Freedom for the Captives - Lesli

Well…….we all went to prison today! After a yummy breakfast of ostrich sausage, we headed to the Waterfront of downtown Cape Town. We boarded the Sea Princess ferry at the Nelson Mandela Gateway and sailed to Robben Island. The island contains a prison that once housed 1,500 political activists during apartheid, including Nelson Mandela, who later became the first democratic president of South Africa. Our tour was led by two former prisoners, one of which was incarcerated four cells way from Mandela. We actually went into prison cells and read the struggles of the prisoners held captive there. It was hard to realize many of these men were imprisoned in our lifetime with the last prisoners being released in the early 1990s. This made us aware of our own civil rights struggle and very thankful that we live in a country were we have political freedoms.

The afternoon was spent on the beautiful Waterfront of downtown. We had a wonderful lunch on the water and enjoyed some diverse shopping. We headed back to the team house at 5pm when everyone else was trying to leave the city as well. Traffic is universal! We made it back and had a share time overlooking the breathtaking scenery that surrounds us. Everyone made a daring trip to the beach for a group picture! I say daring because the winds are really fierce around here and we were eating sand! Dave led a wonderful time of praise and worship and reflection of our time here. We are excited to be starting our journey home tomorrow but saddened to leave this beautiful place and its even more beautiful people.

For those of you at home, we’re can’t wait to see you! We have so much to share. God has been so good and faithful. We have learned so much and feel so blessed to join God in His work in Cape Town, South Africa. See you soon!

Two days left in ‘Suth’ Africa - Leah

You may think I have misspelled South Africa, but apparently this is the correct way to pronounce the country. Mandy, one of the team house drivers of the “green bullet,” told us earlier this week we were saying it incorrectly. So on a daily, moment by moment basis, we practice saying, ‘Suth’ Africa. Now you would think Mandy would be so pleased that we are trying to pronounce her country correctly. It has started to become more of a game though, to see how many times we can say ‘Suth’ Africa in random conversation. I would like to say I have been successful and could possibly win the game. Mandy disagrees.

Now to switch gears a bit. Today was a jam packed eventful day for all teams. Team A was busy attending support groups and visiting Capricorn (another place supported by Living Hope). Team E created a wall where there was no existing wall. This wall will help house our dear, sweet Mandy’s office, who is from ‘Suth’ Africa of course. Then my Team B successfully presented the Living Hope marketing strategy to Trevor, GM of LHCC.

WHOOP! WHOOP! WHOOP! (Sorry I just did the Arseno Hall sound and arm movement….I got a little carried away. I’m excited!)

Okay, let’s talk about the completion of the marketing strategy. I have to admit how unbelievably proud I am to be a part of this team. God really pulled us together to show Him off. The morning was quite stressful with all the crossing of the t’s and dotting the i’s. Then we needed to get the 18 page document printed and bound. Now let’s assess this situation. Team B completed an 18 page marketing strategy in about 5 days. Yeah that’s God! I won’t lie there were moments of frustration and intense challenges. During those weaknesses, God bought us together and created the common goal….Him. I believe Living Hope now has the ability to change the South African community and international community in many ways.

So you see the beginning of the day was all business related. Little did we know how the afternoon was going to affect us. We were headed to Red Hill to the kid’s club. Red Hill is approximately 30 minutes or so away from the team house. The drive was indescribable. God’s glorious creation was all around with sparkling blue ocean and roaring waves. Then we made it to Red Hill. To give some details of this place, Red Hill consists of around 600 people. The population is at least 50% HIV/AIDS positive. Yeah, I began to feel somewhat overwhelmed. Then you see the beautiful children that make up this seemingly hopeless place.

We were able take part in the kid’s club, which consists of a recreation time, bible lesson, and of course a peanut butter and jelly sandwich....yum! We played several games with the kids: Simon says, Red-rover Red-rover, Duck Duck Goose, etc. I will have to admit I had a lot of fun! Amongst all the fun, it was difficult to not be plagued by the poor living conditions. Pressing on, you know that God is faithful, and that’s all we’ve got. We MUST trust in that!

Then many, many games later, the children learned about the Ten Commandments. It was great to see them listening so intensely. After one of the sweetest prayer I have ever heard, it was time to eat some PB&J sandwiches. I was told to pay attention to how the kid’s ate their food. They would hold it very carefully and cherish each individual bite. This might have been their only meal today. All in all, the situation may have appeared hopeless but knowing that God has placed special people here to work with this community helped to give me some relief. With all that being said, I need to ask a favor…please pray the community and salvation of Red Hill.

Thank you Lord for showing me You today! Thank you for blessing our team! Help us to love others like our life depended on it!

This blog is dedicated to Mandy, our team house driver, in ‘Suth’ Africa.

My Theme - Nato

Galeana
by Lori Chaffer

The backdrop of mountains cuts into the sky
They’re there to protect or intrap the ones inside
A quiet village is full of tired brows
Thin strips of farm land fight it out with the farmers

In the night the roosters crow with hunger
The wind brings dust instead of rain brought with thunder

CHORUS
And as I hold your dirty hand all that I can say to you
Is in the awkward smile I make
I can’t explain why I came to this distant land
Your simple smiles refresh my soul and
I can’t help but love you and know
That you have all you need

When I would get lonely and feel like a foreigner
I’d look up to the sky and see it’s just the same but brighter
Two eagles fly free but their patterns are not the same
One is weaker, but it’s spirit soars higher
What one yearns for it never seems to reach
The other has learned to separate its wants from needs

As I look into your face I see hope and not disgrace
And strength that carries you along the rugged road you travel on
And as we go our separate ways you can be sure that I have changed
Because I’ve seen the way you live

…If only for Marie - Julie

Today was a mixed bag for our team.

We spent the morning hours shadowing Home Care Givers into 2 communities (Masiphumalele and Ocean View) and observed as they dressed wounds, checked blood sugar levels for diabetes, checked blood pressure, asked questions about their wellness (and in one of my homes we sang White Christmas to a blind and nearly deaf 94 year old…never would I have imagined this as part of the job). We felt honored to be the guests in these families’ homes and were blessed by the good care that these women provide.

Some of our team had a chance to prayer walk at the Living Hope Ocean View Center. This is a building that was formerly the home of a drug lord and was condemned after his murder in the home. The home was acquired by Living Hope and was nicely renovated, and while the center is functioning well and has a clean, fresh look there is still a stigma in the neighborhood about the center and it’s past life. The kids and families often call it “the old house” which was the name it was formerly called. We took some time to pray that God will restore this building and will change the name of this place to “the good house.”… “the house of healing”, “hope and restoration”.
Will you join us in praying this prayer? Pray that God will alter the reputation of this block of land and cast aside all fear in the neighborhood from this place. That, as Laural prayed, they would “rebuild the ancient ruins; they will restore the former devastations, they will renew the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations (Isaiah 61:4)”

During the afternoon we led a training for the Care Givers. As a closing activity I passed around a basket of rocks and asked them each to take one to represent a patient that they have lost. We had a moment of silence to remember, to ask God to help them relinquish that person, and then when they were ready they were to come to a basin of water and place their rock in it as they emotionally relinquished the care of that patient to God. Some of them seemed sincere and some giggled through the experience. As they left this afternoon to board their “transport” home, a caregiver named Marie came to Allison and shared, with tears in her eyes, that the day’s activities had brought up much thought about her deceased husband, but that it was good to relinquish him to God. It was a powerful moment to see how God used that simple activity in someone’s life. We were glad we did it...if only for Marie.

Xtreme Monday - Nato

We have just experienced one of the most beautiful journeys. After the always-wonderful breakfast prepared by our wonderful chef Catherine, we travelled to an area known as the Boulders, home to over 3,000 jackass penguins (named for their braying and not their mannerisms). Penguins are one of the most comical animals in creation, and they’re monogamous too, unlike the red-butted baboons we saw later in the day.

From Boulders, we travelled to a portion of Table Mountain National Park, known as the Cape of Good Hope. Do not be fooled by your history books and the impressive lighthouse - this area actually includes 3 capes (Cape Point, Cape Maclear and the Cape of Good Hope). Sam and I took a road less travelled and went beyond the beautiful old lighthouse, located on Cape Point and quickly hiked to the (almost) Southern tip of Africa. It waas awe-inspiring to look at the entire continent emerge from the small point of land on which we stood. After returning from our journey, we realized that we had come all the way here, but had not actually hiked onto the Cape of Good Hope (!!).


Luckily, one of the vehicles we use for our travels ran out of gas on our way to the National Park, and while we technically only had a few minutes until our scheduled departure time, we had no idea when we’d actually leave. So, Sam and I took binoculars and hopped down the 2.5 mile trail (much like springbok in the hills), stopping along the way to check for the signal to quickly return. We received the signal, and 30 yards from the trailhead, we met Julie, Angie and Allison, who were sorry that out of all the signals we had worked out, we forgot to make the signal for “The rides are here, but the 3 of us will come meet you and the bus will pick us up on a road ending at the Cape of God Hope”. So back down the trail we bounded, until we reached the peak of the Cape, and subsequently made the hike down to the seaside.

From penguins to peaks and now capes to cableways, we journeyed via cable car onto Table Mountain, one of the most amazing mountain ranges I’ve ever experienced. The mountain rises 1000m, and is capped by a flat peak allowing for hour-long hikes from end to end. Whit, Ethan and I found a gap, trailing back to the base, making Stone Door look like a child’s handiwork. Subsequently named Whiethanato’s (pronounced Wheat-an-toes) Gap, we spent a great deal of time sitting and marvelling at the amazing God we’re serving here in this land of vast contrast, both naturally and culturally. I have experienced God in creation many times, however my previous picture of Him became much smaller in the grandeur of today. Let all things their Creator bless and worship Him in humbleness.

Sunday Musings - Sam

We started our day pretty wet. We hadn’t experienced rain in South Africa until the wee hours of the morning. The wind and rain howled through our open windows waking us with a fright! Chad and I ran to close the windows before more water poured through. We stood there a little startled and then went back to sleep before the day really began.

We awoke and began our second Sunday in South Africa with a hearty breakfast and good discussion with God and each other.

We left for the first church service of the day at King of Kings Baptist Center where John Thomas, Director of Living Hope, is senior pastor. The service was pretty contemporary with our beginning with the song “Every Move I Make”, among other worship songs. The message was on the alabaster jar event found in Luke and our living at the feet of Jesus. After the service, we headed for Masiphumelele Baptist Church where we had attended last week.

We had a very similar experience as last week at Masiphumelele. We sang many songs, but this time we were a little more aquainted with how the service functions: one of the congregation leads into the various hymns and songs. They announced number of the song that we were to sing and so we sang along. It was incredible! The rounds with the various vocals and parts resound in a huge chorus of praise to the Father! And this time, we were able to participate. “Jesus, keep me near the cross” was on song that I realized that they were singing. It was amazing! Unfortunately, we had to leave early in order to get lunch and go to the market.

We headed for downtown Cape Town, which is beautiful with the waterfront and mountains in the background, to eat lunch at, where, McDonald’s. Everyone was very happy to eat a hamburger that was actually beef (well, McDonald’s beef is a heck of a lot closer to real beef than that found in the hambugers we have eaten in Cape Town). We ate fairly quickly to get to the market in plenty of time to shop around and see everything.

The market was swarming with all kinds of people and African artifacts from bracelets made of elephant hair to tribal masks to paintings of scenes from the African bush to purses to jewelry to bowls. The task was on to find the perfect gift for an intercessor or significant other or for oneself but all at the best price. The ability to barter is the best talent one can have while at these markets. Trying hard not to get ripped off while still trying to help the individuals who still have to feed their families is the balance that must be found while at the market. Our team did not have a problem with this. Everyone felt great with what they had bought and from whom. With our treasures in hand, we headed back to the bus for our return home.

We filled the bus and headed off toward home but on a different route. We went along the Chapman’s Peak Drive, which is a street along the coast. Never before have I seen such a beautiful sight: sunshine, blue and green ocean waters, huge waves, big clouds, enormous rocky mountains…everything was just incredible! Pictures can only capture a part of this beautiful sight! We stopped multiple times to take pictures because of the beauty of the sights. No one could remember a more beautiful sight: Spain could not match it; Hawaii could not match it; etc. I might be over doing it a bit, but I will you: come to South Africa and witness it for yourself so that you can see the beauty that exists in the land, in the sea, and in the people of South Africa. Pictures can only catch a small glimpse.

into the "wild" - whit

There is no lion on pride rock. They tell us there are seven but all we can find are three cubs lying in a pen filled with mud and a bizarre hunk of meat. Lions are one of five species native to Africa known as “The Big Five”, that is, the five most dangerous game on the continent. Today we saw four.


We all climbed into the vans at 6 this morning for the 3 hour trip to Aquita Game Preserve for our day off and a legitimate African safari. We are quickly informed, however, that only Americans call them safaris and learned soon after that this game drive was maybe not so authentic either. A large, decrepit Mercedes flatbed, loosely fitted with canopy and benches (which relied more on the people sitting on them to stay put than its unsecured bolts) pulls around, we awkwardly lift ourselves up and are informed there is no guarantee we will see any of their animals. All around wealthy Europeans snap pictures with pricey cameras and as the truck travels around the park we pass other groups on the side of the road having tea. We laugh, asking “Did you see the lions?” Apparently everyone gets tea in this game reserve, as well as bizarre sausages, much to our humility, and the whole time it is cold outside.

The reserve was certainly not the African savannah we imagined but much more like Western Colorado and extremely beautiful. Don’t worry, we did see animals, all of which were native to South Africa, and quite a few of them. In addition to the lions, we saw white rhinos, water buffalo, and elephants, the rest of “The Big Five” found in the reserve (the other is the tiger). We also saw hippos, ostrich, springbucks, zebra, and wildebeests, which apparently come in blue and black. There was even a pair of cheetahs several of us got to pet. One of them even cuddled up to Chad and refused to get off him, even after much coaxing from the ranger, proving that a cheetah is nothing more than your regular house cat, just 5 times the size and capable of running 120km/hr. I can’t hardly remember all the things we had to laugh at today and while the park was more of a glorified zoo, we all got a little sunburned, some more than others, and had a great time.

The rest of the trip was spectacular as the drive from Cape Town to the reserve took us under a mountain and through a breath-taking canyon of high and dynamic rock walls. We then passed through South Africa’s wine country and enjoyed incredible views the entire drive. We all agreed Cape Town is as beautiful as any place in the world, but the drive proved the country stays just as beautiful inland. It’s sort of like Napa Valley but in the middle of the Colorado Rockies and much more drastic and beautiful. None of us knew anything like this existed in Africa.

I reflect on a day in the country and see that this part of creation - mountains, valleys, and animals alike - shows a tremendous amount of purpose on behalf of the Lord. There is so much creativity and intention in the design of this place that I cannot help but see God’s love in it all for there is hope in God’s love and purpose.

Tomorrow, we get to worship with the congregation of the Masiphumalele Baptist Church. This is a church seemingly in the middle of hopelessness. Their pastor was murdered a little over a month ago and the community it is named for carries an HIV/AIDS infection rate of 28%. You’ve read about the people we’ve encountered there and the reality is that the residents of this community have tremendous joy and hope. They are people who have experienced Christ, who do not measure their worth by their health and their surroundings. I believe God is showing us that his goodness in creation is merely a glimmer of the hope and purpose given to all people through Jesus Christ.

I had a hard time when we first got here reconciling such hardship in such a beautiful place but now it all makes sense. God has poured Himself out on Cape Town, South Africa, and the rest of the continent and continues to do so; the evidence is everywhere. God has blessed us today through our bumpy ride in the park and He is continuing to show us His heart and vision for this place. Cheers!

Want to know where your money went?- Amy J

So many of you generously supported the Africa team. Your generosity affirmed God’s call in us—that’s a generous gift.

But let me give you a glimpse of where your money went—50 lay counselors, homecare providers, and HIV support group leaders gathered with us for their first-ever retreat. And boy did they deserve a retreat! These men and women do the most difficult tasks with unexplainable joy. They are on the frontlines of HIV care, they have the hard task of informing people that they are HIV+, and they often care for them even into the last stages of their lives.

For us, a retreat is pretty common. For them, a retreat is a luxury. Imagine their delight when the walked into their cabins with bunk beds stacked three high! Or how much they enjoyed the braai (cook out), along with roasting marshmallows! Most importantly they retreated from the heaviness of their lives—they were able to "retreat" because of your giving. A portion of the money from each team member’s trip was used to fund the retreat.

The theme of our retreat was "Drink" and that they did. It was life giving for our team to minister to these folks. They worshipped and shared their stories, laughed and unloaded their burdens, and we were privileged to carry those burdens for just a bit. We were able to share new approaches to prayer with them from prayer postures, to journaling, to paint journaling. It was so much fun to watch them embrace these new ways of seeking solitude, which is something they desperately need.

For me, the most significant moments of the retreat happened as we closed today. We had the privilege of blessing and anointing the LH staff—yes, we actually anointed their heads with oil! (something I hadn't had the joy of doing before) Julie explained that to anoint means to “consecrate for sacred duty.” Their work is incredibly sacred. As we anointed their heads, we prayed this blessing over each person: “As I anoint your head with oil, I pray that your cup would overflow, and that God’s goodness and love would follow you all the days of your life.” I can’t articulate the holiness of those moments. As the Rolling Hills team anointed each other and these sweet people, we did so with the authority of Christ in us—it was powerful.

It sounds trite to say that today was beautiful... but it was. I can't fully describe the grace we experienced and gave. The compassion and love of God flowed through our team today and we were blessed far more than we imagined we could be. Your giving and supporting our trips enabled this to happen—you all are as much a part of this trip as those of us who are here. The Living Hope staff thanks you, as do we.

Heaven,Hope, and Flowers - Ethan Nokes

Most people who know me well probably thought I would never contribute to this or any other blog. They got this idea because that is what I told them. However, as strongly as I felt the calling to come on this trip, I felt the urge to post one of my journal entries. I feel that those who care to read this need to know what is being accomplished here. Though I will not be giving details as to happenings, I can give my impressions and feelings.

I wrote this on Friday morning, before the retreat had ended. Please keep that in mind so as to avoid confusion when reading other posts from today.

Friday March 2, 2007
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long….

It is hard for me not to praise God. For most of my life I have found this to be true. There have been dark days for sure but I think my normal state of being is praise and thankfullness. I am very glad God gave me this disposition. That being said (a favorite phrase of Whit Stiles) I find it very hard not to praise God in this place.

Cape Town is beautiful.

Yesterday, following the vision of Tammy Teige. Whit, Tammy, Brittany and I went to take some roofing metal to a lady who serves and lives in Red Hill, a shanty town with very bad living conditions. Even there I was struck with beauty and hope. Outside the shanties, almost each one, were flowers. Red Hill is on the coast of the Atlantic and in the trees and away from the world and has horrible conditions and is made of throw away scrap and probably stinky when hot, but there were flowers.

Planted Flowers.

Even in sin and despair God gives us hope. Sometimes it is up to us to plant it and cultivate it, but it is there. Ready to spring forth and bless us. Ready to spring forth and show us the beauty that God has in store for us. Ready to spring forth, mature, and spread the seeds of hope and beauty for the future.

Yesterday we were at a spiritual retreat that we hosted for the caregivers and counselors of Living Hope. They work in deplorable conditions and in despair and get very little in way of rest and rejuvination. We were asked to led a retreat for them. We were nervous, scared, in the dark about what to do, but trusting God to work.

He did

I cannot say that we led the retreat because we did not. We participated in the retreat. Music, in several languages, dancing, sharing, food, the hope here is truly living.

One of the girls in my small group had a son who died suddenly when we was an infant. You can see the despair and longing in her eyes but she still gives care and love to those she serves.

The night ended with Dave on the guitar and me playing mandolin, sitting in the middle of about 40 people singing “Blessed Assurance”. I truly feel as though I have seen heaven.

Blessed Assurance all is at rest. I, in my Savior, am happy and blessed.
Watching and waiting, looking above. Filled with his goodness lost in his love.

I cry as I write this. I am sitting at a table on the veranda (no cigars), overlooking the ocean with the mountains behind me and the morning sun in my face.

I am overwhelmed by God’s beauty, grace, and hope.

Fun times in South Africa! - Laural

(Click on the photo to see a short video of everyone at the retreat worshiping during tea time!)


So here’s the thing...I’ve never written a blog before...call me out of date, I’m not sure. So be nice in your comments...
Well, this week has been full of firsts for me...first time in South Africa, first blog, first time to be completely inspired by lovely, Christ-filled, and spirited African men and women.
Yesterday, the Care Support Team spent another full day with staff members of Living Hope. We were with Support Group leaders, men and women who lead support groups for people with HIV/AIDS and chronic diseases- some of these leaders carry the same diseases as the group members. We were all amazed by the spiritual depth and hope of these people. I was moved almost to tears as they talked about the deep hurt and sadness that often fills their communities. But they are not overcome by the sadness- they pursue the wounded and the outcast and truly believe in the hope that can be restored through Christ. They see their job as their “calling,” it doesn’t matter the pay, the long hours or exhaustion that they experience- it is their joy to minister to the hurting and to spread Christ’s love in their community. They humble me.
We played a few fun games that the support group leaders loved! The “Human Knot” game proved to be pretty “tangled,” one group took forever, but we finally un-knotted ourselves. It provided lots of laughter and fun! Then, there was the South African hospital food that we had. I’ll say it again...South African Hospital food. Yummy...lots and lots of curry!! I learned a new word today...faff. What does it mean, how is it spelled? Any guesses? Leave me a comment.
Last night we had our team reflection time out on the beach. What an amazing site!! I have never seen such a big sky!! You don’t see this much sky in Nashville people, you’ve got to come here. What a picture of the vastness of our God. I was absolutely amazed that this God who makes the sky, the ocean waves, and the mountains is mindful of me and chooses to love and use me. How wonderful!
So today began our Home-based Carer Retreat. We retreated to Camp Faraway, which ironically is actually only about a mile away from the team house. The theme for the retreat is Drink- a challenge of the carers to drink from the Living Water, and be refreshed and renewed by Him. We had worship- led by Dave and the Carers!! They sang the most beautiful songs...words can’t describe the blessings that came from their praise. They introduced us to some exciting and confusing African games. Most of the time we were trying to guess at what we were supposed to be doing- but it was a blast. Then we had a Braai- that means Barbeque!! Nate and Brent did a great job on the grill! It was fun to see Africans roasting their first marshmellow.
We’ve headed home to rest and will return to the retreat tomorrow for Part B. Thanks for your prayers! More to come tomorrow...

He had to remind me... - Zana

So, today was hmmmm…fascinating. Coming down off the natural high of being so successful in our work day yesterday we were under a vicious attack today. We spent the majority of our day working around the kitchen table with our laptops out and piecing together our information. As we get closer to the end product there are less jobs for our team of 9. It became a little frustrating as we came to the end of the day and realized we are far from done. Three days in the same room…hashing through tons of information with the same people can be a little taxing.

Since I had already been mentally weak when closing the day unsure of my purpose and if I should be here began to take it’s toll. I ate dinner fast and went to my room (which I found in a mess because the construction workers that had been working on the team house had left all their mess ON MY BED including a 10 gallon bucket with water and dirty rags in the middle of the floor). I became ANGRY! I immediately went to the word. Reaching out to God to calm me before I started to break stuff. As I opened my bible a copy of the Living Hope mission statement fell out. I read it over and over again. To reach others for Jesus Christ kept jumping up at me…how easily I forget. He had to remind me of the big picture. The big picture is what it’s about…everybody has different skills and He sent me and 8 other amazingly talented people to come together with our business brains and rejuvenate Living Hope with the proper tools to continue bringing hope and the good news to the third world communities in Cape Town. What an honor to be a part of such a revolution…one that may change the face of Living Hope forever. Now, after much prayer time together and recognizing that Satan is so persistent in trying to discourage us due to fear of our potential…we are ready to move forward with full force in completing our task. We are proud of our work and know it’s going to rock their world. Thank you all for continuing to pray for us. With completion approaching, we still have challenges in tying it all together.

PS. I will be sharing my story tomorrow night at the staff retreat. This particular story of my life is one that I hold very close to my heart. Please pray for me to have the strength and peace in being able to communicate it effectively to the LHCC staff so that it would impact as God intended since I strongly believe that my suffering and redemption is the reason I am here.

Transformation - Nato

As you might have read, yesterday was an extremely hard day for the marketing team. A combination of figuring out the Living Hope culture, the South African culture and our own team dynamics made for a long afternoon meeting. Last night we regrouped and prepared for a full day of meetings, which led to tough conversations. Our team was either relying on our own skills too heavily, not trusting in God to work through us in a vastly different culture, or feeling like there wasn't a purpose for them on the team, as well as lacking a real sense of unity. We prayed and asked for prayer in our team meeting last night and went to bed wondering what would lie ahead for our next 10 days.

This morning, we woke up and had great times alone with God. Leah was reading in Matthew 6, "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes" (the Message) and shared this with the group as we were preparing for the Living Hope group to arrive.

Throughout the meetings today, God continually showed Himself working. During various portions, each person found themselves at the helm of the meeting, an expert in the required field. Everyone began to see ways in which they were uniquely essential to the marketing team and ideas were brought to the table for both international (US, UK, etc) and South African initiatives. We finished our meetings around 3 and were able to spend the rest of the afternoon spending time with one another. This included going to the beach and hanging out at a restaurant patio called Skabanga (which we subsequently found out means 'mischievous' in Xhose). All that to say, by the end of today, solid bonds had been formed among all members of our team and we had seen so much accomplished for Living Hope. Praise God.

Interesting Food, Good People and Tea

Today was a good day for the Care Support Team. We were asked to spend the day training two separate groups of people. Lay counselors serve in hospital and clinic settings and give pre and post counseling to HIV pts. Life Skills Educators work in schools, townships and community centers all over the city. They provide government funded prevention education, creating safe environments for kids, meeting physical needs by providing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and teaching about Jesus. Each group has high stressed jobs as they deal with life threatening illness, drug, alcohol and sexual abuse on day to day bases. Some days Lay counselors could potentially tell up to 10 different pts that they have HIV.

We started the morning playing the “Human Knot” game. Good times! Lots of awkward moments but a great way to get to know one another. They spent some time mapping out their journeys, and talking about what is stress and how they might deal with it on a day to day basis. We broke for tea-which is ironic in this setting but very British of them. We had small group discussion where the counselors had a time to vent. One of the life skills educator shared a story about a little boy who came to one of the after schools club. He showed up with chicken pox and they told him that he couldn’t come. He showed up the next day and said he knew he shouldn’t be there but could he at least have his sandwich because he was hungry. Our group couldn’t fight back tears.

We had the opportunity(if you can call it that) to eat some native food. Minced Beef and Vegetables that had a cinnamon, minty flavor with rice and a side of mashed pumpkin! I asked Jean-Luc, from the Congo, who was sitting next to me what we were having and he said “I don’t know I just eat it”

We spent the afternoon goal setting and praying for them. We really do think it was an effective time. They were so appreciative of our approach to this training. We went in asking to hear their stories and boy did they talk. I would venture to say that we learned more from their faithfulness and passion and deep love for their community. These men and women love with purity.

Tomorrow we get to be with support group leaders! We will cover how to lead a Bible study, what is self worth, and how to be a support group leader. So more details to come!

I am thankful for Leanne, Brent, Laural, Sam, Brittany, Julie, Tammy, and Lesli and for their sensitivity to the hardships that were discussed today. It is hard to hear the stories and the hardships that these people encounter daily but our team has approached each opportunity using knowledge and encouragement. I think we are all learning to trust in the HOPE of Jesus as our Healer.

We're definitely in another country! - Dave H

What a great day! It wasn't without its challenges, however, but God is teaching us through those. We toured all of Living Hope's facilities in Cape Town this morning and had a wonderful lunch at the beach. After that we split off into our different teams - Marketing, Construction and Care Support.

-The marketing team has an incredible task of helping Living Hope develop a marketing plan. Most of the people on the team do this for a living, so it seemed natural to help in this way (and Living Hope asked for it because of the expertise of the team). What the team found out today is that we are in a very different country and things don't necessarily work the same way they do here as they would in the States. They knew that and had even prepared for that, but today experienced it. Tonight as we shared as a large group, the marketing team was very humble and shared that they feel the task may be impossible, given the time frame. But they also acknowleged that God can do the impossible. So, we are begging you to pray that the Holy Spirit will do a divine work in their meetings over the next week and a half. This may sound discouraging, but we are all actually encouraged knowing that God is the only one who can make it happen!

-The Construction team had a great day of working within the metric system (ha!) and learning all kinds of new terms for equipment and supplies. The person that works at living hope handed Ethan a tube of caulk and Ethan asked him what they called it - he said "sealant." Ethan asked if he had ever heard of caulk and the man looked puzzled and said, "yeah, I've heard that word before, but I'm not sure what it is." So, we have laughed at the differences and are enjoying being able to help construct a new office for an employee who will be with Living Hope very soon. Pray for safety for our team and that we can be efficient in finishing the task!

-The Care Support team went to a township called Red Hill today. It's basically a village of about 1000 "squatters" who live in shanties made of whatever the people could find. Fifty percent of the people in this township are HIV positive, so the environment seems very hopeless. The team was able to help lead a kids club with a local resident, Zolaka, who is so on fire for Jesus. She is loving on these kids and wants to share the love of Christ however she can. She is so proud of a new house she is building and showed the team where it was. The reality is that it's a shanti that still needs a roof, and when she gets the money to buy the roof, she'll finish it. In the meantime she's sharing her own food, which she does not have much of, with people in need to help them. Zolaka is being used by God. In our orientation this morning at Living Hope, we were told about a fire recently in a township called Masi. The fire started quickly, and because the winds are so strong here and the shantis are so close together, it swept into about 100 shantis that housed about 500 people. No one even had time to react. I was thinking about that today as we talked about how dark Red Hill is, and we prayed tonight that the wind of the Holy Spirit would blow on the fire of Zolaka to ingite the entire township.

Thank you for praying. May God be glorified!!!

3, 2, 1 (Brent)

Pardon me if I am a bit cheesy in what I am struck with today. I would not take the time to post either, since Kyle already did, but today has been an interesting day and is worth another mention. John Thomas said that serving in Cape Town can kind of create this “spiritual schizophrenia”—from one street to the next you see the difference between first world and developing world. It really is amazing and hard to describe. Anyway…

3 Languages: We have dealt with at least three languages already today: British English (it can be tricky sometimes), Afrikaans, and Xhosa (one of the three “click” languages—yes Jon Merryman, click—a whole 2 hour worship service in click, with translation for the most part).

2 Oceans: Cape Town is where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. They actually look different—the Atlantic is more blue, while the Indian is more turquoise. Apparently the Indian Ocean is about 5 degrees warmer, too, and only a few km away from where we are staying and overlooking the Atlantic.

1 Bird: a parrot named Coca…you can see LeAnne’s picture. Wow…

Also…

3 Generations: We were told about three generations of women living under the same roof of no more than 12’ x 12’, all HIV+, all isolated from one another’s status. The chaplain here at LH knew about all three, but they withheld the news from one another. HIV status is highly secretive and stigmatic, even within family units. (They now know and are living with this together rather than apart.)

2 Decades: We heard of a girl who believed her life would not amount to anything so she decided she would have sex with as many people as possible and enjoy it to the “fullest.” She decided to rack up countless partners and get HIV so that she would be dead before she was 20—then it would not matter if the poverty in her life kept her from earning a decent wage: she’d already be dead. She is well on her way and is HIV+.

1 Village: Red Hill. Maybe only 1,000 live here on the side of a mountain. There is spotty electricity and only one water source for all the people who call Red Hill “home.” It is estimated that 50% of the residents of Red Hill are HIV+. We go there tomorrow.

Chicken with Coca - LeAnne

We're in South Africa - Kyle

Hey, folks. After eleven grueling hours on a flight from London, we arrived in Cape Town at 6:00 am South Africa time, just about the time many of you were going to bed. The baggage claim and customs process took about two hours and ended with four lost bags. No fear, the bags have now been recovered. We took a beautiful, scenic drive around Table Mountain to The Team House, where we are staying. We had breakfast, got settled in and went to church at Musiphumelele Baptist Church, a church plant of Living Hope. The church is located in Musiphumelele, a area of shanty houses where one in four are infected with HIV/AIDS. We quickly learned services do not have a specific start time, follows no order and has no certain end time. Most of us could hardly hold our heads up we were so tired, but the service was highly spirited. It was done in both English and an African dialogue. We enjoyed worshipping with these folks. The kids loved having their pictures made by many of us.

After services, we went for lunch with John Thomas, founder of Living Hope and his family. We had a great time of food, fellowship and learning about Living Hope. After a short break and dinner, we did planning for a busy day tomorrow and have just finished a time of reflection and worship. For many of us, today was a day of firsts-first time to step foot on the continent of Africa, first time to worship in a dual language service, first time to see Cape town and the Indian Ocean.

I think I am speaking for most of us when I say that I experienced many emotionals moments today. Maybe part of that is the lack of sleep, but more importantly, God was moving. Thanks for praying for us. Keep it up! We need rest desperately.

Hangin' at Heathrow - Dave H

The day has been long and somewhat uneventful, with the exception of Angie's passport falling into the check-in desk in Chicago. Thanks to the maintainance man and Ethan disassembling the counter and getting the passport out, all is well and she's with us! For those who want to know, we're safe at Heathrow Airport awaiting our flight to Capetown. In 2 hours or so, we'll be boarding the long flight. Thank you for praying.

A busy day... - Lisa

Today for me has been a very busy day! Starting with a luncheon that I actually chaired for Williamson Medical Center and St. Thomas for women and heart disease month, to getting everything ready to fly out, to continuing (unsuccessfully thus far) to get the FAFSA done for Sarah for college by Mar. 1st deadline.

The great news is that I wasn't sure how this would all work and like normal God has taken charge and the worries of the week have disappeared! The luncheon went wonderfully, the flights are going well so far (getting ready to fly to London) and the FAFSA form, lets just say I am counting on God to help with that process but no worries.

The group is having a wonderful time getting to know one another and we are all excited to see what God has in mind for us! The plane is here!! We will be boarding in about 20 min.

Peace,

Lisa

On Our Way - Amy J

Thanks to everybody who came to the airport to see us off—we are indeed on our way! We've made it effortlessly from Nashville to Chicago and now we're waiting to grab the 7:45 flight to London.

Allison and I were talking on the flight to Chicago; we noticed how this team is already settling in—if that makes sense. Trainings and meetings don't really train you to be a team, that kind of starts the second you leave the ticket counter and start down the terminal. Once you walk away from the familiar, the sense of team is so much stronger.

We're on our way and doing well. We're excited to see the next city!

Thanks for checking in on us. We'll be in touch very soon.