planting, watering, and watching seeds grow

Last year, a summer team came to share the gospel with students on the UKZN campus. Through the Lord's sovereign plan, one of the girls that summer was led to share the love of Christ with a first year student named Slie. After several conversations and a growing relationship with her, Slie began to question her relationship with God for the very first time. She was invited to the summer camp at the end of the semester, similar to the one we had this past month. As she learned more about what it meant to be a follower of Christ, it wasn't long after that Slie dedicated her life to the LORD.

Five months ago, Ryan, Amanda and I came to Durban to continue and grow the ministry that was reignited last year. I met Slie one of the first days I set foot on campus and have been discipling her ever since. Last month, as I mentioned in the previous post, we held a camp for the students at the end of their semester. The camp was designed for new believers, those interested in being involved in our movement, and the students already involved. The camp was staff-coached and student-led to empower our student leaders to step up in the movement which we hope to be self-sustaining in the near future. The week before the camp, I helped give Slie direction to write a talk that she would give to the students during the camp. The first night of camp, Slie stood up and spoke about the power of God in her life. Students were deeply moved and encouraged to see a fellow student share about the transformation the Lord has done in her life.

I sat there in the audience watching her speak and felt deeply grateful for the Lord's sovereignty in this girl's life, as well as mine. A year ago, she didn't know Christ. But she attended the same camp last year because a young woman cared for the salvation of her soul and was faithful to plant the first seed. This year, God privileged me to water her seed and now, she is standing before a crowd of students proclaiming the truth of the gospel. Truly, the work of our Lord is magnificent and it is the greatest honor and privilege to be used as an instrument for His glory as He grows the seeds which He allows us to sow and water.

1 Corinthians 3:6-7 says "I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It's not important who does the planting or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow." The girl who did the planting, nor I who did the watering are not important. But my concern is not whether or not I'm important. Joy comes from the simple fact that God used me for His Kingdom! He used me for that which truly is important, which is the growth of Slie's spiritual life. And for that, I am eternally grateful.

When old is made new

My roommate vacuumed our flat the other day and as she proudly told me about the work she did, I couldn't help but to laugh at how excited she was. "Look at how good these lines look! Perfectly straight, parallel to one another..aren't you impressed??!" She was referring to the lines in the carpet. You know, the lines that the vacuum makes as you push it back and forth on the floor? Her over the top enthusiasm made me laugh, but I can't blame the girl for being excited about the transformation that vacuum lines made in our living room; prior to the cleaning she did, it looked awful! And anyway, aren't we all like that? Whether big or small, don't we all love seeing old things made new? A dirty carpet given clean vacuum lines, a cluttered desk re-organized, extreme makeovers, hurtful relationships reconciled, bad habits broken into a new lifestyle...the list can go on. But I think the reason why we love it so much is because transformation is a glimpse of the Gospel. God is constantly at work, transforming this world and the broken people in it, into what He originally intended it to be. This last month, God opened my eyes to see the beauty of the Gospel through the transformation of all things made new.

At the Ukukanya Life Care Center, we started the physical labor in reconstructing this abandoned building. I have never done such strenuous, intense, manual work before. Just to give you a visual of what the labor was actually like, you need to first understand that the materials we have available to us in the township are extremely limited. So unlike the hit TV series "Extreme Makeover Home Edition," where they have power washers, power tools, and fancy equipment..we make use of whatever is in front of us. We started on the tin roof where every inch was covered in rust. With 10 people, 20 hands, and a sheet of sand paper, we climbed on the roof and started to sand the rust with our bare hands. After two full days of sanding, we were ready to wash. We filled an old bucket of flour with dishwashing soap and water, and with three deteriorating mops we scrubbed the rooftop one panel at a time. If a mop handle broke, we attached a tree brach to the end and continued working. After mopping, we hosed the dirt away, but because water is so limited in the township we had to pray for the hose to even trickle water every afternoon. After mopping the center of each panel, there was still work to be done on the sides of each panel. So again, with 10 people, 20 hands, and 20 kitchen sponges, we used dish soap and mini square sponges to scrub the side panels of the roof until it was clean enough to paint on. Once the washing was complete, we were ready for primer and paint! It took us a full week to complete the entire roof. I remember as we were working on the last roof (there were three total), I stood with the hose in my hand, waiting for the water to start working again. Since it took quite a while, I decided to take a rest and lay on one of the roof panels. As I lay there with the African sun beaming on my face, my muscles ached, my back was sore, and my body felt weak. I was tired and exhausted, but as I lay on that tin roof looking up at the Africa sky and watching the clouds move with the wind, I felt the presence of the Lord surround me. What are you doing, my child? I felt Him ask. Why does God always ask us such simple questions? I never understand, but it's always the simple questions of the Lord that bring the most conviction. Well.. I thought to myself, I'm cleaning a roof. Of course God wanted me to see a lot more than that, so I closed my eyes for a moment and tried to listen to His voice. What was I doing? What did He want me to see? 

As I shut my eyes, I heard not the voice of my Father, but the voices of beautiful, innocent children playing in the field below me. I heard little boys and little girls, most of whom are orphans or soon to be orphaned by parents dying of AIDS. 

I heard the laughter of Zulu women and their powerful voices as they sang. I heard the suffering of countless gogo's (grandmothers) who hide behind their own strength as they care for their dying grandchildren. I heard a community crying for hope. I heard a nation pleading for God's intercession. And my heart was broken. You see, you are not just cleaning a roof. You are doing in small what I do in large, everyday. You are bringing transformation. This building once was new. It was built beautifully and with a purpose. But after time it was abandoned. It faced many storms and began to rust. The lack of care for this building shows in its cracked walls, broken windows, and trashed rooms. The people in this world are no different. The people who you are preparing these rooms for are no different. I have created each one beautifully and with a purpose, but they too have faced storms and suffering. But I have come to smooth away the rust. I have come to clean every inch of their hearts. I have come restore what was broken, heal what's been hurt, purify what's been defiled. I have come to restore, renew and redeem. 

As I sat on that tin roof in the African township of Inanda, I felt humbled by the privilege the Lord has given me to be used by Him to bring physical and spiritual transformation in this place. I stood up and looked out at the view in front of me, and saw God's power to bring renewal upon a broken and desolate land.

Also this month, we've had the opportunity to organize campus outreaches and share the gospel with crowds of students who were eager to listen at the University of Kwazulu-Natal. Within two weeks, nearly hundreds of students were reached with the gospel. Twenty-five students received Christ into their lives for the very first time and are being followed-up to grow in their spiritual walks as a new disciple. At the end of the school semester, we held a camp for all the students who were interested in joining our movement. Fifty attended. If you can remember the prayer letter I sent in early March, our Campus Crusade movement started with a faithful five. In a matter of three months, God has multiplied that number by ten through your faithful prayers, our obedience to labor, and the mighty work of His Spirit. Praise Him for using us together for the glory of His name and the expansion of His Kingdom! Though there are countless stories of the transformation He's done in the lives of these students, I want to share one that touched my heart deeply; the story of Rose. 

Rose is a first year student at UKZN. She lives with her brother and sister who treat with little respect. Rejected by her family and often pressured by her parents, she entered her freshman year with little hope for herself and her future. After school, she used to walk home and think about killing herself.  "I had nothing to live for..there was no purpose in my life," she explained. 

Rose had heard the gospel multiple times before, and the love that Christ had for her. But whenever God's name was mentioned, she ran away with an odd sense of fear that stirred within her. Just before the camp, Rose heard the gospel one more time. However, her heart was softened to the story of God's pursuit after her, and that day, she dedicated her life to the Lord.  "I've never felt so alive! It's like...this amazing feeling, I can't describe it! I just feel like a new person!" Seeing the joy of Rose in the way she smiles, in the way she speaks, and in the way she lives..you would never be able to tell that she once wanted to end her life. 

One thing I love about the work of God is that He not only moves on a grand scale among the nations and upon this earth, but He is deeply concerned about the individual lives and hearts of His people. In His grace, He brings transformation throughout the world. But more than anything, He is in the process of transforming each child of His into the glorious image of Himself. As I pray for the people of Africa and this nation as a whole, I pray that God will continue to transform my life with each breath I take. I'm seeing more and more that when our minds are transformed, our priorities change and we begin to see the world as God sees it. By God's grace, we should not remain as we are. But we should be clothed with compassion, abundant love, and joy in doing what is right before God. And so I pray, God, in your grace, transform the world. But begin with me, so that I can become an instrument for the transformation for which we pray. 

Spreading the Gospel

At the beginning of May, we had a group of 18 Americans come to be a part of the ministry here in South Africa with us. They stayed to partner with us at Ukukanya and on the UKZN campus for 6 weeks. It was such a blessing to have them here and to have extra hands reaching out, numerous lips to preach the Word, and more bodies to stand out on campus and make a difference in the lives of students. Being one of only three staff in Durban can often feel limiting to all that we want to do. Three people trying to reach out to thousands sometimes feels impossible. But God is good. And praise HIM for sending more workers into his fields! With the summer project, we were able to accomplish so much and spread the gospel to hundreds of students through multiple outreaches during the week. Here are some of the things we did:

Mental Toughness:

The majority of our students involved with Campus Crusade at UKZN are Sports Science majors. With their eagerness to share the gospel with their fellow classmates and faculty, we encouraged the idea and planned a Sports Science outreach. Amanda, my roommate, spoke in the gym on campus about "Mental Toughness." She used to be a black belt Tae Kwon Do instructor and shared a piece of her testimony with the sports science students about being tough in sports. It was amazing to see the students' eyes fixed on her and relating to her story in so many ways. "Yes, we need to be tough!" You could see the attitude in their faces as they proudly puffed their chests. But as Amanda carried on in her talk, she gradually began to reveal her understanding of her utter weakness. She explained to the students that her strength lasted her so long until she recognized the source of her strength came from the LORD. To be strong..to be tough..is ultimately to recognize your weakness and let God take control of your life. Students faces went from total self confidence to a deep understanding of being humbled. Amanda continued in her talk and began to share the gospel with these students and how the LORD completely changed her life. Afterwards, students stayed around eagerly waiting to discuss what they had heard. Some prayed to receive Christ, some re-dedicated their lives to Him, and some wanted to hold onto what they had heard and explore their spiritual lives for the very first time. Praise God.

Soularium Freeze Frame:

If you remember a while back, I explained an evangelistic tool called Soularium. To remind you, it is a set of 50 pictures that depict everyday life and emotions. As we show the pictures to the students we talk to, we ask questions to further our discussion and help them explore their spiritual life deeper. The questions are:

Which image describes your life right now..Why?

Which image do you WISH were a part of your life right now..Why?

Which image would you choose to describe God..Why?

Which image best describes what you've experienced spiritually..Why?

Which image best represents what you wish were true about your spiritual life or journey..Why?

When we use Soularium, we approach one, two, or three people and have a discussion with them in a more personal and private setting. It is extremely effective and allows us to really grow in our relationships with students on campus. SO, we decided to take the idea of Soularium and run with it on a much grander scale. What we did, was post all 50 pictures and the 5 questions onto poster board and displayed it in the main quad of the campus. Next to the posters, we set up a table with surveys to fill out answers to the five questions, information about campus crusade, and sign-ups to be a part of the movement. As students approached the poster of pictures in curiosity, they began to intently fill out the surveys. Staff and students in the movement stood around, available to those who had questions, those who wanted to discuss their answers further, and those who wanted to pray to receive Christ for the first time. In the middle of the quad, we acted out a few of the pictures to get the attention of others around us. 

One picture, is of a man with post-it notes all over his head. Anele, one of our student leaders, stood in the quad while his friend Sbu held the number of the corresponding picture next to him. One by one, students came up and yelled aloud different post-it notes and taped it to Anele's body. The post-it notes were things like "Failed exam," "Fight with parents," "Broke up with girlfriend," "Need scholarship money," etc. 

Another picture is of a guy dancing in the rain. One of the summer project students posed dancing with an umbrella while another held the number of the corresponding picture. As students passed by, they were drawn to our table and we were able to have hundreds of conversations with students about their spiritual life. It was such a success and an extremely fun way to evangelize with a little out-of-the-box thinking.

Think About It:

Every night at 8:00pm there is a South African reality TV show that is watched by every South African student, no matter who they are. When a student was first telling me about it, she said I was a complete alien for not knowing what she was talking about. In the Residence Halls, there is aTV room for students to watch movies, tv shows, relax, or just hang out. We decided to make most of the opportunity of having a large number of students in the TV room every night after the 8:00 show. So at 8:30, right after the show ended, we made an announcement for the students to stay and take part in watching a 10-12 minute Nooma Video. Nooma Videos are short videos made by Rob Bell, who is a pastor of a church in the States. He addresses many questions about faith and the Christian life. For three nights, we set up a big screen and played a different video for each night. The first video discussed sin in the world and in our lives. It talked about guilt and shame after doing something we know is wrong, but that there is a God who says there is nothing we could ever do to make Him love us less. The second video discussed suffering and the storms we face in life. It talked about walking through rainstorms and how sometimes we can't feel God is there, but He always is and promises to walk us through the storms in life. The third video discussed having a relationship with God and what it means to live in tune with the Creator of the Universe. After each video, we broke off into groups and led discussions with the students on a more personal level. It was amazing to see how willing they were to open up, how many questions they had about God, and how much the Lord allowed us to share the gospel through these videos. 

I really learned what it means to seize every opportunity to share the Good News with those around us. It really opens the doors for incredible ministry, and opens the hearts of so many souls.