Panayiota's update

Hello Andrea, Beth, Carl, David, Eric-- (wow! consecutive letters of the alphabet! i'm the odd one out i guess)

Greetings from Downey, CA! I've been home now for 4 days, but feels like much longer--in a good way. Been getting enough rest but definitely keeping busy with preparing the house for my sister's graduation party this Saturday and trying to get various things for Africa ready (I haven't even started thinking about packing, won't that be fun.)

Praise God! I had my interview with three people from the missions team at my home church, and it went quite well. They're going to put my info and prayer requests on bookmarks and have them available in church for people to pick up. I'm pretty sure they will also support me financially though they didn't really specify how much. Also, the junior high pastor at my church with whom I'm pretty close to gave me a box full of books the church was giving away! They're mostly about missions, but I'm sure they'll be appreciated in Khayelitsha. Just have to make sure they're less than 50 pounds.

Another praise: I have 25 people on my prayer partners list! There are at least 25 people praying for us!!

Crafts: Can't say I've made much progress here. My church can't really donate supplies since VBS is coming up and they'll need all their resources for that. I asked people in my college group for craft donations so we'll see if they donate anything. I could go and buy stuff, or even buy things in Kenya where they might be cheaper, but if we can get supplies donated that would be great. I'll be leaving in a week for Kenya and Andrea's already in Europe I think (how fun!), so Beth, Carl, David, and Eric--do you think y'all could muster up some craft supply donations from your churches/friends? Let me know. Haven't really thought up any craft ideas either besides what we first brainstormed, so if you have any suggestions that would be great. By the end of the week I'll try to have 5 or so ideas and email those out to you.

David, could you email the rest of the training materials out?

I was reading a book by John Piper called Pleasures of God, and in one chapter he identifies divination as a sin of disobedience. He references Deuteronomy 18:10 and then says,

"Divination is seeking to know what to do in a way that ignores the Word and counsel of God. It discounts the guidance and revelation of God, or regards them as wrong or insufficient...God says one thing, and we say, 'I think I will consult another source of wisdom.'"

This made me think of our discussion about ancestor worship. I don't know if this perspective on ancestor worship and superstition could be useful in witnessing and talking with people, but it gave me a clear, biblical understanding of why those forms of worship are dishonoring to God.

I've also been thinking lately about the amount of trust and faith I put in my material security and not in God. I tend to limit his power and wonder how people in poverty will believe the gospel since there's no way their lot will improve. This is not a right attitude to have, duh :) I randomly turned to Luke 12, and in that chapter Jesus talks about how we should not be anxious. He talks about God clothing the grass in the field and then says, "How much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!" I've been convicted that I need to put more (or actually ALL) of my faith in God's power and his promises that he makes not to the upper middle class but to his sons and daughters. Anyway, that's what I've been thinking of lately, and since in my head I thought about it in the context of us going to South Africa and encountering different conditions there I thought I'd share it.

Prayer requests:

• God would draw me near to him through his Word and through prayer
• safe travel to Kenya and a safe time spent there
• wisdom in preparing my testimony
• God would continue to provide financially
  
• so this one is really personal, but not all my extended family knows I'm a Christian (or a Protestant one at least) nor do they know I'll be going on a mission trip this summer. Basically ALL my extended family will be at my sister's party this Saturday and they will undoubtedly ask me what my plans are for the summer. I'm not sure how nervous and/or scared I will be to tell them because of the questions and/or judgments that will arise...so please pray that God will give me confidence in Him and his truth and discernment and wisdom with my words.

That's about it for me. I would love to hear how you all are doing!

For the Kingdom,
Panayiota

Return to South Africa

Dear friends,

My time at Stanford is quickly coming to an end. For the past four years, God has blessed me with rich fellowship and has matured me as I have struggled to grow as a Christian in a secular environment. On June 17, I will graduate from Stanford and move on to the next chapter of life. That chapter will start in the fall, when I will begin a nine month fellowship with the Trinity Forum Academy in Maryland (www.trinityforumacademy.org), living and studying in a community as we wrestle with how our worldview impacts all aspects of life.

Before that adventure begins, I have the joy of returning to South Africa. Last summer, I spent five weeks in the township of Khayelitsha, South Africa (near Cape Town), working with Pastor Young Ohm and the ministries of African Leadership, a non-profit organization working throughout the continent of Africa. I was thrown into the midst of the various ministries there and challenged deeply to see all of life as living, as they say at African Leadership, "For the Kingdom!"

This summer, I have the opportunity to lead a team of five other students from Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) at Stanford back to Khayelitsha, so that they can enter into the work of God's kingdom in South Africa and see firsthand how in Christ, the old barriers of race, class, and nationality are overcome. My hope is that this experience will challenge them to live "For the Kingdom" in all areas of life.

Khayelitsha was established during the days of apartheid as a black settlement, and is now the largest township in the Cape Town area (~a million people) with a population that is primarily from the Xhosa people. Though apartheid is officially over, the township still faces serious issues with great poverty and crime. Pastor Ohm has been in Khayelitsha since 1996 working to share God's love through all sorts of ministries: preschools, sports ministry, high school ministry, Sunday schools, business development, and a school of theology for training pastors.

I will be with the team in South Africa for two and a half weeks (July 14-August 2), living at the African Leadership mission house and working with Pastor Ohm in Khayelitsha. We will be participating in an array of ministries in Khayelitsha: helping with the Sunday schools where over 1000 children come to hear the Gospel; working with sports leagues and high school ministries; encouraging the local churches and joining with them in evangelism; and serving the ministries through physical labor. We will also be traveling to the rural region of Transkei to take part in church-planting and evangelism.

Please keep me in your prayers as I travel to South Africa. Pray:

1. For God to prepare my heart for the trip and draw me closer to Him.
2. Especially for God to give me grace in leading the team. While I have been involved with many missions projects, this is my first time to lead a team, and it is a true learning experience for me.
3. That through us, God can bless Pastor Ohm and the ministries and churches in Khayelitsha.

Missions is never an individual activity – the whole body of Christ participates, whether by sending or going or praying. I need your support in this endeavor, and I want you to share in the blessing of the work. Here's how you can be a part of this:

1. If you are willing to pray for me during the trip, please let me know by e-mail. It is a great blessing for me to know that you are supporting me in prayer, and I want to be sure to let you know how those are prayers are answered.
2. If you would like to provide financial support to help cover the costs of the trip (~$3100 with airfare), donations can be made through African Leadership, a registered non-profit. Make checks payable to African Leadership and with my name in the memo line, and mail them to African Leadership, P.O. Box 682444, Franklin, TN 37068 (or just give them in person to me or my parents).

If you are interested in learning more about these ministries you can check out the African Leadership website (www.africanleadership.org) and Pastor Ohm's website (www.africanleadership.org.za). I look forward to sharing stories of what God does.

Now, as they say at African Leadership, For the Kingdom!
David Scudder

"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." – Galatians 3:26-28

Welcome!

This is just a test post to the South Africa blog.