home

We are back in the States. we have been here for about 6 weeks now.
we have so enjoyed being with family and friends and reconnecting with the church.
there are so many people really living out the gospel
everywhere we look, people are being Jesus where ever they are.
it is exciting!
we are moving to Minnesota - St.paul / Minneapolis.
we are planing on finishing our degree's here.
both of us want to go into Social Work.
we also hope to do simple church - here!
we cant wait to connect with people who are doing it here
and praying and living life with people who want more of Jesus.
Our hearts still long For Africa,
and we will go back in the not so distant future
but for now, we areexcited for what God has for us here...
Pray that HE will open the right doors and put people in our path who he wants us to live life with and love others with.
we are open and excited to find out what he has.
if you are interested in joining us here... let us know!
HOME
is here now, but it will not be here forever.
over seas- from America-- that will be our home again - soon.

streets

Sitting on the floor
with people dancing and eating all around us
i met Modise
he is an 11 year old African Boy.
He loves to play,
loves to wrestle
loves sweets...
He is very small for his age--
im sure due to malnutrition
He had a hole down the middle of his pants
his collar boes were sticking out.
he ravenously ate the chips and fruit on his plate.
he chatted with me as best as he could
(english is not his first language)
but mostly just smiled at me and nodded his head.
i put my arm around him and enjoyed the joyous scene around us.
He pulled a few worn candies out of his pocket and offered me one.
then he gave his friend sitting next to him the other.

Modise has no parent or guardian living in his home.
his 14 year old sister Ermy looks after him.
His uncle will check in on him once in a while.
he is an orphan.
he is Beautiful.

Walking down a busy street
in the heart of Cape Town
8pm on friday night
a boney child
in tattered clothes and no shoes
approaches us
in broken, almost unrecognizable english
asks us for ---
anything we can give.
we sigh,
and are so torn,
we know he really is hungry,
but know giving him money is not the answer.
he finds us again later and says
"no money, I -- food"
so we go into the local market and buy him bread and meat.
it is hard to look into his face
knowing that this will only satify for tonite,
and tomorrow he will be hungry again.
he is very greatful,
sweeter than most.
i realize as i am trying to sleep later that night
that i didnt even ask his name.
i begin to see the coping skills that have
unintentionally
become part of my life
since being here.
it is easier not know his name...
i won't see him again
i can't do more for him
he lives an hour from us,
and we dont frequent his street.
THIS
is reality everyday here in South Africa
every street corner
every parking lot
and we have learned to cope...
tried to not become hard...
tried to not cry too much...

somehow
as we get ready to leave this home
these difficult choices
that we are faced with everyday
will be missed...

their faces will never dissapear from our hearts.

Thankful

we are here
we will be in Grand Rapids
on Dec. 30, 2008
for now, i want to introduce you,
as best as we know how
to our life here...
through photo's.

it is not often
if ever--
that we get the priveledge
of bringing our camera into the community

so one day last week,
we we able to!

the contrast
first world
verses
third world
is so prevelant in our every day life
i wish we could express this contrast.
there is nothing i have ever seen in the states to compare it to.
so i hope we can give you eyes to see
and experience a bit of the tension we feel
every day
in every choice we make
in every word we speak
and smile we give
all have implications.
to change the world we live in here,
for the better
or reinforce the existent mindsets

in many ways the interaction is often beautiful
to experince the wounds of the past --
still eveident today
and then to experience the healing that has occured.
we experience this on an more frequent basis.
this has been our home
we have become part of the process
this country is not even close to perfect.
but we see people who have Overcome
Overcommers
Black - Mix- White
all alike
Racism -- it is only skin color!
i see people connecting from the heart
for this i am thankful

i am greatful to this country
for taching me so much
so much about my own heart
my own pride
my own mindset and hurts
i deal with the crime--
same as my black friend who lives in the township.
no one is immune
and this, it draws us closer

i see the beauty in this country
in every way of life--

Jeremiah's stories

For the most part on the blog, it is me, missy sharing things i have experienced,
or feel
or am going through

but i want to share a few interrelated stories of Jeremiah's.
so it is in 2nd person... i'll make sure he confirms the details:)
someone (i think it was brad?) met Walter at the petrol (gas) station
less than a KM from our house
Walter is a 25 year old Xhosa speaking South African
who comes from the Eastern Cape.
He wanted to speak about Jesus...
He was curious!
His fiance had been trying to get him to go to a sunday service
at a large church
for years.
He had no interest.
So Brad, Jeremiah, Jonathan, and Willie
went to meet him.
to be his friend.
Conversations about Jesus,
initiated by Walter often became a topic of conversation.
One day, Brad, Jonathan, and Willie were prayer walking and met
a man named Joseph.

Joseph is 62.
(beyond the average life-span for African men)
He had a bad car acident years ago that left him un able to stand straight.
he was in constant pain.
so the three of them
prayed a simple prayer
That God would heal Him physically.
Jospeh, unbeknownst to this crew
was also a struggling alcoholic, and chain smoker.
the group left, not sure if they had accomplished anything
besides brightening an old mans day,
left encouraged.
later that week, visiting Joseph to see how he was,
they discovered he had been healed!
HEALED!
He also stopped drinking and smoking..
because it didnt feel right
He had no more pain, and could stand straight
over the next weeks, jospehs marriage improved.
Walter, Jeremiah and the other 3 started meeting with Joseph and his family.
A Simple church was formed.
The guys felt compelled to help Joseph and his family
b/c they had no money and they couldn't find work.
the passage of scripture that they felt to follow was
Isaiah 58.
Jeremiah and Jonathan spoke to walter about
Jesus teachings.
they recalled the scriptures that say
"don't let the right had see what the left hand is doing"
so they all pitched money to buy Josephs family food.
walter gave the most.
and they decided to have a friend of walter's
who Joseph didn't know
drop the food off
the next day , during house church
Joseph was telling them about this miracle!
and how at the moment the food came,
Lulama had just gone, with no success,
to ask the neighbor for money to buy food.
they had NONE!
Walter was trying to hide his joy, and act normal.
They continue to meet.
they reach out to the neighbors around them.
and on Saturday, November 15
they all got baptized.




it was moving.
Joseph dedicated his 8 and 10 year old Kids

And Told Jesus, he will follow Him.
Baptism, for us ,
feels like a culmination
seeing people we journey with, through all of lifes struggles, not only spiritual,
allow Jesus to be the one who meets their needs.
that He is the one they trust in
the one they HOPE in
the one the LOVE.
not us.
now they make disciples, and we pray they baptise others.
and pray for healing in others lives.,



this is one story of Simple church, and real community.
reaching out the broken and hurting people who GOd so desperatly wants to touch. He desperatly wants them to feel His love in a tangable way

talk story

many of my blogs are not so concrete
but usually express dialy heart issues
i am dealing with
but i want to talk story today



we have been working with a woman in Masiphumelele
WENDY
she knows and is trusted
many people in the community come to her
in desperate situations
we have been working to provide food
for many of these most needy families
MANY
of you!
have been a part of making this happen!
yesterday and today
we bought 3 grocery carts full of food
from Pick And Pay
Rice
Mealy Meal
Flour
Sugar
Canned Fish
Coffee
Tea
Oil
then the 4 of us
Michelle
Sofia
Wendy
Me
Plus the Parking Lot Guard
piled all this food,
and ourselves
into a 1970 Blue Beattle.
turned the key
It wouldn't Start!
so we prayed
we called a mechanic
brad came-- in His 1970 yellow beattle
and we piled out
along with all the food
repacked his car
he took wendy home
and we popped th clutch on the beattle and got her started
today-
we get wendy
in the yellow beattle
go back to Pick and Pay
(we forgot Soap)
and then to a fuirt and Veg market
oddly enough it is named Fruiterers
and get spinach
and Potaoes!
we PILE in the Beattle once again
and drive back to wendy's house. organize all the food!
it was satifying
after all the months.
working toward helping these needy families/children
they range from
orphans
to
single Mom's lving in the last stages of HIV.



we met a new family today
the Mama had her grandchild on her back
we stood in their bare shack and smiled
she is a beautiful and strong woman
she is raising her daughter who is 17
and 2 neices who are orphaned
they are 17 and 20 -- both still in high school
She is a single mother.
a Widow
She had a 20 ish year old son
who, about a month ago,
was shot and killed at a party in Masi
by a gang that came from another township to make trouble
He was the only one in the family who worked
HE supported them all.
so now they go hungry.
the temptation to ask her daughter to drop our of high school
is strong
who else will support them all?
by giving them food each month
the girls will have a chance to get an education
to be a leader
to do more than
"JUST SURVIVE"




It is hard to explain to people in the western world
the mentality of people in developing countries
it is hard to understand myself!
and i see it,
i experience it second hand.
"HAND TO MOUTH"
daily survival.
no planning a head
not able to think of the future
today's needs are SO pressing


Brad, Michelle and Jeremiah
have gone into the elementary school these past few days
just to help take pictures of kids.
Some people who work with us are teaching Music and Art in the classrooms.
the list of questions
to go along with the pictures

Name:
Age:
Brothers and sisters:
What you do outside of school:
What do you want to be when you grow up:

Basic questions
right?
The answers to
What do you do outside of schoo:
were shocking...
The frequent answers were
"Clean"
"Do Laundry"
"Pick of my little sister from daycare"
"make food"
Want to know the average age?
10 - 12

this is the world they live in
necessity before anything else!

in the midst of all the suffering
people are finding hope.

i Talked with my friend Vivian (name changed) yesterday.
She was so moved to know that we are able to give her food monthly
She is sick with HIV
and has a 4 year old son
She loves Jesus so much
she was recently baptised
and also has recently got a job
her job pays 7.30 Rand and hour
(10R =1$)
but now at least she can pay back her friend that she is indebted to
she owed her 1600R
which she used for food when she had no work.
but she makes pennies
i told her about this amazing training program
some friends of ours are starting
called Farflung
it is a 2 year art/buisness school
for 10 women
they get a stipen to live on
(which is more then she makes working)
and they get to learn for free!
the goal is to make leaders out of women in the community
women who can start their own buisnesses and employ others!
when filling out the application with her
the question stated:
"Who will benefit from your training at Farflung?"
her answer
"The bible says we must help those who are suffering. with this training i can help them..."



She gets it...
and encourages me...

relationships

When you are in a place long enough
you see every aspect of relationships
ups
downs
steps foward
and back
seeing our mistakes
and
How God is really the only one
only one
who
can care for
and uphold
His Children
His People.

Sometimes we all feel like parents.
(not that i know exactly what it feels like to parent...)
you care SO much
SO much
for these kids of ours.
we pray for them,
walk with them,
teach them,
push them out on their own
encourage
discipline
set straight

and in the end...
in the end of our time with them
maybe things dont look so different from when we started!

then what?

then we trust
we remember to see with our spiritual eyes.
remeber that God calls us
He cares for His children
We get to join Him

What we really do
every day
is love our friends
walk with them through hard times
through mud
helping them up when they have landed in a ditch
getting angry over the things that angers God
laughing when they see victory
hugging them when they made the right, and uplifting choice
simply being there.
having Hope for them
when they have no strength to believe in Hope.

this has been our year...
7 weeks left.
God has opened up doors
and we are excited to see where they lead!

baptisms

i do not have pics of this day, but i will get some and post them, or you can look on my facebook page and get the link to some via someone else posting them.

The last post was about the increse in violence, and pain in the community of Masi.

But i want to talk about Hope and redemption

it was SUCH a priveledge to be able to be a part of seeing a few of our freinds get baptized.
being in the water when somone is making the step in their journey
TOWARD Jesus
is beautiful and moving.
God Loves it when His people move towards him
in acts of love
and hope
and recieveing from the Father
and giving of themselves

giving up pride
and embracing a new family

2 women
(Vovo and Christina)
whom i have written about before, some of you may have met them
both chose to leave their old selves behind.
their prayers of thanks and Love to God were touching.
ALL they have is JESUS.

it was sunday morning,
a bright day
excitment and nerves were high.
we had an expectation that God would meet us.
we stepped in to the cold water of the tide pool in the ocean

i felt fear and hoplessness breaking.
off of the people participating, the people watching
and myself!
the acting of giving yourself,
good - bad - rich - poor
to someone... to GOD!
is sweeter than the richest chocolate
or the smoothest wine.
it is communion
at the deepest level

as Evil increses in the communites arround us
so Does Hope
so Does Love
so Does God Him self
So Does His Spirit.

Being in the Water
recieving the blessing
that Goes along with Baptism
is one of the most
Precious
moments ...

Wind

this is Jeremiah with some of his Zim friends

The wind is whipping through the southern penninsula of Cape Town these days.
it reflects much of the chaos that is going on in the lives of the people we work with.

We desperately need the wind of the Holy Spirit
to blow
in the Streets
and the hearts
and the minds
of people who are causing
pain
fear
anger

the violence has increased in the township in these past 2 months
(i of course hesistate to say this so people dont over react)
we have taken necessary precations.
i dont walk around with out a guy and at least 3 people
and also prefer to have a local with us

but what of the people who can't escape it?
it is not just focused on us, but mainly one eachother
anyone they can find to hate
or alientate
or victimize
or retaliate against.

it is a struggle.
and a BATTLE.
there is so much spiritual consequence that we are seeing against the work of God.
so we pray.
we Pray!
we dont give in
we dont leave
we keep loving and caring.

there have been talk and meetings of acting out against foreigners in Masi again.
Monday a 3 year old girls was found dead in a river in the community.
she had been reported missing the day before.
3 men took her, raped her, and killed her.
they were rounered to be foreigners.

so the Xenophobia is rumored to start again.
Pray for peace and level heads, and Common sense.
We believe it will calm down soon.

i wasnt sure to write about this or not.
it is easier to not let you know.
it is easier to live in ignorance.
(im speaking from experience)
but what good will it do?
to ignore the truth, the reality GOd's children face.
the daily fears and stress they deal with.

please pray for them.
for so many of our Zimbabwian, and Malawian, and Somolian friends.
targeted simply because of where they were born.

pray for God's justice in all these situations.
Pray the Wind will touch all those in need...