VIOLENCE IN CAPE TOWN

Friends and Family,

I have attached some photos taken from a local newspaper article which documents some of the recent violent uprising here in the Cape Town area. I am asking that you guys please pray that peace would be restored in this community. We are all a bit nervous that this situation will break out into something bigger and more violent than it already has (and less containable as well). Below is a brief paragraph from Dennis Wadley (director of Bridges of Hope) and following that is a newspaper article telling about a train bombing (related to the striking) that occurred in Philippi yesterday.
Hi Friends,
The security workers in SA that are union members have been on strike for weeks. Yesterday they marched on Parliament in Cape Town and the march erupted into looting and violence. You can check out pictures at:
http://www.news24.com/Die_Burger/Gallery/Home/0,,18-2380,00.html
Today a commuter train was hit with a fire bomb. One of our friends from Philippi, Benson (the chef...for those who know him) was on the car that was hit. He is ok, but had to be treated at the hospital for smoke inhalation. (see news article below)
Our Orphan Caregiver event scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed because another march was planned for tomorrow, but may be shut down by the government. If it is, there are fears that the violence will spread throughout the community. We will have a morning of prayer in place of this event, so please join us in that if you can.
Please pray for safety for our friends in Philippi. Ask God to bring this issue to an end and to help us to be wise regarding our return to the community.
Thank you for your prayers.
God bless,
Dennis

Commuter line closed after train is torched in Philippi
By Johan Schronen
Arsonists set a train alight on the Mitchell's Plain line early today, forcing Metrorail to cancel its service on that route until further notice.
The attack took place shortly after 5am. It followed the petrol bombing of Heideveld station's ticket office late last night.
Police suspect both incidents could be related to the strike by security guards.
Railway police said a ticket office staffer saw a gang of men douse the second coach on a Cape Town-bound train with petrol at Philippi station at 5.10am today.
The arsonists set the coach alight as the train pulled out of the station.
Police on the train raised the alarm and stopped the train at Nyanga station.
By then the coach was burning fiercely and about 30 passengers who were in coaches further back got off at Nyanga.
The fire brigade arrived within minutes but could not do anything until power to the line was cut.
Metrorail technicians took some time to cut the electricity.
Meanwhile railway police rushed to Philippi station to look for clues.
They also searched people and their bags, on and around the platforms, looking for anything which might have contained petrol or other flammable substances.
Detectives were also hoping that closed-circuit television cameras at Philippi station had been rolling to capture images of the culprits.
Police sniffer dogs and bomb squad members combed the gutted coach for clues at Nyanga station before the empty train left for Cape Town station.
The train will be inspected again at Cape Town station.
Fingerprint experts were also called to Heideveld station to search for clues there.

Please, please, join us in prayer for this situation. We are not allowed to enter Philippi for the rest of the week so we have decided to fast and pray as a staff for the next 30 hours. We are praying that the violence would calm down and that the conflicts would be resolved. This country is in such a fragile position as racial tensions are high and the wounds are deep (going back many generations). So, we pray that events like these would not cause a nation-wide, violent, outburst of pent up anger and pain.

Please pray for the following people who are suffering with HIV/AIDS. Winter is approaching which means wind, rain, cold, and the potential to catch life-threatening illnesses. Pray for strength, safety, comfort, peace, and protection from illness for...

SINOXOLO
BUYISWA
LULAMA
THOBELA
THEMBAKAZI
NOLUTHANDO

HIV/AIDS

I would like to report on yesterday's CHE lesson/discussion on HIV/AIDS. Thank you so much to those of you who prayed for this important lesson-- your prayers were definitely felt. The top picture is the afternoon CHE group (There is a morning group that meets from 9-1 and an afternoon group that meets from 1-4 every Wednesday). Yesterday we discussed cultural beliefs about HIV/AIDS and I was so surprised to hear how many lies are circulated about this disease. We posed the following question right at the beginning of the lesson, "What do people say (true or untrue) about the causes, treatment/cures, spreading, and prevention of AIDS?" The responses varied and we took time to write down each response on a half piece of paper and then place them on the floor under signs that read "TRUE" and "FALSE". We then discussed each belief answering questions like, "Where does this belief come from?" "Is it entirely 'true' or entirely 'false' or partially true and partially false?" The discussion was great and women who usually remain silent spoke up and volunteered their input and opinions. I really sensed a lot of excitement in the room as we talked about ways that this truth could be communicated to friends and neighbors. We also talked about ways to address the harmful myths and superstitions about AIDS that are rife in Philippi. Thank you for your prayers and please continue to pray that these CHE's would be bold to share the truth about HIV/AIDS (many of them are fearful about even bringing up the issue of HIV/AIDS with friends, family, and neighbors because they think the others will assume that they are infected with AIDS themselves). Pray that the horrible stigma would begin to diminish so that AIDS can be openly talked about in homes, schools, and churches.

Praise God for all that He has done and for the transformation and healing that is occurring in Philippi!

Freedom Day!

Last Thursday, April 27th, we celebrated a very significant national holiday here in South Africa. It was FREEDOM DAY. On this very day--12 years ago-- Nelson Mandela cast the first democratic vote (see photo on left) after decades of fighting against the racist, mostly-white, apartheid government which suppressed and abused the black people in this country (who make up over 75% of the population). Nelson Mandela led this fight for freedom and was forced to spend 27 years of his life in prison. He emerged from prison and was elected president after the first democratic vote and was awarded a Nobel Peace prize for dedicating his life to the fight for freedom and racial equality. Thousands of black people lost property, jobs, family, and even their lives in the battle for freedom and Thursday was a chance to remember all of their sacrifices and celebrate the progress that has been made in the last 12 years. There is still a long way to go in reaching true equality, but no longer are blacks being imprisoned for meeting in large groups and for standing up for their rights.

We had a day off of work on Thursday for Freedom Day and Monday was another national holiday called Workers Day, so we were given Friday off of work to go on a long-weekend vacation to explore some parts of South Africa that I hadn't seen yet. My flat mate, a fellow staff member, a friend from church, and I rented a car and took off driving east along the coast. We stayed in a little beach town called Knysna and enjoyed time sitting by the ocean, a wild canoe trip, and a horseback ride into the forest (pictured below). It was a wonderful time of experiencing the beauty of God's creation and enjoying great conversation with friends.

Please Pray--

Tomorrow (Wednesday) we have planned a very important CHE lesson on HIV/AIDS. Many of the CHE's (Community Health Evangelists) are HIV positive and are walking through the stages of grief as they come to terms with this terminal illness in their own lives. The discussion will focus on existing beliefs about AIDS in the community in hopes of dispelling some of the traditional myths about HIV/AIDS (like that it can be cured by drinking a mixture of herbs and coconut juice or that you can rid yourself of AIDS by having sex with a virgin, etc.) Please pray that the truth can be communicated in a way that is clear and convincing and that the CHE's would be encouraged to go and share this life-saving information with the those living in the shacks that they visit each week. Some of the questions that we will be asking tomorrow include:

1. What are some of the beliefs in the community (true or untrue) about HIV/AIDS?

2. What do some people say causes HIV/AIDS?

3. What do some people say can cure HIV/AIDS or prevent it?

4. What do some people say spreads HIV/AIDS?

5. What do some people say about the people who get HIV/AIDS?

Thank you for your prayers!