Chris & Christina Via - Adventures In Missions - 1 John 4:10

The Mwanza's

Mon, 9 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Over the past few years, we have found that people have financially supported us for various reasons. Most do it because they personally know us and love us and want to support us in that way. Some do it because a mutual friend came along and encouraged that person to get involved. Still others have a passion for Africa itself and want to see God's Kingdom come in a larger way there. What I want to do with this blog is speak to all of those people (and whatever other category you might find yourself in!) and introduce you to George and Michele Mwanza. Christina and I met George during our first year in Jeffreys Bay and became very close friends over the next few years. Michele came into the picture soon after when she married George in the summer of 2007. She is from Idaho and George grew up in a small village in Zambia. They are amazing people and head up an amazing ministry in Jeffreys Bay.

Below is a little intro to the couple and what God has called them to do in JBay, as written by Michele:

George and I are the directors of a servant leadership program called The Leadership Experience (LXP). LXP is an independent ministry that George originally founded under the auspices and spiritual covering of South Africa's Uniting Christian Student Association during the time that their missions department, Mission Expeditions (MXP), was administering the Beat the Drum program started by Dr. Bruce Wilkinson (author of The Prayer of Jabez). The first LXP intake began in February 2006 with the primary goal of raising up leaders for Beat the Drum, but it has since become a program with a focus much broader than Beat the Drum alone. The students of 2009 are the fourth group to take part in LXP.

The founding principle of The Leadership Experience is discipleship. Due to the way the Gospel was introduced to Africa by early missionaries and evangelists, the African continent has been highly evangelized but with little true discipleship. The result is a missing link between the profession of faith and the living out of faith in practical, daily life. The effect of this has manifested itself in corrupt leadership and governance in Africa at both secular and spiritual levels. LXP seeks to influence change in this crisis of Africa where faith and lifestyle fail to connect. Africa's biggest spiritual dilemma is a lack of Godly leadership, and LXP was created to make a difference.

LXP conducts its discipleship program through morning classroom lessons, study of the Scriptures, prayer, outreach ministry exposure, mentorship, and the facilitation of a variety of community-based projects. In all of this, the three main emphases of the program are character formation, servanthood, and basic life skills development.

George and I have been married for a year and a half. Prior to our wedding, I had been living in Zambia (which incidentally, is George's home country), carrying out youth discipleship programs that focused on sexual purity and HIV prevention. Because of George's leadership in Beat the Drum-which also focuses on sexual purity-we realized during Beat the Drum in Zambia that both of our hearts are passionate for the process of true discipleship in people's lives. It has been such a joy for me to join him in LXP. Having lived in Zambia for almost 5 years, I observed over and over that the youth of Africa pray and worship with such fervency and passion...but there are often so many inconsistencies in the outworking of their faith in the character issues of life. In LXP we see the lives of our students rocked in so many ways as their eyes begin to open to the deeper issues of integrity, transparency, honor in relationships, success of the Kingdom vs. success of the world, etc. As we talk about stewardship, the students are challenged to take action in trusting the Lord for wisdom in how to invest into their communities even when they may not have enough personal resource to buy toothpaste or soap for that week. It is truly a faith-based venture, for the vast majority of the participants struggle to raise anything toward their tuition fees. But God somehow continues to provide what is needed, and so many people of other ministries have come to believe in the program and to support us relationally and materially where they can.

In addition to running LXP (which is now in 2 bases and has a total volunteer staff of 10 people), we are helping to pastor the township church called Ithemba, where many AIM volunteers have helped out during the week with the kids programs. Also through LXP, we started a youth program called the D.o.G.s (Disciples of God), and God's has been blowing us away by His work in the hearts of these teenagers who are just now coming to know Him and to take ownership of their faith. The Presence of the Holy Spirit at our kick-off for D.o.G.s 2009 was so precious and humbling as one by one the kids began to lift up prayers on behalf of their families, their education, their friends, the leaders of the program, and their relationships with Him. George and I often feel we have bitten off more than we can chew, but as I sit here today with a bit more sleep that usual from last night J, I am so, so thankful to be at a place where we are seeing people really come to know Jesus and to be undergoing the process of discipleship to ground themselves in Him.

Christina and I have so much respect for George and Michele and believe wholeheartedly in what God has called them do. As we're rolling off support at the end of the month, some of you who have been supporting us might be looking for where else the Lord would be calling you to give financial support to. Without any hesitation, we'd like to recommend George and Michele to you. You can send your tax-deductible donation to:

Boise First Community Center

3852 N. Eagle Road

Boise, Idaho 83713

On the memo line, you'll need to write something like "George and Michele Mwanza support" so that it will go where it needs to go. Thank you so much for you commitment to us, and I know that the Mwanza's will be humbled and grateful for it as well.

A New Community

Sun, 1 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

When I was in seminary, I fell into the most amazing community I've ever known. It started on my first day of classes when a guy asked if I wanted to come over for a Bible study that night, and continued on as a group of us met every week for the entire three years I spent at Fuller. We laughed together, cried together, had disagreements, worked it out, hung out all the time. Later, these guys were first on the call list in good times and bad, the highlight of a visit to a conference in their area, and groomsmen and ushers in my wedding. This kind of community and fellowship I never thought I'd find again.

Since we've been in CO Springs, however, I have been blown away with how the Lord has blessed me with something very similar. Not only do Christina and I meet with the large group (anywhere from 12-20) weekly, but I meet with all of the guys on Monday mornings so that we can lift each other up in prayer and encouragement. I've been able to have conversations about my marriage, my life, my theology. We've been skiing together, and I've been offered moving help, carpentry work, and basically free car repair.

And while I value this so much, my heart breaks a little when I realize how rare this phenomenon of community truly is. The more I learn about God, the more I am convinced that He desires this for all of His children. He Himself exists solely in community as the Trinity, and cannot possibly exist outside of that. Yet, we, God's own children, insist that we are fine on our own and seem to choose independence over INTERdependence time and time again. Somehow we've been taught that leaning on others for anything is a sign of weakness, and that may be true, but nowhere do I read in Scripture that God has a disdain for weakness. In fact, over and over again, He speaks of weakness as an incredibly positive trait, one that is absolutely necessary in order for us to truly experience life as He intends for us to experience it.

So I'm pretty excited for what the Lord has gifted us with in this new-found community. I'm fully aware that we're still in the honeymoon phase, and that there will be rocky times in our relationships with each other. But I know that's just how community works, and the immense joy and pleasure that comes from this blessing will be more than enough to pull us through. Because this is something worth fighting for, something that I know God desires for us, and something that will be even more amazing than it is now.

The Blessings of a New Home

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Christina and I have been here for three weeks now, and the Lord has been pouring on blessing after blessing since we arrived. After a whirlwind tour of houses and townhomes in the first few days, we found an amazing house that was everything we were looking for - great space, perfect location (which includes an incredible view of Pike's Peak from our backyard!), not to mention an awesome landlord. He was more than willing to work with us on the price, and even held the house for us when someone else came in with a better offer! Such a blessing!

Needless to say, we were more than happy to sign a year lease, which may not seem like a long time, but considering the longest we've ever been in one consecutive house was our first place in Philly, which was only nine months. This lack of stability has been really tough for both of us to deal with for this long, so knowing that we'll be in one place - one home - is such a huge comfort.

Finally, the community that we've come into has been yet another amazing blessing from the Lord that we're treasuring. There are a number of other couples that are here as well that we're already beginning to form some strong bonds with. There's a desire amongst all of us to truly see the Kingdom come and it's been really exciting to start down this road already with them.

We still feel like the Lord is calling us to rest until the end of March, which means that we're still depending on support through that time. We're really close to reaching that mark, but still need about $2000 to be fully supported for the next six weeks. We've been astounded that, even in these tough economic times, God has continued to prove Himself faithful in this area, and we're confident He will not stop now. If you'd like to support us, either financially or in prayer (or both!), click the link on the left side of the page and you can do it online.

It has been clear from the beginning that the Lord has led us here and we are so thrilled that He has! We are sure that when our time here is up, we will have written about testimony upon testimony of God's goodness and faithfulness, so stay tuned!

Back in the Jetta Again

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It's the beginning of the end...I think. We've been moving around so much over the past three years, I'm actually afraid to type that. It seems almost too good to be true, and you know what they say about those situations. Nevertheless, we're leaving for CO in a little less than an hour, and going to our new home. While being with our families and seeing some good friends has been truly refreshing and wonderful, we're both looking forward to getting into our own place in a fantastic city with some amazing people.

As we leave for CO Springs, we still don't have a place to live. Thankfully, however, Gary and Lisa Black (the couple that will mentoring us while we're out there), are leaving for Africa on Monday and are allowing us to house-sit for them, being parental stand-ins to their SIX kids (quickie parenthood, here we come!) for the next couple of weeks. This is awesome because it allows us some place to lay our heads for the short-term while we look for a place to lay our heads for the long-term. We would really appreciate your prayers for us in this process, as we look for a home that we can use for the glory of God. We've got some really great choices out there, but we want to be obedient and sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit as we make our decision.

Along the way, we'll be stopping and staying with friends in Nashville and Kansas City, which will be great. It's so wonderful to know that our ever-expanding network of friends affords us the opportunity of seeing people that we love wherever we go. Then we'll be landing in CO Springs on Saturday. Please pray for travel mercies for us. The Lord was so good to us last summer, keeping us from any issues, and we just pray the same for this trip.

Finally, we ask for your prayers for this new phase of our lives. It seems a little unnerving to move into this without much of a clue of what exactly it is that we've moving into. But we're confident that God has gone ahead of us, and is so excited for us to arrive and step into His plans there in CO. We appreciate how each of you walks alongside of us as well in this and can't wait to give you updates from the Rocky Mountains!

Enjoying the Time Back..."Home"

Fri, 2 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

We've been back in the States for over two weeks now. Honestly, it's a little surreal. I had my first Starbucks right when we got off the plane and have been frequenting the one closest to my mother-in-law's house here in Bethesda. Since we've gotten back, our lives have consisted of getting cell phones, switching insurances, looking for places to live in Colorado, and seeing family and friends. I must admit, there have been more than a few times that I have been clueless about things going on the States - restaurants, TV shows, whatever - and had to blame it on being in Africa.

We had a great Christmas with my mother-in-law, Carol, and her husband, and rang in the New Year with some friends and their eight-month old twin girls. It has been nice to celebrate the holidays in cold weather, though. Save the cold that I got going from 90 degrees to 17 degrees in a 24-hour span, bundling up for the first time in almost three years has been a more welcome change than I thought it would be.

We head out to Colorado in a few weeks, however, and it's more than a little unnerving. Both Christina and I know for sure that it was time to leave South Africa, and that Colorado is where we need to go next. But that's about all we've got right now. We're not really sure how long Colorado is going to be part of our lives, or what really is next. That's really what this next step is for, to search the heart of God and listen to what He's got for us, but it seems like He's been revealing what He has for us in smaller increments all the time.

I guess this means that the dependence level in that area has to increase from here on out. This requires much more than an occasional "check-in" to make sure that God's still there and we're doing OK. This requires an ongoing, every day, leaning on Him, not just for the small stuff, but for the big stuff as well. Honestly, my flesh isn't such a big fan of this approach, especially when it becomes my reality. Ironically, I remember how many times I've preached that to my FYM students - our infamous "ATL" (Ask The Lord) exercises - so now it seems like it's time to practice what we preach.

Gotta love God's sense of humor sometimes, huh?

Here We Go!

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

When Christina and I started our unbelievably long road trip last summer, pulling away from her mother's house, Christina looked at me and said, "Here we go, babe!" That phrase was repeated at the beginning of our second day, and then again on our third day, our fourth day, and so on. It began to be something we'd say to each other almost jokingly, as we seemed to always be in the car throughout those summer months.

But we leave JBay for the last time Sunday morning, and so the phrase seems more poignant for this occasion than it ever has. We spent today saying goodbye to so many people, turning the page from this chapter in our lives, and a new week brings a completely new thing. We can't begin to describe how excited we are for this new start - time to reconnect with family as we make our way out to Colorado in January, which offers time to rest and process what the Lord has done in our lives while we've been here, and what we do with that moving forward. We also will have some extremely intentional time learning (again, for the first time) what it means to be married, spending a good deal of time working on our relationship with each other. We came here nine months into our marriage, consequently missing out on the value that "normalcy" can bring to a newlywed couple. So there's so much to look forward to, and we are anxious to grab every part of it.

At the same time, leaving here is tougher than either of us thought. The friendships that God has given to us since we arrived here three Septembers ago are precious, and the possibility of seeing any of them ever again this side of heaven is very much up in the air. So the separation, the ending even, of all of these relationships as we've known them, has proven to be extremely difficult.

But the writer of Ecclesiastes reminds that "for everything there is a season." So we walk in that, knowing that the Lord will never desert us, and trusting that He has gone ahead of us, and so our main responsibility is to be obedient. God is calling us out of this season and into a completely and utterly new season. We have little idea of what this new season will be like, but we know that, if nothing else, it will definitely be an adventure. So..."Here we go!"

The Backwards-ness of the Job

Tue, 9 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I got a compliment the other day. It might not be considered a compliment for many people, but I've learned that in this job, "normal" is turned on its head. It's difficult to share much of what goes on in ministry for me, as most of my ministry happens in the personal times with my two guys, Davie and Blair, which aren't exactly appropriate to post in a public context. I've been discipling these guys all semester, and have seen some amazing growth in both of them. It's been so encouraging to see how they have opened themselves up to what the Lord has for them, knowing that they would be led into uncomfortable places and been forced to discard what they might have believed for a long time in order to accept the truth that God presents them with.

Anyway, after a particularly good chat with Davie, he went back and changed his Facebook status to "Davie Ingram is officially screwed up...thanks Chris." He also told me that as he came back onto the UCSA base, where they all stay, he ran into Blair, who asked him how he was doing. "I'm pretty messed up," was Davie's response. "Chris Via strikes again," was Blair's comment back at Davie.

In any other job, I think, this conversation would not be something to pat myself on the back about. If I were in a business setting, and one of my employees mentioned that I really messed him up, there would be a definite problem that would need to be fixed. Or if I were in the service industry, and a customer came away saying the kind of things that Davie and Blair were saying about me, I probably wouldn't have a job for very much longer. Even if I were a normal teacher, I would know that I were doing my job effectively if my pupil was given illumination, not further confusion.

To be honest, though, that's one of the things I love about what I do, and about how God works. Our God is in the business of healing and restoration - the whole of Scripture speaks to it. We are a world broken individuals, and the Lord is on a constant quest to heal us of our brokenness and bring us closer to Him and more into the men and women that He calls us to be. This is rarely an easy thing, as it causes to give up ways that we know, that we find comfortable, that we even cling to. And as the Lord continues His healing process, discomfort inevitably ensues, because we've never come in contact with a love quite like this in our lives - a love that accepts us where we are, but constantly calls us higher, knowing that it's always for our good, and for the glory of God. Consequently, if I'm being faithful to the responsibility that God has given me, I can't allow my guys to be comfortable.

So when I hear Davie and Blair "bemoan" their less than static lives, I can only smile and know that I'm fulfilling the call that God has on my life. And, from my own experience, I know that the lack of stability that these guys are going through right now is bringing them to a deeper understanding of who they are, and, more importantly, who God is.

Drawing To a Close

Thu, 4 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

We leave in less than three weeks. Even as I type that it's difficult to believe. Within 20 days from now we'll have closed a very significant chapter in our lives, both individually and as a couple. And while I'd by lying if I said that I wasn't excited to go home, I know full well that JBay is going to be a very difficult place to leave. I've already started my goodbyes and they haven't been easy in the slightest. Christina and I are beginning to look at things in the context of, "This is the last time we'll do this." We're looking at restaurants to make sure we get out last meal in there. We're making appointments with ministry partners not just to get their feedback on how our students did there, but to give a personal "thank you" for their partnership as well as their friendship for the past two and a half years.

Christina with one of our friends from Ithemba In the center is Jaap, our Joshua Project partner

But as hard as this is, I can take comfort in knowing that long after we are gone, God will remain here. God has amazing plans for this town, I know it, and we have been privileged to be a part of those amazing plans. We can definitely see a change in this town since we arrived over two years, and it's more than just the landscape. We've seen changed lives, changed hearts, and even changed businesses. And we know that what the Lord has started, He will continue on to com pletion until the day of Christ Jesus (Php 1:6). And we know also that there's so much more that we can't even see - progression towards the Kingdom of God that will be brought to fruition sometime in the future.

Our good friends, George and Michelle Me with one of my closest friends, Kevin

That's one of the things I love about God. He doesn't need to use us, but He wants to. Would what the Lord want to have happened to JBay have happened whether we had come here or not two years ago? I believe that in some way, shape, or form that it would have. But He chose me and Christina to work alongside of Him in bringing His glory to this place. He knew that what He had planned here was so fantastic and, being God, couldn't keep Himself from wanting to share that fantastic-ness (I know that's not a word, but go with me here) with His children. And during it all, He's blessed us with some amazing friendships, community, and a deeper love for each other than we would have known otherwise.

Until our departure date on the 21st, however, we will continue to work here with the full knowledge that God hasn't finished using us yet. That there's still more for us to do here. As challenging as it is to not look ahead to what's next, we know that we are still called here. So we would appreciate your prayers for perseverance to finish strong, relishing every last moment, acknowledging that it comes from the Lord because of His love for us.

Beat the Drum follow up

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Our week of "Beat the Drum" in Somerset East was fabulous! We were tired at the end of the week, but we saw so much fruit so we know it was worth it. Over 120 volunteers from different ministries in Jeffrey's Bay landed in this small town to bring a message of hope to school students, farm workers and prison inmates. We used the movie "Beat the Drum" to spark conversations about HIV, AIDS and abstinence by using a 5 day curriculum that integrates the truth of the disease and the Gospel. By the end of the week hundreds of students received Jesus in their hearts and made a commitment for abstinence. We also held a free clinic to get tested for HIV and over 300 Somerset residents came to find their status. We praise God that nearly 90% of those that got tested were NEGATIVE! That is impressive considering we were in a neighboring town of the highest HIV rate in the world. God is on the move and is bringing redemption to His people. It was a blessing to be a part of His story, even if just for a week.

The follow pictures and captions give a few highlights and points of interest of our time in Somerset East.

Above is the hall that we showed the movie "Beat the Drum" in for over 1,000 students. We had to "black bag" the room before we showed the movie with trash bags to make the room dark! It was quite a process. The students loved the movie and remembered it the whole week as we were working through the curriculum book. We know it made a significant impact on their lives by the questions they asked and the commitments they made in the end of the week for abstinence and salvation.

These are some of the students from Aeroville High School that watched the movie and got to work through the curriculum for the week of school we were there! The mountains is the view from the field behind the school. The Aeroville students were intrigued by us coming all the way from America, as volunteers, to bring the truth about HIV, AIDS and Jesus. They said no one has ever done that for them and they were extremely grateful.

These are some of the students that we showed the movie to at a Jr. High School grades 6,7. Sadly these are the chairs, if you can call them that, they had to sit on if they got to sit at all. The room was packed tight with sweaty bodies, but their eyes were locked on the movie. Afterwards several students made decisions to receive Jesus in their hearts and abstain from sex until marriage.

This is the view of Somerset East where over 120 volunteers descended to present the movie and curriculum of

Beat the Drum. It was a beautiful town where the people welcomed us with open arms and were extremely receptive the message of abstinence, the Gospel, and the truth about HIV and AIDS. Each volunteer stayed in host families homes which was such a blessing to get to know the culture and understand the real need in Somerset East.

One day there was a water main break so this truck full of water came out to the township we were working in to provide water for the community. The residents walked about 30 minutes towards the center of town, lined up with their buckets and bowls to carry water back to their home for who knows how many more days until the pipeline was fixed. Each person was only allowed 1 bucket of water. Even then, the residents in the township don't have running water in their own homes. Their water supply is from a local tap in which the whole community has to share.

On the left is the church that became our "Beat the Drum base" for the week. On the right is our team that volunteered for the week. Chris and I are in there somewhere, promise! We had morning prayer, evening worship sessions, afternoon debrief meetings and many meals inside the hall of this church. We are so thankful for the many people that allowed us to serve in Somerset East for the week and provided housing, meals, contacts, transportation, schools to minister in, and amazing support for the message of the program. Many of the students are hoping to go back to Somerset East next semester for a follow-up trip to see how the school students are doing with their commitments to Jesus and to purity. Thank you to ALL who made this trip possible.

Beat the Drum

Thu, 9 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

An estimated 24.5 million adults and children were living with HIV or AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa at the end of 2005. Since then, an estimated 2.7 million additional persons have acquired HIV.

During 2005, an estimated 2 million people died from AIDS. The epidemic has left behind some 12 million orphaned African children.

In South Africa alone, an estimated 5,500,000 people are living with HIV or AIDS.

The most devastating part of these statistics is that the majority of people living with HIV don't even know it. Therefore they continue living out a normal lifestyle and thus infecting even more people.

In Africa, if someone does know they are infected with HIV, they don't admit it. They will blame their sickness on TB, pneumonia, or even a curse from witchcraft. Worse yet, if they do admit they have HIV or AIDS, they will be totally ostracized by friends, family, neighbors and even churches.

This epidemic is killing our brothers and sisters in Christ but is kept a secret. It's time for this generation to rise up and reveal the secret that is breaking God's heart and breaking apart Africa. That's why Beat the Drum was implemented.

"Beat the Drum" is a movie created in 2004 by Dr. Bruce Wilkinson that illustrates the many misconceptions about AIDS. It is a deeply moving film and has won many international awards. After the movie was finished, Wilkinson began a massive campaign to teach and train African young people about HIV and AIDS. With the help of many US and African college students, the message of AIDS prevention and the gospel was shared in every high school in Swaziland. The volunteers spent a week in the schools, using the movie as a ministry tool, teaching and training young people about the truth of AIDS. The results were dramatic. Young people all over were committing their lives to Christ and committing to abstinence until marriage.

This week the Beat the Drum movement is going to Somerset East, a small town about 3 hours northeast of JBay. Our whole team is committed to volunteer. Over 120 volunteers will descend upon this town with the message of the gospel and the truth about HIV and AIDS. We too will use the movie to teach young people that this epidemic is real but can also be controlled. We have an opportunity to go into schools, health clinics, hospitals, prisons, farms, and even peoples' homes in which we'll be staying to share two very powerful messages. We are blessed and excited, but we need your help.

We need you to pray for this campaign that it would be received and effective. Pray for us that we would communicate clearly and speak in love. Pray that hearts will be committed to Christ and behavior to abstinence. Pray that God's glory and love will be shown.

Please join with us in this daunting, yet exciting, effort by praying for us this week of Oct 10-Oct 18. If you want to know more about Beat the Drum, please visit the web site, www.beatthedrum.net or go rent the movie, "Beat the Drum" which should be at a Blockbuster near you.

Tomorrow we are leaving for this "Beat the Drum" outreach to Somerset East. Please be in prayer for us and thank you for all your support for us in this effort and for this ministry.

will

A Moment to Breathe

Thu, 2 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I'm writing this post on what's supposed to be my day off. But you wouldn't know it by looking at my schedule - take the car in to (FINALLY!!!) get the window fixed at 8am, off to ministry at 9am, come back for lunch by 12:30pm, work on next week's discipleship until 3pm, leader meeting at 4pm, back at the UCSA base for dinner at 7pm, then out with Davie for our one-on-one afterwards.

Thankfully, Christina and I are able to switch our day off this week to Friday. I write it off to the fact that life here is really unpredictable and trying to plan anything can be an exercise in futility.

On the other hand, it also reminds me how closely Christina and I need to guard ourselves from burnout, which is normally the result of overworking yourself. My boss that I served under when I was doing college ministry in Dallas was great at making sure I took my day off and really didn't darken my office doorstep, meet any students on campus, or anything else that could in any way resemble work. Nevertheless, I'll never forget one particular day at that church when I was working way too hard (not taking Mally's advice), and found myself nearly clawing at the walls to get out of that building and never come back again. Knowing that I did, in fact, still love my job, however, I realized that I had really considered myself "more highly than I ought," as the apostle Paul states in his letter to the Romans and tried to do everything myself. Consequently, I had become so busy that I never allowed myself to rest, mistakenly believing that if I stopped working, everything would fall apart.

It's really easy to bring that false idea onto the mission field as well. The funny thing about ministry is that there's always more of it to do, especially here in Jeffreys, where someone could always use more food, or there's always someone else to go pray for or visit or drive somewhere. And if I don't feed them or pray for them or visit them or drive them where they need to go, who will?? And so if I'm not careful, I'll forget exactly who the Savior really is. Nevertheless, I still find myself having to fight for my days off, because even with an incredible leadership team, the "allure" of needing to do everything still rears its ugly head from time to time.

So tomorrow (which is actually about to be today), I'm resting. Christina and I are planning a nice walk on the beach, followed up by one or two movies at home. I might, if I'm feeling really daring, turn my phone off...

Well, let's not get crazy now.

We're Here!

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

We've made it! After a LONG 24 hours of flying, we made it back into JBay last night. And other than being utterly jetlagged, we're doing great! So the next couple of days we'll be moving all of our stuff into our new apartment, setting up ministries for all of our awesome students, and, of course, saying hey to all of our incredible friends down here in SA. The students (all 41 of them) and our other 10 fantastic leaders come in on Tuesday, so it'll be pretty slammed from now until then. But Christina and I are both glad to be back and are excited for what the Lord will do over the next three months. For now, though, lots to do. Thank you, Jesus, for getting us here safely, and to all of you for your prayers as we travelled out here. More to come!!

More on Training Camp

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

As almost 100 students poured into Gainesville, GA at AIM headquarters earlier this week, 40 of those that will be coming with us to Jeffreys Bay, we were blown away by their energy and excitement for answering God's call to the nations. We had a time of praise to God that night and wanted to share the infectious Spirit with you. Please be lifting these students up over the next few days, as they will continue to be prepared and to prepare to fly out this Monday. Christina are heading to Dulles International Airport later today to fly out and make sure that everything is ready for their arrival. Thanks so much for everything you do for us!! Keep in touch over the next 3 months as we are serving in South Africa.

This Red Clay Looks Familiar...

Sat, 6 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Christina and I are back at AIM Training Camp in Gainesville, GA. For the past few days the training has been focused on us as leaders. This year we are blessed to have a stellar leadership team of 14 people. In just the short time that we've been together, I've been amazed at how well our team seems to be clicking. Granted, half of our leadership team is made up of students that were together in Jeffreys Bay last year, but it's the entire team that is getting along with each other, and not just that smaller group. I've seen them laughing together, including each other in fun activities and random conversation, and cheering each other on in team builders. Seeing how the Lord is already bonding this team together is extremely encouraging for how great The Awakening is going to be.

This next week is going to be a little nuts for Christina and me. On Monday, the 41 students that we will be leading in South Africa, get into Gainesville for their own training camp. We'll have a great opportunity to meet them when they get in, as well as spend time with their parents for a cookout that evening. We leave Gainesville on Tuesday (my birthday!) and drive back down to my parents' house in Marietta, where we'll pack everything up. Early Wednesday morning we'll leave Atlanta and drive up to Christina's mom's house in Washington, DC where we will leave our car to rest after a long 9000 miles. The next day, Thursday, we'll do last minute preparation before we leave for the airport that afternoon to fly back to South Africa!

Once we get there we will hit the ground running, setting up our new apartment, preparing for the ministries the students will be involved with, and organizing all the ligistics for the students to arrive. All 41 of them land in South Africa on Sept 19th and it will be 3 months jammed packed of training, discipleship and ministry. We can't wait to meet them on Monday and are so honored to be called to lead them for this next season.

Our final newsletter will be coming out before we leave to go back. If you haven't received it by then, please let us know because that means that, for some reason, you're not on our email list. We would covet your prayers for our safe return to Jeffreys Bay, as well as a smooth transition back to our "second home." We'll see you on the other side of the pond! Thanks for a great summer.

My little brother...

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Well, he is not so little anymore. He just got married exactly 4 weeks ago today. In fact he's never really been my younger brother given that we were born 14 months apart and basically raised as twins. Growing up with Brian Bowis was a blast. We had magic shows for our family in the living room, found secret passages in our house, and played a lot of tricks on our parents and our cats together! Despite the many childhood fights, as we grew up we became practically best friends.

I've come to appreciate my brother for many of his traits. Besides being good looking, smart and athletic, I admire his integrity, character and attitude. He is a man of great faithfulness to God and great loyalty to his friends. He has strong ethics in business and has his priorities in order. He is known by many as the "Mayor of Fun Town" which speaks to his lively personality and ability to make others smile. He cares about our country, the poor, and global issues. He is the calm in a storm and has a strong shoulder to carry the burden. But most of all he loves his wife. A man who loves his wife is to be praised and honored.

It is so exciting to see what God has joined together between Brian and Taylor. We are so happy to welcome Taylor into the Bowis family as she is also full of life, demonstrates a godly character and is ridiculously talented with music. She is gorgeous, compassionate, and quick to serve others. Between the two of them they are like Ken and Barbie, a perfect couple together. It was an honor to be part of their wedding day. Not only helping with all the preparations but also standing at the altar and praying over them during the ceremony. I am so happy for B&T that I could barely get out what I wanted to say during my speech at the rehearsal dinner. I also didn't get the chance to dance with my brother, but we'll do it at the next wedding! Congratulations Brian and Taylor. We love you and may the Lord continue to bless you abundantly in your first year of marriage.

Leg #1 is Done!

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

We completed our first major leg of our road trip last Saturday when we arrived in Los Angeles to stay with Christina's brother Brian for a week. It's been a great week, and we've begun to learn a number of different ways that the Lord is moving right now in America that we could see ourselves jumping in with. Along the 3,000+ miles we drove to get here, however, we saw God work in so many different ways, we wanted to share just a few with you:

Less than six hours into our trip on the first day, our Jetta was experiencing a little trouble. However, we found a VW dealership less than two miles off of the highway. Also, though initially telling us that they might be able to take us before the end of the day, one of the mechanics told us that he could look at our car immediately, was able to identify our problem right away, and then proceeded to tell us that the defective issue was actually on recall, meaning he was able to fix the problem at no cost to us. All in all, the stop cost us 90 minutes and zero money.

Even though he and his wife were out of town, a friend of mine allowed me and Christina to stay in their new house while we were in Kansas City. This meant that we were able to have time and space to ourselves for the first time since we arrived back in the States. Such a blessing!

We were hosted by Gary and Lisa Black and the rest of the Black tribe during our time in Colorado Springs. Their eldest son, Tyler, gave up his room for us, and Gary and Lisa spent a good deal of time with us, pouring into us and helping us to hear what the Lord might have for us next. Their gifts of discernment and wisdom, speaking truth into our lives, was such a gift.

After leaving Colorado Springs, we stopped at the Arches National Park on our way to Los Angeles. Not only was driving through the Rocky Mountains an incredible view of God's creation, but the Park was absolutely stunning. We saw evidence of God's inventive and creative hand in the amazing rock creations, each one more incredible than the last.

Those are just some of the ways that the Lord's hand was with us, and evidence of His going before us, as He promises to do. We give praise to God for His faithfulness to us and are excited to see how His faithfulness will continue throughout our summer!

A Praise Report (Before We Hit the Road)!!

Tue, 1 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Well, after multiple trips to the doctor, phone calls, and appointments, we finally got our South African visas! We're now cleared to volunteer in South Africa until May of '09! This is such a huge load of our minds, as visa issues almost caused us to leave the South Africa early this past year. Being able to have this hurdle jumped is, as my soon-to-be sister-in-law would say, "ginormous." We really thank God for His provision and His grace in getting this completed.

And it couldn't have come any later, as Christina and I leave today for the first leg of our cross-country road trip. Today we'll be driving from Washington, DC, to Chicago, where we'll be able to see and stay with Tag and Holly. Although the Cubbies won't be in town, Chi-town is jammed packed with great things to do over the Fourth. We're really looking forward to seeing Tag and Holly in a different context and just enjoying some great fellowship with them, as well as other friends that we have in the area. Please pray for our safety as we travel, and for some rest and relaxation for us as a couple.

See you in LA!

Highlight # 3 - The Surrender Walk

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

It was early in the morning when we packed our water bottles, sandwiches and strapped on our Chacos to prepare for the mountain climb. None of us knew where we were going except a few boys that had scouted the scene, all we knew was that we were going to climb a mountain. It was an intentional climb called the Surrender Walk that Tag, Holly, and Heather had all done before at their leader training for AIM. We all walked pretty quietly from the van through the woods, over a barbed wire fence, under a few logs and into the brush anticipating the base of the mountain. We arrived at a clearing where Tag said a few inspirational words and gave some instructions for this Surrender Walk. We were supposed to climb this mountain alone, in silence, just ourselves and the Lord. Before we headed up we needed to find an object somewhere in the woods that represented a burden we had been carrying that we wanted to surrender. We had to carry that object all the way to the top of the mountain and once we reached the top give it to the Lord in an act of surrender. Within minutes we had all split up, lonely bodies wandering through the woods looking for an object to represent our burdens. Some began the ascent quickly while others lingered taking in the challenge, the beauty and perhaps the only moments of silence to be found in a while.

Previously to this Surrender Walk, Chris and I had been through some very hard times in our marriage. There seemed to be a lot of stress and tension in our relationship that caused some arguments, angst and frustration. We both had made some wrong choices that hurt the other and were holding onto bitterness from the hurt. I decided I wanted to surrender this hurt and anger. I found my object to represent this burden. It was the South African national flower - a Protea flower. It was a premature Protea, small and not full in color. It had a few dirty and torn petals on the outside but I could see the potential that it had to grow to be an impressive ruby colored blossom. I stuck this flower in the side of my backpack and began my climb.

Chris and I stayed within sight of each other but remained silent as we were instructed. There was no path to follow just our intuition and motivation was our guide. Conversations between myself and God began as I thought about my relationship with Chris and surrendering this hurt I was feeling. The rest of the team was scattered all over the mountain. Some had reached the rocks already and some were blazing through the knee high weeds to reach the base. Others had stopped to rest on a rock to meditate, read the Bible or listen to some music. It was quite a tough climb for me. There were moments I was alone and afraid. There were crevices and boulders I didn't think I could conquer alone. But I took one step at a time and continued to look a the view beyond me and thank God for his presence. When it got tough I kept reminding myself to surrender all.

But there were also moments victory and appreciation. A few times I had to ask Chris to help me climb up a few rocks and he was always there for me, reaching out his hand in patience and encouragement. Another time I was exhausted and wanted to quit, but as I rounded the corner I saw one of my teammates sitting in the sunshine worshiping in song. I reached out my hand in desperation for a pull and she gladly extended her hand and gave me that extra boost I needed. Yet another time one of my teammates called for help from us after being discouraged, afraid and wanting to quit. We had the chance to be community to her in her surrender walk as we prayed and encouraged her that she could make it.

Chris and I finally made it to the top where we shared the stunning view and a long awaited sandwich. Before we began the decent I knew that it was time to leave my Protea flower on top of the mountain to represent my burdens being left behind. I turned to Chris and confessed a few things that had been on my heart and humbly spoke the words of repentance and forgiveness. I gave him that Protea and said that I believe our marriage has great potential to be full of color and life for all to see but we first must take off the outside layers of filthy, torn leaves. Chris also gave me his surrender object- a weed that represented some sin that had overgrown in our relationship. He confessed, I forgave and we embraced. Together we placed our objects on the same rock and we left them there as we headed back down. I really was a moment where God began a new season in our marriage. We've felt God's peace in our marriage ever since.

I learned a lot from that mountain climb. Mostly about community. We all have these journeys to take and some times it's challenging like those boulders and sometimes its peaceful like when we get to sit in the sunshine and worship. But along our path there are people that need our help and others that are willing to help us. In marriage, there will be times that my husband can help me but there will be other times when my girlfriends will lend a hand. There will also be times when I'm all alone but I must surrender my fears and trust the Lord is near. And I guess the thing with surrender is that its not a one time climb and it's over. It is a continual process of releasing our burdens, not giving into temptation and fighting for what you know is truth. Along the way our community is there to walk with us as we all try to figure out what it means to know God and make him known.

Climb a mountain, hike a hill or just find a place that is peaceful to you and surrender your burdens to the Lord. He will carry them up that mountain for you. You don't have to do it alone. "Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall." Psalm 55:22

Highlight #2 - The Township Tavern

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

    We've written before about the epidemic of alcoholism that plagues the townships in Jeffreys Bay. Obviously, each individual makes their own choices about it, but the plethora of taverns that litter the landscape in the townships doesn't help. These places are open (and busy) until late every night, and are often a source of solid income to those that own them. This year, three of our students, Cassie, Amber, and Sarah, had a burden on their hearts for a tavern that was on the way to one of the families they would regularly visit during the week. Every week they would pass by the tavern, see the hopelessness through the doors, and they began to pray for the place to be closed down.
    So serious were the prayers of these girls that when Amber went home for Christmas she began to raise money from people there to buy the tavern outright from the owner! Not even knowing if she would sell, Amber trusted the Lord to answer their prayers and petitions. They all came back in January, confident that the Lord had some great plans for that tavern. But what happened next was more than they ever dreamed. On their first day back in ministry in January, Amber, Cassie and Sarah went into the tavern for the first time, though their goal was a little different than what they had originally planned. As they sought the Lord's will, they all heard Him tell them to begin building a relationship with the owner, Peela. This would require a step back from what their original plan was, but for a God whose ways are not ours, this was not a huge surprise.
    So they began to spend time with the owner, as well as her nephew Joel, and they began to show her God's love through that relationship. And the more they talked, the more she opened up. And then one day, Peela confessed to them that running that tavern was really exhausting for her. She hated dealing with the drunkards that would come in and out of her tavern and how much trouble it was for her. And what she really wanted to do, most of all, was turn it in to a shop. A place where everyone could come and buy bread or washing powder. Needless to say, the girls hopped on the opportunity to encourage her in that, knowing now how the Lord had been working on bringing that tavern down long before they even stepped foot in Jeffreys Bay, and how cool it was that they could be used to further His Kingdom even in that tavern!
    That process of change is still happening in that tavern, as Peela is working on converting the place into a store. But Cassie, Amber, and Sarah knew that what the Lord started, He would continue to work on until it was completed. And this was definitely begun by the Lord!


                                       The tavern that soon won't be a tavern anymore!

Back in the US of A!

Sun, 8 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Seconds after we landed on US soil, after our long 24 hour trek, Chris and I began to sing the words to Lee Greenwood's song, "...and I proudly stand up next to you and defend her still today, cause there ain't no doubt I love this land, God Bless the USA". Out of embarrassment we both began to giggle and shhhh the other person to quiet down.

We arrived several days ago and it's been full of action ever since. We've already been to one wedding, seen 2 twin babies, been through 3 thunderstorms, and driven 4 hours to Philly and back to pick up our car. For the most part we are getting settled in easily. Culture shock is sometimes harder coming back to your own country. Things seem overwhelming such as the grocery store that houses entire aisles of cereal or, believe it or not, water. Can you image a whole row in the store just for water! How many different types of water can there be? In Africa we get the choice of bran flakes or corn flakes for cereal and tap water or no water.

We are also trying to remember which side of the car the steering wheel is on and which side of the road to drive on. The roads with lines and oncoming traffic are a little easier to figure out. It's the roads with no lines that we actually pull out on the left side for a split second.

But all in all it is great to be back in the homeland. We are excited to spend this summer with many of you, our friends and family.

For the next few posts we want to give you some of the highlights of our past year in South Africa. Time went by so fast that it was hard to write about and keep up with all the amazing things happening on our team and in Jeffrey's Bay. So allow us to debrief our year with you as we recount some of the blessings and miracles we experienced this year.

Highlight # 1 - Intyatyambo Care Center

Sun, 8 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

A Story of Gods's Love

One day Tag and Holly were led by a man named Marshall to a town called Humansdorp twenty minutes from Jeffery's Bay. Marshall introduced them to the most precious woman, Virginia. Virginia is a sixty year old woman who cares for about fifteen young children in a very small shack behind her very small home. Our team fell in love with Virginia and all her babies instantly. Her heart is for all children but especially the disabled.

Because of the conditions of her crche (daycare) she is only able to care for about two disabled children.
In December it rained so terribly that she had to move the children into her personal home because the crche was so badly damaged by the rain. God was really starting to work during this time.

Chris and Christina Via's parents heard about the situation Virginia was in and began to spread the word. Tag and Holly also spread the word back at home and in no time at all together we raised over $1,500 for a new floor, roof, and walls. Virginia also received $500 for new beds and over 100 new blankets for the children.

With the money received we were now able to pair willing hands (our FYM team) with brand new materials to truly give the creche an extreme home makeover. The labor was intense and much time was sacrificed, but it was well worth it to bless Momma Virginia.

We are excited to say that the children now have a much cleaner, safer, and brighter place to sleep and play. Money was also given for a months supply of food and for new toys (they had nothing at all to play with). We can't put into words how blessed Virginia is. She has said thank you so many times we can not count. She prays God's blessing on you all. An extra blessing from this project was how we were able to show God's love to her community. We had so many people stop by to see the work and parents that were overjoyed by the hard work and love put into the crche. Thank you all so much for making Virginia's dreams come true.

Just Like Old Times

Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

One of the highlights of my week last year was on Wednesday nights when many of us from the team would go to the Sunflower for the weekly Bingo game. Jakkie called Bingo every Wednesday and he always brought his A-game. We'd always start off singing the Bingo song (you know, "There was a farmer had a dog..."), then Jakkie would lip-sync another song that was EXTREMELY entertaining, and then we'd get down to business.

Obviously, with Jakkie being gone this year, Bingo fell by the wayside, because no one can call Bingo like Jakkie. But he's been visiting all this week, and so we all were able to crowd into the Sunflower one more time for "The Bingo to end all Bingos." It really felt like home again. Katie, our RA from last year, is visiting as well, so she of course joined us. Jakkie told us he'd been preparing for this night even before he knew he was coming back to JBay. There was more lip-syncing, lots of laughing, and, of course, the Bingo song.

What was great, too, is that you could tell how much Jakkie was loving it. He's definitely a ham and loves the spotlight. He loves making people laugh and giving them a good time. And, man, did we have a good time. It didn't hurt that I won two games, but even if I had 0-fered the night, there's nothing like Bingo with Jakkie on Wednesday nights at the Sunflower.

Direct From the Source

Sun, 18 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In my last post, I briefly mentioned all of the incredible things that we saw the Lord do in the lives of our team and in those who live in the community. We figured that instead of taking my word for it, it would be better for you to hear from the students themselves. The quotes below are excerpts from the year-end evaluations that our students filled out. In them the students answered questions dealing with everything from community life to life in the community to their own personal walks with the Lord. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we did!

Do you feel like you have been discipled? Why or why not?

"Yes. I've had quite a few people to walk along side of me and push me towards Christ this year. I feel like I've been invested in and there is a lot of fruit from that."

"I do feel like I have been discipled. I had someone that I trusted and someone that was a consistent truth speaker to me."

"Yes, I feel like I have been discipled. I feel like I can look back on my walk with Christ and not only see how I've grown, but can see how God used my leaders to help me get here."

Best thing AIM did:

"AIM has provided for us very well. We were provided with excellent accommodations and unbelievable leaders. Both of those were huge in the success of our ministry here - having leaders who cared for us and built into us and having a place to come home to and rest."

"I think AIM does a great job of coming along side of ministries to assist and support rather than take over and do things the "American" way. I have learned a lot from that."

Which topics were the most beneficial and why?

"I think Identity was great. Its always good to build up who you are in Christ because that is the foundation of everything else we do and how we act."

"Searching for God Knows What helped me solidify what I believe and gave me freedom in knowing I'm
not tied down by rules and regulations but rather freed by Christ."

"The topic of identity ended up really blessing me. It made me more confident in who God has called me and how He has created me. God really spoke to me and used that time to encourage me and show me his faithfulness and love."

What was the coolest thing you saw God do?

"Change me and teach me and love me."

"Transform a women's life and take her away from alcoholism and bring her back into his arms."

"I saw God push me to do things I never imagined I could do, and I have to give him all of the glory because I could not have worked in a clinic, talked with strangers and live with twenty people on my own strength."

Please share a story about one of your ministry experiences this year.

"Okay...how about the fact that we bought a piece of land and building and set it up as a feeding point for kids????? That was pretty amazing! It feels really awesome to hand the keys and a bank account to a precious woman and let her go wild with her dreams for her community! I mean I could cry at how sweet it was to bless her like that. It is the people of this community that will reach this nation."

"Ministry was certainly very challenging. I was stretched and pushed in a lot of ways, and I feel I've also grown alot. Working with kids from underprivileged family and living situations definitely gave me a deeper sense of gratitude and appreciation. It's also hard to keep on pushing in ministry day after day in those times when you see little or no fruit. And there are those days when you just feel too exhausted to continue pouring out yourself, physically, emotionally and spiritually. But God is faithful, and the hard times are well worth it."

Most impacting aspect of the semester:

"The most impacting part was probably to opportunity to step back from my life that I was making a mess of and get literally alone with God. For Him to put me in a country I never thought I would got, and for him to start changing everything. He gave me a safe environment with a great "family" and awesome leaders that desired to push me a ton:)"

"The most impacting aspect of the semester was watching JBay turn into my home, my ministry partners turning into my friends, and my roommates turning into my family. I cannot pin point one thing that impacted my life the most while I have been in Africa. The process of growing and learning impacted me the most."

"I think that the most important thing we can do in our ministries is assist the people that are here. We should never take over, but we should encourage the people that are here living.It was amazing to see how God was using the workers to impact their own community. It is so comforting to know that even though I am leaving, God is still working and will use the people here to build His Kingdom."

Advice for future FYMers:

"Be flexible. Bite you tongue when you have questions that don't really matter. Make sure to rest. Find time every day to press into the heart of God. No sense in coming across the world to make a lot of noise like a clanging cymbal."

"Realize that this 9 months is not about you and it's going to be the hardest and greatest thing you have ever done in your life!"

"No expectations. I know this is always stated, but it really is true. Just be open to new things and really seek to learn all you can and do all you can with God. Also, be careful of the mentality that you are going out to do something for God. Realize that he is already working and you are simply partnering with Him."

These are just pieces of the many things that we witnessed God do. We are amazed at how He continues to work in mighty ways here in Jeffreys Bay. For all of you who gave in any way, whether through your prayers, your finances, or even your encouragement, know that you partnered with us and played in a role in these things. So together we can all praise the Lord. Amen!

Whenever One Thing Ends, Another Begins

Sat, 17 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I forget where I heard this quote first, or who originally wrote this piece of wisdom down, but it's quite poignant in our lives right now. Our students all flew out on Thursday, after an incredible year of ministry and personal growth. We had times with each one of them before they left, formally asking how their experience was and what they learned, and it was such a great testimony of the Lord's goodness and faithfulness to hear their responses. God has changed these students' hearts, lives, minds, to point more toward Him and His glory, and it was so encouraging to us for them to speak those things out.

But they're gone now, and another FYM program is over. And as those words of wisdom remind us, something else is beginning. For those of you who haven't heard, Christina and I will be leading the Awakening here in JBay in the fall. In a nutshell, the Awakening is a three-month training program for the 08-09 FYM program. All of the students who will be in our Africa sites beginning in January of 2009 will be in Jeffreys Bay from September to December, being prepared for their experience in their specific locations. Tag and Holly Thompson will be coming back to be a part of our leadership team, and four of our students from this year, as well as one from our 06-07 year, will be part of our student leadership team, as well as others that are answering God's call to come alongside Him in this training program.

Indeed, this concept of training is one that the Lord is showing Christina and me in a very real way right now. We feel that the Awakening will not only be a time for us to train the students, but for us to be trained for what He will call us to in the near future. I do think that everything we do God can use to help us later on, but I feel that we are beginning, in these next twelve months, a time of intense training and learning for a longer-term, bigger picture plan that the Lord has for us. In vocation, yes, but also in our marriage and our own personal walks with Him. What's after the Awakening we're not completely sure, but I think it will play a role in this time of intense training as well.

But for the immediate future, we're very much looking forward to coming back to the States. We fly out in a little over two weeks, and are hoping to have a some good R&R once we step foot on American soil. I'm getting ready to reacquaint my taste buds with proper Starbucks coffee, and Christina is looking forward to seeing little additions to her friends' families.

We must give praise to God for His provision that He continues to show us through the faithfulness and generosity of our supporters. We will be, once again, traveling across the country, and we would love to tell you in person how great this year has been for us, and how much we appreciate what you have done to make that possible. Once we get our schedule set, we'll let you know if we'll be coming to a city near you!

Please continue to pray for us, as we finish the small things, and look at what the Lord will begin in us over the next few months. For we know that what He begins in us, He will continue with until the day of Christ's return. Amen to that!

He loves you because He loves you because He loves you...

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

We studied "Identity In Christ" this semester as a team. It was a powerful 2 weeks to learn about who God says that we are and the identity of the King that we serve. As a team we watched this short clip on YouTube. It is a message by Graham Cooke, an international speaker and writer. His words are profound and perhaps prophetic. You don't even need to look at the pictures, just listen to the words. When you have 10 minutes of down time, watch this clip. As you watch meditate on the fact that you are a son an daughter of the King. We hope it blesses you as much as it blessed us.

The Deliberation Room

Wed, 9 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Being a leader is hard. Perhaps one of the toughest parts about being a leader is making decisions. When you are a leader your decisions don't just impact yourself, but everyone you are leading. There is a lot of pressure to make the right decision and one that makes everyone happy, safe, healthy, and is beneficial. Sometimes as a leader you have to make a decision that you know is best but others cannot see that perspective. Other times you have no idea what is best, but you still have to make a choice and hope it works out for the good. And then of course there are times as leader that you make choices that are wrong and you have to humble yourself, admit to your failures and learn from your mistakes.

It seems like this year has been marked by making tough decisions. They are the kind that you ache over and weep about. They are the kind that you enter into the deliberation room with your co-leaders and stay there for hours, perhaps missing meals. As a leader you stay up at night thinking about these decisions you have to make. You seek counsel from others you respect and you press deep into hearing God's voice, listening for direction.

This year we've had to make decisions both as a leadership team and personally that have tested our character and discernment. They are the tough decisions, such as what to do when a student finds out she is pregnant. Or if we should send a student home from Africa because she is having stomach pains. Even if we should cancel our trip to Lesotho only 12 hours before we are supposed to leave because we simply don't have a peace about going. Another tough decision was what to do when our Visa extension got denied and we were almost forced to leave the country. These are the type of tough decisions we've had to make this year. And I can assure you there have been many more.

A friend of ours approached us in church on Sunday and said, "Welcome back from Lesotho." We hung our heads as we had to say, "We never went." We explained that although we were packed, prepared and pumped to go, we simply didn't have a peace about going. There were a few other factors that led us to cancel our trip, such as a few sick students and a flat tire, but besides that we simply didn't have a peace. His response to us was, "At least you are still asking (God)."

I got to thinking about that and how as leaders we make plans and decisions but we forget to ask the Lord for direction or confirmation. Perhaps we are afraid that if God says something different than what we had planned we will look like failures. Or worse yet, we will have no plans to act upon. But through my friend's comment I was reminded of Proverbs 19:21 that says, "You can make many plans, but the Lord's purpose will prevail."

The one thing that we have relied upon as we've had to make all these tough decisions is a peace that God's purpose will prosper. We know we've come to a final decision when we can feel a sense of peace in our hearts. I've had to learn this year that when I make decisions I must follow a voice of peace even if the decision doesn't seem like the best choice. Scripture speaks to this in Phillippians 4:7, "Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything...If you do this, you will experience God's peace which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand." So when we make decisions we must remember to ask God first and then He will give us the peace we need to decide.

Please pray for us as we continue to lead this team and make a lot of hard decisions. As I get older, I find I am praying for wisdom more than anything else, so please pray for wisdom as we finish out this semester with our team. Wisdom is far more precious than anything else we could ask for, so please pray that we are granted supernatural wisdom each time we enter into the deliberation room.

I'm proud of our leadership team that has had to make all these tough decisions this year. Way to go team!

The Wave of Parents

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The turnaround between Carol and Sue heading off and my parents, Sharon and Bill, heading in was pretty quick - less than a week. It was agreed upon by all of us that taking advantage of the 2-for-1 that South African Airlines was running was more important that spacing out the visits, so Christina and I were looking forward to a concentration of guests, which was just fine with us. However, that meant that we barely had time to clean the sheets and go to the grocery stores before I headed off to Cape Town to meet my parents. Our schedule would look much like the one that Christina had - spending a few days in the Mother City before driving to JBay via Oudtshoorn for a stay at Buffelsdrift (If it ain't broke, don't fix it, I always say!).

It was great to be with my parents as they were experiencing all of this for the first time. As with any mother, mine was not too sure about her only son being across the world and being safe, despite my reassurances. But as she witnessed the "first-worldness" of this place and could see for herself how much the Lord moves here, her concerns were assuaged (as much as motherly possible, anyway!)

The most impactful moment for me, however, was the time that we spent with Auntie Matilda here in Jeffreys. She has come to be known as "The Mother Theresa of JBay" and Christina and I want everyone that we know to experience the love of God that emanates from this servant of the Kingdom. We sat with Matilda for about an hour or so (I've really lost track of time in things like this since I've been here) and she kept my parents on the edge of their seats with the things that the Lord is doing in JBay and how He calls her to serve here, not being able to keep from her infectious laugh at many points in her testimony. After sharing that time with her, Matilda slowly walked us to the door, entreating us to come see her again before my parents flew out (well, "threatening" might be a more accurate word, but she did it lovingly!). As we approached her stoop, my mother turned and took off her necklace, a colorful cross on a gold chain, and gave it to Matilda. Putting it around her neck, I realized the impact of this action. This was a stoop where Matilda has given many things - food, shelter, love - and now it was place where she was able to receive something. My mother had purchased this necklace on a mission trip to Guatemala, and it's not easily replaced, but when the Lord tells you to do something, you do it, and my mother was sensitive to the Spirit in that time.

We left Matilda's house and went on to other things that day, but I know that JBay's own Mother Theresa left an indelible mark on my parents' hearts, a lasting impression of the Spirit of the Living God that is ever-present in Jeffreys Bay.

Angels in Africa

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

One of the joys of serving here in South Africa is having family that supports us and believes in what we do. This semester alone Chris and I are so blessed to have ALL of our families come visit us here in Jeffrey's Bay.

In February we were so excited to have my mom, Carol, and her good friend Sue Belford come visit us. I'm sure that neither of them ever dreamed of visiting Africa in their lives but when the opportunity arrived they jumped.

They arrived in Cape Town the day before Valentines and we spent 4 amazing days touring the beautiful city. A visit to the penguins, the Cape of Good Hope, the wine country and, of course, Table Mountain proved to my mom and Sue that South Africa is truly magnificent. The sunset over the Atlantic Ocean (the opposite side of what they're used to!) reminded us of God's beauty and grace. The height of Table Mountain reminded us of God's greatness and our finite lives. Truly every day we experienced got better and better.

Arriving in Jeffrey's Bay, Mom was surprised and relieved at the 1st world, small town that we've been living in for the past year and a half. With the beautiful beach walks, a traditional braai dinner, and a glimpse of the world-class surf waves, Mom started to get a feel for this place we call home. But besides the beauty and fun that we had, Carol and Sue really got a glimpse of our hearts and passion for the people here and doing our work as missionaries.

On our first trip into the township, Mom sat quietly in the car observing the shacks and the kids playing in the streets with bottle tops. We stopped to visit Caroline, a shop owner trying to make ends meet, and her mother Sally, suffering from what seems to be throat cancer. Not quite sure what to expect we were greeted with a warm hug and huge smile. Caroline seemed to be so proud of her shop so we bought a few candies for more than they were worth and let her keep the change. Within a few minutes I think Mom and Sue were feeling comfortable already.

Next we paid a visit to Hester who practically tackled us to the ground with her hugs. She smiled ear to ear to receive the small gift from America that we brought. It was at that moment that Mom and Sue began to see the joy that exudes from our friends here despite their conditions.

We then went to Ithemba Church, where we run the after-school program, so that Mom could use her gifts as a scrapbooker to bless the children of Jeffrey's Bay. Even before the car door was opened, we were surrounded by God's gift of children smiling and begging to be held in our arms. How can you resist that? Then we met all of our favorite African ladies who greeted Mom and Sue with hugs and smiles that you would never expect from a stranger. God continued to show us that His joy is the only thing that lasts.

One of the main reasons my mom came here was so that she could come alongside us as missionaries and serve the children by scrapbooking with them. Some of you may know Carol has become a professional scrapbooker. She has created albums that are colorful and creative, but most importantly tell a story of a part of history. Knowing that most of the children here have never had a picture album, let alone a picture of themselves, Mom wanted to share that gift with these children. So we began. The weeks before our guests came we were busy taking photos of the children in their homes, with their teachers and of course with their friends at Ithemba. Mom packed and carried dozens of supplies on the plane, through customs, and into the 4th grade classroom in the small township. When the children saw the photos of themselves the expressions on their face were priceless. It's hard to describe how someone feels the first time they see a picture of themselves. As we began to lay out the pages, the colors, the pictures, and the stickers, it became real to these children that they were God's creation, special and unique. The finished product was placed in an envelope and it was sealed with a sense of pride that they now owned their first photo album. They too had a story in a piece of history. It was a very special day for everyone involved because deep in our hearts we realized that social, economic and cultural barriers can never separate us from God's love for each other.

Chris and I were so blessed to have mom and Sue here as it was encouraging and important for us to show them where we live and work. But for them I believe the trip impacted them more than they expected and perhaps more than they know right now. I've heard it said that Africa is the land of testimonies and I know that if you talk to either Carol or Sue they will share many testimonies of encountering quite a few angels in Africa.

Thanks for coming! We had a blast!

Surrounded by the Church

Sat, 9 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I think one of the toughest things about being here in South Africa has been the challenge of finding a good community. I had a phenomenal group of guys in seminary, and we both had some strong friendships while we were in Philly. Moreover, we both understand that we are, in fact, built for community ("we" being a very large, all-encompassing, "the two of us but also every person on the face of this earth" "we"), which makes the challenge that much tougher. However, over the past week or so, the Lord has brought different people into our immediate lives that have been somewhat of a community for us, but more importantly, given us a deeper understanding of what the "Church" is.

Last week, Christina and I were looking to get some good, solid marriage advice. When we were in the States, we did pre-marital counseling, and then marriage counseling, and I came to be an even bigger believer in the importance of having a third party speak into your relationship. But since we've been in SA, that person (or persons) has been rather difficult to find. But this time I was reminded of an older couple that we had met with on a purely social level before Christmas that was incredibly gracious and had told us that if we ever wanted to talk or needed advice about anything, their door was open. We knew Mike and Sally from church and really enjoyed our original time with them. So I called Mike to see if they were going to be available soon. To make a long story short, we spent about two hours with them, and received words that were wiser and more empowering than we've had in a while.

Secondly, we were also playing host to some friends of mine from Dallas in the beginning of the week, Chandler and Kelsey Phillips. I guess I've known Chandler for almost ten years, and it's been amazing to see how the Lord has really been working in his life to make him a major player in the Kingdom. Since Christina and I have been in Jeffreys, Chandler and Kelsey have been some of our biggest supporters, in more ways than one. Their questions about our time here and what the Lord is busy doing here seem to be never-ending, and I guess they got tired of just knowing JBay through our answers, as a visit here was the first leg in a vacation for them all over sub-Saharan Africa. Though they were only here for a little over two days, it's been a long time since I've felt that encouraged and loved. Knowing that someone else appreciates you and is becoming passionate about what you're passionate about is one of the largest compliments that I could ever be paid, and Chandler and Kelsey convinced me of both.

And this is what I think the church is supposed to do. We're supposed to be there for each other, supporting each other and encouraging each other. Needless to say, Mike and Sally never spoke to us of a fee for "services rendered," nor do I think they ever intended to. They just wanted to be the church to us. Furthermore, Chandler and Kelsey know that Christina and I could never repay them for all that they've given to us, nor do they ever intend for us to. Their joy comes in giving away what the Lord has blessed them with, and never expecting anything in return. They just want to be the church to us.

From completely different generations, and from utterly opposite ends of the earth, the "Church" has taken care of its own. Thank you, Church!

Gratitude

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Recently I've been reading Stand Against the Wind by Erwin McManus. It is a brilliant book filled with a lot of one-liners that exude so much truth they almost punch you in the gut. One quote I came across that really impacted me was this about gratitude.

"When we are grateful, we are most fully alive. Gratitude allows us to absorb every possible pleasure from a moment."

It reminded me about how much joy I miss in each of life's moments because I am not thankful. Whether in a situation that is dirty, mundane, offensive or frustrating, I must choose to be thankful for that moment and choose to see God in it. If we can be continually thankful for even the small things that God gives us - life, sight, senses, relationships, shelter, community, and his many provisions- how much more pleasure will we receive in each of life's moments whether beautiful or complex.

I thought this clip was a great example of absorbing every possible pleasure from a moment. Here are two ladies that we work with at Ithemba, our after-school program, and Trinos, the youth director of Ithemba church, washing dishes. It's an everyday job that is usually dirty and doesn't come with a lot of rewards. Yet in the moment, they choose to worship God because they are thankful. Most likely thankful for their lives, for God's provisions, for their health. Whatever it is, as soon as they choose to worship God, they receive joy. They are filled with pleasure in this very mundane moment because they are grateful.

McManus also said,
"Gratitude fuels optimism and inspires hope."
In this clip the ladies are so optimistic that they challenge and inspire me to be grateful in each of life's moments. They bring hope to all of us that optimism can prevail in a world where pessimism is the norm.

" And you will joyfully give thanks to the Father who has made you able to have a share in all that He has prepared for His people in the Kingdom of light." Colossians 1:12