Africa 🇿🇦

A First Glimpse of South Africa

I arrived in South Africa with a group of ten or twelve people each of us unique and in Africa for our own reasons.

The first day, we took a “Red Bus Tour” traveling through the streets of Cape Town. It was through the stops on this tour that I began an understanding of South Africa, the culture, the history, the Apartheid, the vast wealth and poverty in Africa as a whole but specifically in South Africa. This was all new to me. Much of it was heartbreaking, seemingly something out of a history book and not reality.

That first trip showed me the beauty and the wealth of South Africa. The beaches. The oceans. The landscape. The places where tourists and the wealthy would frequent. I walked with the penguins, splashed in the Indian Ocean and fell in love with the local food. In many ways, it defied the American vision of Africa.

Facing the Harsh Reality

And then there was the other side of the coin. Extreme poverty. The deplorable living conditions by American standards. Dirt floor housing. Cardboard boxes used as walls and insulation. Houses built out of whatever they could find. The streets are lined with heaps of trash. The children with no shoes.

From Hillsong to Googeletta

Not only did I get to sing on the stage at Hillsong Church, but I got to pray on the stage of Googeletta Church. While I am certain you have heard of Hillsong, I am equally positive that you have not heard of Googeletta. Located in the heart of a settlement, the world would classify it below poverty. We were bussed in and the guarded gates were closed behind us so we could experience church with these fellow believers.

It is, however, a church with the true riches of our Lord and Savior. The joy of the Lord is evident here. The lack of earthly riches is far outshined by the lavish and mutual love of the Lord and his children. Young and old alike, singing, dancing, worshipping, praising the one true God. Welcoming us from halfway around the world.

A Preschool in Desperate Need

We spent several days cleaning up the yard of a preschool. Here we found the children (preschool age) playing with used condoms, broken glass and other trash. We shoveled the trash heap into trash bags careful not to cut ourselves all the while this is everyday life for these little ones - the ones Jesus loves so much. We painted, bought new toys, repaired playground equipment and tried to make things safe. It was not American standards. I am not ever sure it is human standards. It shouldn’t be. And yet, the government was not only fine with it, but largely responsible for it.

When Survival Becomes Strategy

I learned that many lived on the African equivalent of American welfare. It was significantly short of what was needed for the month. At the end of the month, parents would feed the children a drug (similar to meth) that would quench their appetite so that they wouldn’t be hungry as there was no food to feed them and no money to buy it. Heartbreaking.

When You Have Nothing But the Lord

While I feel a greater appreciation for being born in America. It is also a reminder that Jesus describes the difficulty for a rich man to enter the gates of heaven.

Earthly poverty allows or even necessitates a stronger spiritual connection. I was learning that in my personal life and around the world. When you have nothing but the Lord, you are more inclined to learn how to become dependent instead of self-sufficient. The American dream of you being anything you want to be may be counterintuitive to the Biblical standard. Perhaps, there is a place and way to do both. It is all about the motive and the heart. I am grateful that the Lord was teaching me this. As a small business owner for thirty years, it was work harder, work smarter. As a true follower of Jesus, it is rest. Be present. Act when instructed. Love. Love is definitely a verb.

Kingdom Over Culture

The values and goals of an American entrepreneur are very different from that of a Kingdom entrepreneur.

God has made a way for me to meet and fall in love with many who the world would overlook. These brothers and sisters are some of the most giving, generous and caring people in the world. They are not perfect. They too have lessons to learn. But ultimately we are part of the same family & family takes care of family.

A Call to Live and Love More Deeply

As I reflect, regardless of where we live and what our background is, we do not have a pure understanding of the love of Jesus. As believers, we are all on a path to love more, forgive more, trust more and bring the Truths of the Word of God into our lives in a new and transformational way.

As I have traveled around the world, it has also increased my awareness at home. Don’t overlook the one in need right in front of you.