Allen Allnoch had these kind words to say today… –Bryon

Each month I get a statement from Shepherd’s Staff, the mission organization that receives and administers financial contributions to my work here in Cape Town. Every time I open it, I’m humbled by the generosity of people who have felt led to give. Some gifts are from people I know well; some are from out of the blue; all are part of God’s sovereign and faithful hand in providing for me. In living here as a volunteer for more than a year, I’ve come to realize more than ever that God truly “will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

Financial support is important, of course, but so are prayer and words of encouragement, and I have been blessed by plenty of those as well. With regard to prayer, I’ll probably never know the extent to which people have interceded on my behalf – but I do know it’s significant. So to anyone out there who has ever contributed even one dollar, offered up one prayer, spoken one word of encouragement, or otherwise helped me and my mission in any way – here’s a big Table Mountain-sized “thank you.” I wouldn’t be here without you.

HT: Trail Mix

Even though I'm immersed in another culture, on my own thousands of miles away from my American home, I don't feel much like a missionary. I feel like I've moved to another state (very unlike my native Georgia or Alabama) and am working in ministry just down the road from my old-normal life. I've said this before, but it feels like I've headed to College again… and I'm just too old for that experience the second time over, but am enduring it because God has called me here.

I'm back in the phase of longing for the familiar. For awhile I was ok with the new and found everything very exciting. But when I can't find black beans and Reeses Cups in my local grocery store, I begin to miss the comforts I once had.

I don't feel like a missionary because I don't know what that feels like. Growing up in church (especially in the Baptist Church), I viewed missionaries as this sacrificial lamb. I saw them as people who were missing out on the American Dream because they loved God so much. I must tell you, I LOVE the Lord, but I'm not claiming to love Him more than anyone I know. I feel like God opened doors for me to live a Christian life in another country. What I do each day isn't more difficult or more important than anything you do. The people I work with look differently, act differently, and live differently than any Americans I know… but I'm learning that missions is about LOVE. Loving people right where they're at. Working with people of all walks of life. Being an overflow of God's love is the goal. This work is difficult most days, but work in the States was difficult too. Missionaries are people that are asked to leave their home. Missionaries are often asked to sell their stuff. But missionaries aren't special. YOU are a missionary right where you are. Open your eyes and find out who God has put in front of you. Who can you tell about the love of Jesus? Take advantage of God NOT calling you out of your home. Be useful right where you are. Don't think of missions as a far-off-calling. Think of missions as a way of life.

Melanie's blog

Melanie's missionary page

As I type this, I can look across the room and count five pairs of shoes. And that’s just here in my temporary South African home. I have several more back in the U.S. A 2009 survey revealed that the average American owns 11 pairs of shoes. “Need” is such a relative term, isn’t it?

Allen's missionary page

Allen's blog

Today I led a Sunday School Conference at the associational office. There were fourteen people, from four churches, in attendance. We learned a lot about children, curriculum, games and other stuff.

Elizabeth’s blog

Elizabeth’s missionary page

With children still on Easter break this week, Living Hope is holding its quarterly Holiday Clubs in the communities of Capricorn, Masiphumelele, Ocean View and Red Hill. Younger kids meet in the morning and teenagers attend after lunch. It’s a great way to keep them occupied and out of trouble while they have so much free time on their hands.

In Red Hill the teenagers’ lesson today was on Jesus’ attitude of humility and servant hood, based on His act of washing the disciples’ feet as recorded in the 13th chapter of John. To put this lesson into action, we told the kids they would not be getting their usual snack of an apple and a pear this afternoon. Instead, they were to go out and give their food away to others in the community.

I was proud to see them do so without grumbling or complaining. One household was so touched by the gesture that they offered a boy part of their lunch in return. And as I told the kids, when you give selflessly God often blesses you with something even greater. In this case, it was a chocolate Easter egg, a box of which had been donated for the week.

But that wasn’t all. When the kids got back from their little outing, my two colleagues and I sat them down and washed their feet. There were a lot of laughs, and a little hesitancy from a couple of kids, but overall I think the message got through. At least I hope it did. Jesus said, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15). The more these young people are able to live as Jesus did, the more God’s Kingdom will take root in Red Hill.

Below are more images from our Holiday Club in Red Hill this week.

Allnoch blog

Allnoch missionary page

This past week we learned that the Lord is still trying to teach us patience. I'm sure that the quest for true patience will never be completely reached, but after spending 10 months in Africa and dealing with "Africa time" we thought for sure that we had learned all that God wanted to teach us about being patient. Turns out we were wrong! This last Monday we went to camp with the 6th and 7th graders for three days and TIA (This Is Africa) came along. :) First off, let me explain TIA. Whenever things go a bit differently here than they might go back home, we volunteers always say "TIA, This Is Africa". The program is starting hours late...no worries, "TIA". We aren't prepared for what we have to do today...no big deal, "TIA". No one told so-and-so to be here...oh well we'll call them now, "TIA". Get it?

Well, the morning of camp we were all told to be ready to go at 8 am. The buses would be picking up the first group of children at that time and then they'd be by to pick up our children in Masi around 8:15. TWO HOURS later, the bus finally arrives to pick us up for the three hour bus ride we have ahead of us. We then drive to our final stop, a community called Capricorn, to pick up the remainder of the children. We get there and load up so we now have 100 children in two buses. Finally, we're off to camp! Then the worst thing possible happens...the drivers turn off the buses. Oh no, now what!? Turns out that these drivers hadn't been paid and they refused to drive a single kilometer further without 10,000 rand cash!

While they decided to wait until we got ALL the children on the bus before telling us this information is still beyond me. Now, it's not that Living Hope didn't have the money. In fact, we had already paid it in full. But, the company that we rented the buses from didn't have enough buses that morning and contracted these two buses to do the job for them (which is why they were two hours late in the first place)...so, we had to track down the people from the ORIGINAL bus company to get the money to these guys. We were all sent on a wild goose chase to get a hold of this money!

THREE AND A HALF HOURS later we have finally have the money and we're off, FIVE HOURS later than originally planned...Wow, This Is Africa. Another thing that some of the volunteers say is TINA (This Is Not America), and unfortunately TINA came along that day as well. None of this would have happened at home. We would never ever have been stuck in a place like this with drivers who refused to drive, especially with 100 kids already in the bus. Oh the joys of being in Africa...and constantly learning what it means to be patient!

Kneezle blog

Kneezle missionary page

This week was my 'catch-up' week. While the team was here, a mound of work piled up that I knew was waiting for me the week I returned to the office and Teens Team. The pressure hit me like a ton of bricks. It was the first time that I'd been in 'panic mode' since being in SA. I felt like I was running around making other people nervous and in a panic too. By Thursday I'd calmed down more. I HATE the stress of work and feeling like time is so short and slipping by. With Easter coming up, I'll have a few days off and can chill and take a deep breath. Looking forward to being still in South Africa!

Next week (Monday-Wednesday), the LSEs and Volunteers get to take the 6^th and 7^th graders on a Camp! Living Hope is allowing us to take time to just chill with these kids, build relationships, do 'camp activities' and just pour into them with Christ's love! What a privilege that is! The big controversy about this camp is there are two camp sites. One, called The Stables, has in-door rooms, beds, hot water… basically a nicer 'camp' area. The other site, appropriately named, The Bush, has no hot water, everything is open-air, and rumor has it the bugs are enormous and all over everything. To decide what leaders would be at what camp, Avril drew our names out of a bag. The suspense was killer. We were all rowdy and excited to see who we'd be with and what camp site we were assigned. As you can probably guess, I was drawn for THE BUSH CAMP. Thankfully, I'm with a LOT of fun people and friends that I know will make the time interesting. As in previous mission trips, I feel I might be going without a shower these 3 days; the Lord must have prepared me in Mexico all those years ago. I'm sure I'll have some stories to blog after next week!!!!

Then, once we get back from Camp, we have Easter Holidays (Thursday- Monday off) and the Tuesday after Easter is HOLIDAY CLUB. Basically this is a VBS week for the communities where we work. We'll do Kids' Holiday Club in the morning and Teen Holiday Club in the afternoon. We have 2 hours of curriculum, games, crafts, songs, etc. planned for each day and each age group. [Hence all the work and tasks I was stressed about.] So, the next two weeks are going to be wild. I'm really looking forward to them. Time-spent always brings memories and people closer… which is what I need right now!

On a personal note. My friend Meagan and I were working together one day this week and she casually asked me, "Are you unhappy here?" [I was concerned she thought I was unhappy because of my attitude or because of something I said, but Meagan knows me better than most here and knows a little about my life in AL and can see that life here is very different for me. Meagan is someone I can let my guard down with and I think she's seen the 'real me' more than others.] I responded, "No, I'm not unhappy." She said, "But, you're not happy." I told her it wasn't that I was unhappy or happy. I'm just trying to figure out life here and it's very different from the life I once knew. I explained … I was really loved in Birmingham. I had a ton of people that I knew deeply, that I LOVED hanging out with, that were great friends, coworkers and support. I don't have that here in SA. I'm building friends, I do love my work, but there's not a support here that I crave. I often feel like this 'mission' is too big, too wide, too long; yet when I feel that way, I'm comforted to know that I'm glad it's bigger than ME. I'm glad I must depend on the Lord for EVERYTHING here. I'm glad my life looks different and that I have SO much time to spend with the Lord- uninterrupted time where I can see and hear the Lord in my DAILY activity. Life here is just different. Not unhappy. Not happy. Just different right now.

Please pray for the upcoming Camp and Holiday Clubs. Pray that the LSEs have energy, passion, compassion, and a Word from the Lord each day to keep them going. Pray that I would see needs and be empowered to meet them. Pray for God's wisdom and guidance in each step.

Melanie’s blog

Melanie’s missionary page

Working with kids brings both disappointment and encouragement. I experienced a bit of both last week.

Students begin Easter break tomorrow and Living Hope is taking 100 6^th- and 7^th-graders away to camp. Red Hill was allotted 23 spaces, but we decided to bring only 16, picking the kids who attend the most and behave the best at the after-school clubs.

As I was handing out registration forms on Wednesday, two teenage boys, knowing I had extra spaces available, told me they were in Grade 7 and begged me to let them go. I thought they were in Grade 9, but they promised me they weren’t lying. After I sent them home with the registration forms, several of their classmates came up to me and said they had indeed lied.

I managed to catch one before I left and he finally admitted his dishonesty as he hung his head in shame. At first I felt anger, but that quickly melted into disappointment. “Have these kids not learned anything we’ve been teaching them?” I wondered.

When I arrived at Red Hill the next day, the other boy, Lucas, approached me and said he needed to say something. “I was dishonest about my age,” he said. “Will you forgive me?” I was still disappointed by what he had done – and told him so – but I was also encouraged that he had come forward to admit his mistake. I just hope he remembers the lesson next time he’s tempted to beat the system.

As for the camp, we’re going to a place called Wortelgat, located in the mountains about two hours east of Cape Town. I’m told it’s a real wilderness-type experience, and I’m just as excited as the kids. I’ll report back and post photos when we return later in the week.

Allnoch blog

Allnoch missionary page

In my last post, I mentioned my struggles in facing the evils of human trafficking. Sometimes when I read the daily headlines and think about the atrocities that humans carry out on each other, I can’t help asking the age-old question: Why does God allow such evil to continue in the world? Sometimes I even take it a step further and ask: Was God’s decision to create mankind a colossal mistake?

Standing on the truth of His word that He is righteous, holy and incapable of error, I do believe the answer is no. But it sure is disheartening to see the things that man – created in God’s image though he is – is capable of.

The deeper my knowledge and understanding of Christ becomes, the more I’m able to come to terms with evil. In fact, considering all Christ did for us, I think the wickedness of man makes Him look all the more magnificent.

Looking ahead to Jesus’ crucifixion, Isaiah wrote, “He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him … and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5-6).

As I understand this, Christ bore every sin that was ever committed and ever would be committed – and the punishment for it – in His own body. His own heavenly Father turned his back while pouring out His wrath for all these atrocities. Christ did not bear just the physical agony of dying a slow death on a wooden cross; I believe He also suffered unspeakable pain in the spiritual realm that we that we can’t even begin to fathom.

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” He gave His life for all, even the most vile of sinners. I believe somehow, at one time or another, every individual is given the opportunity to respond to this free gift. Sadly many won’t, but that doesn’t diminish the glory of God and the effort He made to save us.

For those who do believe, they can realize this truth: “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God” (1 John 3:1).

Allen's Blog

Allen's Missionary Page

Allen Allnoch is a Shepherd’s Staff missionary and a fantastic writer. Allen’s home is in Bluffton, SC, and his mission field is in South Africa. Check out his blog.

In preparing lessons for our after-school children’s programs this week, I’ve had to grapple with an extremely troubling issue: human trafficking. As the soccer World Cup approaches in June, we’re trying to make children and teenagers aware that traffickers are expected to descend on Cape Town in large numbers.

The depth of evil associated with this issue is astonishing. I was shocked to read that today, despite more than a dozen international conventions banning slavery in the past century and a half, there are more slaves than at any point in human history. Children are lured away from their homes (or off the streets for those who have no homes), with the promise of a better life. People of all ages are bought and sold as if they are nothing more than cattle. Kids as young as 3 and 4 are exploited sexually , offered up for prostitution and for pornographic purposes. The list of atrocities is long and painful to confront.

The problem is especially acute in South Africa, where there are an estimated 38,000 children trapped in the sex trade. According to a January 18 article in Time magazine, “More than 500 mostly small-scale trafficking syndicates … collude with South African partners, including recruiters and corrupt police officials, to enslave local victims.”  For the four-week period of the World Cup, Cape Town public schools will be closed, meaning more children will be on the streets and vulnerable to those who would seek to take advantage of them.

I can’t comprehend the hardness of heart that would compel a person to treat a child, or person of any age, in this way. If you don’t believe Satan is real, then just google human trafficking and read some of the horror stories. Only a supernatural force of evil could influence people to sink to such depths.

But there is hope in the One who has already overcome the devil and all the havoc he has wreaked on the world. God is a God of justice and He “works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed” (Psalm 103:6). He has made it clear in Scripture that He loves children and all who are oppressed, and that there is misery in store for those who mistreat children:

Jesus “called a little child and had him stand among them. And He said … if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea” (Matthew 18: 2-3, 6).

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” Paul rhetorically asked in Romans 8:31. Still, these little ones need your prayers, as do teenagers and others who are vulnerable to those who would exploit them. For more insight into South Africa’s human trafficking crisis, see http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1952335,00.html. For more information on the issue in general, see http://www.justiceacts.org.

Allen’s Blog

Allen’s Missionary Page