Photo Caption: In the foreground, South Western slums and in the background the townships of Soweto.

It’s an interesting twist- for Americans thinking about the government being a tool to encourage poverty among certain population/racial groups. Apartheid here in South Africa created insurmountable divides between the rich and the poor and divided the country along white and black lines.

Townships became government created housing that placed blacks within territories and sections of the cities that were undesirable or unsuitable for the whites. Slums here are also part of the everyday landscape as more people continue to move from rural areas to the cities in search for work, without finding meaningful work, they settle in these informal communities. The political and economic uncertainties among neighboring nations also adds to the increasing problems faced by the poor.

But, what I’ve found to be the most astonishing is that the government didn’t act for the cause of justice, but perpetuated the problem by dividing the countries resources, land and education in favor of the Europeans who settled here in the late 1700’s. What’s interesting is that many of the South Africa’s societal, economic and political problems are a direct result of yester-years decisions to not act on behalf of the weak and needy, but to seek the good for only the rich and powerful.

Christ continues to offer good news to South Africa if only they would take the time to listen.

Overlooking the skyscrapers of Johannesburg is a lonely, open area which has been adopted by some local believers as “prayer hill.” It is a place where one and all can come to meet in the name of Jesus, pray for one another and share the Word. We went to check it out at about sunset and there we found quite a sight.

Scattered about the hill were clusters of people, some praying alone, some for one another. At first glance it was encouraging and exciting to see people meeting spontaneously without provocation. But as we got up close, we started to see some things which were unexpected. Some people were carrying shepherd’s staffs! Our friend explained that those who carry a staff believe themselves to have received special revelation from God to be a teacher and leader. The staff is used to show others that they must be respected and followed.

Some churches in Africa consider themselves to be “Christian” but they also incorporate traditional African practices, like ancestor worship or wearing red to ward off evil spirits. This combination is highly problematic because it contaminates the true gospel to fit the cultural expectations of what religion is supposed to be.
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The South African government has mandated that all children under the age of 15 are required to go to school, yet there is little to no enforcement of this policy. Of course, the result is that many youth chose not to go and face no consequence for their choice. Many times, children end up getting involved in crime, which seems to be one of the favorite pastimes in Johannesburg.

ACSI (the Association of Christian Schools International) has decided to tackle the problem of truancy by recruiting volunteers to get into the neighborhoods and find out why these kids are not in school. If literacy is an issue, an Open School will start. Open Schools are short-term educational opportunities to bridge education and get the child up to the point where he needs to be in order to be functionally participatory in a classroom setting.

Below is a photo of a training we attended outside of Johannesburg with a trainer from ACSI who was recruiting volunteers to seek out the kids in their townships and squatter camps who are out of school. They were learning how to befriend the kids, get the necessary information and help them back into school.


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We are on a 18 hour layover here in Nairobi – it’s not exactly a place you want to spend the night with all the civil unrest happening here! Reality accosted us once we exited our plane in Nairobi. Hundreds of displaced men with their wives, three-year-old sons and daughters lined the walls and the entrances for a plane that would take them and their families anywhere but here.

It is hard, as a Westerner, to understand the plight or experience of being displaced – your very life and existence is under threat because of your nationality or tribal affiliation. Tonight we saw firsthand people holding on to their families as they look towards a better future and the hope to return to their homeland at some point in the future.

But for now, they are wanderers, aliens – searching for peace and a safe place.

Yesterday’s New York Times Article

On Sunday, we will head to South Africa, where we are working with the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and their Open Schools Program.

In South Africa, many many parents have tragically died of AIDS, leaving their children orphans. When this happens, the oldest child becomes the "parent" to his or her siblings. There are so many of these situations, that the government has had to create a population category called "Child-Headed Households."

This has become a huge problem for the nation because these children end up dropping out of school in order to work and provide for the family and since they often do not end up receiving an education, it ends up perpetuating the problem of poverty. The South African government has found that the Christian schools who are accredited by the ACSI are some of the best, so they have asked ASCI to tackle the task of creating a flexible school system to meet the needs of these children who are the head of their homes. ACSI has, in turn, created just that and named them "Open Schools."

When the children actually do finish school, they need to find work. We will be working with ACSI to explore the possibility of offering business training, microfinance and discipleship for the older youth so that they can begin businesses after graduation.

This is bound to be an exciting country, so stay tuned for more details!