Mission-Minded

King of Kings Baptist, which founded Living Hope and is my “home” church while I’m here, just celebrated its annual missions week. This small congregation (around 300 or so members, I believe) sends and supports 21 individuals and families around Africa, Asia and Europe, and supports another dozen or so mission organizations. They’ve got it right in following Jesus’ command to “be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

The world is hungry for the spiritual fulfillment and eternal life that only Jesus can provide. The guest speaker at this morning’s worship service, Willie Crew of the World Missions Centre in Pretoria, South Africa, told an amazing story of two missionaries who were traveling through Iran with a carload of Bibles. Negotiating a treacherous mountain road, their steering locked up and they screeched to a halt before tumbling down a cliff.

As they were assessing the situation, a Iranian man showed up and asked, “Where are the books?” They figured they were really in trouble now – you just don’t bring Bibles into such a hard-line Islamic country. But the man starting telling a story of how Jesus appeared to him in a dream the night before. The Lord told him, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6) and the man instantly converted from Islam to Christ-follower. Then, he said, Jesus told him to go down the mountain the next day and he would be given Bibles to bring back and share with his village.

This event cannot be explained as mere coincidence. The living God wants lost people to know Him and He is using His people to make that happen. Mission work is not just for a special few with some unique calling. It’s for anyone who calls Christ their Lord and Savior and it’s to be done everywhere – locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. God is “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9), and people need to know how to do that.

Stomach-Building Exercise

The Living Hope LSE (Life Skill Educator) staff was given this past Friday off to use as a team-building day. The group was given R100 per person (about $13) and the freedom to choose the activity to spend it on.

They chose a buffet lunch. At first this puzzled me a bit, but once I was there, I understood. It seems all-you-can-eat buffets are not common in South Africa. (Even free refills on coffee and soda are rare.) So when we visited the restaurant (located in some far-flung suburb of Cape Town), my South African co-workers took full advantage.

The buffet opened at noon and closed at 3:00, and we stayed the entire time. Steak, chicken, calamari, pastas, salads, local African cuisine, desserts – it was all there and it was all consumed. Some people failed to pace themselves and ate so much they were miserable afterwards. The Americans in the group noted that back home, you might go to such a place, have a few plates and then leave – mission accomplished. But our friends here made an event of it, and it was fun to witness and experience. And we’ll never look at a buffet the same way again.

Cape Town in Bloom

Recently I visited one of my favorite Cape Town sites, the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. The property covers 1,320 acres on the slopes of the Table Mountain range. The beauty of the indigenous plantings is stunning, as is the diversity (the Cape region is said to be home to more plants per square meter than anywhere else on earth).

Skeptics say that to believe in God and the Bible is to believe a fairy tale. I say it’s ludicrous to believe that the wonders of the natural world came into existence on their own. The Bible itself says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1).

Encouraging Words

A few days ago my friend Mzo suggested that we need to pray more for our work in Red Hill. I agreed, so we spent some time confessing that we were trying to accomplish things in our own strength and not looking to God for help.

One of my favorite Scriptures says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Contrary to what the world says, weakness isn’t always a bad thing. When we are weak we are driven to seek God and rely on Him for strength. And that deepens our fellowship with Him and allows Him to make His greatness known.

I have no doubt that God speaks to us through other people. On this particular day, Mzo and I were introduced to a friend of a friend who asked if we could give him a ride to a nearby township. This guy turned out to be a pastor and he had heard of our work in Red Hill. As we pulled up to the house where he was going, he had an unexpected word for us: He said, “You guys need to keep praying and depending on God. You're about to see Him do great things in Red Hill.” Then, citing John the Baptist, he added: “Remember, He must become greater; you must become less” (John 3:30).

This encounter was clearly a confirmation of our prayers earlier that day.

Springtime in South Africa

Silvermine Nature Reserve, south of Cape Town.

All Aboard

Cape Town children were on spring break this week, which meant it was time for Holiday Club (akin to Vacation Bible School) in the various communities Living Hope serves. Assisted by a team from Brentwood, Tennessee, each club featured an Australian train theme, the Boomerang Express (because, as with a boomerang, life “all comes back to Jesus”).

The actual Bible lessons focused on the disciple Peter and his relationship with Jesus – leaving his job as a fisherman to follow Christ, walking on water, denying he knew the Lord after His arrest, witnessing His resurrection, and ultimately becoming an influential evangelist and church leader. Each day at our club in Red Hill, “Peter” (yours truly dressed in robe and headcloth) would show up and deliver a monologue based on that day’s story. Considering that I have no acting ability whatsoever, this was yet more evidence that with God all things are possible.

We hosted between 100 and 130 kids each day (about twice what we have during our normal after-school program), so it was a busy week, to say the least. Worship music and certain teaching segments were held in the local Apostolic Faith Mission church (pictured), but because of the numbers, we had to rotate kids to outdoor sites for crafts and additional teaching. This challenge was complicated by the fact that a steady wind of 30-35 mph blew throughout much of the week.

In typical South African fashion, the whole endeavor was barely controlled chaos. But that’s part of the fun, and as always seems to happen, things worked out fine in the end. The kids had a great time, ate well (600-plus sandwiches and at least twice that many apples, oranges and bananas) and learned what it means to be a committed Christ-follower.

On Wednesday our volunteer coordinator, Mike, came to visit the Red Hill club. When I told him I was playing the role of Peter, he said by the end of the week I would be “petered out.” And indeed I was.

Holiday Club Highlights

“Mamelani!” (Xhosa for “listen.”)

Singing “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Explaing how Jesus cooked fish and bread for Peter and some of the other disciples.

Pull out a camera and kids will flock to you.

From South Africa to the Australian Outback.