Fill Us Up, Send Us Out

We concluded our four days of training yesterday with a study on cross-cultural ministry. Today, we will begin putting into practice all that we have learned this week. We have split the 30+ young people who have been trained this week into three different teams, each sent into a different township. My group is heading to Daveyton, where we will be doing ministry in a squatter camp (an informal settlement). Justin and Wes will also be helping lead teams heading into Tsakane and a more rural settlement called Grootvlei. Please pray for our safety as we travel today, as well as for our ministry to the people in these townships. Pray that we would be an encouragement to the local church and that hearts would be moved toward Christ as the Lord works through our group. Thanks for praying!

Update

Just a quick update from South Africa. Thank you to those who prayed for Justin. He was able to see a doctor who gave him a shot (you will have to ask him where! :) and also got him started on some antibiotics. He is already feeling much better today. Besides Justin's minor illness, it is a praise and a blessing that our team has been very healthy so far on this trip. Sickness can often be a distraction from the mission on a trip like this, but we have experienced God's hand of protection from sickness as we had long, tiring days of travel, as well as in our adjustment to a new environment and new kinds of food here in SA.

We just finished our first session this morning called "Triple T" (Telling The Truth). We learned that our own personal testimonies can be a powerful tool in sharing the gospel with others, and we were given time to write out our own testimonies and share them with a group. It has been amazing to watch our students really embrace the community here at J-Life, as well as the teaching. I have seen incredible growth in each one of our students in just the first few days here as they are stretched and challenged outside of their comfort zones. And this is just the beginning. Please pray that God would continue to grow our students into maturity as they are stretched each day.

STeM Day 2

Today we woke up at 6:30am for a time of group prayer. It was great to unite our hearts together in prayer with believers from many different cultures and languages. We followed that with a time of personal devotions. We are studying the life and ministry of Christ for the next ten days--really exciting stuff! After devotions, we had a time of worship together as a group and then a group discussion surrounding the Scripture that we read for devotions. (And all of that BEFORE breakfast!). After breakfast, we had our first session of practical training for the short-term mission. We are on a short break now (it is noon here), and then we are heading back for another training session. It's been a very busy morning!

One concern for prayer...Justin has not been feeling well. He often has problems with inflamed tonsils, and he has started feeling an infection coming on. We wanted to take every precaution, so he has gone into town this morning for a doctor's visit and to get some antibiotics. He is really doing fine, but please pray that he stays healthy and strong so that he can continue pouring into our students. Thank you for praying!

Adjusting Well

I'm super impressed with the way our group has adjusted to the new time zone already. We got a great night's sleep (us guys actually slept through our alarms and woke up at 10am!), and after a good shower and breakfast we all felt very refreshed. We went for a nice hike up in the mountains at Camp Eden this afternoon--even in the dry winter it really is beautiful here! As we came back to the campsite, we had the chance to meet several groups of African students who will be joining us for STeM. Our kids seemed to really connect well with the other students. Please pray that we would continue to be unified both as a team and unified with the rest of the students here for STeM. Tonight officially starts STeM training--we are very excited! Stay tuned for more updates, and hopefully I'll be able to put up a picture or two soon. As they say "goodbye" here in South Africa...cheers!

Settling in to South Africa

The last two days of travel went as smooth as could be. We arrived in Johannesburg right on time about 3 hours ago, and we are just now settling in at Camp Eden. There is a 7-hour time difference, so it's currently almost 12:30am in South Africa. It may take our bodies some time to adjust, but we are all hoping for a good night of rest as we are pretty exhausted from two long days of travel. Pray that our adjustment to the new time zone and culture here will be quick--STeM training starts tomorrow afternoon! We are all very excited to be here and excited for what God has in store for us. Thanks to all of you who are keeping us in your prayers! We really appreciate your support!

Back to South Africa!

It's hard to believe that it's been 18 months since I last stepped foot in South Africa. But, after much preparation and anticipation, I am heading back this week to the country and the continent that has stolen my heart! I'll be leading a team of students and leaders from The Crossing (the school where I taught this year), as well as the youth group from Rona Missionary Church (OH) which I am connected to through my good friend Justin Romine, youth pastor at Rona. We will be partnering in South Africa with J-Life Africa for their annual missions training/practical event called STeM (Short Term equipping Mission). We'll first spend four days at J-Life's training center about an hour outside of Johannesburg, where we will receive training in short-term missions, including the theory behind what we do on short-term missions, as well as practical training in evangelism, sports ministry, etc. We will then be sent out in teams to impoverished townships to partner with the local church there and apply what we have learned in our missions training. After five days of practical ministry, we will travel back to J-Life for one day of debriefing our experience. And, finally, our group will conclude our time in South Africa with a two-day safari in Kruger National Park, where we will have the opportunity to continue reflecting on our trip, all the while enjoying God's beautiful creation!

I couldn't be more excited about this trip, and I can't wait to see how God moves! Please consider partnering in prayer with our group. Here are some ways that you can pray specifically:

• Pray that God will provide safety in our travels (both as we travel to and from South Africa, as well as during our time there).
• Pray for team unity.
  
• Pray for God to open our hearts to what He has for us on this trip.
• Pray that we would encounter God in new ways.
• Pray that God's name be glorified through our service to others around us.
• Pray that lives would be changed.
• Pray that people would see Jesus Christ and be drawn to Him through our lives and our ministry on this trip.
• PRAY THAT GOD WOULD SHOW UP IN BIG WAYS!!!

Thanks so much for your prayers. I will be keeping this blog updated regularly throughout our trip, so feel free to check back in over the next few weeks to see how we're doing. Thanks!

God is Moving

The Spirit is moving here at VAC Camp in ways that I've never seen before. It's insane. We've seen many kids come to know Christ, and many more who have had major breakthroughs and experienced freedom from bondage, a freedom that only Christ can give. Much more to come later, but for now just keep praying. We have one more day left, and I'm excited to see what God has in store for us next!

VAC Camp: Day 1

VAC Camp started yesterday, and nearly 300 young people from the Joburg area showed up at Camp Eden. The theme for camp this week is "Power," and we are diving into a power-filled life in the Spirit that so many Christians seem to be missing these days.

In the opening session last night, I walked through the entire Old Testament with the youth, focusing on the POWER struggle between God and man. Beginning with the first temptation in the garden--"...you will be like God..." (Gen. 3:5)--and the cycle of sin and rebellion that has plagued humanity from that point forward. Still today, I think our greatest temptation is that we want to be God--or at least "god" of our own lives. So we search for this power within ourselves, only to be perpetually frustrated by our inability to live a power-filled life. Only be surrendering and plugging into the power of the Spirit can we truly live power-filled lives. In conclusion, I had everyone pray this simple prayer: "Holy Spirit, show up in my life this week." I'm convinced that God wants to break through in powerful ways in the lives of these young people this week, and I'm convinced He met with us last night!

Please continue praying:

• that God would transform the lives of these young people this week.
• that the Spirit would fill Mthawelanga and me as we continue to share God's Word over the next four days.
  

Re-Orientation and VAC Camp

There's a good chance you won't hear much from me for the next couple weeks. Tomorrow I head back to the J-Life headquarters at Camp Eden for a week-long "re-orientation" (that's what they call it around here--we would say "debrief") with the 2009 J-Life trainees. It should be a great time of reflecting on what God has done in our lives and ministries this year, as well as an awesome time to reconnect with many close friends with whom I went through four months of training at the beginning of the year.

Next Friday, then, begins "VAC Camp." J-Life is hosting about 250 young people from several churches around Johannesburg for a summer camp at Camp Eden, and I'll be one of the speakers at camp this year. I'll be splitting eight sessions with Mthawelanga Nkonzo, a super-gifted worship leader and youth pastor from Johannesburg. He will speak in the morning sessions, while I will speak each evening for four days. Our theme this year is "Power," and we'll be taking a look at what it means to live by the power of the Spirit. I've learned a ton over the past month or so as I've studied this topic, and I'm excited to share what God has laid on my heart for the youth. As VAC Camp approaches, please be praying with me that God would make clear the words He wants me to share to these young people, and that I would simply get out of the way!

Back From Cape Town

I realize that I sort of fell off the map this week, but I assure you that I'm still alive and well! This past week was spent driving over 3000 miles around South Africa with two other J-Life staff members, meeting with pastors about how J-Life might be able to partner with and help their churches establish healthy disciple-making youth ministries. We traveled from Mpumalanga (the province in the northeast where I currently live) all the way across the Karoo down to Cape Town, a beautiful city that lies in the mountains along the coast in the Western Cape of South Africa. We spent most of the week staying with friends in Cape Town in a township called Ocean View. We then traveled the Garden Route along the coast to a town called Plett, in the Eastern Cape. Finally, yesterday we drove for about 16 hours right up the center of the country back to our farm in Mpumalanga. In ten months, I have now been to all 9 South African provinces! It goes without saying that I'm super tired now, but it was a really great trip, as we were able to make several positive contacts with churches along the way.

No time to rest, though, as tomorrow morning I'm running my very first marathon! I'm not exactly in the best shape right now as I haven't been able to train much in recent months, but I'm gonna give it my best shot. More on that soon!

Mission to Unreached Areas Church

As most of you probably know, I recently spent two and a half weeks in Tanzania. For those of you who might not know your African geography very well (it's okay, I didn't know Africa very well until I got here), Tanzania is quite a large country in East Africa, just south of Kenya. Here's a map to help you visualize where I was. Along with my friend and fellow J-Life staff member, Bhuti, I flew into the capital of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, right on the coast of the Indian Ocean. From there, we traveled inland a couple hours to a small town called Mlandizi. In Swahili, "Mlandizi" means "one who eats bananas."

In Mlandizi, we partnered with an incredible ministry called the Mission to Unreached Areas Church. They have planted over 300 churches in the unreached tribes and villages of Tanzania. We stayed at their headquarters in Mlandizi, where they also run a missions training school, a mercy house for abandoned and disabled elderly women, and an orphanage for abandoned and abused young boys. It was such a blessing to see the incredible impact they are making for the kingdom of God!

At the Mission to Unreached Areas Church headquarters in Mlandizi, with Biggie (left) and Zepha (middle). Biggie is the J-Life Tanzania leader, and Zepha served as my translator throughout my time in Tanzania. These guys are awesome!

Partnering with the Local Church

One of my greatest joys while being involved in missions is the opportunity to partner with the local church. Now, there are times when I run across a church that has its priorities all mixed up. Maybe the pastor is in the church business for his own self-seeking gain, or maybe the church is so denominationally-focused that it refuses to operate in the kingdom of God. But, despite some of the ugliness in church (and let's be honest, no church has everything right), I still believe in the local church.

While doing ministry in Chihota, Zimbabwe, I was so incredibly encouraged by the church that we partnered with there. Two pastors from Harare have been burdened with an incredible love for the people of Chihota. Both pastors are abandoning a considerably more comfortable life in Harare to move into the community of Chihota. And these pastors aren't about taking a position of power or prestige in the community like so many other pastors I've seen in Africa; they truly want to come alongside of the people of Chihota, serve them, and make disciples (who make more disciples, who make more disciples, etc.). Basically, these pastors "get it," and I left that community feeling confident that the seed that was sown through our short-term ministry in Chihota would be reaped in the long-term as these men continue serving the Lord in Chihota.

Teddy and Me with Pastor Jengwa. He may be short in stature, but he's a spiritual giant!

Hanging with Pastor Vambe before the Sunday service.

With one of the elders from the church.

Our group with the entire church body after the service. Can you believe all of those people squeezed into that tiny church building?!

Please take a moment and pray with me for the church in Chihota. God is moving there, but they have many challenges ahead. The kingdom of God is advancing, but they face much opposition, with witchcraft and animism being very prevalent in that area. Pray that God would break through the strongholds that Satan has had in that area for so long!

Ministry in Chihota

Here's what our typical ministry schedule looked like while we were in Chihota:

We began each day with devotions, as well as a time of corporate prayer in which we claimed the community for Jesus.

We then rounded up the kids in the community and essentially ran a VBS for them. We played games, learned a memory verse, taught a fun and interactive lesson, and shared dramas with them. Here, Vusi and I are performing a drama for the kids. We did the whole drama in Shona, the native language of Zimbabwe, and the kids laughed so much when they saw me--a big, white, bearded guy--speaking in Shona.

In the afternoons, we did either door-to-door evangelism or open-air evangelism. In the picture above, we are running an open-air evangelism event in front of a bar in a tiny town near Chihota. I can't say that I think this kind of fly-by evangelism is the most effective form of evangelism, but I will say that God showed up and we saw many people come to know Jesus through the power of His Spirit. It also challenged many of the young people on our team to be bold in sharing their faith for the first time, which I think was an invaluable experience for them. Even more encouraging was that we were able to connect many of the new believers with the church in Chihota, where they will be able to continue forward on their journey of discipleship.

In the evenings, thanks to a generator and some makeshift lighting, we were able to have services in the tiny church building. Each night the church was packed, and we saw the Spirit move. Again, many people came to know Christ or received healing at these services.

We continued sharing the love of Jesus through dramas...

...as well as through personal testimonies.

God was at work in the hearts and lives of many people during our time in Chihota, and He certainly blessed our ministry there! It is a humbling feeling to be used by God!

Team Chihota

After 3 days of ministry training in Harare, we split the Zimbabwean trainees up into three teams, each of which would spend the rest of the week in a rural community, partnering with a local church there and doing practical ministry. My team was sent into the rural community of Chihota. And when I say rural, I mean RURAL! We were literally sent out into the middle of nowhere, to a tiny village with no electricity, no running water, no clean water, and no toilets (not even a hole in the ground!). It was an experience!

Team Chihota, packed into a 15 passenger van and excited about the week of ministry ahead!

Our team after a church service in Chihota.

Reconnecting with Friends

One of the bonuses for being involved in the Zimbabwe STeM was that I got to reconnect with several of my friends who went through the 4-months of J-Life training with me at the beginning of the year. These guys are all top-notch people who impact the world for Christ wherever they go. I am constantly challenged and encouraged by each one them to persevere in my ministry. It was such a blessing to see these guys again!

This is my buddy, Munya Takawira, from Zim. He's been sighted on my blog before--you might remember him as one of my fellow convicts during African Realities. Munya was gracious enough to let Ted and me stay at his home in Harare during the STeM training. It was awesome to see first-hand the ministry that Munya is doing in Harare.

It was also cool to introduce Ted to some of my good friends. Ted got to know Vusi pretty well in Zim, as Vusi led our ministry practical in Chihota. Vusi is one of the most gifted leaders I have ever met, and I'm convinced that he will be one of my life-long friends.

Ted, Auntie Kathy, and me hanging with my good friends from Malawi, Praise and Anthony. Praise was my roommate at J-Life when I first arrived to South Africa. These guys came down from Malawi to join in the Zimbabwe STeM, with the intention of running their own STeM in Malawi later this year.

Ted, Praise, Tara, Me, and our new friend from Zim, Nigel.

Team Zimbabwe

I've mentioned before a little bit about our purpose for going to Zimbabwe, but here are a few more details about what we were up to. In July, J-Life South Africa ran two weeks of training called STeM (Short Term Equipping Missions), in which we trained young people to mobilize and get active in ministry in their own communities and beyond. It is essentially a short-term mission, combined with intensive and practical training in ministry--the goal being to equip and propel young people towards further ministry when they return home.

Well, on the South African STeM, we had a group of young people come down from Zimbabwe to receive the training. Since returning home to Zimbabwe, these young people, joining with J-Life Zimbabwe, planned their very own (and 1st ever) J-Life Zimbabwe STeM. Essentially, our team from South Africa was sent there to assist them in any way they needed. Because Zimbabwe is currently one of the poorest countries in the world, the young people in Zimbabwe were only able to raise $5 each for the week-long training and ministry practical. So, J-Life South Africa provided all the food for the week. We also helped with the training, logistics, transportation, etc. The result was an incredible team effort and a week in which we saw God move in HUGE ways. More on that later...

The J-Life South Africa leaders teaming up with the J-Life Zimbabwe leaders!

We had lots of fun together!

On the Road Again...

Tomorrow morning I leave with Bhuti, another one of the J-Life South Africa leaders, for Tanzania and Zanzibar. You might be wondering, "Why all the traveling?" Well, every trip is different and has its own goals and purposes. On this specific trip, we will be teaching at a training center that J-Life has planted in Tanzania. Every 6 weeks, for the entire year, a group of young pastors and leaders comes together to receive ministry training. Over the next 2 weeks, we will be teaching several ministry courses. Some of the courses I wrote myself, while others are J-Life materials. I will be teaching courses in Relational Ministry, The Church as a Medium for Discipling Youth, Spiritual Leadership, and Recruiting Leaders.

I could use a lot of prayer as I head into this next phase:

• Please pray that I would again be given the energy needed to do what God has called me to do. I feel like I am just now getting my feet back under me after the Zimbabwe trip, and this trip may be a great challenge for me physically and mentally.

• Please pray that the Spirit would empower me to clearly and effectively teach and train others.

• Pray that lives would be changed, and the Church in Tanzania would be mobilized for God's kingdom.

Thanks to all of you who faithfully keep me in your prayers. I truly believe that my ministry would not be effective without your partnership in prayer. Thank you, and may God bless you.

The African Road Trip Test

I've gotten quite a few lessons in "African Road Trips" over the past 8 months. One thing I've come to realize is that things rarely go as planned. My conclusion is that you know you're traveling in Africa if at least 2 of the following 3 things occur:

1) Your vehicle breaks down
I think I have yet to take an extensive road trip in Africa that didn't involve some sort of car trouble (ie. this attempt to drive to Cape Town).

2) The trip takes at least 5 hours longer than scheduled

3) You need to use the toilet, only to realize that a bush is your only option for the next several hours

My most recent road trip, to Zimbabwe, passed the "African Road Trip Test" with flying colors. In fact, it was a perfect 3 for 3! Here are some of the highlights...

We got just a few hours down the road, to a town called Polokwane, before Dave's truck broke down (African Road Trip Test #1...check). Luckily, a friend of a friend of a friend of ours was a mechanic in that town. In this picture, Dave and the mechanic are hard at work on the truck. Notice Bhuti standing and watching.

Not to be outdone, Bhuti pretends to work on the truck as well.

I wasn't even going to pretend I knew anything about cars. Tara, Chevonne, and I just chilled as it took almost 3 hours to get the truck fixed and back on the road.

Almost there...

We finally arrived in Zimbabwe, just a few hours behind schedule. From the border, it was supposed to take us about 8 more hours to reach Harare. But things never work out like they're supposed to...

As darkness fell upon us, we realized that the treacherous roads in Zim were not safe to drive at night. Our plan had been to arrive in Harare before dark, but, like I said, things never go as planned. We were left with really only one option--to pull off the road and sleep in the car. Now, I'm not sure how much safer sleeping in a car on the side of the road was compared to driving the dangerous roads in the dark, but that's what we did. This is a picture of my "bed" for the night.

So, the journey that we had planned to take 18 hours turned into a 30-hour adventure. That's 12 extra hours of travel (African Road Trip Test #2...check)!

Now, you might be wondering how we passed African Road Trip Test #3. Well, let's just say it got a little ugly, and if I'm ever asked to share my most embarrassing moment, this story will probably be the first to poop...er, uh...I mean pop into my head. But I'll save that story for another time.

Overall, it was a road trip that I won't soon forget. Never a dull moment in Africa!

Latest From Zim

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for me this week. We arrived safely in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, on Monday morning, although not without difficulty. One of our vehicles broke down near the border into Zim, and we also had to stop and sleep in our vehicles for a few hours on the way up to avoid driving on some treacherous roads at night. So, the trip took about 30 hours, instead of the 20 hours that we had planned, BUT we made it safely. God is good!

The past few days we have been training some young people in disciplemaking youth ministry and preparing them for the upcoming short-term mission. Tomorrow morning, we will traveling into squatter camp slum communities to continue spreading the Gospel to those who have never heard. Please pray for the 40+ young people from Zimbabwe who will join us in this ministry. Many of them are very nervous, as this is their first short-term missions experience. They are an incredible group of young people, and I have felt very blessed to connect with many of them. I believe that God wants to use them to advance His kingdom in mighty ways this week. Please pray that God would work!

Blessings from Zimbabwe,

Adam

You Look Like Jesus and $%@#

During my first 6 months in South Africa, I touched a basketball exactly zero times. Soccer is definitely the sport of choice around here, along with rugby and cricket. The few times that I had ever even seen anyone playing basketball, I was pretty sure that they didn't know what they were doing.

During our STeM trip to inner-city JoBurg, we walked to a nearby park where we had planned to run a dance clinic as an outreach to local kids. Now, dancing was clearly a gift for a few members of our team, but this white boy (that's me!) was not one of them. So while our dance outreach began, my eyes kept wandering over to the basketball courts, where I saw some pretty decent games going on. In one of those moments where you know the Spirit of God is speaking to you, I realized that I just might be able to better connect with the guys on the basketball court, rather than the dance floor.

So I jogged over to see what was up on the courts. I immediately jumped in to play some 2-on-2. One of the guys was wearing an Indiana Pacers shirt, which I just thought was hilarious. Anytime he messed up, I'd say, "You better take that Indiana shirt off! That's not how we play in Indiana!" And anytime he hit a nice shot, I'd let him know that he was making Indiana proud. It was in this setting that the following conversation ocurred between me and one of the other guys:

Kamal: Are you a Christian?

Me: Why do you ask?
(The question caught me off guard. I had not shared about my faith with these guys yet. For all they knew, I was just some random Joe Schmoe off the street. I was kind of excited though, figuring that maybe he had noticed something "different" about me).

Kamal: Well, you look like Jesus and $%@#...

I almost busted up laughing on the spot. First of all, I wanted to laugh because just seconds before I had been feeling proud, thinking that these guys must have seen some Christ-like feature in me that made them see that I was a Christian. I was humbled to find out that that Christ-like feature was my long, dark hair and overgrown beard! And second, I wanted to laugh because in my 24+ years of living I had never heard "Jesus" and that word used in the same sentence. (I won't tell you what word he used, but it has four letters and my mom would wash my mouth out with soap if I ever said it!)

It was just one of those classic moments that made me realize that Jesus meets us where we are at--whether that is an I-grew-up-in-a-Christian-home-and-accepted-Jesus-at-the-age-of-4 kind of guy like me, or a you-look-like-Jesus-and-$%@# kind of guy who is still on the journey of finding his Creator. Jesus wants to know us both better. Jesus is passionately pursuing us both!

It was in that moment that I knew that the Spirit had spoken to me, that I was in the right place. It was cool that God used one of my first but forgotten loves, basketball, to speak into the lives of these guys. I was able to earn their respect on the court, and, more importantly, I earned their respect off the court. Over the course of a couple days, I got to know some of the guys and was able to speak some truth into their lives. I was able to share with them who God is in my life and what He's done for us through Jesus. It was a blessing to be used by God, and it was a lot of fun because I got to play basketball in the process!

It was also on those same courts that I was able to build a friendship with M'Easy. This guy is a natural leader and a wizard on the basketball court. He could certainly play some college ball in the States. We had quite a few intense games together!

Enjoy the pics...