So, quite a bit has happened since my pre-landing in Africa post… our plan to work
with the other 3 teams (as per my prior post) in Mozambique with Iris
Ministries was halted and re-routed. After some refreshing squad time at the refuge of “Papa” Kent and “Mama”
Shea’s place, aka Betor House (freshly laundered sheets, comfy bunk beds,
tons of great food, wifi, laundry, corn hole tournaments.. a true haven! In fact, our team was invited to sleep over last nite and i’m here right now), all
the teams split for ministry. Team
Luminous headed off to a land far far away….
… 25 minutes away, to be exact (or close). To a community called Back Door (at least it’s
a cool name). Yea, my initial reaction
when finding out that 7 of 8 teams were heading to Moz(ambique) and Zim(babwe)
and Team Luminous got to stay planted near Nelspruit, S. Africa, was definite
disappointment. We found out we weren’t
going to play with kids at an orphanage, but instead lend hands to prepare for
an up and coming Children’s Village (aka orphanage) for Iris Ministries. So ok, back up. We’re NOT going anywhere and now we get to work at
an empty orphanage!? (insert the sound
of happy music cut short abruptly).
Since then, things have taken off and I’ve had a change of
heart. Luckily (or not), in the mission field,
things aren’t always what they initially seem, and I’ve been too busy to dwell on the fact that I didn’t get to travel 30+ hrs by bus or sleep in a tent near the Wild Beasts of Africa (not being sarcastic, I was excited for those things). Our contacts are Jean and Tiesa, American missionaries with a heart for Africa
who work with Iris Ministries. They’ve been a blessing as they keep us on our toes with a packed schedule and shuttle us
from place to place. Tiesa was Heidi
Baker’s right hand woman for years in Moz and less than 2 months ago, she moved
to Back Door with her husband Jean to oversee the rural community and get
involved with starting up a Children’s Village (aka orphanage) down on “the
Farm”. I don’t know why it’s called the
Farm but it’s out in the middle of nowhere with a high security gate, 4 houses (not barns), fields, fruit trees and no animals. Basically,
Iris bought a lot of property from what was supposed to be a retirement
village, with the vision to make it an orphanage really soon (as in, kids and
house parents moving in NEXT month). Our
living conditions are better than we thought (altho I’d LOVE to camp in the
famous bush of Africa at some point!) – we’re staying at one of the 4 houses down
at the Farm. We’ve got running water (even
hot), showers and toilets, a kitchen (minus gas stove so we cook next door), beds, blankets.. We’ve done a lot to make it more like home
these past two weeks, like putting up curtains, arranging furniture, moving the fridge over from the house next door, etc. Team Lum has been
busy and also fluid, as we continue to go w/ the flow when plans are altered. We’ve been able to dabble in all sorts of
tasks, including:
- Cleaning up our house and the neighboring houses
on the Farm to prepare for the house parents and children that will move in
shortly – scrubbing walls, scrubbing bathroom tiles, sweeping, washing windows,
planting a garden, etc. - Attending morning assembly at several primary
schools at 7:30 am! We sing a song with
the kids and then sharing a short message as they stand outside in the
courtyard before their day begins. This
only takes about 15 minutes.· - Helping out at the feeding center Monday thru
Friday from 2:30 – 4 pm. We sing songs,
tell them a Bible story, and then help with passing out food and cleaning
up. - Attending youth service on Tuesday nite(s) –
Back Door’s church is in a tent, and several of the youth gather under it weekly
to worship and hear a message.. Benny and Lins have both shared something, as
Africans love to put us visitors on the spot to present testimonies or a
message. - Attending house revivals – We’ve been to one so
far, and they hold revivals several times a week at different houses. Again, Benny gave a message and we got to enjoy
the experience of African worship in a local’s backyard. - Helping out at the preschool on Fridays from 9 –
around 12 or 1 pm. The preschool is
located at the feeding center, and the teachers are Bikki and Florence, who are
Africans working for Iris Ministries. We
sing, play with the kids outside, feed them, wipe their noses (and our own!),
and let them tire us out (more than the other way around, for sure). - Doing home visits – We’ve done this once so far,
and this involves going with Tiesa and Jeffrey (African man dedicated to his
Back Door community and working with Iris Minstries) to several houses to
inspect the conditions and talk with the adults about what help they need and
why they think their children/grandchildren should move into the Children’s Village. Kinda like a pre-social services visit. - Going out to a town called Cork, about an hour
away, to help Pastor Simon and his wife Sharon with different projects – laying
foundation for a church (similar to Haiti, where we helped mix and lay cement),
painting the children’s houses, planting a garden, and helping with the feeding
center there. Our team was simply
assisting a team from Mountaintop Church in Birmingham, Alabama who has
invested 5 yrs and sending consistent teams and financial support to Cork, S.
Africa. We were blessed to cross paths
with Southern gals Brook and Desiree, who were here on short term missions from Mountaintop and became honorary/unofficial Luminati for a week. Brook and Dez, if you’re reading this, it was
fun meeting ya & living together. Thanks
for letting us get involved with Cork! We miss you guys, future WR’rs.
- Attending a true African church service – we have
3 Sundays to do so, and the first one last week was great.. Africans LOVE to
worship and dance, and it was truly humbling for this Chinese gal to see what
real dancing with joy entails! Also, how
blessed are they with beautiful voices! I don’t think I’ve heard a bad African singer yet, as they ring out in
their language of Siswati or even sing a simple song in English with one line: “Show
us your glory”. They could sing ANYTHING
and it sounds amazing, rich, pure.. I
look forward to tomorrow’s service, as it’s a special one for Father’s Day and
there will also be an exchanging of rings (Tiesa said it’s rare to witness that
ceremony) as a couple gets married.
So
that’s what we’ve been up to! I’ve
thrown a lot at ya, but just wanted to give ya’ll the update on what Africa has in store for us. The environment and culture
of Africa is a big change from Asia. Our
schedule this month couldn’t be more different than just a month ago in
Vietnam.. We’re back to cooking our own
meals, waking up early, and relying on others for transportation. I have a heart for all the nations so I’m enjoyin
the variety of ministries, learning the new cultures, and loving on a new set
of faces. No matter where we go, God
goes with us, and His world is magnificent…
for continued prayers. Hope ya’ll are
enjoying summer back at home, as we’ve broken out our long sleeves for Africa’s
winter weather!
