Packages From Home

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

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

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

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

1. 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”.
2. 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).
3. 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”.
4. 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”.
5. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(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

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

 
 

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. 

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

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

 

Lambano's Christmas Concert

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.....

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

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!

Why Lambano is Needed..........

This is Zintle. She came to live at Lambano about a week and a half ago. She is 6 years old and weighs half of what she should for her age. She has AIDs and TB. Now, looking at her you would think she had not had access to medical care. However, Zintle has lived in a clinic for the last two years. While it is obvious even for non-medical people looking at her that she has medical issues, she was not given medication for TB or antivirals. In fact, while she has all the symptoms of TB, she was not even tested to TB while in the clinic. Thus, she got sicker and sicker. It really makes me upset just thinking about it. There is no reason why this little girl should be as sick as she is. None!!!

Shortly after coming to us, she was tested for TB and put on the needed medication for it. She already is doing better. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and her picture clearly shows why ministries like Lambano are needed here in South Africa.

Life isn't about being comfortable

Can I be honest with you and tell you that I like America? I like having choices in the stores. I like being able to go to Starbucks. I like Macys. I like eating Mexican. I like not having to look over my shoulder all the time and I like feeling safe. I love being able to spend time with some treasured friends. I like going to my home church on Sundays. The bottom line is that life is comfortable in America and in many ways it would be easy to come back and live.

Honestly, I was a little surprised during my visit at how easy it was been to adjust back to life here. There is a sense that California is home. Now, don't get nervous. I'm not making any plans to move back and live in the states but it has caused me to do some thinking. I've thought about why I chose to move to South Africa. I didn't leave the states because I wanted to get away. I left and will stay because life isn't about being comfortable. Life is about being compelled by the love of Christ. When I think of the ulimate sacrifice that Christ made for me, ("He made Him who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Cor. 5:21) it makes me realize that the sacrifices I am being called to make really aren't that big of a deal and are small in comparision to what God has done for me. It kind of puts things in perspective.

4 Sleeps Until I Leave......

As they say in South Africa, I have 4 sleeps until I leave for the states! Yeah!!! Its been a crazy week though trying to finish everything up here and get ready to leave. I do find it humerous that the day I arrive in the states Starbucks is raising their prices by 5 cents. Those of you who know how much I have complained about missing Starbucks will understand the humor in that.

I wanted to give you a quick update on Rose. I met with her on Tuesday night and was sooo encouraged. I asked her if she could tell me how she became a Christian. I was expecting to hear some story from her childhood and how she goes to church etc. Instead, she started to share with me about how hard things were for her when her mother died and how angry at God and how sad she was. She said everyone kept telling her to pray and that God was always there for her. She didn't like it when people told her that bit gradually over a few months it seems that God softened her heart and in the process saved her. She can share the gospel in an understandable way and can explain why Christ had to die. She even used an illustration from the Fundamentals of the Faith book to demonstrate what Christ had accomplished on the cross. (A Bible Study we all thought she hadn't paid attention in.) Without me asking, she also began to share with me the difference Christ has made in her life. She loves to pray and read the Bible. She isn't harsh and angry all the time. I was sitting there amazed at what I saw. She is truly a different person with a different countenance. She is genuinely happy and joyful. Time will tell about the genuniness of her conversion but it seems like God has truly done an awesome work in her life. What an answer to prayer!

It was also very challenging to me to think about how small my faith is and how big our God is. I remember praying Lord save her and since that seems impossible- make her quit or give us a reason to fire her. We serve a truly amazing God who is able to do immeasurably more then we can ask or think. This has been such a great reminder to me of that. It was also a great reminder not to give up praying for the people we view as impossible for God to save. Its not about me and what I can accomplish. Its about God's work in people's hearts and lives. He's the one who changes people.

Leaving Home to Come Home

Its a weird feeling to have two homes but in many ways that is the way I feel. Two weeks from today I will be landing in Los Angeles!! How exciting! I will first be attending the GMI conference in San Diego. I return to Los Angeles on October 14th and will be there until October 29th. I will then spend a week in the Philadelphia area visiting family. I would love to see as many of you as possible. If you would like to schedule a time to get together, please drop me an e-mail.

Just a brief update on Rose. Lyn and I had a great meeting with her today. She has agreed to meet with me to talk about her relationship with God and what she believes. Please be in prayer for this. She is still very seeped in ancestoral worship. Thanks so much for praying!!

Some Recent Pictures.....

Such a sweet smile!

Me with some of the kids


Rosemary preparing the kids medicine. Taking medicine is such a part of our kids lives that when they play with their dolls, they pretend to give them medicine like some kids pretend to give their dolls tea to drink.


Christie, Jennifer and I. Jennifer is here for a year with her husband. She is teaching preschool at Lambano and he is helping to finish building our church plant church building.

God is able to do abundantly more.....

When some of our staff workers ask to speak to me, I know what they want to do- complain about management. Thats what I assumed last week when Rose asked to speak to me. To be honest, we have had Lambano management meetings where we have prayed for either a reason to fire Rose or for her to quit. In the past, she has seemed to stir up trouble where ever she was working.

I was thinking recently about the need to praise people for what they do well. Some people only hear what they are doing wrong and never hear anything positive. So, last week I mentioned to her in passing that I appreciated what a hard worker she is. She beamed from ear to ear.

The next day when I went to talk to Rose, I assumed that she was in trouble and wanted to win me over to her side. Was I ever wrong!!! Instead, Rose asked me what she could change to be a better worker. Currently, we are looking for people to promote to housemothers. Rose knows she would never be considered at this point for that position. She told me she really wanted to know what she needed to change about herself for this not to be the case. When she asked, she was very humble and open to what I had to say. Her spirit was entirely diiferent then what I have seen in the past. What an answer to prayer! She also mentioned to me how much what I had said meant to her. She said it had kept her up at might because she was so happy that people were saying nice things about her.

My suggestion to her was that we meet with Lyn (the Director of Lambano) to discuss what she thought Rose should change. We're doing that this coming Monday. I told her that we would then come up with a plan on how to work on some of the things she needs to change.

Ephesians 3:20-21

20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Bostwana

Two weekends ago I had the opportunity to go to Bostwana to speak at a Women's Conference. Bostwana is an African country of about 1.6 million people. It also has the highest AIDs rate in the world. I took two of the young adults (Kerry and Christie) from church with me. It was a very encouraging and refreshing weekend.

Friday night the pastor's wife hosted a dinner for about 8 women were we discussed why biblical counseling and the priority of discipleship in women's ministry. Two topics I am a little passionate about :). Saturday I spoke on God's Solutions to Life's Problems. The women were very eager to learn and teachable. It was a great day.

The church, Open Baptist Church, is a church of about 700 people and has about 37 nations represented in the congregation. It was very different to be in an African country that is not as racially divided as South Africa and were crime is not as huge of an issue. Gaborone neighborhoods are mixed with there be low income housing, middle class and upper class housing all in the same neighborhood. You would never find that here.

It was encouraging too to see the ways that the church is trying to minister to the community. They have developed a program where they disciple and train college students who then go into the local high schools and teach AIDs prevention and specifically abstinence. They have now been invited by the Department of Education to teach it in all of the high schools. What a great opportunity.

Kerry and I with Mary (one of the most joyful people I have ever met)

Kerry, Christie and I

Christie and I at a recent rugby game

 

A trip to the clinic

Yesterday was a very sobering day. One of our staff workers asked me to take her to the local clinic to get tested to see if she was HIV positive. The stigma of AIDs is so great here that many who need to get tested are scared to and don't. So, this was a very brave and scary thing for her to do.

Its kind of weird to sit there and in some ways be waiting for someone to receive a death sentence. We're pretty sure that she has it but the test came back inconclusive. They did bloodwork and the tests won't be back until the end of next week. That's a long time to wait to know if your life is about to be changed forever.

The Week in Review

It's been a pretty heavy week here. I told Anita this week that God must really want to sanctify our church. Starting with Dick being shot on Sunday, the week seemed to be full of a lot of heavy issues that needed to be dealt with. A woman in our church had her husband die rather unexpectedly on Tuesday night. An other woman had surgery for breast cancer later in the week. Someone pretending to be a interested vistor wanting a tour stole cell phones from one of our staff workers this week during that tour. Another worker was staying with someone when a robber broke in. In trying to get away, she fell and broke her arm.

Then this week I also found out that one of the women I have been meeting with has been basically lying about her whole life- not just to me but to everyone. I'm thankful that God has choosen to reveal her lies this week but it has been sobering and honestly, really sad. I have spent hours counseling/ discipling her. Please pray that God would bring her to repentance and for wisdom in dealing with the situation.


I took some time this week to go visit two of our Lambano staff workers at their homes. Both of them participated in the 1976 Soweto uprising. This was when black school children marched against apartheid. If I remember right, 16,000 marched. Hundreds of children were shot and killed by the police. Thousands were arrested and many others simply disappeared during that day. Emma and Catherine both marched that day and it was amzing to hear their stories and gain a better picture of their life.

On a lighter note, the Lambano kids were in a ballet receital recently. They were fish and danced to the song "Under the Sea" Honestly, there is few things more entertaining then seeing 4 and 5 year olds try to dance.


Below is a group of the young adults from church. As someone reminded me today, I am no longer fit the young adult catagory but rather am now middle age. Yikes...... but they graciously allow me to hang out with them.

 

Is it worth dying for?

Sunday started off a normal, calm, quiet Sunday but ended up quite different. I received a call after church that Anita's father had been shot. Here is their summary of what happened:

Last night after church, Anita’s father was shot. Dick Kelder, besides being my father-in-law, is an elder in our church. He and Mom K. live only a few blocks away from us and are very involved in our lives and the lives of our children.

After our evening service last night (August 13, 2006), most of our congregation stayed and had tea for about a half an hour, as usual. Mom K. (Marlene) had stayed home because she wasn’t feeling well and so Dick left at about 7:15 to go home – just minutes before we also left to put our kids in bed. On our way home, we gave Mom K. a call, she picked up the phone and said, “come over here quickly, your father’s just been shot.” Before we even reached our house, we turned around and went straight to the Kelder home.

When we arrived, amazingly, the police were already there and a number of neighbors were all standing in the street. We jumped out and were told that Dick had been shot in the face, hand and leg (we later found out that he was only beaten in the face and there were only gunshot wounds to his hand and leg). He was lying in the car and losing a lot of blood.

Up to that point, what had happened was that a mechanic friend of the Kelders stopped by to return one of their cars and pick up his vehicle. When Mrs. Kelder let him in the gate, two armed men held them up and tried to take the Kelder’s car. Mom K. ended up with a dislocated finger and some bumps on the head. Ian (the mechanic friend) was shot at, but they missed. Dick started to pull into the driveway while all this was going on. The two men, who had failed to start the car in the driveway, then ran to Dick and told him to get out of the car. When he refused, they evidently hit him in his face with the butt of the gun and then shot him (I later asked Dick why in the world didn’t he just get out of the car and give them the keys. He told me that though he knows he should have, that was just a natural reaction and he has no idea how he could have prepared for the incident).

Though the police had arrived and we were told that an ambulance was on its way, it was too much for us to wait while Dick was losing so much blood. We decided to pull the kids and car seats out of our car and leave them with Anita and Marlene. We then lifted Dick out of his car and put him in the back seat of ours and two police officers escorted us to the hospital. Once we got Dick into the Emergency Room, it was clear that there was no gunshot wound to the head and he was only bleeding from his face because of the bashing he took. The doctor and nurses were able to get to work right away on Dick’s wounds, so I headed back to the house to be with Anita, Marlene, and the kids. It took quite a while to sort out the police reports and phone calls. We also found most of the keys in a nearby storm drain. The robbers had obviously fled on foot and threw them down there as they ran by.

After we locked up the house, we headed down to the hospital where we were met by about a dozen of our friends from church. What a great blessing and encouragement to have our church family standing with us, praying for us, and other flooding us with phone calls and text messages. We can’t say enough times how grateful we are for the church family here in Johannesburg.

We were able to spend some time with Dick and see that he is doing fine. The x-rays revealed that the bullet had exited his leg and it had missed all major arteries and bones. He slept there last night and is due to have surgery on his hand today. His face is very black and blue (with one eye nearly swollen shut) – but he should heal up nicely.

On the way home, we stopped by the Kelder’s to meet a tow truck and we had to have Dick’s car (which was still in the street) towed into the drive way. That went pretty quickly and then Mom K. came home with us. We all got to bed at about 1:00 AM.

Please pray for Dick and his surgery today. Also pray for Marlene and Anita, myself and the kids. Anita is pretty shaken up as she has still been struggling with our hold-up four months ago. It has been difficult for us to sleep well at night – especially for Anita. We are very grateful that God has kept us all safe, and we are even grateful for these trials – which clearly draw us closer to Christ and help us to rely more on Him for true security. But please pray for us, our family, and our church.

Pray especially for wisdom. When trials come up like this, we inevitably face the question – should we move out of South Africa? On the one hand, we (unlike so many here) do have the option of moving elsewhere. Just about any place besides Baghdad or Beirut seems like it would be safer. On the other hand, God is sovereign everywhere and we know that the safest place we can be is following Him closely. It would be very difficult for us to leave the congregation and ministry that He has given us here – but if we stay here, we need to have the mindset that what we are doing here is worth dying for. It is not easy to keep that mindset when so many people around us are being affected on a daily basis from the high crime rate and lack of law enforcement.

In Christ,

Brian, Anita, Ami, and Bradley Biedebach

I have personally been challenged and encouraged by Dick's response to this. When I saw him on Sunday at the hospital, he told me that he had total peace the whole time because he knew God was in control of all of this. When he could have been self focused, he instead was asking others as they entered the room about specific situations in their lives and using his time in the hospital to share Christ with those he came in contact with.

I am often asked why I would choose to come to South Africa when so many are anxious to leave. I have to be honest and tell you that there are times when I am tired of thinking of security and safety but the answer is simple. Its because I believe that what I am doing is worth dying for.

Prayer Requests

Just wanted to pass on a few prayer requests.

1. Please be praying for a Women's Tea I am speaking at on Wednesday, August 9th at a church in Pretoria (my parent's church). Its an evangelistic event and last I heard there will be about 100 women and about 50 of them will be unsaved. The topic is "What Every Woman Needs". Specifically, I will be speaking on our greatest need is to be adopted by God.
2. Last Sunday one of our Lambano vans was stolen from the driveway of one of our houses. We are only receiving from the insurance company a fraction of what it will cost to replace it. Please pray that God would provide the funds necessary.
3. I am traveling to Bostwana the end of August to speak at a women's conference. Please pray for safety as I travel and for wisdom as I prepare and as I speak to the women there. Pray that I would be a workman who needs not to be ashamed accurately handling the Word of God. (2 Tim 2:15)
4. Thanks for your prayers for Gladys. Please continue to pray for her as she comes back to work tomorrow and continues to deal with the loss of her husband.
5. My bible studies at Lambano have been focusing on the tongue. Please pray that the staff would apply what we are discussing. There is a lot of strife between some of the staff which is being feed by gossip and lying. Most acknowledge the problem but few seem willing to change.

Thanks so much for partnering with me in the work here. Your prayers are vital to the ministry here.

There's something wrong with this picture.....

Normally in August I spend a lot of time scheming to get as many days as possible spent sitting on the beach. Not this August...... I am currently sitting in my living room so cold that I can see my breath. (For some reason, South Africa doesn't put central heat in their houses.) It's the strangest thing to me to have the seasons reversed.

Yesterday.......

So yesterday was one of those days that didn't exactly go according to plan. It was an incredibly cold day yesterday. In fact, we even had snowflakes in the morning. It also started off with some somewhat dissappointing news. In the afternoon, I needed to run next door and grabbed my set of keys to the front door. Now, I never come in that door and consequently have never needed to use a key to unlock it. I don't even normally carry the keys to my front door with me. I wondered as I pulled the front door shut if I should even bother to lock it but this is South Africa. So I did and figured it didn't matter because I had my keys with me anyway.

When I got home and went to unlock my front door, I came to the realization that my front door key does not work in the lock and none of the keys on that key ring work in that door or any other door. The great thing is that I have learned that my house is very hard to break into. It would take a lot of effort to get in one of the windows and past the burgular bars. 950 rand (about $150) later I was in. The other great thing is that I now have a key that works to my front door and finally have an extra set of keys in my desk at the church office (Something Brian encouraged me to do about two months ago. Why is he always right about these things???)

To end my evening, I discovered that my electricty was not fixed last week. With in a matter of 2 hours (of course 2 that I was trying to sleep through), it tripped 4 or 5 times. Midnight found me reminding myself of something my mother has often told me- God hasn't made a mistake yet and you aren't worth being his first one. Thanks Mom!

Romans 5:3-5

3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.