterday I struggled with wanting to strangle her. Its one thing to steal from Lambano. (Its not right to do so but I can see how with a harden conscience you could justify it by how much we have in comparison to what they have. Its still not right to do.) But to steal from a poor grandmother who has absolutely nothing infuriates me! And pray that this worker would be saved and turn to Christ in repentance.

Really though, my biggest prayer right now is the first one I mentioned: that God's name wouldn't be drug through the mud by this. That's the crucial issue!!!

I was so touched by the grandma involved. Now, you need to realize that she is caring for 3 children on what amounts to a little over a $100 a month. She must have been so overwhelmed to think of paying us back but when she came to talk to the social worker she wasn't made or upset. She merely wanted more time to come up with the money. She also told me yesterday that she no longer wanted our food packages because now that she got some government grants, she wanted more needy people to get the food. More needy people? What an amazing attitude she showed.

2007-08-15T16:36:00.000+02:00

Today was a day of lows and highs. We buried the little girl pictured above. She was the 16 month old who died about a week and a half ago. What was particularly sad to me was that the people who came to the funeral (5 of us on staff at Lambano) were people who had only known her for 3 days. How sad to have a little life die needlessly and have no one to mourn her. Sadder is how common that is here and in all of Africa.

Pictured below is the cemetery we buried her in. The children's section is now so large that you can't even fit it in a picture without a wide angle lens. They are still burying over a hundred children a month in this one small cemetery. I would be curious to know how many children are buried a month in a cemetery in the states. Anyone want to do some research?

On a happier note, later that day I was able to return three small children to their mother. The mother was very sick and the children were brought to us to care for. We had them for about two months. After she was released from the hospital, we built her a tin house and got her a coal stove and she was able to once again care for her children. It was a very happy day to be able to do that! We will continue to help to feed them and provide for some of their basic needs. It was nice to have a happy ending to the day!

Please Pray for Mr. Masina's Salvation!

2007-08-08T21:30:00.000+02:00

This is Pat Masina who is the Deputy Principal of the school we are trying to help. Please pray with me that God saves him! Because of his position of leadership and education, he has the potential to be a great influence for Christ in many people's lives in Katlehong!

When I saw him last week, he said one of the nicest things that anyone has said to me lately. He told me that even though I was white on the outside I must be black on the inside because I fought for them like a black person- with passion and follow through. He also said that while many have expressed an interest in helping the school no one else has followed through like Lambano and our church. It was very encouraging and I pray that God will help us to continue to be a light for Christ in a very dark place.

The Answer You've Been Waiting For

2007-08-08T20:53:00.000+02:00

Before I tell you the answer, let me give you a little perspective. My friend just had a baby about 6 weeks early who weighed 2.08 kilos (about 4.5 pounds.) A newborn has to weigh about 2.27 kilos (5 pounds) to be released from the hospital. This little girl weighed 2.72 kilos when she came to us and had AIDs and TB. She also had been given no medication for either of these diseases. She had no teeth and her soft spot had not fully closed. Her mother had died two months ago and her father disappeared. Her age????? She was 16 months old....... Amazing isn't it? Amazingly sad that is.

She's a great example of why Lambano is working very hard to finish building our hospice. This little girl didn't need to die now. If she had been put on medication when she should have, she probably could have gotten better and lived a while longer. Why does this happen? Well, I think that the bottom line is that few people care. The hospital certainly doesn't care. The attitude is they are going to die anyway so why try to save their lives. To illustrate how poorly they look after the kids let me tell you about the paperwork we received with her. The doctor who released her was suppose to do an examination of her. The paperwork we received stated that he had examined and found that she had normal boy body parts and that they were functioning properly. Let me tell you, I checked... She had no boy body parts. I wonder if he even looked at her........

Sadly we got her to late. She died several days after she came to us. Sadder still is that the cemetery where she will be buried (which is one of many in the area) has buried 1576 children since March of 2006. On average, that comes to about a 100 children a month. I think its time someone starts to care!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guessing Game

2007-08-06T20:04:00.001+02:00

Before I tell you this little girl's story, lets play the guessing game. How old do you think she is?

I realized after I posted this that it would be good to give you some perspective. She weighs 2.7 kilos which is about 6lbs.

Video of Katlehong

2007-08-02T07:43:00.000+02:00

Here is a video clip of the school project in Katlehong.

Residency

2007-07-30T11:53:00.000+02:00

Thank you for praying for my residency interview. We have a joke here that everything takes three visits. It seems that even if you get the required paperwork for things there is always one more thing you need to get. This was no exception. There are a few more hoops I need to jump through including joining a counseling organization (Little did I know that I should have listened to my dad when he encouraged me to join NANC years ago :), putting together a picture portfolio of me helping people and getting FBI clearance from the states. If anyone has any suggestions on how to get the FBI clearance quicker then the 16 weeks turnabout they post on their website, I would appreciate them.

Catching up....

2007-07-30T11:42:00.000+02:00

The last of my visitors left on Thursday night and I came home to a very quiet house. Its been a lot of fun to have so many people around the last couple of months. It started with a wonderful visit from the Enters and the Blackburns in May and ended with Melissa and Tiffany from Grace Community staying with me for a couple of weeks while they volunteered at Lambano. In between there was Jack Hughes and Scott Ardavannis being here for Shepherd's Conference, Matt Davis was here for 10 weeks as an intern, the GCC team was here, my brother and family moved here and last week included a surprise visit from Steve Wheeler and his son and friend. In between the visits was my trip to England to meet up with some friends.

All of the visits have been a lot of fun and have been very encouraging. It is always a treat to be able to show people first hand what is happening here and some of the conversations and discussions about mercy ministry and the church have been stimulating and helpful to me. And now life returns to its normal craziness. Hopefully, that means more frequent updates to my blog. Today my plan is to answer some of the e-mails that have been sitting in my inbox for about a month :).

Quick Prayer Request

2007-07-18T22:19:00.000+02:00

One quick thing you could be praying for with me. I have my interview for residency tomorrow morning at 11am (about 3 hours after I get in). Pray that I will make it on time (and will have had time to shower) and that God would grant me favor in the eyes of the woman who will be interviewing me. Thanks so much! More and more I see the vital importance of your prayers for the work here!

M.I.A.

2007-07-18T22:12:00.000+02:00

I know I have been missing in action the last few weeks. Sorry about that. I had wanted to post before I left on vacation and it just never happened. I am currently on my way home from a trip to England where I was able to meet up with some friends. Right now I am on the Internet in an airport in the Middle East. Its a long story how I ended up here on a layover. I found out the hard way that going standby from England in July (no matter what the person booking the ticket says) is not a good idea. As I frantically looked for a ticket home on Monday, I reminded myself of the sermons I recently heard on God's sovereignty in out lives.

I did have a great time away and look forward to posting some pictures when I am home and sharing a little bit about it. I had some great opportunities to share the gospel with people- which was exciting.

Simply Amazing

2007-07-03T20:29:00.000+02:00

50 years ago this Friday my parents were married! Simply amazing! 50 years is a really long time! Even more amazing is that they love each other more now and are better friends now then they were then. And I don't say that because either of them are hard to love. 50 years ago they decided to love God and love each other even when it was hard. They decided that their commiment to God meant that they would be commited to being faithful to their marriage vows and God has blessed that.

I am thankful for parents who have shown me what a godly marriage looks like. I am thankful to have grown up in a home where conflict was not the norm. I remember being in highschool and realizing that not everyone had that privalege. I have never wondered if my parents were going to split up or if they stilled loved (and liked) each other. And I am very grateful to them for the example they have been!

I love you both!

Not being overwhelmed by fear

2007-07-03T19:51:00.000+02:00

I meet my neighbors tonight- not quite the way I would have wanted to though. I had said goodbye to some girls who were here for a Bible Study and come in to answer some e-mails. I was sitting here and I suddenly hear some shouting and what sounds like a shot. I quickly ran and turned my alarm on and then looked outside to see what was happening. After a little while, I went outside to see what had happened. Apparently, when my neighbor across the street had come home, some guys had come up behind him with a gun and had tried to take his car. They ended up shooting at him and leaving. What I also learned was that it is the second time this has happened to one of my neighbors in about three days. Crime is definitely up right now in my neighborhood.

Its a hard balance to be careful and wise but not be paranoid. I have decided though that as soon as I have saved the money I'm going to get electric fencing. Just one more deterrent to coming into my yard.

So, what in the midst of all this has kept me from being overwhelmed by fear? Well, one thing has been abundantly clear to me recently. God does protect us. We weren't at the restaurant Sunday night be accident. God planned for us to be there and was very gracious to us. We were probably one of a few that nothing was taken from. What makes that more amazing is that for most of the time, my purse was out in the middle of the aisle and my phone was in plain sight in the table. How could they not have seen and come for such an easy item to steal? I really believe God blinded their eyes and kept them from us. Amazing and comforting to think about!

Yet I also believe that if what I could have imagined as the worse thing to happen that night- say one of my nieces getting shot or killed-, God would have been just as faithful to us and just as sovereign over the events of the evening. Now, don't get me wrong. I am soooo thankful that he choose to show his faithfulness the way He did but I do rest in the fact that nothing happens by accident. God has never had an 'oops' moment. He never thinks, "How did that slip by me. Hmm.... didn't mean for that to happen." No, whatever happens is by his plan and design and it is for my best and for his glory.

Those are the things I think on to keep me from being paranoid and being overwhelmed from fear. Please continue to pray my mind would dwell on what is true and right and that God would continue to protect and keep me safe!

God is Good....

2007-07-01T21:16:00.000+02:00

I wanted to share with you God’s goodness to my family tonight. Josh and Marda and the girls were down this weekend because Josh was speaking at my church’s family camp. We had gone to a local restaurant for dinner after church tonight and were sitting enjoying each other’s company. Then bang. Literally. We were at a restaurant and suddenly we were all under the tables. I don’t know if it was a shot or things falling. It happened too fast. There were a number of men with guns robbing the place. It was amazing. The girls were absolutely quiet. Josh was praying, Marda was praying, I was praying and the girls were praying. I saw them taking things from other people from under the table and was frightened they were coming towards us. But then they were gone. We’re all ok. No one was hurt and nothing of ours was taken. Not that losing material possessions would have mattered at the time. It just would have made it a little more scary for the girls. God is so good to us!!!!

We got up. Hugged each other tightly. Then Caitlyn looked at my brother and said that was so close, but God saved us. God saved us.

We are all doing well. It is good to know that God is in control even when there are men with guns. Pray for the girls. McKenna and Caitlyn were calm immediately afterwards, Cambria was pretty scared. She seems to be fine now but we hope this provides us another opportunity to learn to trust God even when life is frightening.

Updated Prayer Request

2007-06-11T18:03:00.000+02:00

I am very thankful for the many times I heard Jack's sermon on the providence of God two weeks ago. When I went to park for my interview this morning, I thought to myself that this was the least crowded I had ever seen the parking at Home Affairs and that the line was really short. Maybe Mondays aren't as busy. I also noticed that the photo id van where you can get passport pictures done was missing. Hmm.... Then I went to the door where you go in to the office I needed to go to and it was locked. Another hmm.... I went around to the front of the building and saw the sign notifying people that due to the public servant strike (which I had forgotten about) there only limited services available. Surely, I thought, the woman who scheduled my interview two months ago will be here. Nope, she was on strike too. Please continue to pray that I won't need to wait another two months for the next available interview but will be able to get one done shortly after the end of the strike.

Prayer Request

2007-06-11T07:51:00.000+02:00

I have an interview for permanent residency this morning at the Office of Home Affairs. Please pray that God will grant me favor in the eyes of the South African government and that I would be able to obtain my South African residency. Also, pray too that I would have an opportunity to share the gospel with the person interviewing me. I have found explaining to people why an American would want to move and live in South Africa provides terrific opportunities to share Christ.

They're Almost Here

2007-06-08T07:03:00.000+02:00

In an half an hour we leave for the airport to pick up my brother and his family. All I have to say is YAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!

The last couple of weeks in review...

2007-06-06T22:03:00.000+02:00

Its been a busy but good couple of weeks. Jack Hughes (the pastor at my sending church) and Scott Ardavanis arrived two weeks ago to preach(along with my dad) at our South African Shepherd's Conferences. The conferences seemed to go well and the preaching was awesome! All three of the main speakers were practical and convicting! I had also forgotten how much fun it is to not just hear Jack preach but to see him. He's got great mannerisms when he preaches. Spiritually, it was a refreshing time. I heard Jack preach on God's providence three times in three days. It was so great to be reminded how God can and does use evil in our lives to accomplish His plans (the doctrine of concurrence. And later that week when my electricity went out and someone backed into my gate, I realized in part why God wanted me to hear it so often.

On a personal level, it was really fun to have someone from home to show what is happening here. Someone compared having a visitor from home to having a cool glass of water on a hot day. Its a great description. I had the chance one day to take Jack to see some of the things we are doing in Katlehong and introduce him to some of the people. We also took him to a fun restaurant called the Carnivore. They serve all the wild game meat- even Rhino and Crocodile. Its quite an experience when they come serve you the meet on this huge spear. It really was fun.

(Pictured 'stolen' from the Archers blog)

I also had the opportunity last week to host two couples from Georgia (the Enters and Blackburns) who had come to visit and see the ministry here. It was encouraging to have people come to South Africa not as a tourist but really with a desire to see what is happening here. It was a great week! They even survived a night without electricity :). More importantly, Paul says of Philemon that he refreshed the hearts of the saints. I truly felt that way after spending a week with these couples. My heart was refreshed. They were encouraging, gracious people to be around and I really don't know when I have laughed that much in a long time.

Then Saturday we had a work day in Katlehong at the school. We had about 20 people show up from the two churches involved. We were able to get the broken doors replaced, the broken windows replaced, the roof patched were it needed it, some ceilings fixed and various other odds and ends done. One of the coolest things was to see people form the community there working right alongside of us. The other encouraging thing is to really see progress in building relationships within the community. People are so overwhelming thankful that someone is finally taking an interest in their school and fixing it because no one else has. That has given us some opportunities to share why we are wanting to help. Please continue to pray that God will give us wisdom as we seek to bring the gospel to these people. We don't want to simply be a bunch of 'do-gooders'.

The funniest part of the day was when they did traditional dancing for us as a thank you for coming. The girls come up to dance and next thing you know they are taking off their shirts. Apparently, in their culture this is done to show that they are pure and innocent still. It was one of those times when to make an issue out of it could have possibly undone a lot of the good that had been accomplished that day.

And this Friday the fun continues when my brother and his family arrive! How exciting!

Quick Update

2007-05-30T23:19:00.000+02:00

Thank you for praying for Thandzle. Before surgery, they took an other cat scan which should that the large part of both lungs is dead. So, they decided that it wouldn't be worth it to perform the surgery. There was too much damage to correct. I think from reading between the lines that in part they are saying that she probably won't live much longer and the surgery wouldn't have added enough quality to her life to make it worth all the pain and suffering in recovering. Its actually kind of sad news. We have a couple of other children who aren't doing very well right either. So, it has been a kind of sad week at Lambano.

Please pray

2007-05-29T07:16:00.000+02:00

Please be praying for Thandzle (Tan- dazzle). She is having a pretty serious operation today. Part of her lung has died and they are going in to remove the dead portion. From what I understand, the dead cells are killing off the live cells in her lung. She will be in ICU for at least 3 days on a ventilator and then in the hospital for awhile. Because of the seriousness of the operation, we have decided to pay the monies for a private hospital and surgeon to insure that it is done correctly. It pretty scary stuff for an adult but even scarier for a 7 year old.

Super Conrad to the rescue!!!!

2007-05-24T21:04:00.000+02:00

Tuesday morning was not the morning I had planned. To being it overnight it had gone from summer to winter. My brother laughed when I told him it was freezing but it really was. It was in the 20's when I got and it was bitter cold. I'm not complaining, just stating a fact, but I still can't figure out why in the world people would build houses without central heat. And when they tell you it doesn't get cold here- its a lie :) I saw my breathe in my house the other morning. :-)

Anyway after I woke up, took my shower and began to get ready for the day, I walked into my spare bedroom. I listened for a moment and thought, "That's a weird sound. It sounds like rushing water above my head. Hmm....." I then looked on the bed and saw that the bedding was soaking wet. Another hmm...... I thought, "This is why I never wanted to own a house. When things go wrong, there's no one to call and it all comes out of my pocket to fix it."

Thats were Super Conrad comes in. He's pictured above with his wife Jennifer. They're here for a year volunteering. He's been building the AIDs hospice and she is teaching Lambano preschool. I quickly canceled Bible Study and called Conrad to check and see what was happening. He willingly and cheerfully climbed up in my ceiling and found the problem. It wasn't a burst pipe just a leaky connection. Someone working on the pipes before decided to seal them with electrical tape. He spent several hours in my ceiling and was able to fix the problem.

I am often challenged by Conrad's willing, cheerful servant spirit. He is quick to lend a hand and do whatever. Nothing ever seems to much or inconvenient. He really is an example to emulate! (And he'll be very embrassed that I wrote this blog about him.) What a blessing to our church and to me! Not sure what I'll do when he's gone back to Canada. Not sure if we'll let him go back to Canada. I often wonder what people do who aren't saved. Life would be a lot more expensive without a handy man to call :) What a blessing to have brothers and sisters to be able to help when needed.

Exciting News!

2007-05-21T22:35:00.000+02:00

I don't want to give the impression of being excited or anything but my brother and his family arrive here to live in...................... 18 days!!!!!!!!! Yahoo!! Ok so maybe I am somewhat excited :) We're still working on getting my older brother to move here but as I always say- someone in the family needs to earn the money to support us and help keep us here :)

Where do liars go?

2007-05-16T15:36:00.000+02:00

We had a staff worker who was fired for lying. The kids knew that she had gotten fired for lying. It was a great object lesson in how sin has consequences for them. The other day I was talking with them and they told me that liars go to Malawi because thats where Mamma Sara went when she lied. Sieya looked at me with all sincerity and seriousness and said, "So, if you lie God will make you go to Malawi." Wonder what they're going to think when they find out that Pastor Brian and Auntie Anita are going to Malawi.......

God as Protector

2007-05-14T23:13:00.000+02:00

I have often told people that one of the benefits of living in South Africa is that you come to know what it means that God is our protector in new ways. Last night I was reminded of this (or should I say I reminded myself of this often as I tried to fall asleep.) I awoke at about 1am to the sound of the alarm going off next door at the Lambano house. I assumed that a cat or something had set off the outside perimeter beams. I laid their for awhile waiting for them to turn it off so I could fall back to sleep.

I waited... and waited... and waited getting a little annoyed. What were they thinking??? So I called and asked if it was their alarm. Our worker told me that they were waiting for the security company to come because she had seen two men trying to open the gate. They were trying to steal my car that had been left in the driveway earlier that day.

I heard the guys from the security company come and waited a couple of minutes. I stood there in my bedroom thinking how I should go over and check and make sure everyone was calmed down and see how the staff were doing. I was ready to go over but for some reason I didn't. What I didn't know was that the men were trying to open the gate from inside the yard and not outside. The had stayed in the yard when the alarm went off. The loud noise I heard after I had decided not to go over was the crooks jumping on the roof and running across it to jump into the yard on the other side (Another Lambano house) If I walked over when I wanted, I could have walked into a bad situation.

God is good and continues to watch over us and protect us. I woke this morning praising Him for that! We have had several thefts lately at Lambano in the middle of the night but no one has been hurt and the items taken have been insignificant in some ways.

A funny note... I was talking to the kids this morning at one of the other houses. Apparently, their alarm went off in the middle of two of them having a fight. Noma said "It was a cat." Junior said, "No it wasn't. It was God telling you to shush and not fight." Noma insisted it was the cat and Junior said, "Nope God was saying be quiet...." It was really cute.

Some Prayer Requests

2007-05-11T20:34:00.000+02:00

1. Please be praying for a foster mother training course I am teaching in the township. We have about 45 people attending each week. This is a tremendous opportunity to help these people learn how to better care for the children in their care and also to present the gospel. One of the issues we will be discussing next Friday is how Christ and the gospel are the answer to the AIDs epidemic.

2. I speak tomorrow at a Mother's Day tea on Biblical Relationships. Please pray that God helps me accurately handle the Word of God and uses it in the lives of the women there. Pray that they are doers of the Word and not hearers only.

3. In the coming weeks, there will be many people traveling here for various ministry trips. Matt Davis, a TMC student will be coming on Tuesday for 10 weeks for a mission's internship. The following week my pastor from the states, Jack Hughes, and Scott Ardavanis will be coming to speak at our South African Shepherd's Conference. In addition two other couples will be coming from the states to visit and see some of the work here. The beginning of June a team will be coming from GCC for a short term trip. And more excitingly, my brother and his family arrive June 8th to live here. Yeah! In July, two women from the states will becoming to volunteer for a few weeks at Lambano. Please pray that God would keep them safe as they travel and more importantly, that God would use their time here both in the lives of those they will minister to and their one lives.

Thanks so much for your prayers! You are a vital part of the ministry here.

God is Good....

2007-05-11T20:27:00.000+02:00

All the time! We were talking today in the Lambano office about God's goodness to us this year and I wanted to share. Last year at this time of the year, we had buried our 4th baby. This year we are about to send our 4th baby out for adoption! What a difference!

As we were discussing this, Martha got an e-mail and called us over asking if we thought it was for real. We received a note from a company telling us that they had deposited R195,000 into our bank account. That's about $30,000. After checking it out we discovered that it was part of this company's tithe. Another evidence of God's goodness to us. Last year we struggled many months to cover salaries. In fact, one of the workers in the office went for several months without getting paid. This year, God has abundantly provided for us. I am reminded though that God was just as good to us last year when we struggled. Our faith was strengthened and we were taught to trust Him in new ways. Good lessons to learn.

Another Find...

2007-04-26T19:21:00.000+02:00

Every now and then I find something at the grocery store that excites me. Tonight was one of those nights. I found....... (drum roll please)......... Haagan Daas ice cream! Ice cream here doesn't excite me at all so it was exciting to find some worth eating. It was outrageously expensive but well worth it!!!

Get this....

2007-04-19T20:02:00.000+02:00

Ok, I found out today why the school I have been mentioning does not have permanent buildings. Apparently, it was placed on land that could become sink holes. Can you imagine that? Putting 1300 students on land that has the potential to swallow them up!

Here's the craziest request I have gotten in awhile.... Yesterday someone buzzed my gate. My instinctual response is to open the gate when someone buzzes. I have learned to resist and look to see who it is. I looked and didn't know him. The guy (who was obviously high or something) told me his car had broken down and was wondering if I could give him and his friends (who were nowhere to be seen) a ride home. Hmm...... let me think about this one......... My reaction was to want to say, "Do I look that dumb? I wouldn't even do that in America." In case you're wondering, I said no.

Its a pretty common thing to have someone stop by asking for money, food or trying to sell me something. There was one guy who stopped asking for money to pay the mechanic to get his car back from the garage. He had left his wallet about 45 minutes away but once he got his car he would pay me back. The funny thing was that he was back a couple of weeks later. Only thing this time it was his TV that was broken and he needed the money to get it because he had left his in his brothers car who lived about 45 minutes away. He would bring me the money later. I told him he had really bad luck to keep forgetting his money like that. :)

Lunch at Subway

2007-04-12T19:40:00.000+02:00

Normally, lunch at Subway doesn't excite me. But (and that's a big but) when the only other American restaurant is MacDonalds, its pretty exciting to have something taste normal. We found this last weekend by accident. We were looking for an other restaurant. It was a pretty good accidential find. The only thing better would be finding a Starbucks or a real Mexican restaurant- even Taco Bell would do :).

The School Continued.....

2007-04-12T19:31:00.000+02:00

This is their playground.

The principal in one of the classrooms. He said today, "I don't go to church but I do pray twice a day." Pray that as we partner with this school that we have opportunities to present the true gospel to him. That's our hope and prayer. We don't just want to be do gooders. It would be easy to be overwhelmed by the needs. Meeting the needs not only helps us obey the commands of Scripture to act mercifcully but it also helps build trust in a community lacking it. As that trust is built, we then have tremendous opportunities to not only tell them about Christ but to show them Christ. My generation in the townships are either dead or dying. That in part makes it even more important to reach this young generation. The gospel is what will bring hope and change South Africa. That's the goal.

More Pictures of the School

2007-04-12T19:14:00.000+02:00

We went back to the school today to talk to the principal and I was able to take some pictures with the kids there.

The kids were very excited to see us and eager to get their picture taken. It was hard to get them to go to class.

How are these for crowded classrooms? Notice the lack of books on the desk. When someone needs to come to the front of the classroom in the picture below, they have to climb on top of the desks to do it.

Packages From Home

2007-04-09T20:51:00.000+02:00

I had a friend who spent some time in the states recently and brought back some packages from some wonderful friends!!! Thanks so much Eilene, Carol and Sandy! You are amazing friends and are like sisters to me. Included in the packages was the beautiful pillow above which matches my living room perfectly. My friends who were here when I opened it commented on how "Beth-like" it was :) . The also included some things I needed like Tylenol Sinus and a few other things.

Included were also somethings I enjoy like chocolate chips and spice jelly beans.

More then the items, it was wonderful to have reminders that people from home care and love me! It makes home feel not so far away. It was such an encouragement to me. I always struggle when people ask me what they can send me. Its not that I don't have a list of items that I miss because I do. I'm not sure what it is but it seems weird to ask people to give you things. I know they don't view it that way and I'm glad for those who ignore me when I tell them not to do it.

More on the township schools

2007-04-03T20:58:00.000+02:00

This is where the 2nd grade class meets. They only have 60 kids in this class but clearly don't have enough desks or chairs for all the students. Notice the hole in the floor in the 2nd picture. Its been that way for several years. They keep requesting it be fixed but no one comes to fix it.

This is the whole in the wall of one of the buldings. You can see right through to the other side of the building. The pictures actually make the building look much nicer then it is.

Imagine though sending your child to a school in this condition or to a classroom with 60 children and one teacher. Imagine not having textbooks or school supplies. It made me very sad for these children. What kind of hope do they have for a future better then their current life?

Township Schools

2007-04-03T20:49:00.000+02:00

I spent most of today in Katlehong. We had some visitors from Luxembourg in town who are helping to raise money for some of our projects. One of the projects is a hot meal program that we hope to start in two schools. This program will help feed approximately 2300 children. For many, it will be their only hot meal each day.

Part of what we did was visit the schools we will be helping. Both schools have prinicpals that really care and who often give of their own money to help the students. Neither of the schools have facilities that are anything to brag about. Both schools have few textbooks and few school supplies. Both schools have overcrowded classrooms but the one school really made me want to cry.

This is a picture of the school building. They are containers that have been placed together and are being used because the government won't provide the money to build proper classrooms. These containers were donated to the school.

The next two pictures are of the room used for the kindergarden class. They have (sit down when you read this) 92 students that meet in this room. That's not a misprint: 92! Can you imagine???? In addition. the roof leaks and there is no heat.

Katlehong Update

2007-03-20T22:46:00.000+02:00

Last week I had to write up reports for some of our sponsors about the families we are helping in Katlehong. I thought I would share some of them with you.

This is a family whose mother has died. The grandfather is raising the children but they have nothing. Its really sad. In South Africa, children have to wear uniforms to school. These children don't have the money to purchase them. This means that they get in trouble and are made fun of at school. The grandfather has been trying to get government grants for money but has been unable to get them because he does not have birth certificates for the children. He's been trying to get the birth certificates but has been getting the run around. Thats a very common issue here.

This is a family we are helping to feed and provide housing for. They are very sweet children and all have big dreams for their lives. Two want to be doctors and one wants to be a certified accountant. The sad part is that in reality those are probably impossible dreams. The education in the townships is not what it should be and in there is probably little chance that they could come up with the money to pay for any kind of higher education. I asked the one girl what made her life different then other peoples. She responded that others live in nice homes while there's is small and in her words 'not so nice'. She said the most difficult thing was when her mom didn't have enough money to send her lunch and she had to go into the kitchen at school and ask for food. Its hard for us to imagine not having enough money to give our kids a lunch to take to school.

These children are being raised by their grandmother. She is a very old woman. All of her children have died and she is the only one left to care for the children. This is a very common thing in South Africa. The issue becomes what happens to them when the grandmother dies? Many of these children are left to raise themselves.

Sobering Statistics About AIDs

2007-03-06T12:19:00.000+02:00

Worst Epidemic in History: In the fourteenth century, the Black Death struck Europe, wiping out a third of the population. Early in the twentieth century, influenza killed 30 million people in Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. Today, a new and terrible epidemic is ravaging Africa. If nothing is done, an estimated 55 million Africans will die an early death from AIDS by 2020”.
Worst Health Problem in the World: “HIV/AIDS is arguably the worst health problem facing the world UNAIDS/WHO estimated in December 2003 that 34-46 million people were living with the virus. Of these, 4.2-5.8 million had been infected in the previous year. Approximately 10 men, women and children were infected with HIV every minute in 2003. More than 23 million people have lost their lives to the virus, an estimated 2.5-3.5 million in the last year alone” (p.12).
One of the Seven top diseases in Africa and Southeast Asia: “In 2001, nearly two-thirds of all deaths among children and young adults (0-44 years) in Africa and Southeast Asia were due to seven diseases: AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, diarrhea diseases, measles, acute respiratory infections, and maternal/prenatal conditions. The combined death toll from AIDS, TB, and malaria alone was roughly 6 million for the year, including infants, young children, mothers, and fathers in their productive years of life”.
40,000,000 AIDS Orphans by 2010: “Current estimates indicate that there could be as many as 40 million orphans due to HIV/AIDS by the year 2010. This number does not include those who are caring for parents who are chronically ill due to HIV/AIDS”.
Widows and Orphans: “…the AIDS epidemic, a scourge that already has killed 25 million people, robbed 14 million children of parents, and turned 10 million wives into widows-many of them sick and desperate to find someone to care for their children when they die, too” (p.247).

Source:
The Hope Factor: Engaging the Church in the HIV/AIDS Crisis. Ed: Yamamori, Tetsunao, David Dageforde, and Tina Bruner. Federal Way, WA: Authentic Media/World Vision (A division of OM), 2003.

2007-03-04T15:06:00.000+02:00

So I am officially old :) I went to a concert Friday night (Tree63) and kept thinking all night, "Does it need to be this loud?" Tree63 was great but why are warm up bands so bad?

Three Words I Never Expected to Say

2007-02-25T22:09:00.000+02:00

Here are three words I never expected to say. I miss exercising. Because I've been sick an in solitary confinement, I haven't been able to exercise for about a week and I miss it. I also have missed Carmel Frappucinos and American Ice Cream this week. Funny how being sick makes you miss your usual comfort foods.

My Frustration

2007-02-22T20:37:00.000+02:00

I talked to my brother for awhile today on Skype. No that's not my frustration. :) (Yea for being able to talk for free! Even cooler was the fact that they have a web cam which means I got to see my nieces. Even cooler then that is the fact that they will be here in June!) Anyway, we were joking that since I am home sick I should use the the time to write about my deepest feelings and emotions in a blog. So this blog is for you Josh.

My frustration is this. I have been in many meetings over the last couple of weeks- talking with people about the health care crisis our country is facing. Just in the townships near us we have thousands of children dying from AIDs monthly. Children, who if they had access to the right drugs, would be alive right now. Every week we go to the township with the hope of helping to identify children who are HIV positive and are falling through the cracks. The problem is when we find them and send them to the government clinic to get put on ARV's they often are sent home without help. The drugs are there available to people but they can't get on them.

My frustration is this: frankly, many just don't care that children are dying. And the people who seem to not care that they are dying are the ones who can do something about it. Nobody seems to want to acknowledge the fact that there is a problem much less do anything about fixing it.

Prayer Request

2007-02-22T19:20:00.000+02:00

Please be praying for a guy from our church, Garth. His grandmother was raped and killed last week. Please pray that God would encourage and comfort him at this time and that he would stand strong. Pray also for his family- not all of them are believers. Pray that Garth would have opportunities to share the gospel with them. Thanks!

Movie Recommendation

2007-02-22T11:30:00.000+02:00

I don't recommend movies very often (if ever) but I saw one the other day that I think is worth watching. Its called Catch a Fire. Its the story of a black man who accused a crime he didn't commit during apartheid. Its a very powerful story. Most of us have a hard time picturing what life was like in South Africa during this time period and I think that while it is a little biased in favor of the ANC , it gives you a picture of what life was like for many. It is very eye opening. (Brief disclaimer: It did have a fair amount of violence but they were violent times.) It was out in theaters while I was home in October so it should be available in your local video store.

Quarantine

2007-02-20T11:49:00.000+02:00

Yes, I am in quarantine. I discovered this morning that I have German Measles. It is one of the side benefits of working with children. (We had a recent outbreak of them in one of the houses.) I am suppose to stay away from people for at least 5 days. Can you say stir crazy??????

Pictures from Katelhong

2007-02-16T22:23:00.000+02:00

Meise giving out a food parcel

A picture of one of the homes we helped to build. Believe me, it is in upgrade!

Their cooking facilities

Updated Prayer Requests

2007-02-16T22:17:00.000+02:00

Here are some updated prayer requests:

1. Please continue to pray for Rose. She has experienced some persecution because of the stand for Christ she has made. Pray that she remains firm in her commitment to Christ and that our times together will be profitable.

2. I spend every Thursday morning in Katlehong with a doctor (Vivi). She is not a believer. Please pray that I would have opportunities to share the gospel with her and be a faithful witness.

3. Katlehong (like most townships in South Africa) is in desperate need of a solid biblical church. Please pray that God would raise one up that we could minister along side.

4. Please pray for the two small groups I am leading at church. Pray that these women would be equipped to minister to other women in our church.

5. Please continue to pray for my safety. I currently in the township once a week and will be going more frequently in the coming weeks. The township is not a particularly safe place.

6. I am in the process of applying for permanent residency. Please pray that God grants me favor in the eyes of those making the decisions.

Question of the day

2007-02-09T07:21:00.000+02:00

Yesterday someone asked me, "So if I pray in my heart and not out loud can God hear me?" It would have been a cute question if one of the children had asked me that but it actually was one of the staff workers. It kind of gives you a perspective on how little the women I work with know about spiritual things.

A Midnight Visitor

2007-01-25T13:50:00.000+02:00

(Before I start this story I would like to make a disclaimer: Most of us don't think that well or rationally at midnight.)

So, last night for some reason I started watching a movie at about 10:30. It wasn't anything great but for some reason I decided to stay up and finish it. About midnight as I was walking back to my bedroom, I thought I heard something or someone in my kitchen. Now remember I live in South Africa, the land of crime :), my immediate thought was how in the world did they get past my security system and my heart started racing. I then heard whatever it was coming towards me and my heart really started racing. We take intruders very seriously here. I was a little relieved (but not much) when it raced past me and I thought, "oh my word, that is a huge rat......"

I quickly got in my bedroom and shut my door and it hit me that it wasn't a rat but was a cat. Almost as bad in my book. I could hear it race towards the kitchen and jump on something and knock something off the counter. I stood there thinking about what in the world I was going to do. We have a lot of wild cats here so I was also thinking about diseases and germs and things like that. I thought about pressing my panic button and making the security guy get it out of the house but decided I didn't want to be the story they tell to everyone about the dumb American. So, I peeked my head out and made sure it was still in the kitchen. I quietly snuck into the living room and opened my front door. I then went and got the broom out of the closet. (Didn't want to have to touch it- that whole disease thing and I could tell it was scared and mad and didn't want to be bitten or scratched.)

I found it in the kitchen trying to climb up my burglar bars to find a way out. (It had come in through an open window so I think it was trying to find one to leave by.) It saw me and raced back to the study to try and get out that window which was now closed. It raced back and forth several times before I realized that instead of trying to get it to find the door if I opened one of the windows it would jump out of it the next time. It eventually jumped out the window and left. Needless to say, it was a very comical sight that I wished someone else had been there to enjoy :).

Some good entertainment

2007-01-21T20:26:00.001+02:00

If you would like to see something very entertaining, please follow the link below. Its the video of our Lambano Christmas concert. It was very fun to watch. Lambano Christmas Concert.

First Day of School

2007-01-19T08:36:00.000+02:00

Last week was the first day of school for four of our children. Yes, the little girl at the bottom was as scared as she looked. I was surprised at how hard it was to drop them off and how hard it was not to cry when we left them.

2007-01-10T08:47:00.000+02:00

I didn't come to South Africa expecting to develop a burden for the poor. I think in part I didn't even begin to know what poverty was until I came to South Africa. I mean I used to think I was poor. I was perfectly content to focus my ministry the women in the church and the staff at Lambano. Yet, the longer I am here the harder it becomes to keep that my only focus. But I keep thinking, what are we doing to reach the large majority of our country that won’t come through our church doors?

It would be easy to stay comfortable but every time I drive down the street passed the local squatters camp I think, "What is the church doing to minister to these people?". That question has become more personal recently. I now think, "What am I doing to minister to these people? What am I doing to bring the gospel to the needy?" In some ways, it was easy to sooth my conscience. I mean I work in an orphanage for HIV positive children. But is there more I should be doing? I have been convicted as I have read Scripture of the priority it places on the church being involved in mercy ministries. (For more on this check out my brother's blog: Africa Bound.)

You see I am convinced that the answer to the AIDs crisis in South Africa is the gospel. Its not the result of a lack of medicine or a lack of education. Yes, those things would help but the AIDs crisis in part is a result of a worldview that is shaped by ancestral worship. But its hard to share the gospel with someone who hasn't eaten in days and not be concerned with feeding them as well. Another GMI missionary recently put it this way to me, "For hundreds of year the church has been telling people the gospel, its time to start showing them what the gospel looks like."

Well, what does this all mean for me? Lambano has started a work in one of the local townships (Katlehong). We provide food to families impacted by HIV. We also have been involved in raising the monies to build houses for people who had no place to live. Each Thursday we take a doctor and an occupational therapist and run a clinic for HIV positive children. (Do you know that in just one of the local cemeteries over a 100 children are buried a month? The majority of these would be AIDs related deaths.) In addition, we train foster mothers so that they can get the government funding they are eligible for and we will be starting a feeding program that will provide lunch for over 1800 school children each day. For many, this will probably be their only meal of the day. We also would like to develop a sustainability project and teach them a trade so that will in turn help them earn an income. The goal: to show them what the gospel looks like. This ministry has provided us with tremendous evangelistic opportunities.

The problem has been that there has been no one to work with this project and lead it which is were I fit in. As of January, I will be helping to head this part of of our ministry up. In about a year, this will all come under the work of the hospice we are building. What’s exciting about that is that the hospice is on the same piece of property as our church plant. There is a tremendous lack of good churches in the black community. To have our ministry geographically close to a solid one will be a tremendous help in helping establish people in the church.

Please pray for this. Pray specifically for opportunities to share Christ with those we will be ministering to. Our desire is to not merely be another humanitarian group but to really bring the truth of God's Word to bear in these people's lives. Pray for wisdom and strength as I add this into my current responsibilities. Pray for my continued safety. Katlehong (the township we are ministering in) isn't the safest part of the city. In addition, pray that God will raise up a good biblical church in Katlehong. Our church plant is currently to far from the township for many of them to go to but there really isn't anywhere else to send them to.

Update on Rose

2007-01-09T11:14:00.000+02:00

Sylvia and Rose

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for Rose. The transformation that God seems to be doing in her life is amazing. She truly is not the same person. She and I have started to meet together. She even invited me to her house this week which is amazing. In the past, she kept so to herself that if you even asked her a personal question she got upset. She never would have invited anyone to see where she lives.

We are going through God's Solutions to Life Problems. It is a little above her head but she is working diligently to complete it and learning from it. Please continue to pray for her. She does get some comments about the fact that she is meeting with me and some of the other staff have given her a hard time about it. She also is about to get a promotion which will make them even nastier to her. In the black culture when something good happens to someone, they don't get excited for each other. Instead they get jealous and often begin to attack the other person. Pray that God will continue to work in her heart and life and strengthen her for what lies ahead!

Lambano Staff Christmas Party Pictures

2007-01-09T11:01:00.000+02:00

Lambano's Christmas Concert

2007-01-04T10:52:00.000+02:00

This year Lambano put on a Christmas concert. Our kids memorized about 45 minutes worth of Christmas songs. Somehow it seemed a little strange though to hear kids sing about dashing through the snow in tank tops and shorts :).

The Last Few Months in Review.....

2007-01-04T10:46:00.000+02:00

Obviously, because Thanksgiving is connected with American history, it isn't a holiday that South Africans celebrate. So, this past Thanksgiving we introduced a few South Africans to a real Thanksgiving dinner. I must admit it felt wierd to put out Christmas snowmen as part of the centerpieces in 80 degree weather. I've also included a few pictures of some people I wish I had been able to celebrate Christmas with just because they're cute.

The Difference 5 Weeks Makes

2006-12-21T20:06:00.000+02:00

I know it has been awhile since I have updated my blog and I do plan on updating it soon. I did want to post this picture. This is Zintle, the little girl pictured below. In her first 5 weeks with us, she gained about 12 pounds. Amazing the difference being fed and on proper medication can make. She looks like a different girl! Praise the Lord!