Monday - South Africa Update

Is there anything better than spiritual confirmation? Because that's all we really have. We can tell you or show you what we're seeing but it's not possible to convey it in a justifiable manner. John Mayer said it best, "You should have seen that sunrise with your own eyes, it brought me back to life." I can show you thousands of pictures but they don't really measure up to the vastness of this place. And I could tell you a million stories but they don't measure up to the power of what we're feeling and experiencing. Because the truth is the one thing that nothing can trump in belief system that is driven by faith, is experience. Experience usher's us into the presence of what God is doing and we suddenly find ourselves invested in God's work. And that is not something you can explain or show through any picture or with any words. That is why spiritual confirmation is so strong and vital to the growth and development of the believer.

Today began much like yesterday. The beauty of this place is at times obnoxious. I can't put my camera down in fear of missing something. But we had a fantastic breakfast and set out for a tour of all the Living Hope facilities. They took explaining culture and orienting us to the area very seriously. I think this is so important to our effectiveness while we're here. You have to understand who you're working with and they certainly prepared us today for the rest of the week. We spent the first half of the day touring their facilities and learning.

The second half of the day we went to a township called Redhill and spent times with the kids. For those of you keeping score, a township is usually synonymous with a slum. That was the case today. Earlier we discussed experience and today I sat back as I watched our group completely engage poor African children. They didn't hold back. They weren't cautious with their love. They loved blindly and willingly. At one point Will and Sam were covered with boys wanting to play with them. Did you know that 82% of children in that township do not have a relationship with their father? Did you know today over the course of 3-4 hours, Sam and Will gave those boys more love than any man has ever given them?

As for our girls, rest assured that they could barley get up because the children were obsessed with braiding their hair. At one point I overheard a small girl look at Mary Virginia's hand and say "white", she then looked at her hand and said, "black", Mary V responded with, "Yes, but the same."

 

I am so proud of our kids. I can't stress that enough. They are totally committed to being the hands and feet of Jesus this week. I caught myself gravitating to the back of the room today and just watching. Parent's other than you, I love your kids as much as anyone. Today I was taken back at the love they have to give. What I witnessed and saw reminded me that I had the greatest job in the world. Thank you for making it easy for me by the way you've raised your kids.

Living Hope is committed to teaching and building a biblical foundation in the lives of children because they have to change a generation if they are going to be successful in changing cultural mentality. It's better to build a wholistic child than mend a broken man.