Back in South Africa

Thank you to all our friends and family for all your prayers and support whilst we were in the UK and Germany. It was so nice to see all of you and to have some fun whilst travelling. We slept in about 16 different beds and travelled many thousands of miles as we moved between bases. The children are tired and we are too. There wasn't much chance for a holiday whilst we were in the UK, so we're hoping to get a bit of time over Christmas when things get a bit quieter for the mission in SA during the summer holidays (December).

Scary moment

What an eventful morning! Josh managed to lock himself and Hannah in the car! With the keys in the ignition and all windows closed we couldn't get in and Josh couldn't get out. He couldn't release his car seat straps or open the electric window. We failed to smash the window. The AA said it could take an hour so we called the Fire Brigade! They arrived quickly and were about to smash the window when the AA arrived and managed to get the door open! Yay for the AA. Both kids were quite upset especially Hannah who cried the whole time. But they've recovered now and all is well :)

Sunday Snapshot

It was so nice to share with the congregation at St Michael's, Warfield about our missionary work. We had a great time, sharing with all some of the stories about the girls we meet through the work of S-Cape Home - a refuge for survivors of human trafficking in South Africa. 

It was also a blessing to go to a pool party afterwards organised by one of the members of the congregation. Thank you St Michael's for your wonderful hospitality and welcoming attitude towards the travelling missionaries (us)!

Off to Germany

We're all really excited about spending the next 10 days in Germany seeing friends that we've not seen in a few years. This weekend we'll be coming along to the Paulus Gemeinde in Bremen, where we'll be sharing a few anecdotes of our work in South Africa.

We shared briefly at the main service, but saw a more intimate crowd at a special evening event where we were able to unpack more of what we're involved in, and our passion for missions. Thank you Paulus Gemeinde for being so welcoming to us.

Making difficult decisions

Our time in England has been a chance for us to catch up with friends and family and take some time away from our ministry to reflect on the work we've been doing and look to make some decisions about our future. We're excited about re-committing for another term and grateful for all the supporters who have journeyed with us as we serve with YWAM. There are some difficult decisions that we need to make in this season as we look to transition from medium to longterm service overseas. We're so grateful to VDM for their guidance through this process!

The need for discipleship

Discipleship is a strange term that we band about in Christian circles. It’s a kind of mentorship with a focus on drawing people closer to their relationship with God, rather than ploughing them with their own ideas. However, when discussing this outside of the mission environment, I prefer the term mentorship as a more accessible term.

I regularly mentor one or two students studying at the local Youth With A Mission (YWAM) campus, here in Muizenberg. We go out and have a coffee at a local haunt and have a catch-up. The difference is, rather than a friend, I am a mentor. This means that I have a certain aim with which I have the meeting and there are certain roles to perform, although the tone of the conversation remains relaxed and friendly. The purpose of each student receiving a mentor is to help them grow in what they are learning and directly apply some of the concepts, not just theoretically in their head, but practically in how they live their lives.

A mentor needs to be mentored

One key element to mentorship is that each mentor needs to be mentored themselves. I, myself, am mentored for about 2 hours every two weeks by a senior staff member who challenges me on areas in my life that he feels I need to grow in. There are some statistics that encourage me to pursue these small meetings and see the value in taking time with the individual.

OK, let’s  return to the term discipleship. If I have one person who disciples (or mentors) me and I in turn disciple (mentor) two others, meanwhile teaching each of them to invest in the lives of two others, within 31 years we would’ve reached a billion people! We cannot underestimate the importance of spending quality time with people and encouraging them to grow.

My learning curve this year is twofold: learning to listen better and learning to ask good questions. As I learn to listen more intently to my mentee and bring questions that deepen his understanding of concepts, I learn also to be comfortable in the silence that follows the impact of a good question. The question isn’t meant to stump the mentee, but make them stop briefly in their tracks and become more self aware of what they are sharing and how it is impacting them right now; allowing them to go deeper into what God is doing in their lives and how it impacts their circumstances and affects others around them.

Discipleship vs. mentorship

Discipleship is about listening: first to God, then to your mentee. It’s about walking alongside someone as they traverse the challenges of their life. It’s about saying: I care about you, where you are going and what you’re doing; I’m praying for you and I want the best for you.

People are valuable to God. The great commission is there and still hasn't been fulfilled. Jesus commanded us to go and disciple nations. 

Each individual is valuable to God and we must hold what they share with us as precious as we do our own lives. The impact a good mentor should never be underestimated. 

Another sleepless night

After 7 months of disturbed sleep from having a newborn baby in the house, we were sleepless last night for a different reason: fire.

Muizenberg mountain - a mountain range just a few hundred meters from our front door was on fire. And not a small fire either. The night sky was lit up with an orange glow and the sound of crackling could be heard as the fynbos bush was burning. Yesterday fear struck the city as we watched it spread, out of control, to many parts of the mountain range in very difficult places to reach. Added to that was the fact that yesterday was the hottest day on record in Cape Town for over a hundred years!

There's a helplessness that you feel when you see such things, as roads are closed and traffic is gridlocked right down the peninsula. Helicopters were flying overhead dropping large bags of water which they'd scooped up from the Vlei (the lake just by our house). Joshua was super excited to see all the activity with fire engines continually passing, planes and helicopters all trying to tackle the blaze. He also showed great concern for the fire to be put out, grabbing our garden hose and pointing it at the mountain and demanding that I turn it on!

The community has been awesome throughout this time. The fire and rescue service has been blessed by countless gifts of food, ice, drinks and other offers of help. Residents have united together in a common cause: put out the blaze. Facebook has been a wash with dramatic images of the fire. It is quite a time to be living in Muizenberg. I don't think we'll ever forget this time.

On the one hand there's the desperation to put out the fire to stop it getting near any more houses (it has already raised a few to the ground), on the other hand the fires which happen every 5-10 years are essential for the rejuvenation of much of the flora and fauna that populate the mountain range. Table Mountain national park (which the range is also known as) has more types of  flower than the whole of England! Many of them need the heat of a fire to burst their seeds and spread.

Having said that, the local residents who have lived here for years say that they've never seen the fire so big and spread so fast as it has over the last couple of days. Please pray for this city to be able to pick itself up from this dramatic event which captured us all and to get back to 'normality'. But also pray for a continued growth in the community spirit that we've seen over the past few days - people serving and supporting one another. It was truly beautiful to see.

Love feasts update

I just had the privilege of meeting with Tom Bloomer through a Google Hangout. He met with a group of missionaries and gave an insight into the background to Love Feasts. His message referred back to the history of the Love Feasts and gave the team the feedback that, although Youth With A Mission (YWAM) has different expressions of this, there is no need to make a 'copy' of what happened 40 years ago in one operating location. Rather, see what the elements are of good fellowship - being honest, asking tough questions, forgiving and seeking forgiveness - can be present in our meetings.

Tom emphasised the importance of eating together as a primary focus for some deeper interaction. Referencing studies of teenagers who regularly eat the evening meal together are less likely to engage in illicit behaviour - drugs, alcohol, anti-social behaviour etc - and they would be mentally and physically more healthy.

Studies have shown that teenagers who regularly eat dinner with their families are less likely to engage in illicit behavior involving drugs and alcohol and more likely to get better grades and be mentally and physically healthy.

A study done by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse revealed that teens who eat fewer than three family dinners per week compared to those who eat five to seven a week are twice as likely to use alcohol and tobacco and one and a half times more likely to use marijuana.
(ref: Psychology Today Blog)

I think I can learn a lot from this Elder in our mission, whose passion is to serve Jesus, whatever it takes, and has a legacy of doing just that. Hearing the simplicity of what we need to do - invite people into our homes and share food with them, I'm inspired to apply that to our own ministry.

It was something that we felt strongly when we came to Muizenberg. We felt God say: open your home and make people in your midst feel welcome. Having people to dinner has always been a blessings, and somehow, there's always enough food. May God increase our capacity to welcome people into our house and be willing to share and be vulnerable in the community - to continuously humble ourselves and raise Him up.

Tom ended the Hangout with a challenge to try and have a meal together with our teams once a week; to step away from fast food; to take our time over eating and fellowship with one another.

Doing the impossible for God

I did a survey recently among Youth With A Mission staff that work out of operating locations in South Central Africa. The overwhelming majority, when asked what the most effective and needed communication would be from my team is, answered 'face-to-face'. This is a region vast and wide where travelling between locations can take 2-3 days, across land boarders where visa restrictions, language and currency regulations become a battle in themselves! Added to that, working for a ministry where we fund ourselves, I barely have enough in the account to pay the rent, let alone travelling to have face-to-face meetings with everybody.

Added to that, the quality of the internet across this region is terrible, so Skype/Facetime is out of reach of most.

Added to that is the fact that my wife is expecting our second child and we have a very busy family life and ministry at home to contend with.

So I'm seeking wisdom on how to bring face-to-face valuable communication without continuously travelling!

Please keep me in your prayers.

Keeping it simple

Sometimes we like to over-complicate the gospel. Other times we like to make a formula: to do it right as a Christian, you need to do: x, y and z. But I'm learning that the Bible doesn't teach that. It teaches something much more straightforward, but much more profound! I'm currently working my way through the Old Testament as a project for work, learning about the sphere of communications. The Old Testament is a wonderful foreshadow to the gospel. In fact, without reading the Old Testament, the New makes very little sense. What are we being saved from? What is sin that we are all condemned for? Why is sinning bad? All of this is answered in the wonderful words of the Old Testament writers.

Just this morning, I read:  “Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. For I command you this day to love the LORD your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy." Deuteronomy 30:15-16

That command hasn't changed. You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind. Luke 10:27

The bit I think most of us find hard is the working out our salvation, as Paul describes it in Philippeans 2:12. It's the obeying, despite everything we see around us; the following whatever the cost.

I've come home today to rest in his presence and spend some time thinking on these things and seeing if I can take steps towards raw obedience. I think I've over-complicated my life!

Praying for Zimbabwe

The great thing about coming together in missions is that there is strength in community. I’ve been invited to come and share about communications at a leadership gathering in South Central Africa. We’re meeting in Livingstone (just near Victoria falls) and I’ve had the privilege of joining in all the sessions. The group has been exploring what God is doing in the region. We had a focus this morning on Zimbabwe. Historically many ministries and bases across southern and south-central Africa have been launched by YWAM volunteers coming out of Zimbabwe. However, in recent years this has suffered, and staff numbers have dwindled. The group came together to pray and intercede for the nation and ask for God’s heart for this nation. God spoke in wonderful ways: in words, in pictures, in Bible verses. And they all focused in on a love for this country. The first session this morning was concluded by a spontaneous worship session where we all sang together ‘akuna wakaita sa jesu’ – there’s no one like Jesus. What a wonderful experience.

Preparing for my next trip

You know that feeling when you're about to embark on a trip. Finances are (just about) there to buy the plane ticket and the last days are approaching before you leave.

I'm about to head off to Livingstone in Zambia to meet with leaders working across South Central Africa. I have met some of them before, but I've never been in a position to teach them...until now!

I'm nervous and keep staring at blank pieces of paper entitled: key messages that I want to give. Aaaargh. A few days to go and I'm really not ready. Please, Lord, help me now!

Learning to be more deliberate

Just watched a movie with my wife and a couple of friends, called About Time, late on a Friday night. I wasn't really in the mood for a movie, but I thought, oh well, let's give it a go. 

This film had me laughing and crying and - what's best about a good movie - it challenged me to think long and hard about my life. 

I love films that spark a discussion afterwards, where we really have to think about what we've just seen and provokes us into thinking about something deeper. The film, without giving away the plot, gets the audience to think seriously about what we value the most and how we live our everyday lives. It gave an insight into the beauty and depth of the mundane daily existence. It forces you to think: what if I lived my life in a more deliberate way!?

So, I am accepting the challenge. I'm asking God today, Saturday, to begin a new work in me that causes me to have my eyes open to the reality around me; to be aware of His presence in the small 'insignificant' things that usually pass us by. And, more importantly, to be present and purposeful in my family life and not squander what precious time this is, with the people whom I love and who love me the most. 

Missing the true leaders in our midst

Watching children is a very interesting activity. You see a crude reflection of adulthood. The kids are much more obvious with their selfishness, greed, anger and thoughtlessness. Yet when we look around us what do we see? Which leaders of nations do we elect? Which leaders of churches? Certainly not the most humble, selfless characters in our midst.

I'm currently processing how I teach my three year old son about the world. It is especially pronounced as he is such a gentle character. He loves sharing and giving. He is really out going and extroverted. However, to other kids who don't understand these virtues, he looks like a pushover. Rather than being admired by his peers, they push him around somewhat.

Then I look at the Christian communities around me and see that we admire the loud, extroverted, bold leaders who are confident and self assured. Meanwhile the humble, servant hearted people are overlooked and sometimes even mocked.

We want the 'go getters', the self-made fighters.

Yet what does the Bible say?

A friend wrote this on her Facebook wall today:

Jesus didn't choose scholars to be his first ambassadors. He chose social outcasts and despised criminals who were merely willing to abandon all they had to receive all he had to give.

The Bible doesn't promise us fame or fortune in this world. In fact the promises are so much greater, but they're not offered to the bold and braizen.

Blessed are you who are poor,
For yours will be the Kingdom of God
Blessed are you who hunger now for you will be satisfied
Blessed are you who weep now for you will laugh
Blessed are you when men hate you
When they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man.
Luke 6:20-22

Reading this list of beatitudes, I realise that I need not look at or lament what I see around me. The value that others put on my son and what people hold as valuable in a worldly sense is irrelevant compared to the value that God puts in those that just lay it all down for him, whatever our social standing.

Though it may be tough, Lord help me walk the right path to righteousness.

And help me to teach my son to do the same.

Amen.

Love feasts

When I first came into Youth With A Mission, just four years ago, there was this term Love Feast banded about. I wasn't sure what it meant and it certainly sounded a bit dodgy to me!

As I have travelled to different regions and operating locations, I find that the term exists widely but is used in a variety of contexts. It was odd to me that such a name exists but nobody really had a pure definition of what it meant. Some places it was a reward - a meal as a gift to a team returning from outreach. Other places it was used an excuse for a party. Yet I'd never been to one where the focus was on a sober, but intentional meal in preparation for the Sabbath.

It filled me with joy, therefore, today to receive the latest edition of the International YWAMer with an article from Tom Bloomer, entitled How Did YWAM Love Feasts Begin? explaining the history behind the concept. It appears that the name has travelled well, but the purpose and value behind why they're important hasn't.

This touched my heart, especially, as God has really been challenging me this year to step up as a man, husband and father (taking more responsibility) and taking the Sabbath more seriously. This is a year for really exploring what it means to rest in His presence. It's a year for developing, deepening and maturing. It's a year of preparation what God has instore for me.

I love this soaking in His presence. As charismatic as that may sound, for me that is manifest in reading my Bible and taking walks along the sea front, allowing him to speak to me in the quietness of the moment. It's also in group fellowship - meeting with friends, sharing coffee and asking them how God has impacted their lives and what we need to give thanks for.

I don't have my ministry all figured out. I don't even know how it's going to look in six months time. All I know is that He is true, trustworthy and someone I want to follow and spend time with.

What a joy it is to be serving Him in this way.