BEAUTIFUL FEET!!!

After a little ribbing about the length of my blog entries from one of my buddies, I've decided I would TRY to keep my post as brief as possible. I realize you only have so much time in the day and your employer may not appreciate your zoning out on my blog so here goes...

Think about this scripture in your mind as you read.

Rom 10:14 But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?
Rom 10:15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!"

Our team in South Africa was a small team of 7. In only 4.5 days of targeted evangelism, our little team of of 7 lead 75 people to the throne of Grace - that's 10.71 people per trailblazer that went! God is so great and greatly to be praised! How humbling that He chose to use US to affect the eternity of so many people!

Everyday around 3 or 4, we would wrap up our one-on-one visitations and we would make our way back up the trails to our vehicle. As I would walk away from these squatter camps, my mind would always ask my heart, "Who was just in the next shack down or on the next row over that we DID NOT MAKE IT TO?" God had prepared hearts in such amazing ways and people that were hearing were so very very hungry I had to wonder, "What if 15 people had gone?" Would we have seen more than 150 people accept Chrsit? How many MORE would have heard the message? How many MORE would have become a citizen of heaven? What about just 5...what if just five more would have went? Who would have heard that didn't hear and who would have believed that never had the chance to believe? They needed to hear too, but who would or who WILL share with them? Will they EVER hear about the saving Grace of Jesus?

How can they hear if there is no one to preach and how they can believe if there is no one to go? The Bible lays these great questions out for us to consider. When we are obediant to the call, no the command that Christ gives us to "go," we see just how REAL and at the same time how heartbreaking it is to know that you leave people behind that didn't get to hear the message. They may never get the chance to live a life of hope and love and faith in Jesus. How sad. I will say this. If they never hear, it's not because God failed. Remember, He's not willing that ANY should PERISH. No, if they never hear it is because WE FAILED - we didn't go when He said to go!

Most people don't find anything too pretty or attractive about feet. In fact, I bet it's safe to say that most feet are just plain unpleasant to look at. Paul says this "How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!" This isn't a question but rather an expression of endearment if you will towards those that are willing to actually go and preach. I may not have the prettiest feet, but I hope one day when I get to heaven, my Heavenly Father looks at me and tells me that my feet were absolutely gorgeous to Him because they went and they preached!

Do me a favor...look down at your feet for a second. They are probably covered with socks or shoes...am I right? We keep our feet covered, but I challenge you to let your feet be the beautiful feet that God intended them to be...feet that will indeed make a difference in the nations of the world. JUST GO ALREADY!

Ron

"SOMETHING IS DIFFERENT ABOUT YOU!"

Welcome to Friday! I just want to thank everyone for their e-mails of support and comments about the blog and the events that I've been blogging about for the last two weeks. I've sincerely enjoyed being transparent and hope and pray that you read something that challenges you and encourages you in how you are living your life and engaging in your faith!

I thought my entry on Rose would be some of my final thoughts about the trip. As I went through pictures today, I realized there was more to share and so much more to say that hadn't been said yet.

It was Wednesday afternoon. We had but one and a half days left to share the message of the gospel with these great people of South Africa. We were in a new squatter camp called KaySans. You can see some of the pictures above. This camp is much different than Diepsloot. In Diepsloot, we parked in front of a clothesline pole in the shape of a cross with plenty of open space around us; here we parked in front of a garbage heap of trash and old/rotten food. As I mentioned earlier large grocery stores dump their rotten food here so people can go through it and cook it for their daily bread. The stench of this was a bit overwhelming. We got out of our vehicles and divided out into our usual 3 groups. Acts, Wendy, Derrina and I climbed the slight hill to the area right above the garbage zone. At the top of the ridge we turned left and walked along a steep drop off until we ran across two young women. They just sat there, overlooking the decaying heap of trash below them. It made me appreciate the beautiful views I have from my front porch of the beautiful Appalachian mountains. It made me appreciate the smell of the leaves from the fall, the smell of rain in the spring, and the smell of sunshine in the summer. What a contrast to the scents that my nose was taking in.

I wish I could remember their names but I just can't. Maybe Derrina and Wendy can fill in the blanks for me later. Acts begins his usual opener. They were amazed that we would come from America to see them. Of all of the places that we could be they couldn't understand why on earth we would show up there. We told them that we had flown in a plane 18 hours and that really messed with their heads; they thought you could just drive to America. When we told them that it was only 6:30AM at our house and that our families were probably still in bed, that really warped their thinking...after all it was 1:30PM.

We smiled and chatted a little bit awkwardly for 10 or 15 minutes. As much as I had been talking and being a part of the conversations with the people, my lips were oddly sealed. I let Wendy and Derrina keep the discussion going. Suddenly a new young woman enters the picture and wonders what we are doing and why we were there. I had this bad feeling that she was going to be a distraction and try to throw us off of our mission...thankfully I was very very wrong in this feeling as she actually became a great help.

Since my lips were seemingly sealed, I decided that I could be of better service to play with the kids that were impatiently waiting and bothering our two mothers. I thought it best that I become a distraction with them so that the team could effective have the attention of the moms. I squatted down to my knees and taught the kids how to give a high-five and then just a "give me five". Their eyes were glowing with the attention they were received from me, a crazy-happy white stranger man. It sounded like the conversation was going much better behind me as the moms began to relax and open up. I had no idea what they were saying specifically because I was too busy trying to keep these adorable kids busy. We all held hands and I made up a simple little song of praise using one of the two Zulu words that I know...U-JES-OO (Jesus). I sang it over and over and clapped and danced and pointed up to heaven. Interestingly enough the little girl said Jesus instead of U-Jes-OO so we just started sing Jesus, Jesus, Jesus over and over. It was fun if I can be honest. That's about the extent of my children's ministry. I'm good with kids for about 10 minutes and after that you'll need to pass me the morphine drip LOL!

I was motivated this time however to keep going. I heard something that the women said to Wendy and Derrina. They said this, "There's something different about you all. We don't know what it is but some thing's different that we don't normally see. Our kids can tell that there's something different about that guy because of they way he is playing with them. They can sense it." Well I heard that and I just started praising even more right there above the garbage dump and over top of the stench of garbage, me and the kids lifted up praise from this sad little place in the world. God will be glorified in all places of all the earth and this place was no different just because it was "different."

The 3rd lady that had joined in insisted that the conversation go further. At that point, me and the kids stopped playing as we were invited into the shack. There was much attention to detail in this small one-room building. The bed was neatly made with small stuffed animals strategically placed on the top of the bedspread. There was a small stereo and a few other gadgets on a shelf that were covered with a white, lacy dolly. The ladies insisted on sitting in the floor while we were given chairs and stools.

I listened to that third women speak of how horrible the white boss at her job treats her. He calls her a dog among other things. She's clearly hurt by the degrading verbal abuse that she takes from him, but she's helpless to do or say anything. She is after all, one of the lucky ones that even have a job. This is the first time that someone has opened up about some of the hardships of being a different race in this country. She only told the story because she was so amazed that we were not calling her a dog. She was amazed that something was just so different about us. We were nice and full of life and respectful. We treated her like a human. She had never seen a white person in the way we were representing them up to this point in her life. We listened with a careful respect and tried to be as understanding and compassionate as we could.

We thought it was interesting. We came to South Africa and saw blacks in a whole new way than what we see in America and because we came they saw whites in a whole new way. It was the perfect bridge for us to point out and use as we talked about God's creation and how He created all of us, not just blacks or whites and that He wants a PERSONAL relationship/friendship with all of us. This struck a chord of understanding and agreement in them. The conversation progressed as we continued to share our lives with each other.

We learned that they were hungry. They had a physical need that we could not meet at this time, but we shared with them the gospel. We told them about Jesus being the bread of life. Finally I shared some scriptures and personal testimony from my own life. I told them that even though I had never felt hunger like they had that I had times in my life that I was hungry for other things to fill up the hunger that was inside of me. I went on to tell of my love of material things and possessions and how I used to seek after those things. Only after I began my personal relationship with Christ did that hunger get filled and I no longer needed those things to fill me up because I could "feed" on His promises and His Word.

After we led them in a prayer of salvation, we sat in amazement to hear an incredable statement..."You know I don't feel so hungry anymore. I feel full." Well the tears were welling up in our eyes to say the least. It's almost surreal to hear people testify to such a filling of God in their lives. It's amazing that she would share such a thing with us. She had no motive or stood to gain nothing for sharing. It was just her heart being exposed for us to see. Jesus is the BREAD of LIFE and she was full from feeding on it and receiving it!

She found the bread of life because she SAW something different in us. What a powerful thing to say that they way we were talking and treating them was a witness to Christ and His love and His Spirit that dwells in us. How incredible that something besides what we were wearing and the color of skin wasn't what they saw but that they saw that difference in our actions and our words. The Bible tells us to let our light show for the world to see and this was a real life example of how brightly and how effortlessly it really can shine if you let it out! How neat that they could see Christ in us! Now His Holy Spirit dwells in them! Praise God for 3 more that day!

This particular sqatter camp was interesting to say the least. John, one of our team members started sharing the gospel on one of the pathways with 3 men and as he shared more and more people gathered around. In the end John led the group of 15 men, that's right 15 men, all in a prayer to invite Jesus into their lives and follow Him forever.

It sounds too good to be true really. I read that and still think "no way." There were no easy gospel presentations. This wasn't Joel Olsteen preaching the peaches and cream gospel of feel good and prosperity. The TRUTH of God's Word was presented. It wasn't edited for political correctness and it wasn't cleaned up so we didn't offend the different cults of the world. We told them how it was as it is WRITTEN. Nothing more and nothing less. The Word went out and it DID NOT RETURN VOID...just as it is written in Isaiah! God is still moving! God is still working in the world today! God is still in the business of saving souls...whether it's 3 at a time, 1 at a time or 15 at a time! God still shows us His grace and His mercy through Jesus and Jesus alone! In Him there is no other! He is I AM!

The Rose

I've been waiting to share this story because it's one of the most exciting parts of the trip. To be honest it is also maybe one of the hardest to share because of the emotion that I feel when I just talk about it. Since I will be free-writing, I can't guarantee that the thoughts you are about to read will be coherent or in perfect writing order...so here goes.

On our second day in Diepsloot Squatter Camp we met Rose. Interestingly enough we ran across her because she ran across us; she literally chased us down. We had just left the shack home of Zele and stopped at the next to see if we could talk to them. There were several people outside talking and when Acts asked if we could come in they said they had been spoken to already by others from our group. So we dusted off our feet and began to walk down the worn path. A young woman emerged from the group and began making her way towards us. She was younger than most we had been talking to up to this point. Her head was covered with a do-rag and she wore a white t-shirt that had a picture of the African continent with the words "AFRICA UNITED" printed in bright blue. As she quickly moved towards us, she caught the eye of Acts and he stopped to see what she wanted. She said she hadn't spoken to anyone and wanted to talk to us. I remember letting out a slight chuckle as I thought back to the Maggie experience. I realized that yet again, God was allowing someone to chase US down so that we share the gospel with THEM. Oh yes, I let out that little laugh knowing that once again He had set us up for another one of His amazing divine appointments.

We make our way through the gate of what appears to be a relatively new shack. A small dog hides in the tiny shade of a bench that sits to the back corner. A few flowers are growing along the front wall. The splash of purple hues brings a comfortable feeling and a smile to my face. This woman has been watching Curb Appeal on HGTV I think to myself! It struck me that she had been making efforts, even here, a place where an entire home is a one-room tin shack, to bring color and life, cozy and homey to her environment.

We sit and speak with Rose for a bit. We learn that Rose is a mother to a 14-year old that is living with someone else in a distant place. Rose lives here with her husband but he is rarely home because he works in many different places and only comes home on occasion. Like so many others, the money they earn is sent back to the family. We also find out that she loves music. Someone spoke up in our group and mentioned that I was the person that sang at our church. She surprised me when she insisted that I sing her a song. This may shock most of you who know me, but believe it or not I was hesitant. I felt embarrassment for some reason? After a bit of prodding, I burst out the chorus, "This Is The Day That The Lord Has Made." She smiled and clapped as I sang. The neighbors that were standing in the yard behind her looked on with a curious stare...probably chucking at this white boy trying to sing.

As I finished I turned the tables on her and insisted that SHE now sing ME a song. She too protested, but eventually let out a nice chorus of something related to God. We clapped along with her as we tried to pick up the language quickly. Even though we messed up the words we enjoyed our time sitting there and getting to know her. As I've said so many times before we were in the process of sharing and exchanging life with this stranger, and it was GREAT!

As she finished her song I thought it a natural transition to ask her about church. She informed us that she went to the ZCC (a Christian wanna-be cult). Acts interrupted and asked the million dollar question that seemed to be so effective, "WHY?" She informed us that she went because she had been trying to get pregnant and she thought they could help her, but she never conceived so she stopped going. I'm so thankful that she was honest and transparent. Most Americans would have just said some lie but she was real with us which helped us get real with her. Wendy asked her what I thought to be a strange question at the time but later proved to be quiet effective..."WHY" [did she want to get pregnant]. Rose just kind of laughed and asked it again back to Acts like "What do you mean why do I want to get pregnant?" as though Wendy were somehow coo-coo for Coco Puffs. Wendy just repeated it again with an nonthreatening smile and a tilt of her head and Rose finally answered. She told us she wanted to get pregnant because her 14 year-old wanted to have someone to play with. We really sensed that Rose was lonely and wanted to conceive so that she could have someone to love on each and every day while she existed and lived there at her shack.

Suddenly I felt that increasingly familiar feeling...that feeling of the Holy Spirit opening my mouth and prompting me to speak. As with so many other people we had met along this journey there was a common factor from our lives that would bride the culture gaps and allow us to understand and symphatize with the people we met. I began to share with Rose the fact that I had a 9 year old at home and that she too has wanted a little baby brother or sister. I explained that my wife Sarah had been trying to conceive as well and that she had many issues with her womb that made us wonder if she would be able to ever have a child. Rose was listening intently as I continued to share.

For those reading and don't know this story it will be new to you as well and God gets the glory here today yet again for His awesome ways! I suddenly realize that I have something very very important to share with Rose and that is the story that my wife and I went through on our own journey to conceive and how it is connected to our faith and our relationship with Christ. I explained to Rose that just a few short months ago, my wife and I were trying to get pregnant. We had been trying for several months and nothing had happened. [My heart is racing as I tell this story. I almost can't get the words out fast enough as the Holy Spirit puts them in me.] We went to our church one Wednesday night for what's called a prayer meeting. That's just a time when the people of the church body come together and pray together. I made it clear that we went to this prayer meeting because of a relationship that we have with Jesus Christ. Since we follow and trust Him, we also pray directly to Him and He in turn intercedes with us to God. As we prayed our pastor felt led by the Spirit of God to lay hands on my wife's womb (over top of her hands in case you're thinking something you shouldn't). That night the 3 of us agreed together in prayer and asked the Lord to open up Sarah's womb. Just a few weeks later Sarah and I heard the incredible news that she was going to have a baby. I definitely had her attention now as I shared our story. I stopped there however and moved forward into a new direction.

"Rose, what we came here today to share with you isn't necessarily about the physical life you want to conceive in your womb, we are here to share with you how you can have spiritual life, an everlasting life that is even far greater than having a baby, a life that will lead you to heaven in eternity. Can I share that with you please?" Rose said yes and I brought out the handy evangecube yet again to visually help me tell the story of our sin, Jesus' death and resurrection, and the grace and mercy of God. Rose was ready to pray and ask Jesus into her heart. Derrina or Wendy (can't remember now) prayed with her a simple prayer and we knew that the angels in heaven were yet again rejoicing. God wasn't finished here though!

As they prayed, I remembered something else that had happened that night at the prayer meeting in August. My mind struggled to really believe this was all happening and had all happened like it had just for this one very special moment in time. After Neal had prayed with Sarah that night, he gave her a scripture from the Word as he felt led by the Lord. All I could remember was that it was a scripture that indicated that Sarah would indeed conceive and that there would be joy and laughter in our home. In this chaotic moment I couldn't think of the exact verse but I wanted so desperately to share it with Rose. My heart was pounding at the very thougth that the Word of the Lord that was given to Sarah was also given to Rose this very day??? I looked down in what I can only describe as a slow-motion type of awe and thrill as I realized what I had in my hands. As I was packing for my trip, I couldn't get my big Bible in my suitcase so I asked Sarah if I could take hers since it was smaller and had a concordance. In my hand was Sarah's green Bible. I knew that she had marked that scripture from Neal so I was just blow away that I just so "happened" to bring her Bible instead of mine. My heart raced and my hands no doubt shook at what I anticipated. As I opened the Bible towards Genesis, it fell right to the place. Instead of it being marked there was a small piece of paper. There in my dear brother's handwriting was where he had written Genesis 21:6 and the date 08/20/08 AD. I thought I'd find a pen marking the verse. I had no idea I would see Neal's print there at the spot. I was so overwhelmed at this point I could hardly keep my composer. I managed to keep it together and I explained to her the story as I just explained it to you. The team looked on in and listened with the same amazement that I felt and we ended our time with a powerful powerful prayer for Rose to conceive and to raise this child for the Lord!

After we concluded we hugged and said our goodbyes. Another hour had passed and another wonderful, unforgettable experience had taken place. We walked back up the path towards the vehicle in a stunned silence. Scot came up towards me as he could tell I was on the verge of something. He motioned for a hug. I put my finger up and said I can't but he insisted. He hugged me and my tears started. As we gathered around the vehicle to pray, I was completely overcome with emotion. Wendy and Derrina and I were all crying. Scot and Leslie were a bit misty as well as they had had some pretty incredible experiences of their own. I cried almost the entire way back to the camp...let me tell you why...

Do you realize what God did during the experience with Rose? I believe He didn't allow her to conceive because He was setting this whole thing up from the very beginning. He knew in advanced we would be there, walking down that path to her shack to share Him with her. I believe He didn't allow Sarah to conceive so that we would be looking to Him and Him alone for this child. I believe He waited until we knew it could only happen by His Word and that my Sarah had the faith to believe He could open up her womb. I believe He set-up our prayer meeting that night and allowed to flow in such a way that Neal would be obedient to His Spirit to pray over her. I believe He gave Neal that verse to encourage Sarah. I believe He gave Neal that verse to use to encourage and strengthen the faith of an upcoming, new believer named Rose. I believe Sarah's faith and trust in the Lord allowed her to believe that her womb would be opened. I believe that her womb was opened so that she could conceive a life. I believe the life in her womb, that is being formed at this very minute, was part of the story of Rose's salvation experience. I believe our child has already helped bring one soul in the Kingdom. I believe our child is a child of promise as Isaac was to Abraham and that he/she will be leading many many more souls to the Lord in the Name of Jesus! I believe that Rose has or will conceive and I believe that the life of the child will be a life filled with the Holy Spirit of God, and I believe the Lord will use this baby also to do mighty works for His Kingdom. I believe that it was NOT a mere coincidence that Sarah's Bible was in my hands that day...that the verse Neal received from God was penned on that small piece of paper so I couldn't miss it when it needed to be share. I believe God used my unborn baby, my wonderful wife Sarah, and my best friend and brother Neal to be a part of a wonderful divine appointment that only God could ever coordinated and set up. YES I believe that God is an amazing God!

South African Stars

There isn't much I can say that I like about the winter season. Between the high cost of heating oil, the endless wind, and being stuck inside for several months there are few redeeming qualities to the season. The one thing I do really enjoy about this time of the year is the clarity of the night sky.

Now that I live here on top of Gibson Hill away from the blaring street lights of town, I've come to appreciate again just how cool the sky is at night. You know those nights when it is so bitter cold that your breath seems to freeze and your body shivers to survive. The stars are at their brightest on these nights and what a show they put on for us.

Just a few short weeks ago, I stood on top of a high hill in a world thousands of miles away. I overlooked the hundreds of thousands of homes that consummed the spraling plain below below me. The city was aglow with the usual hustle and bustle of activity. People were living their lives like we do, putting their kids to bed, cleaning up supper dishes, finishing homework. Life for so many parts of South Africa are very similar to ours. People are people everywhere no matter what. I looked up to the night sky as the warm spring-time breeze swirled around me. The stars were brillant there on that hill. A million shining lights beamed down from above. My eyes were drawn to two that were not that far apart from each other and in a perfectly straight, diagonal line with that little sliver of the moon that was still shining. I could tell that these two especially bright stars were planets...I later found out it was Jupiter and Venus. I stood there in a silent awe and reverance for the beauty and majesty of God's creation. It was a time to be still and silent and enjoy the works of His hands.

For all of the things that we don't have in common with the great people of South Africa there are simple basics of life that we all share. You know before we went, we discussed trying to find things that we could discuss that would bridge the gaps in our culture. People in South Africa may not understand the value of the US dollar or they may not grasp our 55" TVs, but they know the same struggles with life and living that we do. While we were there, we found there were many things that we could discuss to bridge the cultural gaps we could so easily fall into. I've already shared with you how God opened up the way for us to talk about common things like Simon's job and Eunis love for art.

As you know, since returning home I've been reflecting on the thougths and emotions from the trip. The further the actual experiences get from me the more I fear that I will somehow forget or allow the influence of that experience to lose value in my mind's eye. It has been a VERY VERY busy weekend. Bruce, one of our church-sponspored missionaries from Ukraine, stayed at our home this weekend and we had much to do and catch up on. I found myself completely exhausted by the end of each day as I continued to get my body clock back on track. Saturday night however something caught my eye.

It was about 11pm. We had just gotten back from a dinner theatre. As I stepped out of the car, my eyes caught something familiar in the night sky. Yes there they were the two planets that were so visible in South Africa were visible for me to see! The stars you see in the night sky in the Southern Hemisphere are supposed to be different that the ones you see in the Northern Hemipshere. Perhaps that rule applies to stars and not planets? Doesn't matter because they were there indeed looking back at me.

As Sarah and Bruce are talking in the background their conversation soon fades out in my ears. My mind goes back to that night on the hill overlooking the city of Johannesburg. As the two planets dance in unison in the night sky, the song "Somewhere Out There" begins to play...

Somewhere out there beneath the pale moonlight
Someone's thinking of me and loving me tonight

Somewhere out there someone's saying a prayer
That we'll find one another in that big somewhere out there

And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star

And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky

Pictures scroll through my brain in rapid succession like a slide show stuck in high speed. I see the kids faces looking into our vehicle, shining with joy and happiness as they devour the suckers that the white people gave them. I see Pamela's face weeping as she prays and becomes a follower of Jesus. I see the women in church dancing before the Lord, not as a show but as an offering of worship to the King. I see the little girl at "Mama's Daycare" dancing with all of hear 3 year-old heart as I make up some silly song. I see the tears well up in Acts' eyes as he hears of the 3 ladies who are hungry and have nothing to eat. I remember the tears in the eyes of Wendy and the smile of Derrina's face who later hear one of those same ladies say, "I feel full now INSIDE" because she had just been fed the bread of life in Jesus. Yes I still remember the hope in people's voices that believe that they will find work, that they will see their kids sooner rather than later, and that they will be healed of their sicknesses. I see the faces of people waving and smiling to us as we drive by them. I remember too the boy named "Blessed" who came up to us after a program and asked to receive Christ. I remember the car rides to the squatter camps that wree filled with us singing praises as we used praise to go before us in the battle. I remember the deplorable conditions that people are forced to live in and yes I remember the instance that I learned that people that live in this poverty do not allow themselves to be defined by it. I remember this great harvest field of Africa. A plain of shacks and tents full of people whose hearts are readied and prepared to hear AND receive the gospel message...I can't soon forget these things.

As we make our way up to the front porch of our house the music in my head fades and the conversations going on around me come back into my ears. My hands fumble to find the keys to get into the house and out of the cold. I was all the more thankful for the simple set of stars/planets that shined so bright that reminded me yet again of the greatness of God in the lives of people everywhere. It reminds me that He isn't willing that not one of these people should ever perish, but that they all reside with Him forever in the mansion He is building there.

I appeal to you today friends and followers of this blog. The harvest field is not just ripe it is indeed rottening. Please consider "going" when you hear of an opportunity to do so. There is nothing to fear as the God of The Harvest will protect and provide for all of your needs. Rise up like Isaiah the next time you are asked to be a harvester and say, "Here am I, send me!"

Don't Forget Me

Bruce, our missionary to Ukraine, is visiting with us. Bruce has been here on a 5 week tour to the US so that he can speak to churches about how God is working and moving in Ukraine. Our church has been going to work with him in the country for the past 3 years and it's neat to be able to host him in our home instead of him hosting us in his! Bruce will be at our Church on Sunday so please join us if you're interested in hearing more!

Today I want to continue in my journaling of South Africa. Picking up where I left off yesterday...

As we left Simon's shack, we continued down the dusty path to the next divine appointment. After the experience we had just had with Simon, our hearts were full of joy and anticipation. The nerves we felt about going into this squatter's camp were starting to settle. Now we were just full of expectation. Acts, our interpreter, led the way into the small patch of dirt that would be Eunis and Maggie's yard. Eunis and Maggie are two elderly ladies. They are sisters but live in separate shacks. Eunis was there visiting her today and God was already there warming up both of their hearts!

A large painted flower adorns the open door as Acts greets them both as "mama." I can't describe how he says it, but when it says it there is a sense of honoring and respect in his voice, but a sweetness and a comfortableness as though he were a child speaking to his own mom. It was wonderful to "hear" this type of connection between two strangers.

This shack is far different than Simon's. As we sit inside, I notice that it's a simple one room shack with very little furniture. The basics are there - a bed, a pot or two and a few shelves. Eunis sits on a small stool near the door and the rest of team surround her to the right. Maggie lies on the bed kind of behind us. The room is very dark with the only light source coming from the open doorway. As I look around I notice just how dark it really is. The tin isn't light colored on the inside like it is on the outside and this just adds to the sad feeling that lingers. Eunis' eyes are full of sweetness however and we listen with heavy hearts to hear her describe her "suffering" sickness. We learn that the shack doesn't have electricity, only the light from the outside. At night they can't burn candles because they have a tendency to catch the shack on fire (explaining the black walls).

Eunis speaks English and told us that she was from the Eastern Cape area. She was very easy to talk to and we found much in common with this kind woman. We talked about the importance of relationships and we talked about the common love that she and Maggie had with Wendy when it came to art/painting. One of them had painted that beautiful flower on the door of the shack so once again it was interesting to see how God had used something from the life of one our team, Wendy's love for art, to open up doors and bridge culture gaps. I said earlier in the week that we started in each opportunity to exchange life and here again we began a life exchange.

After much discussion on art and family, Eunis finally asked, "Why are you here?" Her frankness in asking the question took me by surprise. We had always been asking for God to show us open doors to walk through to share the gospel and this door flung wide open. We used our discussion on relationships to discuss the one relationship that is most important to our team and that brought us here...and that is the relationship with have as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ.

Eunis listened carefully as we went through the entire gospel presentation. As we neared the end, Maggie overheard the word Jesus. Keep in mind Maggie doesn't know English so she wasn't understanding our conversation. Acts wasn't really translating because we were sharing with just Eunis at this point. What's funny is that when we were almost ready to pray, Maggie understood the most important word of our conversation...JESUS! Maggie piped up from what I assumed to be a semi-conscious nap and let Acts know, "If you're talking about Jesus and God then I want to know what you're saying, don't leave me out of this conversation as it's too important."

I stopped cold in my tracks and my words stopped. I'm sure my mouth fell open and this woman's desire to hear the Word! I felt like Phillip must have felt running across the eunich. We decided to all go outside so that she could see the cube as I presented it. 20 minutes both women prayed with Acts to make Jesus the Lord of their lives. Tears of conviction flowed as they prayed. Derrina stood up to hug Maggie and Maggie held on for an eternity. We were all crying as we watched this connection take place and out of a thankful heart that the Lord had once again added to His Kingdom!

After we finished, we had to return to the car to leave for the day. Acts said, "I've never seen such high favor on a team before. It's as if everywhere we go, the Lord has prepared hearts and the Holy Spirit is moving in high ways. I didn't know what to do when I saw the people praying crying and the people praying for them crying too!" It was an awesome way to end the day!

Look around you right now or think about the people in the cubicles beside of you...who are you leaving out of your conversations about the Lord and His saving grace...who is saying, "Hey Ron, don't' forget me."

Have a blessed weekend! More on Monday!

Ron

Simon Says....PURPOSE

It's 5:42AM...I've been awake since 4:14. It seems my body clock is having a very hard time resetting itself from the time change. I tried staying up later last night and I thought 10:30PM would be enough to trick my body into sleeping right up until 7. Well I guess I was wrong.

I've always considered myself the night owl...staying up late and avoiding early mornings like the plague. This is different though. It's not too bad getting up before everyone and starting the day. I might get used to this...ouch, I just kicked myself for thinking such a thought. All of this early morning chatter brings me to my next topic on South Africa...Alignments and Adjustments.

You know every so often I have to take my car into the garage and get the front end aligned and the tires rotated. The wear and tear on the vehicle makes these types of procedures necessary so that the car will travel better and more efficiently. The more you keep the wheels in alignment and the tires rotated, the less it costs on overall vehicle maintenance. I've learned through this trip that I was and am in constant need of spiritual realignments and adjustments. I have found there are many adjustments that must be made in light of my latest mission trip.

OH THE COFFEE IS KICKING IN!!!

WRECKED. It's simply the best word to describe what our team is feeling right now. We saw what we saw and we can't forget it. We know what we know and there's no turning back (timely lyrics from Sara Groves). Now that we have seen these things there is a sense of responsibility! It isn't just our body clocks that can't seem to get back on track, but it's our lives. That may sound dramatic and over the top but ask any of the 7 and they will agree.

According to our team, it seems harder to connect with our spouses and our kids; our work activities are just not fulfilling like they were; and relationship with even our closest friends seem awkward and strange. Our spiritual minds are on overload trying to take in the ways and moves of God. Our faith has been challenged to wonderful and new levels. Our understanding of God and His Holy Spirit is growing and expanding to higher places. Yes, our brains are asking "How do we try to re-enter "our atmosphere" from this place that we visited on what seems like another planet?" NASA works so hard to put heat-resistant tiles and materials on the outside of the shuttle shell so that it won't burn up upon reentry into the atmosphere. If there is any breach in these materials the spacecraft is gone...like Discovery. We should be so wise when returning to the mission field not to burn up on reentry, but this seems to be a lesson learned in hindsight I believe.

SIMON SAYS...

Our first day in the squatter camp of Diepsloot was one of great apprehension and fear. I'm going to be honest. We, 7 white people from southwest VA, were going into a poor, all-black neighborhood. It was a little intimidating! News reports from this very area just a few short months ago showed this squatter camp in a burning chaos (google and read for yourself). We all knew this going in but we were on mission and trusted the Lord with what was about to happen.

The night before this mission began, I looked at the faces of our team members. Observed the silence and knew they were worried. After some encouragement and prayer we went to bed and settled in our minds that all would be well.

Around 1 the next day, the two white SUVs with IMPACT AFRICA proudly displayed on the outside doors pull into Diepsloot. Interesting enough our SUV stopped in front of a clothesline pole. Immediately I called attention to the post on the right hand side. The pole went straight up the center, but there was a horizontal bar going across. It looked just like a cross! I said, "It looks like we are in the right spot guys! God wants us here!" The cross always leads the way doesn't it!

We step out and form a circle. We hold hands and Rich asks me to pray. I prayed with such authority in my spirit as I asked for God to pull down strongholds and false teachings and make the way clear for His truth! We all agreed in faith and in prayer and we began what really was a Spirit-led walk down the dusty dirt path in front of us. John and Alison were on one team. Scot and Leslie on a second team and Derrina, Wendy and me on the third team.

Our first stop led us to Simon. Simon was sitting outside of his shack in the shade reading the paper and drinking some beer. My mind raced with the obvious worries as we entered his gate that had the words "Lovers Style" painted on the outside. I couldn't quiet figure that out? Anyway, Acts, our wonderful interpreter, began the conversation and just let Simon know that we were here to learn about the culture and people of South Africa. We may ask him questions and he was free to ask us questions.

With that it began. It became an "exchange of life" as we would come to call it over the coming week...this time where you just take things slow and build a relationship with someone and get to know who they are and where they are coming from in the prospective of life.

We learned that Simon was living at this shack in Zone 12 all by himself. His wife and two kids lived in a town far from Johannesburg. He was living here because his job was in J-burg and he would send the money he earned back to them in his hometown. He told us how he rarely got to see his family because he was working all the time. Simon lives in what we would call extreme poverty so that his family can have a better life. Can you imagine not seeing your kids for months on end? I was without Sarah and Katie for 11 days and it just about killed me inside.

Apparently Simon is a security guard and works insane hours - anywhere between 12 and 15 hours a day. This was a great door opening for me to talk since my dad was also a security guard while I was growing up. I told him how he also worked horrible hours and weekends and that there were times I missed him and didn't get to see him like I would have wanted. At the same time, however, I knew that my dad was providing for me and my sister and my mom. It's what he had to do. Simon and my dad, though from different places and with different colored skins both demonstrated their love to their families by their sacrifices. It's a sacrifice I've never forgotten and I encouraged him that it was a sacrifice that his kids would learn from and never forget as well. It really was an exchange of life!

Simon really began opening up to us. He showed us his small garden square that he uses to raise some veggies in so he could save even more of his money for his family. He invited us to go look inside of his shack. There in the corner was a small flame with a metal pot full of boiling water and pork. He was preparing for lunch. I stood in amazement as I scanned the small room that we would call a kitchen. No dining room table with chairs, no cabinets, no refrigerator, no stove, no dishwasher, no islands, no spice racks or coffee makers - just a 3 shelves and a couple of pots and a place to cook. Simon said, "You know I have all I need to survive here. If God needs me to have more to survive then He will give it to me." I was blown away to hear such a statement. He didn't blame a corrupt government for what he didn't have, He gave credit to God for giving Him what he DID have and knew that God would provide if it wasn't enough to sustain him! SIMON SAYS!!!!

As I turned around to leave the cooking room of this shack, my curious eyes glance over to the other room that is dark. I can only see the edge of what I perceive to be his bedroom. There's a picture of what looks like a high school class graduating taped to his cardboard wall. Underneath it is a word, written in black sharpie capital letters, PURPOSE.

I said, "Simon, did you write that word on your wall?" Simon said he did indeed write it on his wall and I replied with the obvious "why?" SIMON SAYS this..."I wrote the word purpose on my wall because I want to remind myself that everything I do, I do for and with a purpose in mind." The wisdom of this man astounds me. He is smart, he's nice and he GETS IT!!! I looked at the team and said, "Well there ya go, an open door!"

We returned to our make shift seating area outside (two buckets and a small yellow bench) and began to ease ever so gently into a discussion on spiritual matters. Simon didn't know of Jesus but seemed eager to hear what we had to say. He opened up about his own struggles with anger and venting his anger out when he shouldn't. He told us that he occasionally attended the church (not a Christian church) tent above his shack but that he didn't go too often. It was more than obvious to us all that the Holy Spirit had prepared Simon's heart as we began to share. After presenting the gospel to him using the the Evangecube, SIMON SAYS the most important thing of all...he wants to pray!!! We prayed. Simon's eyes were watery as we concluded the prayer and I was blown away at what had just happened!

After more than one hour, our mission here with Simon was finished. The divine appointment had been made by God, kept by the team, and sealed with the Holy Spirit! We walked away in a stunned, but happy silence. One more for the Kingdom! One more person that will praise Him from the shacks of Africa...EVERY TRIBE IT SAYS will worship. The Zulu tribe will indeed be represented in Heaven!

It was what SIMON said that makes it hard to re-enter the atmosphere! His wisdom and his understanding of provision and purpose were so profound to us all. It so easily relates to God's PROVISION of the LAMB, JESUS, for a divine PURPOSE...the purpose of seeking and saving the lost...including our friend Simon!

Cruel Contrasts

So many amazing things happened while our team was in South Africa that I really can't decide on where to start. It's hard to sum up how God worked and moved in a matter of paragraphs. Some entries will be longer than others. I hope you don't get bored and stop reading because it is my desire that you will be able to experience just a little of what we did. I will be writing about different subjects each day and using my journal to help me remember so check back often.

God looks for all nations to praise His Holy Name! South Africa is no different! We saw just how much God is looking for praise rs by the way His Holy Spirit had prepared the hearts for receiving the Word. We try not to place a great emphasis on the number of salvations that took place but we are so very happy to report that around 75 people made Jesus the Lord of their life while we were there. Most all of these came to know HIM by our one-on-one evangelism efforts. It was incredible to see God's Spirit go before us and prepare the hearts. I will be sharing more of these specific stories tomorrow...first let me set the stage for what happened.

Our trip over was uneventful. Besides the fact that we were stuck on one plane for more that 18 hours, it was great. The team had plenty of time to prepare for the upcoming activities. There was little sleep because our minds were filled with anticipation. We made up songs as we tried to learn Zulu words like Unkulunkulu (a long word, but means God), we played games, and we just spent some great time getting to know one another.

Once we arrived we met Rich Franzen. Rich and his wife Michelle have been in Johannesburg for many years and have 3 beautiful kids. They have started IMPACT AFRICA (see link to their site under "Missionaries To Pray For). This is a great organization that is reaching and impacting the lives of thousands in the Johannesburg area.

We were also thrilled to see Wendy's mom Penny and her husband Thom. They moved from the USA two years ago to start SAFE HARBOR SCHOOL. They have been equipping and disciplining pastors both in and out of South Africa with the truth of God's Word. It was wonderful to see them again and even more exciting to be here on their turf, serving with them.

Johannesburg is a city of about 8 to 10 million people...that's not a misprint. The city goes on forever. If you're like me when you think of a city in a foreign country, you may think that it would pale in comparison to our American cities, but that is not the case with J-burg. Johannesburg is an interesting place. The city looks a lot like something you would see in the American Southwest. It's full of modern luxuries and conveniences. Malls and upscale shopping are all over with VW, BMW, and Peugeot dealerships everywhere...we even saw an Electrolux store and an Amway store...eeek!!!

The city is, however, full of CRUEL CONTRASTS. One on end there are Beverly Hill-type homes and on the other are areas that I wouldn't want my dog living in. Unfortunately, J-burg is full of what's called Squatter Camps. These are small shacks, usually one or two rooms about the size of two office cubicles, made out of tin. Millions of people live in these small shacks day in and day out. They survive the terrible thunderstorms that are very common to the area. They live through the extreme African heat and the harsh winter temps...yes with only pieces of tin separating them from the elements outside. They are poor. They have sporadic employment if any at all, and many are dying of AIDS. They may often be separated from their families that are somewhere else inside of South Africa. They probably came to J-burg looking for work and forced to live in the squatter camps because they are sending any money they earn back to family.

It's sad. Acres and acres of land are covered with hundreds of thousands of these dwellings. It is the most extreme of poverty that you can imagine. In one squatter camp sewage ran through the pathways and around the shacks. The smell was overwhelming. Kids played and moms gathered water from the community water pipes as this stuff trickled and flowed around them. The smell of garbage and rotten food was also all around us. In Kay Sans, we learned that large grocery stores, like their version of a Sam's Club, would bring out their old and rotten food and dump it in the middle of the squatter camp and people would get the rotten food and cook it for their meals.

The cruel contrasts to our up-scale living and society are simply overwhelming. At one point our team found a VERY NICE grocery story (they even had Dr.Pepper!!!). We stocked up on some goodies and supplies, and as we waited outside a large box caught our attention. The box was for donations. Donations for DOG/CAT food...the store wanted to help out the animals that were hungry so they were collecting food...we shook our heads in disbelief knowing that a business would rather feed an animal than the hungry people that lived just outside of their very grocery-packed walls...it was sickening!

This is a huge change for the team to say the least. It is culture shock at its finest. No longer do our humble 3 bedroom houses seem so bad. Our living room is big enough; who cares if our dishwasher is broken; the yard is just the right size. No longer do we complain that we are eating sandwiches for dinner. No longer will we whine about the mattress being too hard or too soft. Yes, our lives changed forever when we walked into the shacks of Diepsloot and Kay Sans. Our worldview has forever been altered. There was plenty of guilt when we would finish up a day of ministry and Rich would take us to a nice restaurant for our evening team meal. It just didn't seem right. As we would cut into our juicy steak fillets, in the back of our minds our hearts were remembering Zele and Simon and Rose and the millions of other nameless faces that would never know the luxury of an 8oz steak cooked medium well with potatoes and a rich cream sauce smothering the plates.

It was a trip of contrasts. I saw more life in the faces of those that have nothing that I ever have in looking into the eyes of Americans who have everything. The people may be poor according to our standards, but their hearts are full. There is a sense of community in these camps - a sense of family that we lost once the TV, computer, and video game age took over. They take time to INVEST in other people. They all know each other and they know each other's pain. They know what it takes to survive in the insanity of their world. They live in struggle and heartache each day but with people all around them to encourage and support them.

It's interesting. We shared spiritual life with them and fed them the Word of God! In turn, they shared the details of their physical life with us and helped remind us of the important things that we take for granted too often...family, love, community, and relationships....more tomorrow friends!

Ron

Still Dragging

Hello everyone! I made it back home safely from South Africa. The return flight experience was a lot longer than our departure. All told between airports and fly time we spent more than 28 hours coming home. It made for a long, never-ending day!

I tell you that to say that I'm completely wiped-out. I want to update the blog very soon on the things that happended while we were away, but it's going to have to wait one more day.

Please be patient with me and check back sometime tomorrow!

Ron

Greetings From South Africa

Hello everyone. We stopped at an internet cafe here in J-burg so I thought I would log on. God is moving in great and mighty ways! His Spirit is convicting hearts at an amazing rate. We are doing indiviual evangelism and it's amazing to see people weep with conviction and pray to receive Christ. We saw two people on Sunday walk the aisle and had 9 yesterday. All nine were from shack-to-shack evangelism efforts. I have never seen such amazing moves of God and His Spirit and it is amazing at how God has set-up opportunities. I don't have time to wrtie abou them all right now, but when you hear them you will know that God was clearly moving!

I ask that you continue to cover our activites in prayer. It REALLY REALLY REALLY is softening the ground. The South African people are HUNGRY to hear about the LORD!

Don't have time now to e-mail, but hi mom and dad. I love you guys and can't wait to tell you all about the journey of a lifetime for me.