Cape Point

Ok, I'll Admit It...

...I finally shaved my beard a couple weeks back. Still rockin' the long hair, though, and the beard will be making a comeback again before the year is over!

A less shaggy version of myself hanging out with Bruce and Bronson one last time.

Still Having Fun...

Striking a sweet senior picture pose.

Some baboons hanging out on the side of the road.

We found some pretty hectic waves.

We hiked up to Cape Point, one of the southern-most tips of Africa, close to where the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans meet.

The rocky coastline at Cape Point.

More Cape Town...

Climbing rocks on the beach.

A funny sign on the stall door in the restroom

on the beach in Cape Town (wow, I just used four straight prepositional phrases...that can't be grammatically correct!).

A view of the city from the cable car climbing Table Mountain.

Hanging out on top of Table Mountain. After a loss of power on the cable cars, we got stranded on top of the mountain for two hours. We were able to get free hot chocolate and a full refund for the hassle, though...we totally Cramered 'em!

Good times at the aquarium in Cape Town. Which of these 

is not like the other?

Cape Town or Bust!!!

With the mass exodus of people leaving the farm, I decided that maybe I should take a break and get away as well. So, on short notice, I decided to join the Linharts on an adventure to Cape Town, South Africa, said to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Our journey began last Friday, when we left the farm in a van with the motto of "Cape Town or Bust!" My personal preference was Cape Town, but unfortunately that day ended with a "bust" in the form of a broken-down van (with memories of trips in the St. Mark vans flooding my mind!). After an entire day stranded at a gas station in Kroonstad, the van was resurrected with this piece of advice from the mechanic: go back to where you came from!

After much deliberation, Plan B was set into place. So, last weekend, we flew down to Cape Town, where I am currently writing. It's been a great week hanging out with the Linhart family, being tourists in an incredible city, and chillaxin' a bit after an intense four months of training. Here are some pics from our adventures so far...

Chillin' at the auto shop in Kroonstad...glad I brought a book!

The view in the morning from our flat in Simon's Town, 

just outside of Cape Town.

The famous Table Mountain in Cape Town.

"Look, mom, a really big wave!"

"Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!"

Entering a New Phase

All good things must come to an end, so they say. The four months of training on the farm ended last week, and in one day over 30 of my closest friends in the southern hemisphere packed up and left the farm, heading for churches all across Africa to plant youth disciple-making movements. I stayed on the farm, as it will be my home base for ministry while I spend the next seven months traveling around Africa, encouraging and training the ministry teams. And, thus, the "preparation" phase of my ministry here in SA has abruptly ended. The past four months have been a time of incredible growth for me in so many ways--meeting many unique people, being exposed to new cultures and languages, being challenged daily in my walk with God, and developing many new disciplines in my life. I can honestly say that it has been one of the best experiences of my life. As I now enter a new phase of ministry, I can't wait to see what God has in store for me next!

The J-Life 2009 Team.

I'm A Big Loser

That's right...I have lost A LOT of weight since arriving in Africa four months ago--somewhere in the range of 20 lbs. or so. I'm currently weighing in at or just under 200 lbs. for the first time since high school...crazy. 

In related news, I've been running like crazy for a few months now. This past Friday I did something I never thought I would do. I got up at 3:30AM, drove 2 hours away to Pretoria, the capital of South Africa, and actually paid money to run. I entered the 32K race (that's 20 miles, for you North Americans). Believe it or not, I really enjoyed the run. I ran a consistent pace the whole way and finished in about 3 hours. I think at this point I am definitely ready for a marathon, so I'll be looking to sign up for one here soon!

In unrelated news, I've embraced more of a rugged look since arriving in Africa. Here's a recent photo. Enjoy...

T$ in Da House!

I'm not sure how I've neglected this post for so long, but I've been very blessed to have some friends join me out on the farm for the past month or so. My friend, mentor, and youth ministry prof. at Bethel, Terry "T$" Linhart, and his entire family have been living with us on the farm while Terry is on sabbatical. Terry has taught three lectures in his time here and has done an incredible job each time. A quick straw poll from the other trainees has revealed that he is definitely one of the favorite lecturers we've had this year. For the past few weeks, Terry has also led our devotions every Tuesday night, giving us wisdom and practical tips for our future ministries--a time that is now affectionately referred to as "Tuesdays with Terry." It's been great to have Terry here, and it has also been cool to see his wife, Kelly, really connect with some of the girls here. His three kids, Lauren, Jayson, and Sean have also really fit in well with everyone here and I'm sure have made several long-lasting friendships. You can read all about their adventures here in South Africa on their blog.

Terry is pretty pumped up to teach us about Eschatology!

Presidential Election Today!

Please be praying for South Africa, as today is the national election. As you might know, South Africa has had a history of corrupt politics. Just 15 years ago, South Africa had its first fair election, in which the Apartheid regime (white supremacy, more or less) was broken down and Nelson Mandela, the leader of the ANC Party was elected President. The ANC is still the dominant party, with some dozen or so other political parties vying for various positions in power and seats in the Parliament. While the ANC has done many great things in bringing freedom and equality to many people in South Africa, it seems that their rise to power has bred corruption within their party. Just a year ago, the leader of the ANC and President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, was removed from the presidency. The current leader of the ANC, Jacob Zuma, is presently on trial for major charges of corruption, although the trial continues to be postponed, and the ANC seems to be paying all the right people in an attempt to get the charges dropped. Zuma is expected to win the national election today in a landslide. Where else in the world would you find a President elected while concurrently facing major federal charges? Crazy...

You might be wondering, "Why in the world would people vote for this guy?" That's a great question...I'm glad you asked. 

First of all, Zuma represents the ANC Party, the same party that brought them their freedom only 15 years ago. Despite the corruption that has crept into the party, they are still riding the coattails of their victory in overthrowing the Apartheid regime. The masses are simply not ready to hand the power to anyone else, mostly out of fear, I would presume.

Second, Zuma is a charismatic leader. His seventh-grade education (this is no joke) would seem to suggest that he's not qualified to lead the country, but somehow he has captured the hearts of the people.

Third, Zuma is a Zulu. The Zulu people represent the largest ethnic group in this incredibly diverse country. In the township a few weeks ago, I asked a man who he was voting for. He responded in broken English, "I am Zulu. I vote ANC." Overwhelmingly, people here seem to vote more along ethnic lines than considering policies or even the moral conduct of a party or its leader.

After being here in SA for only a few months now, I don't presume to know everything there is to know about South African politics. Quite the contrary. However, it has become apparent that this election will be HUGE in terms of the future of South Africa, and as believers I think we need to be praying. Please take a few minutes today to pray for South Africa!

One of the funniest guys I know...

...is my buddy, Bronson. We've gotten to know each other quite well over the past few months, as we've been in a small group together, competed in sports against each other daily, and done a lot of ministry together. The following is a brief conversation we had a couple days ago, which made me laugh harder than I've laughed in a long time...

Me: I think I might shave my beard pretty soon.

Bronson: Yeah, it's hard to tell how fat your face is behind all that beard!

Ha! And that is why I love this kid so much...

Bronson and I performing a drama together at a youth 

camp this past weekend.

Poverty

I've seen more people driving BMWs in South Africa than I've ever seen before in my life...

I've seen more poverty in the past three months in South Africa than I've seen in the rest of my 24+ years of living combined...

Anyone see a problem here???...

Email

It's been great to hear from so many of you recently! Just wanted to give you all a heads up that my church email with St. Mark (acramer@stmarkmissionary.org) accidentally got deleted recently. Therefore, if anyone has sent an email to that account anytime within the last couple weeks--basically since I sent out my last email update--I never got it! I know I had a handful of unread emails on that account before it got deleted. So anyway, if you think that might apply to you, please forward those emails onto ACkosmo22@aol.com. And if you haven't emailed me recently to catch me up on your life, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?!?!?!

A Few Random Facts...

• I ran over 40 miles last week...marathon here I come!
• My first 21 days in Africa were without a hot shower.
• I recently read the Bible, the entire OT and NT, in 27 days...it's a good book! (More on this later).
• I have not washed my hair in over a month...don't ask.
• Poverty sucks.
• I have not cut my hair or shaved since arriving in Africa.
• It gets cold in Africa.
• It also gets REALLY hot in Africa.
• I got thrown off a horse three days ago.
• I am convinced that there is no greater bond than that of the body of Christ.

I can't think of any more random facts, so I guess I'm done for now...

Latest Update

The following is my most recent email update that I sent out to my prayer partners. It sums up a lot of what I have been up to in recent weeks. If you'd like to be added to my email list, just let me know!

--

Hello Family and Friends!

Greetings from South Africa! By now, you might have begun to wonder if I was still alive, but have no fear, I AM ALIVE!!! Probably my biggest frustration since arriving in SA has been my inability to communicate well with everyone back home. Let’s just say that “high speed” and “internet” are not words that are commonly used in the same sentence around here! Still, I apologize for such a long gap since my last update. Hopefully this letter will bring you all up to speed on what I’ve been up to...

Training

For those of you who may not have known, my first four months here have been devoted to ministry training. I am living on a farm with a group of about 40 other trainees, most of whom have very little ministry experience, who are being trained to plant disciple-making youth ministries alongside local churches in Africa. We have now entered our last month of training. I am going through the training along with the rest of the trainees, while at the same time I am striving to learn how I might train others in disciple-making ministry in the future. I have been very impressed with both the content of the training, as well as the methods used for learning. The training is very experiential. For example, we did a course on evangelism, and then we immediately went out into a local community to practice sharing our faith with others. The constant commitment to combine the practical with the theoretical has really proven to be invaluable as we go through the training.

Ministry

Although for the most part we are stranded out in the middle of nowhere at the training center on Driefontein Farm, like I mentioned before we are often given opportunities to practice ministry. Just last week we left the farm in three different teams for a whole week of practical ministry. My team went to Duduza, a township about an hour away from the farm, where black people were relocated during the apartheid regime. We might more commonly refer to it as the “ghetto” or the “slums.” What we found there was an active, growing church with lots of potential. We stayed in host homes there, which was quite a rustic experience (ie. bucket baths!). We partnered with a youth pastor in the township, Jeff, who helped us plan ministry each day. Our team performed dramas and testimonies in several of the schools in the township. I was able to preach the gospel to an entire school assembly, some 1500+ students at a secular school. God definitely had his hand of blessing on our team the entire week. We also spent quite a bit of time with kids at a local community center/food kitchen, mostly doing sports ministry. We partnered with 10 other local youth ministries for an all-night youth event (7PM-7AM!!!). We had tons of fun that night, combined with some great discussions surrounding many topics in regard to our faith.

Much in the same way that we had been taught during our training, we spent an afternoon training Jeff’s youth leaders in evangelism, and then we went out with them to help them practice sharing their faith. I was paired with two young girls named Thuli and Bali, and it was exciting to see them come alive as they began to share their faith with others. That afternoon I was able to help lead two boys, Sifiso and Mko, to a personal relationship with Jesus and get them connected with Jeff and the local youth ministry there in Duduza. Praise God! It was incredible to join together in ministry with other believers from such a different cultural context. The bond that we had in Christ was clearly evident all week, and we left feeling as though we had a new family in Duduza. It was easily the most impactful week for me since arriving in South Africa nearly three months ago.

Even on the farm, I am consistently involved in ministry. I am weekly helping to lead a Zulu service, mostly for young children, where I often preach (with a translator) or lead the singing (my Zulu is improving daily!). I stick out like a sore thumb, being the only white person there most weeks, but I love it! I have also had the opportunity to preach to the farm workers, and I lead worship for the Sunday service with the trainees. Such a variety of different ministry opportunities and experiences is part of what has made this such a unique and impacting experience for me.

Relationships

As I candidly shared with you before leaving for South Africa, my biggest fear in coming here was that I was coming alone. I asked you all to pray that I would build solid relationships here, and I have felt those prayers! This community that I live with is now my family. We have gone beyond the superficial and have shared life on a deep level. I meet daily with a small group of guys, Bronson from SA, Vusi from Zimbabwe, and Praise from Malawi, and we are constantly challenging each other. We are currently going through a harmony of the gospels together, and each day typically turns into a debate of some kind in which we sharpen each other. That group has been a blessing to me. I have also tried to take some of the younger guys under my wing. I have begun to mentor a young guy named Duane, a former drug dealer and self-proclaimed “gangster” whose life was radically transformed when he found Christ just a couple years ago. I am always encouraged by his desire to learn and grow, and somehow I find that when we get together and talk he mentors me right back with his young and pure faith. I could share so much more about all of the incredible relationships that God has blessed me with, but for now I’d just like to thank those of you who prayed specifically that I would have meaningful relationship here...God has answered that prayer!!!

Challenges

Again, thanks to all of you who prayed against any homesickness that I might be attacked with. I have yet to find that to be a challenge! Probably the biggest challenge I face daily is being constantly confronted with so many needs around me and not knowing what to do. God is developing in me a heart for Africa, but at times the need here seems overwhelming. Two areas that God has especially placed on my heart are the poverty here and the lack of education and opportunities for young people to succeed. I have no idea what the next step in life after this year will be for me, and that is a challenge as well. However, my hunch is that my burden for Africa will draw me back here at some point in the not-so-distant future.

Prayer Requests

• Please pray for the church in Duduza. More specifically, pray for Jeff as he works a full-time secular job, while also pouring his life into and discipling the youth of Duduza.
• Please pray for Sifiso and Mko, the young boys who gave their lives to Christ last week. Pray that they would get plugged into the church there and that the gospel they heard and received would fall on “good soil.” Pray that they would grow in their newfound relationship with Jesus.
• Please pray that I would continue to be challenged and growing in my own relationship with Jesus.
• Please pray that our community on the farm would continue to grow together in unity.
• Please pray for me as I consider where God is leading me for my future.
• Please praise God for your prayers which have already been answered!!!

Thanks again for all your prayers, love, and support. I would not be here if it wasn’t for all of you! God Bless!

Serving in Africa,

Adam


P.S. I’d love to hear back from all of you to know what’s going on in your lives and how I might better pray for each of you! Feel free to leave me a comment or shoot me an email at ACkosmo22@aol.com. Thanks!

Fun Nights!!!

Thursday nights around here have been appropriately deemed "Fun Night." Every week, two different team members are the hosts for the week, and one of their responsibilities is to create a fun activity for Thursday night. A few weeks ago, our fun night activity was a "dance off" between the four dorms. To add to the chaos that came with a dance competition, teams were encouraged to dress up in crazy costumes. Here's a picture of me chilling with some of the guys...and yes...these are all GUYS! Thought you might get a good laugh out of this. Enjoy! 

Sabin (Congo), Vusi (Zimbabwe), AC to the Max, Nic (South Africa), and Anthony (Malawi).

I'm Alive!!!

I recently received an email from a friend back home. He didn't even write anything in the email, but the subject line on the email simply read, "Are you still alive?" That's when I realized that I have not communicated with all of you back home in a REALLY long time. I apologize for that...things have been a bit crazy around here, and they are about to get even more crazy! 

This morning we are heading off the farm for a week of practical ministry. We have been split into three teams that will head into three different local communities. My group is heading for a local ghetto called Duduza, where we will be doing some street ministry, sports ministry, and a VBS for the kids. I'm excited to get my hands dirty in practical ministry again and to get to know some new people.

Thanks for all of your prayers and support! Sorry for the lack of communication, but I'll be sure to send out a more in-depth update after this week!

AC

Bush Challenge Champs!

One rainy day early on in training we did a bush challenge. We hiked out into the bush, were given a map, and we had to follow a series of clues all over the place. After wading through a river, scaling the side of a steep mountain, and hiking through an abandoned mine shaft, about four hours later here were the bush challenge champs!

I Hate Snakes!!!

I would consider myself somewhat of an animal lover, but one thing I am certainly not is a snake lover. In fact, I really can't stand those slithery creatures. As much as possible, I try to avoid them, but in my current situation that's a little more difficult than I'd like.

During my first week here in Africa, I went out for a run with a few of the other guys. We got to talking as we ran, and I became distracted and lost focus of the path ahead of me. I almost didn't see it. A bush snake had crossed into the path just ahead of us. One of the guys behind me yelled just in time, and I took an I-used-to-be-a-collegiate-track-athlete jump over that creepy snake just as it was lashing out to take a bite out of my calf. I kid you not, that thing lunged for me, and I missed it by inches. That same week, we ran across another similar snake on a hike (pictured below). Needless to say, I now keep my eyes peeled when I'm out running around, especially when I head into the tall grass. 

In the words of Indiana Jones, "I hate snakes!"

Camp Eden

My home away from home here in South Africa is Driefontein Farm, also known as Camp Eden. As I shared before, Camp Eden is thousands of acres of beautiful mountains, rivers, forests, lakes, and wildlife, all in our back yard. I figured that instead of trying to explain it to you, I'd just show you a few pics...

Bush Camp

We started right out of the blocks with training from day 1 in South Africa. That first day, they sent us in groups out into the bush with machetes, a plastic tarp and rope for building our shelters, and just enough food for three days. The goal: survive! 

We were in more of a rainforest area (think more Hakuna Matata, less Pride Rock), and man did it rain!  My team built pretty much the sweetest shelter in history, and we were so sure that it would keep us dry. I'll never forget waking up at 1:00AM that first night and hearing the rain begin to tap on the plastic tarp that served as the roof of our shelter. That soft tapping soon turned into knocking, and by 3:00AM we were all running around like chickens with our heads cut off, trying to repair holes in our leaky roof and dumping water out of our shelter by the bucket-load. I'll never forget laying there in my drenched sleeping bag that night and wondering, "What in the world have I gotten myself into?" It was such a surreal experience, sleeping out in the forest with a group of guys I didn't know, on a continent that was brand new to me. Looking back, though, it was a really neat time of bonding with and getting to know some of the other guys on the team right from the start.

Here are a few pics of our bush camping experience...

Working on our shelter.

Justin showing off his machete skills!

Best shelter ever! (Disclaimer: not water proof!!!)

My team at bush camp.

Some Introductions...

I'm actually in town tonight with a decent internet connection, so I'm going to try to post as many pictures tonight as possible. This picture goes way back to my first day here in South Africa, meeting the other trainees who have since become dear friends of mine.

(Left to Right): MaxAC (USA!), Sabin (Congo Brazzaville), Praise (Malawi), Shegz (Kenya), Christian (Kenya), Justin (Kenya), Anthony (Malawi).

J-Life Summit Revisited

The J-Life International Summit ended nearly a week ago, and it was a great success! Thanks so much to all of you who were praying. It was an awesome experience for me to be able to connect with so many incredible leaders from around Africa. The following are some quotes that I pulled away from the Summit.

"Focus on the Source, not the resource" -Patrick Britz, J-Life Namibia Leader

"Obedience is God's love language" -David Mulonga, J-Life Zambia Leader

"Don't be a shooting star minister." -Philip King, J-Life Nigeria Leader

"Finances produce employees. We don't want employees, we want people who will rally behind the vision." -John Abrahamse, Founder of J-Life

"Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you want, but you can only spend it once."  -Bernie, J-Life Board Member

"Seldom resist the urge to be generous." -Dann Spader, President of GYI

Besides rubbing shoulders with and soaking in wisdom from all these great leaders, I also had a lot of fun with these guys. We got to spend a day as a group in Joburg. Here's a picture of the entire Summit group outside of Mark Tittley's church in Joburg.

When Reality Sets In...

Back in the day, when missionaries were headed for Africa, they used to send all of their belongings over in a casket, knowing full well that they would probably breathe their last breath on the red soils of that continent. And, more than likely, it would be an early death for those pioneers. Well, times have changed quite a bit, and I'm a pretty optimistic guy, so I sent my belongings over in two suitcases, fully believing that I would be coming back in a year right along with those suitcases. Now, I'm still here to tell the story, so you know how it ends, but I promise you every bit of this story is true. I don't want to be overdramatic, but it got very, very ugly this week. This is how it went down...

To put it bluntly, this past week I experienced hell on earth. Sunday night, after attempting to Skype chat with my family, I spent the whole night with a fever and the chills. I slept in a bit the next morning, and then went to a training session with some of the country leaders that were still here after the Summit. A couple hours into that, I felt sick again. Some of the guys laid hands on me, but in the middle of their prayers I had to rush to the bathroom. I spent the rest of the day in bed. Anything I tried to eat was almost immediately coming back out, one way or another...if you know what I mean. Then, late Monday night I was in the restroom, still terribly sick, and I could tell that something was really wrong...that this was not the normal flu. I could feel my entire body just heating up, and I was near the point of passing out. I dragged myself to John's house, and he rushed me to the hospital. I was diagnosed with a gastro-intestinal virus, and I had a temperature of nearly 105 degrees, which is obviously crazy high. They gave me an injection and also set up an IV pumping some fluids and antibiotics into my body. I was still very sick that whole night. They said I couldn't eat anything for about 36 hours, and I could only drink water, so that it would flush the virus out of my system. Even then, the next day every time I took a sip of water I would either vomit or almost immediately have to use the toilet. So I've been on some strong antibiotics this whole week, which has really zapped my energy and kept me in bed most of the week. I've also probably lost 15 pounds or so, which might actually be kind of hard to gain back on our diet here. Please just be praying that I would come to a full recovery soon and that I would regain my strength. It's at times like these where it's really no fun at all to be far away from home! And it's times like these when reality really begins to set in...this is Africa (TIA), God called me here, and preparing me for His service might mean that He runs me through the flames a time or two. But like I said, I'm still alive to tell about it...God is good!

Goals for 2009

The following are some of the goals that I have set for myself for this year:

Personal Goals:

• Run 3-5 times a week
• Run a marathon (yikes!)
• Build two long-lasting friendships with Africans (a month later, this goal seems to be way too low)
• Read 12 books (1/month)

Spiritual Goals:

• Read through the Bible twice.
• Memorize at least 1 whole book of the Bible (probably James or Colossians).
• Spend time alone with God daily
• Fast once a month

So far, I am doing great at keeping up with these goals. Granted, it is only February, but at least I've made it this far! Just yesterday, I ran over 9 miles...and not just any 9 miles...mountain miles! I have already read one book, Great Commission Companies, a good read on combining business and missions, and I am currently halfway through the book Love and Respect. I am building many strong relationships here. I am also consuming more Scripture than ever before in my life, and I'm sharpening my memorization skills (nearly done memorizing Romans 8). I will try to keep you all posted throughout the year as to how I do with these goals!

Say Hello To My New Friends...

Hangin' with my friend, Mxolisi, from Swaziland. (Don't even try to pronounce his name...you're wrong...trust me!)

I Love Rugby!!!

J-Life International Summit

This week has been a very busy one, as we are currently having the J-Life International Summit here at Camp Eden. Eleven different countries are represented here by their country leaders: Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, Swaziland, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and the most recent addition to the J-Life team and only non-African nation, J-Life USA, which is based out of New York. We are also privileged to have Dann Spader here, founder of Son Life Ministries and President of Global Youth Initiative, as well as Steve Hudson, a long-time Son Life guy as well, and currently on the GYI staff with Dann. The country leaders are being trained in things such as recruiting and coaching leaders, developing boards, developing budgets, funds development, team building, team cohesion, and overall improved communication.

I have been lucky enough to be able to break away from the normal training this week to join in the Summit. We have been hearing exciting reports from all of the countries represented about disciple-making movements sprouting up all over the continent. Next week two leaders will be sent into Tanzania, where leaders from the tribal bush area have already been chosen to be trained to lead disciple-making movements in their regions. Other efforts are spreading into Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Angola, and Madagascar. God is moving on this continent!

How you can pray this week:

• That God would continue to provide vision and leadership for J-Life
• For spiritual and physical renewal for the country leaders
• For a sense of community and cohesion among the different countries and their leaders
• That the Spirit would continue to move as workers are trained and sent out in His Name!

Sweet-Action Sunset

So a couple weekends ago we went on a men's retreat to this place outside of Joburg called the Vaal Dam. Besides having an incredible retreat (more on that later), I saw some of the sweetest sunsets I have ever seen! Here's a sneak peak...

Udpate From South Africa

Hey Everyone!

Thanks so much to all of you who have kept me in your thoughts and prayers over the past few weeks. Taking the step into full-time missions has been something on my heart for several years now, but I must admit that when the time came to go, it was a big leap of faith and one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. As I arrived here the first night, we were driving down the 7-mile dirt road driveway back to the training center, stopping occasionally as jackals ran across the road, and I remember thinking, “What in the world have I gotten myself into?!” More than three weeks later, all of those initial fears are gone, as I have built many solid relationships here, have been welcomed into the community, and have truly seen God move daily.

I am a part of a community of some 45-50 young people who are being trained to come alongside the local church in Africa and plant disciple-making movements of youth. We are living in a dorm-like situation. I am living in a room with three other guys: Praise (from Malawi), Sabin (Congo Brazzaville), and Sampson (Zambia). Other trainees here come from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Namibia, Swaziland, and of course, myself from the US. Needless to say, I am getting quite the cross-cultural experience!

The training is pretty intense. Our first three days here, we went out into the bush, with very few supplies, used machetes to cut down trees and build shelters, and basically just tried to survive! It was a pretty neat experience, and a good bonding time for everyone. For the last couple weeks now, we have been back on Driefontein Farm, where the J-Life training center is located. It is a really beautiful place—several thousand acres of mountains, rivers, lakes, and wildlife. Guys go hunting here a lot, and last week we killed a wild boar...and then ate him for dinner! We joked about how we were eating “Pumba” from the Lion King!

So far our training here has included things like spiritual gifts, personality tests, leadership and vision, and the DNA of disciple-making movements. It has been really powerful to plow through some of these topics together as a community. More than anything else, however, the core of the training revolves around our own spiritual health and maturity. We are held accountable to spend time alone with God daily, we pray together corporately, we are memorizing Scripture together, all in an attempt to be a holy community, set apart for God. The discipline has been great for me.

On top of spiritual “boot camp,” we are in physical training as well. I run daily with the guys here, which is pretty intense over the hills and mountains on the farm. We are also at a high elevation, over 7000 feet above see level (higher than Denver), so I am just now getting used to the thin air. So far my longest run has been just over 6 miles, but I am working towards a half marathon by April. I also swim across one of the lakes almost every day, with my longest swim being about half a mile so far. It feels great getting back into physical shape. It’s summer here, and the weather is blazing hot, somewhere in the mid-90s most days, so a daily swim is almost a necessity!

I received a great piece of advice before I left from my friend and former mentor, Karl Black, who said, “If you are able to see yourself as a learner, you will grow immensely over the next year.” I have truly tried to take those words to heart in my time here. While I have more formal education and ministry experience than most of these guys, I am still able to learn so much from them—from their cultural backgrounds, from their life experiences, and from their hearts and passion for the Lord. I truly am learning so much every day and growing in my understanding of other people, as well as in my relationship with the Lord.

Here are some ways that you can be praying for me:

-that I would continue to develop deep relationships with the guys here
-that I would stay focused on my relationship with God above all else
-that I would remain free from homesickness
-that God would continue to reveal His plans for my future, and that I would have the courage to follow His leading

Thanks again to all of you who are praying! I could not be here if it weren’t for your love and support! Please know that I am praying for all of you as well!

Alive in Africa,

MaxAC

2 Weeks Later...

Well, I've been here for about 15 days now. I apologize for not keeping you all more up to date, but the internet here is terrible, and my access is limited. I just wanted to briefly let you all know that 1) I am still alive! and 2) I absolutely love it here! As I got on the plane two weeks ago, alone and quite unsure of what my immediate future held, I remember thinking, "What am I getting myself into?" Leaving my comfort zone of family, friends, home, security was the hardest thing I have ever done, but I look back now only two weeks later and see all of the things I would have missed out on had I stayed. The community here at J-Life is incredible, and God is working in all of our lives here. There are about 45 young men and women going through the training here, from all different backgrounds and 10 different countries. It is such a diverse group of people coming together under one vision: creating disciple-making movements in the youth of Africa. I have made many new and close friends here in such a short time. I am picking up on several new languages: Afrikaans, Zulu, Swahili, and French to name a few. God is moving in my life, as I am seeing a greater picture of His Kingdom and devoting myself to Him more each day. Please, keep praying for me as I continue to seek God's will for my future. He is definitely giving me a heart for Africa, and we will see where that leads! I miss you all, and I look forward to hearing from you!

Cheers, Mates.

AC

Alive in South Africa!

Thanks for all of your prayers. I arrived safely in Johannesburg, South Africa about an hour ago--along with all of my luggage...praise God! I'll be waiting here, guarding my luggage for two more hours before my ride arrives.

It was very tough saying goodbye to so many of you over the last week. Between saying goodbye to the youth and friends at church on Sunday, to the goodbyes with my family Wednesday night, to my last goodbye with Adrienne at the airport Thursday morning, I have shed more than my fair share of tears this week. However, it is good to finally be here, and I am adjusting my thoughts to my purpose here, to grow and learn and expand God's kingdom in any way that He chooses to use me. Don't worry, though, I won't be forgetting all of you back home anytime soon. In fact, I would love to hear from all of you as often as possible. I may not always be able to respond quickly, depending on the availability of the Internet here, but it's important to me to hear from friends back home and share this journey with all of you.

Well, that's all for now. This could very well be my last post for a while...tomorrow we are leaving for a Survivor-esque experience out in the bush! Lions and tigers and AC, oh my!

AC Takin' it International

Well, T-minus one day before I embark on a new journey in life. In a little over 24 hours, I will be stepping on a plane headed for South Africa, not to return for nearly a year. Thus, my 24-year streak of dwelling in the U.S. comes to an abrupt end...it was a nice run while it lasted.

I couldn't be more excited about this opportunity to serve others abroad...and also nervous, terrified, and  apprehensive, to name a few other emotions that seem to be present. I'm excited to meet new people, learn new languages and cultures, experience a whole new way of living and viewing the world, and all along the way to be challenged and grown in my walk with the Lord. I'm nervous and somewhat apprehensive because I am walking into so many unknowns (also a reason why I am excited, however). And I'm quite terrified, mostly because I am going alone. I do well when I am with people, especially people I know and love. I don't do alone very well. My prayer is that I make strong connections with the African people very early in my trip so that I can avoid that sense of being on an island. 

If you have time, here are a few ways you can be praying for me this week:

• safe travel, both for myself and my luggage!
• safety upon arrival (I was just notified that I will spend a few hours alone in the airport in Johannesburg, the crime capital of the world).
• that I would make immediate connections with the African people
• strength against feelings of loneliness

Thanks so much to all who are praying! This blog will be my primary means of connecting with many of you while I am away, so please keep in touch! God bless!

Quote

"Every day, I try to live my life in such a way that I accomplish at least one thing that will outlive me and last for eternity."

-Vernon Brewer, founder and president of World Help

Sunday Night Tradition

After a brief hiatus from our Sunday night tradition, we gathered once again last night for more food (of the Chinese variety), fun, friends, and this week, some family as well. Good times. 

I'm gonna miss these people next year...

Mission: Africa

If you know me well at all, you know that I am a missionary at heart. Since my teenage years, I have had a passion for the world, for different cultures, for people groups very different than my own. I went on my first mission trip as a junior in high school. I went to Ecuador, and it was there that God began to place in my heart a calling to youth ministry. At the same time, I began to feel God stirring my heart for the nations.

That calling, over six years ago now, set my life on an incredible journey that continues to this day. Rather than devoting my life to the pursuit of riches or fame or athletic achievement--to all the things that my selfish heart had desired up until that point in my life--I chose a significantly different path. This path led me to study youth ministry for four years at Bethel College. It led me to spend countless hours in college pouring into youth in the local church. It was this calling that led me to St. Mark Missionary Church, where for nearly four years now I have been striving to make a difference in the lives of young people--to inspire them, challenge them, help them see that they are called to something bigger than themselves. Finally, it is God's heart for the nations that He has placed within me that has led me to a significantly different and new phase in my journey...

In March, I met a South-African man in Israel named John Abrahamse. He was speaking at a conference for youth workers all around the world, and he shared his vision to reach the youth of Africa. John and his wife, Lorna, started an organization out of their home called J-Life. J-Life stands for Jesus' Life. Simply put, they began practicing the principles of Christ's ministry on earth, discipling young people and teaching them to disciple other young people. In the past seven years, their ministry has grown exponentially. J-Life is now a movement that is training native men and women from over 20 different African nations to make disciples.

Their mission...AFRICA.

What I saw that day in Israel was a vision for bringing the kingdom of God to a whole continent. A vision for empowering oppressed people with the Good News. A vision for multiplying fully-committed disciples of Jesus. I knew that I wanted to be a part of that kind of a movement of God. 

The rest is history. I spoke with John, and he advised me to begin praying about spending a year in Africa. Over the course of the next couple months, the answer was clear.

One month from today, I leave for Africa.

Why Africa? Honestly, I had never really considered going to Africa. It's not that I was opposed to going there, but I simply had not been exposed enough to Africa to see that it just might be the place where God wanted me. My international experiences have been limited mostly to the Spanish-speaking world, as well as to the far East in places like China and India. To be completely honest, since my time in China two years ago, I had been hoping that God would send me back there, or at least to somewhere in Asia. After spending time in India this past January, I was convinced that God would call me there. However, God had different plans. My life will never be the same.

Africa...here I come!!!

Name That Band!

My friend Kara tagged me a while back in this band generator game. Here's how it works:

Band Name: Random Wikipedia Link

Album Title: Random Quote Generator (Last four words from a random quote)

Album Art: Random Flickr Picture

Here were my results:

My Band Name: Packet Switch Stream

Album Title: Quickly and Easily Tomorrow

Album Art:

We're easily the sweetest new band out there. Now let's see what bands you can randomly generate! I tag Dani, Phil, and Chad.

These are real people...

Nicomedes is 48 years old, married and has 5 children. He owns a chiperia (local bakeries specialized in preparing a traditional Paraguayan bread called chipa) located at the building where he lives. His and wife and sons are responsible for selling them out of their home while he is in charge of outside sales. For over 20 years, Mr. Nicomedes has dedicated himself to this activity. His leadership skills have made him a very respected man within his community--he has always been part of community outreach programs, and even presided over the district's commission. His main goals have been promoting growth and improvement in his community. In the past, he used to borrow an oven from the neighbors until he invested the loan amount he received from Fundacion Paraguaya to build one for himself and to purchase baking ingredients. Now, he is requesting another loan in order to purchase additional ingredients in wholesale quantity, such as starch, vegetable oil, cheese and wood. 

Kiva = Micro-Loans Made Easy

This morning I sat at my dining room table in my house in South Bend, Indiana, and simultaneously loaned money to a chipa baker named Nicodemes in Caacupe, Paraguay. And how did I accomplish this incredible task, you ask? The answer: Kiva. Kiva makes loaning money to entrepreneurs in impoverished countries as easy as the click of a mouse. Here's some more info found on their website:

What Is Kiva?

We Let You Loan to the Working Poor

Kiva's mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty.

Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs in the developing world.

The people you see on Kiva's site are real individuals in need of funding - not marketing material. When you browse entrepreneurs' profiles on the site, choose someone to lend to, and then make a loan, you are helping a real person make great strides towards economic independence and improve life for themselves, their family, and their community. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates and track repayments. Then, when you get your loan money back, you can relend to someone else in need.

Kiva partners with existing expert microfinance institutions. In doing so, we gain access to outstanding entrepreneurs from impoverished communities world-wide. Our partners are experts in choosing qualified entrepreneurs. That said, they are usually short on funds. Through Kiva, our partners upload their entrepreneur profiles directly to the site so you can lend to them. When you do, not only do you get a unique experience connecting to a specific entrepreneur on the other side of the planet, but our microfinance partners can do more of what they do, more efficiently.

Kiva provides a data-rich, transparent lending platform. We are constantly working to make the system more transparent to show how money flows throughout the entire cycle, and what effect it has on the people and institutions lending it, borrowing it, and managing it along the way. To do this, we are using the power of the internet to facilitate one-to-one connections that were previously prohibitively expensive. Child sponsorship has always been a high overhead business. Kiva creates a similar interpersonal connection at much lower costs due to the instant, inexpensive nature of internet delivery. The individuals featured on our website are real people who need a loan and are waiting for socially-minded individuals like you to lend them money.

This is seriously so easy! What are you waiting for?! Help someone in the impoverished world now!

MSM Fall Retreat

Getting ready to head off for the weekend on our Middle School Ministry Fall Retreat. We're trying out a new venue this year, heading over to Prairie Camp's new Retreat Center. I'll be leading worship for the retreat, and former youth pastor and current church planter Jeremy LeVan will be speaking. Looking forward to a great weekend of unplugging from all the distractions around me and diving into deeper relationships with some pretty cool middle schoolers!

Yo tengo gozo...

A few girls from my Spanish class put together this sweet video of themselves singing "Yo Tengo Gozo." These girls are really picking up on the language quickly, and I'm so proud of them! Notice the cool special effects in the video, which can only mean one thing...they are Mac users! Whoo hoo!

A Good Meal and Great Friends

Over the past couple months, I've gotten the chance to try my hand at cooking more than a few times. Now for those of you majoring in AC to the Max trivia, you might recall that I'm not exactly Emeril. However, in recent months I have become what I would consider quite proficient in making Chinese food. So, Sunday night after our high school ministry, Adrienne and I cooked up a storm: Jasmine rice with Thai Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce, stir fry chicken, szechuan chicken, and chopped onions, garlic, and green peppers. If I can say so myself, it made for quite a tasty meal, and what made it even better was sharing it "family style" with a great group of friends.

ND-Pitt

I had the misfortune of witnessing Notre Dame's defeat at the hands of Pitt in 4 overtimes this past Saturday. My dad, brother, and I went to the game together, an annual tradition dating back to our childhood. Incidentally, this is the third time I have witnessed Notre Dame lose an overtime game (somehow I think it might be all my fault!). The first time was to the #1 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers back in the Eric Crouch era (around 2000, I believe). Then, in 2005, the Irish stormed back against Michigan State from a 3-touchdown deficit in the 4th quarter, only to get beat in overtime. Then, of course, this most recent loss in 4 overtimes to Pitt. As if that wasn't enough, I also saw the Irish lose to USC in 2005, thanks to the "Bush Push," in one of the most heartbreaking games in ND history. All in all, I'm pretty sure my attendance at ND football games is a curse. Anyway, it was still fun to get back inside the most historic stadium in college football history. Here are some pics from the game.

Trunk 'R Treat

This past Friday night, our children's ministry at St. Mark put on a great event called "Trunk 'R Treat." Families in the church decorated the trunks of their cars to different themes, and kids both from the church and from the community came to see the trunks and, of course, get lots and lots of candy! I went with an international theme, displaying flags and soccer jerseys from different places I've traveled around the world. Check it out. 

Common questions I received were: "Are you one of those people who sell stuff out of their cars?" and "Are you a Communist?" I assured everyone that I was neither of those things. All in all, it was a really fun night. Seth and Nikki joined in on the fun as well. You can check out their pictures here.