The Whole Gospel: Shelter in the Storm

This past weekend Robin and I had the privilege of being part of the Whitworth University's "Missions in Africa" Symposium. We presented a couple workshops entitled "AIDS & Orphans: Shelter in the Storm". The focus was on supporting children in families in AIDS affected communities. Given the scope of the problem and the numbers of OVC (orphans and vulnerable children), institutional care is not a cost effective response and has never been God's plan for the care of children. As I researched, prepared and then presented the workshop it cemented in my mind that the model of family based care of children in AIDS affected communities that we at Two Tunics are trying to expand is the right approach.

But more about that in a later post perhaps. Today what is on my heart is an even deeper issue that continues to be cemented more and more in my mind and heart. The reason why I am about this work. The reason the church must be about this work. The gospel of Jesus Christ. The whole gospel as Richard Stearns calls it in his book The Hole in Our Gospel.

The Missions in Africa Symposium last Saturday started off appropriately with a time of worship and devotions in the Whitworth University chapel. Terry McGonigal, the Whitworth chaplain (and ex-neighbor of ours in Spokane) presented the message. He started by asking us to describe the gospel in one sentence to the person sitting next to us. A couple excellent examples were offered from the audience on the order of "God so loved us that he sent His Son Jesus to die so that we might have forgiveness of sin and live eternally with God".

Terry then took us to a biblical one sentence summary of the gospel in Isaiah 52:7. Many of you are probably familiar with this verse and especially the opening line "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news". "Good news" is the definition of the Greek word translated as "gospel" in the New Testament. This opening line is a well known and cherished verse to those involved in missions. People involved in missions are being Christs hands and feet, going to spread the good news, and this verse tells us that in God's eyes they are beautiful. But sadly we in missions are often bringing only a part of that good news described in the rest of the verse. Maybe we're not as beautiful as we thought.

Terry pointed out the three essential elements of the gospel described in Isaiah 52:7, summarized in the three Hebrew words "shalom" (peace), yeshua (salvation) and Yaweh malak (God reigns). The salvation part is what Christian missions has historically been faithful to. Yeshua is the Hebrew version of the name Jesus which both mean "God saves". Shalom is a deep and rich Hebrew word that is difficult to translate but is much more than peace in the sense of absence of conflict. It is closer to that full and abundant life that God desires for every person in His creation. Yaweh malak or God reigns is an affirmation of the reality of the Kingdom of God. Gods' Kingdom rule is a present reality and not just a future hope. We, the church are to be about establishing God's kingdom in the world, bringing shalom to the world as well as salvation. This 2/3's of the gospel has often been neglected in missions. It is the "hole in our gospel" as described by Stearns.

We entitled our presentation on AIDS & Orphans "Shelter in the Storm". Isaiah 32 is a prophecy describing God's Kingdom. Verse 1-2 says,"See a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. Each man will be a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm". The storm in Africa is AIDS. In God's kingdom each man is to be a shelter in the storm. Missions in Africa must be about the whole gospel. How beautiful are your feet?

South Africa Trip Highlights

It was so good to sleep in my own bed last night. Especially after 3 weeks in a small bed in a hot room and our 33 hour trip back to Seattle. These last 3 weeks in South Africa have been busy and hard but incredible in so many ways. Unfortunately due to the busy schedule and shortage of access to the internet I have not been able to post regular updates on the progress of the trip over the last 2 weeks. So I will try to give you the highlights now and fill in some of the details at a later time.

Some Trip Highlights
In addition to delivery day and the church dedication in Eastern Cape I wrote about in the previous posts, here is a partial list of other trip highlights.

1. Meeting with the management committees of the community projects of Two Tunics' 9 key community based partners: These meetings were one of the key objectives of our trip. Two Tunics is committed to responding to the needs related to AIDS and poverty in a way that enables each person to fulfill God's purpose for them. We want to be about sustainable solutions that build upon local assets (people, knowledge, skills, and resources) rather than just offers short term relief. We really believe that real solutions are to be found in the local community and especially the local church (Christian people not institutions).

We have selected 9 key community projects to partner with in a more developmental, non-paternalist way that does not perpetuate unhealthy dependence. Our meetings were such a confirmation that we have selected the right projects to work with. Each of them is led by a person or two that have incredible hearts for people in their communities, especially the children. Cornelia, Thabile, Dumisani, Busi & Lindiwe, Pas, Evelyn, Bonisile, Moie, and Amos are names of some of our heroes. While we often get the thanks, these people are the ones doing the hard work of caring for the needy in their communities and sharing Christ's love on an everyday basis, with little or no support at times. We believe in these people. We are privileged to be a part of what they are doing.
Meeting with Sinothando Creche management committee.
Pas is in the center holding the child.

2. Spending the day with the Grace Church short term mission team: The South Africa mission team from Grace Church in St Louis overcame incredible adversity, and I believe attacks of the enemy, in serving God last week. After spending two nights in airport hotels in Mpls and Atalanta due to flight delays, they arrived 2 days late and without their luggage. Having their mission cut from 7 to 5 days just seems to give this team a greater urgency and determination to overcome any and all challenges as they jumped in to serve in schools, creches, churches and communities. They spent one of their precious days in South Africa with Two Tunics and God used that time to bless us all.

Grace Church has partnered with us in supporting Busi & Lindiwe and their Sunnyside Creche in Murchison. We had a great morning at the creche loving on the children (the parachute was a big hit) and making plans together for further improvements to the facility. Then Pastor Amos took the team on several home based care visits. The team got a close up look at the impact of poverty and AIDS on a few of the thousands of affected families in the area. I believe God did a work in hearts of many on the team during those few hours. The team also had a powerful time of worship and prayer with each family. Finally, the afternoon ended with a visit to Pastor Dumisani's feeding project in Gamalakhe township, which included the distribution of shoes to needy children. As always the singing of the children blessed us all. Hearts were stretched, challenged, full and overflowing at the end of the amazing day. Grace Church team visiting poor families outside the shack home.
Grace Church team distributing new shoes to children at Dumisani's feeding project.

3. Having a chance to catch up face to face with our South African friends: Robin and I loved being together again with our South African home cell group on a Thursday evening. Also spending time with dear friends like Sharon Jones, Athena and Dougie, Pauline and Simon, Ami, Pastor Trevor and Helene and so many of our friends at Norwegian church. Meeting with staff at the Genesis Care Centre over tea was special as was being able to meet with Dave at Genesis, Clement at Positive Ray, Chris at Gibela and all our Ugu AIDS Alliance partners.

Having 3 weeks to enjoy times with Debbie and her girls Rachel and Nunus was also very special. They are family to us. It was amazing how the girls had grown in just 4 months! Whether it was going to church at Norwegian's, going out to lunch, swimming and a picnic at the beach or shopping together for Rachel's birthday gift (her birthday is on Easter this year) our time with them was precious. Picnic by the beach with Debbie, Rachel and Nunus.

4. Visiting a Zulu church started by pastor Amos meeting in a shed in the Mkholombe shanty town: As we met with our community partners we began to hear stories of several strange happenings in the communities, especially involving children and the schools. Children are falling down crying in the schools, often saying they are seeing dwarf like creatures. Some schools have had to be closed for the rest of the day. The high school age daughter of one of our partners has been plagued by disturbing appearances and attacks at school. We are convinced that many of these happenings are the result of spiritual warfare. God is doing a work in this area especially through many of our community partners and God's enemy is bringing opposition. This is strange stuff to us and not in the realm of our usual experience. Pastor Amos leader of Jesus' Voice Kingdom Ministries, one of our partners, has been called out with other pastors to pray at the schools and with affected individuals. Pastor Amos has a lot of experience with these things that he says are the results of the activities of demons. Much of this is related to the traditional African religious practices of the culture.

As we met with Amos he shared with us the work God was doing through the church he had started in Mkholombe a shanty town on the outskirts of Port Shepstone. People, many who have been plagued by spiritual attacks are responding to the gospel and experiencing incredible deliverance. The church which meets in a small 3 sided shed has grown to 150 people. They have started building another larger "shed" to meet in but don't have funds for the roof. Amos asked us if we would come and visit the church on Sunday and see the new building. So Sunday after attending nearby Norwegian Settlers church in their large hall with the new even larger church building going up next door, we and our friend Athena followed Amos on the short dirt path-like road to a little shed with sounds of amazing voices singing praises coming from it. We then walked down a narrow path to the site of the new church "building". The wood poles with slats forming walls were already overgrown by tall weeds and could not be used for church meetings in this hot sun (or frequent rain showers) without a roof.

Following the sounds of praise back to the existing "church", space was made for us on the crowded benches under the shade of the roof. Dozens of others crowded around the opening of the shed in the beating sun. For the next hour we were blessed to worship, pray and share from God's word with this incredibly real, vibrant and growing church. God is using Amos in a powerful way to bring light and hope in this incredibly needy, dark and hopeless place. We are convinced that God would have us be partners in this work.

Watch this space for more details to come. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with on the day we visited Amos' church but he did have his and took some photos. I will hopefully get some from him via our South Africa office and post some soon. I also plan to give some more details about my thoughts and impressions as a result of this trip back to South Africa in future posts.

Thank God for the Gospel

It's been a few weeks since I've posted. Life has been a little crazy over the last month or so. There are many big changes taking place at Genesis and I have been asked to take over more of the day to day management of the bulk of the programs and not just manage the medical care of patients in the Genesis Care Centre. I'll give an update on all of that soon but it has been a matter of much discussion and prayer as it impacts on all that Two Tunics is doing as a ministry here in South Africa.

What I want to share today is an experience I had yesterday at the Genesis Care Centre. I had been asked to do an interview with a Dutch radio station that is recording a series of programs related to the upcoming election here in South Africa. Election day is 22 April 2009 and this will be the fourth free national elections since the end of apartheid. It is a foregone conclusion that the ANC (the party of Nelson Mandela) will win the majority, probably by a 2/3 majority, and Jacob Zuma will become the next President of South Africa. He is the one who was recently acquitted of rape but admitting having sex with the young woman who was HIV positive and said he "showered afterwards in order to help prevent getting HIV". He has also recently publicly married a young woman as his fourth wife (he's married to all 4, not divorced and remarried).

The dutch radio station is going to include a program on the issue of AIDS in their election series and was quite interested in how those working with HIV/AIDS see Jacob Zuma's impact on the issue. But I don't want to talk politics today. What I want to share is about guilt and forgiveness.

As the reporter and I toured the Genesis Care Centre he asked if he could interview on tape a couple of the patients, all of which have advanced HIV disease. We proceeded to interview 2 women and a man on the wards who were quite open and willing to talk about the impact of their disease on their lives (knowing that the interview would only be broadcast outside the country). As we were speaking with the man, I will call him Vusi although that is not his real name, the reporter asked him about how he got HIV. He said that he had been having sex with many women at the same time because in his culture, one is seen as an important man if he has many partners. He stated he now realized that that is wrong and he has committed to changing his life style and realizes he must have only one partner.

Toward the end of the interview the reporter asked Vusi if he had children. He said he had 6 children by 2 woman (I'll call them his wives although I'm not sure if he is married to either). He said his youngest son was 6 months old and was with his wife. He was asked if his son and wife were healthy. He said his son was sick with TB. The reporter then asked directly if they had been tested for HIV. Vusi said both his wife and son were positive. The reporter then said "so you have given this disease to at least 2 other people". At that point Vusi put his head down and began to cry (something not common for a Zulu man in public). He said it was "very painful".

I was surprised by the directness of the reporter's statement as it wasn't a question and had a judgemental tone to it. Vusi did not seem offended or angered by the statement but rather demonstrated true remorse. At that point I put my arm around Vusi as he sat slumped over his bed. I shared with him that we are all guilty of many wrongs. The Bible clearly states that we are all sinners and equally guilty in the eyes of God. I shared that although we are all guilty we can receive forgiveness from God, because through Jesus, God has provided a way for us to be forgiven. If we turn away from our sin, repent and receive that forgiveness through Jesus, we can experience a new life of peace with God. That does not mean that there will be no consequences of our sin but that we will not be judged by God and can forgive ourselves and others.

All of this was communicated through an interpreter who then said Vusi knew the truth of what I had said because he was a priest in his church. I am not sure of the church and most priests or pastors of the local indigenous churches are not trained and are more or less self appointed. I encouraged him to speak to Pastor Abraham, the Genesis chaplain about what we had discussed and he indicated he has been talking with Abraham.

As I was speaking to Vusi, the reporter was listening and recording the conversation. He was quiet and I wondered what he was thinking. Was he a Christian? Had he ever heard the gospel message before? How would he or another non-Christian (assuming he is not a born again believer) have dealt with Vusi's painful guilt? I would be at a loss to deal with it if it were not for the gospel. Perhaps the conversation I had with Vusi will have a greater impact on the reporter than with Vusi (who apparently has already accepted gospel forgiveness).

I thank God for the answer he has given me for the pain of guilt that I experience in my life. I cannot imagine the pain of knowing I was responsible for the suffering, illness and possible death of my 6 month old son from AIDS. But I am also thankful that I have an answer to share for the emotional pain that is part of every HIV/AIDS patient that I see. Without it I am helpless and can offer little hope. Thank God for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Amazing Day

I think this photo journal tells the story.

The Church on the Hill

Today Robin and I had the pleasure and privilege to worship at Norwegian Settler's Church. This is our regular place of worship here in South Africa and our second home church (along with Northview Bible Church in Spokane). When we came to live and serve here in the Port Shepstone area we came on our own on behalf of our small organization Two Tunics. We were not coming to join a team already on the ground and did not have a larger mission organization ready to support, guide and encourage us. We realized one of the first priorities for us needed to be to find a church and a small group for Christian fellowship. God provided for us the Norwegian Church and then a home cell group with in that church. Both have been a blessing to us.

Robin and I with some of the members of our home cell group







The Norwegian Settler's Church is just that, a church started by Norwegian settlers a little over 125 years ago. Today it is a thriving, predominately white interdenominational church. It sits on a hill with a view that in a sense captures life on the South Coast (as this part of KwaZulu-Natal is known). Toward the sea (lets call it east) the church overlooks the beach communities with their hotels, restaurants and shops that are a holiday destination for people from throughout South Africa as well as Europe and further abroad. It is in this community that Robin and I live.

Margate beach on Christmas day

Toward the south the church overlooks rolling hills of sugar cane fields where predominantly white and Indian farmers grow the historical number one cash crop for this area. Toward the north the church overlooks the industrial outskirts of Port Shepstone know as Marburg. Here textile factories, the Coke bottling plant and other light industries offers jobs at salaries that barely cover transport and food costs. This is also a residential area for many "coloreds", an official designation for a mixed race group distinct from blacks. This area is known for its violence, alcohol and drug abuse.

Toward the west the church overlooks an area known as Mkholombe, a shanty town that merges into a slowly expanding government housing area. No one knows how many people live in the sprawling shanty town but is definitely in the many thousands. In this community are the effects of extreme poverty, hunger, AIDS, drug abuse and despair. 40% of pregnant mothers in this community are HIV positive. Young children, many of them orphans roam the dirt paths between tin and mud shacks. Many sick with AIDS lie alone on dirt floors, abandoned by their families because of the stigma associated with AIDS.

Norwegian Settlers' Church sits on a hill overlooking these four communities, realities that together make up a microcosm of this South Coast region of South Africa. Most of the church's members come from the coastal and farm communities. They live, work and relax in a world of one or two of these realities. The other two are often unrealities to them as they have little or no contact with them. A few years ago Pastor Trevor Downham challenged the church regarding whether anyone would notice if the church disappeared. That challenge resulted in the formation of Genesis which today continues to provide care, support and hope to those in communities around the church affected by HIV/AIDS and poverty.

Genesis is fulfilling the desire of the church to be relevant to all of the communities surrounding it. Genesis is one of the key partners of Two Tunics and I am currently acting as the Medical Director of the Genesis Care Centre, a 40 bed HIV palliative care centre run by Genesis as a ministry of the church. Sometimes we think as we walk into our churches on Sunday morning "this is church". But I prefer to think "this is church" as I walk onto the Genesis wards this week helping to care for sick, dying and despairing people who would be without hope were it not for this church choosing to be the church to the pleasure and glory of Jesus Christ.

Redeeming the Time

Today I went to make clinical rounds at the Genesis Care Centre as I do almost every Monday. The Care Centre is a 40 bed inpatient HIV/AIDS palliative care unit that is operated by Genesis, a ministry of Norwegian Settlers Church. Each time I am there I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this work to lovingly care for patients with advanced AIDS. At the same time I am often frustrated by the fact that so many of the patients come to us with such advanced disease with very little hope of recovery. Today one of the male patients died while I was making rounds. What's frustrating is that effective HIV treatment with ARV medications is readily available in South Africa. Almost all of the patients that come to Genesis Care Centre could have avoided being in the situation if they had made the decision to seek help a year or even 6 months ago. Yet largely because of the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS they chose ignorance and denial over testing and treatment. Now often they are ready to make a different decision but the opportunity is gone. Despite good treatment many of these young men and women will die.

The Genesis Care Centre

My visit to the Care Centre brought to mind something I have been thinking a lot about during this New Year period - time. Time: a year, a day, a moment. Time: past, future, present. Time: 2008, 2009, today.

Jonathan Edwards said (in 1734) "There is nothing more precious than time and nothing of which men are more wasteful". I think he was right. Time is the most precious thing we have in life. What makes something precious is its importance together with its scarcity. Edwards describes 4 aspects of time that make it precious.

Time is important because our welfare depends on it. Our welfare in this world and more importantly our welfare for eternity. Time is short. This truth becomes more self-evident with each year I grow older. James 4:14 says "For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away". Time is uncertain. We know that time is short but we don't know how short. Will today be my last day? Time is irrecoverable. 2008 is past and the time I failed to use wisely is gone forever. My youth is gone no matter how hard I try to recover it.

As I thought about this last point I realized something else important about time. It is precious in inverse proportion to its duration.

A year is precious,
but how much more a day
and of this moment
I cannot begin to say.

If I didn't appreciate the preciousness of time in 2008, I can in 2009. And what I don't do in January I can still do in February (or probably more likely, March). If I let this morning slip by without telling my wife I loved her, I can still tell her this evening (and I better do it today). But this moment that is now gone forever cannot be recovered. It can only be redeemed. Lets commit to redeeming every moment this year, or at least today.

Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity ("redeeming the time" in KJV), because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16

A Visit to Sinothando Creche

Today's post will hopefully be a little lighter and more encouraging than the last. It will also be more of a story of our activities this day and an opportunity to hear about someone with an awfully big heart. More about that later but first a little background.

Since early this year Robin and I have been developing and implementing a Two Tunics' program to help support orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) that are being taken care of in their communities. These communities here in the Ugu District of KwaZulu-Natal are being devastated by the AIDS epidemic. 40% of women of childbearing age are HIV+ and as the epidemic matures women in their twenties and men in there thirties are dying at high rates. This is leaving thousands of children (more than 1.2 million in South Africa) without moms and providers.

Orphanages are not an approved or acceptable way to care for orphans in South Africa (as it is not in the US) and nearly all of these children are cared for in their communities by extended family or neighbors. But this often leaves the children vulnerable. Schools provide an important protection and safety net for many of these children. But for those younger pre-school children it is the neighborhood "creche" that provides this support. Many creches are started by women who have a heart to care for the children in their community. They often give sacrificially of themselves and what they have to provide a little something for the children. We have been finding these people and their projects (creches) and coming along-side them with some encouragement and support.

Today we returned to visit one of these women and her project in the township of Gamalakhe. Nomapasika (Pas for short) is a big woman with a huge heart. For about 2 and 1/2 years she has been providing daycare for up to 25-30 children in her shack of a home. Often the children's parents/guardians leave the children with her into the evening and on the weekends. Although she has little, she provides amazing care for the children. Anyone who visits is quickly aware of her love for the children and their love for her.


In the picture Pas is on the left with some of the children. This was taken a couple months ago as Robin gave her a new (used) crib for some of the many babies she cares for. The small shack in the background is the only indoor space she has to care for all of these children. When it rains (often this time of year) the yard turns to mud.



Today we went back to visit her creche to make a plan to provide her with a better facility for the creche. We hope to be able to help her build a 5x3 meter building with attached toilet and wash basin. Our friend Ian went with and has offered to act as the contractor and work with a local builder. Hopefully the work can get underway in January. We also hope to provide some playground equipment so the children have something to do during the day. As you can see in the picture on the right the kids are often quite bored.

In our work we must be very careful about coming into situations and trying to rescue or provide free easy solutions. But over a period of months we have observed Pas and the work she is doing and believe she and her project are the type deserving of Two Tunics help. We believe that our assistance will help provide loving care to many OVCs over the years. It will help Pas sustain the work of her heart to meet a growing need in her community. It is a priviledge to be a part of this work and thank you to Two Tunics donors who are making this possible.