Coming Full Circle in Russia

As a child I would pull out the maps of National Geographic and study them for hours. Every time I saw a movie about Africa or stories of Russia my heart yearned to go to these places. I could never explain it but the travel bug has always been there. I’ve spent 9 months of the last two years in Southern Africa and just recently had the opportunity to travel to Russia.


Hamming it up for the camera at New Testament church in Perm, Russia

Russia was not at all what I expected. It was not the country I had heard so many stories about during the communist eras. It has changed. Yes it is true that there are still Lenin statues everywhere and in villages people still live the way they have for the last century without many common amenities. But the people of the cities are modern, professional, well-dressed, and very good at what they do. (Although since the previous place I visited was Haiti, the contrasts were probably more overt). As I sat in a food court in a bright and cheery Russian mall connected to wi-fi and eating a wrap from a Southern Fried Chicken place I was able to reflect on much of this and the fascination with Russia which really started for me more than twenty years ago in Belgium.

Living in Europe and working for an international organization brought a lot of people across my path. Several of those were Russian pastors. One in particular was a very young pastor who came to take a few classes at the Bible school. It was the late 80s and things had not yet opened up beyond the Berlin Wall, but the door was beginning to crack. I remember teaching Sunday school one weekend while this pastor visited the classrooms. He was amazed that children so young could be taught the gospel because it was illegal to teach their children about Jesus in those days. Fast forward twenty-one years later and I am the one visiting Russian Sunday school classes in a very large church in Perm. What I saw was a very vibrant ministry to the kids taking place, it definitely touched my heart.


Russian kids having a blast singing worship songs at New Testament church in Perm.

I remember thinking as I packed my Bible in my suitcase that this was no longer an illegal book…I could take it in legally. I later held in my hands a legal Russian Bible copyrighted in the early 90s and the many different versions of the Russian Book of Hope; many of which started so many churches and changed countless children’s lives. Our purpose in Russia this trip was to film several recent testimonies, while we were filming children and their current stories I was amazed by all the adults that we met that had been transformed by the Book of Hope in the early 90s and were now working feverishly to do the same for the current generation.

In grad school I wrote a training manual for teaching magazine design and photography specifically for Eastern Europe but never had the chance to use it, until now. Our OneHope Russian office held a photo contest just recently using many of the themes from the Book of Hope for a new edition they have been working on. Many unchurched young people participated. We arrived just in time to see the finalists and the awards ceremony. A week later I was able to teach a photography class to many of these individuals. A couple of things stood out: 1. I was able to give my testimony halfway through as it relates to my photography work and 2. a girl approached me about one of my photos, it was the one of the boy with his eyes closed and hands raised from South Africa (posted several entries back) she wanted to know what he was doing and why he had that expression. It was a joy explaining it to her.

So many things came full circle on this trip to Russia; my curiosity of Russian culture, seeing the children being impacted in a positive way and my photography. I originally studied photojournalism because of a word I received in Belgium about my camera opening doors that the title of missionary might not be able to and here I was teaching teens and young adults that wouldn’t come to hear a missionary speak but were very interested in the words of a photojournalist.

As you can probably pick-up from the article above I feel like I am just now starting my real calling. As a missionary, it is a fact that I need your continued support and partnership to continue making an impact. But, I never dreamed as a photographer I could really touch others until now! I am currently raising more funds to stay-on another year. Please consider giving. Send a check to OneHope, 600 SW 3rd St, Pompano Beach, FL 33060. Please use “Clark” in the memo line. Or you can give online at http://www.onehope.net/pages/page.asp?page_id=68958 Thank you for giving, praying and writing…

Pay it Forward

Bolosse, Port-au-Prince, Haiti--The morning light was peaking over the tops of the buildings and down the cramped garbage strewn streets. Morning commerce especially the food vendors were off to an early start while the others were just setting up. Children in all different colors of uniforms were walking to school. Girls in yellow and grey uniforms walking one way, boys in green walking another direction, red checked, pink, and blue...children, parents, young ones, middle ones, and teens. The young girls all wearing over sized bows in their hair, the boys were in shorts. The day just starting to heat up in temperature and activity. It was a typical morning in the capital city.

We arrived in Haiti on a Monday and left on a Wednesday. Our job was to film and photograph a milestone event for OneHope...the distribution of our 600 millionth book. We were roaming the streets of one of the more difficult areas of town gathering footage and photos to tell our story. If we had been there at night the above scene would have been very different and safety would have been a huge concern.

Wednesday morning we pull up to the chosen school. It was a peaceful place on a hillside walled off from the slums below. However, it wasn't always so peaceful. Three years back for a period of two months the school found itself under demonic attack. Everyday a different child would manifest this evil: shouting obscenities, and words of violence and destruction. The message was loud and clear: that Satan meant to steal, kill and destroy the children of this nation. However the adults came together and fasted and prayed and things began to change. The children of the school are now a shining example of transformation. A young lady by the the name of Ruth Sara received the 600 millionth book. She was a bright and articulate 13 year old who wanted to be a Doctor, Lawyer and a Diplomat. She was so appreciative to be given this honor.

Onehope was founded twenty-two years ago when Bob Hoskins, had a vision of children and youth being destroyed by violence, disease, poverty and the evils of this world. Here we were in a place that embodied all of those things in such a visible way handing out the 600 millionth book world wide, knowing full well much had been done (600,000,000 is a big number and we have so many testimonies of transformation) but much more is still to be done as it is estimated that there are 2 billion children in the world.

Something I learned in Haiti this time around is that the people here are survivors. They know how to survive with nothing. True believers know how to combat the wiles of the devil. Prayer and the word of God in Haiti is a sharp sword. There are points of bright light shining in the darkness here. We realized that if God can transform this school in Haiti, he can transform the rest of the nation and the world. OneHope's goal is to reach every single child in the world with the Word. There is an ambitious plan in place and if we continue to tell the stories like the one of Ruth Sara's school in Haiti, hope will not be lost especially for Haiti and many more will be saved.

A Place Beyond Words

Haiti--a place that I'm not sure I can adequately describe in words. The reports you hear about poverty and corruption are true but it's not until you travel the roads that you understand to what extent. It was an adventure from the very beginning...

Four of us flew into the the coastal city of Cap Haitian on a 5-seater prop plane run by Missionary Flights International, a 4-hour flight from South Florida by way of the Bahamas for refueling. Our final destination was Pignon in the mountains. In miles it is only 39 but you do not measure distance in miles there but rather hours. It was a four-hour trip up the mountain on roads only a 4-wheel drive truck could traverse. Roads that easily produced two flat tires, a sparking battery from being knocked loose and a broken axle during our few weeks there. But miraculously there was always someone near to help with the situation.

We taught English in the morning and showed our "GodMan" film in the afternoons or evenings. It was hot and we lived without so many of the things we take for granted on a daily basis like running water, and electricity. We were staying in a facility that had hosted many Americans before us as was evident by the things they had left behind (liquid soap, hand sanitizer, screens on the windows etc..) Reality set in pretty quickly when my translator asked me to teach the kids the phrase, "I am hungry". They would beg everyday for money, food, candy, even the three sips of water I had left in my water bottle on the last day. I felt so ill-prepared with monetary things. Since we took a charter flight our cargo weight was extremely limited so we came with only the bare necessities. I honestly felt like Peter when he tells the people in Acts 3:6 "silver and gold I have none but what I do have I give you in the name of Jesus" So, we gave them the hope found in the Word.

I had the elementary students who knew very little English. Fortunately, Creole has so many French words in it that I knew most of their vocabulary words and the few I did not know they taught me the Creole equivalent. Every lesson had a devotional and object lesson component to it. And then I taught them English words and phrases from their everyday life. At the end I gave a quiz. I wanted to know more about their life. The average students had eight siblings, they ate things like rice, chicken, goat, mango, pineapple, and avocado when they could get it. Going to the well to get water is an everyday chore as well as to the river to wash. One student named Kyle said if given the opportunity he would keep going to school to learn how to fix the roads and help his family.

Showing a film was a real treat as the only form of entertainment came by way of radio. We would drive to some very remote areas, set-up our equipment and the next thing we knew there would be a crowd. The response was priceless. We had 16 showings on hillsides, valleys and fields, in clinics, churches and schools. Approximately 2700 kids and adults came out to see the life of Jesus and the power he has to forgive and roughly 400 responded.

I experienced the power of prayer in a place where spiritual warfare is a daily battle. I observed the church and the battles they face outside and within with superstition and voodoo. I still struggle to grasp the desperation that lives there, to understand the hopelessness and daily struggle for survival. And yet I know there are those making a stand. I pray for their success.

I will have another opportunity to learn more as I return in a few weeks for a milestone distribution in the Port-au-Prince area. Pray for safety and the message that we bring.

Culture Shift

I said to this little guy, "Que es?" (What is it) and in the cutest little voice responds, "Libro de Vida" (Book of Life)

What do you call it when you are sitting in a very Latin Church service in Honduras but your mind is thousands of miles away thinking about the very African service you were in just a few weeks before? Or you are ordering food for the group in Spanish but a few words of French keep popping out of your mouth because your next French speaking destination is already in your thoughts. Then you come back to America and wonder, “What side of the road should I be driving on?”, “Where is my plug converter?” or you have a moment of panic because you can’t find your passport only to realize you no longer need these things and you’d better be on the right or else. It’s not really culture shock because all these places are familiar but the more I think about it I realize it’s more of a culture shift. Traveling from one place to another can be exciting but it also carries with it constant change, adjustments, language and protocols.

I returned from a three-month stay in South Africa the end of May, and you know, some places just make such an indelible mark on your life that take a while to readjust. I can’t complain since I chose this life, but there are days that make one wonder, where I am I today? I recently spent 10-days in Honduras with a large team and ministry was great but the whole time I could not shake Africa from my very being. Which leads me to wonder what is it that has captured me so? It’s true; nine of the last 18-months have been spent in Southern African countries. Is it the relationships? The beauty in the landscape and wildlife? The freedom and ease in bringing the gospel? I don’t know. But what I do know is that I am thankful for these opportunities and while it isn’t always easy especially in the transition times between culture shifts it is a road that I’ve been called to travel. I’m also thankful that I have supporters like you that travel with me in your prayers, giving and words of encouragement…keep them coming.

This image from a primary school in CapeTown South Africa gets me everytime. The school only went up to 3rd grade but as the principal told us the young ones knew first-hand about violence and rape and drugs already. This is why I continue...to break the cycle, to make a differance.

Next: Onto Pignon, Haiti July 21-Aug 6th

More Photos @: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimart4ch/ and http://www.facebook.com/kimart4ch

April Days in South Africa

For my friends not on Facebook: here is a running commentary on the kinds of things I comment on which pretty much sums up my days since I last wrote. A couple of things to note: Betty Lou is a beat up VW van that should have been retired a long time ago, the Grannies are a OneHope 10-day team that is an annual event to South Africa made-up of Grandmothers, the Nomads are OneHope’s three-month ministry internship team and if you can’t tell, I live on a game farm and my current assignment has me taking lots of photos and doing quite a bit of writing—but I manage to get in a little bit of ministry now and again.

Lizzy praying with the kids that live on the farm after a teaching on the true meaning of Easter.

April 8, 2009 ...hanging out with the Nomads.
April 11, 2009 ...woke up to the sound of monkeys on the roof. (tin roof, 6 am, Sat. morning)
April 12, 2009 ...Happy Easter ...a service and dinner on the farm and then drove to the Jo'berg airport to pick-up some friends. There where monkey prints on the car!
April 13, 2009 ...praying for the situation in Thailand and friends who are there.
April 14, 2009 ...finishing up my photo project. OneHope teams media internship project is next...
April 16, 2009 ...said goodbye to the Nomads today. The grannies come tomorrow. But for me its writing, writing, writing...and watching the horses, kids, dogs and monkeys out the window.
April 18, 2009...Betty Lou, you make me blue...broke down at a toll booth...thank God for His protection and 24 hour mechanics.
April 19, 2009 ...tin shack church in the middle of a corn field. God showed up and so did a lot of people.
April 19, 2009 ...the sound of children praying never gets old...in any language.
April 23. 2009 ...South African elections today...pray all goes peaceably...
April 23, 2009 ...last night was quite cool (winters coming) and dark but I sure could hear the wildebeest snorting in the back field...I finally got to see the baby giraffe...still writing, writing, writing, we have our first media interns...
April 25, 2009 ...is extending my stay in South Africa another month...and driving the Grannies around this weekend.
April 27, 2009 ...learned two new things yesterday...where to park an oversized vehicle with a trailer at the Johannesburg airport and where to check the oil in a Toyota Quantum (under the passenger seat).
April 28, 2009 ...being stocked by a Gemsbock (pronounced Hemsbuck as known as an Oryx) & a family of Warthogs every time I go for a walk...

Giraffe family at the farm....look at the baby!

Photos: www.flickr.com/photos/kimart4ch/

"The Learners are All Right"

South Africa--It was a full school assembly and the teacher chants to the crowd, "What's wrong with the learners", the students chant back, "The learners are all right". He then chants, "What's wrong with the teachers?", they answer, "The teachers are all right". Then he says, "What's wrong with the guests", they answer, "The guests are all right". (It's a good thing because I was one of them).

The morning started off by attending staff prayer and then we proceed to a full presentation about how the Book of Hope has effected their lives. Learners read from the book, sing, dance and recite original poems. My favorite was entitled, "I am a book of hope". This was truly a school that had embraced the message of hope!

But were these learners all right? It was a black township school with a village of shacks where the illegals lived on the outskirts; joblessness greatly effecting the community. There were six confirmed cases of HIV in this primary school of 783 as well as several orphans and rape victims. Kids trudging to school through thick mud, a constant fear of fire because when one house goes so does the whole block. Life is not easy in a township, but at this school they knew who brought hope. At this school the learners are all right, at this school the teachers are all right, at this school the principal is all right...but what about the rest of the schools? Not everyone is all right...

I've just returned from a whirlwind photo tour of South Africa in effort to see where transformation is taking place through the ministry of OneHope (our new name). I've attended Life Orientation classes in Rustenburg and Welkom in the middle of the country, interviewed students on the southern coastal towns of George and Mossel Bay, and followed an evangelist around some rough schools in Cape Town. It was a joy to see students using the Book of Hope as well as a companion book created for Southern Africa called I-Matter. These scripture based books are being integrated into the classrooms to help teach good moral values as well as addressing some of the issues that face South Africans today. I got to speak to many classes as well as address whole schools. I spoke with small groups of kids even leading a few to the Lord and praying with several for various needs. All of them seemed pretty hopeful about their future.

I learned much about the educational system in South Africa and while I do not want to bring criticism or judgement there is a great disparity. Some of these learners are all right but not all of them. Which is why we work so hard to bring transformation everywhere we go, through every open door possible.

Pray for South Africa. Elections are April 22nd and much could be determined for the future of this country and even continent. The world economic situation effects the poor more that you could imagine.


Photos posted at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimart4ch/
Check often as many more will be posted in the coming weeks.