Three months and still truckin'

So its been a while since I really blogged. We're hitting the three month mark here and I'm just beginning to reflect on everything thats happened. I'm already not the same person that showed up to South Africa in January. All of my expectations, hopes, dreams of what this might be have either been scrapped or changed, most for the better, but some things are still up in the air. What I've been saying lately is that my paradigm of God is shifting.

I mean, we all grow in our knowledge and reality of who God is for us and for the world, but I think their are times where there is a major shift and a lot of things change at once. That's only happened two times before in my life. The first time was when I was 15 and I actually started this journey we call salvation. My whole world changed then. The second time was when I started Bible college. Beginning to really study and think about God, struggle with different ideas good, bad and in between. Both of these instances were accompanied by sleepless nights, joy, turmoil, tears and laughter. All that happening while in a different culture with different people makes it even more difficult at times.

I think it's a necessary shift, but it's hard to deal with and it makes me frustrated and intolerable at times which is hard for the community around me. I have this tendancy to want to figure out everything all at once. I let stuff build up, ideas and thoughts that I need to process as well as things in life that I need to accomplish (or think that I need to accomplish, as if that's what life is all about). Then like the straw that broke the camels back one more thing gets itself stuck up there and my mind just goes into overload. Then I bring God into the picture and think that I need to figure all this out so I can somehow please Him by bringing him this checked off to do list. It's even more frustrating when He set's aside the to do list without looking at it. The reality is He cares more about my heart.

Shane Claiborn writes in his book Irresistible Revolution (this being the Chris Seitz paraphrase) that in one moment we can see ourselves as beautiful in the eyes of God, His creation that He is wooing to Himself. In the next moment we can see ourselves as wretched and desperately in need, like the tax collector who can't even look to heaven when he prays. The reality is that we are both. How can we be both...?

Anyhow, I know that there was promise for news from what's happening here in South Africa. Of course, I dare not leave you wanting!

So as part of our submerging posture we went to stay in the township of Soshanguve. This is one of those experiences that's hard to explain, it's one of those you just need to be there. I stayed with a guy named Thomas who has lived in townships his whole life. It was a pretty amazing time spent mostly just visiting with lot's of different people, playing pick-up games of soccer and eating lots and lots of pap. What made the experience interesting was their perception of poverty. Where I'm from, living in the conditions in which they find themselves would be considered extreme poverty. For these people, however, I don't think poverty has entered their mind. They usually have food to eat, a warm place to sleep, they go to school, and they have electricity. It really makes you think that what we think we can't live without isn't really all that important.

Just me hanging out at Thomas'. Apparently with some ridiculously dirty feet

My room mate and his sister.

The other thing I mentioned in the last post was our trip to the Drakensburg Mountains. There is so much I can say, but I don't think I could give it justice. It was a great time to spend with my fellow apprentices, a time of laughing, love, getting our micro bus stuck in the mud, and breathtaking scenery. So, without further ado here's the Drakensburg.

Well, ok. This bug is a little strange, I know. But look at him! He's like red and blue and stuff. Who has bugs like this? Only in Africa, seriously.

As far as ministry is concerned, I have made some decisions. I’m going to start working with Zimbabwe refugees. I don’t know how aware everyone is of the political climate of Zimbabwe, but let’s just say it’s bad. The current president has been in power for the last 28 years, some of which was very good. Under his leadership Zim became the center for education for all of Africa. They are some of the most friendly and intelligent people you could ever meet.

At one point in their history President Mugabe simply took a turn for the worst (in light of not wanting to misrepresent fact and also not wanting to tell a 28 year history of a country in one blog that link will take you to a basic history of what's happened). In the last several years there has been a mass exodus of people to South Africa and it has become a huge challenge for this country.

Another problem is for whatever reason there seems to be some sort of hatred for people from Zim, especially the black South African population. Through an inner city church we have been able to hook up with a large group of refugees. This is a group that was staying in a township that were getting harassed and beaten up, so the city of Pretoria took them out and put them in this open courtyard/warehouse area. Now, it sounded like they were doing them a favor (in a way they were) and they set them up with a big tanker of water, some toilets, and other provisions, but then a week later they completely abandoned them. There are 67 of them there including 9 children, so the water went fast and the toilets filled up, and then they were left to fend for themselves. As I said before the Zimbabwe people are amongst the most educated, if not the most, in all of Africa. The problem is without proper papers no one will give them a job here. I met one guy with a PhD and he makes next to nothing. Not because he won’t work, but because people won’t let him work. On top of that there is no security (which the city promised 24/7) so people are coming in and taking their food and threatening them. It really made me sick, because I saw some of it first hand and there was nothing I could do.

So now one of the guys here, Jody, and myself are going to get involved with helping them. Mainly just spending time with them talking and listening, they want to tell their stories. On the other end we will help care for them at a local church, fight for the things they need, and really just do whatever we can to help. They are a people that are so full of hope, though. There were elections held recently, but the current president would not release the results. Chances are he lost, and if he decides to actually release them and step down, these people plan on going right back because in there mind there is no better place than Zimbabwe. To hear them talk about how wonderful home is blew me away. One man even described it as 'the land that flows with milk and honey'. Just picturing their faces with such hope in such destitution is bringing tears to my eyes.

Another opportunity we have is working right here in Pretoria North. It actually started as an assignment, part of our submerging posture. We had to pick a service project as a community, either from the list they gave us or something we came up with ourselves. Either way, we decided to go and find some of the people living on the streets that we’ve gotten to know/people we don’t know and take them out to eat. So we split up and our group ended up coming across 5 street kids that park cars right down the road from us. We all met up at Nandos (a local chain restaurant) and had dinner there. It was a really good time just getting to know them. They sleep in a parking lot right down the road and I just have this desire to do ministry that’s right in my backyard. It's the idea that God has planted me here, so why not try to make a difference in the lives of the people I see almost everyday. So my hope is to just start building a relationship with them, hanging out, playing soccer (it's amazing how much "ministry" one little checkered ball can accomplish), and just hearing their stories.

So one large prayer request would be for the country of Zimbabwe, that it would return to the land of beauty and prosperity it once was. Another would be for a girl there named Thandi. She is 22 years old and has taken responsibility for this group. She left all of her family in Zim to come to South Africa so she could send them money. She needed to do this because her father died last in February. When she began to tell us this story tears were forming in her eyes. She is the one who gets harassed typically when drunk men come in and demand that they get food, when in all reality there isn't enough food for the people who stay there. She bears the weight of caring for these people and all I could really do was hug her and hold her and tell her that she is doing a good job and that she is loved. This situation has changed the way I view being "blessed".

Another would be for the guys here on the streets. They are definitely in need, but also in need of softening. Life here has hardened their hearts, so it's gotten to them and when we try to offer them hope they just ask for things. And we can give them stuff, and God commands us to take care of them, but I guess it's hard to know where to strike the balance. Then again he tells us to offer our shirt if they steal our coat. These guys haven't stolen anything from me, but doesn't that mean I should give them even more... I don't know. Just be praying for my discernment in how I interact with them. I want to just get to know them and let them know they are loved. It sounds so easy, why does it have to be so hard?

Thanks for the love and support, I need it now more than ever. I still miss my friends and family and of course Crosspoint. I hope that this blog finds you all well and that it brings the things of the kingdom. Well, as best as a blog can bring the kingdom.