And The Rest...

I suppose I am writing this post more for myself than anyone else but here goes.  On Wednesday the 12th, I got to travel to see some of the ministries supported by Orchard Africa.  We first drove to the medical clinic so we could get an idea on the realities of village life.  This clinic, services people suffering with HIV, TB, ante natal care as well as regular medical complaints.  These people will walk many miles to come to this clinic.  The sisters (nurses) who work here are dedicated to the people and providing medical care for them. I was impressed that they were still able to retain their humor even in the midst of difficult circumstances.
The next thing we did was head to a graveyard.  This was very sobering because I think the oldest person in there was 65.  Most people were buried in their 30's - 40's.  Even though HIV is a huge killer in South Africa, the real wave of deaths from AIDS is still to be felt.  What will the country look like, what will the continent look like when there are more child head of households.
We then visited with Lilly a heath care supporter who visits patients in their homes.  We met with one elderly woman who is crippled with back issues and two young women with HIV.  It was a very sobering day.

After that...I went back to the hotel and slept for 15 hours because I started to get sick, and then kept getting sicker.  I made it to a Dr. in Cape Town and was diagnosed with measles.  I had a reaction to the MMR booster shot I received.  For the rest of the trip, I have tried to hang on.  This has been a very difficult experience for me as I haven't ever been this sick, and I was a long way from home, but my experiences pale  in comparison to what these people in Mafikeng face daily.  I will wrestle with what God wants me to learn from this trip and will hopefully come up with some answers in the next couple of weeks.  I write this final blog in Chicago sitting and waiting for my last flight.  I am looking forward to coming home.

Live from Mafikeng

Today I got up, went for a run on the treadmill and had a great breakfast. Then we got into the van and began our treck to Mafikeng, just a short 4 hour car ride.

We got a chance to see some beautiful country and even had an opportunity to see some African wildlife. We saw the elusive African Cow and it was a sight to behold.

Once we got settled into the hotel we took a tour of some local villages where Orchard Africa has made significant impact. At both of these sites they feed children daily (200+), provide grief counseling for children who have lost loved ones, provide medical care for HIV infected patients, and teach HIV avoidance. They are making a huge impact in these areas.

After our tour we drove though a golf community and we did see some Antelope, not quite as exciting as the cows but fun nonetheless.

Tomorrow I get to actually see the ministry in action as I will be in villages and part of a VBS in the afternoon.

Pastor's Training in Lusaka

On Monday, Mike Tessendorf of Orchard Africa held a training for local pastors in Lusaka, Zambia. The purpose of this training was to help pastors understand the impact of extreme poverty and HIV/AIDS infection among adults and children. The statistics were staggering and the impact on this society is staggering. The majority of people in Zambia live on less than $2 a day and a loaf of bread cost $1. We just don't understand that level of extreme poverty or hunger. It was great to see the local pastors respond to the information and the call for the local church to do something about it.

Since we were guests, we were ushered to the front of the church to sit on the platform facing the audience. After the conference we headed straight for the airport for our flight back to South Africa. The flight was less than two hours and was nice.

We checked into our hotel and went to bed.

The next post will be in South Africa.

1st full day in Zambia

Today we traveled about 2.5 hours by car to get to a village partnered with Orchard Africa. We had an opportunity to visit with some of the people who live in the village as well as hear their passion for their community and the extreme poverty the people in the rural area face. After we had Tea we went to church. This was quite a wonderful experience and the music was amazing. With drums being the only instruments, there were a few choirs who led us in singing. Even though I didn't know the words to the songs, I was moved by the people's devotion to God and singing to Him. There was a policeman who got up to give his story. He started out by saying that he used to do all kinds of evil things and many of the people in the room knew who he was and what he had done. He then shared how he came to Christ and no longer does any of the things he used to do. He talked about how his co-workers are amazed at how different he is. He shared about the life changing power of Jesus Christ.

Matt Swartz gave the message and he contrasted the pursuit of happiness with the true joy that comes from God. The message was very straightforward and the people responded. One of the things that struck me was towards the end where Matt encouraged us to finish the race well and not to stop 5K before the end of the race.

After we left the service we went to lunch (the service probably went on for another 1-2 hours after we left) and we had a wonderful meal. I got to try warthog and let me tell you, it's pretty good.

We got to tour a bit more after lunch and then started the long journey home.

Both Matt and I ended our day by working out in the gym after sitting for hours in airplanes and airports. All in all, it was a great day!!

More to come tomorrow.

3/4 of the way through our flights

I am sitting in the South African Airways Lounge waiting for our next flight. We have an 8 hour layover and then we are on to Lusaka, Zambia and our hotel. Thankfully the flight tonight is only about 2 hours long. So far, the travel portion has been tiring.

Tomorrow we will be in a village and will get a chance to see the kind of work Orchard Africa is doing in Zambia. I hope to take a lot of pictures tomorrow.

I'm going to try to nap for a couple of hours, I only slept a couple of hours on the last flight and am feeling pretty tired.

1st Leg of Travel Complete

First of all, I must admit that traveling with someone who can use flyer miles to upgrade seats to Business Class has been wonderful so far. I think Matt Swartz has about 1 billion miles on his account and he was willing to share some with me. Thanks for the upgrade Matt. Not only did we have great seats and wonderful meals, we also got to use the Star Lounge where I was able to take a shower. This is a great way to travel.

We will be here in London for the next 8 hours or so waiting to board our next flight. I am looking forward to that leg of our journey but especially when we finally get to our destination. Please continue to pray for us that God will use us and our time here for His glory!!

I will continue to update as I can.

Brett

Family Connection 09.05.2012

Family Connection

09.05.2012

“Don’t worry about anything. Instead, tell God about everything. Ask and pray. Give thanks to Him. Then God’s peace will watch over your hearts and minds because you belong to Christ Jesus. God’s peace can never be completely understood.’” Philippians4:6-7

Tomorrow I will board a plane headed for South Africa and Zambia. Another pastor and I will be heading out to Orchard Africa, the ministry we support in as a church as well as our children’s ministry. I am excited about the trip, but I was worried about whether or not I was going to be able to go this morning.

You see, last night as I was making sure I had everything I started looking for my passport. I couldn’t find it where I normally kept it. I kept looking, still no luck. I then enlisted the help of my wonderful wife, still no luck. We went to bed with the conviction that I must have left it in the office here at church. However, once I got to church this morning I couldn’t find it. Jennifer began systematically looking through every drawer and desk in our house; all to no avail. I finally called to make an appointment with the passport expediting service in Tucson and prepared to make the trek to get a new passport. I went home to change cars with my wife and get the supporting documents I would need. As I got out of the care I prayed, “Well, Lord this isn’t exactly what I wanted to happen but thank you that I can at least get a new passport today.” Just as I was about to put the car in reverse to make the trek, Jennifer came into the garage and said, “I found it!” Somehow the passport had slipped behind a drawer in the dresser and made its way to the bottom of the dresser. Thankfully Jen thought to remove the drawers. Needless to say I was thrilled.

I wish I could tell you that during the time I was looking for the passport I had unwavering faith, a calm disposition and was worry free. Since I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to lie to you I will let you know I failed miserably. However, I can say that as I look back on my minor ordeal, God’s peace was with me.

Just as I am sharing this story with you I believe it is important to share with our children the struggles, joys and triumphs we experience as we follow God. It is a way for us to be real and transparent with our children so they can see what a relationship with God looks like. Following God is not always easy, but it is always best!!

This week we will be wrapping up The Cure series and will provide talking points for you and your children as we want to build in Faith @ Home.

We will teach the children that the prescription to stay healthy this week is grace. Here are the Parent Talk discussion sheets we will hand out to your children this weekend:

We Can Love Others No Matter What

Basic Truth: God Loves Me

Key Question: Who loved us first?

Bottom Line: We love because God loved us first.

Memory Verse: “We love because he first loved us.” 1John 4:19, ESV

Story Summary:

Joseph helped his brothers get food when they were hungry and
welcomed them even though they had been mean.

(Based on Genesis 42-46)

Family Activity:

Talk with your child about all the people in your family, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, siblings, and parents. Talk about things those people like to do. Act them out. If a sibling likes to play soccer, pretend to kick a ball, for example. Then help your child thank God for their family. Remind your child that sometimes we have fun together and sometimes we make each other sad, but we always love and forgive one another. Remind your child that We Can Love Others No Matter What.

In our K-4 ministry, we will be handing out the following God Time questions:

Questions for children to take home to parents-Grace

Ask your parents these questions:

What does it mean to show grace to someone?

Ask your parents to help you understand how God has shown grace to you.

Ask your parents for specific ways you can do better at showing grace to others.

Ask your parents what they learned about grace from church this week?

This week we learned, I can show love to others when I give them the love God has given me. Could you please help me understand how to apply this?

Ask your parents to read Matthew 18:21-35 with you and discuss with them ways you can apply this to your life.

Ask your parents to help you understand what it means to be a Christian.

Ask your parents to help you make a list of people you are refusing to forgive and then ask them to pray with you so you can forgive them.

Ask your parents if they would be willing to memorize our verses for this month with you: ^“Love your neighbor as yourself.”-Matthew 22:39 and “We love because He first loved us.”-1 John 4:19 (NIV)

We are very excited about this series and the at-home discussions that will come about because of what everyone is learning together. I would love to hear how it goes!

Since I will be gone until September 17, I will not send out a Family Connection until I return. I will however try to update my blog as well as the Sun Valley Kids Facebook page with stories and pictures. Please feel free to follow along if you wish.

http://bretthumphrey.blogspot.com/

Thank you for allowing me to be part of the spiritual development of your children.

Walking by your side,

Brett Humphrey

Pastor H