let the whole world know...

"Give thanks to the Lord, and proclaim his greatness, and let the whole world know what he has done" (Psalm 105:1)

As I look back over 2009, I am impressed by what God has done for me and in me, and through me and in the lives of others around me. I was given an opportunity to do the Church Planting Experience (CPx) with All Nations in Cape Town this year – a six month, community-based outreach program which teaches people how to make disciples and plant Jesus. Being with them has afforded me the opportunity to learn how to BE the Church, and dwell amongst the poor and the sick, the way Jesus did. It’s very different from just attending church and offering up prayers for the poor or giving them handouts. I am grateful for this opportunity because I would never have sought after poor people in the way I have done this year. It’s been one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done before – living in community for six months (25 people in one house), sharing food and space, dying to my own needs and wants for the sake of others, reaching out to the poor, carrying their burdens...the list could go on.

I ministered to the poor in a way that I don’t think I would ever have sought to do because it is so contrary to the normal way of living. Poverty is not only about a lack of money, there’s a whole mindset that needs to be challenged – a mindset that holds onto a victim mentality; a mindset that allows abuse to continue because of a lack of self worth; a mindset that does not support saving for the future or taking pride in one’s household or children; a mindset that embraces futility – believing that there is no way out. Challenging this poverty mentality involves more than handing out money. It involves dwelling amongst the poor, becoming their friends, offering them love and understanding, teaching them how to think differently, live differently, introducing them to Jesus, teaching them how to hear His voice, walking with them through their horrific experiences, taking calls in the middle of the night, for some – moving into the neighbourhood. 

 But the fruit from this experience is unprecedented. Fruit in my own life, and fruit in the lives of those around me. A new spiritual growth has been harvested in me. If I’m honest, I know that I would have preferred to remain in my safe Christian bubble, reaching out to those in need from a distance, and never getting fully involved in their lives. But I have met some amazing people in a poor community called Ocean View. I have experienced walking the way Jesus walked, and (to some extent) living the way He did, and hanging out with the kinds of people he hung out with. To mention just one example, we have befriended Claudine who was addicted to drugs, could not take care of her three children, and who had no hope for her future. She came to know Jesus who transformed her life, gave her the strength to stop using drugs, filled her with so much hope for the future that she is bursting to share this with her friends who are stuck in the rut that she was in.  We baptised her a few weeks back, and her close friend who witnessed this, wants the same for her own life. Claudine received a scholarship this year to participate in our ten day mission program (Ten Days For Jesus) and her maturity is soaring through the roof (please read her testimony below). What a privilege it’s been to see Claudine working out her salvation. She is but one of many stories here in All Nations, Cape Town.

I would also love to share with all of you what’s been going on in my heart concerning the future. During the course of this year, I’ve become more and more aware of a deep desire to study medicine. I have prayed and fasted about it, and talked it over with my leaders at All Nations, and I believe that this may be something God is calling me to do. It’s an impossible dream if I look at it in the natural, for many reasons (money, academic experience, my age, etc.) but it was something that resonated so strongly in my heart, and indeed it’s a dream that I had as a child for many years, that I could not ignore it. So, I have taken a step of faith and applied to two universities and I am trusting God for the impossible (because nothing is impossible with God). Not only is this something I want to pursue for excellence, but it is also a way into any community, and a much needed vocation especially amongst the poor.

While I wait for the outcome of these applications, I will remain with All Nations, ministering to the poor and discipling those that God puts on my heart. I am still also involved with Justice Acts which is anti-trafficking organisation wanting to educate those most at risk of being trafficked, and seeking justice on their behalf in a country where no laws protect them at present.

I would also like to be transparent about my needs. Raising support for myself has been quite a challenge ever since I left my old church in England and not having been back in South Africa long enough to establish a basis for financial support as a full time missionary, before joining All Nations. God has moved mightily in the hearts of many of you, and I am thankful for your generosity over the last few months. However, I am still not in receipt of any regular support and I humbly lay my needs before you and ask you to act however the Lord leads. I am hoping and trusting for people who will commit to supporting me on a monthly basis (no matter how small – or large – the amount).

A brief summary of my (monthly) basic needs: R1600 for rent and electricity, R2000 for food, R2000 for toiletries, petrol – I am using a friend’s car for a few months, cleaning products for my flat etc.

 I will continue sending monthly updates about my ministry in Ocean View and with All Nations and Justice Acts, as I’ve done this past year, but if you would like to receive weekly updates about my progress with medical school, and also my financial situation, please email me to let me know. I will gladly be as transparent as I can about my finances, my needs, my blessings and how my plans are advancing, and also give very specific prayer points.

I cannot thank you enough for your partnership, love and prayers. May the Lord bless you mightily as you serve Him. 

alison.ludick@gmail.com

tell everyone about His wonderful deeds

These are the testimonies of three of our local leaders who received scholarships to participate in our Ten Days For Jesus mission program this December. They are writing to their sponsors to thank them for their gifts which allowed enabled them to do this. These excerpts have been used with their permission. A brief introduction is given before testimony:

Nathan - we met during our CPx this year in February (2009). We got to know him, shared Jesus with him, had bible studies in his house, met his mother and grand mother, baptised him in April before we left on outreach. This is what he writes:

"Ten Days For Jesus changed my life in so many ways. Compassion, love for others, forgiveness etc. I have an illness that doctors can’t cure but I know my God will help and heal me. People always will say everything will be fine but in fact the only one who can make the decision and that is God. I have met many special people. I have never heard any one saying to me that they love me. There’s this one guy Craig who told me that he loved me. And I was shocked; even today I am still crying due to the fact that he actually changed my life without him knowing it. So now I am happy with all the decisions that I have made so far my dear friends. I would just like to thank everyone of the guys and gals who made the dream possible and now I can go out and share the good news with everybody. Jesus is alive – yes friends, he is!!!"

Thandiwe - she is a graduate of our sister school called LxP (the Leadership Experience in Jeffrey's Bay). She  is from Lesotho, her life has been transformed through knowing Jesus, and she has great plans to write a book about servant leadership because of her experiences in Jeffrey's Bay. This is what she writes:

"Thank you for your support. You made this ten days program easy for me and helped me reach people in the community with the gospel.

This program helped me realise that a lot of people are hungry for the Word of God and they lost hope because of what is happening in their areas.

I met a lady at Masiphumelele, her name is Catherine. She told me and my team about her son who is addicted to drugs and that she is struggling because she is not working. We prayed for her and the next day when we met her, she told us that she found a job.

Thank you. You did not do this only for me but also people I reached during ten days because now they know that there is hope in Jesus. 

May God bless you."

Claudine - one of our team members met her during CPx this year (2009). She was hooked on drugs, and hadn't eaten for three days. He gave her what was in pocket that day - something like R10. In October, while taking a Canadian team around Ocean View, Claudine had completely changed. No longer on drugs, and with a renewed hope for life, she was keen to do bible studies with the Canadian girls. After they returned to Canada, Lisa and I continued meeting with Claudine and she introduced us to her friends, saying that she wanted them to experience the goodness and grace that God had shown her. We met her friends, agreed to do regular bible studies with them, encouraged Claudine to take the lead in those, and baptised her this December. This is what she has to say:

"11 Dec – we went to Back to Basics Adventure camp and had a fun day

12 Dec – we went and checked out the community we gonna work. Afterwards we went for a stroll on the beach and then we had a games evening at Mike’s place

13 Dec – I woke up very excited because I got baptised today and it was so awesomely wonderful. Every sin I’ve committed and how ever I did wrong were washed away. I died to the things of the world and started life as a new person in Christ

14 Dec – we went into the communities to start our evangelism tour through Ocean View, and we ended up with quite a few people who were very hungry to hear the Gospel. So we went to the same people every day to catch up on what the Lord has been doing in their lives. And we heard a wonderful things, but some stuff we heard were meant with a good intention but totally wrong. So we tried to evangelise her on the right track but the few days we had in the community were too little, but i will have a follow up bible study with them after this Ten Days For Jesus has ended. The Lord has changed me dramatically through this experience in my own community. I have a better reaction towards other people. I learned to love, trust and obey and be obedient to God’s words. God has come through for me on this Ten Days For Jesus. I just want to thank you for making it possible for me to be here. Most of all I want to thank God for planting the seed in their hearts to help me get here on this journey of discovery. I discovered how much I appreciate myself and my fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord. I discovered a new me. I discovered a better insight of the word through Floyd McClung’s bible study. It was a pleasure being here, meeting new people discovering new things and being a part of this ten day challenge. I just want to thank everybody involved. The team leaders did a great job. But most of all the people who donated the money in order for me to be here, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. And I love you with the love of the Lord.

Thank you very much, From Claudine Rubain of Ocean View, Cape Town, South Africa" 

These testimonies are but three of the many stories of transformation that have occurred in the communities we've been working in. It's been such an honour and privilege to be part of these stories - to see lives transformed, hope renewed, dreams reignited, and destinies changed. What a mighty God we serve.

"Sing to Him, yes, sing his praises; tell everyone about His deeds" - Psalm 105:2

Ten Days For Jesus 2009

What an amazing time we had this year. Thirty young people decided to give up a part of their Christmas holiday in order to give their gift to the One who's birthday we celebrate at this time of year; and what better gift than your time, your money, your gifts, your talents, your emotions, yourself...

"In view of God's mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual act of worship." Romans 12:1


TDFJ (Ten Days For Jesus) is an All Nations' opportunity to learn a few basic things about simple church, discipleship and to spend time putting this into practice in some of the poorest communities in the southern peninsula of Cape Town. It is an opportunity to experience first hand what it's like to live in conditions which do not even qualify as "basic human rights" or to grow up in communities where physical abuse and drug addiction is "normal". It's an opportunity to form authentic relationships with people you would not ordinarily seek out, and it's an opportunity to see first hand how an active relationship with Jesus Christ can change a life.

This year's TDFJ kicked off with us going to an adventure camp called Back to Basics - just an hour or so outside Cape Town. The participants were divided into their outreach teams (representative of the communities they would serve in over the following ten days) to perform a number of team building tasks - such as raft building, obstacle courses and the like. They had a fantastic time, getting to know each other and learning how to work in teams. This specific adventure course was chosen because the running theme throughout TDFJ was also "Back to Basics".

The "basics" of discipleship, prayer, morning quiet time, bible reading, application and obedience of what was read were modelled and taught by Floyd McClung each day. This was a great opportunity for those who were familiar with these models to get back into the daily discipline thereof; and for those who were very new to this, it was an opportunity to learn from scratch, and to put into practice effectively. Each day started with a scheduled quiet time, and a time of prayer, and was followed by a time of teaching. Thereafter, the teams went into the communities for most of the day, to interact with the poor and build relationships with them, to serve them.  They returned in the late afternoon.

We then spent time together in our own "community" through cooking together, eating together, prayer and worship times and then hanging out over some tea and coffee and sharing our stories. I believe I speak for everyone when I say that we caught a glimpse of what living together as brothers and sisters looks like; sharing our space, and our time, making allowances for each other and building good, solid relationships all in the name of Jesus. And the overflow of our love for each other was demonstrated to the poor each time we went out into the communities.

Their exploits were too many to mention but here are two noteworthy stories, one of which comes from a local guy who was selected to do the TDFJ program. His name is Lucas and he is from Masiphumulele and he was granted sponsorship to do TDFJ. Our vision at All Nations is to raise local leaders and so we used this program, not only to give outsiders the opportunity to engage with the poor, but also to give people from those poor communities the opportunity to be discipled and then to minister to their own.

This is what Lucas said:

“We went into the community and met three guys (the naughty guys of the community). After praying to the Lord that we would not be avoided by the people, we found ourselves sitting in their place watching TV. I was afraid we might get beaten this time, but the Holy Spirit gave us words instead. The next moment we found ourselves speaking and listening and they were responding with hunger to know the Lord and they asked us to pray for them and find them a bible so that they can read; they wanted to serve the Lord like us.”

The second story is from Valentine, who was serving in Redhill. He said:

“On Friday, as led by the Holy Spirit, we found ourselves at a house where we met a lady who had been sick with Asthma, difficulties to breathe and to walk. So we laid hands on her and immediately she was healed. We walked outside with her and she starting running and jogging, lifting her hands into the air praising God.”

These are just two of many stories. God did some amazing things in the lives of many people this December. What a privilege it's been to be have witnessed His transforming goodness. Pastor Bob from Living Hope in Hamilton, Ontario said (when he was here in October 2009) "we're in the life changing business". I can't describe the excitement that fills my heart every time a story of desperation is turned into a story of glorification after people meet the King of Kings, and he floods their hearts with His love and mercy, and sets them free, and gives them new life.

Baby B

I came home one Friday afternoon for lunch, and was pleasantly surprised to find my flatmate, Alli, feeding a tiny baby – four months old, desperately hungry, sucking a bottle as if she’d never had one before.

The police in one of our communities had given her a call to come and fetch this baby because her mother was threatening to leave her right there. She’s a drug addict, who is trying incredibly hard to make a positive change, and has booked herself into rehab. Her home situation is that all of her family and the people who live with her are addicted to drugs too, so she is never at peace about leaving the baby alone. She had run out of options that day; she had to choose between going into rehab and leaving her vulnerable baby at home, or forgoing the treatment to stay and look after her.

This is the reality of the communities we work in, and the people we meet and the lives we engage in. Every day, we see how the addiction to drugs destroys lives. We hear stories about how women get beaten, and we see the bruises (physical and emotional). They share with us the reasons they drink; how alcohol provides an escape to a hellish reality.

But then we also get to participate in the redemption stories.

I meet with a group of women every week (sometimes twice a week) who are so hungry for change. Just today one of them was able to tell her story of how God changed her life and how a life with Jesus is better than the reality of drug-addicted past and the way she used to neglect her children; this testimony she shared in front of many just before she got baptised. She told of a life filled with hope and a new love for her children. She is so motivated to spread this story to her friends, who are still caught up in the life she used to be trapped. One of them was at her baptism today. And this past week, this same friend came to the realisation that alcohol will not make her problems go away. It’s one thing to know this fact cognitively; but it’s another when this truth becomes a reality. She has mentioned on a number of occasions that she, too, wants a different way of living. She’s thinking about baptism and we are waiting for the day that she will take the step and choose to walk away from the things that destroy her life.

And, right in my home, I have the privilege of being part of baby B’s story. She’s an absolute delight. Today, I rocked her to sleep and fed her a bottle, and watched her laugh and relax and revel in contentment. (I also cleaned her puke and dribble, and I won’t be surprised if I get asked to change her diaper too!). We will only have her for a few days until a foster family will take care of her.

I have loved every minute of her being here. I get the biggest thrill knowing that my life is being used to make a difference in the lives of others.

My flatmate, Alli, works for an organisation called the Baby Safe, committed to offering life, hope and options for desperate women in crises, and their babies. It is an amazing ministry – please feel free to read more about who they are and what they do here – www.babysafe.org

What the Canadians said about Ocean View...

After having spent two weeks in Ocean View, this is what the Canadian team had to say when asked what their favourite highlight was:


Ocean View is a beautiful community with beautiful people. My FAVOURITE highlight was the opportunity to connect with several beautiful ladies - Nani, Baby, Audrey, and Anna. The privilege of sharing, praying and singing with these families was incredible. The openness and friendliness of this great community, to this day, warms my heart. I can't WAIT to come back!!

Sheila - Pastor of Living Hope


"Whatever doesn't work at home (in Canada) will work here." I was truly amazed at the openness of the people in Ocean View; both to hear about Jesus and to receive prayer. In the midst of the poor conditions were such tender people with beautiful hearts. Although the strategies to share Christ with them were different, and easier than how it is at home, they have truly inspired me to believe even greater for open heavens in the spiritual atmosphere of my city.
Marisa - Pastor of Living Hope


One of my favourite things about being in Oceanview was the warmth and friendliness of the people there.  Everywhere we went we were received with smiles and open invitations to people's homes. The love we received from the children of Ocean View is something that will stay with me forever. They would cling to us and hug us and hang off of us as we walked through the community. It was always hard having to pry everyone loose when it was time to go at the end of the day.

The residents of Ocean View were so warm and open with us. They were largely responsible for making this a trip of a lifetime and will always be remembered by everyone on our team.

Jason - Pastor of Living Hope

My highlight of Oceanview would have to be the children. They wouldn't even know youre name and they would just love on you and accept you no matter the color, age, or race. The love those kids exerted was awesome. I learned a lot from those kids, they genuinely warmed my heart. I miss them so very much.

Sarah - Intern at Living Hope

Ok, so what I liked about Ocean View the most was the response from the locals; they were very friendly and open, which helped me to connect with them smoothly. They made me feel like close family, for example: I met this one girl Chelsea (among a lot of other people) and i feel like i knew her longer than i met her.

Jalysa - Intern at Living Hope


My favorite highlight of my trip was when I was speaking to a young man mixed up into the Ocean View drug culture. I was able to share how Jesus delivered me from the lifestyle back home, and he was really touched. He was a quiet young man, yet I could see a glisten of hope starting to show in his eyes. I was able to embrace him and tell him just how much God loved him, and how he has a specific purpose for his life. Simply divine.

Braden - Intern at Living Hope

My favorite experience in Ocean View wasn't one actual experience, but was the overall kindness and warmness of every single person in that community. Everyday was a heart-warming experience just to say "hello" to someone and have them say "hi" back and then have a conversation with them in such a way that it just does something to you that's indescribeable and that we definately don't experience in Canada. God has definately touched certain areas of Ocean View's heart without them even knowing.

Connor - Intern at Living Hope


My highlight would simply be what God is doing there. Through us being there for 2 weeks, and through All Nations, I could see the desire people had to hear what we had to say about God. They would run up to us for prayer because, even though they don't have that relationship with God, they still knew that He was the one to run to. Even when they were as drunk as ever, their hearts were still longing for God. It was refreshing to see people fill with joy while we were there. Me and Sarah would sing songs and play games with the children, and they would just fill with a joy that is indescribable. So, God is really moving on the hearts of the people in Ocean View, and I cannot wait to see what happens! 
Melissa - Intern at Living Hope

Ocean View was rich with community! Everywhere you turn you're greeted with glowing smiles. People love to talk to you and treat you like you're an old friend. They're all calm and relaxed. People and relationships are what's important there. It was a real refreshing experience compared to the western culture.
Ashley - Intern at Living Hope


When I left Oceanview, I left a huge piece of my heart behind. I loved everything about this community. The people in Oceanview have hearts the size of the continent of Africa itself. They shared with us their hearts and hurts, their pain and their pursuits, their victories and defeats. They so readily gave of themselves and loved us for who we were, which made us love them that much more intensely. It is so apparent to me that our Father God went before us and arranged these amazing divine encounters! I have not ceased to thank Him for this incredible opportunity to visit His beautiful people in this spectacular land called South Africa. God is so amazing!
Clare - Member of Living Hope

What an absolute delight to share our country and one of our communities with these amazing people!

Canada Comes to Cape Town!!!

The last two weeks of October have been an absolute highlight in my diary this year. We hosted a team from Hamilton, Ontario and they spent their time in Ocean View.

What an amazing time we all had! They arrived with enthusiasm and with attitudes of humility and servitude. It was incredible! Here are some of the highlights:

They came with a desire to bless the community with their labour skills and so two professional men offered their time, energy and skill to put a roof on Arli’s place. The entire community noticed what was going on, and would frequently approach the team and thank them for what they were doing for the community (delightful that they recognise a blessing on Arli’s family as a blessing for the whole community). What was so amazing about this story (apart from the obvious fact that Arli’s family can soon move out of their shack and into a real home) is how the roof actually made its way on. There were so many challenges with the construction itself; the walls were uneven and some additional height needed to be added before the roof go on. Not to mention the crazy weather – October was a month of gale force winds in the Western Cape. But, Tim’s testimony is that every time he needed supernatural intervention about how to apply his natural gifts, God gave him a dream about how to proceed with his work. And (no kidding), he would turn up and put that dream into action, and it would work. This happened more than once! So, all glory to God for Arli’s roof, and a big thank you to Tim and Lionel for their hard work, giving hearts and obedience. (Before and after pictures below)

The team also arrived with an enthusiasm to perform some dance and drama in the community. They say that “white men can’t dance” but oh my gosh! did this team bust some moves. But, more amazing than their dance skills, was the response from the Ocean View locals. The children absolutely loved it. The Canadian team made a big deal out of entertaining the children with balloons and clown antics, music and a lot of fun. This gave them a platform to preach the gospel, not only to the children but to the adults who gathered as a result of the crowd. There were some awesome connections and really great conversations that took place. For instance, we met a mother whose daughter is 14 years old, and who is hooked on drugs. She is at the end of her tether about what to do and who to seek for help. The daughter often runs away from home, and spends nights out on the street. She has dropped out of school and is in a real sticky situation. The team was able to encourage the mother, to make follow up visits with her, and they also managed to meet and speak to her daughter. We are really trusting God for awesome breakthroughs in this situation, and those of us who are left behind in Cape Town will follow up with this family. (Pictures of the crowd gathering and some dance moves!)

 

Another story: the team met a guy called Franklin whose living conditions are probably the worst I’ve ever seen in Ocean View. His dwelling makes a shack look glamorous. He was really aggressive towards the Canadian and told them straight out that nothing prevented him from stabbing them or robbing them; he was very vocal about his disapproval of people who don’t really know what real poverty is all about, and simply hang out in poor communities for the thrill of it. While he was ranting at Nicki (an All Nations male leader) the ladies in the Canadian team were praying fervently. Within a few minutes Franklin’s demeanour changed completely. There were a few follow ups since this initial meeting, and now Franklin is really keen to continue meeting with Nicki to do bible study. We hope and trust that through the gospel, his whole life will be transformed – spiritually and physically too.

They strengthened the faith of the believers that All Nations is already spending time with. Just one example: Nathan and his family were so encouraged to meet them. His mother, Baby, recommitted her life to the Lord as a result of the encouragement that the Canadian team brought. The long termers here have had the privilege of following up on this, and we have invited her to attend a weekly bible study for women that some Ocean View locals are part of. Let’s trust for amazing things for her future...(Pictures below: Nanny and Baby with Sheila, and Nathan spending time at the dance/drama gathering)

 

Another aspect that I enjoyed witnessing was the boldness with which they explored Ocean View. They went on prayer walks throughout the community almost every day and some groups made it a point to venture into some of the ‘untouched’ areas. They came back with very encouraging reports about conversation they had had with Rastafarian and Muslim locals. Amazing!

There are other things that I could mention too - too many for this blog. In short, the Canadian team touched the hearts and lives of many people in Ocean View, and the communication between them and the locals still continues. What a privilege it was to host this team, to spend time with them in the community, to hang out and get to know them personally, to see how God opened their hearts to South Africa and Ocean View, to watch them minister – the list can go on! My plan is to gather personal testimonies from a few of them and include that in the next blog so that people can get a feel of what it was like for them to be here and serve.

 

Being back in Ocean View this week, and hearing the locals reminisce about what took place a few weeks back has been something special. I have yet to make my way around ALL the locals who connected with them, but I look forward to doing so, and seeing what the future holds. God was real good indeed!

Now to Him who can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Ephesians 3:20

Traffick Proofing Ocean View

This weekend, the Justice Acts team was invited to the Healing Faith Community Church in Ocean View to present Traffick Proof. We presented the material to a classroom sized room and the response was amazing. They were stunned by the statistics of human traffick occurrences in South Africa and they greatly appreciated the information about how to recognise it, how to help prevent it by spreading the word, and how to report any suspicious activity.
It was a great opportunity to get to know the community a little better. There were a few people who came to speak with us afterwards to share some concerns, and also personal traumatic stories. We were touched by their honesty and vulnerability. They spoke openly about how their community has been destroyed by drugs and they do not want the same thing to happen with trafficking. It was such a honour to spend time with them.
We really hope that this will lead to other opportunities to present our material in Ocean View.

Traffick Proof was designed by Tonya Stanfield, founder of Justice Acts, as a tool to educate the most at-risk individuals in South Africa about the dangers of being trafficked. You can read more about our organisation's work at the following website: www.justiceacts.org

Noteworthy stories from Ocean View

Introducing Monday (left) and Arli (centre). They live in Ocean View - one of the communities that All Nations has been spending time in over the past few years. Their respective stories are such an encouragement for me; a true testimony of the power and grace of God.

Monday: was Ocean View's biggest drug dealer. The All Nations team had been visiting him for a few years, and though he always welcomed us in his home and engaged in bible discussions, there was never any change in his lifestyle. Then, out of the blue, he came to the All Nations base looking for the people who had built the closest relationships with him. He had made a decision to stop dealing drugs and to change his whole life. To show the seriousness of his actions, he shaved his head and sold his car. He made a decision to get baptised and both he and his wife did so at the All Nations base in June this year. He is trying to support his family (wife and two small children) by starting a business selling meat. He leads small groups at his home on Sundays and we are so encouraged by his family. They are seeking God in everything they do.  

Arli: was one of Monday's customers. His entire family were drug users but he made the decision to give it up. He has boldly preached the gospel in Ocean View, and welcomes people to come and study the bible with him. He has been such an awesome spokesman for God. Earlier in the year, he suffered a stroke and lost his speech as well as the functions of his entire left side. We prayed that he would recover completely especially since he used his voice to tell people about what the Lord has done for him. He has made a marvellous recovery, through the grace of God, and his speech is improving. He is still receiving therapy for this. Individuals at All Nations have been helping him where they can – driving him to the hospital for his therapy appointments, and helping to rebuild his home which was destroyed in a fire last year.

Monday and Arli encourage and support one another weekly by meeting and praying, and studying the bible together. This is such a sweet redemption story about the goodness and graciousness of God, and how He can achieve so much more than human effort ever could. 

Nathan (second from left) is another man we have had the privilege of meeting in Ocean View. For the sake of his dignity, I will not share his entire background story but I can say that his life has been completely transformed since making a decision to follow Christ. After meeting with some of my team members in April/May this year, he wanted to become baptised. Since then, he has led a simple bible study in his home, teaching his family the things that God has been showing him. Recently, we heard that he has started another simple bible study: he stole away to the beach and started praying and worshipping one day. A couple, who had seen him, were interested in meeting him. They went back to the spot the next day to speak to him, and when they met up with him, they asked him if they could pray together. I pray that Nathan continues to seek and serve God because I have seen and heard of the complete transformation of his life. This is the heart of All Nations – to introduce people to Jesus Christ, to teach them to follow His ways, and allow His power to transform their lives.

All Nations' very own, Cedric and Sylvia and their lovely kids, Rovaldo and Chelsea. They joined All Nations last year after completing CPx in 2008. They are residents of Ocean View, and Cedric is now employed by All Nations full time. He is our main driver and oversees the transport needs of our international teams or visitors. Cedric and Sylvia are passionate about Jesus, and being part of a family/community that engages the poor and serves them. They have played a vital role in introducing us into Ocean View, showing us the ropes, and helping the overseas short term teams become oriented and familiar in those surroundings. Sylvia is an amazing cook and we often rely on her culinary skills to make our international visitors feel welcome. And in this way, Sylvia also earns some money.

      

news article on trafficking in South Africa

Here is an article which appeared in the Herald Online, an online newspaper from the Eastern Cape in South Africa, which highlights Port Elizabeth as a "top destination for cross-border trafficking of women into the South African sex industry". Read more here:

http://www.theherald.co.za/herald/2006/11/15/news/n13_15112006.htm

Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor

Yesterday afternoon, the Justice Acts team decided to hang out on the streets (locally), hoping to find some prostitutes that to hang out with, chat to, get to know their story etc. We met together to pray beforehand, and asked God for favour in meeting them, since many of us on the team had never done this kind of thing before.

We arrived on the streets and passed one of the petrol stations and began speaking to one of the attendants there. He asked what we were doing, and eventually the conversation turned to the topic of the ladies in the area. He said he didn't know much, but had noticed some women who appear on the streets at night, who speak to men who drive by. He couldn't say for sure what exactly was going on.

(We realised that hanging out in the late afternoon was the wrong time of day in this area. This area demands night time investigation. You live and learn!)

A few steps on, we met a gentleman and lady who knew one of the girls in our team. During conversation, we casually asked about the local night scene. They told us about the girls who worked at night, and who stood just below their apartment. The woman said she knew them well because she would often feed them. At her suggestion, she is prepared to invite them round for coffee, and invite us round so we can get to meet them.

How awesome is that?? We were flabbergasted at God's favour. We are really looking forward to the possibility of meeting them, talking to them, getting to know their stories and just offering them the love of Jesus. We prayed and thanked God for these connections, and bringing them so early on. We are encouraged by the possibilities.... so keep watching this space.

"Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor" Proverbs 22:9

Outreach in Buffelsrivier and Naries

Our team left Cape Town and arrived in Naries on the 4^th May 2009 to embark on our rather unique outreach. I say unique (and I’m sure every single mission is) because ours had something of a dual purpose: we were entering the marketplace and spreading the gospel there, as well as spending time in a poor community and spreading the gospel there. Obviously these two domains demanded very different styles of mission work and here are our stories...

Our Marketplace Mission

My team members were me, Emmanuel, Lazarus (Daddy), Nicki, Matthews and Lelanie. A very small team, but with a very good dynamic; there were 4 guys and 2 girls, we were all single and our ages ranged between 27 and 32.

        

Our marketplace mission took us right into the hospitality industry. We worked (and lived) at a guesthouse called Naries, in the heart of the Namaqualand in the Northern Cape. Our living quarters were not in the actual guesthouse but in a sort of warehouse converted into bedrooms, with a make shift kitchen. There was a lot of space and so it was a very cold place to live during the wintry evenings and mornings, but we were grateful for hot running water and appliances to cook food with/on.

The idea was to work alongside the staff, build relationships with them on an individual basis and proclaim the gospel, “using words, if necessary”.

For the girls, this meant starting in the kitchen at 8:00 a.m. every weekday to wash dishes. We then proceeded to clean the guest rooms, change the bedding, dust, sweep and mop the living areas and anything else that was required of us. We did this every weekday until about noon. Sometimes we were asked to work in the evenings until 10:00 p.m., especially when the guesthouse had more guests than they were expecting, or a shortage of staff.

For the guys, this meant working outside on the property. This included everything from garden maintenance to fixing roads and roofs; from picking litter up to finding and fixing faults in the electric lines. (It was a BIG property so finding those lines could take hours).

We learned very early on that our hard work and good attitudes would carry the weight of our gospel message. The staff were half expecting us to either bible bash them or preach at them, or slack off in our work and be more of a burden than anything else. So they were pleasantly surprised when we arrived at work on time, every day, and dutifully performed our duties.

We so badly wanted to connect on a personal and one-to-one level with the staff members and we knew that building these relationships would take time and effort. So every opportunity with a mop in our hands, or a rake, would be used to engage in conversation and be as authentic as we could. In the beginning, the process was slow and (seemingly) without success but by the end they were opening up to us and allowing us to speak into their lives. It was amazing.

As a team, we would get together to pray and worship in the evenings and we always extended an invitation to the staff members to join us. Sometimes they even joined us at the end of their shifts at 10:00 p.m.! One of the staff members even accompanied us to a prison in Springbok, where he gave a testimony to the inmates of what God was doing in his life – this was his first public speaking experience, because he had grown up with a stutter. We were overjoyed.

There were also some ladies on the staff team who asked us to pray with them and confided in us about various personal struggles. It was so good to support them in prayer and encourage them with God’s word.

And so, at the end of two months of hard work, with no pay, and intentionally pursuing authentic relationships with the staff members, we were exhausted – in a good way. God was faithful.

The testimony that they gave afterwards was that they saw God at work in us, and that it was possible to be a God-loving, God-fearing individual who was still "normal". That was very encouraging. 

Our Community Mission

Our community mission took us into the village of Buffelsrivier. It is about 20 km (12.5 miles) away from Naries and is inhabited by Coloured, Afrikaans-speaking locals. (The term “Coloured” is not an offensive/derogatory term: it is one of the official races in South Africa).

The village seemed like a sparsely populated area because the houses were are far apart from each other but apparently the population is about 3000. It’s very rural, many homes with outside toilets and even outside brick ovens. Some houses were made of corrugated iron and those made from brick were very simple. There were a few, big, brightly painted homes which were well taken care of. 

     

The biggest giants facing this community are joblessness, lack of education, severe alcoholism, family violence and apathy.  With this in mind, we faced an equally big challenge: how to present the gospel in an authentic and relevant way to a community over-evangelised and exhausted with churches, and struggling with poverty. The first lady we met, on our very first day in that community described the village as “sif-gepreek” (Afrikaans for ‘we’ve had enough preaching already’). Even with all the teaching/preaching from churches and evangelists and missionaries, the community was still problem ridden, poverty stricken and without hope that the Church could do anything to help them.  

There are a minimum of about seven churches in this area, with attendance as low as 3 members in some of them. So, we asked ourselves how we were going to represent Jesus in a way that was refreshing and different and welcoming and full of power. And also how NOT to perpetuate religiosity and ‘condemnation preaching’ which kept so many of the locals out of church.

        

Two months wasn't nearly long enough to address all these issues. BUT we were determined to spend time with the locals, get to know them, and their individual struggles; to encourage them, teach them what we know about Jesus, love and support them, and even dare to dream with them about opportunities in the future. 

We had such an amazing time in one particular house-hold, one afternoon. Ouma Booys, who has so little, invited the whole team round for soup and home made bread. Eventually, the whole neighbourhood gathered round to see us, and we took that opportunity to sing with them and tell them about God. There were so many people, some even sat outside on the dirt to listen. And the best part was that even the drunks gathered with us. My team mate, Emmanual, spoke and said how much God loves community and how much He loved what was going on at that moment: Buffelsrivier coming together, behaving like one extended family, caring for one another, feeding each other, singing praise to God....

      

That was the highlight of our time there. We left Ouma Booys with a shopping voucher so that she could buy some groceries as she needed them, from the local grocer. It was a sweet day. 

How Naries and Buffelsrivier fit together

Most of the staff members at Naries are locals from the Namaqualand area. The owners of Naries, Danny and Garitha, were also on our CPx team and they completed the lecture phase with us in Cape Town. (However, they weren’t able to be with us during the outreach phase). Their passion is to see sustainable solutions for poor communities. And they are prepared to use their business to see this passion through. They have employed people from Buffelsrivier, people who have struggled with alcoholism, people who had no hope of further education or employment, and they have given opportunities for further training, opportunities to earn a salary, opportunities to provide for their families and give them hope about the future. They are passionate about marketplace mission: providing for the poor, not through hand outs but through sustainable employment and training; preaching the gospel, not through words alone, but through relationship, care, love and accountability.

We wait to see what the next chapter in Naries and Buffelsrivier will be...

 

Praise Reports and Prayer Requests

God’s guidance and leading has been truly amazing over the past few months. Right from my move from England back to Johannesburg, and the lovely church that I called ‘home’ for a few months, to the shores of the west coast, with Floyd McClung and All Nations. God’s hand in my life, the provision, and the doors He has opened for me to walk through, has been such a testimony of how He takes care of His children. 

And now, as I enter a brand new phase of life, being a missionary full-time and serving the poor in Cape Town, I am holding my hands up to the Father again. Here is a list of all that God has already made possible, through the generous hearts and hands of others. And another list, detailing my current needs. 

Praising God for

©       My safety in April 2009 when I was mugged

©       My CPx fees being covered in full (R34 500)

©       A really lovely 3-bedroomed flat, and a flat owner who dropped the rent by R300 for us!

©       Two godly roommates

©       A gift of money which covered the flat’s deposit and first month's rent

Appealing to God for these Prayer Requests

§      A few sponsors/ supporters who will each commit to one of the following/ or part thereof:

§      R1500 (£125) per month for rent

§      R1500 (£125) per month for food, electricity, internet access

§      R1000 (£80) per month personal expenses (toiletries, contact lenses, etc)

§      A car (or the money to buy a car)

§      R1000 (£80) per month for insurance, fuel and other car expenses

§      House contents – we need everything from a plates and cups to a bed, fridge and washing machine OR the money to buy these items 

If you feel you can help with any of the above, please add a comment at the bottom of the page with your email address and I will contact you (I will not make your details publicly available). And if you feel you can support me through prayer ministry, please also add a comment with your email address, so that I can add you to my prayer list.

Alternatively, if you already have my email address, you can contact me that way.

Many thanks and God bless!

my journey towards human trafficking

"The Lord looked and was displeased to find there was no justice. He was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed."  Isaiah 59: 15/16

 

In 2008, I watched a movie called “Taken” in which a man rescues his kidnapped daughter. I left the theatre with a heaviness that no other film had left me with before. People were being bought and sold (and many other atrocious things in between) against their will, in an industry controlled by those with immense power and no ounce of righteousness. The emotions that this film generated in me made me feel so uncomfortable, probably because I was aware that this issues was a reality. I was angry that people could be bought and sold as if mere commodities, for the pleasure of others. I was disgusted that people in high positions, with money, had the power to control ordinary people and administer such violence and cause such degradation. I was enraged that no one seemed able to or capable of stopping this and so I asked God what He was going to do to break down the ring of traffickers in the world. 

The first part of the answer came to me a few weeks later in my church in Johannesburg. We watched a DVD clip of Gary Haugen, the president of International Justice Mission (an international agency that rescues victims of violence, sexual exploitation, slavery, and oppression worldwide). He showed a few clips from successful rescue missions that IJM had been part of in different countries. The clip on human trafficking really caught my attention. I loved what he had to say about injustice. He asked: 

"What is God’s plan for justice in the world?

Us.

And there is no back-up plan."

 That really hit a chord in my heart. It echoed so much of what God was saying through Isaiah (Isaiah 59: 15/16 above). God expects us to act justly. He expects that we would look out for the exploited. He expects that we would stand up for the oppressed. In fact, so much so, that when He sees we’re not doing it, it surprises Him. 

And so, as I tried to wrap my mind around the ‘big solution’ to the ‘huge problem’, I became a little overwhelmed and started to question how individual people could make a difference and that I didn’t even know where to begin, let alone how or when. So I allowed the issue to move me, and I let it resonate in my heart. And then I left for Cape Town a few months later to do the six month church planting course with All Nations. After the completion of CPx, and while I was thinking through the possibility of joining All Nations full-time, I asked myself what I would be prepared to give my life up for. I revisited the whole issue of trafficking. I revisited the emotions that were stirred through the movie “Taken” and the solutions that Gary Haugen and IJM presented. Is this something that I would be prepared to give up my life for? To pour all my energy out into seeking justice and freedom for those who are stolen, held against their will, raped, beaten and much worse, for the sake of the callous and sadistic appetites of others? 

The second part of the answer was presented in the weeks after CPx when various people were coming to talk to the students about their ministries in the area. An organisation called “Justice [ACTS]” caught my attention. They are a network of believers working in practical ways to combat human trafficking in South Africa, and they are actively involved in the more “at risk” communities in Cape Town, South Africa. They have made a fantastic start by developing a training kit for primary schools which educates the most at risk individuals and communities. Now they are working equally hard at the next phases in which they seek to investigate trafficking rings, rescue trafficked people, put them in a place of safety, rehabilitate them and restore them. It just made so much sense for me to be part of this because of everything that had touched my heart over the past months. 

Justice [ACTs] now wants to meet the challenge that is presented with the coming World Cup in South Africa, in 2010. Apparently there is an increased demand for trafficked people at these events. There is a desperate need to mobilise people who can investigate what’s going on at ground level, record and document the information, be in communication with authorities and officials (who are not corrupt), rescue the trafficked individuals, place them in safety and do the follow-up work necessary to see them healthy and whole again. I am very interested in being part of this investigative team. There are times when I think the enormity of this problem is too much to overcome. And there are also times when I become overwhelmed about how God will provide for me while I devote myself to this task full-time.

I agree 100 % with Gary Haugen as he says that “hope is recovered when we realise that when God is passionate about getting it done, He is also responsible for getting it done.” 

So when I think about my practical/physical needs as I prepare to do volunteer/ missionary work with All Nations and Justice [ACTs], I hold onto these verses: 

"Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like flint, determined to do His will. And I know that I will not be put to shame. He who gives me justice is near." Isaiah 50: 7 – 8

 

 

Snippets of the place I call home...

These are the beautiful, wonderful, amazing, special, incredible, God-loving people I have the privilege of living with. In no particular order:

The de Haan family: Simon (28), Marieke (29) and Noah (2). They are from Holland. Simon worked in multi-media and Marieke has been at home raising Noah. They feel called to missionary work in different nations and want to begin this journey in South Africa...





The Kisteman family: Jos (28), Christene (27) and Joel (2). They are from Holland. Both Jos and Christene are teachers; Jos, a high school maths teacher and Christene, a primary school teacher. They want to implement everything they’re learning in South Africa back home in Holland, and see many people come to know and love Jesus.









The Classen family: Conrad (36), Marlese (34), Jeanelle (12), Emile (9) and Maruche’ (6). They are from South Africa. Conrad and Marlese owned a fast food franchise and they have recently given all of that up in order to follow the call that God placed on their hearts.










The Guys (who live in an adjacent flat) from left to right: Eric (South Africa), Mike (Zambia), Bruce (Zambia), Willy (Zambia), Sydney (Zambia), and Minoza (South Africa) who was away when this picture was taken. The guys are also passionate about raising African leaders for Africa and they are at CPx to learn how to do this.


And finally, but definitely not least:

The Girls

(from left to right): Shannon (Hawaii, 24), Sarah (USA, 28), Christine (South Africa, 26), Linda (Zambia, 24), Joanna (Northern Ireland, 24) ,Bethany (USA, 21), and me (South Africa, 28). Each of us have different stories about how we came to do CPx in Cape Town with All Nations. But one thing is common for each of us: we love Jesus, and we’re passionate about people and seeing them come to know Him.

That's it! We cook together, eat together, clean together and sleep under the same roof. Most days are filled with fun and laughter, but we won't pretend that it's not been hard at times too. Dying to oneself, sacrificing your personal space and your "rights" is never an easy thing. But we understand the higher purpose to which we've been called; we realise that the primary expression of the gospel is through community, and that if we cannot get it right ourselves, we cannot expect other communities to be transformed by this powerful message.

In living together and learning to love each other we are fulfilling what Jesus spoke of when He said "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35

CPx - the Church Planting eXperience

I’ve been at CPx for four weeks now. My experience thus far has been a mixture of meeting new people, learning to live in community with 16 – 24 other people, coping with having moved away from family and familiarity and taking on a new direction in life. Quite a rollercoaster ride, to say the least! But at the core of this experience has been a deepening sense of trust in the Lord regarding my future; as well as joy, peace and utter excitement about the people I’ve met who are becoming my new family.
CPx is a church planting school. We are learning to plant simple churches, which are easily reproducible and serve as a platform for discipling African leaders for God’s Kingdom. Our mission in planting these simple churches is to teach people how to plant house churches in their own communities and to disciple and reproduce leaders.

The team I belong to has been placed in Ocean View – so called because of the beautiful view they have of Noordhoek Beach. It is predominantly a Coloured community, in which Afrikaans is most frequently spoken. Our first few days in Ocean View left us feeling somewhat unsure about what exactly we should be doing and how to go about doing it. We initially prayer-walked around the community, asking God to lead us and speak to us. We met a few of the local residents and through various contacts, my particular group (comprised of me, Nicki and Emmanuel) eventually came across a young family who are longing to know more about the bible and wanting to change their lifestyles. Praise God for His faithfulness! Chazlyn and his girlfriend, Lana, and their eight month old baby girl, Chaznay have welcomed us into their home. They are both struggling to find work, and are in quite a bit of debt, and after our first chat together we prayed for God to bless them with work and help them out of financial trouble. Chazlyn received a telephone call regarding an interview to work in a bank a few days later, and we await the result.

Since then, we have had a second, very encouraging visit with Chazlyn, where he expressed his desire to be changed from the inside so that he can follow God wholeheartedly and not fall away again. He has become weary of empty religion which brings about no inward change, and also no strength to withstand the temptations of worldly success and living without purpose. Our sense as we left his home was that God has great plans for Chazlyn and Lana. We plan to meet with them weekly, to encourage them with God’s truth for their lives, to teach them and to support them as they begin this journey.

Ocean View is a community where alcoholism and drug addiction is rife. There is a high level of gangsterism which affects not only the youth but older members of the community too. Broken families are not uncommon. It is an over-evangelised community where the presence of the Church has not seemed to make a difference. We are praying for God to change the hearts of people, and raise up strong leaders who will influence the community. And we are prepared to be the answer to that prayer.

Please will you stand with us in prayer for Chazlyn and his family; and also for the Ocean View community. Thank you.

Life in Cape Town

I’ve been in Cape Town for a little over a week now and I’ve seen three of the four communities that we’ll be serving while doing CPx (Church Planting Experience) with All Nations. Every student at CPx will serve in one of these communities to put into practice all that we’re learning, and this is where we will spend the next three months.

The first community we visited was Masiphumelele (the township I served in December 2008). Not much has changed and it was great to catch up with some of the people I had met previously. One of them was Vovo – the daughter of the women whose home we helped rebuild. She is delighted about her new living space and continues to be thankful that God helped her family in this way. All Nations is involved with all sorts of things in Masi; one of them being the orphans and vulnerable children there. They supply food and basic commodities every month to a number of the families who are looking after orphans and vulnerable children. Last week I helped make up food parcels for the families who benefit from this.

The second community we visited was Redhill. It is far smaller, more sparsely populated and much more rural than Masi. There are no shops or community centres or anything there, and the houses are all make shift and informal.

The third community we visited was Ocean View. This is much more modern that the previous two, with brick houses and tarred roads, schools and shops. The people in this community speak Afrikaans predominantly, and the needs here are mainly related to problems with alcohol, drugs and domestic violence. We are interested in discipling the people of this community, because although many of them have heard the gospel, they are still struggling to live according to it. This is the community that I will serve in over the next three months.

The last community that we will visit will be Boukaap. This is a predominantly Muslim community. All Nations has not done any extensive work here before and so this year will be a new venture.

I’m excited about the involvement we’ll have in each of these communities and what God will have us do there.

I’m excited about the relationships that will be cultivated between all the CPx students over the next six months.

I’m excited about learning more about the Father-heart of God from Floyd McClung.

I’m excited about growing deeper in love with God the Father.