Easter Greetings

Easter Greetings to you from Cape Town

As I think about the meaning of Easter and the ministry in which I am involved here in Cape Town, a verse of Scripture from 2Corinthians 9 means so much to me. "For you know he grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor that you through His poverty might become rich."

This describes the message of hope I share here and it is a message I deeply believe. As I listen to the comments of the women: "I enjoyed lunch today," or during class, "I know the answer," and in Bible Study, "I can give my problems to Jesus," I thank God every day that I am here with such a message of Easter hope. Recently we spoke about death and the fear of death, something so close to all of us. How happy I was to show them from the Bible that we do not need to be afraid to die because Jesus died and rose again! Our ministry here is open to all and we work with all God sends our way, but at its heart is this Easter message. May all who read this blog know this Easter hope and joy.

God's Favor Through Friends

This ministry in Cape Town is wonderfully supported by friends and family in the United States and here too in South Africa. Today, thanks to my friend Amelia seen in this picture, I took possession of a chest freezer which will make it easier for me to cook and store healthy food for my class. Amelia too is a missionary here in her home country. Called by God, she left her work as a banker to help feed the homeless and destitute in the communities around her. Thanks to her, Evangeline is included in the food donated by the local food stores and this has helped me hugely to make it here. When I first expressed a desire for a small freezer I was amazed when Amelia said she would try to raise the funds for it, but I should not have been at all surprised since I have seen her faith go to work many times to meet ministry needs here. So thank you so much Amelia we all say. And as if it were not enough, Evangeline also received a big gift of sewing materials and small equipment from a man who closed out his sewing store. I see all of this as God's favor, unmerited and undeserved blessing from the gracious hand of a Heavenly Father and I am humbled and enormously grateful.

Another look

The highlight of this past week was a tour of Masiphumelele.Now this might seem strange to you since I work with people from Masiphumelele but this was a tour with a difference. I guess you could say I needed to hit the refresh button on my life here to see again the wonderful hope and the huge help needed in Masi, as we call it. A township that started with about 3000 people now houses ten times plus that size, about 38,000 people, a challenge to their community, the government and the surrounding communities. Anyway as I walked with someone who is making a huge difference there, I was delighted to be greeted by Evangeline graduates. There was Busie, looking radiant. "I am still sewing," she assured me with a huge smile. And yes, i will write all of these stories. On this tour I saw so many hopeful signs, new apartments and single homes, a beautiful square and a library anyone would be proud of. I had coffee at the colorful coffee shop in the library courtyard. I could not believe I was in Masi. I visited Nkululeko's shack and saw the care with which he had built it for himself and his family. There was a shiny new stainless sink even though he has no running water. As I photographed him, I was moved by his home, just like yours or mine with the family pictures and some fine china. But I also realized there was a huge difference between his and mine. With the cold and wet winter season coming, I marvelled as to how he would do in a cardboard lined shacked with newspaper stuffed in the seams to try and keep the family warm. My host told me something I had forgotten, that most people there, after they paid for their back shack, electricity, school fees, and transport had approximately twelve rand or two US dollars on which to live and eat. The income gap between those who have and those who do not is so big as to defy reason. Yes there is hope in what we and others like us do, but so much more needs to be done and for Evangeline, that means increasing our work here. Will you help me pray and think more about how we can best do this.