On route: Living Legends in the Kingdom

I am still breathless (although I had some good rest the last few days) - mostly due to the fact of meeting  the most wonderful 'creatures' God has created on this planet - HIS people.  If I have to share all the many faces it would be a blog post that would be considered for the 'longest blog post' in modern history.  But some of them went out of their way to influence my lifestyle ... forever.

To get to the first lady .... I had to use my GPS and found her at an amazing spot in Cape Town:

I think I am the only one that can still get lost with a GPS on board.  Luckily I had my
talking GPS with me ... my wife.  She brings sanity to a 'lost case' like me.

Arrived at last .... and the view was spectacular.

 A life changer - Annemie Bosh.  I met Annemie at an Amahoro Gathering for African leaders in Rwanda and again in Johannesburg at the same gathering a year later.  Annemie Bosch, the widow of the late South African theologian and missiologist David Bosch (author of Transforming Mission and Believing in the Future) is an exceptional lady (although she will have my head for saying that)!

“The popular term ‘missional’ has meaning largely because of David’s work. David was not just a thinker, author and teacher; he was also an activist on the street, a courageous white South African who was deeply involved in the struggle against apartheid and for justice and reconciliation", so say Claude Nikondeha - director of the Amahoro Institute.

“But David didn’t work alone: at his side was his wife, Annemie Bosch, and she has continued their work since David’s death in 1992. In addition to being the beloved mother to their seven adult children and grandmother to twenty grandchildren, she continues to work and speak for justice and reconciliation in South Africa’s ongoing struggles.”

Alta (my wife) with Annemie Bosch.

What a great privilege being a friend of a legend.  And at Annemie's youthful
age she has true fire in the bones.

Even the Bible Society pitched in to help us on our way.  On the same day I met Annemie I was struggling to get hold of 100 special Bibles for Mozambique.  Due to paperwork, red tape (yes, they have all of that too when purchasing Bibles) this unnamed gentleman below took ACTION and got the Bibles CHOP-CHOP as we would say in Cape Town.  He made my day and saved us a lot of traveling in the process.  Without the Bible Society it would be nearly impossible to do our work and share the Good News to the many thousands in Mozambique who still doesn't own their own Bible.

I still don't know who this gentleman is BUT this is to all the unnamed and quiet heroes out
there who changes thousands of lives without them even knowing it (or care not to
think about it!!)  VIVA

My next legend is a gentleman supreme.  He influences more people missionaly than the Pope himself.  Past. Christo Walters is a man of little words but when he speaks it is loaded with God's Missio Dei and it's powerful and life changing.  Met him Saturday at a mission's breakfast of Blouberg Congregation with Past. Brad Espin.

 HAUNTING FACTS:

• In a village of 100 people:  13 Would be born-again Christians, 21 would be nominal Christians in word, 47 would be non-Christians and 19 of them have never heard of JESUS CHRIST.
• 1,5 Billion people of the 7 billion on our planet has never heard the Good News that Jesus has come to set us all FREE!
• Of the 40 000 churches in South Africa only 1 500 of them send out missionaries (transformational engineers);
• For every R1 a church collects most of them spend 98,2c inside the church.

Makes one think ..... great then to end with the words of Jim Elliot on the next photo! Blessings.

Past. Christo Walters teaching with passion in getting churches 'mission ready' for
Mission Possible!

Waking up this morning!

My wife always says the best time of the day is EARLY morning.  In her wisdom she always quote:  "The early bird catches the best worm!"  I tend to think that the early worm always gets eaten.  I struggle waking up at 05:00 am and feeling fresh and ready to attack any Goliath coming my way.  My wife .... totally different.  God has a great sense of humor putting people together.  Anyway .... these photos taken this morning was taken by my wife (obviously) .... and yes even the sun was struggling to rise through the cool morning mist!

GOOD MORNING WORLD!

On the way back: Meeting Lifestyle Architechts!

Who are the people that makes it possible for us to keep on 'keeping-on'?  I met a whole bunch of them throughout our time here in Cape Town, South Africa.  Their stories in their 'faith communities' were amazing and made me realize that the same light and fire in their 'communities' is the same light that shines throughout Africa.  It was great sharing our stories of hope, faith and perseverance and realized that it doesn't matter where in the world you are .... the same stories of a transformational Jesus is the same everywhere.  

Dr Henri Weideman - leader pastor from Bellville Congregation and his wife Margaret taking some time to share a moment in Cape Town at Mama's Africa.

On our way to another great meeting in Cape Town.

Stellenbosch Congregation organized a great evening event 'Food is on the Table'  to
give us time to share with mission minded agents.  Andre Serfontein (back right) is the Ministry Leader
from Stellenbosch Congregation.

Friends enjoying time with us!  Elma Marais (middle) visited us a few months ago
on the base in Mozambique after their Africa visit through Tanzania.

Past Dewald de Kock and Susan Bosman sharing a lighter moment in the kitchen.
Dewald is a legend when it comes to Mozambique (5 visits) and Susan visited us in July this
year .... sharing her cooking skills with us.

Alta with friends at the Stellenbosch missions evening.

Dewald de Kock sharing some of his friends with me.  Many of them have had the
opportunity to visit me somewhere in their lifetime.  Was amazing to see how many students
and friends visited us throughout the years.

Always time to enjoy nature as we travel to meetings and engagements.  Sunset in
Blouberg, Cape Town.

And what would a visit be without a picture from Table Mountain.

                               

Breakfast joy!  Johannes (second left in the back) was my roommate in  Uganda as
we shared stories in Amahoro on post-Colonial missions.  Attie (congregational manager from
Stellenbosch Congregation) and his wife, Jansie organized some time together.

Johan Roos - one of the farmers visiting us showed his wine farm to us!

And YES ... we did get some time with my own family.  Mom and step dad enjoying
FOOD AGAIN!

Off to Kayamandi I went - a township in Stellenbosch where I had the opportunity
many years ago to build a community center called the Legacy Community Center.

                               

Had the opportunity to lead a Bible study and share some transformational stories with the
amazing staff of the Legacy Community center.  Was great to see what they did with the
center.  Louise Fourie (left) runs the center with medical and community staff.

Being spoiled!

If there is one thing you do as a transformational engineer it is talking ..... and eating.  I spend many hours explaining that "mission ... is not just the traditional getting people INTO the church, but that mission is EVERYTHING around us. It includes all - creation, humans, relationships ... and bridge building too".  Here in Cape Town people don't just listen to what you say ...... they go into ACTION mode.

 But I do think in the last few weeks as I am visiting churches and other transformational agents that they are under the impression that living far out in the bush is synonym  with "not eating".  Oh  my goodness .... they fed us well around here in Cape Town.  Yesterday for example I ended the day with my 6th meal. Gluttony is a fact and a close companion which you have to fight all the way.  Outrageous .... but that is just how South African hospitality works.

And to round it off ...... one of our missional minded "green" churches spoiled us by taking us up the mountain and down the valley.  A few quick pics to share the day:

We were greeting on our "green echo trip" with the most beautiful scenery imaginable.

The old Bedford truck took us from the main road to the "Echo friendly station".

Arriving at the station

Well ... sort of a train .... greeted us at the starting point.

The start of our 5h trip up the mountain.

"Runaway train"

Meet Past. Nico Botha - mission pastor with a passion for God's work all around the globe.

There were many stops on the way - and even some water holes where we found interesting refreshments.  The spirit was great amongst all the transformational engineers on the route.

Light at the end of the tunnel.

On route: It's about people .... all the time!

WOW ... God has great people all around the globe.  My long-long road journey from Mozambique has finally reached its final destination - CAPE TOWN - at last.  We have had a great time on the road and met amazing people.  We had various preaching engagements with exhibitions and here is a few of the people we met at the Goodwood Mission Conference 2011.  They had a 8 day missions event that blew us away.  The hospitality .... well to say the least .... was breathtaking!

People opened their doors from everywhere - and gosh the food everywhere was amazing.  Meeting in a house with missionaries from Turkey, Madagascar, Zimbabwe with the local mission pastor in the middle.

House- and cell groups came together to celebrate the stories from Mozambique.  Even though so many go through their own deserts and storms they came in numbers from everywhere to praise GOD!

When it came to exhibitions and helping us setting up or prepare food we never had a shortage of help and smiles.

And people came from everywhere to celebrate God's goodness - even in Mozambique. 

A lighter moment with Naomi Moss - lecturer at Africa School of Missions and Annette Burger (far left)  - missionary in the Kalahari desert (of all places!  Really!)

Flowers of every kind everywhere

I love flowers and travelling through South Africa you just find them around every corner.  Not that Mozambique does not have them ..... they are hidden everywhere if you are willing to go out and look for them - specially after fires (which just about now should be raging in Mozambique - burning season as we call it.)

Flowers do remind me of people (sometimes) - colorful, different, shades, smells and varieties.  And on our way we met some of the most amazing people who have changed our lives for the better - forever.  I am still travelling and have forced myself to back off from the 120 km/h speed limit to about 90 km/h .... and amazing what you see at slower speeds.

Meet Ans van der Hyde.  This remarkable lady has done a lot of translations for us with some amazing books for kids.  "English for Africa" was one of her creative ideas and we used these books extensively in Mozambique.  She is currently translating a book in Chewa for the Malawian women.  She retired in Oudtshoorn and we were fortunate to visit her.  I salute our more senior Transformational Agents .... who refuses to retire ... rather "re-fire"!

My wife thought (since I love the bush and flowers) that I should pose for this one.  Except for me - the flowers really compliments the photo.

AND ON TO THE COAST WE GO!

Leaving Oudsthoorn for Mossel Bay and Stilbaai

The small coastal town of Stilbaai - visiting more mission friends!

 

Seagull with an attitude - and some lipstick for the occasion.