Magaliesberg Mountains

The Magaliesberg Mountains are named after the Tswana chief Magali who ruled during the time white pioneers ventured into this part of the world for the first time. The Magaliesberg provides deep gullies and kloofs that run as much as 100 metres or 328 feet deep. 

We had the opportunity to go kloofing which is a popular activity in South Africa. Kloof is an Afrikaans word meaning gorge or ravine. A kloofing trip involves hiking, climbing, sliding, jumping, swimming and falling.

I know it looks like we are just playing around in this picture but I was seriously scared for my life a few times during this kloofing trip. You can't see how high this rock wall is but many times we would have to stand flat against the rock and inch sideways to get across. Oh and we saw a poisonous boomslang snake on the rocks that jumped into the water with us!

We spent the night in tents and got to see a beautiful African sunset. Priceless.

In South Africa, one of the most important words you can learn is braai which means barbecue or roast. An important distinction between a braai and a barbecue in the States is the use of an open flame opposed to gas. This is a social custom that is taken very seriously by Trent who goes all out. For dinner, we had different kinds of meat (chicken, steak and boerewors), veg and garlic bread. Delicious.

The next morning we went on a hike to the top of the mountain overlooking the deep ravine we hiked the day before. The views were absolutely stunning. We got to see monkeys, baboons, a warthog and a duiker (in the antelope family).

I didn't really think I was afraid of heights until we climbed up and down huge boulders. Reminds me to give praise to God for His power and majesty that is displayed in creation!

It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.

To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One.

Isaiah 40:21-23, 25

Diepsloot

Diepsloot is a densely populated township made up of formal and informal houses. Diepsloot is home to about 150,000 people; many of them living in 3m-by-2m (9.8ft by 6.5ft) shacks assembled from scrap metal, wood, plastic and cardboard. Some families lack access to basic services such as running water, sewage and rubbish removal. Families use paraffin stoves and coal for cooking and candles for light. Diepsloot is known for the high level of crime. Even the NY Times did a story on this township in June 2009.

Amber, Nick and I have the awesome privilege to go to Diepsloot and help with training members of Immanuel Baptist Church in how to lead Sunday School. Please pray for our safety as we work here.

The church is an izozo (shack) made out of metal and is attached to Pastor Thabo's house. An izozo is what Faith Baptist Church is looking to buy once a plot of land is allocated to us in Snake Park. Continue to pray for Faith Baptist to find a location to meet for church. 

These are some of the young women inside the church. As you can see, the floors are made of dirt while the walls and roof are made from metal scraps which swayed and creaked in the wind. But it didn't matter because we were there to praise the Lord! 

This is Nick and Amber with Pastor Thabo. He is an amazing man of God and was discipled by Kurt who assisted in planting this church in Diepsloot. Praise God for Thabo's passion and desire for people to come to know the Lord as Savior!

Please pray that God would give the two ladies we will be training a desire and passion for the next generation to know Jesus! We hope to do outreaches in the community so pray for the children of Diepsloot to understand of God's love for them.

We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.

Psalm 78:4

Love on Display

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Matthew 22:37-39

During the holiday break Amber and I decided to get involved with an orphanage in Snake Park. We asked members of Faith Baptist Church to participate in order for them to learn how to serve and love their neighbors.

This orphanage is run by a woman who belongs to a Zionist church which believes in praying to your ancestors who speak to Jesus on your behalf. The traditional African belief in ancestors is one of the biggest barriers to the Gospel. Many Africans believe in Jesus but do not believe Jesus' words when He said, "I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

The children prepared songs, dances and even a sketch (skit) about King Solomon. The story can be found in 1 King 3:16-28 where Solomon in his wisdom is able to decipher who is the true mother of the baby. And to our surprise, one of our girls from last years Girls Club sang a song for us. Just reminds me not to take for granted the opportunity we have to love on our grade 7 girls and teach them of Christ's love.

Brad led the children in a few songs with his guitar. He shared his testimony about being scared of dying when he was young because of being sick.  He also shared the story of Jesus calming the storm and saving the lives of his frightened disciples. God has power over nature, sickness and death. Please pray that seeds were planted in the hearts of these children and the young adults as they heard of how God loves them and desires to have a relationship with each one of them.

We had three members of Faith Baptist and Philani are language tutor come with. Sibongile also shared a story from the Bible. Thembane led the children in singing and dancing. Zakele and Philani had a good time playing with the kids. Pray that church members would understand that God calls us to share His love with our neighbors, even the orphans living a few blocks over!

I can't find the right words to describe the beauty of this picture... Christ's love transcends culture, language, and skin color. Amen!

Who can resist these beautiful faces? As we were leaving, some of the children began to cry. Please pray for these 19 orphaned children to understand the love their Heavenly Father has for them, in spite of them not having an earthly father.

Just Hanging Out

Gauteng Future Champions International under 17 Tournament

We had the opportunity to just spend a day with some friends from Snake Park. We decided to hang out watching soccer at Rand Stadium in Soweto. The team in black is DC United from the States. We had a good time cheering for USA who beat the Mumbai Challengers from India. But Argentina were the eventual Champions beating Tunisia in the final.

Sibongile has truly become such a good friend of mine. I'm so thankful to be a part of her life and have the opportunity to see her grow and mature in her walk with the Lord. Praise God!

Football Friday calls for South Africans to wear a football shirt every Friday up until, and even throughout the 2010 FIFA World Cup.  All South Africans are encouraged to "play for Team South Africa" by participating in Football Fridays. Hamba Bafana Bafana!

It is such a blessing to spend time with brothers and sisters in Christ, especially from different cultures and backgrounds. We really enjoyed each other's company. We had fun joking around, singing, dancing, watching soccer and even having deep conversations about God and relationships. I am so thankful for the relationships God has given me here in South Africa!

Sibongile (far left) and Zakele (far right) attend Faith Baptist Church in Snake Park. Philani (middle) goes to another church but assists Zach with soccer in the schools. And the newest addition to our team, Nick will also be helping with soccer for the next four months.

Please pray for Sibongile, Zakele and Philani; that they would stand firm in the Lord.

"be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."  

Colossians 1:9-10

Pray for Soweto

Please partner with the Soweto Evangelism Team in prayer for the people of Soweto.

Pray for Soweto from Rachel Jensen on Vimeo.

Bible Study

Every Tuesday we meet in different people's homes for Bible Study. Lately, we have been studying the book of Ephesians. There were 14 people at Bible Study this week, Praise God!

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 

Ephesians 6:10-11

Please pray for Faith Baptist Church and the members. One woman discussed how she just quit her job this week because her boss said in order for her to keep her job she would have to sleep with him. The devil is real and trying to draw them away from the Lord. Pray that they would spend time reading the Word and praying which is how they can learn to be strong in the Lord and trust Him. 

South Africa's constitution guarantees equal status to 11 official languages in order to cater to the country's diverse peoples and their cultures. Zulu is most widely spoken and is the mother tongue of 23.8% of South Africa's population compared to only 8.2% speaking English.

In Bible Study, we will read the verses that are being discussed in sometimes 4 different languages. Many times we will lead Bible study in English but will have a interpreter who will translate into Zulu. Zulu is the predominant language spoken by people living in Soweto but it is many people's second language, used only for communication with each other.

For example, as we were visiting our girls from Girls Club, we spoke with families whose first language was Sesotho, IsiZulu, Setswana and Tshivenda. It is essential for people in Soweto to learn Zulu in order to communicate with friends and neighbors. Also, Zulu is the language spoken by teachers in the classroom. Can you imagine not speaking in your first language of English but having to learn a second language such as Chinese in order to communicate with people outside of your family or even in order to learn in school??

During Bible Study, I was able to hold this sweet baby girl so that her Gogo could participate. After a while, she began crying and I couldn't appease her. Afterwards, the Gogo came to me and told me that she was just hungry because she didn't get to eat breakfast and it was now noon. There are many children living in Soweto who only get to eat one meal a day usually bread or pap (maize or corn meal). 

True Love Waits

We participated in a True Love Waits training in the hopes that we will be able to present this at the schools that we are currently working with. A larger goal and desire that we have is to train local believers to lead TLW and have them go to different schools throughout Soweto. 

Please be in prayer for leaders within the churches of Snake Park & Lehae Baptist. Pray that they would be excited and interested in participating. On Saturday 30 January we will be presenting this to the youth of the church. Pray that these youth will see the plan that God has for them which includes waiting till marriage to have sex.

France and Daniel presented TLW to us and then the following day we had to present it for them! So, here are some of the basic teachings of True Love Waits... This blog post is rated PG 13.

1. My Dream Family

The purpose of this activity is to have children begin to understand what kind of family they want when they grow up. The children participate in two role plays to show how different families relate to each other. The first family is happy and encourages one another in a polite way. The second family is irritable and does not care much about each other. The youth are then challenged to think about which family they would like to have. Throughout the rest of the presentation, the youth begin to see how they can reach this goal of a happy family.

2. The Multiplication Factor

This section shows youth to what degree in which they are sexually connected to one another. The activity includes a girl and a boy drinking out of a cup of water and spitting the water back into the cup. They mix their two cups of water to symbolize the mixing of fluids that occur when one has sex. This demonstration continues until the boy has slept with 4 girls and is actually sexually connected to at least 31 people (because each of the girls have had prior partners). This shows youth that even if they sleep with only three people, they are also connected to whoever those three partners slept with. This is very powerful! The youth then learn about Adam and Eve and how God created sex to represent the most intimate of relationships in which two people are connected not only in body, but in spirit.

3. What are the choices?

This is the section that I had to present which I was excited about because I bought magwinya (fat cakes, like fried dough) in Soweto to be a part of the presentation. The purpose of this section is to understand that people have to make many choices throughout their lives. Having sex is a choice and one that has many consequences including HIV, STDs, and pregnancy. We also discuss the choice of using condoms and how it is not 100%. An African president made the comment once: "I do not want to trust the future of my country to a small piece of latex!"

In this picture I am injecting the magwinya with "poison" to symbolize that just because someone may look healthy on the outside does not mean they are free from AIDS or any other disease in the inside.

4. Beautiful Water/ Beautiful Sex

The purpose of this section is to learn of God's boundaries for sex and to encourage the youth to make the wise choice to stay within those boundaries.

Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well. Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers. May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. Proverbs 5:15-18

Youth discuss the meaning behind this verse and how God desires for you to only have sex within marriage. They also discuss how sex and water are similar. For example, water has the power to give life but it can also destroy life such as floods. Sex gives life but when one has sex outside of marriage it has the power to destroy families and lives, leaving everyone hurt. God has put water in the boundaries of the ocean, lakes, rivers, ect. God has also put sex in the boundary of marriage because He loves us and does not want us to be destroyed.

5. What is True Love?

This section is used to teach the youth about true love. We discuss two stories from the Bible to show the difference between lust and love. The first story is from 2 Samuel 13:1-15 about Amnon who out of lust rapes Tamar. The second story is from Matthew 1:18-25 about Joseph who treats his future wife Mary with dignity and respect, waiting for her. The youth then compare the two men, which I would encourage you to do as well. True love is willing to wait for marriage to express itself. Such love is based not on feelings, but on commitment. 

Another activity in this section demonstrates what happens when you have sex with many people. While holding up a paper cut in the shape of the heart, you tear a piece off to show that when you have sex with someone, you give away a piece of your heart, your innermost self. By the time you have had sex with many partners, your heart is in pieces and no longer whole. Is this fair to your future spouse?

What I love about this section is that even if youth have participated in sexual relations, they discover that God loves them and has the power to heal their broken heart. Youth are told about their need to repent and ask God for forgiveness. God will forgive and give us the ability to start a new life with a new heart.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

Youth are given an opportunity to make a commitment to God as well as to themselves, their family, country, friends and future spouse and children to be sexually pure until marriage.

Group shot. Standing is Given (one of our leaders from church in Snake Park), Georgia, Amber & Zach. Sitting is me, France & Daniel (our awesome TLW teachers).

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:11-13

Our Day of History

We went to The Mandela Family Museum. 

There is just too much to say about Nelson Mandela and all that he did in striving to create peace among whites and blacks in South Africa. Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist and leader of the African National Congress. The South African courts convicted him of charges of sabotage and sentenced him to 27 years in prison. After his release from jail on 11 Feb 1990, he did not hold bitterness in his heart to those who put him there. He fought against apartheid through reconciliation and negotiation, striving for "one person, one vote." Mandela was inaugurated as the first democratically elected President of South Africa on 10 May 1994.

This was his house located at 8115 Vilakazi St, Orlando West, Soweto. "The house itself was identical to hundreds of others built on postage-stamp-size plots on dirt roads. It had the same standard tin roof, the same cement floor, a narrow kitchen, and a bucket toilet at the back," Mandela explained from his book Long Walk to Freedom (which I strongly recommend you reading, the abridged version). Many times this house had been fire-bombed and damaged by security police. There are even bullet holes in the bricks in the front of the house.

We had a wonderful tour guide who showed us around Mandela's home. She is a student and is studying tourism and marketing. I always enjoy meeting new people and have developed a love for the people of South Africa.

We also went to the Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum. 

16 June 1976 changed the course of South Africa's history. On this day, over 15,000 school children planned to march from their schools to Orlando Stadium. Once at the stadium, they were going to agree on a list of grievances and compose a petition to present to the department of education. The apartheid government was demanding that black students in Soweto be taught in Afrikaans regardless of their spoken Bantu language. Hector Pieterson, a 13 year old student in Soweto was shot and killed when police opened fire on the protest march. Hector was one of 23 students the government reports being killed that day. The violence that ensued during the next few weeks because of this march led to the deaths of approximately 700 people, many of them youths.

This picture taken by Sam Nzima assisted in the liberation of blacks who were being oppressed by the Afrikaan government. The death of so many school children brought international attention to what was happening in South Africa and lead to the condemnation of the apartheid government.

On the way home, children were enjoying a home made swing on the side of the road. I thought back to Hector Pieterson and how many young children have died for the freedom non-white South Africans now have. These children swinging as well as our girls in Girls Club are the same age as those killed during the apartheid struggle.

16 June is now celebrated as National Youth Day. Please pray that the youth of South Africa would grow up to know the Lord. Pray that they would experience true freedom that can only be found in Christ, as they face many obstacles living in Soweto. Pray they would understand the peace of God which surpasses all understanding. Pray that they would live a life that would bring glory to the Father.

Sofie Lynn Hall

For you created my inmost being; 

you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 

your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Psalm 139:13-16

Vanessa came to visit me a week before I left for South Africa back in June 09 to say goodbye and give me some amazing news... that I was going to be an aunt! She handed me a gift as soon as we picked her up from the airport and inside was this onesie that said "I love my Aunt Rachie." 

Well, Sofie was born on 6 Jan 2010 at 9:31am. She weighs 6 lbs. 13 oz and is 20 inches long. My sister Vanessa is doing well. Thank you for all your prayers. God has truly worked a miracle with the delivery of a healthy baby girl in spite of the many complications faced along the way.

I was able to hear about her birth in SA through a text message even before my mom! I love technology!

Being in South Africa is difficult as I will not get to hold my niece until she is 1 year and 4 months. But thanks be to God for skype as I am able to see Sofie and will be able to watch her grow up. This is my first time meeting her :) Aren't they both just beautiful??

Drakensberg Mountains

The second part of our trip was spent in the Drakensberg Mountains (or uKhahlamba in Zulu) which is the highest mountain range in Southern Africa. We entered the Giants Castle Nature Reserve and drove for about 15 minutes to find the resort.

This is the Protea hut where we stayed for two nights. The view from the balcony was absolutely breath taking of mountains and grassy valleys.

We took a nice hike along a river... we were able to take off our shoes and enjoy the cool water.

This picture was taken while on our walk to the caves, as you can see the clouds were gray and ominous. We were caught in a lightning and hail storm which was entertaining but frightening and a little painful. It was quite an experience to hear the thunder shake the mountains and see lightning so close. Unfortunately, we never made it to the caves as it rained the rest of the afternoon.

As we were checking into our hotel, the receptionist told us to keep our doors locked as they have had trouble with baboons opening doors and stealing food. How awesome! Finally, on the last day we saw some as we were leaving.

I just love being out in nature and enjoying God's creation. We saw this flower and just had to take a picture... how beautiful?!