Prayers for South Africa

Every Monday morning the entire base here meets for prayer and intercession. The leaders pick a topic and we pray into it. Today was Somalia/Somaliland and the civil unrest they have up there. I thought it would be helpful to give some facts about South Africa specifically for people back home who might be interested in praying for this nation. While it is fighting and struggling to become a stronger country and overcome many of the issues going against it, South Africa still has a lot of problems.

Starting at the top with President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma. A man who currently has been married 5 times (and is still married to 3 of his wives) and is engaged to two other women. His 20th child was born in 2009.

Zuma was quoted recently trying to gain votes for his political party, the ANC (African National Congress, the SA equivalent to republicans and democrats). This is what he said:

"When you vote for the ANC, you are also choosing to go to heaven. When you don't vote for the ANC you should know that you are choosing that man who carries a fork...and who cooks people [...] When you are carrying an ANC membership card, you are blessed. When you get up there, there are different cards used but when you have an ANC card, you will be let through to go to heaven [...] When (Jesus) fetches us we well find (them) wearing black, green, and gold, the holy ones belong to the ANC."

In 2005 Zuma was accused of raping a woman. Despite heading the National AIDS Council and having knowledge of this woman being HIV positive, he did not use a condom. His response, in court, was that he took a shower afterwards to "cut the risk of contracting HIV".

His response shows the lack of awareness amongst South Africans about a disease that runs rampant in this country. In 2007 it was reported that 12% of the SA population were infected with HIV/AIDS. In some areas, that number is now close to 30% of the population. South Africa is believed to have the largest percentage of infected people in the world. There is a large number of AIDS denialists throughout the country, including former presidents and health ministers. The health minister in 2006 advocated "a diet of garlic, olive oil and lemon to cure the disease."

There are signs that things are changing though. Between 2005-2007 the percentage of teenagers with HIV/AIDS went down 3%. Awareness has also been raised drastically due to two television programs aimed at teenagers and adults.

Things to be praying for:

• South Africa is in desperate need of revival and an awareness of their situation.
• More people being trained and raised up to bring that awareness and share God's love.
• For the political and social leadership of SA to fight the rampant corruption and begin to set positive examples.

This post has been kind of off topic, but it was on my heart this evening. Please take a minute to pray and pass it on. All the information I posted here can be found in the following articles. Once again, if you want to help with what I'm doing, please use the donation button on the left side of this page or shoot me a message/leave a comment. I'm trying to raise $1,500 by March 10th.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS_in_South_Africa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Zuma

http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/article896486.ece/Zuma-should-apologise-for-God-comments--DA

More ramblings

I like the ocean, and I really like being within walking distance of the beach. I enjoy spending time alone on one of the multi-colored benches watching the waves roll in. I like sitting in silence and I like praying. I like seeing the waves come up and erase the mess that people left on the beach, footprints turned back into a clean slate for the next day. That would be the reason you might have found me alone after dark on one of those benches last week. Well, alone for a few minutes at least.

Earlier in the day I had run across one of the numerous beggars in Muizenberg and he asked me for some money for bread. I normally try to make up an excuse for not giving money or food to the beggars because there's a soup kitchen right in the middle of town. I told him that I wasn't going to the store (because I wasn't) and kept walking.

I saw him on the way to the beach that evening and he (Fabian was his name) followed me and sat down beside me on the bench.

We started talking about money and food (the most important things on his mind). Honestly, it was a frustrating conversation for me. I wanted to be alone and he wanted my money. We talked about how his Grandma lived alone and didn't have any income, how he couldn't go see her during the daytime or he'd get beaten up. We talked about his love for music and his desire to make it big as a musician. We talked about the Dutch guys who would come on vacation and pay him R5 (about 80 cents) to watch their car for the night so nobody messed with it. We talked about his love for marijuana and God. We talked about a lot of stuff, but it always came back to wanting money.

I shared with him my many reasons for not giving him money. There's a soup kitchen in town and that's their ministry. I'm jobless as well. If I give him money today and see him tomorrow then he'll just want more. If I give him money then everybody else in the area will want some also. If I buy him a loaf of bread then any money he has right now will just go for drugs.

We finally came to a point where I broke. I offered to buy him a loaf of bread, but he brought up the point that if I did that then anyone in or outside the store would know I did it and would want something from me also. I had R20 (about $3) and so I gave it to him. I told him to bring me the change right back. He offered to leave his bag as a promise that he would come back but I told him I trusted him. The store was within eye-sight if I turned around and moved 10 feet to the side. He could be there and back in 4 minutes if he walked slowly.

Fabian left and I finally had my peace and quiet.

20 minutes later, I still had my peace and quite....and no money. I headed home feeling a little bitter. Honestly, it wasn't about the money or the fact that I was robbed.

I started to wonder where the line was according to the Bible, or if there even is a line to draw? When is it okay to give someone money and when do you put your foot down and say no? Not to be cliche but what would Jesus do?

James 2:14-16 says "What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, 'Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?"

So, where's the line?

I saw Fabian again on Friday. He didn't try to hide or walk away. He crossed the street and we started talking. I reminded him that he'd stolen some money from me and he tried to tell me how he'd gotten lost. I interrupted him and told him that I forgave him. We were able to pray together, for his Grandmother, for a job for him, and for his friends and their situations.

I'll probably see him around, and he might ask me for money or food again. I don't know what my response will be.

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Once again, I'm in need of another $1,500 before March 10th. This will be my final payment and will go towards covering all my costs while I'm in India. I'll be buying my plane ticket later this week as well as applying for a travel visa on Monday. Any donations are very appreciated, I wouldn't be here without the help of you guys! I know that God is more faithful than I am, He got me here and provided the money for a ticket to India, He won't let me down halfway.

Broomheksienhidrochlorie

Team India!

3 1/2 Americans, 1 German, 1 Dutch, 1 South Korean, and 1/2 a Swaziland...er? Swazilandite? Swazilandian? Let's just say 4 Americans!

This week our topic was on dreams and visions for the future. I missed half of it because I was sick. I feel like I've been sick since I got here, maybe because I have. It's a lingering head cold basically. I get rid of it for a week and then it comes back and knocks me out for a few days, this is the last time though. We've had an irregular schedule this week due to the schedules of our speakers, but it leaves more time for recuperating, so I'm not arguing about anything haha. God is great and broomheksienhidrochloried is good. I don't even know what that is, but it's an ingredient in the medicine the pharmacist gave me. I'd challenge you to try saying that 3 times fast but I don't know that anyone can actually even say it once...I know I can't.

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I'm still trying to raise another $1,500 before March 10th. Let's see, that's 15 days away...so $100 a day. Totally possible, but I could use your help! I'd like to spread my blog around, but I only know so many people. Can you pass my link on to a friend; send it to your pastor, youth leader, church missions board; or share it on Facebook? You don't have to post pictures and links on neighborhood telephone poles...unless you think it would help. ;)

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I love the story of David. His entire life is a huge roller-coaster, the highest highs and the lowest lows but he was still known as a man after God's heart.

We talked about David and Goliath briefly in one of our sessions this week, so I went back to 1 Samuel 17 to read the story again.

In class we talked about how David shared his ''war stories'' with Saul to justify his experience and capability in battle. In verses 34-37 David talks about how he would watch his father's sheep. When a lion or bear came to take a lamb David would kill it. It wasn't really that big of a deal though, he stood on top of a hill a long distance away and shot it with a high-powered rifle, so he was never directly in harms way. Oh sorry, that was a different story. This David would grab the animal by it's mane and beat it to death. (This is a bit harsh, yes, but not as gruesome or brutal as 1 Samuel 18:22-27...look it up, really). Who does that kind of stuff?

I love how Saul tried to give David weapons to defeat Goliath with because he felt David was under (or un) equipped. David couldn't handle the weight of them, he didn't have any experience with them so he resorted to what he knew he could use. He pulled out his sling and grabbed some rocks. David didn't need the approval or criticism of others to encourage him, he was confident in who he was and the skills he already had.

Verse 48 says that as Goliath moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly to meet him....what? I picture Goliath walking (maybe sauntering is a better word, or strutting?) confidently and suddenly David takes off running towards him!

David is definitely one of my favorite guys ever. He probably knew how to pronounce broomheksienhidrochloried also.

The cost of discipleship

It's a happy grimace on my face, I promise!

Good news, I have all the money I need for the first deadline! Now I need an additional $1,500 before March 10th and then I'm free and clear for quite awhile! God is always so faithful to provide, it's pretty great. Many thanks to everybody who listened and gave as God directed, He's an incredible orchestrator!

This week our topic in class was the cost of discipleship. Our speaker had some amazing authority in that area, he was falsely accused and imprisoned in Iran for 9 weeks! He overcame two death sentences (one for being a missionary and the other for being a spy), and was freed the same way he was thrown into prison, without much explanation.

Aside from sharing a couple incredible stories, Dan imparted some great wisdom, mainly in one-liners mixed into his stories. These are some of my favorites:

• The Christian life is experiencing Jesus over and over again.
• God is more committed to fulfilling His will in our lives than we are to find it.
• God is in love with who I am right now. Not who I will be or could be, but who I am now.
• Readiness doesn't define our obedience.

Those last two are my absolute favorites. I don't need to change who I am for God to love me to the best of His ability. God doesn't love ''more'' or ''less'', He's an equal opportunity lover!

Back in December I wrote about God qualifying the called, and I think that last point fits right in with this. It was a great reminder this week, that I don't need to do anything except step forward and be willing to go where God wants me to. If I always needed to feel ''ready'' to do something big, where would I be? Probably sitting on the couch, or maybe even still in bed. Dan mentioned how when people hear his story of imprisonment they often say that they could never do that, that they aren't capable of going to prison for the Gospel. I can tell you that Dan didn't wake up one morning and think he was capable of doing it either, but God gave him the ability to persevere.

A short documentary and re-enactment was made recently about Dan's time in prison. I'm not able to watch these clips (because of my internet speed) but I wanted to pass them along with you guys. (Someone let me know if they don't work please!) All 3 parts are less than 15 minutes total I believe.

Imprisoned in Iran [Part 1]

Imprisoned in Iran [Part 2]

Imprisoned in Iran [Part 3]

This post has no title or picture but it's not boring...

I have lots of exciting updates today!

First, completely non-related to Africa. I found out yesterday that I'll be an Uncle for the first time ever in August! Second, my brother (who was in a car accident in the beginning of December) will be able to start walking again next Tuesday. Go get 'em Travis!

And now, Africa:

This past week in class we learned about the Holy Spirit. It was an amazing week filled with a lot of breakthrough moments for myself and many others in the class. I feel like one of my funniest realizations came on Tuesday. We were talking about the power of the Holy Spirit and what Jesus commanded the original disciples to do (raise the dead, heal the sick, etc) and it dawned on me: this stuff is weird, but it was weird when Jesus did it also. People weren't walking around raising the dead and casting out demons like it was a normal thing, thats part of what made Jesus effective in His ministry. Jesus had authority because of His relationship with His Father, people wanted (and still do) want relationship, not religion. I'd rather strive to have that relationship and fail a million times than never try and never know.

As a reminder, I'll be leaving for India sometime in late March and returning to S. Africa for a week in the beginning of June before heading back to the States. Our itinerary for India is still being finalized, we're relying heavily on God to lead us on this trip because we want to do His work.

I'm still about $1,700 short of my final goal. Due to the time it takes to wire money overseas and take care of account transfers and such, I need to majority of my money in....the next 4 days! The time is getting closer and closer, God is good though and I'm not too worried about it. If you're feeling inclined to give, please do it. If you don't want to use the Paypal link on the left side of the page then send me a message on Facebook or leave a comment here, I'll let you know other ways to donate. Every dollar counts, I've learned that so much more lately.

And lastly, another request. I have the ability to take videos (with my webcam and my camera). I'd like to edit some of the videos with some effects (words, graphics, etc). Is anyone aware of a web program that would be of any use?

Meat!

[Note: Please don't be alarmed, I'm redesigning my blog, more changes may be coming but it's still mine! - Kenny]

Today I went and spent some alone time with God at the beach. I came down with some sort of flu or bug on Thursday morning and spent about 48 hours in bed. It was nice to get off the base and sit in the sunshine for a little while again.

While in bed I enjoyed 3 wonderful books. Against All Odds by Jim Stier was about the development of YWAM in Brazil. From Pimp To Preacher by Jan Eriksen was the true life story of a Norwegian man who turned from a life on the streets to ministering to those on the streets. One of my roommates had a John Grisham book, Ford County. Not one of his best books, but John Grisham is always enjoyable in my opinion.

Some people have asked what the food is like over here, so you get a language lesson and a cuisine lesson at the same time.

The picture above is boerewors (the best pronunciation I can come up with is ''boo-er-vurs''). It means farm sausage and is made from beef with pork or lamb (or both) included occasionally. It's pretty much the main meat ingredient in everything. I found it to be an acquired taste but I enjoy it now and look forward to it really. It can be cooked numerous ways, but one of the favorite ways seems to be on the braai (rhymes with ''pry''. It means barbecue, or braaied for barbecued).

Biltong is the most famous and popular snack food in SA. Similar to droewors (''dry sausage'', literally dried boerewors) but closer to what American jerky looks like, biltong has a couple of distinct differences. First, it's much more popular than jerky is in America. It's also made differently and therefore tastes a bit different (though the end result looks similar). Biltong is dried with vinegar among other things, so the flavor and texture are different than jerky.

Biltong is popular enough that some stores specialize in carrying only biltong related merchandise (see picture to the left, the whole store looks like this!). Biltong can be cut up and added to anything from stews to muffins, chips have been made to taste like biltong, and they even have some made without any spices to give to teething babies.

On a completely unrelated topic, please don't forget about my outreach to India. I'm a couple hundred dollars closer to my halfway point, God is good! Feel free to pass my blog address along to anyone you think would be interested in reading it, the more the merrier!

Oh yes, smaak means ''taste'' or ''like''. It's okay to smaak me but don't smack me please.

Lawnmowers in Church? (An update about India)

I divided this blog into two halves. The picture is completely unrelated. It's the Muizenberg train station, one of the nicest buildings in town.

Half one.

Sometimes I hear something in class that triggers a response. I write down whatever was said (or the thought that it created in my head) and go back to it later to see if it's worth writing about or just worth pondering. I have so many highlighted things in my notebook but I know I'll probably never get to even half of them.

We're learning about our identity in Christ and the authority that we have as believers this week. Our instructor, a Swiss missionary living in France, has done an amazing job of backing everything he says up with Scripture. What hit me today was a great comparison:

"The church is like a barn. You sharpen your tools in it, but then you have to go out to the field to use them."

Now, there's a lot of things that could be interpreted about this that would make that an incorrect statement. Let's focus on what makes that a correct statement though. At church (the building, not the body) we are edified and built up from the pulpit. We are sharpened. What do we do next? Go home and think about how sharp we are? What's the point of even going back to the sharpening stone every week if we don't do anything about it?

What if we aren't sharp enough to do any good in the ''field''? It's hard to know if a tool is sharp enough until you use it. Even a dull lawnmower cuts some grass.

Another great one-liner I heard yesterday was in regards to Matthew 28:19. We are called to the nations, including our home nation. We don't always need to cross an ocean to follow a calling in life.

Matthew 9:37 continues to resonate within my heart more and more every day. "Then He said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.'"

The other half.

I need more money. If I'm being honest and straightforward, that's a hard statement for me to make. Receiving money has never been an easy task and I struggle to fight that. I'm in an awkward position right now. I have no way to make money, but I still need it. I need to eat, to pay the few bills I still have, to buy clothes when I need them and deodorant when other people say I need it.

Right now I have a goal though, the other half of my program isn't paid for. I posted a handy chart on the left side of this page, it shows how far I've come and how much I still need.

What is this next $3,000 going to? I'm going to India, that's the easy answer. It will pay for my plane tickets, food, accommodations, and whatever else comes up.

My deadline for having money paid is February 20th. It seems like a ways off but the sooner I can pay some of the money the cheaper my flights will be (and ultimately, the less money I need to raise). Every dollar counts. Can you skip a movie and wait for it to come out on DVD and save $7? If every one of my Facebook friends sent that money to me instead I'd have enough money to cover the next 3 months.

Raising financial support is a new concept for me, so I've been doing a lot of thinking and praying about what it means. The conclusion I've come to is that this is less about asking for money but more about creating partnership. I have a will and a desire to be on the mission field. You have money. Can we be partners?