Secunda

A lot happens in a week on holiday in Africa. Hannah began calling the children on the farm 'my children'! I have managed to get them mto perform 'sleeping bunnies' together with Hannah and they gave us a little gum-boot dancing show. The facilities here are fairly good, but a lot of prayer is needed for Natalie's mum who cannot do all the work on her own, for the children to get the right kind of supervision, comfort and attention. One day a strike took place by the transport union. The children came back from school early. One little girl, Phamela (7), told us that the strikers wanted to burn all the buses and that they had had stones thrown at them. Then one young chap, Patrick, about 15, told me that the bus driver had hit one of the children in the face with a fanbelt and cut his face badly. The same driver often attacks Patrick too. I said that the next time it happens he must try to record it on a mobile phone and go to the police station, he said that nobody has a phone with a camera. We have so many small previliges in the UK, like a legal system that (while being a little weak) still seems to be adhered by society. There's so much corruption here and with it so much fear and finger pointing. Inevitably it ends up becoming racial. I pray for Jesus to come to South Africa. The children here seem to be coping quite well, and they get together every evening and have fellowship. They also learn a little bit of farming and do the daily milking of the cow, Hannah also got the chance to milk a cow with the help of her 'Oupa'. We moved on from Secunda to Parys for the weekend and stayed at Oom Lukas' holiday home.

'My children' - Hannah

Siyabonga milks a cow

An african farm

Last night we had a bbq at Leon's house, and Hannah, leanne and Renne had an awesome time together. Today we drove through to Secunda to the farm. There are 13 children living here as foster children. They range in age from 3 to 13, boys and girls. Hannah is overwelned. It is really hot. Such a different life here!

facebook may be making you sad

http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/russellmoore/11644916/ 'Why Facebook, and your church, may be making you sad'. I watched the movie "social network" last night. It is really interesting the way Facebook developed and the attitudes of the people involved. So much of it is actually about people really wanting true friends. By the by, the flight to South Africa was fantastic, our daughters behaved immaculately and we had amazing seats, today is the hottest day this year (according to my mum) - God is good.

Cafe Forever is full of beans!

Christmas meal in Cafe Forever with City of Peace

Now that the #whylondon? video is completed I am back working at Cafe Forever on mondays. These are the 'housework' days and Ian and I have been working on getting a good shine out of the floor. It sounds like a menial task, and I guess it is when compared with talking to people about Jesus, but then how can you only talk? Wasn't Jesus a carpenter by trade? Often when he does some miracle he does it with more than mere words too. It is good to have a nice clean Cafe, makes the visitors feel special and us happy to work here. Some students came to visit to find out more about what we do and Tom and I explained the philosophy of the ministry. I guess to a large extent, in the UK, there are so many places where traditionally the church would have got involved in people's lives - social levels - the government has taken over, making the church seem rather pointless to many. There's the NHS for healthcare, National Insurance for the unemployed, Citizens Advice etc... One ministry that the government hasn't been able to remove from the church is the ministry of love. There is no better knowledge for aching hearts than knowing that somebody cares. But it is a difficult place to go, since who wants to admit to being 'no mates'? I think this is the primary reason why Cafe Forever still gets visitors, you can come in and be looking for mates and order a coffee and find them. Cafe Forever introduces people to the church - our community, City of Peace. It is a relaxed way into fellowship. Long may the aroma of freshly ground beans linger.

Steppenwolf

A friend of mine gave me the book Steppenwolf to read. It is the result of an exchange of books - he is reading 'God's Pauper' - Nikos Kazantsakis. I see many of the traits described by Herman Hesse of Harry Haller in my friend, he seems to battle with his 'wolf' and his humanity. It seems as if the book was written for human healing but Hesse says that many have taken it out of context and look only on the sorrow and despair in it. The book apparently doesn't have any great outcomes - it seems as if Hesse is interested in describing a way of coping with the world, a way of tolerating it. I don't see how it can be tolerated if in the end all results in death anyway. I believe the only way in which this life can be tolerated is if there's a better life to come, otherwise what's the point. Another book that has often been misinterpreted is the bible - now there's a book that speaks of love, of patient endurance BECAUSE there's an ultimate end in a heaven. To get our idea of heaven we so often use our own thoughts and these will be so moribund and below the reality that we may actually find the heaven of our fantasies uninviting, even dull or pointless. I suggest we read the bible with other people who read it to get a picture outside of ourselves, hoping that the mystery of God will be revealed - magically. The real mirror is the bible, not The Magic Theatre of Herman Hesse. Please pray for my discussion with my friend - that God will reveal his picture apart from our own ideas. 

Pie & Mash

Just had lunch Maureen's, Chrisp St Market. Pie, Mash, Liquor £2.50! Oh how I miss those days with Jo Watson! This was a really good, cheap meal. Chrsip St Market is in Poplar E14, just off the Isle of Dogs. I have just dropped of 6 black bags of VHS movies that somebody deposited in our cafe a while back at the charity shop. Chrisp St Market is a bit untidy and a bit run down, but I can see how it has a strong local flavour and identity. A colourful place with interesting people.

Why London - the Launch!

Today was the official launch of the video that I have been creating with London City Mission supporter relations team. It is an attempt at trying to explain why we believe in the work of the London City Mission...

Why London? from London City Mission on Vimeo.

Doing the right thing

When Joab warned King David against a census, was he wrong to then carry out the King's order? And was he also wrong to omit 2 tribes?