A friend forwarded this article from the Times Online (a UK e-zine). It is written by an atheist and makes an excellent case for the need for God in Africa. When we were living in Montana, I (Susan) took a 3 month course called Foundations in Community Development. A huge focus of the course was on the crucial role of worldview in bringing transformation to people/cities/nations... You can bring the greatest social programs to a country, but if the foundational beliefs that are the root cause of the problems the people are experiencing are not dealt with, the social programs will never be effective.
If you are interested in this concept/missions in Africa, click on the link (or paste it into your address bar) and check it out. It is why we are here, and why we've chosen the avenue of Bible study/teaching as our focus for our time in Africa.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/matthew_parris/article5400568.ece
Friday, January 30, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
10 things that remind us, we're not in "Kansas" anymore!
10. It is windy, really really windy, every single day
9. Someone gives directions, saying "...turn at the next robot..." and you wonder what they mean.
8. You can order butternut squash and banana pizza.
7. You celebrate Christmas in the middle of summer.
6. Police sirens, car alarms, home alarms are heard around the clock
5. You can buy fresh fruit and veggies in December (not normal in Alaska)
4. You no longer share a bathroom with 50 other people. yeah!!
3. You encounter a sign that says "No Hooting" huh?
2. The president of the country changes 3 times in 3 days.
1. You attend a wedding reception (in Africa, mind you) for an Indian groom and a Swiss bride, listening to an MC from Ghana (who speaks 13 languages) and sitting at a table with people from England, Canada and South Africa. Welcome to YWAM!
9. Someone gives directions, saying "...turn at the next robot..." and you wonder what they mean.
8. You can order butternut squash and banana pizza.
7. You celebrate Christmas in the middle of summer.
6. Police sirens, car alarms, home alarms are heard around the clock
5. You can buy fresh fruit and veggies in December (not normal in Alaska)
4. You no longer share a bathroom with 50 other people. yeah!!
3. You encounter a sign that says "No Hooting" huh?
2. The president of the country changes 3 times in 3 days.
1. You attend a wedding reception (in Africa, mind you) for an Indian groom and a Swiss bride, listening to an MC from Ghana (who speaks 13 languages) and sitting at a table with people from England, Canada and South Africa. Welcome to YWAM!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
privilege.
its amazing to me that i get to teach. i get the opportunity to munch on God's Word often.
i am teaching 1st Peter this friday. and i gotta be honest. i wish i wasn't.
cuz that means, i won't be getting to chew on 1st Peter much longer. and i gotta admit,
peter is one of my favorite characters in scripture.
its amazing getting to track with some of the revelations God gave him, that changed him from the hypocrite we see in Acts, to the one whom church history records died a martyrs death crucified upside down. i am encouraged, that God never gives up.
He is faithful when we are not.
He continues to change our hearts, our beliefs and understandings.
all through our entire lives, way til the end as we know it.
something else is cool too. i am gonna start doing devotionals at the police dept here.
i am really excited by that. more my comfort zone too.
10 minutes in and out
we are privileged
i am teaching 1st Peter this friday. and i gotta be honest. i wish i wasn't.
cuz that means, i won't be getting to chew on 1st Peter much longer. and i gotta admit,
peter is one of my favorite characters in scripture.
its amazing getting to track with some of the revelations God gave him, that changed him from the hypocrite we see in Acts, to the one whom church history records died a martyrs death crucified upside down. i am encouraged, that God never gives up.
He is faithful when we are not.
He continues to change our hearts, our beliefs and understandings.
all through our entire lives, way til the end as we know it.
something else is cool too. i am gonna start doing devotionals at the police dept here.
i am really excited by that. more my comfort zone too.
10 minutes in and out
we are privileged
Friday, January 9, 2009
I live in Africa
I live in Africa.
This is as much a reminder to me as to you. Not that I forget where I live... but sometimes it still doesn't seem real. I live in Africa. Hans was reminding me the other day that when he asked my parents if he could marry me, he told them to take their time and think about it, because he might take me to Africa one day. At the time, I just chuckled. Africa. I knew we would probably live overseas, but I had something a little different in mind. Europe. Maybe England or Switzerland. And then, after we got married, we reached a place where we were sure we'd be in Alaska for the rest of our lives. And I was happy about it. Excited.
Yet here we are in Africa... at the furthest place on planet earth that we can be from Alaska, (besides Antarctica.) And I'm happy about it (not to be away from Alaska, but to be here in Africa.) Excited, even. But I still need to remind myself. I have a two year temporary residence volunteer workers visa in my passport. The key word is "residence." We reside here. And the two years are most likely just the beginning. Because, frankly, we've realized that two years just simply isn't enough. We aren't here to get a cross-cultural experience to put on our resume's. We're here because we feel called to be a part of what God is doing on this continent. And while it's possible to be a part of something for a short time and accomplish what God has for you to accomplish and learn what God has for you to learn, Hans and I just might be slower learners. We might need a little more time to fully grasp what it is God has us here for... to fully give ourselves to it and become a part of it.
Who knows the future, but God himself. Thankfully, we can trust him with it. We can trust ourselves to him. This is a promise we rest in a lot these days. God is trustworthy. And faithful. In him there is nothing to fear. And if he called us to Africa, he will give us the grace to be here... to live the life he has called us to live. He has given us the grace... is giving us the grace. We are blessed beyond words by this experience so far. We are challenged and we are stretched. We are emptied and we are filled up again. We feel lonely and yet loved. We feel out of place, yet right in the center of his will. What a strange, beautiful place to be.
I live in Africa.... with my best friend... serving an amazing God.
And there's no place I'd rather be.
This is as much a reminder to me as to you. Not that I forget where I live... but sometimes it still doesn't seem real. I live in Africa. Hans was reminding me the other day that when he asked my parents if he could marry me, he told them to take their time and think about it, because he might take me to Africa one day. At the time, I just chuckled. Africa. I knew we would probably live overseas, but I had something a little different in mind. Europe. Maybe England or Switzerland. And then, after we got married, we reached a place where we were sure we'd be in Alaska for the rest of our lives. And I was happy about it. Excited.
Yet here we are in Africa... at the furthest place on planet earth that we can be from Alaska, (besides Antarctica.) And I'm happy about it (not to be away from Alaska, but to be here in Africa.) Excited, even. But I still need to remind myself. I have a two year temporary residence volunteer workers visa in my passport. The key word is "residence." We reside here. And the two years are most likely just the beginning. Because, frankly, we've realized that two years just simply isn't enough. We aren't here to get a cross-cultural experience to put on our resume's. We're here because we feel called to be a part of what God is doing on this continent. And while it's possible to be a part of something for a short time and accomplish what God has for you to accomplish and learn what God has for you to learn, Hans and I just might be slower learners. We might need a little more time to fully grasp what it is God has us here for... to fully give ourselves to it and become a part of it.
Who knows the future, but God himself. Thankfully, we can trust him with it. We can trust ourselves to him. This is a promise we rest in a lot these days. God is trustworthy. And faithful. In him there is nothing to fear. And if he called us to Africa, he will give us the grace to be here... to live the life he has called us to live. He has given us the grace... is giving us the grace. We are blessed beyond words by this experience so far. We are challenged and we are stretched. We are emptied and we are filled up again. We feel lonely and yet loved. We feel out of place, yet right in the center of his will. What a strange, beautiful place to be.
I live in Africa.... with my best friend... serving an amazing God.
And there's no place I'd rather be.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
comments and Revelation
I changed the settings on our blog so you don't have to be a registered user to leave a comment anymore. Anyone can now comment on our blog entries. So feel free to comment away! I didn't even realize that was an option... so thank you Cleve for pointing it out.
Hans and I are enjoying our first week back in class. We are currently studying The Book of Revelation. I wasn't sure how I felt about studying Revelation, but it's proving to be very interesting. Lots of food for thought. There are definitely many perspectives out there on this book. Is it literal? Symbolic? Part literal and part symbolic? Did it already happen? Is it in the midst of happening? Is it all going to happen in the future? Does it really matter?
I think it does matter. Our view of eschatology does affect how we live our lives. Do you agree?
I'll at least have more information to consider as I formulate my thoughts on the subject after spending this week studying it. It's more than I've considered Revelation in a very long time!
Speaking of... I better get to work. This afternoon I need to put together a summary of the historical background of Revelation from both internal and external evidence. That means I'll find what I can in the text itself that helps us understand the author, the original reader, when and where it was written, and the historical setting and culture of the time it was written, and then go to Bible dictionaries and our class notes to build on that internal evidence. This is all in preparation for interpreting and applying the text, which I'll probably get to tomorrow. Fun stuff!
We hope you are enjoying your first week of the new year. We are missing our friends and family and always love hearing from you!
love from the Southern Hemisphere,
Susan
Hans and I are enjoying our first week back in class. We are currently studying The Book of Revelation. I wasn't sure how I felt about studying Revelation, but it's proving to be very interesting. Lots of food for thought. There are definitely many perspectives out there on this book. Is it literal? Symbolic? Part literal and part symbolic? Did it already happen? Is it in the midst of happening? Is it all going to happen in the future? Does it really matter?
I think it does matter. Our view of eschatology does affect how we live our lives. Do you agree?
I'll at least have more information to consider as I formulate my thoughts on the subject after spending this week studying it. It's more than I've considered Revelation in a very long time!
Speaking of... I better get to work. This afternoon I need to put together a summary of the historical background of Revelation from both internal and external evidence. That means I'll find what I can in the text itself that helps us understand the author, the original reader, when and where it was written, and the historical setting and culture of the time it was written, and then go to Bible dictionaries and our class notes to build on that internal evidence. This is all in preparation for interpreting and applying the text, which I'll probably get to tomorrow. Fun stuff!
We hope you are enjoying your first week of the new year. We are missing our friends and family and always love hearing from you!
love from the Southern Hemisphere,
Susan
Saturday, January 3, 2009
camping fun
We had a wonderful camping trip over New Year's. We stayed in a place called Buffelskopf near Knysna in a campground overlooking the Indian Ocean. We were with our new friends James & Sarah and Marysol & DeWet.
Here's a few pictures:
Setting up camp... the sites were grassy and instead of a fire pit,
Here's a few pictures:
Setting up camp... the sites were grassy and instead of a fire pit,there was a brick brai in each camp site... good for cooking, not so good for sitting around a campfire at night. But most nights there were hurricane force winds, so it didn't matter.
This is a picture of the campgrounds we stayed in. So beautiful! 
This was our campsite. 
View from our campsite of the nearby little town (on the peninsula). The town mainly consisted of vacation homes with a small store and restaurant.
The beach in town (Buffelsbai)
We took a day trip to Tsitsikama... a National Park right on the ocean. It was gorgeous.
James and Sarah
Marysol and DeWet
Hans and Susan
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)