Africa #7 ~ Double Blessing

While we were in Texas for training, we were assigned MIG's (ministry groups).  Each ministry group must have a MIG leader who is over 18 and at least one guy over the age of 16.  Only 5 guys had signed up to go to South Africa, so we had 5 ministry groups and the numbers worked out perfectly. 

In South Africa, we did VBS with kids in the squatter camps.  Impact Africa has a 5-day curriculum that we used, so each MIG did VBS one day of every week.  While in Texas, we had to learn the curriculum for our day.  My MIG was assigned Day 2, which is about sin and included a skit of the fall.  Naturally, Nazar, our one guy, was Adam.  We practiced and practiced and wondered if we were ever going to get it right and practiced and drank some water and practiced.  It took a lot of work and a lot of letting go, but it was... okay by the end of training. 

During training, we heard that Nazar and his sister Suza might not be able to go to South Africa with us.  They were still short on funding and, on top of that, they are originally from Russia and their visas hadn't arrived yet so they could go to South Africa.  Much prayer ensued and we contributed to their accounts.  Nazar, being the sweet big brother he is, gave all his money to Suza so she could go. 

It didn't seem to be enough, though.  When we got on the bus and left campus for the airport, Nazar and Suza didn't come with us.  Reality didn't really hit until our first full day in South Africa - training for ministry.  The MIG's were all supposed to practice their VBS day.  Our MIG got together and we realized there was nothing we could do.  We had lost our Adam, we needed some serious help, and we didn't understand why God let that happen.  Our MIG couldn't even go anywhere without a guy over the age of 16.  So, we circled up to pray and as soon as "Jesus!" had escaped our lips, Brennen (our Project Director) said, "Meet your new MIG member!"

Eyes fly open, minds churn, smiles burst out.  "This is Adino." 

Adino lives in South Africa.  His sister is best friends with the daughter of the founder of Impact Africa.  You can imagine how glad we were to see him. 

We got back to work and figured out how we were going to do our curriculum now that we had another Adam.  And it went really well.  And the kids loved it.  And it was easier than we thought.  And it wasn't nearly as scary as we thought.  And kids came to know Christ. 

But that's not the end.

Nazar and Suza made it to South Africa!  A few days after we got there, but they made it.  God had a better plan all along and it included stretching our faith.  We were devastated when Nazar was taken from us, but then God sent us Adino and gave back Nazar after that.  They were our double blessing.

       
Before Nazar and Suza made it to South Africa

Front: Me, Lacy
Back: Mikaela, Bones (our translator, actually Bonghani), Ellie, Jannell, and Adino

The whole team :)

Front: Me, Ellie, Adino, Jannell, Mikaela, Lacy
Back: Nazar, Bones


I know half of us are wearing the same clothes in both pictures, but they really were completely different days haha :)

Africa #6 ~ Lesogo

The post in which I finally tell an actual ministry story. 

If you've asked me about Africa, I have most likely told you this story.  People often ask about my favorite moment or the most amazing thing that happened while I was in Africa.  I have so much trouble picking a favorite anything and stories from my time in Africa are no exception.  However, this is the story that usually comes out because it is so very close to my heart.  This is not the story of a woman being healed of AIDS or a blind man seeing or of a sangoma being used for God's glory, although those are incredible stories of God's love and power, which should be told.  It is a story beautiful in its simplicity.  A quiet, unobtrusive story easily overlooked though full of God's workings. 

That day, Team VESSELS was ministering in Kya Sand.  My MIG (ministry group) had noticed that, when we encountered women who attend church, they often said took their children to church, but their husbands wouldn't go.  You see, heavy drinking and gambling is rampant in these squatter camps and many men there think they have to fix themselves before they can go to church.  Because the men don't think they belong at church, there is a widely accepted sentiment that "church is for women".  During ministry, my MIG encountered many women, but the men were often out drinking, gambling, doing piece jobs (odd jobs), or looking for work.

Before leaving the creche (preschool, run by Impact Africa) for ministry, my MIG decided to pray that God would lead us to men to minister to that day and that he would raise up men in Kya Sand to be spiritual leaders.  Then we left and walked through the camp, across the river, and up to the other side of Kya Sand, where we were doing ministry that day.

Surprise!  There were No. Women.  There were large groups of men everywhere.  Before we knew it, the two guys in our group and our translator were sitting with and talking to a big group of these men.  GE has a lot of rules about girls approaching men for safety reasons, so we couldn't really talk to anyone.  But then two women showed up a few feet away, so we sat down and began to talk to them, but they both got up and walked away without saying much.  As they were leaving, six or seven children appeared and we decided to do an impromptu VBS.  (This happened with several MIG's while on hut-to-hut ministry - telling the kids a Bible story, presenting the Gospel, playing games, and singing songs wherever a group of children happened to be, whether it was at a soccer pitch, behind a group of shacks, on the side of the road.)  Several children decided to follow Jesus, which was very exciting.  After the VBS, we decided to pray for the community of Kya Sand and the kids followed and stood with us as we prayed in the street.  When we looked up, there was a man walking toward us.  One man.  We were allowed to talk to one man, just not groups of men.  Most of my MIG was on the side of the circle closest to the man and they began to talk to him.  I was mostly surrounded by the kids. 

As I listened to the conversation unfold, one of the girls who had accepted Christ walked up to me and asked to borrow my Bible.  I gave it to her and she started flipping through it, saying, "John... John... John...".  I helped her find the book of John and asked, "What chapter?"  She said, "14.  John 14:6".  As I opened to John 14:6, she quoted it to me.  "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me."  When we got there, we read it together and she said, "I don't understand.  Will you explain it to me?"  Of course I would explain it to her!  When I was done, her face lit up and she said, "I get it!".  She then offered another reference, which was a parable involving money.  We read it together and she again asked me to explain what it meant.  As we were finishing our conversation about the parable, my MIG was ready to move and the girl, Lesogo, held my hand and walked with me as I continued to explain.  She stayed with me the whole ministry day - walking between shacks, sitting in the road - as we read portions of the Bible and talked about what they meant. 

Lesogo is a beautiful 11-year-old girl.  Her mother takes her to church every Sunday, but, like most churches in the squatter camps, it is full of false doctrine.  The leaders of the church Lesogo went to teach ancestor worship and that there are many ways to be saved, among other false teachings, and only read passages from the Bible that involve money.  The whole point of the church seemed to be to make the leaders rich.  I took Lesogo through many different parts of the Bible, addressing these topics and emphasizing most of all that Jesus is the only way.  I also found out Lesogo had never heard of heaven - had no idea there was something after death.  (This was common among the people we met in the squatter camps.  Even people who had gone to church their whole lives didn't know about heaven.)  Her face lit up every time I explained something to her and, at the end, she said, "I get it!  Jesus is the only way!  I'm going to tell my parents, my family, and all my friends that Jesus is the only way because I want them to come to heaven with me, too!".      

I may never see Lesogo again on this earth, but I pray for her daily and I know my God is faithful and I trust that He will finish the work He has begun in Lesogo's life.    


   Sadly, I didn't have my camera that day, but here is a picture of my fantastic MIG :)

 
    Me, Ellie, Adino, Nazar, Jannell, Mikaela, Bones (our translator, actually Bonghani), and Lacy

Africa #5 ~ Morning in South Africa

An alarm goes off at 6:30.  Brittany jumps out of bed, turns on the light, and does cartwheels up and down the long space between our bunks while singing, "Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory..." Lauren sits up a few minutes later and says, "Good morning, everyone!  The King is enthralled with your beauty!"  Mikaela shakes Lacy and tries to get her to wake up.  There are a few squeals as bare feet hit the cold floor.  Hairbrushes, toothpaste, socks, Bibles, coats.  At 6:50, Gwen and I walk out the door early to run across the field and back before sitting on the cold, hard ground.  A little before 7, the others follow and everyone finds a place to have their quiet time for an hour.  The red sun rises over the hills in the distance.  Some walk through the field, some sit quietly, some dance.   The air puffs out of our mouths in little clouds of steam.  At 7:50, we walk to another building and stand outside, waiting for everyone to arrive.  We say the Declaration of a World-Changer, pray, and, at 8:00, we walk through the sliding glass door single file with hats off, saying good morning and thanking the ladies for breakfast.  We sit down and eat our porridge, oatmeal, or eggs with our daily toast covered in butter and apricot jam.  Each table asks Gurt for more toast and, when we thank him, he says "Pleasure!" in his South African accent.  When breakfast is done, we return to our dorm to grab everything we need for the day.  Water bottles, pens, Bibles, Gospels of John, cameras, hand sanitizer.  At 9:00, we board the bus and head out to Diepsloot, Kya Sand, or Msawawa.  This is morning in South Africa. 

Africa #4 ~ Vessels (South Africa Team)

Twenty-nine teens and young adults showed up in Texas on June 11th (later joined by two more in South Africa).  Most were strangers - only a few of them knew other members of the group.They were from different states, different families, and different walks of life.  Each one came with their own past, insecurities, and expectations.  Why were they together in Texas anyway?  Well, they had a few things in common.  They are all people who have been redeemed, rescued by a holy God.  They all love Jesus and want His name to be made great among the nations. 

The purpose: To bring God glory.

The task: To take the Gospel to those who had never heard in the squatter camps of South Africa.

This is one reason I looked for a missions organization to go with rather than going on a trip with my youth group.  Strangers from across the United States coming together, united in Christ with one faith, one love, one mission is such an amazing image of the body of Christ.  It doesn't matter that some of us were pastors' kids and others' parents don't believe, that some have done drugs and others live in sheltered families, that some live in North Carolina and others are from Alaska.  Each of our stories, personalities, and abilities are a part of the body.  Jesus died for us all and each testimony carries truth and power.

From the very beginning, I asked for prayer that my team would be united and love, trust, and respect each other.  That prayer was answered to a greater degree than I ever hoped.  We came as strangers, but we left a family.  It was obvious that God hand-chose each person on our team.  Of course that would have been true even if we had a horrible experience, but this was incredible.  Looking around, we could tell that each person is called into ministry.  Each person is going to go out and do crazy things for God.

God gave us the grace to be transparent and open with each other.  It didn't happen right away, but when it did, it flung open doors.  Because we knew each others' strengths, sins, fears, desires, etc. we got to see God work in each others' lives.  We were able to encourage one another, hold each other accountable, rejoice in victories, and cry when our hearts were overwhelmed.  Best of all, we got to intercede for one another at the throne.  I can't count the number of times one of us nudged another because God used someone to speak to them.  It was our silent way of saying, "Did you hear that?  We talked about that!  God just spoke to you!  That's so cool!"  The value of being transparent was a big lesson I learned in South Africa.  As James 5:16 says, confessing your sins to one another and praying for each other brings healing.  Sharing your heart brings freedom.  Sin, shame, and hurt fester and grow in the darkness, but they can be healed when brought into the light. 

Now we are apart as we were before.  I miss the intimacy - being constantly surrounded by sisters and brothers who know my heart.  I miss the way Mikaela knows when I need to cry by my voice.  I miss the way Brennen knows how my day is going by the way I walk.  I miss Taylor counting the minutes until lights out for us and Brittany singing "Rise and Shine" while doing cartwheels through the room in the morning.  I miss our songs and raps and serving our glorious God side by side.  It's different now, but that's okay.  We are far apart, but that's another cool thing about being the body of Christ.  Christ is everywhere.  We can still pray for each other.  With modern technology, we can talk to each other any day on the phone or on facebook.  I love that.  

Our team name was Vessels, based on 2 Corinthians 4:7.  Together, we learned to be vessels - to let God work through us, understand that God uses broken vessels, and know that God is glorified by showing Himself strong in our weakness.  We sought each day to be filled by God and to pour out on others.          

Together we stand and say, "My life for the Gospel".  And our Father continues to guide us, work in and through us, and reveal to us what living for the Gospel really means. 

 

V.E.S.S.E.L.S - Very Empowered Souls Sharing Earth's Loving Savior

 

 

   

Africa #3 - kcohS erutluC

kcohs erutluc.  That's not how you say hello in Zulu, just reverse culture shock.  One of the questions I get a lot is about culture shock - what Zambian and South African culture is like and what it's like being back in America.

I didn't experience much culture shock going to Africa.  There were all the same differences, but they didn't really stick out to me. Coming back, I noticed, but it wasn't so bad I wanted to hide under my covers for the next year. As soon as my team got to US customs, we couldn't look anywhere without seeing something that wasn't normal anymore. We were harshly reintroduced to the "me first" mentality by a customs official who yelled at us to get in the shortest line. "We're Americans! This is what we do!"  I wish I could say I went out of my way to show that woman love, to tell her about Jesus, but I didn't.  America is a mission field, though.  That's for sure.

This is a list of differences that caught my attention after being in Africa for two months. Some relate to South Africa, some Zambia, and some to my team's general culture and GE rules. Some are heavy, some make me laugh. Many are only skin deep, but some reach to the heart.

- In America, it's not normal to greet everyone you pass.
- Bursting into song is not socially acceptable, let alone a regular part of life.
- The water is safe. I questioned the condition of the water in every faucet for a week after being back in the US. In South Africa, most running water was safe but, in Zambia, the water is full of parasites.
- Americans don't smile nearly as much as the people in South African squatter camps.
- American chip flavors taste like they're supposed to. They have the same flavors in South Africa, but they taste different, as does pretty much everything else that we also have in the US.
- Chocolate sauce tastes like chocolate and is brown. South African chocolate sauce is red and doesn't taste like chocolate.
- Every restaurant has ketchup (which they don't call tomato sauce) and none have peri peri.
- There is an abundance of free internet and no Internet cafes.
- The prices look low. 5,000 Zambian kwatcha  = 1 US dollar
- Prices are actually very high, comparatively.
- People think you're weird if you start conversations with random strangers.
- The highways are free of speed bumps.
- The police don't set up checkpoints in the middle of the highway or pull you over to check your first aid kit.
- I can communicate clearly without a translator. Most of the time.
- Drivers use their brakes. In Zambia: Why use the brakes when you can just accelerate and go around the car you're about to hit?
- No one builds their own house out of scrap metal or mud, sticks, and grass.
- My bedroom is bigger than the average shack in a South Africa squatter camp or hut in the Zambian bush.
- Pop cans are lighter. South African cans are made of a different metal and significantly heavier on the bottom, so you think there's more pop, but it's really just the can messing with your mind.
- It is NOT okay to walk away with a stranger's children.
- Gambling is perfectly legal.
- You don't get proposed to on a regular basis because you're white.
- The worship team at church doesn't lead dancing as well as singing.
- Conga lines during worship are not a regular occurance, to say the least.
- Whoever is preaching or helping to lead a service knows it before said service commences.
- Credit cards. 'nuff said.
- Americans have many goals and desires, but not many Americans spend their whole day, every day just trying to find enough food.
- The accessibility and ease of obtaining water. I don't know anyone who walks to a well, draws water, and carries a full, 5-gallon bucket of water back home.
- I can go places by myself.
- No one I've met in Washington uses "y'all" on a regular basis.
- I'm not constantly surrounded by 19 sisters, all with different accents, but the same fiery passion for Jesus.
- American children don't point, shout "mulungu" ("white person" in Zulu), and run after me, nor do children grab my hand and walk with me wherever I'm going. I so miss that.
- Time zones. 5 hours, one country. Not including Hawaii.
- I'm allowed, even expected, to do my own dishes.
- Dishwashers, washing machines, and dryers. No need for bars of laundry soap.
- Showers with consistent pressure and temperature.
- Mainstream media and secular influence. Violence, sex, drugs, materialism, idolatry, repeat. It makes me feel sick.
- Most children I see have two living parents.
- Carpeting, wood, etc. instead of dirt or cement floors.
- Options. There is so much to eat, do, or buy, and every choice leads to five more necessary decisions.
- The majority of the population showers every day.  At first it was weird and I would find myself thinking, I'm not covered in dirt!  Why would I take a shower?
- No one understands when I say "unkulunku uyakuthanda", "mulungu ndi wabwino", or "takwaba uwaba nga Yesu". (That's "God loves you" in Zulu, "God is good" in Nyanja, and "there's no one like Jesus" in Bemba.) 

There are a lot more, but I think that's enough.  With all that being said, it is good to be back because I know God has a purpose for me here for the time being and, of course, I get to spend time with all of you! 

I am excited to tell many of you about my experiences in Africa, tonight.  For those of you who can't make it, I'll be posting the video I made either tonight or tomorrow morning and we are going to try to record tonight's sharing time. 

You are still absolutely welcome to leave a question in the comments!

Drawing water from a well for a woman during hut-to-hut ministry in Zambia.

Africa #2 ~ Ready for Takeoff

I promised to blog all about Africa when I got home but, despite my best intentions, that endeavor failed even to clear preflight diagnostics (like our plane from DC to Johannesburg).  This is how quite a few conversations went soon after I found myself back in our little corner of the US:

Enthusiastic, completely innocent, genuinely interested friend - "How was Africa???"
Me [with astounding eloquence of course] - ... *stares back with open mouth*

First of all, I am so sorry if you were one of the people who have firsthand experience with that conversation.  It's not that there isn't anything to say - quite the opposite!  The problem is, when I consider an open-ended question like "How was Africa?", two months of experiences, thoughts, changes, and emotions try to cram into one coherent idea and... well... they don't fit.

This is my first update after 26 days of being home for the very same reason.  Where to start?  How do I describe two months of God-moments that all worked together to change my life?  Every detail rushes in, the stream too rapid for articulation.  Like our plane to South Africa, my blog updating was grounded because the back-up brakes were not functioning.  If I took off, I ran the risk of being unable to slow my thoughts and would quite possibly crash and burn.  I am daunted by the prospect of attempting to explain supernatural events in human words.  There will indefinitely be an overuse of fairly non-descriptive words such as "awesome", "amazing", and "cool", but I promise to do my best and hope you can manage to bear with me.  After sitting on the plane for at least an hour, it suddenly occurred to us that our God cannot be deterred by a brake malfunction and we prayed that God would fix those back-up brakes, choosing to trust that He had the power and He would do it.  The pilot had been updating us periodically on the situation and it was clear no one knew what was wrong with the back-up brakes.  After we prayed, the pilot came back on the intercom and said, "I'm not sure what happened but, for some reason, the back-up brakes are now working!  Let's go to South Africa!"  I am choosing to trust that my God, who gave me words of Truth and Life to speak to His lost sheep in South Africa and Zambia, will give me the words to speak to you of His glorious works. 

Ready for takeoff. 

 

Our plane to Jo'burg before boarding in D.C.

 

Waiting for the back-up brakes to work so we can take off.

From left: Heidi, me, Elizabeth, Olivia, Mikaela

 

Note: I'm going to start by addressing frequently asked questions.  If you have a question about my time in Africa, drop me a line in the comments and I will gladly answer it to the best of my ability in a blog post. 

Africa #1

In case you haven't heard, I'm going on a mission trip to South Africa and Zambia this summer!  We are in single digits, my friends!  Only 9 days left!  There is a new page called "Africa" that has some information on the trip (including my itinerary and flights) and how this all got started.  There are some helpful links at the bottom of the page.  You can get there by clicking on the tab at the top of this page.  I am so excited!  It's been sneaking up on me!  My last day of school is Friday, June 8th and I leave on Monday, June 11th.  It will be like any other Monday except, instead of going to school, I'll be boarding a flight to Dallas.  Crazy!
There is so much to do!  I'm shocked that I don't have my suitcase out yet.  There's still some shopping and wrapping up financial matters to do.  I have so many thank you notes to write!  I love that there are so many to write because it is a constant reminder of all the love and support all of you have poured out and God's provision.  From day one, I have been reminding myself that when God calls us, He will send us - He will provide all that is necessary to fulfill the calling.  Otherwise, why would He call?  He has shown Himself faithful time and again from the day I said "Yes, Lord" to today.  My parents said yes, He is providing all the money I need to go, surrounding me with people to encourage and celebrate with me, overcoming every obstacle.  $5,337 is a lot of money, but today, I am only about $100 from being fully funded.  Thanks be to God!  In addition to all the preparations for the trip, I'm working on finishing up my junior year of high school.  June 6: AP Calculus test, French written final, French Q&A final; June 7: Spring Choir Concert; June 8: AP US History project due, AP Language and Composition project due, Physics test, Physics final.  Fun stuff!  And the SAT is tomorrow!  I almost forgot.  It will all get done by the grace of God.   

So I know I'm leaving in 9 days, but I still feel oblivious.  I don't think the reality will hit me until I'm at least through SEA-TAC security... maybe not until I walk out of the airport in Johannesburg. 

There are so many things to look forward to, along with all the things I will miss.  I will miss my family, my kitty, my friends, and the people here who walk with my heart.  The 4th of July, family trips to Orcas Island, summer youth group.  I am so excited to have my birthday in Zambia!!! Best birthday ever!  I'll be surrounded by beautiful children that I will have the privilege of loving. 

I can't wait to meet my team!  We have been able to talk on facebook and skype to begin to get to know one another.  It has been such a blessing to be able to encourage and pray for one another, laugh and cry together (that sounds so cheesy, but it's true).

You can send me a message while I'm in Africa!  Click here to get to the page.  The link is also on the Africa page of this blog.  I will be updating this blog as much as possible while I am away, but it's not certain how often we will have internet access.  Our leaders will also be updating our facebook trip page with stories and pictures, so make sure you like it!  And.... one more :) I made my mom an administrator of the facebook group I created for the trip and she will be posting updates when she hears from me.  You are more than welcome to join!  Don't be shy! 

My brain is all over the place and I can't think of everything else I was going to say, so I'm going to stop rambling and do some homework.  I would love to answer any questions you may have, though!  Leave a comment, send me an email, text, facebook message, randomly show up at my house... :) Really, though, I love questions! 

Thank you so much for all the encouragement, support, and prayer!  It's amazing to have so many people invest in the work God has called me to this summer!