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