Hello friends,
I am now back in America, safe and sound from all the travels. And now I'd like to fill you all in on the rest of my time in South Africa.
After spending the first week in Khayelitsha, we got on the overnight bus for a 14-hour ride to the rural region of Transkei. Arriving at our bus stop, we were then piled into the back of a truck with all our luggage and groceries for the week (Eric was literally buried in food) and set out for Gulandoda, the small village, where we were based. It wasn't until we had almost arrived at our destination that I realized we were staying at the same house where I had stayed last year - it was really fun seeing the Qotoyi family again and being incredibly blessed by their hospitality. And adding to the fun, our fifth team member, Beth Wilkins, arrived while were in Gulandoda, joining us with Andiswa, a local translator who is studying social work at university in the States.
Our days in Gulandoda soon found a regular rhythm. In the mornings, we would walk "over the hill" (the all-encompassing term for distance in Transkei) to another village, where we would visit homes - meeting families, reading with them from Scripture, and praying for them. In the afternoons, a flock of kids would converge on the small hillside church, and we would hold Sunday School with songs (always with lots of dancing), crafts, and Bible stories from the life of Jesus. Then, each evening we would have a service in the church. I was struck in these services by the focus on testimony - they place great importance on proclaiming to each other how God had worked and is working in their lives.
Our most exciting moment in Transkei came unexpectedly one night when we saw a fire break out on the hill, and we soon realized it was burning the fields of the Tata we were staying with. (Tata is the Xhosa word for Father or Mister). The Tata ran out with boys and we quickly followed, grabbing blankets and sacks and dashing off toward the hill of fire, dipping our blankets in a stream as we crossed over. Following the Tata's lead, we began to beat the fire into the ground with our blankets, extinguishing it bit by bit. Stroke after stroke, praying to God to cut back the wind, slowly the ring of fire began to die. Eventually, the Tata called us in - enough - his fields were safe, and there was no more we could do, but the fire raged on, carried by the wind far across the valley.
Returning to Cape Town, we finally connected with our last team member, Andrea Romero. Together, we visited two excellent ministries which partner with African Leadership: Learn to Earn and Living Hope. Learn to Earn provides job training and job placement in Khayelitsha. In a place where unemployment is at 80%, this is a huge opportunity for ministry. As one staff member there told us, each job found affects not only the worker but also the 7 or more family members dependent on that worker for resources. Living Hope provides medical care and counseling for people with AIDS. They put a lot of effort into privacy - though South Africa has a very high percentage of people with AIDS, it is still highly stigmatized. The government subsidizes ARVs (drugs to control the effects of AIDS), but people will not take them because of the stigma attached. It was cool to see the power of God's people working in their different gifts for his Kingdom. Pursuing God's Kingdom is a varied task, and all of the ministries we encountered bring it to bear in a different way: African Leadership through evangelism, discipleship, and leadership training; Learn to Earn through job training and fighting poverty; and Living Hope through caring for the sick and dying.
The trip came to an end in a rush. Our last day, we visited one of the local high schools, where once a week, African Leadership takes over all six classes of freshman Life Skills and teaches on different character traits. We taught on Obedience, using Simon Says and the stories of Abraham's near sacrifice of Isaac, and Jesus' obedience to death. After playing guitar and singing my voice out with the students during lunch hour, Eric and I hugged the team goodbye and got on a plane for the long journey home.
Overall, it was great being back in South Africa, seeing again people that I loved and the ways that God is working. It was a very different experience than last year - the two weeks went very fast, and helping to lead the team made the trip a much harder experience as I wrestled with my own prides and insecurities about that. But God was good to us, and he refreshed my desire to live for his Kingdom, to trust in his promise that I am his son, a son of the King, and he offers me the joy of participating in the work of my Father. "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10). I look forward to trying to live this out God's Kingdom in Maryland this fall.
If you're still reading, thank you! And thank you all for your prayers and your notes! If you want to keep reading, check out the stories from the other team members at http://sajourneys.blogspot.com. I encourage you to keep Pastor Ohm and African Leadership in your prayers - if you would like to receive Pastor Ohm's prayer letter, let me know, and I can add you to his list. If you would like to get more involved in any of the ministries in South Africa, I encourage you to check out their websites (and feel free to send me questions): African Leadership ( www.africanleadership.org.za), Learn to Earn (www.learntoearn.co.za), and Living Hope (http://www.livinghope.co.za ).
And now, for the Kingdom!
David
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
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