Good Friday

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16

Good Friday is observed on the Friday before Easter in order to commemorate Christ’s suffering and death on the cross. Many of the churches in Africa celebrate this day to remember that Jesus, who never sinned, willingly chose to die on the cross so that we could be forgiven of our sins. Then, three days later, He rose from the grave showing us that He has power over death.

I had the privilege of spending an entire day (8:30am-5:00pm) praising and worshipping God with members from five churches throughout Soweto. We listened to four different sermons from four pastors and heard testimonies from members of each church. 

We spent a lot of time worshipping through song. Stephanie, Rachel and I even joined together with some of our closest friends to sing a song.

The children enjoyed playing with each other during the breaks.

Some of the Gogo’s (grandmothers) were up all night preparing our lunch of chicken, pap, rice, cole slaw, bread, and vegetables.

Kabelo was our "usher" as we took up an offering.

Before the service was over, we all celebrated the Lord’s Supper. 

Please pray for these five churches: Faith Baptist, Lehae Baptist, Good News Baptist, Immanuel Baptist and Kliptown Baptist.

Baby Blessing

“Children are a gift from the Lord, the fruit of the womb, a reward.” – Psalm 127:3

I met Sibongile last May and have become closer friends with her these past few months. She is an amazing woman of God who has incredible strength and courage. She was pregnant when I arrived and told us every time we saw her that her baby would be born in two weeks. Finally, around 6:15 am on 29 March, she gave birth to a beautiful daughter. Her name, in English, means Blessing.

This is her story of the delivery: The doctors told her to go to the hospital when she was 40 weeks. After waiting almost all day, they told her to come back a few days later, and they would induce labor if the baby did not come on her own. She arrived at the hospital early on the 28th. However, visiting hours are only between 2-4pm, which meant that her husband, Lebo, could not stay with her. The only way he could be with her during the delivery is if she went into labor during that time. We picked Lebo up and took him to the hospital at 2pm. We were able to see Sibongile and walk around with her until 4pm when they rang a bell that told us visiting hours were over. We all left wondering when she would go into labor. After waiting all night, the baby was finally ready to come. The only problem was that the midwives were enjoying a cup of tea in another room. Sibongile called for them to tell them it was time, but they didn’t seem to believe her. They finally came running into Sibongile’s room when they heard the baby crying! So, Sibongile ended up delivering her baby alone. Praise God that she delivered a healthy baby with no problems.

Pray for Sibongile and Lebo as they now take care of two children. 

Holiday

“My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” – Exodus 33:14

My normal routine has changed slightly these past two weeks because the schools have been on holiday. Our friend, Brenda, works for a home-based care organization designed to serve and help individuals with HIV/AIDS as well as orphans. We had the opportunity to spend a day with her to visit a few orphans suffering from HIV and an older man suffering from AIDS. Chelsea, one of the FUGE volunteers donated money to help buy them groceries. We were told that there are over 500 orphans in this one area, and the government can only afford to feed 100 of them every month. It is heartbreaking to see the conditions in which they live and really makes me even more thankful for what I have been blessed with. Pray that God will continue to provide for these children and make His presence know throughout this community.

Last week, our whole cluster met together for a large meeting. It was encouraging to hear how God was working in South Africa, Swaziland and Madagascar. It’s amazing that no matter where you live in the world, we all have the ability to worship the same God. First Baptist Church, Orlando led worship all week and reminded us of the personal God we serve who is continually active in each of our lives. After the meeting, I was able to accompany a small group from the church on a tour of Soweto. I learned this week about the Door of Hope. There is a drop off spot in Johannesburg for mothers to take their babies if they don’t feel like they can or want to take care of them. By dropping them off at this church, they can be sure that someone will take care of their child. There is no place like this in Soweto, so some mothers have decided that there is no other way out except by tossing their babies into a river. The picture below is of the Klip River where many of these babies are thrown. Pray for a location and funds to build a Door of Hope in Soweto. Pray for the young women who feel like their best option is to watch their own children drown in a river because they have no hope. 

It’s very easy to get discouraged when you’re around so much sadness and despair. So, sometimes it’s good to get away to refocus your attention back on God. Stephanie, Zach and I all took a day trip to the Magaliesburg Mountains where we hiked through rocks and hills for a few hours. 

Then Rachel and I took a three day vacation to a Bed and Breakfast in a nature reserve. We were able to see Zebras, Kudu and Wilderbeast as we hiked through the trails. Most of our time, though, was spent sitting by the river talking, reading and just relaxing. It’s important that we take time to praise God for time to be still in His presence and find rest in Him alone.