Team Member Story

In July and August we had a team here from our home church, Red Rocks Church.

Kristy, one of the ladies on that trip, was particularly impacted by what she saw and experienced here.  Shortly after the trip she wrote an email to the team members, sharing about how she was struggling to adapt to life back in the states after what she had experienced here in South Africa.  With Kristy's permission to share, here is a portion of that email:

"The comparisons to how we live in the States to what they live in is obviously drastic. Since I've been home, going out to eat even makes me uncomfortable. We waste so much here and are served so much on our plates alone. I've started asking if they serve 1/2 portions... the answer is always no.

When we were in Freedom Park we ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. My mom will tell you I've never been one to eat the crust. I've just never liked it. But ugh, I couldn't bear to NOT eat it because I was thinking this could be a meal for one of the sweet children I'd spent time with. I know I may sound crazy but these are the things (among many others) I've thought about since I've been back in Colorado.

Daily, I think of walking through Freedom Park on our home visits. We visited AIDS patients, brought them food, water, and prayer. The stench of hopelessness hung over the shacks of those we visited. The people of Freedom Park struggle with poverty, death, and the sickness they've named "our disease." (Known to the rest of the world as AIDS.)


Daily, I think of what a gift_____________

- it was to be born in America (or any non-3rd world country)

- it is that I was not an orphan

- that my parents adopted me

- that it was a specific and true plan that they are the ones that have me

- that they are still with me on this Earth and they raised me in a loving, supportive home

- that even though I'm an "only" I have friends that I love like family

- it is to have an education

- to have a job that doesn't cost me selling myself

- to be healthy

- to not have to eat dirt or live in it

- it has been to teach all those great kiddos that have been put in my care for a school year

- that I can walk outside my door, drive down the street, or hike a trail and not be afraid that I'll be mugged


I could go on and on... 

Make your list. 


Finally I'm thankful for the gift of knowing the difference."

One of the things that we love about our work here is being able to see lives changed in this way.  The people who come to work with us go home different people than when they arrived.

~Lincoln

RRC Team Update

Last week I went to the squatter camp of Freedom Park to check on the work that our Red Rocks team did in July/August.

The garden they planted is doing great.  Some of the HIV patients in Freedom Park have joined together to work in the garden.  It took our team a back breaking week and a half to prepare the soil for a portion of the field.  These patients have expanded the area of the garden to about twice the size of what our team had done.  That is A LOT of VERY hard work.  That soil is seriously very, very tough soil to break up.

I was very happy to see that they have taken the initiative to organize themselves and put in the hard work to expand the garden.  They've planted seeds and the vegetables are beginning to grow.  This is a wonderful opportunity for them to grow healthy vegetables for themselves, and also to be able to sell the produce to make a little extra money.

Our church, Red Rocks Church, raised some money during vbs last summer.  I was able to use part of this money to buy two more loads of manure for the new portion of the garden.

This is a picture of the garden now that the patients have expanded it.  

(click on the pictures to enlarge) 

When the Red Rocks team was here, we built 2 shacks for homeless families.  I learned from Jackie, the coordinator of orphaned and vulnerable children in Freedom Park, that she has been regularly following up with these families and they are doing well.

Jackie has found some tuition money to send the children to creche (pre-school) in January.  At that time, the parents will come to the after school program to give back to the community by working in the garden or participating in the job creation program there.  It's good to hear that Jackie has a heart to not just give these people a hand out, but to see them mentored to both give back, and to help themselves.

When our team was in Freedom Park in July they met a little boy living with his mother in a shack.  The mother was very ill and needed to go to hospice for care, but she didn't want to leave her son.  Our team helped coordinate care for the little boy and we brought the mom to hospice.

 Here is a picture of the little boy when we first found him.

Here is a picture of the little boy after our team cleaned him up, provided new clothes, fed him, and arranged foster care for him.

Some people from our team really have a heart for this little boy and have continued to provide money for him to go to creche (preschool.)

I was able to see the little boy and his mom last week, but the story is not necessarily encouraging.  The good news is he has been reunited with his mom.  The bad news is that she left the hospice before she was healthy because several other patients had died and she was afraid to be there.

It does not seem like her health has improved at all, she is still very ill and can hardly walk or take care of herself.  The caregiver told me that the little boy must stay home from creche to help care for his mom.  

Can you imagine a child this age responsible for caring for his dying mother?

The caregivers are trying to arrange for the mother to go to the government hospital for care, but this is not really an encouragement as the government hospitals are not well run.  The conditions are truly quite appalling.  I've known many people who have either been misdiagnosed, or severely neglected while staying in the hospital.

The caregiver told me that the mother has another son who is around 15 years old and lives a few hours away.  They have requested for him to come home to help with his mother, but I don't know if that will really happen or not.  The little boy will likely go to a foster care family if his mother goes to the hospital, but if the older brother comes home then I'm sure that the older boy would care for the younger.

The good news is that he has people who are looking out for him and making sure that he is taken care of.

Here is a picture that I took this week of the little boy with his mom in front of their shack.

The lady on the right is a caregiver from the HIV clinic.

This is a sad, real life example of the devastation of AIDS in South Africa.  There are no quick and easy answers to the problems caused by AIDS and poverty.  Even though there are positive improvements and lives are being changed, the obstacles are monumental.

In South Africa there are 2 million children who have been orphaned because of AIDS.  Each one has a story like this.


~Lincoln

Red Rocks Team Updates

We have been so busy that we haven't had a spare minute to post here.  I'm hoping to have a little time later today to post updates and pictures, but until then I wanted to direct you again to Taylor's blog.  I believe she is the only person on the team posting regularly.  Others will be posting when they get back to the US and we will give links to their blogs as well.

Taylor's Blog

Taylor is here right now with the Red Rocks team.  She came here on a trip with Lincoln last year and fell in love with South Africa.  She is writing about her experiences on her blog.  You can also read about her previous trip here as well.

Red Rocks Team Update

Right now we have a visiting team from our home church, Red Rocks Church.  We've been working in the squatter camp of Freedom Park, just outside of Rustenburg, South Africa.

It's been a great trip, so far.  I always love seeing how this kind of a trip impacts those who come to South Africa to work with us.

We are building a new shack for a very destitute family.  It's unusual to find a complete family unit living together in Freedom Park.  Both the mom, dad, and 3 children have HIV.  They are living in a shack that is in extremely poor condition.  The shack belongs to someone else and they are just letting the family stay there.  The local caregivers have asked us to build a new shack for this family to give them cleaner living conditions.  (Freedom Park is technically an illegal squatter camp, so we can't actually build a proper house.)

We are also working on a new community garden on the property of the medical clinic that runs the HIV treatment program in Freedom Park.  They have a plot of land that they want help turning into a community garden.  The soil there is very thick, nasty clay.  Worse than anything I've ever seen.  It is VERY hard work turning the soil.

Our team really have been troopers, doing a great job.  Once we get the soil broken up we are going to bring in some truck loads of manure and topsoil to mix into the clay.  Hopefully making better soil for a garden.

In the afternoons the team is spending time with the kids in the OVC (Orphan and Vulnerable Children) program in Freedom Park run by the Catholic church.  They oversee the kids in the area who are vulnerable, making sure that they get meals, medical care, and they try to get them in school when possible.

In the after school program the kids get a hot meal, play games, have tutoring and Bible lessons.  We are spending time with those kids, doing arts and crafts and Bible lessons.

 
Yesterday my kids, Madison, Kyler, and Kendi, went with me to the after school program.  They were a little overwhelmed by the attention they got from all the little African kids.  The kids in Freedom Park aren't used to having white kids come play with them.  Madison did well, becoming a little "teacher's helper" for our team.  Kyler and Kendi were a bit overwhelmed by everyone wanting to hold their hands, and touch their hair.  

Overall it's been a great trip so far.  I love sharing our lives with visitors.  I know it will impact them for the rest of their lives.

~Lincoln

Red Rocks Church Team

We haven't had an internet connection since Sunday, so we haven't been able to update our blog at all.

A missions team from our home church, Red Rocks Church, arrived safely on Monday.  Amazingly, all of their luggage arrived as well!

They have been busy in Freedom Park this week, working on a garden and working with children in the Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) program.  Today, a few were able to tag along with Dr. Neil (a local doctors who donates his time caring for AIDS patients) as he made his rounds to the different AIDS hospices where he volunteers.

We will be updating and posting pictures as often as we can.

~Jenny

South Africa Video

Check out this video created by Kristie Mundt who went on our Red Rocks Team trip this last summer.

It does a great job of showing what we did on our trip.



~Lincoln

"Lerato"

Lincoln recently took a team from Red Rocks Church on a missions trip to South Africa. While there they wrote a song about their experiences. The song has now been recorded and we wanted to share it with you. Click here to listen.

"Lerato"

Verse 1

If one man could change the world

And bring color to this city of tin cans

Rusty blue, helpless but not hopeless hue

Sitting with the answers in your hands

All the lost boys are playing in the street.

Will you come play Peter Pan?

This aint no fairy tale it’s a barbed wire reality

But they’re not losing their innocence

Chorus

So come sail away with me off to the red soil

Step out of your boat and see what I can do

You might think that I’ve called you off to change the world

Maybe it’s the world that’s changing you

Verse 2

I’ve got everything you want but you’ve got everything I’ve been missing for so long

You live and breathe everything I need

Turns out you’re the one who’s savin’ me

Seems the reaper is standing at your door

But all we found was life inside

There’s nothin’ left worth livin’ for but all you want is more

Summary

14 strangers answering a call, nothing special at all

There’s a palm print that’s been left on our hearts

That won’t be wiped away when we depart

*To fully appreciate the song you’ll need some explanations to the meaning of the lyrics:

-One of the team members named the kids playing soccer in the streets of Phokeng, “The Lost Boys”

-In the house next to Martha’s house (Martha is a South African lady that provides care and meals to orphans living in child run homes) there is a little boy that is maybe 2 and everyday he sat on the other side of the barbed wire fence and watched all the kids play at Martha’s. Someone nicknamed him “Peter Pan.” He was so cute and adorable and sad looking as he watched everyone else play.

Freedom Park Singing

Below is a video taken of HIV patients in Freedom Park singing early in the morning before the medical clinic opened. We were told that they meet once a week when the HIV clinic opens to encourage one another. This particular day they were remembering one of their fellow patients who had recently died from AIDS.

Team Reactions #4

Red Rocks Team Reactions #4

Below is an entry by Amara Filan, who just returned from working with our Red Rocks Team in South Africa.

South Africa

Our trip to South Africa changed my life forever. Every aspect of it still has me trying to figure out how I really feel. The experience was unforgettable & I am so thankful that Troy (Amara's husband) & I got to go. I feel like I got to meet angels on earth & it was so inspiring to see people who truly dedicate their lives to serving others in such a humble way.

The kids were incredible. Each one touched my heart & I miss them & pray for them often. To know what they have experienced in their short lifetime shocks me & breaks my heart. It saddens me to be here & know that there are still so many kids who live in S.A. & worldwide that are still living in terrible circumstances. These kids have such a sweet soul & are so innocent; I do not understand how anyone could possibly do anything to harm them. It breaks my heart.

Knowing the children’s stories was so important to me to see what they have been through & how far they have come. The kids were so accepting of us & embraced us, not wanting us to go. I find it harder to be here then there at this time, as I think of what some of the kids are enduring as I write this. I also find it difficult to not dislike some of the kids here in the Western world. The kids in Africa are so happy to simply be loved & have a meal a day & one outfit to wear, where I find most kids here are so materialistic & self centered & always need more (the adults too). That has been so tough for me.

Some of the people we met in South Africa have changed the way I think. They serve others so selflessly & do it with love. The doctor (Dr. Neil) I spent the day with amazes me. I asked him how he survives daily life as the need is so overwhelming & depressing. He said that in SA they say “ You don’t eat the whole elephant at once, you chew it one bite at a time” and that’s how he is motivated. He knows that even if he helps one person, it’s enough to keep going. That inspired me.

I met a woman in 4^th stage HIV (as her body rejected medication) who is in the final days of her life & her smile & attitude will always be engraved in my mind. Despite her immense pain, she was able to smile & hold my hand.

The doctor’s wife runs a program counseling the people of Rustenburg. She takes in babies at any given moment & is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, willing to do whatever it takes to improve a life. She truly works for God & changes lives.

The woman (Martha) & her daughter who don’t work so they can feed needy children from their humble home move me beyond words.

The YWAM group does so many great projects & helps so many people as well. All of these people will forever be heroes in my mind & I am eternally grateful for the opportunity I had to meet them.

I am thankful for Lincoln listening to God & bringing our group to Rustenburg. I don’t think that any of us came back the same. I know it challenges me in the way I think & live my life & I hope I will never go back to the way I was before this trip. I believe Troy & I will be back in South Africa & can’t wait to go & get more involved.

Team Reactions #3

Red Rocks Team Reaction #3

Below is a post by Rick Messer, part of our Red Rocks Team that just got back from South Africa. You can read the rest of Rick and Jenny's posts on their blog.

I chose this post from Rick because it is very real. Not every moment was full of meaning and inspiration. Sometimes the kids we came to love and serve were a little annoying. That's just the real world.

Rick's Post:

I worked in Phokeng the whole day today and felt pretty useless most of the time. I also felt very selfish when the kids arrived because I was tired of some of them. Some are sweet and kind but some are kind of demanding. One boy climbed all over me for hours (literally). I didn’t know how to to tell him to stop without being mean.

There was no point in time that this kid wasn’t on somebody’s back or grabbing on to their leg!! (gotta love ‘em)

Says it all… Ha!

Amanda showed me how to make swords and dogs out of balloons and that was until some of the kids got a little grabby. We got swarmed!

Ended day at Martha’s playing soccer. We played with about 12 of us in the street. Troy, me and Lincoln were on a team with a few kids from the neighborhood and we played against 6 more. They won some “Coke Lights” from Lincoln (They don’t have diet coke there, just “Coke Light” -minor cultural detail I thought I’d throw in).

For the second time, I noticed a boy who was playing soccer in the dirt streets in just his socks. I learned his name and sort of became friends with him. He’s called and text messaged me a few times since I’ve been back! He wore his school uniform when he played soccer. One time he kicked the ball hard and said his foot was hurting. I asked why he didn’t have shoes and he said they were too big and when he kicked the ball his shoes would fly off. I showed him a better way to tie his shoes, but they still flew off! I decided I would just get him a new pair, so we got some at the mall (yes there’s a mall nearby, I was really surprised too!) and Jenny gave them to him the following Monday.

Me and Lincoln loosing badly in soccer, you can see the kid in the white shirt playing without shoes:

While we were playing soccer I saw a little boy that we all had noticed over the past few days. He lived next door to Martha. He is probably about 2 years old and is alone, outside all day.

The whole yard is dirt and fenced with barbed wired. Some of the team saw him eating some orange peels that we had thrown away. He was reaching through the fence and eating them off of the ground. Troy went over the fence and gave him some fresh fruit that we had in the van.

Team Reactions #2

Red Rocks Team Reactions #2

Below is an excerpt from Jenny Messer's blog about her trip to South Africa.

-Jenn’s Day One-

Journal Entry Tuesday, June 22nd

“One day… I made it to Africa, I hesitate to fall in love.” (This was the first line of my journal entry for my Africa experience, it still rings true in my head as I type this and I am positive will be with me always. I want to go back soon and often. I knew I would have to leave this place and I had to process that very fact before I even left, when I got there to my dismay, it was even more lovely and hard to leave.)


“I breathe the colors and smell the sound of laughter and crooked smiles. I have already been saddened when the children had to leave–just to go to bed! (I am not able to list names of the children on the internet, but she was the one who latched to me and then I could not let go.) “I taught her to clap, grab her cheeks and say OH! We twirled our fingers in the air as trees, pointed to the blue sky and moved like the wind. I feel love as she holds tight to me and says, Mommy.” Today was the first day I heard that word.

Freedom Park Laughing

Freedom Park is an interesting place, joy and laughter is not uncommon in the midst of tragedy and heartbreak. Many times Americans are very self conscious about wanting to taking pictures of the people there. It makes us feel self conscious, and disrespectful. While that might occasionally be the case, more often than not the people love to have their picture taken.

Below is a video taken by Rick and Jenny, part our Red Rocks Team that just returned from South Africa. They are taking pictures of the people and then showing them their image on the digital camera. They obviously are very thrilled to see this technology at work.

Red Rocks Team Reactions #1

Below is an entry from Chris Price, one of our Red Rocks Team members who just visited South Africa with us. I've asked the team members to write a blog entry explaining what they learned and experienced on their trip. This is the part of the trip that I really enjoyed, watching the impact on others lives. I've already seen what they are seeing and experienced it and I know how it has affected my life. It's very fulfilling to be a part of that process in the lives of others.

Here is Chris' entry:

It's difficult to put into words how this trip has changed my life. It's difficult to explain to friends and family how survival is a daily struggle for the people of Africa, or how they live in a place so vastly different from the quiet comfort of the States.

I’ve searched for some way to convey these experiences, and sadly, I am found wanting. I desire deeply for people to feel what I have felt, to see what I have seen, to experience all that I have experienced. However, I am slowly learning that my humble words and photographs will never suffice. The more I think about it, this makes complete sense, these things are worldly, how could they possibly compensate for such a divine experience?


Something inexplicable happens when you find yourself outside of every comfort you’ve ever known. Being surrounded by such tragedy I had to constantly remind myself that this is not a dream, but a dramatic reality.

I quickly realized that any aid or comfort I might bring to these people will simply not be enough. The change needed in South Africa goes far beyond improving a home or providing a meal. The people there are suffering from a condition of the soul. It's the same condition that can be seen in your next door neighbor, a friend at work, the person pouring you your cup of coffee, and in the person looking back at you in the mirror. For the people in Africa that know Christ I am eternally grateful. They have given me an entirely new perspective on God, and impressed upon me far more than I left with them.

After a few days back home I’ve had plenty of time to reflect on the sum of my experiences. Simply said, I have been shaken to my very core. I have been forced to reevaluate every aspect of my life. God has shown me the importance of working for something eternal. I no longer wish to concern myself with the greed and selfishness of American culture, instead I now yearn to do Gods work. The kind of work that produces fulfillment and happiness.


For two weeks I lived light-years away from the all consuming pettiness of Americana and felt nothing but joy the entire time. Even through the tragedy of life in South Africa I felt happiness. A sense that I was working for my God and that he was working in me.

More often than not we convince ourselves that happiness is a new car away, a new job away, a new relationship away, etc. All of these are variations of one core lie, that true happiness can be obtained apart from God. Satan uses this one lie in many different forms, that we might be distracted from a true and righteous view of God. A view that says, happiness lies in Him and nothing more.

To all who may read this. I issue this challenge. A challenge that was given to all of us long ago. Lose your life and you will surely find it. Amen.

The team made it home safely

I'm sure Lincoln has a lot more to post about when he is feeling up to it, I just wanted to quickly post to let everyone know that the team has arrived home safe and sound. Thank you for all your prayers over the past 2 weeks. It sounds like they had an amazing trip!

On their way home

Lincoln just called with 2 minutes left on his calling card, so we didn't have much time to talk. The team made it to the airport on time (barely!) and their flight leaves in about 50 minutes. By this time tomorrow they should be about an hour and a half away from landing in Denver.

Please continue to pray for their safety and protection.

Team Members

(Click on picture to enlarge)

Below is a journal entry written by Chris, one of our Red Rocks Team Members. It may not mean a lot to those of you that aren't on this trip, but I thought I'd post it to preserve the memory of 14 individuals that have become an amazing team.

June 21, 2009 will forever mark the day that my life changed forever. As I unloaded our luggage from my car at the airport I remember being filled with a sense of excitement and nervousness.

I knew that I would be embarking on a journey that would undoubtedly force me to reevaluate every aspect of my life. As we made our way through the airport our group instantly gelled. Its funny because it seems like I’ve known these people for a lifetime. God has definitely blessed me to be here with so many amazing individuals.

This is the first time in my life that I’ve truly seen the embodiment of Romans 12:4-8 “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”

Every person has a necessary gift.

Lincoln has been an amazing leader, quiet, calm, and humble. Yet strong, faithful and confident. He truly loves this place.

I feel like Troy is our vice-leader. His knowledge of the ways of God challenges me, he is definitely someone I look up to. His wonderful sense of humor provides our team with necessary moments of laughter. The tragedy of this place could easily overwhelm a person. Laughter has kept us grounded and sane.

The carpenter after God’s heart. Dave has so many amazing gifts, his knack for carpentry has been such a blessing. Accomplishing what we have at Martha’s would not have been possible without him. His gift for music has provided us with so many moments of community and worship.

The Heavenly Chef. Rick has taken it upon himself to prepare our meals. His ability to make such delicious and satisfying meals on a small budget has been a wonderful blessing. Not to mention the food he prepares provides our team with much needed nourishment.

The tallest girl in Africa. Taylor’s presence was felt here immediately. Instantly connecting with Maureen, a woman who works in the shelter. Taylor has shown her and the other women here that they deserve to be treated as a precious daughter of God.

Love embodied. Kristie has a way of loving people by just being near them. As I watched her hold these children and weep for the broken in freedom park, I felt as though I saw Christ holding them and weeping for them.

K is for Karate Chop, what a perfect shirt for Kim to have. It describes who she is to a T. A confident little spitfire. Kim has a boldness that comes from God and a willingness to lend a hand where needed. I hope that something as small as her soccer ability has challenged the perceptions of what a woman is capable of accomplishing.

The megaphone “sweetheart”. Lorrie’s confidence in who she is has ministered to me greatly and shown our team the importance of embracing who he created us to be. Her sense of humor has also provided our team with so much laughter and relief from the emotional challenges we face daily.

The lighthouse without a foghorn, Ashley’s quiet faith has spoken volumes to me, proving the importance of being quick to listen and slow to speak. Ashley is often quiet, but when she does speak it is always meaningful and important.

The United States of Amara. I feel like the gift of comfort is so prevalent with Amara. I’ve watched her provide small words of encouragement and comfort to so many on our team. The manner in which its done is so real and honest. Genuine hearts like hers are too few and far between.

The gentle heart. When I think of Lizzy I can’t help but smile. I imagine Jesus doing the very same thing. Quiet and sweet, Lizzy is such a good natured person. I can’t imagine her saying something negative about anyone. She has shown me the importance of humbly loving others.

The consummate mother. Jenny’s motherly instincts and ability to teach children have been an enormous blessing.

Lion bait. On one occasion in particular Amanda challenged me in my prayer life. Her passionate prayer allows the spirit to penetrate every heart in the room, causing a unity with God that I’ve rarely experienced prior.

Jo-berg. The quiet and humble heart of Johannes has shown me an entirely new way of working. There are times in my life when I feel as though I was working for the Lord but Johannes does anything and everything that is asked of him. He does it as though God himself were giving him a command from Heaven.

I don’t know what part I’ve played within this organized chaos, I just hope that I’ve been half the blessing these people have been to me.

Day 10

Day 10 Red Rocks Team Trip

Today our team continued working on the playground at the shelter. We made pretty good progress but it isn’t done yet. We’ll work for a few hours tomorrow morning before our fun day in Johannesburg. Tomorrow we will go souvenir shopping, go to the Lion Park, and eat at Carnivore Restaurant in Jo-burg. It will be nice to have a fun relaxing day after working so hard.

Part of the team worked in Phokeng putting the final coat of paint on the ceiling. The cabinets were also installed today at Martha’s.

Tomorrow is Amara’s birthday (Amara is one of the ladies on the team) so we had a surprise birthday for her with the kids at the shelter. While she was in Freedom Park this morning the older kids in the shelter decorated a birthday cake for her and made some cards. It was a cool surprise for her.

Tonight we took the 7 oldest kids in the shelter to the movies. We saw Ice Age 3. It was a very cool treat for the kids. One of the girls that we took with us is the one that I wrote about earlier in our trip who has returned to the shelter because she was abused by her father. This was the first time that she has ever gone to a movie. She had so much fun. It was great to hear her laughing so loud in the movie theater.

Yesterday I wrote about the song that the team wrote. The music to it is very cool, you’ve got to hear it, but for now here are the lyrics:

They titled the song “Lerato” which means “love” in Tswana.

Verse 1

If one man could change the world

And bring color to this city of tin cans

Rusty blue, helpless but not hopeless hue

Sitting with the answers in your hands

All the lost boys are playing in the street.

Will you come play Peter Pan?

This aint no fairy tale it’s a barbed wire reality

But they’re not losing their innocence

Chorus

So come sail away with me off to the red soil

Step out of your boat and see what I can do

You might think that I’ve called you off to change the world

Maybe it’s the world that’s changing you

Verse 2

I’ve got everything you want but you’ve got everything I’ve been missing for so long

You live and breathe everything I need

Turns out you’re the one who’s savin’ me

Seems the reaper is standing at your door

But all we found was life inside

There’s nothin’ left worth livin’ for but all you want is more

Summary

14 strangers answering a call, nothing special at all

There’s a palm print that’s been left on our hearts

That won’t be wiped away when we depart

To fully appreciate the song you’ll need some explanations on the meaning of the lyrics, here’s a few of them:

-One of our team members named the kids playing soccer in the streets of Phokeng, “The Lost Boys”

-In the house next to Martha’s there is a little boy that is maybe 2 and everyday he sat on the other side of the barbed wire fence and watched all the kids play at Martha’s. Someone nicknamed him “Peter Pan.” He was so cute and adorable and sad looking as he watched everyone else play.

The boy below is "Peter Pan"

Day 9

Day 9 Red Rocks Team Trip

It's very late at night. I'm tired and I don't have a lot time, but I wanted to post a quick update. I'll try to post some pictures later. Sometimes it is quite a mission to upload pictures because the internet connection is so slow here.

Today we sent part of the team back out to Phokeng to continue on the ceilings. Tomorrow the cabinets will be installed. Tomorrow is our last day of working so we have a lot to do.

We also began rebuilding the Lighthouse shelter's playground today. Our intention was to install new posts in the ground and then re-use the existing wood from the old playground, but as we've begun the project we are finding that almost all of the wood is rotten so we are pretty much starting from scratch, which has made the project much more involved than we originally intended. I doubt that we will finish completely, but hopefully we can do enough that the kids can use it.

We also sent 4 of our ladies to Neobirth today. Neobirth is a crisis pregnancy center in town. The ladies from our team were just going to see what they do at Neobirth and learn a little about the social issues that they deal with. While they were there several mothers came in seeking help with their pregnancy or asking for help for their newborns. It was one crisis after another while the girls were there and they got quite an education on the problems of South Africa. One of our team members is a social worker in the states and said that today was the most impacting day yet for her. I'm glad that they had that opportunity.

Tomorrow our last batch of team members will visit Freedom Park.

Tonight I had a meeting in town regarding the leadership of the shelter and I returned to find that the team had been writing a song about their experience in South Africa. It was amazing. Maybe we'll post the lyrics here eventually - keep checking back. It means so much to me to see how this trip has impacted each of them individually. It is more than I could have hoped for. A lot of tears were being shed tonight because of how God is moving in each person's life.

Freedom Park

Day 8 Red Rocks Team Trip

Today we took the second group of people from our team to visit Freedom Park. It is so much fun for me to see people experience that for the first time. Today's trip to Freedom Park had a particularly heavy impact on our team.


They really connected well with the caregivers that showed us around and really got a heart for the heavy burden of these people. There is so much tragedy and heartache that it can be very overwhelming. It is very difficult to explain Freedom Park to people until you have visited. Every time that I take visitors there the common comment when we leave is, "I don't know what to think. I'm so overwhelmed by what I saw." To see it in person is so much more meaningful than to hear about it or see pictures or video.


When you see children playing barefoot in streets filled with broken glass, when you smell the smoldering ruins of a shack that has recently burned down because one person wanted to murder the 4 people living inside, when you feel the bone-numbing cold inside the tin shacks, when you smell the pungent odor of paraffin stoves mixed with the decay of terminally ill patients, when you see the hopelessness in the eyes of one patient, and then hear the laughter, joy, and dreams of the next patient, when you shake hands with a terminally ill patient and feel the light weight of their hand...you realize you are essentially holding skin and bones, when you watch a child using a discarded bone as a chew toy, or watch them using rusty tin cans as toys, when you see the pain and heartache of the caregivers, but hear them talk of joy and hope for their patients....all of these things mix and mingle in your mind as a stew of emotions, and thoughts, and fears, and inspiration, and hope, and pain....and you don't know what to think or feel.

(In the picture above this boy is drinking a Black Label Beer)

It is very overwhelming, and today was definitely overwhelming for every person that visited. We have not yet had time to debrief and talk about it, but I can tell that it rocked their world.


4 of the ladies from our group went with Dr. Neil on his rounds to the AIDS clinics. (Dr. Neil is a South African doctor who volunteers much of his time helping out in several AIDS clinics, he also provides free health care for all of the children at the Lighthouse shelter.) I haven't had a chance yet to talk to them about their experience, but I know they enjoyed it. Dr. Neil is such a wealth of information and experience. He loves to show people around and explain to them all about the HIV pandemic and what is being done to help the situation. I'm sure that their mind is full of experiences and information. I look forward to hearing about their day.

Some of the team went back out to Phokeng to continue working on the ceilings, and 4 of the ladies came back to the shelter to begin digging 3 ft deep holes to plant the new poles for the playground that we will be rebuilding tomorrow. I know that this earth is not soft and they definitely had their work cut out for them. My hat is off to everyone that is working so hard to make a difference. I really appreciate all their hard work.