NOMOFILI, NTOMBOXOLO, AND PHINDILE...

The following are three amazing young women who could really use our prayers right now.



Nomofili is a strong 16 year-old who has been heading a household of orphans, including her sisters, ever since their father died in May. Her extended family have asked Nomofili and her sisters to visit them in the Eastern Cape over the Christmas holiday. The girls don't trust these relatives and are really scared to go. They fear that their relatives will keep them there and force them to drop out of school and work on the farm. Please join us in prayer for them.






Pray for Ntomboxolo (Nono) who is a real leader among the kids in the orphan support group. She has such a sweet heart and has faced many trials as her mother abandoned her, her grandmother who was raising her died, and her father became consumed with his alcoholism. This week her sister started to lose her battle against HIV/AIDS and has been hospitalized. This is a crushing blow to Nono and she needs our prayers along with her sister.



Phindile is another young leader who ministers not only to other orphans, but also to adults in church who are suffering. Her Aunt, who was the breadwinner of the family, got pneumonia (she had AIDS) two weeks ago and died on Sunday. Her death left Phindile's cousins (twin 6-year-old girls) orphaned and now their grandmother is forced to raise 5 children on her pension of $114 per month. The twin girls came to the orphan support group for the first time this Friday, just days after the death of their mother. Please pray for them as they grieve and as they support one another through this difficult time.

PRAISE GOD!!!


I would like to report an amazing answer to prayer. There have been some memorable times in my life when I have truly felt the presence of God in a room or with a group of people. Today was one of those times. God inhabited the room where we gave our CHE lesson and moved mightily! I was incredibly touched, and as we drove away from the meeting I found myself wondering how I was ever going to be able to communicate just how powerful the time was (not because of anything that we said or did, but because God was there and touched our hearts.) I was particularly moved by the passionate, heartfelt, prayers that were offered up to God at the conclusion of the lessons by two of the women there-- thanking God for being with us and asking for more of HIM in our lives. Erik, one of the other members of the training team, wrote a reflection about our time today that I would like to share....

"In a book by David James Duncan, entitled The Brothers K, he has a theme that reoccurs throughout that is called "Hair-lip Prayers". The basic idea is this, there was a scene in the book where one of the main characters who possessed a cleft lip and consequently a speech impediment, prays a passionate prayer at Sunday school. Many children laugh at him and others find it sad or comical, but the narrator comments how it is one of the most honest and real prayers he has ever experienced. The more the children laugh the harder the boy cries, and the louder he prays. In his weakness, through tears and his heavy speech impediment the boy cries out to God from the depths of his soul. The commentary is that we all should desire to pray these kinds of "Hair-lip prayers". We don't need to try to be eloquent, to perfectly construct the most verbally grandiose and poetically crafted prayer, displaying both our piety and wisdom. No, on the contrary, we should seek to pray "Hair-lip prayers", from our weakness and iniquity, through our tears and our impediments, and to a God who doesn't require piety to hear us.
Well today we had another one of our CHE lessons, with our community volunteers. We taught on Alcoholism and Evangelism, specifically sharing the Gospel message. It was a powerful day as we entered into the discussion about our need for Christ and His place in the center of the Gospel. When we concluded, we prayed, and I was moved to tears by the prayers of two women. Alicia and Constance are two of our Knitting Ladies and two of the "Oldies" in the church. Between the two of them, they possess zero teeth. These women unleashed upon God and the rest of us in the room one of the most passionate "Hair-lip prayers" - or I guess from now on we can call them "Toothless Prayers" - I have ever heard. They yelled, and they screamed, and at times they gasped for air, and when one would begin coughing or choking - not waiting to breath before they petitioned God for more - the other one would enter in, with agreements and echoing similar prayers. I didn't understand a word they said, and yet it was quite clear. Through their speech impediments, with mouths full of nothing but gums, they cried out to God, thanking Him for Him.
When I asked Lulama for a translation afterward she said the basic gist was that they were thanking God, and calling out to Him asking for His presence in their lives, for more of Him, so that they may be overflowing with His love and grace as they share with others the Gospel message. It was truly a blessing for me to experience such prayers and to be in the presence of such prayer warriors. More than I could ever know, they battle in prayer over the life of Philippi. These women are so much more courageous and bold than I could ever be. Pray for them as they continue to move out in their community, door to door, sharing such lessons with their friends, families and neighbors. "

Thank you for joining with us in prayer for the community of Philippi and for the beautiful people who live there. God is moving and changing lives and I feel incredibly blessed to be able to witness it happening. The above picture is one that I took in Cape Town earlier this month. It displays the splendor of God's creation. Though it is glorious, it doesn't compare to the beauty I saw today in the form of two faithful, passionate, toothless women tearfully pouring their souls out to their Father in Heaven.

The Hope of Community Transformation...

Community Health Evangelism (CHE)


We are seeing glimmers of what can happen when people are empowered to minister in their own community. We have 24 Community Health Evangelists(CHE's), ministering in over 250 homes, touching close to 1,500 lives. The CHE's are equipped to meet physical needs, assisting people who are ill, helping to prevent disease (especially HIV/AIDS), but they are also equipped to minister spiritually.

Here's how it works:

1) A Training Team of four or five people, made up of nationals and internationals, enters a community and finds a church or community group to host them. They then work together to raise up a Committee that will oversee the work. The nationals on the Training Team are paid and the internationals usually raise support from individuals or churches.

2) The Committee members serve as volunteers and are trained by the Training Team. The Committee then recruits CHE's (Community Health Evangelists).

3) The CHE's are trained by the Training Team to minister holistically (emotional, mental, social, physical and spiritual) in homes throughout the community. They are volunteers who spend 4-5 hours per week visiting between 15-30 homes per month.
The CHE's will each care for approximately 180 people each, so when you multiply this out in the community over 5 years, a single community has the potential to be touching 50,000 people through a single training team. Think of the implications of this kind of multiplication physically, emotionally, mentally, socially and spiritually!

Now that you know a little bit about what CHE is, please read the following blog to see how this program is working in the community of Philippi and how you can be praying...

CHE in Philippi...

I am a part of a CHE training team in Philippi along with Erik Anderson (another American staff member) and three Philippians (Manelisi, Elizabeth, and Lulama). To the right is a picture of myself along with two other members of the training team, Elizabeth and Manelisi.
As a training team, we prepare lessons to discuss with the 24 Philippians who have volunteered to be CHE's in the community. A typical meeting includes tea at the beginning followed by a group update on how home visits have been going. Each time we meet, both a physical lesson and a spiritual lesson are taught. Every CHE has a folder to hold information and take notes on subjects ranging from oral hygiene, depression, HIV/AIDS, nutrition, parasites, God's grace, and conflict resolution. As the CHE's go on home visits throughout the week they have a bank of knowledge to draw from when meeting with people and helping them through various problems.
In American culture it is not as common to knock on neighbors doors just for a chat or a quick visit, but in South African culture (particularly in Philippi) this is common and very welcomed. The CHE program has been a success so far in Philippi and has proven to be a great way to spread valuable information to improve physical, emotional, and spiritual health in the community.

PLEASE PRAY:

This Thursday I am teaching a lesson on alcoholism at our CHE meeting. Please pray that good discussion is generated and that the CHE's feel empowered and equipped to try and tackle this tough issue. I hope that we can brainstorm ways to make a difference in the community by starting a support group for alcoholics or for their families. Alcoholism is a huge problem in Philippi as many are unemployed and hopeless and thus turn to alcohol.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support!

Orphan Day and Staff Retreat!

It is hard for me to believe that a month has already passed since I first arrived in South Africa. I have had the opportunity to experience many wonderful things since arriving, but this past Monday topped them all. We spent a whole day with the orphans in Philippi. The kids had a week off of school so we planned a day filled with games, crafts, Bible lessons, snacks, singing, and a balloon toss. The picture that you see is Nontombi (6 years old) and I sitting in the schoolyard watching a group of orphans play football (soccer). It has been a joy watching Nontombi and the other kids grow and build relationships with each other. It is my prayer that they would be "family" for each other and build a strong network of love and support.
One moment that was particularly memorable from my day with the kids was standing in a circle singing a song called "Bambelela". This Xhosa word, Bambelela, means "never give up". The kids sang so loudly and as they sang I glanced around the circle at their faces, faces that are becoming more and more familiar to me. Each child has a story-- and all are stories of pain and obstacles to overcome. It was so powerful to hear them sing this song about perseverence and strength. I know that each of them could (and hopefully will) teach me a lot about reliance on God and trusting Him in the face of hardships.
On Tuesday we left for a staff retreat at Cape Agulhas, which is at the very Southern tip of Africa where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. It was windy and a bit cold, but we were excited to see whales just off the coast and enjoy the beauty of the ocean. We bonded through sharing our testimonies and casting a vision for Bridges of Hope in the upcoming year.
Overall, it has been a great week of experiencing God through relationships-- with the orphans and with the staff whom I will be working with for the next year.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support!