Longing for Acceptance

Of the many friendships I formed during my South Africa mission trip, one in particular was quite unexpected. It involves a sales clerk at a store in the local mall.

I visited this store fairly regularly and this guy was always very friendly and chatty. One day he asked what had brought me to South Africa. I explained my short-term mission work and took that opportunity to invite him to the church I was attending, which is located right next to the mall. He said no thanks, he doesn’t do organized religion. I told him that I really don’t either, that I have a personal relationship with God that goes beyond what many think of as mere religion. I invited him to meet for coffee one morning the following week if he would be interested in hearing more about that, and he said that he would.

The night before the agreed-upon meeting, I got a text message from my friend.(Nearly everyone relies heavily on texting there, as it’s considerably cheaper than voice calls.) He was feeling dishonest about his intentions and wondering if we should cancel our plans. “You see, I like you, but not in the way that you might think,” he wrote. After exchanging several more text messages – I also tried calling him to talk further, but I think he was too embarrassed to answer – we ultimately wound up not meeting.

The point of this story is not that I can go all the way to Africa and find a guy who likes me even though I can’t find a girl here in my own country. (Although I do find that amusing.) Setting aside any debate about homosexuality, the point is that people everywhere desire meaningful relationships - and that's a desire that only God can truly fulfill.

As I told my friend, don’t put your hope in men (or women, for that matter), because we humans always let each other down. He texted back, “Doesn’t God want me to share my love with someone?” Yes, in fact, God does want every one of us to share our love. But not in the way the world thinks. God wants us to share our love with Him, because He desires a personal relationship with us. Jesus said it: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." That’s the kind of love that brings true, lasting joy, regardless of whether one is in a long-term relationship with someone else.

The God who created the entire universe, the God who reigns over all of life and death – that same God lives in me and fellowships with me and never fails me or abandons me. Even though it is on a spiritual level, my relationship with God is just as real as when I sit and talk to someone face to face. So even if I never marry the girl of my dreams, I know I have God Himself by my side, both in this life and in the life to come. And I hope my friend in Cape Town finds such a relationship with God, too.

Something to Think About

Lessons Learned

I’d like to say thanks again to everyone who helped make my short-term mission trip to South Africa possible, through financial support, prayer and encouragement. Also, a special shout-out to Crescent Resources for letting me take a leave-of-absence, and to those at Palmetto Bluff who stepped up to help with my work while I was away.

As expected, I learned a lot during my time in Cape Town. Here’s an at-a-glance look at a few of those lessons, some spiritual, some practical and some just random:

· African children are some of the most joyful youngsters I’ve ever met. Just smile at one and they’re your friend for life.
· Africans – children and adult alike – have some of the most beautiful singing voices I’ve ever heard.
· In many instances, people with fewer material possessions display a greater dependence on God.
· Summer can become winter overnight in Cape Town.
· God will equip me for any task He calls me to – including, and especially, those that I am ill-suited for by my own abilities.
· We Americans do not “need” nearly as much as we think we do.
· “Live one day at a time” is a good approach. Tomorrow indeed has enough trouble of its own, so no need to worry about it today.
· Poverty + desperation = high crime rates in southern Africa. When the local police station is protected by an independent security company, you realize you need to watch your back.
· "Good deeds" are no good at all unless they're accompanied by love and compassion.
· Eighteen hours on a jetliner is a long time.
· If I have made a difference in just one person’s life, then the effort has been worthwhile.
· Grilled zebra does not taste good, no matter how you marinate it.
· Regardless of what people think of the Iraq War and other aspects of George W. Bush’s presidency, he is responsible for untold lives saved – more than 10 million have been positively affected by the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in Africa and other locations abroad.
· The Bible is right – it really is more blessed to give than receive.
· Finally – and this is not a new revelation for me, but I believe it now more than ever – nothing in this life matters without God as the foundation. Not money, not clothes or shelter, not family and friends, not career, not accomplishments, not good deeds. “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” (Luke 9:25). We’re only passing through this life, but the next one lasts forever. Are you absolutely sure if your eternal future is secure? It’s wise to find out. Check out http://www.whyhedied.org/ for details.

Singing Praises

Living Hope Christmas Party

Masiphumelele Baptist Church, Cape Town, South Africa

Scattered Thoughts from a South African Odyssey

Spending nine weeks in Cape Town, South Africa has been the experience of a lifetime. Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula comprise one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places I’ve ever seen. And the people have been so interesting to get to know. The mix of cultures and languages – black, white and coloured people; English, Afrikaans and nine different native tongues – is fascinating.

As I head home tomorrow, I’ll take with me countless memories. It’s going to take a while to process it all. I’ve seen some harsh things. The effect of sin in our fallen world, the evil that man is capable of, is extremely disheartening. For reasons that I don’t always understand, God allows the consequences of man’s selfish will to be carried out. But I’ve also seen much evidence of His faithfulness, His love and His healing hand in people’s lives. Jesus Himself promised, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world” (John 10:10).

Unlike in America, where so much of life adheres to a schedule and a “normal” way of doing things, life in South Africa is less organized, less regimented, more random. So for my last post from Cape Town, in the spirit of randomness, I offer a few memories, a variety of images that stand out in my mind from the past two months. I’ll be home soon, but part of me will remain here in Africa, so stay tuned – influenced by insights from both sides of the sea, I expect to continue blogging on a variety of topics.

HOMELESS PEOPLE singing their hearts out to God. Granted, some of them come to the morning and afternoon devotions just so they can be first in line for the food, but some of them genuinely worship God and depend on Him for their every need, even when they don’t know where they’ll be sleeping that night.

SHEEP HEADS displayed on a sheet of plywood in Red Hill. As mentioned in a previous blog, “smileys” are a local delicacy whereby the heads are fried and eaten – eyes, brains and all. As someone commented in response to that blog, “Ewe.” I’m not sure whether the pun was intentional.

EDUCATORS WITH A PASSION for teaching the ways of God to the young people of this area. Though they’re not always formally trained, Living Hope’s Life Skill Educators have a heart for the children and a zest for life that flows through to them. The middle photo here shows Shagmie and Vernil, two of the LSEs in Capricorn Township.

“DONKEY MAN,” the shabby bearded guy who looks like an Old West prospector, riding his donkey on the sidewalk while pulling another donkey along behind. This takes place along a crowded road surrounded by pedestrians from the nearby black township of Masiphumelele. It’s one of the more random and odd sights I’ve seen.

TABLE MOUNTAIN, the 3,500-foot-tall mass of rock that looms over Cape Town and draws tourists from all over the world to ride its cableway to the top. I’ve ridden the cable car a few times, but my most enduring memory is a two-hour hike up in blazing heat. It was one of those “character-building” experiences that made the soaring views all the more worthwhile.

THE RESILIENT PEOPLE who live in the townships and informal settlements. In Red Hill, a shantytown that’s scattered along the side of a mountain overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the terrain is rough and rocky, but residents are persistent in planting vegetable and flower gardens. These gardens are flourishing, bringing life and color to a landscape blighted by fire and litter. The bottom photo here shows David and John, brothers and neighbors who share a garden that wouldn’t be out of place in Cape Town’s Kirstenbosch, the national botanical garden.

SIZWE, THE SECURITY GUARD who watches the public beach parking lot next to the house I’ve been living in. My housemates and I give him water sometimes. One day he asked me if I could “organize a sandwich” for him – as if it were an event that required careful planning. I didn’t have any sandwich materials at the time, but I did organize him a bag of sweet tarts.

THE BOOMSLANG, a cave reached by a long climb up into the mountains above the seaside town of Fish Hoek. When I set out for the Boomslang on a foggy Saturday morning, I knew I was going to be visiting a cave. However, I didn’t realize I would be crawling on my hands and knees, then on my belly, to get through it. Fortunately I’m not claustrophobic.

DRIVING ON THE WRONG SIDE of the road. After being a passenger for nearly two months, I decided to “hire” a car, as they say here, and transport myself around the Cape for a weekend. Sitting on the right side of the car, driving on the left side of the highway and shifting with the left hand requires a shift in thinking, too.

BEST BEETLE, the not-so-aptly named rental company that specializes in beaten-down, ’60s- and ’70s-era Volkswagens. Two of my co-workers, Ryan and Jess, have lime-green Beetles, both relics with an assortment of “character quirks.”

SOME OF THE MOST ADORABLE and sweestest children I’ve ever met in my life. And also, admittedly, some of the rowdiest. Kids emulate what they see at home, which unfortunately means fighting, swearing and a general lack of respect in many instances. But there are plenty of children who are being raised properly. One of my favorite families is that of Pastor Kennedy, the youth minister at River of Life Church in Red Hill. Kennedy’s kids, Joanne, Eldrich and Jeremiah are pictured with me in the top photo here. A few days ago, when it was announced that I would be going home soon, Joanne (who might be the cutest kid EVER) asked me to step outside so we could talk. “I don’t have anything to give you,” she said, “but I want to tell you something: Thank you.” Then she hugged me. And then my heart melted.

Christmas Wish List

Christmas in Summer

With South Africa located in the Southern Hemisphere and summer occurring in December, there’s never talk of a white Christmas here. But the Christmas spirit is still evident, perhaps even more so because it doesn’t seem to be as diluted by all the commercial nonsense as it is in America.

Last night I enjoyed a tremendous Christmas experience at Kirstenbosch, South Africa’s national botanical garden. Situated on the flank of Table Mountain just outside Cape Town, Kirstenbosch is stunningly scenic. The local Rotary Club has been holding “Carols at Kirstenbosch” all weekend at an amphitheatre that sits on a grassy slope with a sheer mountainside as the backdrop. The temperature was blazing hot yesterday, but it had cooled to jacket weather by the time the singing began. Hundreds of people packed the lawn, picnicking in the early evening hours and then singing by candelight (and a brilliant full moon) during 90 minutes of traditional carols.

Besides the incredible surroundings, what struck me was the way the event was presented as exactly what it claimed to be – a Christmas program. Scripture passages, both Old and New Testament, were read between each song. At the end, a local pastor detailed the true meaning of Christmas and all the implications that came with that amazing event in human history. This all took place at a public, non-church gathering, on a national landmark, with a message that was clearly and unapologetically presented – that is, no watering it down in an effort to accommodate those who might be “offended.” Coming from a culture where we have national debates on whether “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” is more acceptable, I found it refreshing just to enjoy the season without all the distractions.