South Africa_The Farm

What a beautiful country! We arrived after a very long flight and have been spending the last few weeks at Shikwaru, a game farm near Mokopane (in the Limpopo province, NorthEast corner of SA). We are a team of ten: Jeremy, Ashley, Kate, Andrea, Jen, Jade, Jessica, Drew, JP and myself. Half of us are Response Team leaders (a few of us in training) and the other half are Nomads or Interns.

The last few weeks, we have been training at the “farm” for our ministry as well as doing a lot of spiritual discipleship, but all that will come to an end as we head out to the Eastern Cape for a few weeks. We will be in schools in an area two hours north of Cape Town. It will be a two day drive to get there with two vehicles, one pulling a trailer. Later we will be going to the NorthEast Cape and then over to Namibia for ministry. (Yes, that is a lot of driving, pray for safe travels! However, we do have six drivers.)

Living on a game farm has been an incredible experience. The night skies are amazing! Daily seeing herds of Impala, Wildbeast, Blessbuck, Zebras, Giraffes, Warthogs and more. The rains have made everything very green. The grasses are high making it hard to see a lot of game, but not impossible.

We had a once in a lifetime experience our first weekend here when we got to help move their two Cape Buffalo (one of the big 5) from one area to another. A helicopter herded them to the fence where they darted them. Once they dropped we got to see and touch them up close. A vet checked them over (the female is with calf) and then they partially woke them up and literally pulled them across to the other fenced area. Later in the day they wanted to try and herd some Blessbuck and Impala over to a different area. We all hid in the tall grass as the helicopter herded them to a channel area between fences, then we were to close in the area like a human net, but they would not pass the fence line. However, the helicopter pilot blessed us all with rides over the farm, two at a time.

We have an official web site that will contain some video:

www.nomadsouthafrica08.blogspot.com

And now the ministry begins, we are ready…

New Web Site/Blog for a New Year

Hi friend
Welcome to my new web site and blog. I had to discontinue my web site and I really wanted to change over my blog to one that was easier to use for you and me. This is it! I also finally got my web address to work on this site...so now the address on my prayer card finally links to something!

Just a quick update on my next assignment. I will be going to South Africa for three and half months at the end of January. I will be in country for exactly 100 days. (with two days travel on both ends). Here is a link to where we will be spending our first three weeks in South Africa for a time of intensive training. http://shikwarugamelodge.co.za/home.asp. We will then be moving around the country doing ministry in the schools. Book of Hope partners with Reaching a Generation, a group of South Africans whose vision is to reach 22,000,000 children by 2015. You can check them out at http://rag.org.za/Home.asp. We will have a videographer on the trip, so there maybe opportunities to post some clips online for you to see. I will alert you to that when it happens. In the meantime, please pray for our team of 11 or 12 as we get together for the first time in a few weeks; that we will have immediate unity and chemistry. Pray for the kids that we will be reaching, our travels; both in the air and as we drive around the country, and that everyone will be healthy throughout the duration of the trip.

I am excited about what 2008 will bring so come along with me on this journey.

THANKSgiving in the UK

November 2007-- After a week in Stafford and Stoke-on-Kent, England with a Book of Hope Impact team (during the week of Thanksgiving) I’ve compiled a list of the things I am thankful for. Enjoy!

• SNOW. More specifically, seeing the joy on the face of a new Brazilian friend, Thiago as he experienced snow for the first time.
• 25 Middle-schoolers from Swan Bank Church, who now have a relationship with the Lord, including a young boy by the name of Dale.
• The primary schools who welcomed us with open arms allowing us to do a full program on anti-bullying and to go classroom to classroom to talk to them in smaller groups.
• The love, acceptance and questions of the pre-school and elementary age children.
• The Y7 RE classes (Middle School, Religious Education) that allowed us to come in and take over their class. The openness of the students and their great questions.
• For the students we met like Amie, Tom, Stephen, & Gwen; Shining lights in their schools.
• For great church workers who spend their time with these kids to help them discover truth: Sam & Amy (who also helped opened many doors for us)
• The ability to communicate with these kids without a translator (which kept us on our toes)
  


• The “Thanksgiving” spaghetti dinner provided by Swan Bank Church and our wonderful team from places like Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Brazil and Liverpool, UK to share it with…
• Our home base at UCB; their wonderful facilities and the great work that they are doing to reach Great Britain with the gospel through radio and television. And their partnership with Book of Hope.
• Our host, van driver, ministry partner extraordinare: Carl, who has a big heart for the children and youth of the UK and whose enthusiasm is contagious.

I am also very thankful for the opportunities and privilege to bring HOPE to kids all over the world and those who partner with me in this work. (those that pray, give and keep in contact). Thank You

PS. We were not allowed to take photos of the children in the schools but team photos and our afternoon in Chester can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimart4ch/

GodMan Showings to the Roma of Bulgaria

October 2007--The sun had just begun to set as we arrived in our van full of US Missionaries and Bulgarian Pastors.* There was a small crowd of children gathered around playing. We heard whip cracks as the boys send their homemade tops spinning through the parking lot. When we disembarked from the van many more people came out of their homes to see these strangers who did not speak their language but were setting up an outdoor movie screen. Part of the group interacted with the babushkas that came out to greet us, complete with head scarves, multi-print clothing and weathered faces. And another part of the group began taking photos of the children and having fun with them while the rest worked quickly to set-up the film equipment as the day faded to darkness.

Crowds gathered, from where we do not know, but they all suddenly seem to appear out of the darkness. The children sat on the ground, the ladies were seated on stools and chairs that they brought with them and the men and teens were scattered here and there standing around the outskirts of the semi-circle. There was excitement in the chilly overcast night. Cars slowed down when they passed at the curious sight. Before the night was over there were people watching from the front and back sides of the screen. As others strained to keep up with the action from their porches, windows, balconies and even roof tops.

The Americans introduced the film, the music began playing, the story began; dubbed in Bulgarian, all eyes were transfixed on the screen. We were using the Slavic version which included a live action wrap of three children who get themselves into trouble by stealing an ipod; interwoven is the animated story of Jesus. This version stresses the fatherhood of Christ, his forgiveness and doing the right thing. It is powerful and those closest to the screen are mesmerized. It is a tough crowd, the ones on the fringes are restless and talkative but they do not leave. (It is hard to expect reverence for a story many are seeing for the first time). We watched the emotions on their faces as they laugh, cry, cringe and gasp as the life of Christ unfolded before them and as they identified with the real characters in the film. Then came the best moment of all when one of the team members comes forward to give an invitation to have a relationship with Jesus. Hands shoot up all over the place from those who prayed the prayer for the first time, including those from the back who refuse to leave, even at the persistence of friends. Then they are introduced to a local pastor, needs are prayed for as others packed up the equipment.

Many disappear back into the darkness of night for their home. The children however stuck around for more love and attention; often asking for "one more photo" or to use the few English words they knew. We are told over and over that this is the first time anything like this has been done in their village; that no one has brought the community together for anything before. And yet, here they were, all together at a crossroads together watching the light of the gospel in some pretty dark places both spiritually and in the natural. Several times we came across elderly women crying with joy that their prayers have been answered with our presence, message and love for their people.

*We showed the GodMan film each night in a different Roma Village. Each had slight differences but the story above was a harmonized account of all the nights.

Photos from the trip can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimart4ch/

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
The GodMan Film: http://www.bookofhope.net/pages/page.asp?page_id=8304

ROMA PEOPLE: Also known as Gypsies, some are transient but most live in permanent housing often considered squatter communities. The Roma in Bulgaria vary in number between 370,000 (official) to possibly as many as 750,000. It is thought that they originated from Northern India migrating in 1000 AD; mostly to Eastern Europe but can be found worldwide.