We have started our journey home. We have been blessed with an overflowing cup of hospitality and joy from our discovery of God’s activities in South Africa. Our heartfelt thanks to all who graciously hosted us. From the Teicherts to the Tams and many, many others in their communities we are so thankful for their support and time. To all of the prayer warriors, supporters, blog readers, and commenters, your encouragement was a gift to us. To the teams members, you are the reason missions work. Thanks you for the time, engagement, laughter, and insight.

Yee-Haw! We’re coming home to Texas!!

Cheers,

FPC South Africa Team 2019

Another glorious morning in South Africa!

Today’s devotional was based on Psalm 97. The Psalmist proclaims many characteristics that describe God. And after thoughtful answers and discussion, we came up with, “God is Always”. Walter reminded of what Caroline Price tells the children (and us). Each day go through the alphabet and describe God with a word for each letter. What a wonderful way to keep ones focus on God. The team was challenged to keep this in mind as we began our last day of service in Cradock.

What an unexpected delight awaited us at the Lidie Moolman’s School for children with special needs.

Lidie is a remarkable young woman who has risen above major challenges in life. With help and encouragement from her family, she now teaches 18 students with learning and physical disabilities.

We were greeted by songs and a skit performed by the students. We then had the morning to just spend time with the children. We colored, played with pipe cleaners and laughed with the children and soon became mesmerized by their unique talents and gifts. What an absolute joy it was to spend such wonderful time with these children of God.

After the Lidie School children went home, we enjoyed lunch with the Tam’s, the mission team from California and the youth who were with us yesterday. Then the controlled chaos began!

The Tam’s (especially Meagan) organized a surprise birthday party for Larry complete with cake, blow up jumpers, toys and snacks. The children from the Amy Bell Centre joined us for the fun and after singing several rousing renditions of “Happy Birthday” they were turned loose to enjoy the party.

During the activities for the children, many of our team were invited to participate in the Friday Youth Bible Study organized by Henriette. They we sat in awe of the lesson led by Estelle.

I mean, wow. She is filled with the gift of the Hoy Spirit. Estelle’s devotional pulled from II Cor. 9, Jeremiah 31, and Luke 9: 1-6. She outlined how all the groups involved in the community of Cradock are full of grace. She said we could have come all the way to South Africa with a full entourage of protection and body guards to keep us safe from harm; instead all we brought was ourselves protected by the all-encompassing grace of God. She also illustrated the power of God’s plan for us by saying of all the millions of possibilities of people that could have come from your parents, you were the one God chose to come into this world and work within His plan. We are the instruments and God is the pianist when we let Him into our lives and accept His grace and mercy, beautiful symphonies spring forth.

As Estelle wrapped up, Abby, one of the young women from California opened up about her life and God’s work within her. Abby was first found in a box on the streets of a city in Ethiopia at the age of two. She was sick, malnourished (4 lbs), with skin issues. The police took her in and placed her in a orphanage not expecting her to live. Abby’s parents came to that orphanage, discovered Abby and took her to the hospital. Doctors ran many tests with the same results, HIV positive. Her father prayed for the healing hand of God and said that if it was within God’s plan to save this girl’s life then the family would take her in and adopt her as their own. Abby miraculously tested HIV negative with a year and she has continued to be HIV negative. Abby said she is here because of the grace of God.

On our way back to the ranch, we stopped by a township school that the Amy Bell Charities and Africa Children’s Schools has helped add five new classrooms. They are almost ready to open, waiting only on the installation of chalkboards.

We arrived back to the ranch and enjoyed a musical ‘send off’ provided by Tam’s. The California team joined us for dinner and we concluded the evening with shared prayer requests. We prayed over the California team, the Teicherts and the Tam family for their ongoing and upcoming ministries. It has been a privilege to share the past ten days with these amazing people.

Here are some ABC’s of our trip:

Amy Bell Charities – Businesses growing faithfully – Caregivers – Devotionals – Estelle’s Bible Study – Finetown – Grace – Henriette and hospitality – Inspirational – Joyful children – Karl and Jenny – Lidie’s School – Mama Florina – Nhlanhla (Zandspruit) – Omnipresent – Po and Queen – Ripples of faith – South African Chinese Covenant Church – Tam Family – Unity – Variety of opportunities – Werner – eXtraordinary team – Youthful – Zanele

The team woke up to a beautiful crisp winter morning complete with frost on the ground.

Hard to believe it is in the 100’s back home with our loved ones. But it is the same glorious sun we each see as dawn breaks here and soon rises there.

Our devotional this morning was based on Psalm 27. Led by Walter, the team studied the words of David and reflected on how we might apply them throughout our day in Cradock.

“The Lord  is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear.  

The Lord is the stronghold of my life …

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

Now … off to play with the children at the Amy Bell Children’s Centre!

The center was dedicated to Amy Bell, Larry and Ellen’s daughter, in April 2015.

Amy loved children and loved Africa. She had a special tie to Cradock and the Tam’s, and the center was opened in her memory. Such an honor to be here and see the legacy of her faith and love. You can read more about this amazing foundation at http://www.amybellcharities.org.

We arrived at the center about 9:00 am after another wonderful breakfast by Henriette and her staff.

After introductions to the youth that would help us, we set up for the coming activities with another visiting team from Bakersfield, CA. who are associated with African Children’s Schools and Mission One Eleven. The youth are high school and university scholarship students supported through the Amy Bell Charities.

Similar to the VBS we did in Finetown, we set up three separate stations with several activities in each stop. As we finished organizing, we could hear the children arrive via the Amy Bell Bus. What a joy! 50 students of varying ages were divided into three groups and sent off to enjoy a day of fun and laughter. The next two hours flew by with games, songs, pipe cleaner crowns, puppet shows, and a photo booth (without the booth). It was a blast!

After we finished the last session, the children lined up and were fed lunch by the fabulous women who run the center. The children at the center are fed lunch every school day and are provided after school care and homework assistance.

The team gathered across the street at the Margaret Williams Computer Centre for lunch with a few of the local pastors.

A fruitful discussion followed as we listened, encouraged, brainstormed and prayed with the pastors. We look forward to seeing what these seeds planted today may become.

We celebrated Judy’s birthday this evening (actually we started this morning and continued throughout the day) with Happy Birthday songs and sparkler topped cakes. We saw the beauty of God’s creation yesterday and experienced the beauty of God’s children today. Who could ask for anything more! Thanks God!!

Sunday. Sabbath. Rest. Fellowship. Sacred. Reflection. Prayer.

Our team began the day with a devotional on Psalm 67 led by Walter. Here is the beginning of this beautiful Psalm:

“May God be gracious to us and bless us
    and make his face shine on us-
 so that your ways may be known on earth,
    your salvation among all nations.

 May the peoples praise you, God;
    may all the peoples praise you.”

What a fitting chapter for what we would be experiencing throughout the day.

We were blessed to attend the Tam’s home church, Wesleyan Methodist, in Cradock.

They welcomed us with open arms and we enjoyed wonderful music and a sermon delivered by Pastor Olafie based on Luke 5: 12-16. Following the service, we joined the congregation for fellowship and coffee. Such a sweet time.

The team enjoyed a wonderful lunch back at the Tam’s, prepared for us by the amazing Henriette. We have come to realize that she is a faithful, multi-talented woman who loves the Lord.

After a brief rest, the team was treated to a game drive. What a spectacular gift and another testament to the Tam’s hospitality. We had the privilege of visiting the cross that was placed on the ranch in honor of Amy by the Tam boys. They so love Amy. It was is a beautiful spot overlooking the ranch.

We saw God’s creation everywhere we looked and witnessed first hand the conservation efforts by the Tam’s to protect the many animals of South Africa. We ended our Sabbath with a spectacular sunset over the rugged terrain of this piece of heaven. It reminded us of the West Texas sunsets we so often see in our own skies back home.

Our world is truly God’s Masterpiece.

Today started a tad earlier than our last few days but it was with excitement and anticipation that we boarded our van to head to the airport. We flew from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth to begin our journey to Cradock and the Amy Bell Charities.

We were met at the Port Elizabeth airport by Therese Tam, whose family will be hosting us in Cradock at their game ranch located about 15-20 minutes outside of Cradock. We loaded into the “Amy Bell Centre” van and when Larry climbed in, he was overcome with emotion and gratitude that we are here to visit the Amy Bell Charities.

He was especially excited to have the Teichert’s along. Larry was Jenny’s Sunday School teacher many, many years ago at First Presbyterian.

We stopped along the way for lunch at Nagana and enjoyed a meal of great food and conversation and after our meal, we boarded our vans for the 2 hr drive to the Tam Ranch.

What fun it was meeting the Tam family who are the “boots on the ground” in coordinating all the programs associated with the Amy Bell Charities in the area. We were also introduced to a very special woman from Amy’s life – Henriette – who works with the Tams and absolutely adored Amy.

After room assignments, the team gathered to do our daily devotional. Each day, we gather together to study one of the Psalms. Today we studied Psalm 32 and we contemplated how to apply the scriptures into our days here in South Africa and how to take them home with us. We also continued our de-brief of yesterday’s events. Harold asked a very honest question that we all have been bumping up against throughout the trip. It spurred a deep conversation on how to maintain support and reach back to encourage a program in a healthy way. What is the best way to “keep the ball rolling” with the relationships we have made along the way?

We gathered around the table to share a meal as family. It was an emotional and moving evening as the Tams, Henriette and the Bells shared the story of Amy’s life and how lives have been changed by her legacy. We will be able to see first hand what the Amy Bell Charities have been up to over the next few days.

The FPC South Africa Team is complete!

Larry Bell has joined us to finish our journey and mission.

Our morning started off going to jail…kind of. Harold and Jim were provided the opportunity to meet and give their testimony to Kruegersdorf Correctional Facility guards EARLY this morning. Harold has experience with prison ministry through Kairos. Jim and Harold interacted with women and men who have the rare and difficult task of bringing light and love to those who know the darkest sides of society.

Creativity and the will to succeed, even in the face of adversity is a universally admired quality. Combine these traits with a strong belief in the power of faith and guidance. The people we spent the day with have these traits and understand that “you go nowhere by accident; everywhere you go, God is sending you; everywhere you are, God has put you.” These people can move mountains and establish solid foundations for many to grow and follow in their footsteps; they create legacies and faith as well as ensuring the growth and sustainability of their communities. Benjamin Franklin believed productivity and industriousness were the work of the Lord, that we are charged to use our God given abilities to grow the world around us. The character traits mentioned are pieces to the whole of being a Servant Based Leader. Jesus is the truest example of Servant Leadership.

Through OC Africa, we enjoyed the opportunity to interact with a group called Africa Skills. Africa Skills is a 15-month intensive training derived from the German BESD program (Basic Economic Skills Development). Mentors, Enterprise Development Practitioners (EDP’s), work with 11 Emerging Entrepreneurs (EE’s) in a one-on-one setting to help cultivate their business into a sustainable, productive community asset. Gabriel, the head of this program, is a true servant leader. On top of running Africa Skills, he is a pastor, prison minister, and also mentors aspiring pastors. We began our interaction with Africa Skills by an invitation to share our knowledge to the amazing EDP mentors through assigned topics by Africa Skills. Judy opened our session with a wonderful devotional from John 6:63 on making sure your spirit is right with both God and yourself before going out into the world each day.

After Judy’s devotional, Karen gave a presentation on how to build presentations using PowerPoint. It fit perfectly with the EDP’s work plan. The presentation was well received and the EDP’s will take Karen’s presentation as a teaching tool back to their EE’s.

Clayton followed her presentation with a session entitled “Shepherding Your Business: Servant-Based Leadership Approaches to Mentoring”. Using the story of Christ as a servant leader washing the feet of his disciples, Clayton led the group through the concepts of servant-based leadership. He beautifully brought the illustration of a shepherd into the discussion and closed with a quote from Nelson Mandela. The FPC team then joined the EDP’s in small groups to further explore this concept. Clayton’s presentation received great feedback with many questions and conversations.

A quick lunch break catered by KFC transitioned our team 20 minutes away to Kagiso township where we were treated to an interaction and conversation with current and past EE’s.

These are spectacular people who love their business and truly care about increasing the quality of life in their communities. Several EE’s gave their testimony on their businesses, their struggles, and how much of an impact the Africa Skills EDP’s have had in cultivating their success. One theme rang true through every conversation, God has had a direct influence on guiding them to where they are today. With the EE testimonies finished, the floor was opened to Larry Bell.

He began with a prayer from Psalm 19:14. He gave a passionate word of encouragement based on Psalm 127:1. He gave examples from his own life and business with the main theme being, ‘If you are passionate about what you do and it brings you joy, God is in the midst of it. But you must keep God in the midst each and every day. Keep your focus on God and keep seeking His will and you will find joy.

Our afternoon finished with a trip to the informal settlement of Zandspruit to visit the Zandspruit Youth Program.

The facility is overseen by OC Africa team members Barbara and Paul Siaki and it is a paradise in the destitute desert of the Zandspruit settlement. A team member said of the youth program area, “as you pull through the gate you can feel the Spirit of the Lord just explode into your presence.” Barbara and Paul have given a majority of the leadership over to Nlahnhla, a 27 year old who exudes the love and grace of Jesus through him. Nlahnhla was one of the first students who attended the youth community center and returned to help foster its continued growth.

Everywhere you looked, joy abounded. It was an uplifting experience of singing and dancing and a great way to finish the day.

We wrapped up our evening in Jo-burg at Moyo’s.

The recommendation from the Teicherts was a delicious meal filled with laughter and reflection to close this chapter of our South Africa journey. The Teicherts and their entire OC Africa community are inspiring and a blessing to all they encounter.

We are so thankful for people such as them and are honored First Presbyterian Church has had the opportunity to be a small part of their ministry.

Our Johannesburg journey has come to a close. Now we are off to see the wonderful tree of life that has grown from Amy Bell’s legacy in Cradock.

We’re on our way from Johannesburg to Cradock. We’ll update today’s events soon.

The team had the opportunity to walk the roads of Finetown today with an amazing group of Home-based Caregivers. These compassionate and enthusiastic women go out into the community of Finetown and visit chronically ill and homebound clients to offer support, simple wound care, medicinal supervision and companionship. The caregivers go out in pairs to visit their patients Monday through Thursday and de-brief as a team on Friday with their concerns and reports for the week. In the area where we were visiting, there are 62 caregivers. Each caregiver receives a stipend from the government of R3500 Rand which is the equivalent of $246.00 per month.

We learned quite a bit from our new friends as we walked along the red dirt roads to the houses of their clients. Some clients lived in simple concrete houses with two to four rooms while other clients lived in one room sheet metal shelters. We watched them compassionately greet their clients with sincere concern and kindness, gently asking if it would be okay if some visitors from the US joined them and we were so honored to always be greeted with smiles.

Here are a few reflections from those visits:

“A woman and her husband had taken in a women from the community who had had a stroke. They were not related to the client, but said, “As a Christian, I can not not take her in”. They had built a room onto their home and were taking care of her needs. The caregiver reported that her health was improving because of the care she was receiving.”

“On our last home visit, we were introduced to Shakira – a bright eyed young girl with the sweetest smile. Shakira is thirteen and is HIV positive. She lives on a pallet on the floor of a sheet metal shelter that she shares with her mother and two siblings. As we visited with the caregiver, we found out that they were from Mozambique, were undocumented, and, therefore, not eligible for government or medical support. Shakira was being cared for by her 11 year old sister and 10 year old brother while the mother worked. She cannot move except for her head and is so small you would almost miss her under her blanket. The caregiver and Pastor Vessie are trying to figure out a plan to help Shakira receive the best help she needs. We prayed over her and took her image with us as we left the simple shelter.”

“We met Queen and Po during one of our home visits. Queen is the mother of Po, a 26 year old woman who suffers from brain damage and seizures. During one of her hospital treatments, the doctors were doing a spinal procedure that went terribly wrong and paralyzed Po from the waist down. The husband had left, their sister and daughter passed away in a car wreck, and they were receiving no help from their extend family. It was just Queen and Po. As the mother recounted their story, she shared about how difficult it was to be the only caregiver for her daughter and how terribly alone she felt. But her absolute faith, strength and love were also present as she shared that her one guiding light was her unfailing love in Jesus. How important it is to this family that they receive daily visits from their caregivers”

The team took time to de-brief over lunch and then off we went to visit Mama Florina.

Mama Florina has been a partner with OC and the Teichert’s for many, many years. When you meet Mama Florina, she is the perfect image of what you would imagine her to be. Full of life and love for children, Mama Florina takes care of the least of these with her whole heart. At her home, tucked away in the streets of Finetown, you will find laughter, singing and hope shining through. We were greeted by a large group of children, singing and dancing as we drove up. We soon joined in and enjoyed the warm welcome by Mama Florina, her caregivers and her children. Mama Florina takes care of 11 orphans in her home – ranging in age, they are happy, healthy and educated. She also over sees 8 home-based caregivers who visit approximately 247 clients that are homebound or chronically ill – usually with TB, HIV or Diabetes. To top that off, Mama Florina also provides a feeding program for 40-70 children from the community each day. Whew. What a remarkable woman. We were able to pass out a few gifts to the caregivers and toothbrushes to the children who were there. It was a wonderful way to top off our last day in Finetown.

Thank you for your comments and prayers. They are such an encouragement to the team. Please continue to pray for the health and stamina of the team as we approach the end of our time in Johannesburg.

Whoa!

What. A. Day!

First and foremost, the FPC team is doing a spectacular job. FPC and all who have been praying for, supporting and following the trip so far would be so proud of this group of volunteers. Karl and Jenny Teichert are truly doing some wonderful work integrating the many ways God works through the people within and around Johannesburg.

The team began the day making their way to the Zenzele Education Center in Finetown for a “Zenzele Fun Day” morning. Finetown is a separate township from SOWETO, in actuality, and is one of the poorer informal settlements for the Johannesburg area.

 The Zenzele Center was started to feed, educate, protect and minister to the children and young adults of Finetown. Full time Caregivers and volunteers work to foster responsibility, independence and faith. They help with homework, give guidance on personal growth and problems, and also promote reading skills. Additionally, they work with both children and their parents (if not orphaned) to properly write resumès, budgets and save for the future.

The activities were designed as a VBS style, five-station rotation program.  Each team member paired up and were assigned to facilitate a station.  The stations consisted of: Bible story puppet shows;

crafts;

face painting;

games;

and fitness.

Each rotation was 20-minutes of fun and laughter and the morning flew by.  We had approximately 190 children for the program and at the conclusion helped distribute peanut butter sandwiches, chips, drinks, oranges and a treat to each child.  They were so excited.  Here are a few observations from the team:

• So impressed with how the older children helped the younger children learn the games with patience and compassion
• The children were so polite and respectful, participating with enthusiasm and joy.
• The children were engaged and entertained by the three Bible based stories
• They were so meticulous and proud to complete their craft; a coloring Bible flip card lesson
• And they were SO excited to select their individual face painting image (mustaches and all)

Pastor Wessie is a local pastor from an adjoining community called Ennerdale and several of our team members were able to visit his church after lunch to learn about the many community outreach programs that his church members conduct in the surrounding communities.  An outgoing, unique individual, Pastor Wessie is one active servant of God! – and we will have another opportunity again tomorrow to work with one of his outreach programs.  We will be walking the streets of Finetown alongside Homebound Caregivers as they visit those who are severely ill and in need of assistance and prayer.

In the afternoon, we had the privilege of handing out tennis shoes, crosses and Texas trinkets to all the Caregivers.  It was something.  They we so excited and appreciative.  Visiting with the manager of the Center, she was so moved by the gesture.  She said that this is the first time that a group has poured into the Caregivers and not just the children.  What an amazingly gifted, compassionate group of people who share all their knowledge and love through their care of the children.  They are truly living into the calling of taking care of the least of these.

After a BRIEF break, we headed to another partnership of the Teicherts – the South African Chinese Covenant Church.  Their charismatic Pastor Frank Taun greeted us with open arms and amazing hospitality. We enjoyed a “Chinese Wednesday Night Gathering” meal of authentic homemade chinese food (and pizza) complete with chopsticks.  We also had the opportunity to share the meal with a visiting Tiawanese Mission Team that was staying at the church.  After the meal, we were delighted to be included in a moving  worship service presented by the Chinese Church.  As always, Walter was called on to give a word of encouragement to the congregation and he did a wonderful job.  Who knew Walter could speak Chinese so well (just kidding).

To have the opportunity to gather East and West together in South Africa to worship our Lord, as a community of believers, was remarkable.  Just think – wherever we are gathered together as believers, we always find God weaving an intricate multi-cultural tapestry of faith.

Before the end of the service, we were treated to an amazing gift of a baptism.  A member of the church had noticed a Chinese family on her plane while traveling recently to South Africa.  Listening to the call of God, the member of the church changed seats on the plane in order to sit next to the family.  She came to find out they were immigrating to SA and invited them to visit the church.  As the conversation continued, she also found out they were in need a place to stay.  She offered them one of the many rooms available at the church and they were embraced by the community.  Hearing a still, small voice in her heart as they became active at the church, she was moved to accept the invitation of Christ to be baptized into the body of Christ.  For me personally (Karen) it was the first time in all my mission travels throughout the world, that I was a witness to a baptism of faith.  What a night!

What an amazing God we serve that brings together believers from East and West to meet in South Africa and worship as one body in Christ.

Your humble (and exhausted) scribes,

Clayton and Karen

PS – Please pray for good health and stamina of the team as we enter the difficult “hump day” of our trip.

PPS – Please see the link below to an article on Pastor Tuan and the SACCC

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/905235.shtml

 

Today the South Africa team acquainted ourselves with Johannesburg and its surrounding townships. We opened our day with an orientation and review, led by Karl and Jenny Teichert, of activities we will be participating in over the next four days.

After our orientation meeting and devotional we gathered up in the van and headed to Soweto which stands for South West Township, the largest township in Johannesburg. We stopped at Wandi’s Restaurant for lunch. What a treat!

Wandi’s was established as the first restaurant in Soweto in 1981. Famous for the local cuisine buffet, the hospitality and the staff, it has been frequented by such famous people as Richard Branson, Evander Holyfield, Quincy Jones and Chris Rock. While we enjoyed the wonderful food, we were entertained – or should we say – “edu-tained” by a local guitarist who played a number of internationally popular South African songs while mixing in the history and culture of Soweto. Education and entertainment equals “edu-tain-ment”.

At the end of our meal, we signed our names on the walls of the restaurant to show our appreciation; just as thousands of patrons before us have done.

Wandi is truly an inspiration of perseverance. He started the restaurant and continues to run it because of his desire to be a mentor and example to the youth in the community by encouraging them to work hard for their dreams.

From Wandi’s, we traveled to the Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum.

The museum is named in remembrance of Hector Pieterson, the first and youngest casualty of the 1976 Soweto Uprising. The iconic photo of Hector being carried through the streets of Soweto was published throughout the world and became a symbol of the struggle against Apartheid school restrictions led by the Soweto students. It brought the Apartheid struggle to the world’s attention. It was a great historical lesson for the SA team.

After dinner, the team gathered together to organize our supplies and prepare for our upcoming VBS style program in the morning at Finetown. Finetown is one of the poorest informal settlements in the Soweto Township. We will be leading the “Zinzele Fun Day” for 150 local Finetown children. After the Fun Day, we will be helping with a feeding program for 400 students and visiting other projects in the area.

Please pray for stamina, enthusiasm, flexibility and joyful interaction for our team members. And pray that our interaction with build relationships with those we encounter along the way.