Pre-Retreat

Tuesday and Wednesday was the retreat for the hospice staff. We went to a place called Camp Faraway, not to be mistaken with Far Far Away. The retreat team consisted of Patty, Creely, Melanie, Tom D., Tod, Leigh Ann, and us (Jennifer and Amber).

We arrived to the camp a little early so that we could set up only to find that we had been beaten to the camp by the hospice staff! We got to set up for the retreat and after we finished we got to play impromtu games with the girls. Little did we know how competitive and aggressive these ladies are when it comes to playing games. Even games like Duck Duck Goose even though they don't say Duck Duck Goose.

Let's paint you a picture:

Twenty of us sitting in a circle outside on a beautiful day with the mountains in the background and our mascot, "the wild rooster" running amuck. The goal of the game is that one person has a ball and is walking in a circle behind all of us and at any point will drop the ball behind any given person. At that point, once that person has realized that they have the ball they have to get up as fast as they can and chase the other person around the circle. Here comes the South African version of Duck Duck Goose: instead of just tagging the person with the ball, you now have the option to chuck the ball at them. This proved to be quite dangerous (who knew that we needed to wear helmets). Let's give you an example of where a helmet could come in handy. As one lady was chasing another, she realized that she could not tag her before she returned to her spot. So out of desperation to win, she chucks the ball across the circle almost decapitating Amber's head. I (Jennifer) was a witness to this event and found it quite hilarious. Eventually, Amber did too.

Another game - what we will call Human Tug o' War. Here's how this game works: Two women pick between two food items for example Christmas Cake and Chocolate Cake. When you get up to them, they will ask you which one would you pick. Amber obviously picked Chocolate Cake and I picked Christmas Cake because that's the only word I understood. And this continues on with each woman until each team is built. Keep in mind these teams could be uneven if everyone picked the same kind of cake. But fortunately, it seemed to be even. Moving on to the actual physical part, the catch is you don't use a rope. You simply hang on to the person in front of you. The first person of each line tries to pull the other group across the line. Here's a picture of the end result:

We also played other games that included seeing "Auntie" Creely dancing to the baboon song. Here's a picture of that memorable moment:

We will be getting back to you with how the actual retreat turned out. Here's a sneak peek: It was a success.

Today was a fun day!

Today was a very interesting day! I had the opportunity to go with Noeline and visit all of the sites where Brentwood was working. It was amazing to see how God was using everyone in such different ways! This trip has been wonderful even though it is my third time things are different. The country is as beautiful as I remember it and for the best two days it has been extremely windy but today was one of those perfect weather days. We are posting a video from a kids club some of us got to go to yesterday. It was so much fun just to go and love on kids. The key to this trip has been do not make plans because God is going to do what He wants but the cool thing is we get to be a part of it!

Enjoy the video.
Danielle Schneider

Ministering to Cape Town , far & wide

Today was the second day of work for our team. We are all involved at various Living Hope locales using our specific gifts and talents for the Lord. We have a small team of IT people working in Muizenburg at Radio CCFM (the only Christian radio station in Cape Town), another group is hosting a retreat tonight and tomorrow for the health care workers of the Living Hope Health Care Centre, one group is doing construction at Capri (and are working so fast by the way, that they are conveniently finding more projects for us to do!!), some have been helping over in the craft store, some are landscaping at Capricorn and Muizenberg, and who knows what other odd jobs will pop up along the way that they'll ask us to tackle (Brentwood Baptist has a reputation for being a skilled, hardworking team whenever we come, and so they give us all the hard jobs to do!). Needless to say, we are spread out around Cape Town working hard for the Lord, but enjoy the time we have together as a team at night. We have bonded with the team members from other churches and welcomed them into the Brentwood family.

God is working in so many ways over here, and the joy is contagious. I am trying to get more pictures posted on here so you can see for yourself, but in the meantime, keep on praying for us. The theme for our devotional last night was teamwork, taken primarly from Romans chapter 12- we are all given different gifts and are all parts of the same body. Alone we can accomplish nothing, but with each other, and through the Lord we can do great things!

A Day of Worship

Good morning, South Africa! We are here at the team house getting ready to start our first day of work. Yesterday was a full day though. We first went to Fish Hoek Baptist Church and worshipped with John Thomas' congregation. John preached on the meaning of true worship- how it's not just 20-30 minutes of singing songs on a Sunday morning, and we followed his sermon with an amazing time of worship that ended with the congregation singing all 4 verses of Holy, Holy, Holy a capella. It was a beautiful, and spirit-filled time. Following this service, we 30 piled back into the Combis (vans) and went to part of a church service at Masiphumelele baptist church. I say part, because they were going long before we got there and would continue to worship long after we left. At King of Kings John preached on the meaning of true worship- at Masi, we experienced it! Members of the congregation would spontaneously break out in song and everyone else would follow in strong 4-part harmony. Though we could not understand the words they spoke (their service is in Xhosa) we could not deny that the holy spirit was working in that place, we understood their praises were to the Lord Almighty.

The rest of the afternoon was spent marveling at God's creation at Cape Point (too windy for Table Mountain). Every scene out our windows was something like you'd see in a postcard. But here's yours truly with the Indian Ocean in the background:

And for posterity's sake, a few shots of us at the airport in Johannesburg! More pics and posts from other team members are coming!

Cape Invaders

It is nearing 1am Capetown time, but we are all here safe and sound, minus a few suitcases that are slated to arrive sometime tomorrow evening! Thanks to everyone who has been praying for us, and prayed for our safe arrival. A special thanks also to our prayer partners- your letters and notes are so encouraging!

Everyone is here at the Team House getting settled in, and some have already found the endless supply of ice cream treats in the freezer downstairs! It is a breezy 60 degrees here and we are preparing for a long day tomorrow- a team breakfast at 8am, followed by church at King of Kings (where Pastor John Thomas of Living Hope preaches) and then over to Masiphumelele for their church service. After that we'll try to view Table Mountain, weather permitting.

With all the planes we've been on in the past 48 hours, it feels like we've been on this trip for forever even though we've just begun! Friends are being made, names are being learned by the AL & CA people, and we are all excited about what the Lord is going to do in us and through us this week as we minister to the people of Cape Town. Keep checking this site as pictures are updated, and teammates share their experiences in their own words.

As they say in Afrikaans, Goeie nag. or Good night!

Capetown Bound!

This Friday morning, members of BBC and a few others will be boarding a plane (several of them, actually) bound for Capetown, South Africa. We would appreciate your prayers as team members are in their final days of preparation for this trip.

The BBC team members are:

Leigh Ann Cates
Amy Jenkins
Amy Mizell
Jennifer Beasley
Tami Bobo
Rachel Knox
Walt & Marsha Miller
Amanda Bradley
Bill Bedi
Bobby & Denise Stewart
Patty Taylor
Danielle Schneider
Christina Martin
Tod & Amber Sandberg
Leslie Todd
Creely Wilson
Melanie Wilson Hammer
Tom Dooley
Tom Blough

Non BBC members who will also be joining us this year are:

Jane Jennings- TX
Wayne & Paula Aranaz- CA
Jim & Karen Conrad-CA
Christy White-MI
Mike & Pam Talley
Jeremy Griem –AL
Larry Vann –AL
Pamela Harman – AL
Tom Boston – AL
Mark Garnett - AL

Yes, we are from many churches in various parts of the country but we go with one common goal- to share the good news of Christ with the people of Capetown South Africa! Please pray for safe travel, for our supplies to arrive (both here in TN, and throughout our travel), for the hearts of the people with whom we will be in contact to be open and ready to receive the gospel. Pray for our team's physical health, for our hearts to be ready to give and receive God's love, and pray that we are effective witnesses.

We will have Internet in the team house and will be blogging and updating as time permits. Check here daily to see what we're up to, and how you can continue to pray for us.

Grace & Peace,

Same great song, one more verse

Watch this space for reports from the 2007 mission team, departing September 28. Now accepting support contributions and packing tips.

Sunday

This is our last evening in Capetown, and we have had another full day. There is so much to experience and to process-it is rather overwhelming, for me, at least.

This morning we attended King of Kings Baptist Church (where John Thomas is the pastor) and also Masiphumelele Baptist. King of Kings is similar to our traditional evangelical suburban America church-a nice building, a worship team, a sound system, printed bulletins-along the same lines as BBC (just on a smaller scale). Then we went less than a mile away to Masi Baptist, which might as well be in a different world. (This is the building our construction team worked on all week.) The service is usually in Cosi (which I'm sure I am misspelling), but since we were there today, much of it was translated into English. No piano, no fancy offering plates, none of the "ordinary" things we never think twice about, but the people were so joyful. While these services were completely different from each other, the love of God and the desire to know Him know not the boundaries of race, socioeconomic status, language, anything. It was amazing. Sadly, we heard during the announcements that during the early hours of the morning this morning, a fire swept through one part of the Masi township destroying 200 homes and leaving more than 1000 people homeless. The shacks in Masi are so small and so close together that a fire can spread like, well, wildfire. We saw the site of the fire, and already people were clearing debris, salvaging anything worth keeping, and beginning to put up framing for new shacks made out of scrap lumber, tin roofing material, anything they could get their hands on. Amazingly, no injuries or deaths were reported at all.

Tomorrow morning most of us leave very early to fly back to Johannesburg. Two of our team have decided to stay here a couple more days to continue IT work at some of the Living Hope locations. The rest of us will fly to Jo-burg to spend a couple of days at one of the game parks before we depart for the States on Thursday and arrive home on Friday.

On behalf of our entire team, I covet your prayers for us as we sort through and process everything we have seen and heard and felt and experienced while we have been here. So much has happened this week that doesn't fit into any existing frame of reference in my mind, and I'm not yet sure how to deal with it all. When we return, I will go back to my same job, my same house, my same life, and yet I am not the same as I was when we left. I think God has worked in each of our hearts in incredible ways this week (and will continue to even as we leave tomorrow), and we want to take the hope and joy and love we've experienced here with us, whatever that may end up looking like. I don't know.

We have thought much about Bill and Creely Wilson over the past few days. While our hearts are so burdened by his death, we are thankful to be living out the vision and legacy he began at BBC. (For those of you who don't know him, Bill was the former senior pastor of BBC and then was the first missions minister, I believe, and he passed away this week.)

So thank you for your love and prayers and support and emails while we have been here, and, as I mentioned, please continue it--just because we are leaving here tomorrow, I think the journey for each of us is far from over---

Friday

Our trip is half over here in South Africa-can't believe it.

It has been a long but rewarding couple of days for the team. The construction team has had their hands full at Masiphumelele Baptist Church, and the work is almost completed. Thanks to the team, the church has a new ceiling, new fascia boards, gutters, and downspouts outside, new flooring for storage, and a new fence (well, most of a new fence.) Also, the entire inside (walls and ceiling) has been newly painted, the windows washed inside and out, and the curtains washed and re-hung. We still lack a second coat of paint and to re-install light fixtures, but I think the construction team has earned their keep this week.

The nursing team had the opportunity yesterday to participate in support groups run by Living Hope in the Masi neighborhood. The people have so many questions about health and medical services, and Carol and Kate were warmly welcomed by people so curious for answers.

I don't think I've mentioned our IT team here with us this week. It is a very capable team of one--Bobby Stewart--who is working to install telecommunications cabling at several of the Living Hope locations around town. He has spent much of the week working out logistics at the Muizenberg location and getting cables run. Besides needing reliable Internet access, the various community centers need local networking among each other, and (to the best of my IT understanding) this is what Bobby is working on.

Tonight we had dinner with several teachers and life counselors who work with Living Hope, along with John and Avril Thomas. It is amazing to talk to these people who, in the midst of such need and pain, find ways to bring help, hope, and joy to the people they serve. I talked to John specifically about helping people who have no concept of life outside their shack or the poverty their family has lived in for generations, and he said the key is to give people hope, to let them know that they have value as a child of God, and that their life is worth so much more than even they realize. Give them something to hope for, to aspire to, a reason to try to better their situation. And it works. It happens. In one week's time, that is what I've seen Living Hope doing in so many ways and for so many people, one person at a time.

Tomorrow we are off to do some sight-seeing around Capetown and be tourists. It will be a nice respite from a week of hard, often labor-intensive work. Please continue to pray for us.

Wednesday

Good morning, everyone. It's Thursday morning here, and we had another wonderful day yesterday. The longer we are here, the more need we see.

Yesterday morning, the nurses made housecalls at the Masimphumelele township, which is very different from OceanView, where we were on Tuesday. Instead of making housecalls, one of our team members, Carol, was asked to stay behind at the clinic itself and see patients, as the nurse who was supposed to be seeing patients is trying to do 3 or 4 people's jobs right now and is unbelievably overloaded. Carol said the morning was heartbreaking. Serious injuries, sick children, very few medications and supplies, not nearly enough staff, the list goes on and on. The needs are so great.

The kids club team had quite an afternoon at Capricorn. Capricorn is one of the most underserved areas in Capetown-no schools, no community center, no programming, no anything. Ashley Lovell has been working in this neighborhood for months now to establish relationships with the children, many of whom are addicted to drugs and/or involved with a gang by the time they are 12 or even earlier. Anyway, Living Hope (the organization we are involved with) held the first-ever Kids Club there yesterday, and we had no idea what to expect, so we had all hands on deck, just in case, and we're glad we did. We ended up with over 150 kids, meeting outdoors in a field to talk about how your body is a temple and how to take care of it inside and outside. The kids were amazing--they are so in need of love, physical contact, affection, anything that shows them that someone cares about them. Before we gave the kids a snack, we had them wash their hands. Because there is no water, we had gotten a big tub of water for the kids to come wash their hands in, and then one of our team memebers, Mike, was waiting with a big bath towel to dry their hands. You should have seen the looks on the faces of these kids--being served by someone else, even if it was as simple as drying their hands. Mike said it was one of the most moving experiences of his life.

We have each seen more need and more hurt in 4 days than many people will ever see in a lifetime. Please pray for us as we process what we are seeing and love these people who need it so badly.

Tuesday

Hello, All-greetings from beautiful Capetown. Tuesday was again an adventure for us all, and the team got to see so many interesting things.

The nursing team was able to go with community nurses to make house-calls, which was eye-opening, to say the least. I went with 2 nurses to about 10 houses-most of the patients are elderly, home-bound, and bed-ridden. Many have diabetes, high blood pressure, pressure sores-same stuff we have, but then throw in tuberculosis and/or HIV and minimal access to healthcare resources, and the problems become even more complicated. But the people are so gracious and grateful for anything the nurses can do. Just as we were about to leave the first house, the woman asked (in very broken English) if the American would pray for her, as if somehow because I am white, my prayers are more effective or something. Very interesting--

The construction team is making great headway on the Masi Baptist Church project-more to come on that.

The kids club team spent yesterday afternoon at the Red Hill township, which is one of the poorest neighborhoods in Capetown. From what we saw, there is no running water, electricity, plumbing, etc. People live in shacks they've built out of cardboard or wood scraps or sheets of tin roofing material that are maybe 12x12' with 10 or more people living in them. We worked with about 30 kids from 3 to 11 years old, very few of whom spoke English, but there was no mistaking the love they felt towards us. As we pulled up in our mini-van, little kids came running up to us and couldn't wait to be picked up, hugged, sit on our laps, anything, any kind of contact at all. We couldn't understand much of what they said, but we had a great time making crafts, singing songs, eating snacks, and just loving on them. Our team leader, Leigh Ann Cates had brought her digital camera and a very small photo printer with her. We took pictures of each child and then printed the photographs and gave each child his picture. It was amazing to see their reactions; many had never seen a picture of themselves, so this was huge for them! Also, there are 3 of us who have long blonde hair, and the kids are so funny about it. For a while, I just sat down in a chair while kids would come up behind me and mess with my hair-it is so foreign to them. Wednesday will be kids club at the Capricorn location-we are expecting around 100 kids. Please pray for this.

If I could sum up what I've seen so far, it's this: there is such a marked disparity between those who have and those who have not. From the time I was a little kid, I have heard the verse that says to whom much is given, much is required. I thought I knew what that meant all along, but I didn't have a clue...please continue to pray for us and the people we are with.

Monday

It was another great day for us here in Capetown and another lesson for our team in flexibility. Our group of 14 or 15 is subdivided into 4 smaller groups: a construction team, a medical team, a crafts team, and a team working with kids in after-school clubs.

The construction team is working at the Masiphumelele Baptist Church doing several projects: building a ceiling, painting walls and the aforementioned ceiling, tearing out and rebuilding a fence and whatever else they can get to in the time we have. No casualties so far, although one team member spent some time dangling from the rafters today when the scaffolding he was working from gave way, leaving him swinging in mid-air.

The medical team spent time this morning in the Living Hope Hospice and will be going out the next few days into the communities with local "carers" who make house-calls to the patients. HIV is so prevalent here, and resources are available to many, but the social stigma associated with having HIV keeps many from seeking out help. It is a sad situation with so many in need and no easy answers.

The crafts team will really get geared up tomorrow working with ladies who are HIV-positive and attend support groups at Living Hope Centre. The women make hand-made crafts that they then sell to make money for themselves and for Living Hope. More about that tomorrow-

The kids club group has their hands full! Today they worked with about 30 kids ranging in age from 5 to 13 in the OceanView township. We're talking to the kids this week about taking care of your body, being clean and hygienic, eating right, keeping your heart clean as Jesus commanded us, and sexual purity (with respect to preventing the spread of HIV). There is so much these kids need and need to know, and it's hard to know where to start and how to talk about it, especially with such potentially sensitive subjects and such a wide age range.

The weather continues to be beautiful and we are all having a great time. Our team is comprised of very different people with different personalities and such different backgrounds--it is great to just spend time together and hear everyone's stories. Needless to say, there has not been a silent moment since we arrived, and I've never laughed so hard in my life.

Oh, and we ate dinner last night while watching yesterday's 11 o'clock service on our laptops via the live video-streaming. (We are 7 hours ahead of Brentwood, so our dinnertime was exactly as the service was starting.) Pretty cool to be halfway around the world and still attend our very own church service. We even passed the offering plate. Somebody can tell Mike the check's in the mail.

Thanks for your love and prayers-

Sunday, October 1st

Hello, Family and Friends-

We have arrived safely at Capetown (tired and rumpled, but safe) and are enjoying our first day here. After having missed our connecting flight in Johannesburg yesterday and then being delayed and split up on different planes, we finally made it to the Team House where we are staying for dinner, a quick devotion, and much-needed rest!

This morning we celebrated with over 400 people John Thomas' 50th birthday. John is the pastor of Fish Hoek Baptist Church here in Capetown and the Executive Director of the Living Hope Centre where most of us will be working over the next 9 days. While John was away preaching at Fish Hoek this morning, we set up tables and chairs for 500, prepared and set out lunch, and decorated the school where the celebration was being held. After morning services were over, people began to arrive--many from John's church, many from the Masiphumulele township, some who've worked with John in the Christian radio industry here in South Africa, his friends, and family. Many of these people spoke briefly (or not so briefly) about their relationship with John and his work and ministry in and around Capetown. It is amazing to see everyone socializing together-white, black, and colored-given the politicial/racial struggles of the not-so-distant past. Clearly many of those present today came from very different backgrounds with respect to race, financial status, education level, religion, but they were all there in support of John and his efforts. Very cool. After the party, we cleaned up, washed dishes, broke down tables, and washed more dishes. We had arrived around 8am and left shortly after 4pm, so it was quite an all-day event.

I think this week will be a lesson for each of us in flexibility. We have wonderful plans for what we hope to accomplish and what needs to be done, we'll just have to take it one day at a time, fully expecting that our plans will change as we go.

Thank you for your prayers and support while we are here.

Reflections

Upon arrival in the United States...life, for me, picked right back up into the chaos I left. It's been hard to find a few minutes to think about the trip, let alone write about it. Although it's hard to explain everything that happened...or even know how much this trip will affect the rest of my life, let me attempt to share a little of Kruger and the rest...

At Kruger we saw "The Big 5" Those are the animals that are the most dangerous....elephant, rhino, cape buffalo, leopard and lion. We saw all 5 in one day. That's only the 2nd time in Mike Massingham's life that he's seen all 5 in one day, and only the 4th time he's seen the leopard. It was fairly exciting. I loved learning about the different animals. For example, did you know that giraffes are double jointed in their knees and because they can kick either direction, very forcibly, they don't have any natural predators? Or did you know they only sleep 20 minutes a day? Elephants have the ability to feel seismic patterns in their feet, so they knew when the Tsunami was coming and ran for the hills before any human really know what was going on. It was truly amazing to see how God created animals with the most amazing things I would NEVER think of...most of the drive I was amazed at who He is as a creator.

The trip home was fairly uneventful, which is a bonus. Flights were good, we made all the connecting flights, luggage made it. Again a HUGE blessing!

It's been a little over a week...and I miss South Africa. When Liz was teaching on Tuesday night, she made the comment that South Africa was a beautiful country. It has oceans and mountains, beautiful scenery, animals...etc. The people of Masi did NOT agree with her. They don't see the natural beauty that surrounds them on a daily basis. I'm not sure we could have convinced them to think any differently. I think we are fairly similar.

So many times God tells us that we are beautiful, that He HAS given us certain gifts and talents and He does want to use us to further His kingdom. However we deny it. We don't see what He sees and dismiss truth for a lie. Like the people of Masi, we miss the everyday beauty of being His child and nothing He has said or done will change our mind. Whether the people of Masi were able to see the beauty that IS their country...it is still true. Whether or not we believe that God has created us to be His children and to do good works that He prepared...it is still true. So the choice is ours. Do we walk in truth or the mediocrity the world offers as life?

Home, Sweet Home

The five of our group who opted not to go to the game park have made it home safe and sound. It was a long but smooth trip, though Leigh Ann's suitcase zipper gave up the ghost while we were transferring bags at the airport in Atlanta. A duct tape solution was all that was needed, but I have a feeling the bag will not be making any more flights.

Our expert in all things travel, Jay, bumped our Cape Town - J'burg flight back an hour or two so our layover in Johannesburg would not be four hours long. That gave us extra time in Cape Town, which we spent in an activity that was very effective in helping ease the transition back to the States: we went to the mall. I suppose you could say that part of our ministry was helping support the economy of South Africa--in which case, blessings abounded.

After a trip like this, having seen so much need and done so many different things to try to help meet those needs in such a short time, and being reminded of how much we have, it's only natural to experience what I call the "Schindler Syndrome"—"I could have done more...." Could have built & painted more walls, installed more computer programs, taught more truths, sung more songs, hugged more children, taken more pictures (OK, that last one is a stretch—we took a LOT of pictures). Which is valid—we all could have done more, and still can, and I hope we will, as a group and as individuals. But as far as the work of the past week or so is concerned, at some point we have to "let go and let God" (if you'll excuse what may be a cliché to you) and hope that He will take the seeds we scattered so apparently haphazardly, and cause each of them to grow into something greater than we would ever expect.

In the meantime, don’t be concerned or offended if I don’t answer the phone in the next day or so—I’m probably dreaming about a breezy place by the ocean where my “extended family” is taking turns making each other laugh (sometimes on purpose), our neighbors the whales are waving hello, and ice cream is on the house.

Wrapping Up

I have to echo Heather’s thoughts about the service at Masiphumelele Baptist Church; the music is like spiritual caffeine to a sleepy soul! We experienced a remarkable contrast of worship styles; the one at King of Kings, very much like our own, and the one at Masi. It is a breathtaking reminder of how big God is, to realize how many ways His people relate to him, in so many places, in so many languages, all celebrating “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.”

An acquaintance of mine named Steven met up with us at Masi. He and his wife have just moved to Cape Town from the U.S. to investigate and pursue opportunities to serve the people here (possibly including Living Hope), under the auspices of the organization called ServLife. I met him via the blog site of Amanda Bradley, who was on the BBC S. Africa team last year. The rest of the team was going to the waterfront for the day, some to visit Robben Island, and so we made an afternoon of it there as well. It was good to hear about how he was settling into his life and ministry, and to see if I could offer any helpful information (with all my “vast”experience here in the Cape!). He coached me on asking for “tomato sauce” instead of “ketchup” at lunch, and goaded me into trying out one of the local electric guitars made from a Castrol can (one of our team members is bringing one home) at an indoor market, so it was a good day all around. His blog site is http://twoandtwomakesfive.blogs.com/.


Had a great dinner with Bill Bedi,and was touched by his passion for finding the right place where God can use him next, on the job or otherwise. I also appreciate his straight-shooting way of talking on any subject. His construction skills are a large part of why so much has been accomplished this week, and people have shaken their heads in wonder at how much has been done in such a short time.

Today was our last day of work, so we were up and at ‘em to get things done. We finished up the painting of the office spaces that our local “boss” Bill Eames had for us, and the ladies continued to extend the wall they began last week outside.

Marsha and company wrapped up the crafts work at the shelter and at Capri. I gave Ann Eames the handful of CD’s I had brought so the HIV/AIDS support group clients could “whistle while they work” on the crafts, using their newly-purchased CD player.

The work at the shelter on the new shop area was not as complete as the crew there had hoped for, but the rest is just polishing off the detail work, so their contribution will be greatly appreciated for a long time to come.

Some of us put together some new lounge chairs with cushions, to put on the front patio of the hospice, so the patients will have comfortable seats from which they can enjoy the natural beauty all around them. Naturally, we had to “quality test” them first; they seem to work well. Then we took them over the hospice and enjoyed the smiles of those who were there, eager to put them to use.

We spent a good bit of time praying in the new office spaces and next to the new wall outside, asking God to bless the staff who will be using the spaces, though we didn’t know them by name.

Tonight we’re topping off our time here with a dinner out with some of the Living Hope staff we’ve worked with, to celebrate God’s goodness to us all, and to encourage them further to continue their work here.

Revival

So my favorite event of the day was visiting Masiphumelele church and listening to their choir! It was fantastic! (I'm determined to use the words "brilliant" and "fantastic" more when I return home)

I suppose it was what I expected...But what stuck me is the difference in the spirits of the people. We sit at Brentwood every Sunday with more than we could ever need and for some of us, more than we want. When I look around it's hard to see a smile on anyone's face. Here, in Masi, I looked around and it was hard to find anything BUT a smile. These people have one towel to share with their entire families...And yet more joy resides in their pinky toe, than in most of our American churches. I wonder if we are like the churches in Revelation 2...Have we forgotten our first love? Maybe we've just forgotten the reason we need that love?

We did have the opportunity to sing for them as well. A team "theme song" would have to be "Because He Lives" so we sang that for them. Then joined in a song entitled "There's Going to be a Revival" It was a brilliant song! As I looked out over the faces of the children and the faces of those who aren't children, I knew what we were singing is true. Revival will start anywhere people are seeking God wholeheartedly....it'll start in Masi. There will be a revival from the top, to the bottom from the side to the side, because His people have humbled themselves, they pray and they seek His face. He hears from Heaven...and will answer those prayers.

Daddy....thank you for the people of Masi, the people who share joy so easily...make me more like them...

Here's to our ladies

Today (Saturday) we made up for our day off yesterday, as predicted. It was a productive day, though.

Some of our ladies were eager to continue a project they started (and re-started) on Thursday at Capri. They spent a good part of the day moving dirt and laying blocks to continue the driveway around the back of the hospice. Then these industrious and versatile women shifted into full “relational mode” and accompanied a handful of Living Hope clients to Masiphumelele, visiting their humble homes and offering needed gifts of towels. Then it was back to shovels and wheelbarrows for the remainder of the day. I have had plenty of reasons to be more than impressed with my fellow team members on this trip, but this display tops them all!

Of course, Marsha, our crafts expert (you might have seen her list of requested supplies at church) has continued to help create beauty from scraps of paper and bits of ribbon…many examples of which you’ll no doubt have the opportunity to see and purchase on our return, to benefit Living Hope even further.

At the newly-created offices, also at Living Hope Capri, it was time to paint the new walls. Liz, Brian, Heather and myself were the paint crew (Brian did take a break to help Aaron chuck rocks and trash into a dumpster), working around Walt as he finished trim details, and a couple of people working on installing lights. We put a first coat on most of the area to be covered, so that project will be continued on Monday (unless our hosts have other plans).

The rest of the construction crew continued the relocation of the shop area at Muizenberg. Most of the elements are in place, but there’s more to be done on Monday there as well.

A tired but satisfied group of people made their way back to the team house for a pizza buffet, except for myself, because after a quick cleanup and change of clothes I was off to King of Kings Baptist Centre to perform a couple of songs at their missions banquet (I put a couple of slices of pizza aside for later—maybe breakfast). I found a couple of familiar faces to dine with, and enjoyed the evening. It was much like any missions awareness event in the States. The meal was served in three courses (starter, main course, and dessert), and for each course there was a missionary speaker or a media presentation. I was during the main course, and since I’ve learned to avoid singing after eating, I had to fend off attempts to take my food away and explain I was holding onto it. Judging from the mostly-elderly faces I could see from the stage I wasn’t sure if the upbeat (and/or offbeat) songs I had chosen were being received well at first (I started wishing I had something more like Sinatra or Wayne Newton) but the attendees did respond well, and even began clapping along (on the right beat!) toward the end. They were very gracious.

Tomorrow is church at King of Kings, then at Masiphumelele, then to the waterfront, where some will visit Robben Island and the rest will eat, shop, visit museums, etc.

Ocean View

Today the centre at Ocean View will be dedicated and officially opened. If I fully understood how much this will impact the community I would share it here, but I don't have the words. Again, this area has 75% of their high schoolers addicted to Meth, the highest teenage pregnancy rate, and one of the highest drug abuse problems in the Eastern Cape. The Centre is already too small for all of the activities that need to be held there....but it is a start. What Nathan and Melanie would really like to have a youth center. It'll be fun to hear about how God provides that for them. The house where Ocean View Living Hope will be, used to be a drug pushers home and he had turned it into a brothel. Now it'll be a place of refuge and hope, an area where change can happen. It's so excited to be a part of it. Last year the team helped clean/build/straigten and who knows what else....now we get to see it open...next year...well..we wait eagerly for what God will do.

Yesterday, I was one of the few who went horseback riding. It was BRILLANT! We walked, trotted, cantered along the sand, with the cool breeze in our face and Shane and Shane singing in my ears about the majesty of Jesus. Amazing.

I leave you with a song...it's been in my head all week (well actually there have been more than just this one...but still...) I think it sums up my thoughts fairly well this morning.

"There is none like You. No one else can touch my heart like You do. I could search for all eternity long and find there is none like You. Your mercy flows like a river wide. Healing comes in Your name. Helpless children are safe in Your arms. There is none like You!"

Getting a higher view

Our “day off” has been enjoyable, as all our days have been (though in different ways, of course). We had a slightly later breakfast than usual, and Keeli led a devotional at the table, challenging us (herself included) to think of ways to serve not only the people of South Africa but each other as well.

Then we piled into the combies (VW vans, now numbering three in use) to visit Table Mountain. The weather was perfect, and we split off into groups or pairs to hike the easy trail around the top and/or have lunch at the cafe with possibly the best view of any dining experience I’ve ever had. We were literally looking down on the few clouds, and on the city and coastline below them.

I rode back in the van taking Dave and Kerri, our California team members, to the airport, and Jay took us on a route that passed between the stark poverty of the Kayalitsha township (a shantytown with a population of about 1 million) and the astonishing beauty of the recreational beaches of False Bay.

A group of 7 or 8 is out now riding horses rented from a stable next to the team house. The riders include our team members, our house manager and some young Living Hope volunteers on a sort of work-study from a university in Finland. This is the first ride for some. I look forward to those stories!

Speaking of stories, I very much look forward to having dinner tonight at the home of Pastor John Thomas and his wife Avril (very much a ministry team in themselves).

Tomorrow and Monday will be our last two full days of work, so I expect this day of rest will not be wasted as we make that final push to finish projects and make the most of the time we have left with new friends.