Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year

The last two weeks have been non-stop for the A-Team. Two weeks ago we were at a weeklong youth conference called Teen Street. There we worked as the service team. Our responsibilities were to prepare meals, run the evening coffee shop, and facilitate different activities. We were on the go from morning to night and it definitely took a lot from us mentally and physically. However, I have learned some valuable lessons as to what it looks like to be a servant not in the things you do, but who you are as you do them.

Due to some careless planning at the conclusion of Teen Street our team left for a rural outreach in Limpopo Valley. It was a week of ministry packed days. Everyday we traveled to a different village helping a local team put on an end of the year celebration for their weekly kids program. In the African culture not much preparation is done in organizing events. Our day started in the morning with a march through dirt road in the village while the bus in front of us shouted with a megaphone inviting people to the service. Then we went to the church and…waited. Waited for the children to go fetch water somewhere, build a fire, heat the water, and bathe.

When all of the children came the music began. I have experienced something like this only once before in India, the repetitive track. The same four songs played all week and went something like this “Heavy load, heavy load, God is gonna lighten up your heavy load” (repeat 8x) and “I am so glad Jesus took my sins away, he took my sins away, he took my sins away” (repeat 8x). We went outside and danced from the road, around the church, then danced in the church for about 45 minutes to the same songs. Later we played some games, which were again dancing games. After games we had praise and worship time. During this time we danced some more to the same track. Then the sermon came. In the rural villages the louder the better, so for an hour we listened to a loud passionate African man preach the gospel. We concluded the program with…you guessed it more songs and dancing. The same program was repeated for a week.

Needless to say, we are all in need for a vacation. In only two days the A-Team will be heading to Capetown to spend 10 days relaxing on the beach. I really look forward to this break as a time of replenishment mentally, physically, and spiritually. I am often being stretched very thin and high expectations are set to perform at your peak, especially when it comes to ministry. Somewhere in that I lost focus and priority for the things that I need to continue pushing through. It is strange not being home with my family and friends this time of year but being in the middle of summer tends to take away the holiday spirit. So, thankfully I am not feeling sad from being separated from home this time of year. My dad will be here in three days, joining me for a week of my holiday in Capetown. I am very excited to see him! I hope everyone back home has a wonderful Christmas and enjoys it to the full.

Isaiah 9:6
“For to us a child is give, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Prayer Points:

1. Nothing will hinder our time to relax
2. We will get recharged spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically
3. No members of our team encounters homesickness on Christmas

Love, Adam

Zulu Country

South Africa is truly The Rainbow Nation with 11 official languages, occupied with many indigenous tribes, and European settlers. Our last outreach was in Durban which holds the largest Indian community outside of India. We however did not work with the Indians but with the Zulu people. Our time in Durban was divided in half. The first week we spent working with Lily of the Valley Community Development and Orphanage and the second half in Valley of 1,000 Hills.

Lily of the Valley is the organization that we have worked with thus far that has really struck me as successful. It offers many great opportunities and life skills classes to make an effective impact in the community. My favorite ministry outlet was working with the orphanage. The orphanage is predominantly made up of children who have lost their parents to HIV/AIDS. 85% of the kids in the orphanage are also positive. My heart was broken when we heard that a few years ago the orphanage was under different management and the kids were being solicited for sex.

One of the boys there really grabbed hold of my heart. His name was Thando, which means love in Zulu. He was 3 years old and attached to my hip. The first day I met him he seemed to be a defenseless boy that the other kids picked on. So I just held him and gave him love. After about two hours of playing with him it was time to go. I asked one of the English speaking kids to tell him I would be back tomorrow. When I put him down his bottom lip started to quiver and his eyes welled up with tears. The next few days I spent with him we grew to have a deep bond unlike I have had with any other kids here. I learned the phrase to say I love you and by the end of the week he was saying it back to me.

The second week we stayed in The Valley of 1,000 Hills with local families. When we have the privilege to stay with families it is a blessing and a challenge. A blessing because you get to interact so closely with the people and experience their lifestyle and culture hands on. A challenge because you are “on-call” 24/7. When you aren’t doing ministry you are expected to entertain and interact with the family after a tiring day of ministry. In the end I had a great experience with my host.

In A Valley of 1,000 Hills we did a lot of clinic ministry and visited an Aids Hospice. Basically the set up is people go to these free clinics, wait for hours in long lines and stuffy rooms, hoping to be seen, and receive the attention that they need. We would go in and sing songs, perform dramas, share the Word of God, and offer prayer. You could feel the atmosphere in the room change from when we arrived and when we left. The people were planning on spending a day in the company of sick and miserable people waiting to get some relief and were surprised with a story of hope. One of my greatest highlights from this time was at the end of our program we told the people we wanted to give them hugs before leaving. The people sprang to their feet in anticipation for physical touch. I especially loved the hugs from the big African mommas! ☺

On Sunday we went to a church service in an abandoned building. Only being a few years out of the devastating apartheid system there is still a great deal of hurt and prejudices between the Black, Indian, and White communities. The leader of our team is an Indian and he took a surprising leap to reconcile the gap between the races. Our leader shared a little from the Scripture and then took out a basin of water and a towel and said he would like to start by washing the feet of the pastor who was a black African. He did this as a tangible way of saying sorry for the pain his people caused the blacks. The room began to be filled with loud sobs from the congregation. Later our team also washed the feet of the black people as a way of bringing the black and white people together. You could feel the walls of resentment come crumbling down as they recognized that we are God’s children, equally loved in His sight regardless of our past or skin tone.

Well, the holiday season is fully upon us. I hope everyone back home had an awesome Thanksgiving. I was very happy that the Americans on our team left the training base to go to another Americans house for a very nice and authentic Turkey Day meal. As my eyes have begun to open to the realities of pain and suffering throughout the world I really have much to be thankful for. I am so blessed to have a family who loves and supports me. I am grateful for parents who have given so much up for me. I am thankful for the comforts of home like running water, fresh food, and heat during the winter. I am blessed for fun and loving friends. I am filled with gratitude for the church I come from and the many leaders, mentors, and friends who have helped to guide me down a path of godliness. Mostly I am thankful for my relationship to God. I have learned so much more of who He is and His great love for me.

We are back on the base for the next week. We then leave and go to Teen Street which is a big youth gathering for a week and then another outreach for 5 days then Christmas vacation in Cape Town!!!!!!! And my dad will also be joining me!

Ways to Pray:

1. The healing of the burdens the kids at the orphanage carry
2. Spiritual, emotional, and physical strength for the team (we are exhausted on so many levels)
3. God’s guidance in my life after this experience

Love, Adam