"'He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?' declares the Lord." Last night I read those words in Jeremiah 22:16 and today we met people who know what it means to know the Lord and I'd say that it is going very well with them! Where did we meet them? At PopUp. This unusual acronym stands for "People Upliftment Process", an incredible ministry that our team had the opportunity to visit today. Through skills training classes in a wide variety of areas including sewing, home-based care, business, computer skills, and many others people from around the city of Pretoria and beyond are empowered to change the course of their lives and not only on the outside, but the inside too!
A team of dedicated staff, these people who truly know the Lord, speak to their learners about God's purpose in their life. Despite the many difficulties that the learners have faced, the challenges that they encounter, they begin to see that God created them in His image for His glory and that He has given them specific talents and abilities to use as a means of providing for themselves and their families, but also to reach out and bless others. Several of the learners stood up and shared their testimonies. The joy in their hearts was evident on their faces and in their voices. As they sang us a chorus about there being no one like Jesus, their harmonious voices moved our team to tears. One gift that God has given our brothers and sisters of African heritage is definitely song!
In addition to skills training PopUp also includes a medical, dental, and eye clinic, plus a kids day-program called PopMed, PopDent, PopEye, and PopKids respectively. We spent the afternoon with the kids. It was amazing how they readily accepted us as their friends as we sang songs, told stories, blew bubbles, did a craft, and played games. We reminded them that they are "children of the King," the King who defends the cause of the poor and the needy. He's their dad. He cares for them. Several dedicated African women are His hands and feet to these children. Day in and day out they minister to them. It was such a joy to interact with these mommas. Mostly they spoke English for our benefit, but as I heard them speak to each other in their own languages, I realized every now and then some of what they said seemed to make sense. There are similiarities between some of the languages here and Swahili, which I speak. It was fun to try and speak to each other in these African languages when we discovered that we could sort of understand each other.
Last night we spent the evening with an entirely different group of people who know what it means to know the Lord--the youth workers of Doxa Deo Church. They serve in the youth ministry at Doxa Deo's North Campus not only during the weekly meetings, but many of them serve throughout the week at various public schools around the city. There is an open door in many schools for Christian youth workers to have a presence on school campuses. These youth workers counsel students, organize evangelistic events, and develop relationships with the kids. It's a pretty amazing thing that they have going on over here and the youth workers are so dedicated, putting in long hours at the schools and church. Please pray with us for them, that God would continue to establish them as his "planting for the display of his splendor." Pray that they would bear fruit, that a forest would begin to grow. We had the opportunity to pray over them last night. Please join with us in lifting up their requests for wisdom, unity, and purity among them.
Through our time here in South Africa we are learning more and more what it is to know the Lord. What an incredible opportunity it is to fellowship, share, and learn with other parts of His body.
What would you say it means to know Him? Please comment :)
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Buy a Donkey! (Baie Dankie!)
"Buy a Donkey!" It's an important phrase in South Africa, but probably not for the reasons you might think. No, it doesn't literally mean to buy a donkey (which could come in handy in some parts of Africa), it just sounds like that and it's the easiest way to remember how to say "Thank you very much" in Afrikaans. Afrikaans is the language spoken by the white South Africans who are not of English decent. Most Afrikaner people come from Dutch, German, French, and Italian background.
About three and half days ago I boarded a plane with my friend Carli. Thirty-six hours later after a night in a hotel, three different planes, numerous movies, and the quickest layover on record in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, we touched down in Johannesburg, South Africa. It's a different kind of Africa than I have experienced before. It's cold, so far we've met more vanilla faces than chocolate ones, and I don't think we've hit a pothole yet. At the same time, it is evident that God is at work here too. We have been hosted by some amazing people who worship God through their work with the least of these, who love their rugby, and are always up for a braai (barbeque).
It's been a little bit strange and surreal to finally be walking around in a country that I've wanted to visit for quite some time. I am thankful for this opportunity to see how God is working in anther part of the world and to form new friendships. A few nights ago we attended a worship service on the top of a small moutain overlooking the city of Pretoria. As we joined with young adults from this part of the world, I sensed that the cry of our generation is the same--God we want more of you! We want you to come in power to heal the brokenness of our land, to be glorified, to be known. And we all know that we are part of the answers to our own prayers. We must be the generation that pushes through, that takes God at His word, that does not give up or back down, but claims back the territory that the enemy has taken.
Today as we toured a museum that highlighted the history of the Afrikaner people in South Africa, many of us were struck by the fact that our countries' histories have similarities. We're only beginning to comprehend the cultures in South Africa, but at least we have more insight into the heritage and experiences that have influenced and shaped our hosts.
I am truly thankful to God for giving me and the rest of our team of nine the opportunity to come here and we are thankful to our new friends for their hospitality. Please pray for us, that we would be a light, full of peace and grace, and bring hope, healing, and refreshment to all we meet. Dankie!
About three and half days ago I boarded a plane with my friend Carli. Thirty-six hours later after a night in a hotel, three different planes, numerous movies, and the quickest layover on record in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, we touched down in Johannesburg, South Africa. It's a different kind of Africa than I have experienced before. It's cold, so far we've met more vanilla faces than chocolate ones, and I don't think we've hit a pothole yet. At the same time, it is evident that God is at work here too. We have been hosted by some amazing people who worship God through their work with the least of these, who love their rugby, and are always up for a braai (barbeque).
It's been a little bit strange and surreal to finally be walking around in a country that I've wanted to visit for quite some time. I am thankful for this opportunity to see how God is working in anther part of the world and to form new friendships. A few nights ago we attended a worship service on the top of a small moutain overlooking the city of Pretoria. As we joined with young adults from this part of the world, I sensed that the cry of our generation is the same--God we want more of you! We want you to come in power to heal the brokenness of our land, to be glorified, to be known. And we all know that we are part of the answers to our own prayers. We must be the generation that pushes through, that takes God at His word, that does not give up or back down, but claims back the territory that the enemy has taken.
Today as we toured a museum that highlighted the history of the Afrikaner people in South Africa, many of us were struck by the fact that our countries' histories have similarities. We're only beginning to comprehend the cultures in South Africa, but at least we have more insight into the heritage and experiences that have influenced and shaped our hosts.
I am truly thankful to God for giving me and the rest of our team of nine the opportunity to come here and we are thankful to our new friends for their hospitality. Please pray for us, that we would be a light, full of peace and grace, and bring hope, healing, and refreshment to all we meet. Dankie!
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