Extreme Response has arrived

The ER team arrived this week for a week of activities with Living Hope, a ministry of the church where we are serving these three months. Part of the team is pictured at the right.

Extreme Response is in it's 11th year. It was started by two missionary couples in Quito, Ecuador when they wanted to respond to the extreme conditions some people were living in at the dump. Since then, ER has become involved in extreme conditions in over a dozen countries. Jerry and Dawn Carnill (HCJB missionaries) have gone full time with ER and relocated to Atlanta where they have established an office. Barb and I serve on their Board of Response.

We are now into December, and there will be activities in South Africa, Ecuador, Philippines, Nepal, Malawi, Ivory Coast and India (and, perhaps some other places) this month teaching and celebrating the love that Jesus has for the poor. Some of those activities will have teams of Christians from North America helping.

Today is World AIDS Day, and here in Cape Town we will take over a local mall and wear bright green shirts that say "Stop aids now! God loves us all, HIV positive and HIV negative. Your body is God's temple--use it wisely".

There will be a special program and AIDS testing. It is a day to bring attention to a major problem here. Pray for those that get tested today only to discover they are HIV positive. Pray for those that work with them after that. Many come to know Christ during this time.

Yesterday we served a lunch to the 170 workers at Living Hope. Many of these folks are HIV positive and have met Christ as a result. Read the story of Bongiwe that I posted last month. What a wonderful team of workers who know exactly how to help these people best.

After the mall we will visit an orphanage, some of the results of AIDS. We want to love those children in the name of Jesus. We have a Christmas party planned!

Pray for us these days as we travel with the ER team. Everyday we will be interacting with people from different townships, some homeless, all receiving food, hygiene kits and clothing in the name of Jesus. It is wonderful. EVERYTHING you do down here makes a difference in someone's life!

Jesus said, "If I be lifted up, I will draw all men to myself"...that's exactly what we want to do.

Ron and Barb

A word from Barb

Thanksgiving Day in South Africa turned out to be just another day! No big celebration here and our thoughts flew to family and friends around the world celebrating in different ways! Our joy that day was to teach two classes to people who have made commitments to serve God with their lives and as we talked about: Loving People, Hating Evil and Trusting God, we were so blessed! And we were reminded over and over of all the many blessings of the Lord in our lives!

Friday, Nov. 23 – found me(Barb) teaching a prayer seminar to the Living Hope Community Centre Lay Counselor Staff. What a joy to get to know these wonderful servants of the Lord and I soon realized how much I have to learn from them! I felt so blessed to hear them pour out their hearts to the Lord in prayer, realizing their total dependence on the Lord for their every need.

Names are a big challenge but we’re beginning to recognize them. That day I met – Prudence, Tabisi, ‘du du, Hilary, Tozama, Nolizawe, Nokwanda, Nolubabald (last names are really beyond me).

These are some of the women who actually do HIV/AIDS testing, then they have the job of telling the person whether they are positive or negative. They then follow up with weekly counseling sessions – or more often if needed. Each of these Lay Counselors has their own stories. Some of them have AIDS and this also gives them credibility as they deal with clients. Most of them are single mothers. Hilary stayed after the class to ask me to pray for her and her family. She travels 2 hours to work every day. Her husband is unemployed and they have 3 children. Their landlord wants their house so they have 6 days to be out of the house. Hilary’s salary is very low and does not qualify them to rent in this area, closer to her work. We prayed for God’s provision and for a miracle of God to lead them in these next days. It will be exciting to see God’s answer!

Monday, Nov. 26 this Monday morning was rainy and cold but my (Barb) heart soon warmed as I met with the folks at the Muizenberg Homeless shelter for devotions! Their singing was incredible –not so much musically, but from the heart! Susie Pile played the “antique” organ and the Life Skills workers joined us with great enthusiasm and with singing and rhythm only found in Africa!!! I had the joy of leading the devotional time in a lesson on “Trust” – realizing that every day is a walk of faith as these people depend wholly on the Lord for their help! Some of those who come to the shelter are believers, and some still have very addictive lives with deep, deep needs. The staff reach out daily to share the love of God in very tangible ways offering them a hot meal, clothing, and sometimes jobs such as street cleaning or answering a call for a day worker. The hope is that each one who comes will find Christ and that they can be placed in employment, a place to live and in rehabilitation for their addictions. It is a long, hard journey! There were tears this morning as we learned of Lionel’s death. He suffered from TB and AIDS and was never able to get “off the street” but he had made a profession of faith.

What a contrast later in the day to go to a mega-store to shop for the upcoming Christmas parties we will help a team from Michigan put on for these folks and 4 other venues with children in poor communities. And…later to meet over coffee in a nice little coffee shop with a gal in med school who needed some counsel concerning full time service for the Lord. I’m grateful for each experience and opportunity to know and touch the lives of wonderful people.

To answer your questions

So, what did you do for Thanksgiving?
We only know two other Americans down here and they were busy, so we taught our class in the morning to those who want to serve Christ. Then we went grocery shopping, very interesting as things are quite different. Barb and I went for our Thanksgiving dinner to a restaurant on the beach. Then came back to the church for session #2 for another group who want to serve Christ with their lives.

What will December be like in Cape Town?
Not only is it summer vacation here, but it is also Christmas, so the church wants me to do an evangelistic thrust in December.
The first Sunday we will have a children's choir from one of the townships and I will preach about a gift we receive when we receive Christ--"Grace".
The second Sunday we will hold our evening service on the beach and have the Navy band play and I will preach on another gift from Christ--"Love".
All that next week we will hold our VBS and close with a Friday night program where I will preach on the gift of "Life".
The next Sunday is "The day of reconciliation" here in South Africa, and I will preach on "Peace".
Then on the 23rd I will close my series of the gifts we receive when we receive Christ and during an evening of Carols by Candlelight and I will speak about "Mercy".
Each time there will be an opportunity to receive Christ and the gift!

Anything special coming up?
We will tell you about these activities as we go:
November 29-December 7 Another partner ministry, Extreme Response, will have a team here to help with the seven different Christmas parties we will put on throughout the townships...all in the name of Jesus!
December 10-14 The church will hold their annual Vacation Bible School.
December 15-26 Our oldest son, Rich, who has lived in England for the past 15 years, will spend Christmas with us.
December 27-31 Our Sub-Sahara Africa staff will all come to Cape town for their annual retreat. We will be with them this year.

I trust your December also has some of each: evangelism, parties and some family and friends. Isn't that special?

Ron and Barb
From Cape Town

About this church--check our the link to the right.

It is day 20 for us here in South Africa!

Let me tell you about this wonderful Church were I where I have joined the pastoral staff for these 13 Sundays. The church has people involved in nine different ministries, all the ministries were started by and are related to the church.
#1 KING OF KINGS BAPTIST CENTER...where the church meets. The building is open to the community and is used, almost everyday, by a business or group in the community. The church is the center for activities here. There is also a Christian school that meets in the building.
#2 RADIO STATION CCFM...a 24 hour Christian radio station. Helping them start this station in 1993 is how HCJB Global got involved with this church.
#3 HOMELESS CENTER...daily meals, job training and medical care for 80-100 homeless people
#4 LIVING HOPE AIDS HOSPICE...a very nice place where people with AIDS can go to die with dignity.
#5-9 LIVING HOPE COMMUNITY CENTERS...located in 5 surrounding communities, these centers offer medical care, education, AIDS testing and children's and women's programs.

These are the outreach programs of one church here in Cape Town. Makes me wonder why they are doing so much more than some very large and wealthy churches I know in the states.

Barb has become very involved in the community programs and loves encouraging the workers when he speaks at their staff meetings. She has already visited every program.

Keep praying for us as we try to keep up with these active, busy people as they serve our Lord!

Bongiwe

Let me introduce you to a lady I met here at Living Hope in Cape Town.

Her name is Bongiwe (bone-gee-wee).

She is 29 and discovered she was HIV positive about a year ago when she was tested at Living Hope (our partner here in Cape Town). She has three children.

She was given some counsel as to what to do as she prepared to die. During that counsel she selected and got involved in a "support group" (other women who are HIV positive). One of them told her she needed to know Jesus and introduced her to Susie Pile, an HCJB Global missionary serving here in Cape Town. Susie led Bongiwe to the Lord.

Bongiwe said, "I want to help others!". So, yesterday she completed her training to be a 'support group' facilitator and will start forming a support group right away.

She has come full circle...a client who needed help...a lady who found help and Jesus...a minister who is now helping others. Oh yes, she is still HIV positive, but, now she has Jesus!

Red Hill leads to Prayerwalks

On November 6 we drove with Avril Thomas (the pastor's wife)to visit a number of the outreach Townships of Living Hope ministries here in South Africa. This was not our first visit to most of the communities but our first one to a place called Red Hill! This township, located high on a mountain with an incredible view of the Atlantic coast and a valley below, is divided into three sections where 3 distinct groups of people live in shacks in extreme poverty and disease. Extreme Response has purchased and installed a shipping container which serves as an office and community center for the LH staff who minister here. While there that day we met Stanton and Tabisa, two of the staff members. Tabisa is a Home Based Care coordinator – she is a beautiful lady who is HIV positive and has given her heart to the Lord and His service and has a credible ministry to those who discover they are HIV positive. As a Life Skills leader, Stanton Petersen goes into the public schools and presents teaching on HIV prevention, health care, lifestyle change, skills development etc, etc to hundreds of young people. He is free to share the gospel very clearly. He joins the other Life Skills worker Zoleka Nolokwe to expand the work among the residents.

In Red Hill, Living Hope runs Children’s Clubs four days a week, and through a Home Based Care program, visits chronically ill HIV patients. People are counseled for HIV and AIDS and referred to appropriate agencies. They also gather in support groups to learn good health care, ways to cope with illness and find hope in the strength and promise of God’s Word. All this is an outreach of the church where we are serving these days.

With us that day was also a man who works with the Gideons here in a local community. He was able to leave a bag full of New Testaments with the Red Hill staff. A work team from Canada recently helped set up the center here and purchased Bibles for more than a thousand children in the Living Hope program. How exciting to see the teamwork of many groups here!

From our meeting with Stanton we set up a meeting on Monday, Nov. 12, to meet with him and other Life Skill workers at the Muizenberg branch of Living Hope to do a seminar on Prayer Walking. I (Barb)had the joy of meeting with Stanton and 6 other young adults to lead them through this seminar and we then did a prayerwalk in the Muizenberg Homeless shelter and the surrounding community which is home of another ministry of the church, CCFM radio (HCJB Global helped put that station in). It was a very exciting time of sharing together, praying together and walking together followed by an informal question and answer time. Two of the young men on their PrayerWalk were approached by a man trying to sell them Cocaine – they told him they were praying for him and they shared their testimony and the gospel. They witnessed God literally moving in this man’s demeanor and his countenance change and expression of a searching heart – they hope to meet with him again.

We have set up several more Prayer Seminars with various groups of Living Hope staff in the weeks ahead. Life in these communities is very harsh and very complex. Praise God for the team at Living Hope who are bringing HOPE to them through the gospel and hands on care. What a joy to join this team in a small way to minister especially to the faithful staff.

Barb and I took a three day trip last week right across the bottom of Africa. We even were at the point of land that is the most southern spot, the very tip , a place called Agulhas. We saw monkeys, elephants, cows, ostriches, horses, snakes, baboons, and millions of birds along the way...which of course meant driving all the way on the other side of the road. I only 'forgot' a few times :-)

At times we felt we were on Highway #1 in Northern California with the water right beside us. At other times we were on #95 in New Jersey a mile or so from the water with lush vegetation all around us. Then, we were on Highway 70 driving across the waving fields of Kansas with miles and miles of farm land. At times we were driving up #25 in Colorado with towering mountains on one side and open plains on the other. At one point we were reminded of the lake region in Northern New York where there is land and water everywhere....needless to say, it was beautiful!

I preached today. This is the Sunday I was supposed to encourage the people to get involved in various ministries. Man, the people of the church already run a radio station, an AIDS hospice and several clinics as volunteers. How could I challenge them to do more?

27 people responded this morning with, "What can I do?". What an amazing church! They now want to do something for all the kids who live on the street...there are thousands of them. Barb and I will meet with all 27 of these people to help them discover the next step in this great commitment.

We visited several ministry sites last week before we took off. So many needy people living in really poor conditions. We passed many townships (we would call the squatters villages) all along the road the last few days. So many poor people.

Half the people here, the majority, are in the 'black' group...native tribal people, some from South Africa, some from Nigeria, some from Zimbabwe and some from Somalia (those are the largest groups) and they all speak a different language so they cannot communicate. Their major problems are AIDS, drugs and alcohol. They live in the tiny shacks with no water or electricity...education is spotty.

Then there are the colored. These are mixed raced people. Mostly between whites and blacks. These are the angry, 'mean' people. They have been left out of everything. The whites ruled until 1992, then the blacks! "When is our turn?" Their problems are unemployment and AIDS. They live in settlements with small, but, permanent houses put in by the UN and Habitat. They are educated but don't seem to have the opportunities.

Then there are the whites...might be a minority group by now, but, they hold most of the riches and live in the biggest houses. But, many are leaving. They call the 20 year old whites...the "Pale Male" because of affirmative action. He is last on the hiring list after "Blacks", "Colored", "Women", "Handicapped", "Gays"...and so on! Real problem!

We are well and I think we have adjusted to the time change. The weather is beautiful but cool. We are moving toward summer so it should warm up. We will move from the small guest house next week to house set a two bedroom home. That should be nice. We will miss the ocean view, but enjoy the extra room.

Pray for us as our calendar fills up!

We arrived safe and sound--Cape Town

Good Monday morning from Cape Town, South Africa.

It took us almost exactly 48 hours to get from our place in Colorado Springs to this guest house in St. James, just outside Cape Town, looking out over the bay right on the southern tip of South Africa.

That counts, of course, 8 hours we spent on a lay-over in London where we had early morning coffee with our son Rich, whom we met at Covent Gardens. He has lived there for 15 years now. It was a beautiful day in London! We spent a lot of the morning just sitting in the sun.

Then Russ, our second son and a fellow worker from Quito, Ecuador, just 'happened' to be passing through London on the same day at the same time, and 'just happened' to also have a lay-over, so they met us for lunch. So there's Barb and me with our sons Rich and Russ, in London, having a nice two hour lunch. What fun! Boy, does the Lord ever provide.

Last night I preached at the Fish Hoek Baptist Centre where I will be preaching for the next 13 Sundays. Barb shared our journey as missionaries for the past 30 years and about our family. The bulk of the audience was under 30 years of ago. What fun!

Today we will visit some of the outreach ministry of the church...Christian radio station, AIDS hospice, medical centers, homeless center...just to touch bases with the staff. Great church with a great vision doing whatever they can to make a difference.

It is cool and rainy in Cape Town these days as we approach their summer down here. We are eight hours ahead of Colorado time.

We are well and seem to be feeling pretty good after the long flight with it’s jet lag.

Thanks for your prayers.

Ron