Keith heads off to Uganda in June for 4 weeks to teach at Pastor Leader conferences in Kampala. He's also organising to purchase land for the "Gweri Home" project. He's also speaking at evangelistic crusades in Uganda. I'll be at home in Yarrawonga keeping the home fires burning and doin the pastoral thang.
We are now leading a great group of people at the Ignite Life Church in Yarrawonga and our journey is only just beginning as we set out as a couple to fullfill Gods calling to feed His sheep. We launched a new church plant in a town called Cobram last month, where we have our evening services once a month, so people newly saved in that town don't have to travel to Yarrawonga every Sunday.
Yarrawonga Ignite Life is doing great with a new missions team who are "goin for it" raising funds for Uganda. Our old/new Youth Pastor has finally accepted that she's the Youth Pastor and also "goin for it" as young people are getting saved and discipled. Her leadership team are discipled and learning to be disciplers and its all healthy and balanced as they press in to know God more.
Got an amazing bunch of gifted musicians who are getting released into worship and lovin it. They're becoming skilled at balancing their talents with working on their character and bringing us as a body to the Father via music and learning to stay there. (No mean feat when the average age is 20)
I have sooooooo much to be grateful for and can only hope and pray that as we keep pressing into God He will continue grow His work in Yarrawonga. Selah
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The Seed Has Landed!!!
Go to Australia I have a work for you to do!
Last year in October we were holding on to the word of God... that He brouught us to this great southern land to Pastor a church of some sort. I say some sort because we weren't sure whether it was to plant a house church or to work in an established church or plant a new ACC church or what ever!!! We only knew we were to come here to Oz to do His will.
So now...
We live in Yarrawonga and pastor Life! Community Church (which is proudly an AOG church)
Whoop whoop!
Last year in October we were holding on to the word of God... that He brouught us to this great southern land to Pastor a church of some sort. I say some sort because we weren't sure whether it was to plant a house church or to work in an established church or plant a new ACC church or what ever!!! We only knew we were to come here to Oz to do His will.
So now...
We live in Yarrawonga and pastor Life! Community Church (which is proudly an AOG church)
Whoop whoop!
Friday, October 16, 2009
HALLELUIA!!!
Four months almost to the day and here we are again. Ready to do the will of the Father and so glad that we held on. There were times when we could easily have packed up and headed back to New Zealand but in my heart I couldn't let go of Gods promise " Go to Australia, I have a work for you to do".
Many years ago I had a vision of a huge pipe embedded in a high rock face with water coming out in a slow trickle. Below was a sparce forest through which flowed a creek that the water ran into. I knew God had spoken to the trees and told them to move and most had... sending their seed elswhere to germinate and grow. But the stubborn and disobedient remained defiant, they set themselves against the Lord. Their branches reached out to the sky as if shaking a fist at Him.
"What do we do Lord?" I said
"Turn up the annointing," He answered and as He said this the trickle increased to a pour. In the forest below the creek became a stream.
Still the trees stood in defiance... the pour became a gush and the stream became a river and still the trees stood defiant shaking their branches at the sky as the waters lapped around their bases.
"What now Lord?" I said
"Turn up the annointing", He said and the gush became a flood of mighty waters as the river broke it's banks and engulfed all the trees around it in a powerful rushing torrent and many trees were pounded as they were uprooted like match sticks and washed away by the violent flow.... but still there were trees that stood defiant, pressed in opposition.
"What do we do with these Lord?" I asked
"Leave them," He said and the waters subsided... leaving a lake... in which trees stood silently in testment to what was... but what it isn't anymore.
I don't ever want to stand against the will of God and I beleive it was His will that we come here to do a work for Him.
We've been called to Pastor a church in Yarrawonga and move there God willing in Early December.
HALLELUIA!!!
Many years ago I had a vision of a huge pipe embedded in a high rock face with water coming out in a slow trickle. Below was a sparce forest through which flowed a creek that the water ran into. I knew God had spoken to the trees and told them to move and most had... sending their seed elswhere to germinate and grow. But the stubborn and disobedient remained defiant, they set themselves against the Lord. Their branches reached out to the sky as if shaking a fist at Him.
"What do we do Lord?" I said
"Turn up the annointing," He answered and as He said this the trickle increased to a pour. In the forest below the creek became a stream.
Still the trees stood in defiance... the pour became a gush and the stream became a river and still the trees stood defiant shaking their branches at the sky as the waters lapped around their bases.
"What now Lord?" I said
"Turn up the annointing", He said and the gush became a flood of mighty waters as the river broke it's banks and engulfed all the trees around it in a powerful rushing torrent and many trees were pounded as they were uprooted like match sticks and washed away by the violent flow.... but still there were trees that stood defiant, pressed in opposition.
"What do we do with these Lord?" I asked
"Leave them," He said and the waters subsided... leaving a lake... in which trees stood silently in testment to what was... but what it isn't anymore.
I don't ever want to stand against the will of God and I beleive it was His will that we come here to do a work for Him.
We've been called to Pastor a church in Yarrawonga and move there God willing in Early December.
HALLELUIA!!!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Ask for the gift of His Holy Spirit...
Hi
Back again and still waiting. Much has happened yet nothing has happened to our daily circumstances. Still waiting on answers from God about ministry and starting to feel like a nag when I pray but God tells us to be persistent even impudent (still not comfortable with that word seems to cheeky maybe I've got authority issues...)
In an earlier post I mentioned meeting with another couple we now meet regularly with all our kids as well and either just talk about what Gods been doing in the week or look at the word. It's going OK I think, sometimes we hit the mark and sometimes we don't. 50/50 hit rate up to now.
Keith led a guy to Jesus last week it's been a radical transformation and we are helping him through some issues and just praying and seeking Gods guidance and covering constantly. It's such a joy watching God at work makes us realise all over again why we follow Him.
There are so many little things God does that shows us He's still listening so I press on in prayer waiting for the answers...
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Never the less Lord, at Your word.....Lk5:4,5
It's been a while since I last wrote so this is a small bite of what God has been saying to us in our search for His direction.
Thursday 24 April '09 Keith woke in the morning from a dream. We've been pressing God to speak to us through His word and Spirit so the dream was special we think.
In the dream we were on a stage in a large auditorium. There were 100's of people all crowded into an auditorium and although there was a large crowd Keith sensed there was room for many more.There was a natural sense of excitement and expectation that you get when crowds of that size come together and he sensed that things were already in motion and he only had a few moments before he was to speak. In his dream he knew he had overall responsibilty for the coming together of all these people and he went to sit in the crowd, mainly to express that there wasn't any heirachy, that he was just a man like them, but the crowd didn't notice.
As he mingled in the crowd he became aware of the peoples needs and knew that many people had been let down in the past and that any word was not enough. It had to be "a word in season"(Is 50:4) it was essential that he spoke the word in season for these weary followers of Christ. In the dream he felt immense pressure to speak the word that would feed these people or they would go away unsatisfied and that was not what he or God desired........
Thursday 24 April '09 Keith woke in the morning from a dream. We've been pressing God to speak to us through His word and Spirit so the dream was special we think.
In the dream we were on a stage in a large auditorium. There were 100's of people all crowded into an auditorium and although there was a large crowd Keith sensed there was room for many more.There was a natural sense of excitement and expectation that you get when crowds of that size come together and he sensed that things were already in motion and he only had a few moments before he was to speak. In his dream he knew he had overall responsibilty for the coming together of all these people and he went to sit in the crowd, mainly to express that there wasn't any heirachy, that he was just a man like them, but the crowd didn't notice.
As he mingled in the crowd he became aware of the peoples needs and knew that many people had been let down in the past and that any word was not enough. It had to be "a word in season"(Is 50:4) it was essential that he spoke the word in season for these weary followers of Christ. In the dream he felt immense pressure to speak the word that would feed these people or they would go away unsatisfied and that was not what he or God desired........
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Still waitin....
In waiting for Gods plan for us to be revealed we've visited some different styled churches. We've been to both home and institutionalised churches and worshipped alongside brothers and sisters of different styles who believe in the deity of Christ. We've come to the conclusion that the church is a many faceted jewel.
To say one way is the only way to worship, is like the woman at the well in Johns Gospel. She says to Jesus, "We(the samaritans) worship here on this mountain but you (meaning Jews) say that we must worship in Jerusalem." Jesus replies by saying that, "Soon, where you go to worship will not matter."
What I'm trying to say is that WHERE we worship is not the issue. If we're not being led by the Spirit to truth, then how can we worship. Jesus said "I am the way, the truth and the life"
So to me the Spirit leads us to Jesus, the ultimate truth lies in Him and who He is to us.
Recently I had a Jehovah witness knock on my door. She was filled with passion to share the God in whom she'd found a new life. As a 5 year old beleiver her heart felt enthusiasm was palpable and I couldn't but admire her joy and enthusiasm as she told of her love of God. Majoring on our common beliefs we conversed, eventually our conversation got round to what our differences were. I told her that,
"Jesus is God."
To which she replied
"Jesus is the son of God."
I shared with her the differences in her bible and mine and asked her why she was door knocking. She said,
" My God has done so much for me how can I be ashamed to share Him with other people. It's not easy for me to knock on total strangers doors but Jehovah is worth it."
At that stage Keith having heard me talking, came to the door and said to her.
"In your search for God He has led you to this door so we can tell you that there is more. Your search leads you to the Father, but also to the Son and Holy spirit."
We spoke at length together on what she believed and what we did and Keith shared with her the trinity of the God head (in about five minutes)and guess what....... she got it.
It was obvious to us that this woman loved God and had little idea of what the JW cult actually taught. So we shared on what she could understand and pointed out descrepencies when they came up.
Still enthused with the love of God she gave us a Watch Tower publication while she accepted a music CD I recorded in 2001 that I felt to give her. We beleive that if her search for God is as deep as it seems she will find Him.
Do I agree with the teachings of Russells & Rutherfords Witnesses? NO!
I do beleive that Jesus can transcend occultic barriers and speak truth to a heart that is truthfully seeking Him.
A couple we met here in Frankston have expressed a desire to meet with us to do church in our home. Our boys are good friends with their son who spends every weekend at our house. They have recently finished at a church and are struggling to find somewhere that answers their need for relationship. Our invitation was originally to come pray one night during the week to help them find Gods way but ended up as an invatation for house church as they got excited about the way we live. From what I can gather their son tells them we're "straight up."
So while we are waiting we're still sharing Christ.
To say one way is the only way to worship, is like the woman at the well in Johns Gospel. She says to Jesus, "We(the samaritans) worship here on this mountain but you (meaning Jews) say that we must worship in Jerusalem." Jesus replies by saying that, "Soon, where you go to worship will not matter."
What I'm trying to say is that WHERE we worship is not the issue. If we're not being led by the Spirit to truth, then how can we worship. Jesus said "I am the way, the truth and the life"
So to me the Spirit leads us to Jesus, the ultimate truth lies in Him and who He is to us.
Recently I had a Jehovah witness knock on my door. She was filled with passion to share the God in whom she'd found a new life. As a 5 year old beleiver her heart felt enthusiasm was palpable and I couldn't but admire her joy and enthusiasm as she told of her love of God. Majoring on our common beliefs we conversed, eventually our conversation got round to what our differences were. I told her that,
"Jesus is God."
To which she replied
"Jesus is the son of God."
I shared with her the differences in her bible and mine and asked her why she was door knocking. She said,
" My God has done so much for me how can I be ashamed to share Him with other people. It's not easy for me to knock on total strangers doors but Jehovah is worth it."
At that stage Keith having heard me talking, came to the door and said to her.
"In your search for God He has led you to this door so we can tell you that there is more. Your search leads you to the Father, but also to the Son and Holy spirit."
We spoke at length together on what she believed and what we did and Keith shared with her the trinity of the God head (in about five minutes)and guess what....... she got it.
It was obvious to us that this woman loved God and had little idea of what the JW cult actually taught. So we shared on what she could understand and pointed out descrepencies when they came up.
Still enthused with the love of God she gave us a Watch Tower publication while she accepted a music CD I recorded in 2001 that I felt to give her. We beleive that if her search for God is as deep as it seems she will find Him.
Do I agree with the teachings of Russells & Rutherfords Witnesses? NO!
I do beleive that Jesus can transcend occultic barriers and speak truth to a heart that is truthfully seeking Him.
A couple we met here in Frankston have expressed a desire to meet with us to do church in our home. Our boys are good friends with their son who spends every weekend at our house. They have recently finished at a church and are struggling to find somewhere that answers their need for relationship. Our invitation was originally to come pray one night during the week to help them find Gods way but ended up as an invatation for house church as they got excited about the way we live. From what I can gather their son tells them we're "straight up."
So while we are waiting we're still sharing Christ.
Friday, February 20, 2009
To see or not to see, that is the question?
Vision paces sedately in your mind till it finds space to stop and take up residence. Vision doesn't go away or leave but remains firmly rooted in all you do and say till it's birthed in the real world for all to see.
Vision doesn't go away! That's the difference.
Inspite of the disillusionment, dissappointment and discouragement we've felt in the last two weeks, we find ourselves pressing into God for the same vision to Senior Lead a church in the Frankston area. We don't know how or when but in the mean time we pray and seek Gods face.
The kids are going to youth group at the local AOG that keeps them into the Lord and allows us time to "wait" on Jesus. Keith and I are spending a lot of carpet time praying for God to have His way. As we wait on him He is focusing and sharpening our vision and "it ain't over till the fat lady sings halleluia.... "
to be continued
Vision doesn't go away! That's the difference.
Inspite of the disillusionment, dissappointment and discouragement we've felt in the last two weeks, we find ourselves pressing into God for the same vision to Senior Lead a church in the Frankston area. We don't know how or when but in the mean time we pray and seek Gods face.
The kids are going to youth group at the local AOG that keeps them into the Lord and allows us time to "wait" on Jesus. Keith and I are spending a lot of carpet time praying for God to have His way. As we wait on him He is focusing and sharpening our vision and "it ain't over till the fat lady sings halleluia.... "
to be continued
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Vision
Ideas are ephemeral, flitting past your consciousness at the speed of light. Vision on the other hand paces sedately in your mind till it finds space to stop and take up residence. Vision doesn't go away or leave but remains firmly rooted in all you do and say till it's birthed in the real world for all to see.
We arrived in Melbourne in March 2008 with a vision to Pastor a church in the Frankston area. Having been approached 9 months later in December to take over a local AOG we felt vindicated at the illogical move from New Zealand to Australia. We had a very comfortable life back in NZ and were throwing it all away on a whim as far as our family were concerned.(They don't know the Lord yet, so are blind to the concept of Godly "vision")
We'd come pretty close to giving up and returning to NZ when the invitation was proffered. Our excitement at Gods moving was palpable and we left the meeting with the Senior minister and his wife beleiving it was a done deal and the hand of God.
The church had been through a hard time, but our giftings are along the lines of restoration, healing and vision casting so we were excited. A month later the day before we were to meet the congregation the Area Supervisor rung us to say the senior leader had changed his mind.
So was it a good idea OR a Godly vision that brought us here to Melbourne?????????
to be continued
We arrived in Melbourne in March 2008 with a vision to Pastor a church in the Frankston area. Having been approached 9 months later in December to take over a local AOG we felt vindicated at the illogical move from New Zealand to Australia. We had a very comfortable life back in NZ and were throwing it all away on a whim as far as our family were concerned.(They don't know the Lord yet, so are blind to the concept of Godly "vision")
We'd come pretty close to giving up and returning to NZ when the invitation was proffered. Our excitement at Gods moving was palpable and we left the meeting with the Senior minister and his wife beleiving it was a done deal and the hand of God.
The church had been through a hard time, but our giftings are along the lines of restoration, healing and vision casting so we were excited. A month later the day before we were to meet the congregation the Area Supervisor rung us to say the senior leader had changed his mind.
So was it a good idea OR a Godly vision that brought us here to Melbourne?????????
to be continued
Monday, February 9, 2009
Jesus wept.....
We watch and listen as people in Victoria return to their "homes" now leveled by fires that have gutted not just the houses, but the lives and families of those who once lived there. The devastation of lost lives leaves Victoria weeping.
For the blessed few, being reunited with the ones they love has brought a whole new outlook on what is really important in life. For others the loss is great, as they struggle to put their lives back together again. Donations are flooding in from all over the country as a nation reaches out to comfort each other.
Jesus compassion for the lost and needy, His care and empathy for the broken hearted, His love and anguish to wounded and dying. Oh how He weeps......
For the blessed few, being reunited with the ones they love has brought a whole new outlook on what is really important in life. For others the loss is great, as they struggle to put their lives back together again. Donations are flooding in from all over the country as a nation reaches out to comfort each other.
Jesus compassion for the lost and needy, His care and empathy for the broken hearted, His love and anguish to wounded and dying. Oh how He weeps......
Friday, February 6, 2009
For the vision is still for an appointed time...Hab
Here we are in Melbourne waiting on Jesus.
Our experience is that "wait" is the most difficult of Gods answers and one that is the hardest to live. Keith and I spend a lot of time praying together and at first it was 'gung ho' full on warfare but as time has progressed we've come to understand that seeking God just for the sake of being with Him is an hounourable practice.
On Thursday night the kids (unprecedented) called a family prayer time and they prayed for our circumstances. We are amazed at how they've grown in God since we've been here.
So here we wait for the appointed vision praying that God would not tarry.
Our experience is that "wait" is the most difficult of Gods answers and one that is the hardest to live. Keith and I spend a lot of time praying together and at first it was 'gung ho' full on warfare but as time has progressed we've come to understand that seeking God just for the sake of being with Him is an hounourable practice.
On Thursday night the kids (unprecedented) called a family prayer time and they prayed for our circumstances. We are amazed at how they've grown in God since we've been here.
So here we wait for the appointed vision praying that God would not tarry.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
But we all, with our faces unveiled....Paul
As we wait on God He has been peeling back the veils. Our hearts are set to follow Jesus leading but what do we do when he is silent.
WE WAIT!!! But oh the price of WAIT.
To reflect the Glory of Christ we allow Him to dig deep into the recesses of our heart motivations.
As we wait we question have we heard right?
As we wait our resolve to follow hard is tested in the fire of self doubt...are we worthy?
As we wait we see our own weaknesses as insurmountable...can we do this?
So our faces are not covered. They show the bright glory of the Lord, as the Lord's Spirit makes us more and more like our glorious Lord. 2Co 3:18 CEV
WE WAIT!!! But oh the price of WAIT.
To reflect the Glory of Christ we allow Him to dig deep into the recesses of our heart motivations.
As we wait we question have we heard right?
As we wait our resolve to follow hard is tested in the fire of self doubt...are we worthy?
As we wait we see our own weaknesses as insurmountable...can we do this?
So our faces are not covered. They show the bright glory of the Lord, as the Lord's Spirit makes us more and more like our glorious Lord. 2Co 3:18 CEV
Monday, January 19, 2009
In Him We Live and Breathe
There's a particular sound that God makes when He's close. It's not just a silence or lack of sound. You can't manufacture it. It's a sound that reaches past your hearing perceptions and into your heart, reminding you He is here, in the now, listening for you too. When I lead worship that's what I'm searching for. The quiet place in His presence where life and breath seem to stand still and Gods breathing and yours are so synchronised you can't tell them apart.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Still Seeking
Christmas and New Year have been and gone. The house seems strangely empty after the last few weeks of overseas family & friends pandemonium and noise. We decided that God really was calling us to Australia and resisted the urge to turn tail and run back to New Zealand inspite of the economic downturn. The kids are part pleased and part sad to stay, wanting to see their friends from New Zealand but hoping they'll come to Oz for a visit.Since then we've been approached to Pastor a small church here in Frankston area and are exploring the posibility. We've attended a couple of alternative Home house churches and thoroughly enjoyed them but not found what we're looking for(reminds me of the U2 song...)
Will keep you posted he he he.
Will keep you posted he he he.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
To Africa Oct - Nov 2008 - with love Keith
AFRICA
Sept 25th 2008
Where do I start in Africa?
Africa is far removed from the meltdowns of Wall Street and the international financial crisis. The average Ugandan on the streets of Kampala really doesn’t care. They’re already the poorest of the poor anyway. Africa is far from the “post modern depressed, bored and listless western 21st century peoples” and far, far away from the madding crowd. Time is less of an issue there; it’s very “Ishite”. Things are done around 7ish 8ish 9ish 10ish and “Ish” is never really defined, it could be anything from an hour to a day late. Always late never early.
Sept 29th 2008
African Ugandan drivers are like Kamikaze pilots on methane amphetamines at the best of times, but rush hour traffic brings out the maniac in them. I spent most of my time with my eyes wide and my mouth wider in a silent scream as fear robbed me of my voice. The roads actually have two lanes, but you’d never know it. Sometimes there are as many as 4 cars side by side all going in different directions, then the boda bodas (motorcycles) weave in and out. It’s expected that no one is polite and you shove your car through traffic to get anywhere.
Kampala rush hour traffic Ugandan style.
The main streets of Kampala are like a mud bowl mixed with excrement. The stench in midday heat was almost over powering and everywhere about us people struggled to survive. One night I was getting some air outside the conference venue when two uniformed men appeared at the end of the alley with another man caught between them. The officers then proceeded to beat the man with their fists. There was much shouting and yelling and the guy was getting a beating. I was shocked and a little unsure of what to do. A woman from the conference who spoke English told me it was very foolish for me to be in the alley as it was known to be frequented by robbers and murderers. The police had caught the man stealing and were administering street justice.
I was more careful in the future.
Nov 2nd
Amongst all of this poverty and filth is our friend Pastor Godfrey who runs an orphanage and school. Walking through the school compound gates is like entering a portal into another world where the school is encased in a cloud of peace so far removed from the erratic demands of the city outside. The students are clean, well dressed and well fed. They live in dormitories that sport bunks with mattresses and blankets for each child. They have books and pens and well ordered classrooms. The children are hungry to learn and very attentive of any information you can impart to them. Ps Godfrey is himself an orphan, he knows what poverty is but when he speaks he tells us that he is rich in Jesus. His faith and the evidence of that faith was a testament to me of Gods willingness to bless those who will only believe.
Nov 4th
The heat was energy draining, suffocatingly, mind blowingly HOT!!! I preached and taught sometimes twice a day and many hours were taken up with traditional welcomes before we were given the platform. Preaching after waiting 3 hours in stultifying heat is a rare opportunity to exercise a preaching technique commonly known as “WAKE UP!!!”
Conferences were generally for Pastors and the leaders who attended were men responsible for 10 and sometimes as many as a 70 churches. Here was little ol’ me, a New Zealander from the great Southern continent of Australia come to share Gods word. Sometimes I’d be speaking to as many as 400 leaders, men of stature and substance, and be almost overwhelmed by attacks from the enemy of self doubt that would invade my mind. But I knew that God had called me to Africa and that the message I carried was from Him. It was at those times I could literally feel the prayers of people who were lifting me up to God. I would be exhausted and deflated and as I got up to speak I’d feel energy and vitality begin to supernaturally fill me.
Much of what we taught was for Pastors but on occasion we would preach at local churches in the area where we were ministering. One of the places I spoke in was a small church that was situated in a predominantly Muslim district just outside Kampala in Uganda. The church was mostly made up of women, some married to Muslim men, some widows. Many of them were unable to afford a bible. Some of them were infected with the Aids virus and some with malaria but unable to afford the drugs that would cure them. They came to God with prayers and requests that only He could answer. My heart was filled with Christ’s compassion as I prayed for these ladies believing with them for miracles.
Nov 7th
On our way through Kenya we stopped to take photos of the wild life. A baboon took a liking to my lunch and tried to steal it from out of my hand. Being bullied by an angry male baboon is a "unique" experience but a good ol’ down under boot in the face soon sorted him out. Just like the old days with dads pig dogs.
Nov 14th
There was heart breaking poverty all around where we ministered and most Africans live without the basic necessities that we westerners expect. Yet there is joy in the simple things of life like the gift of a bible story. Children and adults break into praise and worship easily and their unabashed joyful dancing and singing puts us Westerners to shame
In Malawi I helped with the dinner. Stirring a kind of porridge gruel and the staple diet of the
people there in a huge cauldron. Day after day they eat this food and are glad for it, I felt ashamed when I couldn't eat it.
Nov 25th
I'm home!!! Uganda Kenya Malawi South Africa so far removed from Melbourne. It's so good to be back with the family halleluiah. Now each morning I get up and have a shower and thank God from the bottom of my heart for municipal companies that provide electricity to heat my shower water and water that actually comes out of the taps. I get dressed, go make myself a cup of coffee and as I settle into a comfortable chair to drink it I feel very blessed....... I went to Africa thinking of all that I could do to bring about change to Africa but came home knowing that Africa had changed me.
Sept 25th 2008
Where do I start in Africa?
Africa is far removed from the meltdowns of Wall Street and the international financial crisis. The average Ugandan on the streets of Kampala really doesn’t care. They’re already the poorest of the poor anyway. Africa is far from the “post modern depressed, bored and listless western 21st century peoples” and far, far away from the madding crowd. Time is less of an issue there; it’s very “Ishite”. Things are done around 7ish 8ish 9ish 10ish and “Ish” is never really defined, it could be anything from an hour to a day late. Always late never early.
Sept 29th 2008
African Ugandan drivers are like Kamikaze pilots on methane amphetamines at the best of times, but rush hour traffic brings out the maniac in them. I spent most of my time with my eyes wide and my mouth wider in a silent scream as fear robbed me of my voice. The roads actually have two lanes, but you’d never know it. Sometimes there are as many as 4 cars side by side all going in different directions, then the boda bodas (motorcycles) weave in and out. It’s expected that no one is polite and you shove your car through traffic to get anywhere.
Kampala rush hour traffic Ugandan style.
The main streets of Kampala are like a mud bowl mixed with excrement. The stench in midday heat was almost over powering and everywhere about us people struggled to survive. One night I was getting some air outside the conference venue when two uniformed men appeared at the end of the alley with another man caught between them. The officers then proceeded to beat the man with their fists. There was much shouting and yelling and the guy was getting a beating. I was shocked and a little unsure of what to do. A woman from the conference who spoke English told me it was very foolish for me to be in the alley as it was known to be frequented by robbers and murderers. The police had caught the man stealing and were administering street justice.
I was more careful in the future.
Nov 2nd
Amongst all of this poverty and filth is our friend Pastor Godfrey who runs an orphanage and school. Walking through the school compound gates is like entering a portal into another world where the school is encased in a cloud of peace so far removed from the erratic demands of the city outside. The students are clean, well dressed and well fed. They live in dormitories that sport bunks with mattresses and blankets for each child. They have books and pens and well ordered classrooms. The children are hungry to learn and very attentive of any information you can impart to them. Ps Godfrey is himself an orphan, he knows what poverty is but when he speaks he tells us that he is rich in Jesus. His faith and the evidence of that faith was a testament to me of Gods willingness to bless those who will only believe.
Nov 4th
The heat was energy draining, suffocatingly, mind blowingly HOT!!! I preached and taught sometimes twice a day and many hours were taken up with traditional welcomes before we were given the platform. Preaching after waiting 3 hours in stultifying heat is a rare opportunity to exercise a preaching technique commonly known as “WAKE UP!!!”
Conferences were generally for Pastors and the leaders who attended were men responsible for 10 and sometimes as many as a 70 churches. Here was little ol’ me, a New Zealander from the great Southern continent of Australia come to share Gods word. Sometimes I’d be speaking to as many as 400 leaders, men of stature and substance, and be almost overwhelmed by attacks from the enemy of self doubt that would invade my mind. But I knew that God had called me to Africa and that the message I carried was from Him. It was at those times I could literally feel the prayers of people who were lifting me up to God. I would be exhausted and deflated and as I got up to speak I’d feel energy and vitality begin to supernaturally fill me.
Much of what we taught was for Pastors but on occasion we would preach at local churches in the area where we were ministering. One of the places I spoke in was a small church that was situated in a predominantly Muslim district just outside Kampala in Uganda. The church was mostly made up of women, some married to Muslim men, some widows. Many of them were unable to afford a bible. Some of them were infected with the Aids virus and some with malaria but unable to afford the drugs that would cure them. They came to God with prayers and requests that only He could answer. My heart was filled with Christ’s compassion as I prayed for these ladies believing with them for miracles.
Nov 7th
On our way through Kenya we stopped to take photos of the wild life. A baboon took a liking to my lunch and tried to steal it from out of my hand. Being bullied by an angry male baboon is a "unique" experience but a good ol’ down under boot in the face soon sorted him out. Just like the old days with dads pig dogs.
Nov 14th
There was heart breaking poverty all around where we ministered and most Africans live without the basic necessities that we westerners expect. Yet there is joy in the simple things of life like the gift of a bible story. Children and adults break into praise and worship easily and their unabashed joyful dancing and singing puts us Westerners to shame
In Malawi I helped with the dinner. Stirring a kind of porridge gruel and the staple diet of the
people there in a huge cauldron. Day after day they eat this food and are glad for it, I felt ashamed when I couldn't eat it.
Nov 25th
I'm home!!! Uganda Kenya Malawi South Africa so far removed from Melbourne. It's so good to be back with the family halleluiah. Now each morning I get up and have a shower and thank God from the bottom of my heart for municipal companies that provide electricity to heat my shower water and water that actually comes out of the taps. I get dressed, go make myself a cup of coffee and as I settle into a comfortable chair to drink it I feel very blessed....... I went to Africa thinking of all that I could do to bring about change to Africa but came home knowing that Africa had changed me.
Planting Organic Church
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about planting churches, mainly because Keith and I, and now maybe the kids, would like to plant a church. Is that a calling?
I would like to plant a church in the general Frankston Melbourne area but Keith fluctuates between wanting to go back to New Zealand and staying here to “do a work”. Hard to choose, for both of us seem to be unsure just where we should be, yet are agreed on this one thing: - We don’t want to do the same old, same old!
The Sunday focused service where people are squeezed into the positions that are available and the structure is in place for people to fit into doesn’t appeal at all. Having said that, we have no beef against your regular local church that is structured in this way or something similar. It works for those people who attend and they love it. Some of our dearest friends attend and enjoy these same churches, but for us we have, dare I say a yearning to do something different. Not just for difference sake or because we have a rebellious nature (though some people may argue that point mmmm...) but because we want something different because the other, just doesn’t satisfy.
We’ve read Houses That Change The World by Wolfgang Simpson and Future Church by Anthony Walton and Permission Granted to Do Church Differently by Graham Cooke and Gary Goodall Revolution by George Barna and a plethora of similar books all leading us in the general direction of some kind of home church but with regular cooperate meetings to satisfy the group worship hunger in us (I’m a old style worship leader still addicted to coming together to worship!) and allow all us muso freaks to get the God music out yeah!
We’ve done something similar before in Whitianga NZ where we left regular church to pursue evangelism and lacking somewhere to take the new sheep to (they were so in need of tidying up we had to sort them a bit first) we started a home style meeting for about 6 months to get them going. Discipled them and got them thinking about Gods word and able to feed themselves etc. There was about ½ a dozen adults plus kids and us meeting at home on Sundays till they pretty much got mature enough to go to “real” church. We moved into our mobile home at that stage and hit the road following Gods leading all over New Zealand, but not until we baptised them in the local river and slotted them into churches they felt they wanted to attend. Since then we’ve done a bunch of things including Pastored at an AOG with a regular structure like the ones described earlier. Like I said some of our dearest friends thrive in these sorts of structured churches.
But back to House/Home/Church/Abode/Habitat, who knows? I like the idea of the organic church that grows around people and their gifting and needs. Rather than slotting people in to a vacancy and making them fit. I lean towards allowing people to create a niche for themselves based on Gods moving in their lives and the “work of the ministry” he calls them to.
There are statistics that are mentioned in “Permission Granted...” that call to question the manner in which we impart Christian teaching and the direct correlation to the falling number of “church goers”. About 1 million a year according to George Barna.
Institutionalised church just doesn't cut the mustard with us any more and we want something more. But how to go about it is the question.........?
I would like to plant a church in the general Frankston Melbourne area but Keith fluctuates between wanting to go back to New Zealand and staying here to “do a work”. Hard to choose, for both of us seem to be unsure just where we should be, yet are agreed on this one thing: - We don’t want to do the same old, same old!
The Sunday focused service where people are squeezed into the positions that are available and the structure is in place for people to fit into doesn’t appeal at all. Having said that, we have no beef against your regular local church that is structured in this way or something similar. It works for those people who attend and they love it. Some of our dearest friends attend and enjoy these same churches, but for us we have, dare I say a yearning to do something different. Not just for difference sake or because we have a rebellious nature (though some people may argue that point mmmm...) but because we want something different because the other, just doesn’t satisfy.
We’ve read Houses That Change The World by Wolfgang Simpson and Future Church by Anthony Walton and Permission Granted to Do Church Differently by Graham Cooke and Gary Goodall Revolution by George Barna and a plethora of similar books all leading us in the general direction of some kind of home church but with regular cooperate meetings to satisfy the group worship hunger in us (I’m a old style worship leader still addicted to coming together to worship!) and allow all us muso freaks to get the God music out yeah!
We’ve done something similar before in Whitianga NZ where we left regular church to pursue evangelism and lacking somewhere to take the new sheep to (they were so in need of tidying up we had to sort them a bit first) we started a home style meeting for about 6 months to get them going. Discipled them and got them thinking about Gods word and able to feed themselves etc. There was about ½ a dozen adults plus kids and us meeting at home on Sundays till they pretty much got mature enough to go to “real” church. We moved into our mobile home at that stage and hit the road following Gods leading all over New Zealand, but not until we baptised them in the local river and slotted them into churches they felt they wanted to attend. Since then we’ve done a bunch of things including Pastored at an AOG with a regular structure like the ones described earlier. Like I said some of our dearest friends thrive in these sorts of structured churches.
But back to House/Home/Church/Abode/Habitat, who knows? I like the idea of the organic church that grows around people and their gifting and needs. Rather than slotting people in to a vacancy and making them fit. I lean towards allowing people to create a niche for themselves based on Gods moving in their lives and the “work of the ministry” he calls them to.
There are statistics that are mentioned in “Permission Granted...” that call to question the manner in which we impart Christian teaching and the direct correlation to the falling number of “church goers”. About 1 million a year according to George Barna.
Institutionalised church just doesn't cut the mustard with us any more and we want something more. But how to go about it is the question.........?
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