Snapshots: Rosebank

               While in South Africa we spent one day seeking and sharing with a specific people group. This group was the Jewish people. Of the countries with the most Jewish people living in them South Africa was number 11. I had no idea that there was a large group of Jewish people living in South Africa. I guess South Africa is not called the "Rainbow Nation" for no reason :) There are about 75,000 Jewish people living in South Africa with 50,000 in the very town we were staying in. We had a hard time finding Jewish people to share with but found a few. I was able to talk with a guy named Gabriel who was from Israel and was working at a Dead Sea products kiosk. He was very intent on selling us his product so it was a bit awkward talking with him. The gospel was not really shared but we did ask alot of pointed questions about the afterlife and shared what we believed about each topic. Gabriel was living for the moment and insisted he had no regrets in life and wanted to do what was satisfying. Sharing with people who are working was difficult for me and this was the first guy we shared with so i felt very uncomfortable as if i was bothering him. I could share with a stranger on the streets any day, but a person who is trying to work and make a living is a different story. It was a hurdle I had to overcome while in South Africa. Please pray for Gabriel's salvation.
         I was also able to share the gospel with Lisa who worked at a wig shop on the third level in part of the mall. She said many Jewish women wear wigs to cover up their hair so only their husband sees their natural hair. She was very confused by this (as were we). Lisa shared that she was a former Jehovah's witness who was starting to attend Seventh Day Adventist services. She seemed a little confused, naturally, so I was able to talk with her and encourage her to read the bible, which she admitted to not really doing much of. I shared that salvation is a free gift, not of works and that she needed to repent and trust in Jesus for salvation. She seemed genuinely interested and thanked us sincerely for taking the time to talk with her. Please pray for Lisa. Pray that other Christians would be burdened to share the gospel with her and to love her. Pray that she would be convicted of her sin and that God would draw her to Him. Pray for her salvation.

Just a portion of this gigantic mall!

some portions of the mall were three stories or even four!

Another portion of the mall (three stories!!)

         After a few hours of struggling to find our specific people, I decided to find anybody willing to talk. We went into a store called "House of Isis" that sold religious icons and paraphernalia from every religion I could think of. What really struck me about this store is that it was in a public mall. Where I live I do not really see stores like this in the mall, I only know of one in down town that sells items that are used to cast spells and such. This store was also pretty busy, people were going in and out and buying things, asking the workers where certian icons were. It was filled with people searching, it was very sad and eye opening at the same time to see these people believing in rocks and statues that have eyes but cant see and ears but cant hear. There was a tarot card reader, an aura reader, fairy dust, dream books, pictures of Jesus, Buddhist statues, Jewish icons, Chinese blessing and luck charms, the evil eye, Hindu gods, religious books, pagan items, crystals, healers, hypnotherapy, essential oils and so on. I walked in and looked around the store. I started praying about who I should share with, knowing I needed to share in this store. I went and grabbed an icon I came across while I was in Israel, the Hamsa Hand. I took it up to the woman working at the register and asked her what it was. She did not know and started referencing a guide book for religious icons. She discovered that it was called the Hamsa hand which protected the wearer from the evil or envious eye. After she told me about it, I asked her if she believed that it worked. She shared that she was unsure. I continued by asking her what items in the store she used or believed in. She told me that she had been raised Christian but was starting to follow the teachings of Buddha. I started asking her what Buddha taught, but she could not answer anything. She had just started studying she said. I was able to share the gospel with her and encourage her to read the Bible. She seemed receptive but not willing to repent at that moment. Please pray for her salvation and that she stops working at that store.

The store, notice all the icons?

Tarot cards

Some religious necklaces sold in the store, note the crystals in the background

The two thumbed hand icon I found

~N

Pardon the interuption: Gabriel

        I'm in the middle of sharing with you all (by all I mean Chad and some friends/family I know read this blog) a few snapshots of what happened while serving in South Africa. Today I am going to talk about something that happened at Friday night Pie.
          For those of you who do not know, PIE stands for Pizza, Intercessory Prayer and Evangelism. My husband and I lead an evangelism team at our church and we go out every Friday. This past June we were unable to go since we were in South Africa, so last week was our first week back on the saddle. I was totally excited and ready to go.We went to a local shopping center. It was packed because of the release of the new movie Batman. Some on the team were a bit wary because of what had happened the night before in Aurora, CO. I assured them that God is in control and His will would happen that night.
        What was neat about this specific PIE is that it fell on the second night of Ramadan. Ramadan is an Islamic holiday that lasts for an entire month and consists of fasting while the sun is out. They fast from food, drink and sexual relations with their spouses. When the sun is down those fasting are allowed to break their fast and eat food. There are usually large celebrations and parties when the fast is broken. This fasting is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. When I was in Africa this summer, I met some women who were making up some of their fasting the month before Ramadan. One was nursing when Ramadan occurred last year and was unable to fast. Apparently they can "make up" a fast they miss any other month of the year. They can make up each day consecutively or separately. She chose to fast every other day. When she asked about if i celebrated Ramadan, she was shocked that I did not. I was able to share with her about Jesus, and why I fast the way I do. That I fast because I want to, not because it is required of me by my faith. This was a whole new concept for her and one she seemed to struggle to accept.
          Before we went out to share the gospel that Friday we prayed. Chad and I have been praying for Muslims every day during Ramadan using this specific prayer guide. That night I prayed that we would encounter some Muslims though I did not keep my hopes up because I knew they had been fasting and we would be out right when their fast would end. Vanessa and I went to our usual spot handing out tracts to those going to or leaving a movie. Then one man turned and said "I like this, it has good questions." The tract is called "What if" and is full of questions starting with What if. Some of the questions are: What if you could live forever? What if you were breathing your last breath right now? What if you had your conscience for a reason? This man was intrigued by the questions and we started talking. His name was Gabriel and he had just got off from work. He told us he had written a book which had passages from the Bible and Koran in it. This instantly sent bells off in my head and I asked if he was Muslim. He was and said he was going home to break his fast. He then shared a bit of his story. He was born into a family of Christians and was raised a Christian. Sometime later, while in prison (for what, I do not know!) he started reading the bible and said he noticed quite a few contradictions. He then said he found a Koran, started reading it and was converted. He then went on for quite a while about random contradictions in the bible such as Jesus never saying He was God (according to him yet we know that Jesus says He is God in John 10:30-31, 10:9, 11, 14:6, 11:25 and this was the very reason He was crucified!) Yet Gabriel was unwilling to accept the truths of scripture. I was just starting to steer the conversation towards the gospel when his wife and son came and he had to leave. Before he left he took my email address and promised to send me a copy of his book. Please pray for Gabriel, that God would reveal Himself to him and that Gabriel would be convicted over his sin knowing that his good deeds will not cover up his bad deeds. I know this because the scriptures say in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 "The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil." Please, if you are trusting in your own goodness to get you into heaven you are making the biggest gamble of your life. You and I will never be good enough on our own, but God sent Jesus who was perfect to die in our place and take our punishment so that we could be set free from the bonds of sin. If you have ever lied, stolen, looked with lust or been angry at somebody you (and I) are guilty before God and will be judged for our actions like Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 says. The bible says "The wages of sin is death," we earn death and judgement by God for the evil deeds we do here. But God sent His son Jesus down here to live a perfect life and die in your place, to pay your fine. He was crucified and buried and rose again on the third day to prove he was God and had defeated death. Jesus said "I am the way, the truth and the life and no man can come to the father but through me." Trust in Jesus, repent of your sin and put your faith and trust in what Jesus did for you. Do it today. What if you just took your last breath?






~N

Snapshots: Angelo

           In South Africa over 5.6 million people are currently living with AIDS. It is said that there are over 1.9 million AIDS orphans in the country. Statistics say that about 70% of children have lost their mother to AIDS. In 2009 some 310,000 South Africans died because of AIDS. These statistics are startling. Those are not numbers, they are people. They are brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers, husbands, wives and so on. It is so easy to look at these statistics and continue on, but glance back at them and really think. Each number is a PERSON. A person whose life has been destroyed by a debilitating virus.

one of the many Soweto funeral parlors

            We visited a very well known squatter town named Soweto. This town has such a high rate of deaths due to AIDS that they have to have multiple funerals a day. Driving through the town our driver pointed out that there were police officers stationed at the intersections in the town. He said that because of the amount of funerals they have a day, the officers are there 24 hours directing traffic when a procession happens. This is daily life for these people. 
           This summer I was able to visit a hospital where those who have AIDS go to get their medicine for the month. I can honestly say that I was a bit scared to go to the hospital. I learned about AIDS when I was in the fifth grade. We learned all about Ryan White, a young boy who had a blood transfusion before they screened the blood for diseases and contracted AIDS that way. We learned how AIDS was transmitted, not by air, or touch but through bodily fluids of any kind. So I knew when we visited those who had AIDS in the hospital that I could not contract the virus simply by talking with them. I honestly had no idea how these people would look or what kind of shape they would be in. Before we went to the hospital we made sandwiches to hand out. Apparently if they do not have a meal before they take their medicine, it is ineffective. Unfortunately most people are so poor that they can not afford any food to eat. We were there to remedy that problem and share the good news in the process. As we were walking up, the woman who was with us said "I usually do not go to this hospital because the people here are in really poor conditions, so be prepared." As soon as she said this I was nervous. Walking into the large brick hospital we saw signs for various ways to prevent AIDS that made us chuckle. We also saw rooms and rooms filled to overflowing with people waiting. Each person (not a number or statistic!) had AIDS and was waiting to see a doctor to get their monthly treatment and medicine.

Reminds me of Angelo

            After going to various rooms to hand out sandwiches and praying for many people and sharing the good news, I decided to sit near a woman about the age of my mom who was all alone. I introduced myself and started talking with her. In the middle of our conversation she said "i am so glad you came here to give us sandwiches, I was very nervous to come to this appointment today but since I have been talking with you I have calmed down and am not nervous anymore." She had two girls, was divorced and hiding the fact that she had AIDS from her employer. While I was talking with her a young man came up and sat down next to me. He was visibly nervous and shaking as he sat. He blurted out "Are you a Christian?" and spilled his cup of tea all over my purple skirt. He asked me to pray for him and started pouring his heart out to me. He said he had just lost his fiance due to AIDS, that she had died suddenly and unexpectedly. He also said that their son had been taken away from him by her parents after her death and he can't see him anymore. He said that they are telling his son that he (Angelo) does not love him anymore. Angelo was visibly crushed about this, crying and pleading for prayer. I ran and grabbed Chad because I figured it would be better to have a man to talk with him and Chad was able to share the gospel a few times with Angelo. I was able to offer a few comforting words as well and we prayed with him. As we started praying Angelo just started crying. He seemed so relieved to have us pray for him. It was so heartbreaking to see this man who has had so much hardship because of AIDS. I have no idea how he got AIDS or how long he will live, but I do know that God did not have us at the hospital the very day he was there on accident. Angelo needs Christ, he needs the forgiveness that is only available through Jesus's death on the cross. When he died for the sins of all. He needs the comfort that only God can bring. Please pray for Angelo and his son. That man was just skin and bones, and at the end of his rope.  Please also pray for those affected by AIDS in South Africa. That God would bring believers into their lives to love them and share the good news with them. That they would see that it is truly good news and put their faith and trust in Christ! Going to the AIDS hospital was one of my favorite things we did in Africa! I was so sad the second time we went that I was sick with the flu and could not go! Isn't it funny, the one thing I was most nervous of doing was the one thing I loved the most? The one thing I would go back to Africa to do every day instead of once the whole time we were there? WOW.

Some of the sandwiches we made

The AIDS hospital

This is not even half of the sandwiches

Some info

Way funny sign

~N
    

Snapshots: Joy

While I was in Africa this summer, I was able to attend church. I had heard from others about churches lasting around three or four hours in Africa so I came prepared with snacks, just in case.
         We drove to a specific township and parked in the grass parking lot across the street from the church. The church was a small brick building with a fence around it (due to high crime in the city we stayed in). There were people milling around outside, greeting us with smiles, hugs and handshakes as we walked in. Upon walking inside the church we were greeted by the  very strong smell of gas. I found this humorous, but it did give some of those on the team a headache. The gas was from two stand up heaters that were used to heat up the church (really it just heated up those who sat near it lol). There was no central air or heat in the building. We all took our seats in wooden folding chairs sent into rows. After a few minutes the worship team started. They were not a fancy band, or well trained singers but they sang with all their heart. They sang songs in Afrikaans and English. After a few songs the pastor came up to the pulpit. He mentioned various people in the congregation that needed prayer and would call on somebody in the congregation to pray out loud for that specific person. Their prayers would last from what seemed like five to ten minutes each. It was really heart warming to see a congregation that spent so much time in prayer during the service, and that the pastor included the congregation in these prayers. The last time we went to that church they had the team stand up and they laid hands on us and prayed for a safe return home. It was so kind.
          On Wednesday nights we were blessed to attend what was called "cell groups" or small groups.  At the first one Chad and I attended (a married couple study) there was a woman named Joy who had been suffering from debilitating migraines, intestinal pain, depression and other ailments. At the end of our study the former pastor of the church named Pip asked the small group to pray for Joy. He had joy come kneel down in the middle of the group and asked her "Joy do you believe that God can heal you?" She said "yes" and Pip asked everybody in the small group to come around her and lay a hand on her and pray for her healing. The last Sunday we were in attendance at the church the pastor had Joy come and give her testimony in front of the church for about 20 minutes. During that time she shared her struggles with her ailments, her suicidal thoughts and struggles with her faith. She then shared that after we all prayed over her, her migraines were gone for 10 days. What I appreciated about her testimony was that she still glorified God even though her migraines came back. She said that she would serve Him and trust in Him even though she is in pain. It was such a touching testimony and one I will always remember.
         On a random side note they served food at each cell group meeting. The first meeting chad had a crumpet. Now in South Africa they have crumpets with butter, raspberry jelly, cheddar cheese and whipped cream.....SO chad being the adventurous type decided to try one. Im not too sure it was his favorite but the locals loved them! The next meeting we had two South African Afrikaans treats called "Koek Sister" pronounced: "coke sisters" and "vet koeks" pronounced: "fat cakes" which Chad loved! The coke sisters are a sweet fried pastry, with a sweet sauce, coconut and sugar on top. The fat cakes were a sweet bread, filled with a meat and vegetable mix. Both were full of lovely gluten which I cannot eat so I enjoyed some mutton stew that they had. It was delicious and salty! Right up my alley :) I really miss the kindness of that cell group and the fact that we were welcomed in and never felt awkward or uncomfortable! Everybody hugged us, even the kids who came. What a difference from American churches. I came back to America wanting to be more warm and welcoming to others I come in contact with.

This was the fat cake....the ones chad had were not as long and a little fatter, but similar

Coke sisters!

~N

Snapshots: Tissues

For my next series of blog posts I will be posting "snapshots" of Africa. This is a debriefing technique that we used while in country and I enjoyed it so I figured I would give you all a few snapshots :).

           While in Africa we were sent to various townships to have spiritual conversations with people. The girls went to the same township every time but the guys went to different ones. The first time I stepped foot in this township I was struck by the fact that it seemed as if I had flown to a country other than the one I was in. It was a bit intimidating initially, but this is what we were here for so I pushed away my fears and kept going. There were 7 of us girls walking down this crowded street together trying not to give eye contact to the guys shouting at us in another language, men singing to us, applauding us and trying to sell us things. To say we felt uncomfortable would be an understatement. We passed by men sitting outside their stores on chairs talking to friends, women cleaning shoes at their shoe buffing business, homeless men digging through the plethora of trashcans, men from Asian countries selling bootleg DVDs of movies still in theaters, men and women in their religious garb, and random patrons wandering the streets. I did a lot of prayer walking around the specific area we went to, and noticed a lot of intriguing things. There were charities that helped the sick and needy representing specific religions, women's dress stores, restaurants, coffee shops, and one day we even saw a man wearing a gun the size of his body walking down the street! One thing that immediately broke my heart was a street vendor who came to sell us his wares. He came up to us with a six pack of travel tissues in his hand. He was trying to sell us just one individual pack of tissues. He said "would you please help me support my family and buy some tissues." It just broke my heart. I mean, they sell those exact same tissue packs at target for around $1.50 and he was trying to support his family on that? It just broke my heart. I saw him every day we were there trying to sell those tissues. I think this man gave me some perspective. Chad and I are not the richest people in the world and struggle to pay our monthly bills (seriously). Yet this man was living on a much smaller income than me and was still alive. I have nothing to complain about.

The street where the man tried to sell us tissues

Other side of the street (usually full of vendors)

A huge mall we patronized in the town, it contained a religious building and various religious calls could be heard

Athens, Greece

Well....we made it. This is officially our last stop on the cruise WHEW! We were let off in Athens and spent two days exploring the city. Unfortunately for us the city was in a bit of an upheaval when we arrived. The people were protesting the financial situation the country was in and staged several demonstrations which ended up turning violent a few blocks from our hotel. Even though this caused a bit of stress on our part (we had only two days in the US before leaving the country again!!) we made it out of the country without a problem. The air traffic controllers were "walking off" the job in the morning, would come back to work in the middle of the day, they walk off in the afternoon. We were ok because we had a mid day flight. It was delayed a bit which lead to us sprinting through the airport in Germany and having to wait forever at security due to the lines (think Home Alone) but we made it back to America with two days to spare so Chad and I could do laundry. Ok really I did the laundry and Chad laid in bed sick....poor thing.

              I really enjoyed Greece. The people were kind and passionate about what was happening in their country. There was so much history to be seen around every corner and the food was delicious! Who doesn't love chicken and hummus?

Temple for the godess Athena

Random!! Could see this outside our hotel window!

The Acropolis!

Meat market! love going to these

double decker tour bus

Acropolis....think those building frames were there originally? haha

The theater and view of Athens :)

Walking up to the acropolis

View from the top! City could be seen in each direction!!

Greek flag!

Ah Athens you are beautiful!!

Some amazing runis

Mini Greek pepsi

A police bus for catching lawbreakers

sunset over Athens

Our staircase....the elevators were so creepy and tiny that I lugged my suitcase up and down these!!

Protests

Strange sign

Protestors

super crowded where the protests were

A yoghurt shop similar to our frozen yoghurt places with toppings and everything!

Mars Hill

Acropolis with Mars Hill

Shopping!! My favotite! They had some amazing shopping alleys

get sandals made to fit your own feet!!

For Sandie :)

A mosaic at some ruins in the city

this was spray painted all over the city

Meat market!

Yum! At least these ones are refrigerated!

all kinds of dried fruits and nuts

snails!!

sausages!

African grey!

anybody want a chipmunk for a pet?

Tons of birds in this square

Whew! Well that was fun :)


~N