Time in the US of A

By Deo

Dear friends,

WOW; It already feels like i left the US long time ago. I guess this is because i have had to travel to Cape Town and now finally to Uganda with less time to rest and process in between. I arrived here to a warmer Kampala in Uganda compared to a wintery Cape Town where it was really rainy and cold. Today i want to spend some time here processing my fundraising trip to the US telling what that meant to me. And also to thank people that i saw and those i was unable to see but talked to over the phone or via email for their time and care. Thank you to you all. I’m thankful to all those who had me for an overnight or for just a meal at your place, restaurant, those that i went running, rock climbing and played soccer with, whose ministry we visited, your hearts are beautiful. Thank you. Thank you for listening to my story weaved in our Africa ministry story and the vision of God. Thank you for asking questions and for being present to hear and listen to the answers.

Fundraising; Here is what my fundraising process this time looked like. Well, first of all i can’t be thankful enough to people who took the efforts to come over whenever we invited them those who knew me or Ben and Alicia, or those who really didn’t know anything about us but still were happy to meet and listen to our story. It would have been practically impassible without you. I know how much tight everything was/is with time, work, family and a lot more commitments, but still a lot people where available amidst all that. Thank you. I was very nervous as to what that would turn out to be. I am very proud of our Nexus Africa story, and with that i was very determined to share with whoever cared to listen. Short as the time turned out to be, we were able to meet a few people that were willing to listen and showed interest in ministry that we are part of. More confidence was gained when it was realized that chords of personal and ministry friendships were being strengthened with old friends and seeds were planted with new people. Fundraising [in my mind] is inviting people to give resources needed to run ministry but also tending to the human need for community, relationships and friendships through which we are being invited to be part of when we participate. Because of this Nexus Africa story Ben and me were invited to tell more of it at fairview chapel up in Boulder Colorado. I am very thankful that i was received with open arms by you the people and church in America (I now sound like Paul the Apostle).

Our Story; I like to think about fundraising as a facilitator of story telling, we tell the story about the ministry we are engaged in to people and invite them to participate in this story through their response. Through prayers, giving and going, one becomes part of this story. As we tell this story we are announcing our vision and inviting you into our mission and vision. Its crucial to announce these because they are very essential to a life of people of God. Without vision people perish, and without mission there is loss of direction.Through telling this story, we are bringing together people who have the resources and those who need to put them to the service of others, there by weaving into a larger story network. Henri Nouwen said this announcement of vision and mission is necessary because by so doing we proclaim what we believe and in this process we offer other people the opportunity to participate in this mission and vision. After all, its not exclusively ‘my’ story but ‘our’ story, we are in this together.

Uganda; I will continue to be part of this larger story here in Uganda for the next few weeks engaging and participating in youth leadership and ministry at Light the World church on a weekly basis observing, guiding and advising. I am also blessed to attend and witness one of our Nexus Africa member (Florence) get married during this time of my stay as this was one of her wishes. I will try to find Dylan while here and my first meeting with the Lawyers for legal advice is on this morning. Prayers are needed here for all these.

Kenya; Hopefully we will be going to Kenya to meet with the leaders there so as to start on the journey of our next step in Nexus Africa leadership which is training them in spiritual formation, relational ministry and holistic development.

Please continue to pray with us as we tread this path for the next few months and I will report back on that as well.

Many thanks and blessings for you.

Deo

To donate, please go to; www.nexusdonations.com

Recent Developments

By Ben.

There will be a lot more coming soon, but to update you quickly:

- Deo was with us in Colorado for a few weeks of fundriasing, community with Nexus staff and visiting with friends.

- He headed back to Cape Town last week, and is now in Uganda for 2 1/2 months of Nexus ministry, being with family, and going to school. (He’ll update you more on this once jet lag has worn off a bit.)

- In June, I am hoping to join Deo in Uganda and then head to Kenya to follow up on some exciting ministry opportunities.

Much more to come.  Soon.

Seeds.

It feels like the last almost two weeks here have flown by, but as I look back I see that our time here has been so rich and so full that I can’t believe that we’ve been here for only two weeks. Our time here feels like only a few days and like a couple of months all at once. In all, it has been a joy to get to be here in this city that has become a home for us.

As we have caught up with old friends and followed up with ministries we used to be a part of, Jesus’ Parable of the Sower has come to mind often. We were honored to have God use us to plant some seeds here when we lived here full time, and on this trip we have had the privilege to feel the joy of seeing that some of the seeds have taken root and grown into beautiful plants, and feel the heartbreak of some seeds that, from our limited vantage point, seem to have withered or not taken root at all yet.

Our time back at the 6th Avenue Squatter’s Camp has been a good example of this. Our hearts have broken to see some of the children who we’d invested so much in drop out of school, to see that the living conditions and rampant drug use have not changed at all since we lft, and to see some of the youth we’ve walked with start using and probably get involved with gangs; to hear of the people who we used to talk with there who have passed away from drug overdoses or substance abuse related diseases. But our sorrow has been matched, even diminished a bit, at our joy at seeing Nathaniel continue in school and become a kind youth who Ezra simply loved and thought was so funny; to hear that Jeremiah (whose TV watching caused him to ask me about all of the swordfights happening in America) has flourished in high school, excelling in choir and even getting a leading part in the school musical; to hear that Sister Rebecca has finally found a good church where she feels welcome and accepted in the community; to hear that several kids, who I was frankly afraid to ask how they are doing, have overcome very hard circumstances to continue to learn and grow and mature; I could go on and on.

While there is still pain at the realities of the squatter’s camp, my hope that Jesus is at work there and that some of the children there will grow up to be His disciples who make their community a better, more loving, more safe plac- this hope in me remains and is even growing.

There are many other people and places that have encouraged us and given us hope, and I look forward to telling these stories soon. We have four full days left here in Cape Town and are excited about the ministry and times of connection that are still ahead of us.

Awesome Time Again!

by alicia

Hello friends!

I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to be back in South Africa again! (Well, maybe I can…it’s really wonderful!) Before we came I hadn’t allowed myself to truly feel how much I had missed the people here, but now that we are back I realize just how badly I missed my friends. I cry each time I make a phone call and hear a friend’s voice- I am so happy to hear them again. It’s like a dream becoming reality- a bit surreal and very familiar.

What might be one of my favorite parts of our time here may have already happened. Yesterday, our first full day in Cape Town, our friend and co-worker Deo called and asked if I would be able to provide some training regarding our Awesome Time literacy program. When we left South Africa all of our resources and materials were left in Deo’s care until he could find a good home for them- and with incredibly fortuitous timing, he did!

Active Schools Initiative is a German organization working in primary schools in South Africa, coming alongside the teachers and staff to supplement with enrichment programs that happen both during school hours and extra-curricularly. Deo had been talking with one of their coordinators and realized the Awesome Time resources could be put to good use by them. They agreed, and even decided to use the books as a foundation to start a library and an after-school literacy program at a school in Guguletu.

Deo had been trying to find a time to meet with the coordinator and her staff to provide some training about the materials, but things kept coming up and the training kept being rescheduled. Then, in a perfect storm- or perhaps a miracle- I arrived, the coordinator and her staff could meet (including a primary school teacher from Germany who will be spending a year volunteering at the school and had just arrived a few days before), my sister-in-law emailed me all of my training materials and information from my computer in the States, and I was spending my first day in South Africa training people how to use all the resources and materials and providing some understanding about running a literacy program, specifically in a cross-cultural context.

My eyes kept filling with tears. Seeing all the books and materials reminded me of so many happy hours- and some stressful ones too!- spent at the quatter’s camp with kids. Hours spent providing a safe place for them to be, where they would receive words of encouragement and praise, gentle and kind physical affection, and the skill of reading which would serve them over a lifetime. Seeing all of the materials which many of you bought and sent to us being used for the very purpose they were sent for.

It made me happy to see all of the resources being put to good use. It made me happy to be giving all of the materials and manuals I’d spent time developing to someone who will use them. What gave me the most peace and joy, though, was to see the organization and the volunteers working at this local school. They had vision and energy. They were excited to be starting the library. They cared about the kids in Guguletu the way I care about the kids in Kensington. I am so grateful for the work they are doing and it was a blessing to be with them and share a little bit of my knowledge with them.

Landed In Cape Town

We’ve arrived in Cape Town with much to be thankful for:

- We had a wonderful time with my family in England.

- Ezra did fabulously on the plane trips between Denver and here. The little guy is truly a champ and has dealt with all of the change very well.

- We’ve already gotten to be part of some very exciting ministry here and have a full, rich 2 1/2 weeks here. All the details are falling into place.

- Tomorrow, we get to go back to 6th Ave (the focus of our ministry here when we lived here) and see all of our old friends, and all of the kids there that we have grown to love.

- I am thankful to be traveling with Alicia and Ezra. Having them with me is so much better than going it alone, as I usually do.

- We are grateful for the opportunity to be back here in this beautiful city with our dear friends. We are grateful to be able to continue to share the hope and love of Jesus here. Thank you for helping make this possible.

- God has provided amazingly for this trip. We’ve been able to cover all of our expenses if getting here and our stay here. Since my last post, more funds have come in to support our ministry expenses here in Cape Town, leaving us just a little short of our goal. Thank you for believing.

All Headed to South Africa!

In the picture: us with our closest friends on our last night living in South Africa. Ezra will easily be three times his size upon his return.

On February 8th, Alicia, Ezra and I will be heading back to Cape Town, South Africa for three weeks full of ministry and reconnecting with the country where we lived for 3 years and the people there who we love so much. While there we’ll be leading a small marriage conference for married people in ministry, a time of spiritual reflection for the group of young adults from our church in Kensington, and a training time for a group of youth leaders we’ve been mentoring since 2009. We will also get to reconnect with our dear friends from the 6th Avenue Squatter’s Camp, Wingfield Primary School, Cornerstone Christian College and the other parts of our lives there.

We’ll be updating here as often as we can and will be adding more in-depth information on the trip and prayer requests soon.

For now, our top 3 prayer requests would be:

Ezra’s Health and Sleep Please pray that Ezra doesn’t get sick between now and when we arrive in Cape Town (and beyond, of course!) and that he is able to sleep on the flights and adjust quickly to the 9 hour time difference.

Logistics A lot of the loose ends of our time in Cape Town are falling into place. Please pray that the rest of the details for the retreats we’re leading and meeting we’ll be having etc will come together before we leave, as well as all of the details we need to attend to (like packing) for the trip.

Financial Support We’re grateful to say that God has provided the funds for our flights and some of the other expenses of our trip. We are still hoping for more funds to come in for the ministry related expenses of the trip- the retreats we’ll be leading, the meals we’ll share with people etc. Please pray with us. If you’d like to contribute to this trip, you can do so at www.nexusdonations.com

Thank you for making this trip possible. We are excited to see what God is going to do in, through and around the three of us while we’re in Cape Town.

Like One Who Has Stayed Overlong in the Forest

That is maybe a bit like how I would describe how I feel after spending over twenty hours on a plane. That is also how Daniel, a friend who lives in the Kibera slum that Deo and I try to visit whenever we are in Nairobi, described how I looked in my 2002 drivers license photo. We had a great time with Daniel on our last day in Kenya. But I’m getting ahead of myself…

Unfortunately the screen on my phone broke and I wasn’t able to update here again while abroad and I am still try to figure out how to upload the pictures from the trip. I am back in Denver now and slowly but surely recovering from jet lag and beginning to reflect on the time and Kenya and enjoying being reunited with Alicia and Ezra. The last two days in Nairobi were eventful, eye-opening days that I’ll give a brief overview here, and then hopefully start adding details, pictures and exciting news of the next Nexus trip early next week.

When we last chatted, Deo and I were on our way to visit Mathare, the slum where Moses and Jamie serve and minister. Mathare is one of the most intense and challenging communities I have visited. The poverty, population density, lack of sanitation and other indicators of human misery are simply staggering here. Yet, the people Moses introduced us to and their friendliness and openness and dedication to try to survive, as well as the children from Mathare who sang and danced with such joy and energy at the Inspiration Center’s Sunday morning church service, as well as Moses and his team of volunteers obvious love for the children and youth of Mathare and their clear skill and innovation in reaching out to them with the love of Jesus- these things helped me to leave Mathare with a sense of hope.

There are details of our time there that should be shared, but time and my jet lagged mind will not allow that to heppen today I expect. But my general impressions while in Mathare are similar to our reflections in 2006 after our first trip to South Africa and Swaziland:

1. Africa is hurting, and it is painful to for me to see so personally this pain and see that it is human beings just like me who are living in this hurt.

2. But I believe Africa is going to make it. As I see the pain, I also see extraordinary people who are capably, passionately, boldly, and lovingly working to make Africa look more like the Kingdom of Heaven and to share Jesus love with all they come into contact with.

3. And I want to be involved. I want to be a part of what is happening in this place- not as some savior with all the answers, but as one who walks with those who are hurting and with those African leaders who are, over and over again, reassuring me that this continent, with all of its hurt and struggle, is in good hands.

Before we left on Sunday night, Deo and I wanted to go see our friend Daniel, who lives in the Kibera slum. This was my fourth time to visit Daniel and with each visit our friendship deepens and we are able to connect better and share more. This is multiplied with Deo, who was visiting Daniel for the 10th time since happening across his path in 2005.

On this visit, we cahught up on how our families are (family is a big, big deal in Africa) and joked about long hair, which men simply do not have in Kenyan culture. This is when the drivers license picture emerged. Daniel also said it was threatening. As we sat in Daniel’s home and then went to share a meal together, I got the sense that a true friendship is continuing to grow with Daniel.

But more than anything, I was struck with how important Deo’s friendship is to Daniel. While at his house, Daniel showed a a journal that he kept of Deo’s visits. Nothing else was written in this book other than a detailed record of when Deo came, what they did and who came with him (including Bill, Jeff, Josh, Carlee, Kathleen, Carly and I) and where they were from. This really touched me and made me proud and grateful to be able to serve in Nexus alongside Deo, who loves so wisely and so well.

In 2009, Deo helped Daniel start a second hand clothing business that continues to provide an income for him. I was glad to hear that.

In all, this trip was a success in terms of accomplishing our mission training, encouraging and coming alongside African leaders. But on a personal level, this trip was a massive encouragement to me in affirming what Deo and I get to do and be about in Africa. Our goal of caring for those who care is a worthy one, one that I am honored pursue.