This morning started out so well. Though I got up at 6:30am to go to take my car to Key Pinetown, the Saab dealer nearby, I was altogether refreshed and not feeling like I should at that time in the morning. We found the place easily enough and the car made it there without any serious complaints. I was even more heartened when I spoke to the mechanic about the symptoms I had noticed on the car, particularly the scraping over speed bumps. He said it was almost certainly the little protective flap that was drooping down and that they used to get hundreds of calls when still selling the Saab 900 from people worrying that their new car was already falling apart. So the oil leak and the scraping noise were probably not related, which increased the odds that the oil leak was something quite minor. I went into the office hopeful of a happy outcome to the day.
Then it came - the phone call. Things were more serious than I had suspected and I was actually right when I guessed at the oil leaking from the transmission (the bits that turn the engine drive into power at the wheels through the gears). Though there was some oil leakage from a few minor seals on the engine, the leak I was spotting was the one that was allowing oil out of the join between the gearbox and the engine - about the next most crucial place after the engine itself! The mechanic had quickly located that oil was coming from there in little drips, but after removing the dust cover he could see a bunch of sealant over the manifold - something that's not supposed to be there! Removing it to see the condition of the actual parts underneath a whole lot more oil came out and confirmed something was serious wrong in there. What he found was that some parts were definitely broken, and some are more than likely broken also and the cause of it all (though it's impossible to tell the exact extent of the problem until 3 hours or so into dismantling the entire transmission). Worse still is that oil has leaked into the clutch, which does explain an odd thing that happened to me only a couple of times in the first seconds after starting the car when the clutch just 'bit' suddenly. There's a few hoses in not so good condition (what makes the slightly odd noise at certain turbo pressures) and another couple of minor things, but the whole thing is set to cost me.... wait for it.... R14,000, or £1,000 to repair! Suddenly that R5,000 discount doesn't seem so significant, but boy am I glad I got that at least!
So as you can imagine that was pretty hard news to take - particularly as I don't have that sort of money just cosily lining a savings account or something. I wondered, "Did I make a mistake? Was I presumptuous? Was I seduced by a plush car and now am paying the price for my vain ways? What was the cause of this bad thing happening to me? Where was my part in it?" But the more and more I searched I could find no to why I personally should be on the receiving end of this - my conscience was clear.
It's always tricky in such situations because it's very easy to doubt both your recollections and your honesty with yourself about your motives. But my Bible tells me that one's own conscience can be a credible witness about one's own motives. Paul could write:
"For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you." (2 Corinthians 1:12)
He is seemingly quite happy to give the "testimony of conscience" as admissible evidence, and so with me also I found that all the evidence pointed to me doing nothing wrong (in this case!). I looked at all my motives and could not but come to the conclusion that I didn't act out of greed or vanity or arrogance, but actually frequently laid my ambitions before God and submitted myself to His guidance. So the question remains - why does something like this happen to me when I've given up home and comfort to obey God, and when I've humbly asked for His direction and wisdom to help me on a good path ahead?
On a human level someone has obviously stitched me up good! It could be the dealer I bought it from - seeing they'd landed a duff car they had their mechanic patch it up well enough to get it through a test drive and the Roadworthy (kinda like MOT in SA) test, and then shift it to someone unsuspecting. However it could well have been a previous owner - landed with a hefty repair bill he decided to patch it up and take it to a dealer for part exchange or something similar. Certainly the dealer I bought it from will have cars pass through their hands all the time and won't know the ins and outs of every vehicle they sell. In any case all cars sold at this dealership (and most like it - at the low end of the market) sell cars "as is", i.e. no warranty, because they're all going to have something not quite right. Whoever it was, making them legally liable would be a long process and in this case almost certainly unsucessful as it could have been done by a number of people at a number of times. So I'm stuck with the short end of the stick. God knows whodunnit though - a holy God who hates deception and unequal balances.
But every Christian must look beyond human causes to both every trial and even every blessing. Ultimately it is God:
"Does disaster come to a city,unless the LORD has done it?" (Amos 3:6)
"I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things" (Isaiah 45:7)
And in the words of the archetypal sufferer without apparent cause, Job:
"Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil? ... Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." (Job 2:10, 1:21)
As I've written before now, nothing happens apart from by the say-so of God - nothing! Certainly he had the ability to stop me from buying the car. Anything from a leading of the Holy Spirit - like a spiritual "gut feeling" - to making the sealant break on my test drive, even just a little, so I could see the oil come out when I looked intently for it upon returning to the dealership. As much as I've been sticthed up by a man, God has definitely stitched me up!
But that's not quite right. Whereas man means to stitch people up for harm (and for his gain), God means it for good (Genesis 50:20), and actually does good through the hardship he has directed at his dear son. This is what it means when the Bible says, "And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). God has not stitched me up, He's stitched me in - in to a situation where I must trust Him a lot more, where I must excercise my faith, where I must cling close to him because comfort is not close!
And this is where life is at its best. Jesus says, "I have come that they may have life and have it to the full". God is not happy with "adequate" for us, he is zealous for the best, which is Himself. He uses rough equipment at times to polish and shape faith, which he says (in 1 Peter 1:7) is more precious than perishable gold (and more precious than R14,000, I might add!). It may mean difficulty and deprivation, but the result is something far more precious. The Bible says that these light and momentary troubles are not worth comparing to the eternal weight of glory that is being stored up for us by them. Instead of having static possessions and lack of problems, God leads us to a daily renewing as we look not to the things that are seen (which are so quick to appeal when they look good), but to the eternal things that are unseen, and are far, far better (2 Corinthians 4:16ff). In short God withdraws our passing earthly joys to load us up both now and later with far greater ones that are based in Him. Faith allows us to see the good plan, to receive comfort from it, and also to begin to enjoy the God who's "stitched us in" to His own great and everlasting glory.
Whether big or small (as this case is in a life or death sense), that is how a Christian deals with trouble, and that is how I am receiving this hard end of the love of God. What I see is not disaster or the absence of care, but the presence of God's purposeful and ever-loving intervention in my life. To human logic this sort of thing signals God is not for me. To the eye of faith it is clear testimony that the God who sacrificed His own Son on my behalf is very deliberately for me!
Thursday, 27 September 2007
Sunday, 23 September 2007
My first day
So.... this Sunday was my first one at Hope Church Durban - the core of my purpose in coming here.
It's always interesting seeing how reality differs from expectation, and this Sunday was certainly different from what I expected, though not bad.
This weekend was an unusual one to start with as the majority of the leadership are at our conference in Johannesburg. Also it's a holiday weekend here (Monday is a public holiday) so lots of people are away in general. That's meant a lot of reshuffling to make the travelling act that is a church plant happen this week, meaning I hit the ground running on the setup team and also working with the 9-12s group immediately after being introduced to the church.
As I said, this church plant is like most in that it has no fixed premises of its own, meaning that everything has to be set up each week and everything has to be taken back down. It takes a remarkable commitment of teams across the church to make this all happen. All our gear is stored in a trailer in a garage and that has to be hitched up to a suitable vehicle and brought over to Glenwood Prep School where we meet. It's a funny thing to see a church meeting collapsed into a regular trailer and bundled into a garage. If anyone ever wanted an example that the glory of the church is not in its outward appearance then this is it! All the stuff is then unpacked and set up by a variety of people. Those on the setup team start at 6:45am for a 9:00am meeting (if the meeting were any later it would just get too hot when it comes to summer time) and do everything from fetching big stacks of chairs from the other side of the school site to posting direction signs around the neighbourhood so people know that this building is where we are, because there's no other clues! And whatever goes up must come down, so at 11:00am or so the same people (although graciously helped by others) are loading up the trailer and moving more chairs and so on, now in a lot more heat! It's a tiring service, and it's remarkable to see literally a few dozen people all scurrying about like this in one way or another to set up from scratch each week.
One of the benefits is that the church is completely mobile this way. There's no reliance on a fixed premises, or even a fixed way of doing things. So when a team from Leeds came out last month they were able to set up a very similar thing on the university campus. People get used to expecting that they'll all have to pitch in and set up loads of stuff if they want to do anything, so it just gets done. I guess that's it - there's a "get it done" attitude rather than one of convenience. It also builds lots of teamwork, character, and relationships, and develops talent in a lot of people as they learn to set up PA, or run the hospitality, etc. When churches like this grow bigger and get a building of their own they often have the great opportunity to continue with the norm of high participation and so can continue to accomplish great things as lots of people just carry on serving even though there's less to do. As much setup is a trial of church planting, it seems very good at helping the church to develop healthily with everyone being involved, people working together, leaders mucking in at ground level, and developing a common sense of purpose and accomplishment.
Thursday morning Megan Land (pastor's wife) comes into the office to do some photocopying for the Kids' Church and basically says, "Because people are going to Jo'burg we're really short on people. Do you reckon you could take a group of kids?" I was under the impression that I'd have a bit more support than I did, but agreed to do what needed to be done as best as I knew how. She then mentioned that the group would be primarily composed of a group of half a dozen boys from the local township who've been coming along recently. Apparently I'm just what they need - a young (though they started the guessing for my age in the 40s!), authoritative male role model, so I was told I'd be fine. And on the whole it was. I think I expected them to be a lot more crazy than they were. It was weird.... a lot of the time they were very deadpan and didn't really respond individually, but only on group consenus. They were obviously not used to schooling nor to much organisation as they would wander off at times with seemingly no particular intention. It was very hard to gauge quite what these guys understood of the gospel, even of the idea of God, and also what their lives are like, so that made communicating quite difficult. However we did seem to build some repoire and have some fun. It was cool trying to learn how to pronounce some of the names, especially Xola, where the X is pronounced as a sort of kiss of the roof of your mouth. The best bridge builder turned out to be their ride home. They all piled into the back of Vernon (one of the church members) van and were driven to the Land's house, from which they can walk. I was dropping someone else to the same place and followed Vernon. The kids loved flying around in the back of the van and always wanted to go fast over speed bumps, etc. They were waving from the back, egging me on, getting me to catch up, and we had a fun little rivalry going on for a while. When they left they were all smiling and waved goodbye - it was the most responsive they'd been all day. I look forward to getting to know them some more. Moral of the story - the way to forge a good relationship with a 10 year old is to expose them to mortal danger by automobile!
So first Sunday down... I'm sure next week will be very different. But it looks like we've got a very good, diverse, God-glorifying church in the heart of Durban here, and long may it continue to grow!
Honeymoon over
It just had to be, didn't it? Yup, Saabine has already turned into a high maintenance woman as I'm finding she's leaking oil as she goes. Not sure what type of oil.... I'm suspecting something transmission related, but we'll see. Anyway, that's the fact of buying old cars - there's always some initial housekeeping to be done as you begin to find what sort of woman you married on your first date. My 306 in England was the same with leaking rear brakes right after I bought it. That turned out to be a really reliable car, so I hope the same is the case this time too.
Tomorrow is a public holiday, so Tuesday I'm gonna take it down to the nearby Saab place (fortunately of the half dozen or so in the country, one of them is not too far away up the road) and pray that it's not a costly repair! Anyone wanting to pray that I get it sorted quickly, cheaply, and don't get taken for a ride by an unscrupulous mechanic, I would greatly appreciate that.
I had really begun to develop a liking for this car (effortlessly speedy, comfortable, kinda stylish), and started to enjoy a little of the kudos that owning such a car brings in this setting, but this is a swift and timely reminder not to get too cocky about what I have (in any sense), nor to start thinking I'm going to have an easy ride over here with God just amply blessing me so much more than anyone else. It's a good reminder to have - that God would ween us off earthly passions and distractions and will not stop until He is our sole desire. He is loving enough that He will spare nothing to keep us from settling for anything less than His infinite, eternally satisfying self.
Tomorrow is a public holiday, so Tuesday I'm gonna take it down to the nearby Saab place (fortunately of the half dozen or so in the country, one of them is not too far away up the road) and pray that it's not a costly repair! Anyone wanting to pray that I get it sorted quickly, cheaply, and don't get taken for a ride by an unscrupulous mechanic, I would greatly appreciate that.
I had really begun to develop a liking for this car (effortlessly speedy, comfortable, kinda stylish), and started to enjoy a little of the kudos that owning such a car brings in this setting, but this is a swift and timely reminder not to get too cocky about what I have (in any sense), nor to start thinking I'm going to have an easy ride over here with God just amply blessing me so much more than anyone else. It's a good reminder to have - that God would ween us off earthly passions and distractions and will not stop until He is our sole desire. He is loving enough that He will spare nothing to keep us from settling for anything less than His infinite, eternally satisfying self.
Friday, 21 September 2007
Isn't she lovely?
Stealing from Stevie Wonder aside, isn't she? Meet Saabine, named after Sabine Schmidt, the German racing driver who made a mockery of Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear by almost beating his Nurburgring lap time in a Transit van (Because of this she's in some ways an ideal woman - a racing driver, gutsy, but not butch or laddish)! Yes, Saabine does include an extra 'a' to denote the fact that she is indeed a Saab 900SE 2.0 turbo (Yes, a turbo! :oD So like Sabine, Saabine is very, very quick!). I picked her up for the paultry sum of R35,000, which is about £2400, and in SA used car terms that is about as cheap as they come while still having four wheels! You would not believe the junk that I saw available for R35,000 - rust, bits missing, ancient, etc. So to get Saabine is a massive blessing. There are a few factors that have worked in my favour though.
The first one is that even though petrol is about half the price of the UK here, it's been going up recently and for local people it's actually considered quite expensive. So on the whole big cars with big engines don't have a lot of resale value - especially at the cheap end of the market where people are quite money conscious. So much is this so that when I saw the R40,000 asking price and suggested something more like R35,000 the dealer basically just agreed. Given the hilly terrain here and the fact that petrol is still cheap to me, I think a car like Saabine serves me a lot better than a tiny runabout that costs the same amount to buy and is in worse condition.
Secondly, big cars come with bigger servicing and repair costs, which people at my end of the market want to avoid. I did have to think quite hard about this one because anything seriously wrong with the car could be seriously expensive. At the same time, lots of things wrong with a cheaper car would ultimately cost me too. Saabine seems to be almost faultless, and even has a full service history, so for 10 months I should be able to (with the big executive car reliability) avoid any serious repairs. Any problems that do occur should be manageable too as labour charges are a lot less here than the UK, so a Saab dealer service might well end up cheaper than an independent service in the UK.
Thirdly, and most importantly, God has blessed me big time with this. I saw a few similar cars for similar money that were riddled with faults. I've seen other cars for similar money in terrible condition. I've seen a few half decent ones but with no air conditioning, and given that it's at times necessary now, come December-February (our summer) I would die without it! Having looked at a world map we're on an equivalent latitude to Cairo, Egypt, so think that sort of thing when you think how hot it gets. So I'm very thankful to God that He's given me a good car, that won't cause me too much hassle (I don't think), that will stop me passing out in the heat, and that will let me serve other people with lifts and moving things (essential in a church plant!) etc.
A car is also more than a convenience here. It's 13km (over 8 miles) from where I live to the church (though the roads are usually fairly good, which makes these sorts of journeys quite common), so there's no question of walking. Public transport doesn't even really exist where I am, as it's a more wealthy area in which everyone has cars. Even if it did, public transport is risky and very unreliable and generally only goes into the centre of town. It's not uncommon to see people walking the final leg, or even the whole, of their journeys, with many of them walking along motorways as an everyday occurance! There are many things like that that people do out of necessity which are just so unsafe. It's one of the things I will write about soon, but racial inequality is still something of a fact of life. While I've not seen too much overt discrimination, the fact is that virtually all the very poor people are black, there's a reasonable sized middle class that's quite mixed, and the wealthy are predominantly white (though a few black people have become exceedingly rich since the end of apartheid - much to the complaint of other black people who remained poor). That means the assumption is that if you're white you have a reasonable amount of money (which in this case is again true). So should I decide to get a bus, I'm instantly an advert saying, "I'm the best target to be robbed and I probably don't even know where I am." What I want to write about later is how this becomes a bit of a viscious circle - that no white people travel on public transport because they're a target, hence any that do will always be a target, hence they won't travel on the bus, and things stay the same. Changing social norms, especially where rich and poor are involved, is something that takes a long time or at least a violent change (e.g. Russian Revolution).
Anyway, I have a good tool to help me with some of the realities of Durban life. I intend to find ways to make sure I don't sink into the very common isolationist lifestyle that a good car and a secure home in a nice part of town means its so easy to do.
Thursday, 20 September 2007
Surprises
Sawubona! (that's the standard Zulu greeting, and the first word in my Zulu vocabulary)
It's amazing to think that little over a week ago I was getting ready to go to Heathrow for my flight to Durban. I think 10 months will both go quickly and yet feel like it has been stuffed full of experiences.
I've had a few already, of all kinds. On Friday I went to a birthday party which was really a lot more like a church service in celebration of the birthday girl. The couple involved are friends of Hope Church as fellow church plant leaders in the Durban area (from NCMI - New Covenant Ministries International), and so I tagged along with the few who could tear themselves away from the England Vs SA rugby match on the same evening.
Where the party/service was was one of the surprises I've had since being here. We were in a large hall, not unlike a medium sized school assembly hall, in a township in Chesterville near where I live. You might be thinking, "How does a township with it's makeshift housing go together with a large meeting hall that's solid and well equipped?" I wondered the same thing! Apparently goverment iniative has decided to equip townships with some facilities to make them more amenable, but didn't think it better to give people proper houses! I'm sure it's not as simple as that (e.g. if you can't build everyone a new house then it's going to be pretty unfair; building something new and of decent size will probably mean tearing down neighbouring shacks; where to put people while new things are being built; the need to put in serious infrastructure like water and electricity before building), but it was a big surprise to see a large and modern facility laid out with posh tables and chairs and china, etc, in a typical poor township. These townships have been part of the landscape for so long now that their presence has become pretty accepted (there are road signs to the areas, for example, and then there are things like these permanent government built community facilities) even though they must have changed lots over the decades.
Anyway, back to the party. I was told to expect a massive culture shock and was more surprised by the lack of it really! There were not the numbers of people expected (we could easily have had double the number), and a large number of white people turned up too so it was probably about 50% white. Talking about it today, Drew, the leader of Hope Church, said that in his experience it was pretty common for Zulu people to behave a lot more in line with the white people when it is so mixed, and this was certainly the case. There was little of the lively Zulu party spirit I had been told to expect even though all the worship, led by Drew, was Zulu and Sesotho songs (he's got an amazing ability to sing these songs with perfect accent without being a great speaker of the languages). There were a troupe of Zulu dancers from another church however. These 20 or so teenagers were amazing in their display of coordination, volume, and flexibility (Zulu dancing involves lots of high kicks where people's thighs seem to touch their shoulders and stamping of the foot on the way back down). A couple of the girls led a call and response with the rest of the group, and when they shouted out the call it was incredible to hear this unamplified voice fill this large hall without sounding at all strained! This was certianly not dainty, but definitely full of grace and elegance. Mostly I couldn't understand anything, but at one point they sang a chorus with broad harmonies, and typical african drums and instruments, and what they were singing was clear enough even in Zulu - "Jesus died for me!" Wow! What a powerful thing to see - a totally different culture employing all its means to respond in worship to the same God I worship. It was amazing to see the gospel taken root fully in another culture and to see that the gospel truly is transferable to all cultures of the world. Wherever you take it, it will take root! The heart cannot but soar when it sees other people who are so different nevertheless come to the exact same truth by such obviously distinct means. What joy must God have as he sees the worship of all the nations at once! Yet, as Drew's T-Shirt said today, "Panta te ethnos!" - To all nations! This joy is not yet full either in the heart of God or in the heart of the unreached, or partially unreached, nations of this world. Let's get to work!
More surprises from the party: an apparently famous preacher was brought in to speak and his message was disturbing, i) because of its content, ii) because of how familiar this content is. The main focus in this rambling preach was that God's glory rising upon us (as in Isa 60) means that we should all be getting seriously rich and gaining authority and running the world - for God's glory of course! When hearing about it afterwards Gary Welsh said, "See? This is why Newfrontiers is needing to plant churches in Southern Africa - this is everywhere!" Anyway, among the more outrageous remarks was the one that said, "Poverty is a sin"! Why? Because if you're poor you can't do what God calls you to do, e.g. care for the poor, or go to other nations, etc. I hope that idea is so patently false that I don't need to offer any biblical refute, but it's amazing how so many people lap up this kind of talk that promises that God will make you a millionaire in a year. I would put it down to the desperate need of many here, but the same is going on in the UK all the time, which is, as I said, distressing. It seems like the gospel isn't the only thing to cross cultures - false gospels do too!
Sunday I went with Gary to Mtubatuba (so wasn't at Hope Church, where I'm based, and so haven't met them yet!) where he was preaching. We set off at 6:15am for a two hour drive up the coast, passing masses of timber plantations with their perfect rows of trees. Mtubatuba is a small town largely based around the sugar industry. I'm not quite sure of the ecomonic factors involved, but the town used to be predominantly white, with labourers presumably coming in from neighbouring villages. However in the last decade or so most of the white people have left and the town is predominantly black. Looking at the church though this is not the case! It would seem that they established themselves when the white population was present, and then it becamse a shrinking bastion of the white presence in the town. The new leader, Anthony, has been working hard to effect change, and has seen some success with the church now being about as mixed as Beulah (so probably about 1/3 black).
The church meets in a large hall, but doesn't have more than about 70 people. A number of local kids from the school that the church runs were sitting on small chairs towards the back for some unknown reason. It was lovely to be among believers though - to worship, to sit under the Word being preached, and so on. But I was surprised again. When I came away I said, "That was all too much like England!" Things like Hillsong have a worldwide influence as well as a lot of American worship leaders. Most of the songs we sung could have been lifted right out of an English context - even the CD music played in intervals. The mix of people was again more like England, as was the general atmosphere of the place (quite sombre and reserved). Spooky stuff. It's beginning to seem that a lot of work needs to be done to create truly African church across the board in SA (though of course SA is now a huge multiracial mix, not solely native Africans).
So that's been the first of a few surprises. I've yet to attend Hope Church (being away in Mtubatuba last week) so I'll be very keen to see what that's like. May it yield a pleasant surprise and a great opportunity to work in an entirely new context, to the multi-coloured praise of God!
It's amazing to think that little over a week ago I was getting ready to go to Heathrow for my flight to Durban. I think 10 months will both go quickly and yet feel like it has been stuffed full of experiences.
I've had a few already, of all kinds. On Friday I went to a birthday party which was really a lot more like a church service in celebration of the birthday girl. The couple involved are friends of Hope Church as fellow church plant leaders in the Durban area (from NCMI - New Covenant Ministries International), and so I tagged along with the few who could tear themselves away from the England Vs SA rugby match on the same evening.
Where the party/service was was one of the surprises I've had since being here. We were in a large hall, not unlike a medium sized school assembly hall, in a township in Chesterville near where I live. You might be thinking, "How does a township with it's makeshift housing go together with a large meeting hall that's solid and well equipped?" I wondered the same thing! Apparently goverment iniative has decided to equip townships with some facilities to make them more amenable, but didn't think it better to give people proper houses! I'm sure it's not as simple as that (e.g. if you can't build everyone a new house then it's going to be pretty unfair; building something new and of decent size will probably mean tearing down neighbouring shacks; where to put people while new things are being built; the need to put in serious infrastructure like water and electricity before building), but it was a big surprise to see a large and modern facility laid out with posh tables and chairs and china, etc, in a typical poor township. These townships have been part of the landscape for so long now that their presence has become pretty accepted (there are road signs to the areas, for example, and then there are things like these permanent government built community facilities) even though they must have changed lots over the decades.
Anyway, back to the party. I was told to expect a massive culture shock and was more surprised by the lack of it really! There were not the numbers of people expected (we could easily have had double the number), and a large number of white people turned up too so it was probably about 50% white. Talking about it today, Drew, the leader of Hope Church, said that in his experience it was pretty common for Zulu people to behave a lot more in line with the white people when it is so mixed, and this was certainly the case. There was little of the lively Zulu party spirit I had been told to expect even though all the worship, led by Drew, was Zulu and Sesotho songs (he's got an amazing ability to sing these songs with perfect accent without being a great speaker of the languages). There were a troupe of Zulu dancers from another church however. These 20 or so teenagers were amazing in their display of coordination, volume, and flexibility (Zulu dancing involves lots of high kicks where people's thighs seem to touch their shoulders and stamping of the foot on the way back down). A couple of the girls led a call and response with the rest of the group, and when they shouted out the call it was incredible to hear this unamplified voice fill this large hall without sounding at all strained! This was certianly not dainty, but definitely full of grace and elegance. Mostly I couldn't understand anything, but at one point they sang a chorus with broad harmonies, and typical african drums and instruments, and what they were singing was clear enough even in Zulu - "Jesus died for me!" Wow! What a powerful thing to see - a totally different culture employing all its means to respond in worship to the same God I worship. It was amazing to see the gospel taken root fully in another culture and to see that the gospel truly is transferable to all cultures of the world. Wherever you take it, it will take root! The heart cannot but soar when it sees other people who are so different nevertheless come to the exact same truth by such obviously distinct means. What joy must God have as he sees the worship of all the nations at once! Yet, as Drew's T-Shirt said today, "Panta te ethnos!" - To all nations! This joy is not yet full either in the heart of God or in the heart of the unreached, or partially unreached, nations of this world. Let's get to work!
More surprises from the party: an apparently famous preacher was brought in to speak and his message was disturbing, i) because of its content, ii) because of how familiar this content is. The main focus in this rambling preach was that God's glory rising upon us (as in Isa 60) means that we should all be getting seriously rich and gaining authority and running the world - for God's glory of course! When hearing about it afterwards Gary Welsh said, "See? This is why Newfrontiers is needing to plant churches in Southern Africa - this is everywhere!" Anyway, among the more outrageous remarks was the one that said, "Poverty is a sin"! Why? Because if you're poor you can't do what God calls you to do, e.g. care for the poor, or go to other nations, etc. I hope that idea is so patently false that I don't need to offer any biblical refute, but it's amazing how so many people lap up this kind of talk that promises that God will make you a millionaire in a year. I would put it down to the desperate need of many here, but the same is going on in the UK all the time, which is, as I said, distressing. It seems like the gospel isn't the only thing to cross cultures - false gospels do too!
Sunday I went with Gary to Mtubatuba (so wasn't at Hope Church, where I'm based, and so haven't met them yet!) where he was preaching. We set off at 6:15am for a two hour drive up the coast, passing masses of timber plantations with their perfect rows of trees. Mtubatuba is a small town largely based around the sugar industry. I'm not quite sure of the ecomonic factors involved, but the town used to be predominantly white, with labourers presumably coming in from neighbouring villages. However in the last decade or so most of the white people have left and the town is predominantly black. Looking at the church though this is not the case! It would seem that they established themselves when the white population was present, and then it becamse a shrinking bastion of the white presence in the town. The new leader, Anthony, has been working hard to effect change, and has seen some success with the church now being about as mixed as Beulah (so probably about 1/3 black).
The church meets in a large hall, but doesn't have more than about 70 people. A number of local kids from the school that the church runs were sitting on small chairs towards the back for some unknown reason. It was lovely to be among believers though - to worship, to sit under the Word being preached, and so on. But I was surprised again. When I came away I said, "That was all too much like England!" Things like Hillsong have a worldwide influence as well as a lot of American worship leaders. Most of the songs we sung could have been lifted right out of an English context - even the CD music played in intervals. The mix of people was again more like England, as was the general atmosphere of the place (quite sombre and reserved). Spooky stuff. It's beginning to seem that a lot of work needs to be done to create truly African church across the board in SA (though of course SA is now a huge multiracial mix, not solely native Africans).
So that's been the first of a few surprises. I've yet to attend Hope Church (being away in Mtubatuba last week) so I'll be very keen to see what that's like. May it yield a pleasant surprise and a great opportunity to work in an entirely new context, to the multi-coloured praise of God!
Thursday, 13 September 2007
Perspectives
It’s all a matter of perspective. Perspective can make small things look colossal, the distant seem nearby, and the costly appear joyful.
The journey so far has been one of completely adjusted perspective.
After a tedious wait at Heathrow airport for Lufthansa flight 4739 to get underway (They found a nail in one of the tyres and thought it best to replace it. I would have thought to have left it; worst the could happen is that we arrive in style with sparks down the runway!) I was aboard and in my seat at the window. It was a remarkably clear night with not a cloud in the sky over all of the UK even at 20,000 feet. Behind me, to the west, could be seen a strip of red separating a now black area of sky and the land below, and an area of pale blue sky above. The sun had set on my time in the UK and all that could be seen was a brilliant strip of light just before it winked off the horizon. As we climbed I could see London’s geography drawn out for me by thousands of lights and houses. At first one could see just a section of the M25 with cars whizzing around it, soon to be followed by a view across the whole of the great city of London that stretched to my (then) horizon. Looking closely I could even make out some of the buildings of Croydon, though that might have been wishful thinking. Gradually this exploding mass of orange-lit connections became smaller and vast areas of dark containing islands of orange light were at the forefront. I couldn’t help but be nostalgic for the city that has been my homeland and in my blood since birth, but also grateful to God that I should get to say farewell looking her in the eyes. And before long that city that had so stretched to the end of the world from my window was but a blip in the distance. London was gone. As I said, it’s all about perspective.
As we crossed over the south east I wondered at which of the many places I knew the island below was. With London gone it was comforting to see other places I have been to and known until we were off into the sea and heading for Belgium. Faintly the shape of the England stood out from the sea, and though there is so much of it I have yet to explore, it still felt as though it belonged to me as home. Some of the places we passed over I probably would have deliberately avoided or would certainly have rejected as an option for home, but then I would have gladly taken any of those places with me. Again, it’s perspective.
I turned from the window and paused to reflect perhaps for the first time what it meant to leave everything I have called “home”. Having been in Austria and Germany the week before on holiday I could have happily said I would love to remain there, but home is something you never appreciate until you have left it. After years of its familiar comforts and routines you may yearn for times away and for new adventures to be had, but it’s generally done with the knowledge that home is always ready to receive you whenever you want to return. It’s almost like having both – the comfort of keeping your home as your home, but also gaining some new place as a bonus. But when you leave everything called “home” for somewhere else it’s a very different story – a very different perspective.
After a long and largely unspectacular journey (there were a few close calls which were promptly remedied) I arrived at Durban International airport to find Gary Welsh waiting to take me to what would be my new home. From the car I could see there would be a lot to learn, but that must wait for a while. Arriving at Gary and Nicky’s house in Westville, Durban, it was time to sit down and have a beer. I was introduced to their new dog, Lloyd, who’s a lovely but very shy character, and I sat overlooking the back garden and the slightly murky swimming pool (Yes, I do have a swimming pool available to me!). Gary apologised for the remnants of algae that were still present, and I informed him that whatever the condition of his pool it was nonetheless a pool and that was amazing! Drew Land, the leader of Hope Church Durban, and Themba Hlomuka, one of the other leaders, came over to say hi. While I’d met them both before it was nice to catch up a little more and have some company after “single serving friends” over 22 hours of travelling.
Once they had left I sat in the garden again and looked out. I had no idea where anything was (largely still don’t), I had no one I knew around me, and certainly no proper friends anywhere in reach. Though I was in a nice house, on a warm (shorts and t-shirt warm) winter’s day, in an amazing country just waiting to be discovered, I felt as though I might as well be stranded on a desert island. As the poem, “Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink”, so it was, “People, people everywhere, but not a friend to see”, and more than that I’d be lost the moment I stepped out of the front door! While I seemed to have unlimited opportunities at my finger tips, without a single reference point all were beyond my reach and my comprehension. You’ve guessed it – it’s perspective.
But as I end my first 24 hours in Durban I’m quickly adapting, understanding, exploring, connecting, etc. Like a newborn baby I’m learning fast and just need to get on with it, feeling out the world around me through sight, taste, and sound. I’ve also found that, when the internet is working at least, that none of you are as far away as it may seem and indeed you would have been 20 years ago. It’s a great comfort to write to you all, but also to have heard from many of you already. Even though I may receive bad news, it’s still a comfort to participate in your lives. Are you near or far away? Both – it’s a matter of perspective.
One last perspective. Where is “home” anyway? Yes, it may be that, “Home is where the heart is”, but for me home is with Christ. On one glorious day to come I shall be fully home which is no less than being fully with Him. For now I have a temporary home in this earthly life, in which Christ also dwells (Jn 14:23, Gal 2:20). My “home” in this earth is but a temporary place within a temporary place, and yet I do truly miss it. How strange is our perspective that we long so little for our real home? Paul says it well in 2 Corinthians 5:6ff
We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away we make it our aim to please Him.
And in v. 1ff
For we know that if the tent, which is our earthly home, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling… not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
In all, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Php 1:21), and so “For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him” (Php 3:8f).
That is my final perspective.
Please pray
· That I adapt quickly and thoroughly to culture, surroundings, and living alone (The Welsh’s are like my next door neighbours).
· That my focus remains on the ultimate perspective.
· That I find many friends who will not only keep my company but inspire my faith.
· That I can get a good car that will serve me well for less than R40,000, and soon!
God bless you all in knowing Christ above all else!
The journey so far has been one of completely adjusted perspective.
After a tedious wait at Heathrow airport for Lufthansa flight 4739 to get underway (They found a nail in one of the tyres and thought it best to replace it. I would have thought to have left it; worst the could happen is that we arrive in style with sparks down the runway!) I was aboard and in my seat at the window. It was a remarkably clear night with not a cloud in the sky over all of the UK even at 20,000 feet. Behind me, to the west, could be seen a strip of red separating a now black area of sky and the land below, and an area of pale blue sky above. The sun had set on my time in the UK and all that could be seen was a brilliant strip of light just before it winked off the horizon. As we climbed I could see London’s geography drawn out for me by thousands of lights and houses. At first one could see just a section of the M25 with cars whizzing around it, soon to be followed by a view across the whole of the great city of London that stretched to my (then) horizon. Looking closely I could even make out some of the buildings of Croydon, though that might have been wishful thinking. Gradually this exploding mass of orange-lit connections became smaller and vast areas of dark containing islands of orange light were at the forefront. I couldn’t help but be nostalgic for the city that has been my homeland and in my blood since birth, but also grateful to God that I should get to say farewell looking her in the eyes. And before long that city that had so stretched to the end of the world from my window was but a blip in the distance. London was gone. As I said, it’s all about perspective.
As we crossed over the south east I wondered at which of the many places I knew the island below was. With London gone it was comforting to see other places I have been to and known until we were off into the sea and heading for Belgium. Faintly the shape of the England stood out from the sea, and though there is so much of it I have yet to explore, it still felt as though it belonged to me as home. Some of the places we passed over I probably would have deliberately avoided or would certainly have rejected as an option for home, but then I would have gladly taken any of those places with me. Again, it’s perspective.
I turned from the window and paused to reflect perhaps for the first time what it meant to leave everything I have called “home”. Having been in Austria and Germany the week before on holiday I could have happily said I would love to remain there, but home is something you never appreciate until you have left it. After years of its familiar comforts and routines you may yearn for times away and for new adventures to be had, but it’s generally done with the knowledge that home is always ready to receive you whenever you want to return. It’s almost like having both – the comfort of keeping your home as your home, but also gaining some new place as a bonus. But when you leave everything called “home” for somewhere else it’s a very different story – a very different perspective.
After a long and largely unspectacular journey (there were a few close calls which were promptly remedied) I arrived at Durban International airport to find Gary Welsh waiting to take me to what would be my new home. From the car I could see there would be a lot to learn, but that must wait for a while. Arriving at Gary and Nicky’s house in Westville, Durban, it was time to sit down and have a beer. I was introduced to their new dog, Lloyd, who’s a lovely but very shy character, and I sat overlooking the back garden and the slightly murky swimming pool (Yes, I do have a swimming pool available to me!). Gary apologised for the remnants of algae that were still present, and I informed him that whatever the condition of his pool it was nonetheless a pool and that was amazing! Drew Land, the leader of Hope Church Durban, and Themba Hlomuka, one of the other leaders, came over to say hi. While I’d met them both before it was nice to catch up a little more and have some company after “single serving friends” over 22 hours of travelling.
Once they had left I sat in the garden again and looked out. I had no idea where anything was (largely still don’t), I had no one I knew around me, and certainly no proper friends anywhere in reach. Though I was in a nice house, on a warm (shorts and t-shirt warm) winter’s day, in an amazing country just waiting to be discovered, I felt as though I might as well be stranded on a desert island. As the poem, “Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink”, so it was, “People, people everywhere, but not a friend to see”, and more than that I’d be lost the moment I stepped out of the front door! While I seemed to have unlimited opportunities at my finger tips, without a single reference point all were beyond my reach and my comprehension. You’ve guessed it – it’s perspective.
But as I end my first 24 hours in Durban I’m quickly adapting, understanding, exploring, connecting, etc. Like a newborn baby I’m learning fast and just need to get on with it, feeling out the world around me through sight, taste, and sound. I’ve also found that, when the internet is working at least, that none of you are as far away as it may seem and indeed you would have been 20 years ago. It’s a great comfort to write to you all, but also to have heard from many of you already. Even though I may receive bad news, it’s still a comfort to participate in your lives. Are you near or far away? Both – it’s a matter of perspective.
One last perspective. Where is “home” anyway? Yes, it may be that, “Home is where the heart is”, but for me home is with Christ. On one glorious day to come I shall be fully home which is no less than being fully with Him. For now I have a temporary home in this earthly life, in which Christ also dwells (Jn 14:23, Gal 2:20). My “home” in this earth is but a temporary place within a temporary place, and yet I do truly miss it. How strange is our perspective that we long so little for our real home? Paul says it well in 2 Corinthians 5:6ff
We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away we make it our aim to please Him.
And in v. 1ff
For we know that if the tent, which is our earthly home, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling… not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
In all, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Php 1:21), and so “For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him” (Php 3:8f).
That is my final perspective.
Please pray
· That I adapt quickly and thoroughly to culture, surroundings, and living alone (The Welsh’s are like my next door neighbours).
· That my focus remains on the ultimate perspective.
· That I find many friends who will not only keep my company but inspire my faith.
· That I can get a good car that will serve me well for less than R40,000, and soon!
God bless you all in knowing Christ above all else!
Wednesday, 29 August 2007
VIS-A-VIS
Okay, the title is a bit dubious, but I needed something that mentioned my visa (and just so you know I am aware that the logo pictured has nothing to do with the visa travel document I'm talking about!) . I'll explain more, but it looks like at long last the complications with my visa are practically resolved. It did result in some moments of despair at times, but it's good to learn patience and that one's fate does not lie in anyone's hands but the Sovereign Lord.
Phew! So a lot has happened in a past 6 weeks-ish! Some of the highlights:
- While it's become almost like a fifth limb, I've got a very lovely Apple Macbook which is serving me extremely well and will serve as my computer for office and home while In SA. Anyone thinking about a serious computer, think seriously about Apple! It even runs Windows better than anything else I've ever used!
- I had the wonderful privilege of spending a lot of time with Ivan, one of the elders of Hope Church, Durban, at the beginning of July. He's a South African Indian who has led a church in Zimbabwe for a long while before moving to plant a church with us in Durban. It was nice to finally spend some proper time with some of the people I will be spending the next year with. Ivan was over here for the Newfrontiers International Leadership Conference (Together On A Mission) along with a number of others from the team in Durban. Unfortunately the lead elder, Drew, couldn't be around, but it was nice to meet those running the student and youth work (who I'll likely be partnering with): Themba, Vicky (his fiancee and one of my email counterparts, from Crewe), and Mandy (from Ireland). Good news is that I'm already tagged to do the honours of photography at Themba and Vicky's wedding in December (hot summer), which will be good fun.
- Coming back from TOAM 07 it was rush rush rush to get things ready for Newday 07. We took a group of nearly 40 people with about 25 12-19 year olds to join with 6,000 other young christians at Uttoxeter Racecourse near Derby for teaching, worship, mission, and fun. While last year we had a number of difficulties, particularly with certain people, this year (praise God) it went so well. A great number of our young people responded so well to the gospel - so many changed people as a result. It was truly a privilege to see the beginning of what I'm sure will be the fulfilment of many of the things I've longed and dreamed for with God for these people. I also got to be part of the media team, which was cool too as I had excuse to wander around with my camera and take pictures whenever I wanted!
- GASP! I've sold my beloved Peugeot 306! Unfortunately she had to go, though she did go to a good home: my friend Andrew Allen. It was so weird just driving it one day and suddenly realising it was probably the last time I would! You get so used to something that it feels like it's always going to be there, and though it's just a car it's been such a source of fun, opportunity, help, etc and I've got so many memories connected with it (e.g. the drive from London to Aberdeen and back), that it was a little heart-wrenching to part with it. While it's not really hit me since, I can imagine there's going to be a lot of repeats of that feeling - knowing that it's the last time you'll ever see it (at least in the same way), or the last time you'll see that person for ages, etc. If it was a hit to lose a car, I could be in for a bigger hit than I've anticipated when it comes to almost everything in my life all at once! Whoever would have thought that when Jesus said that those who would follow him must "lose their lives" that He really meant it! :o)
- Other than that I've just been generally busy sorting out bits and pieces, wedding photos, wireless networking, rediscovering chess, seeing people before I leave, making preparations, etc.
In the meantime communicating with my friends in Durban about how my visa might not be ready in time I was told that I really need to have it before coming out as some people recently have been refused extensions to their 90 day tourist permits. Every day I could get an application in earlier counted and I planned to go down to the High Commission on Fri 23rd Aug and simply beg to slip into any available space in the system! That meant I needed my £600 security deposit (yes, £600!) in the form of a banker's draft immediately as it was 4pm on Thu 22nd Aug! Another heartracing moment - looking for my visa application form to get the details of who the draft needs to be made payable to I find suddenly it is missing along with several other important visa related documents! I'd had to move into the new youth office at church and in the process of someone moving a lot of stuff for me it had gone! This was not the time to be doing a long search as the clock was running. More importantly if I didn't have some of that paperwork I'd actually miss my scheduled appointment by the time replacements came! A lot of searching and re-searching later I managed to find it all buried in a very odd place (as these things always are!). So off I drive in the pouring rain to get to the bank before it closes. After narrowly avoiding (we're talking 6 inches) colliding into the back of a van that decided to just stop in the middle of a junction on green and with a clear road ahead, I got to the bank, got my banker's draft, and set back to the office. Praise God! It looked like I might just make it!
On my way back I was obviously thanking the Lord for His favour and was just so aware that I would face many such circumstances in the coming months - where it could all be within a hair of going belly up. But in bouncing this back and forth in prayer I came to the conclusion that what I wanted was not to avoid the troubles, but just to have God working in them to bring about the right result. We're so prone to wonder, "Will He? Won't He?" but I felt God telling me, "Isn't that what I promise to do anyway? Don't I promise to never leave you or forsake you (Heb 13:5)? Don't I promise to work all things, good and bad, to your good (Rom 8:28)? Do I not promise that I have charge of all things and have predestined them to do my bidding at every step (Eph 1:11)?" Of course I can ask for this! Why do I have to wonder whether God will do exactly as He would choose for me at every step? It's not like He's just letting things run their course and then if we can persuade Him He'll jump in and sort it all out! No, nothing happens, not even one sparrow falls to the ground, except on His say so (Mt 10:29)! God can never but have His way and make His deliberate choice in everything that comes my way! So I was encouraged to know that even when it looks like God didn't do anything He can never but have chosen this, and that I will always have His chosen path put before me. No fate, no devil, no power in heaven or on earth will ever seperate me from the outworking of God's amazing, baffling love for me (Rom 8:38f)!
But that sounded far too easy, right? Well I got back and started to look at the list of documents I needed so that I could go down to the High Commission and beg to be seen early. Though I'd looked at it periodically for weeks I was aware that there was no mention of need for a CRB check. So I turned the page and it was there after all. What was also there (which I hadn't seen as it was on the back page) was the need for a medical report from a doctor describing my general health and a radiological report to confirm that I have no signs of TB in my system!
I was undone! Last time I was ill and wanted to see any doctor at my GPs' it took over a week! And as for getting x-rays, well I know that can take an age! It began to look seriously like I would not be getting my visa and potentially missing my flight! But I managed to pray, remember God knows what I need before I ask Him, and that I need have no anxiety about anything in prayer. I decided I'd go for it and see what God would do.
So turning up to the GPs' I managed to get seen by my own doctor within 2 hours! He then referred me to a chest clinic for my x-ray, but said it was closed and I'd have to go there after the weekend. Feeling emboldened by the turns of events I'd had I decided to call the number on the card. Lo and behold I was told I could come down immediately and get an x-ray and I'd probably have the report by the end of the day! Hallelujah!
Well it turned out I couldn't get the report (the version authorised by the radiographer) until Tue 28th Aug - the day before my appointment. The same was true with my medical report. But Tuesday I got hold of them all and things were looking up! Only problems were now that I still didn't have a valid CRB and had no idea how long that could delay things, and also that my flight was booked for within 2 weeks of my appointment, which (given that the visa application says "no fixed travel arrangements must be made prior to the issuing of the visa", and that a postal application takes 2 weeks) could be a bit of a problem. So I went for my appointment and found that there was no problem at all, that I would have my visa before I leave, and that the CRB issue would just mean there was an endorsement attached to my visa stating I must submit it within 6 months! Awesome! Alright, they did get fussy over the x-ray report saying that it wasn't physically signed, but I can take that down there on Fri 31st and it won't cause any problems. I can't believe it! All these issues just evaporated! I'm not usually one to over-worry, and it does seem to me that every time I've needed something I've been able to get it exactly when I've needed it. Praise God! I asked again and again, "Arrange whatever I need so that I get my visa sorted in time to fly on the 11th as planned" and God has answered in His inimitable fashion.
May the whole trip, and all our lives, be characterised by the favour of God making a way where there is seemingly no way, to His praise and glory! Amen!
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