Greetings from Masiphumelele!
We’re beginning to get into the swing of things here on the Masi team
— just in time to start wrapping things up soon of course.
We’ve all moved back into Africa House, where things are always
unexpected but fun. We do miss living with Ro in her fabulous mansion.
With the exception of Lifa, who had a run-in with a local neighborhood
watch while walking around the area. You’ll have to get Sbu to tell
you the story.
We’ve been seeing some great things in Masi! The mama that Sbu, Pete
and Mel are working with has continued to share what God is doing with
those around her. From the day she pulled them into her house to pray
for her drunkeness, she’s drastically changed. She’s praying with her
husband, becoming more gentle with him as well as just in general.
She’s leading a Bible study with her neighbors in Masi, as well as one
in Kayelitsha on the weekends. This Xhosa woman is an incredible
example of God’s transformation and she’s sharing the good news of
Jesus with those around her every day. Pray that she would realize
that Jesus is the only way and turn from ancestor worship.
The young Zimbabwean man that the guys have been mentoring has already
led his first person to the Lord, and is taking ownership of
discipling him. Pray that he would be able to disciple this man well.
The Zim woman, Hope, that Mel and I have been meeting with is leading
a Bible study of other Zims in Masi. We’re going through the
leadership passages from Matthew with her and it’s incredible to see
her empowered to reach other people. This week she got a great job — a
huge answer for prayer. Pray that she would continue to lead others
even after we are gone.
We’ve also had to deal with a lot of difficult circumstances in Masi.
The Lord has given us strength, but we are really praying that the
Lord will come through for the people we’re spending time with there.
Three weeks ago we met Phillip. He was drunk, homeless and at the end
of his rope. As Lifa, Brandon and I talked with him, he confessed to
us that he was planning on hanging himself. He was earnestly seeking
redemption in every aspect of his life. We offered Jesus, and
explained (among other things) how Jesus had sent us all the way from
America to see him and tell him how much he meant to God. Fast
forward almost a month and he is working 3 days a week (he was working
0 days), he is mostly off of the alcohol, and he has a joy and peace
in life that he has never known before. The change is drastic enough
that one of the other regulars at the Shebeen (a type of bar here)
asked him about the change and is now interested in knowing Jesus
because of it.
Nancy is 16 and has been doing a Bible Study with Mel and I. Last
week she told us that she thought she was pregnant and that she
couldn't tell anyone else. We immediately started walking with her
during this time, including sharing with her and going to the clinic
with her. Then she told us that she went back to the clinic and that
they told her she was the perfect candidate for an abortion. They
went ahead and scheduled it, even, for next week. Please pray that
her mind changes between now and then. We believe that no child is
without purpose and that every single one is precious to God,
especially this one. On Monday, Julianna is meeting with Nancy and
Bethany (the Director of the Baby Safe, a ministry that specifically
reaches out to young women in Nancy's position). Pray that the
multitude of cultural issues will be worked through.
So there’s great and challenging things going on. We’re seeing our
objectives come into being — forming real relationships with people,
mentoring a small number of people and seeing them empowered to lead
others. It’s exciting to see, but that doesn’t mean we’ve been without
discouragement. At one point last week, we all felt really attacked
with discouragement about different things in our lives. We had a bit
of a breakdown in housechurch, and decided something needed to happen.
We prayed into it and fasted the next day, and the Lord encouraged our
hearts. Since that time, I have felt a change in our team. We’re all
feeling more hopeful about Masi and our individual futures.
This past weekend we all helped out at a netball tournament that Mel
and Christianne (an All Nations long-term worker) organized. The
tournament was held in Masi with three Masi teams and two Red Hill
teams. We all learned something more about the culture here when
everyone showed up extremely late. Really late! The first team didn’t
arrive until a half hour after it was supposed to start, but most
teams trickled in 1-2 hours late. Another team didn’t arrive until 4
1/2 hours after the tournament was scheduled to start. Other than the
very late start, the tournament ran very smoothly. It was a testament
to the organizational and administrative skills of Mel. All the girls
seemed to have a great time and enjoy playing against each other.
Last night we were blessed to go over to Mike and Kalyn’s house for a
check-up/debrief time. We met with All Nations leadership and shared
about how the outreach has been so far. I think we all felt encouraged
by the time spent with them. We were able to talk about the challenges
we’ve faced. We felt like they listened well and then encouraged us
that what we were doing was great. And we had excellent chocolate chip
cookies by Kalyn! (Real American imports!)
Prayer requests for our team:
• Rest: Wading neck deep day in and day out into the problems of
life, often the worst ones you can imagine, is emotionally, physically
and spiritually exhausting. Please pray that God would continue to be
our rest and our joy. We are so excited about stories like Phillip's
were God redeems in incredible ways. Pray that God would do even more
miracles like this in Masi.
• Strength: Outreach is coming to a close in 3 weeks. Pray that we
would finish even stronger than we started. Pray that God would
continue to guide and lead as we press into these relationships we've
made and the Bible Studies that have started.
