Hooray! I graduated! I received a Masters from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary and shook the hand of Dr. Sunquist, pictured above with my parents, Isaac, and two amazing friends (and a daughter). What a blessing to be there in person, and to be reminded that my studies are part of something larger than me – they are a part of a larger Christian community on mission to the world. It was a joy to see that I have friends in every realm: fellow students, GCTS staff, and faculty. My parents threw a lovely party for me afterward, so I felt truly celebrated! Thank you to those of you who were able to come celebrate with me.
Back on the home front, Alberto, Margaret, and Phoebe managed very well. Phoebe continued with her schedule of going to school every day with Leigh-Anne, so her routine was uninterrupted.
What will interrupt her schedule, however, is our upcoming trip to the US in July! It’s time for her nine-appointment marathon. Also included in the marathon are some appointments for Alberto and me. We will be in the US for most of July, staying with my parents. We are scheduled to speak in Park Street Church in all services on July 14, and plan to attend the Spanish First Baptist Church’s Family Camp in PA later in July (where I will be sharing on the book of Ruth!).
While we are looking forward to being back and connecting with many of you, we are grieved over the problems at Park Street Church. It is heartbreaking to watch the church we love crumble at the seams while it literally implodes. If we, the body of Christ, cannot walk out repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation, what does that say about the message we preach? We weep when we hear about the latest resignations and the steady stream of our friends who are leaving. We continue to pray for a miracle! The emotional toll this has taken on us is considerable. We have always considered our home church to be a source of unquestionable foundational security. We no longer have that security. We continue to lift up the leaders of the church, and pray that they (and all of us) can be sensitive to the nudging of the Holy Spirit and walk in a manner worthy of our calling.
On a more positive note, Alberto has been very busy with Restorative Justice conferences in various prisons in and around Cape Town, and has been following up with the participants and their families. This is what he says: “The work in the prison is getting more and more exciting! There is not a single day in the prison when we don’t see the spirit of God moving in a powerful way. We see why Jesus tells us to go to the prisons, and to declare the good news of his salvation and healing for the wounded. The prisoners hold a special place in Jesus’ heart, and prisons are ripe for the harvest. In these past few months, we have had so many breakthroughs. We have seen leaders of the gangs humbling themselves and reconciling with one another. Being with them and seeing these breakthroughs is so encouraging! When God breaks the hearts of the leaders, this paves the way for their followers to also make good choices to change their lives by accepting Christ and renouncing their gangster lifestyle. This has immediate consequences, as there are serious repercussions for leaving the gangs.”
One such example is Cia, who moved to Cape Town at the age of 5, which marked the beginning of his criminal activity. Children are easy targets for gangs, as they are less likely to be questioned when running suspicious errands. By the time Alberto met Cia, he had been in and out of the criminal system for most of his life. But at the age of 40, he heard the message of hope we have in Christ, and took the brave step of deciding to follow Christ and turning his back on the gangs. When he is released from prison, he wants to return to his family’s home in the Eastern Cape and share his changed life with them. Please pray he can do this and the light of Christ will shine brightly through him!
A special lady (Maryann Gurney) from the Church of the Holy Nativity (my childhood church and where my parents still attend) helped make blankets for the needy. When I visited last month, the blankets were being prayed over, so I could bring them back to South Africa to distribute. The children affected by the bus crash in Tanzania were the motivation, but there are enough blankets to distribute locally to cold kids, as we are now in winter.
These kids were affected by the bus crash, in that they lost a parent. Along with many widows and widowers, they came to Cape Town for a week of debriefing and trauma counseling, and received blankets! Perfect timing, as it is cold here! (I obtained permission for all the pictures of minors in this newsletter.)
One of the projects we are involved with is the soup kitchen Deon runs out of his garage, feeding the children in his community who would otherwise go without. His motivation is Jesus, whom he loves to talk about!
Margaret and I rented bikes on my birthday! (Alberto also had a birthday recently!) Margaret just got her South African license, which is a great accomplishment, seeing how difficult the process is! She is still living with us and commuting to school, and still on the lookout for a job and accommodation closer to school. School is going well, although not as challenging as she had hoped.
Thanksgiving
* The many men who committed their lives to Jesus in recent Restorative Justice conferences.
* The people who accepted Christ and those who received Bibles during Ana and Frenchie’s outreach to Kosrae, Micronesia last month.
Prayer Points
* The men who recently gave their lives to Jesus to walk out their new calling in the face of great challenges
* God’s blessing on our upcoming trip to the US
* Guidance in our sharing both at Park Street Church and the Spanish First Baptist Church’s Family Camp
* Phoebe’s diabetic care as we travel across time zones in July
* Margaret’s safety as she stays home alone and commutes to school while we travel, and that she can find a job
* Isaac’s summer and future plans
* Healing and restoration in Park Street Church’s turmoil
* Peaceful days in South Africa as members of parliament clamber for a majority vote and choose a new president (The recent election was the first time the ANC did not win a majority in parliament.)