A fiery furnace in Welpies Res.

The residence halls, or dorms, in South Africa function very much like Sororities and Fraternities in the States. Each "Res." (which is what they call it), has its own name, own uniform, even own anthem to represent who they are and what they stand for. Each Res. competes with the others and every student must go through initiation before moving in. The first week for the freshman is especially intense as some of the guys are required to shave their heads, march in straight lines while they chant, girls must wear outrageous costumes and earn "Res. points" by stealing pieces of costumes from other girls. Nearly every student signs up for a Residence Hall, considering many of them come from towns far away and choose to live in a dorm. Those who still live with their parents or who live in an apartment or flat near the campus have the option to join a "Day Res." which allows them to participate in all the same functions and socials without living on campus. 

Elsie and Khumo are two freshman girls who just joined the Welpies Res. Dressed in their matching uniforms, I approached them to ask a little bit about how their first week on campus was going. With their openness and willingness to share, they began to vent about the back-to-back testing they've had to do all week, the stress of registering for classes and finding all the buildings, and the fear of being a new freshman on campus. When they asked what I was doing in South Africa, I shared with them the purpose of our ministry and watched their eyes light up as their hearts sighed with relief. 

"We need your help!" they said.

Elsie and Khumo began to share the routines and traditions of their Residence Hall and the difficulty of being a Christian in the midst of it. The TUX campus and many of its buildings, including the Welpies Res., was built in the 1800s. For years, traditions have been carried and passed on from generation to generation as each new class honors the history of their residence hall. In the Welpies Res., bronze statues of lions, birds, and zebra stand in the front entrance of the dorm. Each resident must bow and worship the statues upon entering and leaving the building, thanking and praising them as gods. 

"The Scriptures say not to worship any other god but what are we to do? We are just freshman and if we do not bow down to them, everyone will make fun of us and we will probably get in a lot of trouble. If nobody is around, we don't do it because nobody is watching us. But every morning when we all walk to class together, we cannot get away with it. We must do it, but I know that Jesus is my only God. I do not know what to do."

I think the most exciting thing about hearing their plea, was seeing their faith. I was able to encourage them by acknowledging their desire to follow the Lord and together we sat huddled under a little roof that sheltered us from the rain as we opened up the Word of God. Reading through Daniel, we looked at the boldness, courage, and faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who refused to worship King Nebuchadenezzar's gold statue. Encouraged by the faith of these three biblical men and reminded of the protection that the LORD had on them, Elsie and Khumo decided to stand up for their faith and talk to the Residence Advisors that afternoon. 

Three days later I received a text message from Elsie:

"We don't have to worship the statues anymore :) Thank you, and praise God!"

"Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king's command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God." -Daniel 3:28

what...are you saying?

Two incidents happened today that made us look like clueless Americans in some desperate need of help.

The first:

I went to a coffee shop this morning on campus. As I was putting the lid on my cup by the counter with all the sugar, cream, straws, etc.. a girl looked at me and kindly asked if I would hand her a "servi." 

"Excuse me?"

"A servi"

Having no idea what a 'servi' was..I went with my best guess, which was another 's' word...sugar.

Wrong.

"No...a servi." Her voice got a little more stern.

Hmm, next best guess...another 's' word...straw.

Nope. Wrong again.

"A servi!" This girl was losing patience and I started to get nervous.

I pointed to the cream. Wrong.

I pointed to the lids. Wrong.

"Oh my soul...a servi!!"

Okay..she was angry.

I pointed to the stir sticks. Wrong again. 

I was sweating by this point.

"I'm so sorry!" I said with a helpless laugh.

Finally.. I pointed to the napkins. Of course, the last thing. 

"YES! A servi!"

As I handed it over,  she grabbed it from my hand and started to mock my cluelessness with her friends.

I thought it was hilarious, but apparently she didn't. But in all honesty.. she could've helped me out a bit. Clearly, I wasn't understanding "servi" ...so maybe repeatedly asking for a "servi" isn't the most helpful? A gesture would have been nice, maybe a little sign language, another description of the word..? Anything. 

Anyway.. servi means napkin. Now I know.

The second:

Amanda stood in line today at the school cafeteria during lunch. A young man came up from behind her and asked, "Are you in kue?"

"Huh?" was Amanda's response.

"Are you in kue?"

"In kue?"

"Yes, in kue. Are you in kue?"

"Ummm, I don't know."

"Are you in kue?!"

"I dont know. What's kue?"

"Are you in kue?!"

"I know that you are asking me if I am in kue.. I got that. But I don't know what that means..."

"I'm asking, are you in kue??"

Alright, apparently South African students don't understand that repeating the same sentence is actually not very helpful. Especially when the issue at hand is not that we can't hear them but that we can't understand them. Anyway.. kue means line. Now we know.

Candace & Miché

Candace and Miché are two freshman girls who prayed to receive Christ today. Let me share their story:

Sitting in the open University Union right outside the cafeteria, Candace and Miché were eating their "chips n sauce" when the Spirit of the Lord led us to meet them. Candace is a sweet and quiet 18 year old girl who grew up in Johannesburg with an older brother and two loving parents. She is a white Afrikaan with blonde hair and blue eyes who loves to shop and spend quality time with friends. Miché is 18 years old as well and grew up in a town right outside of Zimbabwe. With purple streaked hair and a handful of piercings, she is proud to call herself a "down-to-earth punker." She loves to meet people, make new friends, and party "hard core" on the weekends. When we asked the girls what their spiritual backgrounds were, they both replied ''Christians...because my parents are.'' When we asked them to explain what being a Christian meant to them, they stared at us blankly as if it was supposed to mean anything at all. Since being here, we have learned that many students in South Africa will call themselves Christian and yet have no idea who Jesus Christ is. It's not uncommon to hear them say they have faith in the Lord, and yet not understand the gospel. Over the years, Christianity has become a distorted term used to describe parentage rather than a relationship with God. Being a 'Christian' means where you come from, not who you place your faith and hope in. As they reversed the question onto us, we were able to explain the Christian faith and all that it means by sharing the Gospel with them. One of my favorite things about sharing the Gospel with people is seeing their faces light up. Jesus says in Scipture that His sheep will know his voice..and it's evident when you see people understand the gospel for the first time. As we shared the beauty of the God's grace with them, Candace and Miché eagerly followed along. They would ask questions and we would explain, then they would excitedly ask for us to go on. By the end of our conversation, both girls asked us how they could have a personal relationship with God. Their whole lives, they said, they had been living in control. But today, they wanted to hand it over to God. 

It was no accident that these two young girls, completely opposite of each other, would be sitting together today. It was no accident that they happened to have a break this afternoon from all their orientation meetings and classes. It was no accident that we happened to see them and sit to talk with them. It was no accident..because God had been preparing their hearts, their whole lives, for this day. And how AMAZING, that he chose me to be a part of it; that he allowed me to be a part of his pursuit for these two girls; that he gave me the opportunity to show His love to both of them today. 

I praise God today for two new sisters in Christ. And for His faithfulness to send us to those who were ready to hear.

I will give 100R to anyone who can say "Mammal Research Institute" in Afrikaans.

'SOOGDIERNAVORSINGSINTITUUT'

(three times, really fast.)

TUKS

The University of Pretoria, also known as TUKS (which is the acronym in Afrikaans), is an incredibly beautiful campus, wonderful for students and strategic for ministry. It is one of the biggest Universities in the entire country and welcomes over 40,000 students on its campus. TUKS is largely international with students coming from Europe, Korea, China, India, as well as countries all over Africa. By reaching out to students on this campus, we have the opportunity to not only reach the country of South Africa, but have the potential to reach all of Africa and the world. 

As of 2007, the campus division is roughly 43% white students and 57% black students. Their two biggest schools of study are Engineering and Business Communications although the University itself offers everything from Fashion Design to Zoology, Acting to Medicine, and Home Economics to Law. The wide variety of majors that are offered, bring in a wide variety of students. 

This year, there are approximately 7,000 first year students coming onto campus. This week is freshman orientation week which is our big opportunity to do outreach. The first week for freshman is the most bombarding time for them as pressures to get drunk, go clubbing, party, and have sex pull from every side of them from the older students and clubs on campus. Our hope is to reach them before anyone else does, and to invite them into an abundantly more fulfilling and satisfying life in Christ. We also hope to connect with students who already know the Lord, to build them up in their faith and develop them as future leaders to reach other students on their campus. 

I trust that the Lord has already prepared the hearts of those we're going to meet. Pray with me as I expect God to do mighty things this week and this year on the TUKS campus.

McDonalds

We were in Hatfield Plaza today; an old mini shopping center about 5 minutes from our house. Beggars are lined up on every sidewalk, by every parking spot, waiting for someone to pass by. Amanda, Stacy, and I were sitting across the street from McDonalds, waiting for our team leader, Kendra, to finish up on the pay-phone. 

A man approached us. I recognized him from earlier in the week. I think he comes to Hatfield regularly. Cupping his hands to make a bowl for the change, he began to plead. "Excuse me, sistahs..please, any change. I am hungry and my mum have no food for 3 days. I need one loaf today so we can last for weekend. Please sistahs..any change."

"What's your name?" Amanda asks.

Taken aback, he proudly says "Kris" with a smile. 

"Kris?" 

"Yes, Kris. My name is Kris. That is my brotha Joseph," he says as he points to the man across the street, looking almost identical to him.

"How about we buy you some McDonalds, Kris? Would you like that? We would like to get you some food and talk to you for a moment."

"Yes mamn. McDonalds. Thank you mamn."

"You don't need to call us mamn," we said with smiles and went down the row introducing our names. 

The McDonalds has no indoor seating. It's like a walk-up counter with an outside patio of maybe 5 tables. It has limited space so people are crowded all around. As Stacy and I walk up to the line to order him a couple burgers, Amanda offers him a seat at the only open table. Heads turn and eyes stare at the strange and unfamiliar scene of well-dressed American women taking a malodorous black beggar out to lunch. 

"Tell us your story," we ask as we offer him his first meal of the day. 

Kris is one of 3 children. He has an older sister who is 26 and finds work by cleaning white people's homes. "She is hard worker," he tells us proudly. Joseph is his older brother by one year. Joseph is 22 and makes a living by coming to Hatfield plaza with Kris Monday thru Friday to watch people's cars. Very commonly in South Africa, beggars will stand by parking spots in public areas and help people park, make sure their car doesn't get stolen, perhaps wash their car while the people do their shopping, and though there is no fixed price for the job, a couple Rand is usually what they receive for their service. Before the sun sets, Kris and Joseph walk about an hour and a half back home to their family. Kris' dad works in construction. Occasionally, he will let Kris come to work with him and help dig holes for buildings, roads, water pipes, and many other things. "I like working with my fatha. But I only go on special days." Kris' mother is home and sick. "Sick" can mean anything from the flu to AIDS. In many of the townships, children will say that their family member is "sick" instead of saying that they have AIDS. It is a shameful disease to them and many fear abandonment and punishment if they admit to it. 

"I have to help my brotha..but thank you for my foods, mamn"

Though we wanted to talk more, Kris' work was important for him and his family's health. 

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Kris. And please, call me Ali."

"Ali, yes mamn. Thank you Ali."

"Stacy."

"Amanda."

He shook each of our hands and left with 4 burgers to share between him and Joseph that afternoon. 

God moved. God won. And I can't wait for Him to do it again.

the Win.

Amanda, one of the girls on my team, went to the kitchen to throw away what was left of her lunch this afternoon. As she stood in front of the trash, she held the piece of crust in her hand, staring intently at the stale bread soaked with honey and peanut butter. "I feel awful throwing this away.." she said, as she held up her last inch of sandwich for us to see. None of us spoke as we silently understood the thoughts running through each other's minds. People aren't just hungry here...they're starving. And though we don't have much as a full time missionary, we have  whole lot more than the common man living in Africa.

As we sat around the living room processing our thoughts, the Lord finally revealed to us the obvious.  

A few posts back, I shared my heart with you about losing the battle to every beggar. Since coming here, those thoughts have continued to wrestle in me as I've been seeking to find the Lord's victory in it. And today, God showed us "the Win." Rather than giving money every time to the beggars, the girls and I have decided to pack an extra sandwich every morning before we leave the house. Instead of feeding into their stereotype that every white American is rich and every black African is poor, and instead of walking past them not giving them anything, we are going to feed them with what they really need; food and love. It makes me think of what Jesus would do if he were here, walking on the very streets we walk on every day. If a beggar approached him, he wouldn't just toss him a couple Rands and walk away. Nor do I think he would walk past him and pray. I think if Jesus was here, he would have compassion on the man and approach him humbly, just as he did throughout Scripture. He would offer the beggar food; exactly what the beggar needs. Then he would speak with the man in grace, truth, and love. As God's hands and feet, that's exactly what we want to do.

We're all really excited to see God win tomorrow...

"Then when you call, the Lord will answer. 'Yes, I am here,' he will quickly reply. "Remove the heavy yoke of oppression..Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring."

Isaiah 58:9-11

BEAM

BEAM, as I've mentioned to many of you before, is a small organization started by a white South African couple whose hope is to restore the spiritual climate of the country by reaching thewomen and children in the townships through practical needs. They offer food, computer skills, tutoring, life skills, education, therapy, spiritual mentoring, and play. Their facility is small and under a lot of financial stress as the government isn't always supportive or reliable with its funding. They are located in the heart of Nellmapias which is an extremely poor township in Pretoria, just 20 minutes away from where we live. Crime is high there and many of these children have been exposed to a way of life that is simply unheard of. Flooded with children between the ages of one and fifteen, many of these children call each other family. The majority are without parents and live in one room tin houses along the dirt roads of their town. Children take care of children and death is as typical to them as the common cold is to us. In art therapy, the children will draw everything from guns, blood, violence, sexual parts, and pictures of them crying for hope.

 

But God is moving. There have been young boys who have come to BEAM with no other intention other than to get a free meal. But through the unconditional love of Christ pouring out on them through the people that work there, they have come to know the Lord. Their lives are changed and hope is real to them. They want a future and talk about the excitement of getting an education to make something of themselves one day. They are young boys who have been drenched with the violent and wicked reality of a fallen world and are now saturated with the love and hope of Jesus Christ. I am brought to tears when I think of how God's work in their life will now affect so many more lives simply

 by the beauty of their testimony.

I pray the same and more, for the many other children at BEAM. Please pray with me so we can work to change the future of Africa together, in Christ.

Lose, Lose

Everywhere in South Africa, there are beggars. Being here for a few days now, it's been difficult discerning the best way to deal with the situation. Many of the beggars are harmless youth; refugees from other countries in Africa who have no other means to live other than begging. It breaks my heart to hear them over and again plead for a Rand or two..which is maybe 10-20 cents in American money. I have the means to do it..so why not? 

As we talked to some of the locals and national staff to hear their thoughts, they discussed the difficulty with Americans giving to beggars. By giving to them, you are often giving them a wrong stereotype of an American. They believe that every white American is rich and will just freely empty their pockets so that the beggar will stop "bothering" them. By not giving to them, they may be left with no meal for the rest of the day. It's a lose, lose situation. So what do you do? Give them a Rand knowing you will help them, but also feeding them the false idea that they are poor black beggars and we are rich white Americans, and it will always be that way? Or refuse to give them the money..and leave them hungry?

As my friends and I were walking back to our car from the shopping center this afternoon, we passed by an old black man sitting at the corner of a traffic light. We overheard his tragic words that pierced my heart with the reality of this fallen and broken world, "If I was not born a sinner, I would have been born white."

I know my God is a God of victory. Not a God of "lose, lose." So then what's the win?

As I read through Scripture today, I came across John 9. The entire chapter tells the story of Jesus healing a man born blind. There were two parts of that story that particularly spoke to me as I wrestled through my thoughts. The first was found in verse 3 when Jesus says "It was not because of his sins or his parents' sins that this man is blind. This happened so the power of God could be seen in him." I often find myself asking the question "Why?" as I observe and experience more and more of the suffering around the world. I still don't fully understand it..but I do know that the power of God can be seen through it. Even here, I have already seen the power of God's mighty hand at work. Sadly, I didn't initially think that was enough. But if God does all things for His Kingdom and Glory...surely any power seen in and through this world, is enough. Secondly, I realized that Jesus was also in a "lose, lose" situation. The man born blind was healed on the Sabbath, which is the day of rest. When Jesus came across this man, if he followed the Sabbath, the man would not be healed; lose. If he did heal the man, he would have broken the Sabbath; lose. But the result was a Win. Why? Because God was given the glory. Jesus does heal the man, because in doing so, He was able to proclaim the power of Himself and the Father. 

I want to do that. I want to be able to have discernment in a world where losing seems to be the only answer. I want to be a representation of Christ where "the win" is an obvious answer. Lord, help me.

the unlimited honk

There is no limit to honking your horn in this country. It is the most loud, obnoxious, stressful noise that consistently resounds on every street. Here are my theories as to why this may occcur:

Honking is...

-a sign of respect

-good luck

-a way of creating a rhythmic beat so that pedestrians and fellow drivers can enjoy music together

-an accident from every driver that just happens a lot

-obviously very necessary

-the South African way to praise Jesus

any other thoughts or theories are welcome. I'm trying to believe the best...but i'd love some help.

Come inside...

Well, I'm here! I made it to Africa! By God's grace and faithful provision, we were able to move into a house right away. I showed you some pics a while back..but I wanted you to get the FULL experience of our new home. So I posted a video with a little tour of our place. Hope you enjoy!

Lord, am I ready?

I leave for Africa tomorrow..and there are butterflies, a whole flock of them, flying around in my stomach. I'm not nervous or fearful..but I can't help to ask "Lord, am I ready?" Am I ready to experience a year completely stripped of everything that is comfortable to me? Am I ready to see the pain and suffering of a whole nother world that lies in Africa? Am I ready to be your very hands and feet that you have called me to be? Am I ready to be challenged, stretched, and broken in my own heart? Am I ready to experience a piece of your glory in a completely new part of the world? ..I don't know.

But perhaps it's a good thing. If I felt completely ready...I would have something to boast about. I would have something to control. I would have expectations to fulfill and a plan set for myself and my year ahead. If I were ready..I wouldn't need to be dependent on the Lord. So as a matter of fact..in not being ready..I think I couldn't be more ready.

Lord, I'm all yours. Use me, stretch me, mold me, break me. Make me completely dependent on you, so that everything that is done this year would come from you alone, and not me. 

Lord, I'm ready.

He has brought me laughter

In the beginning of December, my support was at 70%. I had four weeks to raise $12,500. It made me think of Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 17 when God told them they would have a child. “Then Abraham bowed down to the ground but he laughed to himself in disbelief.” How could I raise so much money in so little time? I had no idea. But God knew, and He wanted my faith to prove it.

Mid-December, school ended and my support raised about 3%.

On December 31, my support was at 83%. I left on New Year’s Day to meet my team in Denver, CO for a week long conference in preparation to leave by the 6th. I prayed for a miracle that God would bring in the rest of my support, otherwise I wouldn't be able to leave with my team. I ran out of contacts and was waiting on just a couple confirmations. Day one of being in Denver, I went from 83 to 86%. Day two, I went from 86 to 91%. My team rejoiced with me as I needed at least 90% to board the plane with them! Day three, as I sat in my hotel room just before bed, I saw the Lord bring in the rest of my support, raising it from 91-100% in less than one hour. “And Sarah declared, ‘God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me. Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a son in his old age!” (Gen. 21:6-7). On my knees before Him, my eyes were filled with tears and my heart was filled with laughter. Like Sarah, I couldn’t help but to laugh at the marvelous blessing and work of my God...because of how incapable I am to understand it. 

Proud.

My parents and brother dropped me off at the airport this morning with two 50 lb. bags, a carry on, and a backpack the size of me. It was so hard to leave them and to hug them knowing it would be our last embrace until next year. But at the same time, it couldn't have felt more perfect in the way we left. When I first shared my heart and desire to go to Africa with them about a year ago, it was one of the most difficult conversations I've had with them. As any parent would be, they were concerned, fearful, angry, confused, and just simply didn't understand how I could give up a year of my life to go. Since November 2007 until this day of 2009, I have lifted up prayer after prayer for the Lord to soften their hearts. It has been a process since that first day we talked..but God has been faithful. Through raising support, providing the way, and a multitude of praise stories to share with them in preparing to go, God has shown more of Himself and His character not only to me, but to my family. The last words my parents and my big brother said to me before I left was, "I'm so proud." With tears welled up in my eyes, I walked through the security check-in waving my final goody-byes. 

It is not that they are proud of me that makes me happy; for there is nothing of me to boast about. But those words prove their softened hearts, which God so faithfully answered through the power of prayer. He replaced their fear with trust, their confusion with confirmation, and their doubt with excitement. He turned their anger into love and their hesitation to support. 

"Proud." There couldn't be another word more confirming of His faithfulness.