So here we are. I’ve been living in Africa for 2 ½ months. I wouldn’t even know how to catch everyone up with the things we have seen or experienced, but I’m going to try to do it just a little bit. Here are two web entries I wrote in November.

11/November/2006 Scratching the Surface

I was sitting here reading all of the updates from the other FYM teams, and saw an entry on the England site. It talks about them all finally arriving and God bringing 11 Christians to live together to carry Christ’s love to England.

It brought to mind something that has been mentioned to our team and by our team several times in the past 2 months. We are part of the biggest FYM program, and our team is the biggest FYM team to date. Being such a large team has it’s positives and negatives. It’s hard to get as personal with the leaders as such a large group. Having constant transportation issues since we arrived also is complicated by having such a large group. But we still don’t have enough. For our last 6 weeks here we are now getting a little more firm in the ministries that we are involved in, but we are still spread thin. There is so much work to do in South Africa and the surrounding countries, and the laborers truly are so few. We have anywhere from 3 to 5 main commitment areas as things work themselves out and there are still other opportunities we desire as well.

Matthew 9:35-38

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

You may have heard this verse over and over before, but it’s still very true. Our team has seen several decisions for Christ, people have been healed of sickness, and we have also heard many stories of God working in and through others in the area, including healings of cancer, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. We live with several South African Christians, attend 2 different churches, and met Christians reaching out in Swaziland and to Lesotho, but the job still is not done. People are longing for something more. They seek healing from witch doctors and worship ancestors. They need to experience the love of Christ. Would you take some time to pray, not only for us and the work God has called us to this year, but for more laborers? We could be out day and night until May, and only scratch the surface of the physical and spiritual needs in our area.

15/November/2006  The Reality of Life

I can sit here and post pictures of our girls’ night out and I can tell you about how we went bowling one night, or even post pictures of girls braiding my hair and kids sitting on our shoulders. We get beautiful sunrises and sunsets day after day, both here and in Swaziland. We have electricity and running water where we live and people helping us cook every meal.

I can also sit and tell you about the difficulties our team has faced. While at training camp, Carly fell and spent several weeks wearing a sling because of a shoulder injury. Shortly after arriving in South Africa, Sam had bronchitis and Val had tonsillitis. While we were in Swazi, sickness passed around the Alabanza staff, and it’s been running through our team since we returned. One day 7 team members were not able to make it out to the ministry site.

Let us not forget the people we run into every day. 5,500 people a day are dying in Africa from HIV/AIDS alone. The tsunami that hit southeast Asia was a disaster, but every month 150,000 people die in Africa of this virus.

Then there are the many people diagnosed with tuberculosis, and all of the children suffering from malnutrition. There are all the abandoned babies in hospitals. We’ve met person after person supporting children out of their own pockets, running care points, etc, but it’s still not enough.

We came not only to share eternal life with these people, but to be Jesus. We could spend hours sitting and just being with one person, or we can walk from bed to bed in the hospitals praying with everyone. Sometimes ministry may be as simple as taking the bag of chips we’re eating and handing it out of the car window to a beggar in the street.

While you sit and read these newsletters and look at the pictures, realize that this life isn’t all a joy ride. I’ve been blessed to backpack in Morocco and spend a month in the Amazon Jungle in Peru. I’ve lived in several different countries and met many amazing people. But I also get to see the face of death day after day. I know 2 year old Americans who are the same size as 4 or 5 year olds here. Every day people are not only dying of disease and illness, but they are dying without Christ. Jesus came to earth to “seek and save the lost.” As we practice “pure and faultless religion” of assisting widows and orphans, we are also bringing the Word of God.

As you read about our adventures, and especially the fun times our group has, don’t forget about the reality of life we face day after day.