A Little About Me...

Where am I going?

For the next 2 years, I will be in Cape Town, South Africa. While Cape Town draws many tourists, I'll be living in the city & working in the townships (more like a ghetto area) in the surrounding areas.

When will I be where?

I will be in training in the US from Jan-March, 2012. I'll be flying to Cape Town (where I was able to spend a week serving in March 2010) a few weeks later. Soon after I arrive, I'll spend a month in an undisclosed location for African cultural orientation called 40/40 (40 days and 40 nights of training).

What am I going to be doing?

I will be teaching Life Orientation classes in a number of Xhosa intermediate schools. The classes teach students to dream about their future, make plans & decisions that bring them closer to their dream, and guard their relationships. These are public schools, but in the classes, we are allowed to use Bible stories to help the students understand why they should live differently! Outside of classes, I will be doing some after school "programming," leading Bible clubs, tutoring, & looking for new ways to minister to the students.

More specifically, I'll be working with Xhosa students in intermediate (Jr. High) school. In their culture, sexual things are considered a taboo topic of conversation and the AIDs epidemic runs rampant. In the US, it's rare to find a student who knows someone affected by AIDs; however, in South Africa it's rare to find anyone who isn't affected by it (either directly or indirectly). The students do not know about God's plan for sex & relationships. They need to know the Truth to protect their hearts, minds, & bodies from the one who seeks to kill, steal & destroy.

Xhosa people?

The Xhosa are a tribe of people native to South Africa. During Apartheid (a time in South African history where people of non-Caucasian ancestry were limited to where they could go, what they could do, & how they could live), the Xhosa were considered a people group well-reached with the Gospel. Since Apartheid ended in 1994, the Xhosa are no longer well-reached. Many claim to be Christians, but have mixed the Christian faith with tribal religion that includes witch doctors and fetishes. They need to know the power of the Gospel as greater than the power of the devil whom they worship!

How in the world did you end up here?

check out: http://www.livinonedayatatime.blogspot.com