Graduation Day!!!

This Wednesday we celebrated the graduation of 31 CHE's (community health evangelists) and sent them into the community to continue the ministry and service that they started 4 months ago when CHE training began. I wish that all of you could have been there to witness the excitement on each face as they were called forward to receive their new Bible, official "CHE" badge (pictured above) and certificate. In order to share the experience, I have included some photos and short stories highlighting just a couple of particularly touching events...
Above is a photo of Sindiswa. Last year this time she was on her death bed-- literally. Sindiswa has AIDS and last year became extremely ill and was bedridden. A CHE in Philippi started visiting her and caring for some of her immediate physical and emotional needs. Soon, Sindiswa's health took an upward turn and before too long she was back on her feet. She attributes this miraculous healing to the power of God. Sindiswa felt inspired to pour back into the community by receiving CHE training and becoming a CHE herself. So, Wednesday's graduation was particularly meaningful to her as she went from helplessly dying to, now, helping others live.
Buyiswa, also HIV+, came forward in the middle of the graduation ceremony and recited a powerful poem called HIV, Don't be Proud. She had us all hold hands as she spoke beautiful verses of human strength and unity. She also spoke of the power of God and how His people can be stronger together than any virus or disease. At the end of each stanza she repeated the phrase, "HIV, don't be proud, HIV, don't be proud." It was an image of battle and the final theme conveyed is that human spirit will be victorious, even in the face of a deadly disease.
This is a photo of myself with a fellow staff member, Melinda (far right), along with four recent CHE graduates at the conclusion of the ceremony. I believe that the CHE's really left the graduation ceremony with a new sense of purpose and increased determination to continue making home visits and sharing what they have learned with those in need. The CHE's have really come to believe that they are capable of being the change that they want to see happen in the community. They now know that they really can make a difference--
It was fun to watch some of the plays and skits that were prepared for the ceremony. This little guy made his way to the front a couple of times during the ceremony. Dressed in traditional Xhosa clothes he added to the celebratory feel of the graduation and made it especially meaningful. We sang many Xhosa songs throughout the course of the event and a few times a woman would loudly sing a verse or chorus of a song while walking up to accept her certificate and awards.

Overall, the 2006 CHE graduation ceremony was a joyous occasion that was deeply impacting and served as a celebratory commissioning for those involved to go out and serve the community!

Praise Him!!!

Update!

It has been way too long since my last update! I am sorry, and really appreciate your faithful thoughts and prayers despite my not-so-faithful updating. Above is a photo of last weeks CHE meeting as we broke up into small groups to discuss passages of scripture giving reasons why we should make God the first priority in our lives. I want to begin by giving praise to God for this year's group of CHE's and thanking you for all of your prayers. Things have been going so well and I see God working in and through the CHE volunteers. We will be having a graduation celebration in a couple of weeks (complete with certificates, official CHE badges, and new Bibles) to celebrate the CHE's and motivate them to continue making home visits and sharing the information they have learned. Last week was great as we discussed nutrition and the priority of our relationship with God. We learned that most of the CHE's diets consist of a loaf of white bread and butter each day. Sometimes a bowl of porridge is enjoyed in the morning or soup in the evening, but white bread with butter is the core of most meals. This is the case throughout Philippi as well. Unfortunately, most people rarely (if ever) get fruit, veggies or protein in their diets. We discussed affordable and easy ways to incorporate some of these foods on a daily basis.

I was personally convicted as we later discussed how our relationship with God should be our number one priority. The question was posed, "If we say that our relationship with God really is the most important thing in our lives, why don't our lives show it?" It was neat to be able to talk about how to show the degree to which we value our relationship with God through how we spend our time, money, and resources. Many people's lives were impacted through CHE last week (including mine). Please pray for us as we discuss two very important topics this week 1. Abstinence and 2. How to deal with anger in a healthy way. Abstinence is not very accepted in Philippi and youth are pressured by friends and family TO have pre-marital sex instead of to abstain from it. This is especially dangerous with the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS as having sex can be a literal death sentence). Please pray that fruitful discussion would be had and that the CHE's would be bold and courageous to share these difficult lessons with friends and family.
Lastly, I would like to update you on what is going on in Philippi in regards to the violence and strikes that were previously mentioned. Though the violent protests have subsided, the security guard strikes continue. We heard this morning that many security guards are in financial crisis and don't have enough money to feed their families because they have been out of work for so long. They can't go back to work because breaking the strike could mean death for them at the hands of fellow security guard strikers. So, the situation is quite bad for them now. Please pray that the conflict would be resolved quickly and peacefully and that the workers would not be exploited but rather get the wages that they deserve. Thank you for all of your prayers!

Love,
Jen

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!