Part 2. South Africa-

More than a month has passed since we have been back... and that exhilarating, breathtaking moment of driving through a herd of elephants back in Africa seems millions of miles away now. Our external worlds as well as our internal worlds have been turned upside down. Jenn is fixin’ to relocate to Chicago from Texas to move in with Evangeline. Evangeline is adjusting to not having her nice cushy job at Concordia and I Allan have moved out of Old Town to Humboldt Park, right across the street from them! Unfortunately I lost my good old roommates but my new crazy roommate is dave pontious from church (who incidentally knows more about American culture than any other person I have ever met).

Dave my new roommate. "You know it's hard out there for a Pontious"
As far as Africa Revolution goes, so much is in the pipeline and so much is yet to be done!
-We finished drawing up the plans for the construction of the church orphan homes, (if you are interested you can look at it here. Church Orphan Home floor plan.)
-The internship program is in development and we begin recruiting soon.
-We’re filing to becoming a stand alone not-for-profit / 501(C) 3.
-We’re developing a board of directors to make sure we’re not crazy and to kick things into gear here.
-Partnerships are being pursued, and ministry contacts and friends are popping up all over the place. God is bringing the very best of help and advice from the most amazing people and ministries.

Shaping our internship program with Andrea from Mission Year
God is keeping us on our toes and teaching us some hard faith lessons at the same time! When I started this blog I said I would be honest...and quite honestly, personally it has been tougher than I thought it could be. It really does cost sweat and blood to do this. But, God shows up and encourages me forward. This verse I hear over and over and livin it out is so raw, painful and beautiful. "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." matt6:33
Fortunately He also sent me Annie, whom has done a phenomenal job at keeping me relatively sane... Thanks Bella.
(fyi Michigan is quickly becoming one of my favorite states.)

Annie & I at Phil and Michele's wedding.

So anyway, I promised a little more about our May trip to Africa and I really wanted you guys to hear about it from others in the team. So I asked Vandy (Evangeline) to share her experience with one of the churches we are working with. If you go to the Projects page on the AR website you can find out more about how we are currently serving this church.
Visiting Compass Point Community Church
We arrived in Soshenguve to find a couple waiting for us on the side of the highway in their tiny little car. Due to the lack of road signs they thought it would be best for us to follow them along dusty roads through twists and turns to their big old blue and white tent church. Little did we know how powerful of a ministry this couple has. With very little for themselves they continue to seek God for vital provisions to meet the needs of their community.

Our first meeting with them was a lot of listening...quite a bit of ewwing and awwing. Their heart for living out the Gospel by caring for orphans (like the grandmother and orphan pictured above), their community, and educating people on HIV/AIDS is remarkable. Through our conversation we heard something that carried us through the rest of our time in Africa. It goes something like this,
"80% of our community is HIV positive."
“Wow, why so high”, one of us asks...
"Well it is because of the lack of education and a high level of hopelessness. For example, there is the thought that if you contract HIV the government will give you a monthly stipend, enough money that they can live off of and provide for their family. You see there is a hopelessness that says “if I am going to die anyway, and getting AIDS can help me provide for my family, then at least I can die knowing I provided for my family.” It is so sad because what people don’t understand is that their T cell count has to be so low to qualify… it is when they are almost on their deathbeds that they qualify. In reality when ones T cell count gets to the level that the government will start issuing checks they will pass on within a week.”

A child headed home in Soshanguve, South Africa.

This harsh reality keeps Jabylani and Constance walking door to door to help their community understand the facts about HIV/AIDS as well as praying, feeding, and clothing them. We had the privilege to meet many of the families that they visit on a monthly basis. For me it was hard seeing this 21-year-old female raising her daughter and four siblings. Unfortunately, she has AIDS and will more than likely die within a few months, handing over the household responsibilities to her next oldest sibling who is a 14-year-old female. This was not just a story that we heard or saw once but a reoccurring theme no matter where we went in many of these communities in Africa.

Jabylani and Constance use what ever comes their way to provide not only for their immediate family, but ultimately for God’s family. The last day we spent with them we walked their community, going from one orphan house to another. They had prepared for us to visit 12 houses and we only made it to 4. Exhausted, brokenhearted but inspired we were treated to a wonderful meal, fellowship and prayer time with folks from their church. By the end of the evening we we're excited and in awe of this humble couple that God was using so mightily. I’m so excited to be serving this church and their community! P.s check out the Projects page!

A huge baobab tree in Zimbabwe. Hollow on the inside!

We had many more adventures in Swaziland and Zimbabwe that would be too much to mention in this post. We hung out with the coolest kids, laughed, sang and prayed till our hearts burst within us. I wish you could have been there.
Praying and singing up a storm at pastor Michael's in Zimbabwe

Join us, support us, pray for us...be part of this revolution of holistic redemption!
P.s.s We really do need you.

Last Words
"Africa is the place where we will confront our own humanity, our mortality, our purposes as individuals and as a country." -Jeffery Sachs