V-A-C-A-TION

August 19th I arrived in Finland for the start of two weeks of R+R (rest + relaxation).
It was such a good time of catching up on sleep... of reading; spending time with God and pouring out my heart to Him; of reconnecting with old friends; of meeting new people and connecting with them; of rethinking vision and processing many things; of late night discussions; of long walks in nature.

I stayed in the city of Tampere (Tammerfores for the Swedes) with a friend. We were able to visit her family’s summer house a couple of times. I was able to have the traditional finnish sauna and lake experience.
A friend invited us to visit her church which is an international church in a place called Espoo near Helsinki. http://ucclife.fi/

We were also able to go to a free concert by an international (but started in Finland) Christian orchestra called ‘Halo’. http://www.haloensemble.org/

What was especially cool during this time in Finland was the pure JOY that God filled my heart with during this time. It was overflowing. He has been teaching me so much about PEACE and LOVE and JOY in the last few months. The kind of PEACE, LOVE and JOY that stays with you even in terrible situations. The kind of PEACE, LOVE and JOY that only comes from being in a relationship with Him that is living and active.
While in Finland I found myself smiling for NO REAL REASON. Just smiling! I thank you God for this fresh air that you have breathed on and into me. Help me to share it with others!
Yes... I did visit the OM Finland office and spent some time with a few people there. It was good to reconnect with them and see what is happening in another OM Field.

When many people think of Finland, they think of a cold, dark country with a funny language... but there is more to Finland than that... such beauty... such history.
The church in general isn’t the most alive, but I was encouraged to meet followers of Jesus who were desperate for His Kingdom and Glory to come to their city, their friends and family, to this world. These people were so desperate that they were looking for ways to get involved themselves. What a blessing to meet them!

Goodbye Bafana!

On august 18th I left South Africa... the place where I have lived for the last 3 years. I was blessed to have many people come to say goodbye at my house... especially after so many of my friends and other collegues were not around. It was funny... all of my previous housemates had already left... some of my close friends weren’t there because they were on holiday. It was still good to have friends around who cared. I spent my last few days packing and spending time with people and trying to tie up loose ends. On my last night, we had a little gathering for dinner and a fun night.

It is so good when moving on from a significant chapter in life to be able to have such good closure on it. I must admit that much of my time in SA was tough for different reasons. However leaving was peaceful and I appreciate all the people that invested into my life during the 3 years that I spent there. Thank you to all who also made leaving a pleasant experience.

We went to Capetown not knowing what to expect. Everything seemed to be up in air… God was good as usual.
The Friday night before the tour began we were able to meet with the youth leadership and lead the youth meeting from that church.
The youth leaders of the church surprised me when they said that they were looking forward to the training because they felt like they had a lot to learn. This is a big church with lots of good programmes etc in place and the youth leaders were expecting to learn from us. It humbled me immensely… because God uses anyone… including the less qualified to do His work.

During the youth meeting we focused on a few of the countries coming to the world cup. This meeting ended with a persecution exercise. The most amazing thing about the persecution exercise took place at the end of the exercise. (We arrested about 12 of the youth and made them kneel facing the wall in different little prayer groups until their friends released them by praying for the country in question). We were getting feedback from the young people about the exercise and I asked a young man of about 12 years of age, if he enjoyed being on his knees all that time. I expected him to say that he did not because he was uncomfortable. His response was, “Yes, I love praying!” I nearly fell over. The response of the youth to pray for their friends was also astonishing.
The catering, which was like a monkey on my back, worked out surprisingly well. A man that none of us had met before decided to help us by donating 7 whole chickens and some loaves of bread. That was a blessing that helped us stay well below our food budget for the event.
The youth never complained about the kind of food… I think only one person wanted more food. The entire group of young people was very positive and attentive even when they were feeling very tired.
Another huge blessing was seeing how well the younger members of the events team did during the entire time; in their teaching, in their interactions with the youth, in the lessons that they learnt.
The team of 8 people who went to Capetown returned to Pretoria transformed, and even more convinced about the greatness of God.
Two years before this I had spent Christmas in Capetown and was astonished and upset by the number of youth on "Tik'(methamphetamine)... and the number of hopeless people around. This trip was so encouraging.
God is doing something in Capetown!

It is interesting how being away from home and one's comfort zone causes one to grow. We see it all the time in our own lives and in the lives of others. I like it!

Anyways, the 2010 Soccer World cup is coming up and I've been thinking alot about how this could be a pivotal time in history for lots of reason.
It seems like so many things are conspiring against it happening... from flights being rediculous to trouble brewing in SA politically and racially... even the trouble that we have experienced as an organization planning outreach during this time.
I believe that God is up to something... I don't know what other people think... but we shouldn't miss this opportunity... if you ever have a chance... look up nicolo polo and Khublai Khan... very interesting stuff.

It has been a while since I have written anything here... prolly because I have been quite busy... not because of a lack of things to write.
I spend most of my days preparing for this upcoming world cup outreach... It has been quite a wild ride. I have learnt so much as well.
What has been a blessing is seeing things happening for God's kingdom here.
I have been to Capetown twice in the last few months for different reasons and was so encouraged to see how people are stepping up and taking a stand for their city. Two Christmases ago I was heartbroken to see all the young people hooked on Tik (pronounced took), and to hear of abandoned babies and young lives going to waste. It has been encouraging to see that there are ministries dedicated to getting kids off drugs, to getting youth out of gangs and helping young women to stop selling their bodies on the streets. I have a friend who has been so blessed as he works with others to help these young women. We were able to attend a church service of one of these ministries and it was a blessing to see someone bring their muslim friend/relative forward for prayer... the man prayed to accept Jesus and asked Jesus to heal his body (he was in a wheelchair). Healing is a controversal topic for most people... but what a blessing to see the saving power of Christ at work.
God bless South africa!