Hello friends! Long time no blog post. Things are still kicking on this side of the globe. We just finished an outreach called Beat The Drum up in Transkei. Beat The Drum is an HIV/AIDS awareness and abstinence program that is taught in high schools throughout the continent of Africa. There were 150 of us from various ministries and countries (lots of Americans, South Africans and a few from Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Lesotho) and we taught in four high schools in Lusikisiki.
The students were very shy at first and didn't want to open up and talk. Sex and AIDS is something that is not spoken of very much in these communities, which is a reason why it continues to plague these areas. On the first day my teaching partner, who was from Zimbabwe, shared with the class about how his friends began to die one by one of AIDS. His father also died of AIDS. He was selling paintings in Cape Town, when he met a short term missionary from America who shared a teaching on sexual abstinence. That is how he came to know Christ and became a missionary himself.
We then asked each student to write down their own stories. Reading these stories broke my heart. Many students suffered from sexual abuse and rape. Some were forced to marry when they were only thirteen or fourteen and were trapped in marital bondage away from home. Lots of kids were addicted to sleeping around, but didn't know how to quit. So many had mothers and fathers and relatives who had died of AIDS. Few of these young people have seen what a healthy relationship looks like and it was difficult to teach what has never really been modeled for them.
On the second to the last day, we had a volunteer HIV testing area in each of the schools. My students were super nervous about finding out their status. I held their hands and prayed with them as they nervously waited to get tested. As we waited in line, each one shared with me their dreams for the future. Many wanted to be nurses, social workers, and teachers. Thankfully, every one of my students tested negative. On the last day, many stood up in front of the class and announced that they choose to be abstinent until marriage. They are truly breaking the cycle and becoming part of the solution to this pandemic.
Listening to story after story of sexual brokenness and seeing the effects of AIDS really brought me to a low place. We saw a lot of amazing healing and change in these four schools and the brave young people who represent them, but there are thousands and thousands of schools across the continent of Africa who need to hear this message. There are 12 million AIDS orphans in Africa. Every minute a child dies because of AIDS. The battle is overwhelming. Good thing God is the conqueror and wins in the end. I am learning to rejoice in this fact no matter what evidence is present against it. I am comforted by the fact that God heals and restores like He's breathing. It's what He does. And we can pray. Please pray with me.
This week i am resting and preparing in Tramskei with my friend Lucia. On friday we fly to Malawi! As we travel higher up into Africa, i am seeing more and more brokenness. Please pray that God is close to me during these times. And please pray for the youth leaders we will ministering to and sharing with. I am nothing without the prayer support of Christ's family at home.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
It's over!
I can’t believe the world cup is over! After months of preparation and four weeks of ministry, we can look back and say with confidence that the world cup was not about soccer. God’s kingdom advanced in South Africa these past few weeks and His Presence saturated the places we stepped into. I feel humbled and privileged and honored and excited that I will never look at God the same way again or underestimate His heart and workings in the world.
I spent the second and third week in Mahvusa, a little village up north. What stood out to me the most about this outreach was the hunger these people have for God. I would be walking down the dirt path and a guy would run up to me with a bible and ask a question about what he was reading. Families would call us into their homes so we could pray over sicknesses and pain. We ran children’s programs each day and the kids would sit and listen to each word that came out of our mouths. Our fireplace at the mission station would fill up each night with young people eager to hear our discipleship teachings. We gave each of the young people a bible and it was awesome to see them passionate about reading the bible for themselves and hearing what God has to say to them. Some mamas accepted Christ for the first time. It was crazy to see it all happen!
While the guys did soccer ministry on the field, we hosted a women’s day for the women in the village. We got together and served tea and cookies and had a teaching. We also spent time praying for each woman as we gave hand massages and washed their feet. The mamas of rural Africa work so hard. From the early morning when they get up they are busy washing, cooking, sweeping and bathing little ones. We wanted to pamper them and serve them the way Jesus would. It was one of those moments I will never forget—looking into each mama’s face and seeing God’s love for them as I washed their dry calloused feet.
We tried to host a big screen viewing of the last Bafana game in the church we partner with. It felt like the whole village showed up! But we couldn’t get the signal to work with our satellite dish and one by one the people complained and went away. We were pretty discouraged. We thought God was going to use world cup to advance His kingdom and we were frustrated that our plans didn’t work. The next morning, we had a children’s program and passed out little yarn dolls as part of a lesson on God’s love for them. It was so cool to see these little children run around the village with these dolls tied on their backs with a sash the way their mamas carry them. It was then God taught me that He doesn’t have to use something as big as world cup to advance His gospel. He doesn’t even have to use us. He can use a little bit of yarn. He can use anything.
We also spent a significant amount of time doing house visitation through the village. On the first day, we tried to go and pray with a woman. She said we couldn’t pray with her because her relative, who lived next door, was a traditional healer and does not approve of anything related to Christianity. We were a little disappointed and prayed silently as we passed by her and the traditional healer’s house. The next day, we received word that the woman had spoken to the healer and he gave her permission to have us over to pray for her. We were excited and the next day, made it a point to visit her home. As we approached, we heard a loud celebration in the traditional healer’s home. There was a graduation ceremony going on for all the people who were becoming witch doctors. Many young people were standing in line to receive the graduation blessing of healing through things like bones and ancestors.
The woman rushed us into her hut so as not to be seen by the healer. Then she brought in her relative that was suffering in her head and stomach. She kept saying over and over “I’m going to die, I’m going to die.” We didn’t know how much of the pain was physical or spiritual. I thought it was funny that, with all the power of the traditional healers in her family and the dozens of witch doctors next door, none could help her get well. The healer had wanted her to be a witch doctor as part of the family tradition, but as we stood by her and spoke with her, she gave her heart to the Lord. We weren’t quite sure what to do. My seminary training never taught me what to do in a situation like this. We decided to sneak her out of the village without the healer’s knowing to a nearby hospital and get her looked at. That night as I lay in bed listening to the sound of drums from the graduation ceremony, I thought about the power of God that far outweighs anything man can think up. Africa is said to be a spiritual continent. It is a place of spiritual warfare. But it is the Holy Spirit that is the real hero. God has been winning and I see and feel that movement every day.
The final week of world cup took me to a township in Cape Town called Phillipi. We ran a program for youth and children in the mornings and helped out at a soup kitchen in the afternoons. Phillipi is the poorest township I have ever been in. As we drove into the township, children came from everywhere crying, “soupie, soupie!” and ran to us with whatever container they could find. As I spent hours passing out soup and bread, I kept thinking of Philippians 2, where Paul talks about Christ, who had everything with God, yet decided to make himself nothing and enter into a human existence unlike mine, but much much lower to show us His love. Maybe he would have showed up in a township like Phillipi. Maybe he would have run around in tattered pants and no shoes crying “soupie, soupie.”
On the last day of world cup, we met with everyone involved in our outreaches to proclaim what God had done. Hundreds of people carrying Christ’s message to ten different spots around South Africa= many amazing stories. I wish I could share them all with you. All I can say is many seeds were sown, chains were broken, faces were turned towards God, and I’m excited to see what happens as God takes those changed lives and continues to build for himself a people who will call on his name.
I spent the second and third week in Mahvusa, a little village up north. What stood out to me the most about this outreach was the hunger these people have for God. I would be walking down the dirt path and a guy would run up to me with a bible and ask a question about what he was reading. Families would call us into their homes so we could pray over sicknesses and pain. We ran children’s programs each day and the kids would sit and listen to each word that came out of our mouths. Our fireplace at the mission station would fill up each night with young people eager to hear our discipleship teachings. We gave each of the young people a bible and it was awesome to see them passionate about reading the bible for themselves and hearing what God has to say to them. Some mamas accepted Christ for the first time. It was crazy to see it all happen!
While the guys did soccer ministry on the field, we hosted a women’s day for the women in the village. We got together and served tea and cookies and had a teaching. We also spent time praying for each woman as we gave hand massages and washed their feet. The mamas of rural Africa work so hard. From the early morning when they get up they are busy washing, cooking, sweeping and bathing little ones. We wanted to pamper them and serve them the way Jesus would. It was one of those moments I will never forget—looking into each mama’s face and seeing God’s love for them as I washed their dry calloused feet.
We tried to host a big screen viewing of the last Bafana game in the church we partner with. It felt like the whole village showed up! But we couldn’t get the signal to work with our satellite dish and one by one the people complained and went away. We were pretty discouraged. We thought God was going to use world cup to advance His kingdom and we were frustrated that our plans didn’t work. The next morning, we had a children’s program and passed out little yarn dolls as part of a lesson on God’s love for them. It was so cool to see these little children run around the village with these dolls tied on their backs with a sash the way their mamas carry them. It was then God taught me that He doesn’t have to use something as big as world cup to advance His gospel. He doesn’t even have to use us. He can use a little bit of yarn. He can use anything.
We also spent a significant amount of time doing house visitation through the village. On the first day, we tried to go and pray with a woman. She said we couldn’t pray with her because her relative, who lived next door, was a traditional healer and does not approve of anything related to Christianity. We were a little disappointed and prayed silently as we passed by her and the traditional healer’s house. The next day, we received word that the woman had spoken to the healer and he gave her permission to have us over to pray for her. We were excited and the next day, made it a point to visit her home. As we approached, we heard a loud celebration in the traditional healer’s home. There was a graduation ceremony going on for all the people who were becoming witch doctors. Many young people were standing in line to receive the graduation blessing of healing through things like bones and ancestors.
The woman rushed us into her hut so as not to be seen by the healer. Then she brought in her relative that was suffering in her head and stomach. She kept saying over and over “I’m going to die, I’m going to die.” We didn’t know how much of the pain was physical or spiritual. I thought it was funny that, with all the power of the traditional healers in her family and the dozens of witch doctors next door, none could help her get well. The healer had wanted her to be a witch doctor as part of the family tradition, but as we stood by her and spoke with her, she gave her heart to the Lord. We weren’t quite sure what to do. My seminary training never taught me what to do in a situation like this. We decided to sneak her out of the village without the healer’s knowing to a nearby hospital and get her looked at. That night as I lay in bed listening to the sound of drums from the graduation ceremony, I thought about the power of God that far outweighs anything man can think up. Africa is said to be a spiritual continent. It is a place of spiritual warfare. But it is the Holy Spirit that is the real hero. God has been winning and I see and feel that movement every day.
The final week of world cup took me to a township in Cape Town called Phillipi. We ran a program for youth and children in the mornings and helped out at a soup kitchen in the afternoons. Phillipi is the poorest township I have ever been in. As we drove into the township, children came from everywhere crying, “soupie, soupie!” and ran to us with whatever container they could find. As I spent hours passing out soup and bread, I kept thinking of Philippians 2, where Paul talks about Christ, who had everything with God, yet decided to make himself nothing and enter into a human existence unlike mine, but much much lower to show us His love. Maybe he would have showed up in a township like Phillipi. Maybe he would have run around in tattered pants and no shoes crying “soupie, soupie.”
On the last day of world cup, we met with everyone involved in our outreaches to proclaim what God had done. Hundreds of people carrying Christ’s message to ten different spots around South Africa= many amazing stories. I wish I could share them all with you. All I can say is many seeds were sown, chains were broken, faces were turned towards God, and I’m excited to see what happens as God takes those changed lives and continues to build for himself a people who will call on his name.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Extra support for youth conferences
Hello friends! I hope you are doing well and are enjoying the world cup from your side of the world. I am a week into an outreach in mahvusa and things are going wonderfully! I will update you guys soon, but i wanted to use this post to tell you about an opportunity i have been given to serve in malawi.
My first outreach to the continent of africa began with a trip to malawi in 2004 to do AIDS education workshops for the young people there. It was that summer that God took a hold of my heart and grew in me a passion to serve him in africa.
I am currently planning on returning to malawi in late august for a week and a half to serve alongside the pastors i have previously worked with. This time, my friend and i will be leading two different youth conferences for the young church leaders of this country. We are very excited about this opportunity and eagerly expect much kingdom growth.
Part of the planning process for this outreach involves raising the appropriate funds to make two youth conferences happen. Since this trip is independent of JAM, i am looking to raise an additional 2,000 US dollars for airfare, accomodations, educational supplies, etc. I am trusting that God will supply and asking if you would like to get involved financially to make this outreach a success.
Checks can be made in my name to my parent's home address:
5446 edgewood lane
paradise ca 95969
my parents have access to my account as this is the easiest way to transfer funds. Thank you so much for your willingness to support! May God bless you as you choose to be faithful to His Kingdom.
My first outreach to the continent of africa began with a trip to malawi in 2004 to do AIDS education workshops for the young people there. It was that summer that God took a hold of my heart and grew in me a passion to serve him in africa.
I am currently planning on returning to malawi in late august for a week and a half to serve alongside the pastors i have previously worked with. This time, my friend and i will be leading two different youth conferences for the young church leaders of this country. We are very excited about this opportunity and eagerly expect much kingdom growth.
Part of the planning process for this outreach involves raising the appropriate funds to make two youth conferences happen. Since this trip is independent of JAM, i am looking to raise an additional 2,000 US dollars for airfare, accomodations, educational supplies, etc. I am trusting that God will supply and asking if you would like to get involved financially to make this outreach a success.
Checks can be made in my name to my parent's home address:
5446 edgewood lane
paradise ca 95969
my parents have access to my account as this is the easiest way to transfer funds. Thank you so much for your willingness to support! May God bless you as you choose to be faithful to His Kingdom.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
World Cup
Hello! We are a week into World Cup time and there are already so many stories! All of our planning and prep is finally being implemented and God is doing incredible things in the process. I wish I had time to write down everything, but for now, all I can say is faces are being turned towards God and it is really cool to witness it. Here are a few stories of the goings on around here:
I’ve spent this first week with a ministry team of 80 people from America, Argentina and some High School students from the suburbs of Cape Town in a township called Imizamu Yethu. We visited homes and prayed with people, led children’s ministry programs and youth soccer programs during the day and hosted big screen showings of the soccer games at night. I come here once a week for only a few hours to minister and it’s been so good to spend an intensive week here with the people.
One of the most significant times of the outreach for me was spending time with the young girls of the township. We spent a day teaching them about sexual abuse and how it is okay to say no and ask for help if they are in bad situations. Some people say that 1 in 4 girls who live in townships are sexually abused by the time they are 14. We explained that God can help heal pains from abuse and make young girls feel new. We also gave each girl a hand made doll to remind them of how unique and hand made they are. It was powerful to be able to speak truth into girls’ lives and watch as they really listened and held each doll as a precious gift. My heart broke to hear some of these girl’s stories. We are hoping to continue to work with these young ones as much as we can.
On the second night of our outreach, a fire broke out in the township. Because of illegal wiring to bring electricity to the shacks, this happens a few times a year, leaving families who already have few possessions with absolutely nothing. This fire took about 15 shacks before firemen were able to put it out. I spent that night talking and praying with the people who lost their homes. I held little kids as they pointed to where their house used to stand. It was a hard night, but a significant night and I really felt God’s Presence there as we prayed with the people. Four of the people who lost their shacks are friends of mine. We go to church together on Sunday nights and drink coffee together. Now they have nothing. They sleep on the ground where their houses used to be and literally have nothing but the clothes on their backs. Poverty always kicks you in the face when you really know and truly love the people who are affected.
The whole next day I helped my friends clear away the rubble from their shacks. They were able to look me in the face and explain how much God has provided for them in the past and will continue to provide their every need like a father provides for his children. There was a sense of peace about them I know only comes from God. Their lives speak a louder gospel than my life ever will.
On Monday night, I was able to go into the city near the stadium and do some street ministry and evangelism. We met with other organizations at a church set up as a home base for groups to come and serve. Before taking off to the streets we all prayed together for the work God was going to do that night. I held hands with believers from Norway, Australia, South Africa, England, Colombia and Argentina as we worshipped and prayed urgently for God to use us that night. I have never felt a more tangible, literal and beautiful picture of Church.
On the streets we prayed and shared the gospel with a lot of workers and tourists. It was such an exciting atmosphere and many people were open to share their lives and receive prayer. Towards the end of the night, I met a young women who was standing alone on a street corner. She was very vague when I asked her questions and I could tell that she had been living on the streets and was most likely a prostitute. It was really hard to talk with her and she refused to open up. Eventually, she let me take her to the church, where we were screening the game and I got her some food. I hooked her up with a pastor who could find her a place to stay and an organization that works with prostitutes and street girls. It is estimated that tens of thousands of girls are being trafficked into the city for world cup to be used for prostitution against their will. Others are coming to prostitute themselves as the only way they know to make money. There are no easy answers and no romanticized way of getting out of situations like this. Speaking with the girl that night, my heart broke for the layers of pain she is carrying in her small body and the overwhelming amount of healing that must take place in her life. But God breaks chains. In His good and perfect way. Her eyes still haunt me and I pray for her often. Please pray for her too. Her name is Lindsey.
Tomorrow, I drive back up Mahvusa, a small village in Limpopo. I will be there for two weeks. Please pray for our time there as we will be doing a lot of discipleship and outreach into an area we have not reached yet. Please also pray for the families who lost their homes in the fire. And for girls like Lindsey who are trapped in Prostitution. And I could use prayer for strength, I am feeling pretty exhausted right now.
I’ve spent this first week with a ministry team of 80 people from America, Argentina and some High School students from the suburbs of Cape Town in a township called Imizamu Yethu. We visited homes and prayed with people, led children’s ministry programs and youth soccer programs during the day and hosted big screen showings of the soccer games at night. I come here once a week for only a few hours to minister and it’s been so good to spend an intensive week here with the people.
One of the most significant times of the outreach for me was spending time with the young girls of the township. We spent a day teaching them about sexual abuse and how it is okay to say no and ask for help if they are in bad situations. Some people say that 1 in 4 girls who live in townships are sexually abused by the time they are 14. We explained that God can help heal pains from abuse and make young girls feel new. We also gave each girl a hand made doll to remind them of how unique and hand made they are. It was powerful to be able to speak truth into girls’ lives and watch as they really listened and held each doll as a precious gift. My heart broke to hear some of these girl’s stories. We are hoping to continue to work with these young ones as much as we can.
On the second night of our outreach, a fire broke out in the township. Because of illegal wiring to bring electricity to the shacks, this happens a few times a year, leaving families who already have few possessions with absolutely nothing. This fire took about 15 shacks before firemen were able to put it out. I spent that night talking and praying with the people who lost their homes. I held little kids as they pointed to where their house used to stand. It was a hard night, but a significant night and I really felt God’s Presence there as we prayed with the people. Four of the people who lost their shacks are friends of mine. We go to church together on Sunday nights and drink coffee together. Now they have nothing. They sleep on the ground where their houses used to be and literally have nothing but the clothes on their backs. Poverty always kicks you in the face when you really know and truly love the people who are affected.
The whole next day I helped my friends clear away the rubble from their shacks. They were able to look me in the face and explain how much God has provided for them in the past and will continue to provide their every need like a father provides for his children. There was a sense of peace about them I know only comes from God. Their lives speak a louder gospel than my life ever will.
On Monday night, I was able to go into the city near the stadium and do some street ministry and evangelism. We met with other organizations at a church set up as a home base for groups to come and serve. Before taking off to the streets we all prayed together for the work God was going to do that night. I held hands with believers from Norway, Australia, South Africa, England, Colombia and Argentina as we worshipped and prayed urgently for God to use us that night. I have never felt a more tangible, literal and beautiful picture of Church.
On the streets we prayed and shared the gospel with a lot of workers and tourists. It was such an exciting atmosphere and many people were open to share their lives and receive prayer. Towards the end of the night, I met a young women who was standing alone on a street corner. She was very vague when I asked her questions and I could tell that she had been living on the streets and was most likely a prostitute. It was really hard to talk with her and she refused to open up. Eventually, she let me take her to the church, where we were screening the game and I got her some food. I hooked her up with a pastor who could find her a place to stay and an organization that works with prostitutes and street girls. It is estimated that tens of thousands of girls are being trafficked into the city for world cup to be used for prostitution against their will. Others are coming to prostitute themselves as the only way they know to make money. There are no easy answers and no romanticized way of getting out of situations like this. Speaking with the girl that night, my heart broke for the layers of pain she is carrying in her small body and the overwhelming amount of healing that must take place in her life. But God breaks chains. In His good and perfect way. Her eyes still haunt me and I pray for her often. Please pray for her too. Her name is Lindsey.
Tomorrow, I drive back up Mahvusa, a small village in Limpopo. I will be there for two weeks. Please pray for our time there as we will be doing a lot of discipleship and outreach into an area we have not reached yet. Please also pray for the families who lost their homes in the fire. And for girls like Lindsey who are trapped in Prostitution. And I could use prayer for strength, I am feeling pretty exhausted right now.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Aquarium
These last few weeks have been busy planning/training/preparing for world cup ministry. During the 8 weeks of world cup, our team will be leading outreaches into 10 different communities in and around Cape Town and all up and down the country of South Africa. We are partnering with local churches and ministry teams from all around the world. We will reach out to the homeless, do evangelism on the streets of the city, serve in soup kitchens, run soccer clinics and tournaments, do children’s ministry programs and youth discipleship sessions. We will be doing outreach to prostitutes and screening soccer games on big screens in townships. We are excited to see what God does!
Before I start focusing in on world cup happenings, I wanted to share a quick story of a day I spent with Gloria, one of the women I have been visiting in Imizamo Yethu, a local township. Gloria lives in a compassion house for people who have disabilities and AIDS. She has a problem with walking and gets around using crutches. Gloria has had a crazy past and doesn’t have any contact with her family, who live in the rural north of South Africa. She had a relationship once, and a baby, but the child died at a young age because he didn’t have anything to eat. I always hear statistics of the thousands of children that die every day because they have no food, but it is a completely different feeling to look a mother of one of those children in the eye and hear her story. Every week, I love to come into Gloria’s room and look at the crafts she makes and clothing she knits in an effort to support herself. Her smile is contagious and I never see it leave her face.
On one of our days off, a group of us decided we would take Gloria to see the aquarium in Cape Town city. In all her years of living in the township, Gloria had never been to the city, and we were excited to show her around. We picked her up at the taxi stop and took a long, crowded ride to the waterfront. It was so cool to wheel Gloria around the aquarium and watch her eyes light up as she saw all the beautiful kinds of exotic fish and penguins and sharks. I felt like we could have spent days there and never run out of things to marvel over. Gloria was so excited and amazed at every little creature in every little exhibit. It reminded me of how God’s heart beats to take his people out of the broken worlds they live in and show them His glory, grace and everything excellent and amazing about himself—that’s the gospel—bringing people into a relationship with Him. After the aquarium, we stopped by a craft market, which Gloria went crazy over, and spent the rest of the evening scrambling around the city looking for a taxi that would take us home. Gloria told me that night that it was a day she will never forget, and she will always tell people her stories of spending the day with a bunch of crazy Americans in Cape Town.
I’ll try to keep the updates coming, but I’m gonna be on the road quite a bit. Please pray for the ministry we will be doing these next few weeks. We’re gonna be crazy busy and it’s a little overwhelming. But I know how excited God is to advance His kingdom during this time and I feel so humbled and privileged to be along for the ride and chosen to serve in South Africa “for such a time as this”.
Before I start focusing in on world cup happenings, I wanted to share a quick story of a day I spent with Gloria, one of the women I have been visiting in Imizamo Yethu, a local township. Gloria lives in a compassion house for people who have disabilities and AIDS. She has a problem with walking and gets around using crutches. Gloria has had a crazy past and doesn’t have any contact with her family, who live in the rural north of South Africa. She had a relationship once, and a baby, but the child died at a young age because he didn’t have anything to eat. I always hear statistics of the thousands of children that die every day because they have no food, but it is a completely different feeling to look a mother of one of those children in the eye and hear her story. Every week, I love to come into Gloria’s room and look at the crafts she makes and clothing she knits in an effort to support herself. Her smile is contagious and I never see it leave her face.
On one of our days off, a group of us decided we would take Gloria to see the aquarium in Cape Town city. In all her years of living in the township, Gloria had never been to the city, and we were excited to show her around. We picked her up at the taxi stop and took a long, crowded ride to the waterfront. It was so cool to wheel Gloria around the aquarium and watch her eyes light up as she saw all the beautiful kinds of exotic fish and penguins and sharks. I felt like we could have spent days there and never run out of things to marvel over. Gloria was so excited and amazed at every little creature in every little exhibit. It reminded me of how God’s heart beats to take his people out of the broken worlds they live in and show them His glory, grace and everything excellent and amazing about himself—that’s the gospel—bringing people into a relationship with Him. After the aquarium, we stopped by a craft market, which Gloria went crazy over, and spent the rest of the evening scrambling around the city looking for a taxi that would take us home. Gloria told me that night that it was a day she will never forget, and she will always tell people her stories of spending the day with a bunch of crazy Americans in Cape Town.
I’ll try to keep the updates coming, but I’m gonna be on the road quite a bit. Please pray for the ministry we will be doing these next few weeks. We’re gonna be crazy busy and it’s a little overwhelming. But I know how excited God is to advance His kingdom during this time and I feel so humbled and privileged to be along for the ride and chosen to serve in South Africa “for such a time as this”.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Pentecost
Pentecost has always been that religious holiday I’ve seemed to overlook. I’ve never really taken time those five weeks after Easter to celebrate the day the Holy Spirit was unleashed in hearts and languages given that began the birth and movement of the Church. This year was definitely different. I got to celebrate Pentecost in a stadium with thousands of Christians representing about a hundred different nations for the Global Day of Prayer.
The Global Day of Prayer movement began 10 years ago with a bunch of people in Cape Town who were desperate to intercede for their country and world. Since then, the movement has spread to all 220 nations, who set up prayer meetings and assemblies to pray on May 23rd making it the biggest prayer meeting ever in the history of the world! I watched as the stadium filled up with people from all the continents speaking all kinds of languages, ready to call out to God.
Our ministry team was part of a procession that carried all the countries’ flags out around the stadium in order to pray for the nations. I couldn’t take part because I sprained my toe the day before playing soccer with a Brazilian ministry team and was limping around pretty badly. As I was sitting to the side, a woman came and asked if I would pray in the event. I was humbled and privileged to be able to pray for the young people; that God would raise up a new generation of Christ followers who are filled with the Holy Spirit and willing to boldly share God’s love to the world. It was as experience I will never forget!
It was so cool to look out and watch all the people worship and pray, each in their own language and cultural way. Seeing everyone made me realize how amazingly big God is to have created such a diverse world full of beautifully different people. I kept thinking of that day of Pentecost when God gave us His Spirit. I always pictured everyone in that small room jumping around and many different languages filling the air in a crazy epic worship service to God. Two thousand years later, it still happens, except tens of thousands of times bigger because God was desperate to share His love with everyone, to the farthest places of the world. I saw the result of this today and was truly overwhelmed.
Praying with people from the nations was just the start of the global Church ministry God has blessed me with this summer. The next two weeks I will be serving alongside a ministry team from Australia followed by a week with Brazilians, then two weeks with some Americans, and a week with Indonesians. Our home has been opened up to groups from Namibia and Zimbabwe. God is truly moving His church around and I’m excited to see what He makes of it!
The Global Day of Prayer movement began 10 years ago with a bunch of people in Cape Town who were desperate to intercede for their country and world. Since then, the movement has spread to all 220 nations, who set up prayer meetings and assemblies to pray on May 23rd making it the biggest prayer meeting ever in the history of the world! I watched as the stadium filled up with people from all the continents speaking all kinds of languages, ready to call out to God.
Our ministry team was part of a procession that carried all the countries’ flags out around the stadium in order to pray for the nations. I couldn’t take part because I sprained my toe the day before playing soccer with a Brazilian ministry team and was limping around pretty badly. As I was sitting to the side, a woman came and asked if I would pray in the event. I was humbled and privileged to be able to pray for the young people; that God would raise up a new generation of Christ followers who are filled with the Holy Spirit and willing to boldly share God’s love to the world. It was as experience I will never forget!
It was so cool to look out and watch all the people worship and pray, each in their own language and cultural way. Seeing everyone made me realize how amazingly big God is to have created such a diverse world full of beautifully different people. I kept thinking of that day of Pentecost when God gave us His Spirit. I always pictured everyone in that small room jumping around and many different languages filling the air in a crazy epic worship service to God. Two thousand years later, it still happens, except tens of thousands of times bigger because God was desperate to share His love with everyone, to the farthest places of the world. I saw the result of this today and was truly overwhelmed.
Praying with people from the nations was just the start of the global Church ministry God has blessed me with this summer. The next two weeks I will be serving alongside a ministry team from Australia followed by a week with Brazilians, then two weeks with some Americans, and a week with Indonesians. Our home has been opened up to groups from Namibia and Zimbabwe. God is truly moving His church around and I’m excited to see what He makes of it!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Guys Camp/Prince Albert
Short update for you'all: more to come soooon!
Two weekends ago, the guys on our team had a men’s camp with a bunch of ex-gang leaders from Sir Lowry’s. They played paintball in the mountains and rugby on the beach. Our team laid out the gospel, along with the warning that following Christ is tough and requires sacrifice. Three guys in the camp accepted Christ, including Night, (who we now call Neals) the biggest leader of the bunch. I’ve been so blessed to see God crash into Sir Lowry’s with His love, and I’m even more excited to see what happens these next few months. God loves to take rebel enemy leaders and turn them in to passionate preachers of God’s word. All of the guys on the camp committed to meeting with us every Wednesday to get discipled (which is the really important part). I’ve been learning about what can happen when Christ followers get that His gospel is powerful and lay it out for people with boldness, letting God do the rest.
This last week, a group of six of us went up to a place called Prince Albert to meet with the young people and train them to do sports ministry for world cup. Prince Albert is a small mostly colored town five hours north of Cape Town. We spoke in classrooms, churches, and school assemblies. We spent the nights in a boarding school with the students, which was super fun. We never had any definite plans each day, but God was really faithful to provide us opportunities to serve. One of the highlights of the week was watching Keith, one of our teammates who is from Prince Albert, speak and serve in his hometown. One of the needs and, therefore, the themes of our messages to the churches was unity both among churches and within churches, in order to work for God’s mission. We will be returning to Prince Albert next month during world cup to do a community wide outreach, partnering with the churches we trained with during this outreach.
That’s all I want to write now. I’ll send a longer post soon. Thanks for your prayers!
Two weekends ago, the guys on our team had a men’s camp with a bunch of ex-gang leaders from Sir Lowry’s. They played paintball in the mountains and rugby on the beach. Our team laid out the gospel, along with the warning that following Christ is tough and requires sacrifice. Three guys in the camp accepted Christ, including Night, (who we now call Neals) the biggest leader of the bunch. I’ve been so blessed to see God crash into Sir Lowry’s with His love, and I’m even more excited to see what happens these next few months. God loves to take rebel enemy leaders and turn them in to passionate preachers of God’s word. All of the guys on the camp committed to meeting with us every Wednesday to get discipled (which is the really important part). I’ve been learning about what can happen when Christ followers get that His gospel is powerful and lay it out for people with boldness, letting God do the rest.
This last week, a group of six of us went up to a place called Prince Albert to meet with the young people and train them to do sports ministry for world cup. Prince Albert is a small mostly colored town five hours north of Cape Town. We spoke in classrooms, churches, and school assemblies. We spent the nights in a boarding school with the students, which was super fun. We never had any definite plans each day, but God was really faithful to provide us opportunities to serve. One of the highlights of the week was watching Keith, one of our teammates who is from Prince Albert, speak and serve in his hometown. One of the needs and, therefore, the themes of our messages to the churches was unity both among churches and within churches, in order to work for God’s mission. We will be returning to Prince Albert next month during world cup to do a community wide outreach, partnering with the churches we trained with during this outreach.
That’s all I want to write now. I’ll send a longer post soon. Thanks for your prayers!
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