Pictures of the Last Day & at Phoenix Fellowship

Pictures: Jason and Thabo at The Phoenix Fellowship service, The Phoenix Fellowship worship team, Preaching at TPF, Some of the children, Lunch with the Meekins and Govender families.

Other Pictures of Clermont Trip

Pictures: A "store" which sells incense for ancestor worship, which includes animal sacrifices, women doing laundry at the community water source, A Nazirite service with women (in foreground) separated from men (far side) and preacher in the middle, a typical house with ancestor worship hut (notice the round shape and thatched roof of this ancestor worship temple), Dennis Nkosi told us this young woman (see below) walking ahead of us on the sidewalk is a medium for speaking to ancestors and pointed to the colorful anklets on her legs. The anklets truly were on her legs! Jason got a better picture with his video shot, but I'm not yet able to access it.

DAYS 4 AND 5 IN DURBAN (part 2); Last Day

Pictures: This makeshift hut sits (barely) on the side of a hill and is attached to the electric tower, a man doing his laundry near the only water source spigot in that part of Clermont, a view from Clermont to another township (the only way to that township is a 45 minute drive through 2-3 other townships due to a river that separates them), Dennis Nkosi with the grandmother who teaches at their church plant, Jason and Nkosi family.



Following our time with David and Virginia Morris we were able to spend the evening with Des and Sharon Venter and their young children. It was a special evening as we enjoyed talking about Grace Baptist Church's plans and history. Des is the first South African called to be a pastor at GBC-Amanzimtoti. Des received his theological degree from The Master's Seminary (TMS) in Los Angeles and they know some of the professors that we know at TMS and The Master's College in Santa Clarita. They served in Johannesburg for a number of years and then they were called to be the first South African pastor at Grace Baptist Church of Amanzimtoti. They have high hopes for further growth and ministry in the community from their church of 190 people. They currently have plans in January to begin a church plant in a rural township next to Amanzimtoti among the Zulu with a Zulu speaking pastor. This church plant will be a very tough ministry to begin and they will need much prayer support. The church has plans for involvement with HIV/AIDS ministry, education and care for orphans and leadership development with greater community involvement for outreach. The Venters have 3 biological children and they have adopted a little black girl who is HIV+. The child's mother gave birth to her and then walked away. She's getting proper care and medicine now and she has begun to thrive and grow physically. The Venters are in the process of adopting another little boy at this time and need prayer because they are experiencing difficulties from government officials as they try to meet the requirements for adoption.

I forgot to mention that also in the morning on day four we spent time with Darryl and Selvan playing squash. If you don't know what squash is then you are missing out. Squash is similar to racquetball, in that you are using the walls all around. However, it is different in that a longer racket is used, the ball is not as lively off the wall or racket and you don't use the ceiling nor all of the wall on the side and back. It is a game of finesse and placement rather than power and so Darryl and Selvan gave us some good lessons about the game. Following this we met up with Selvan at the future home of The Phoenix Fellowship. This property has finally become theirs after a court battle and the Lord is helping them get ready to build on it. This property was once a neighborhood dump and sits down the hill from a Hindu temple and up the hill from a Muslim mosque. It is a wonderful location for ministry, which may include a medical ministry as well as an education center for the community. Jason filmed Selvan at the property as he explained for us the present situation, plans and prayer requests for the property and congregation. Please pray for the Lord to open up the doors they need to arrange the next steps for building on the property. It has been cleaned and leveled off and the fencing is being built around the perimeter. Selvan hopes to have help from teams in the states as they begin the first phases of building on the property. It is our hope to be able to supply a team for them from those who are interested in helping to build and establish Phoenix Fellowship in their future home.

On day 5 we visited the Chung family over breakfast. Barnabas and Peggy Chung and their 3 teenage daughters, Sharon, Yee and Eunice. They are serving among the ethnic Chinese population in Durban by planting Peace Chinese Christian Church. The work there has been challenging for them as they have come from Hong Kong to live and serve in Durban. There are presently 20 members of this church. The girls taught Jason how to play ping pong Chinese style and then they spent time playing praise songs on guitars. I was amazed to hear their heart's desire to serve among the ethnic Chinese. This church plant is attempting to minister among both Cantonese and Mandarin speaking Chinese. Pray for their efforts among this minority of the population and for safety and security for their family as they serve.

We then spent time with Dennis Nkosi who took us on a car tour of Clermont township. We spent almost 4 hours driving around this huge township and hearing about its history and details from Dennis. Dennis shared with us about some of the violent history of the Clermont community as well as some of the religious influences and barriers there. In particular, he shared at length about the reasons why Zulu men are so resistant to the gospel. It all revolves around ancestor worship and the prominent position and identity that this religious worldview has for all Zulu men. When visiting a family Dennis has seen men welcome him, share his home, get their wife and children to come and listen to Dennis and then leave. When he has asked these men why they do this, the reply has been, "Pastor, I have given you access to my home, wife and family. What more do you want of me. Don't ask me to give up the worship of my ancestors. I will not do it." Worship of ancestors and seeking the help they believe is needed and possible through worshiping them is the reason why Zulu men will not come to faith in Christ.

Dennis also relayed to us that early on missionaries came and tried to give the gospel to the Zulu. They translated the Bible into Zulu, but when it came to translating God's name it proved to be very difficult. There is a name in Zulu that completely identifies God accurately. "ELINGQANGI" is the Zulu name for God and it literally means "He who has been existing before anything else existed". However, the missionaries could not say the word correctly. If you've ever watched the movie series "The God's Must Be Crazy" then you know that the Zulu language is a difficult language to speak and that it adds clicking sounds to it. As if it wasn't difficult enough to study the Czech language with the trilling of the "r" and crazy, difficult grammar. Now we come across Zulu! :) Well Zulu is so difficult that the translators and evangelists early on sought a word for God that they could pronounce well. They ended up using an easier word that means "Grandfather of Grandfathers", which ends up placing God on a par with all their ancestors. It was not as effective and has confused the gospel. There are Zulus though who prefer to use the better name for God.

Dennis took us to visit one of his special workers in children's ministry. This grandmother came to salvation in Christ when Dennis was going door to door and shared the gospel with her. In spite of her being drunk at the time, the gospel stuck with her and she responded to the Lord by faith. Now she teaches 3rd to 6th grade Sunday school at their church plant. This can be contrasted with the rest of the family who responded to a different door to door evangelist, a Jehovah's Witness. Now she lives under the same roof with family members involved with a Christian cult! You could see however her life in Christ is vital and vibrant.

Dennis pointed out the difficulties that people in these communities face with some areas of it having no running water or just one community spigot or no electricity. There are makeshift homes using whatever is available and when a building is built, there can be a family of up to 8 living in a space the size of my walk in closet! We also saw a number of the false spiritual influences in this community. We came upon the service of a Nazirite congregation. This was held outside and all members were dressed in white. The men and women sat separated and between them the "pastor" was shouting out an enthusiastic and passionate sermon. They believe the pastor is the messiah in human form and before he passes on he will pass this title to one of his sons. At this moment a younger son is taking the church and his older brother to court because the younger son believes that he is the messiah incarnate! Interesting theology. Dennis also pointed out to us a local medium or channeler. This was a young woman with a baby on her back who wears colorful anklets to distinguish her role in ancestor worship. The trip into Clermont is etched in my mind as the most amazing part of the trip and certainly the most eye-opening part. Dennis and his wife Violet have 4 wonderful children: Nonhlanhla (21), Nkulukeko or "Leko" (15), Neo (13) and Mpume (11). We shared a special meal with them at their home before returning to the Meekins' home for dinner and a chance to watch some soccer on television.

Our last day started early as we attended The Phoenix Fellowship and I preached from 2 Peter 1:1-15. It was a special day to get to know some wonderful people. Selvan and Darryl expressed to me that the passage and sermon were timely for their congregation. I was very encouraged by the friendship that was begun between Jason and Thabo. The Phoenix Fellowship was the 8th church plant that ABWE started and it began in 1987 by Dale and Karen Marshfield with Dave and Karen Hamrick. It is primarily made up of ethnic Indians formerly from Muslim or Hindu beliefs. Jason sat in on the youth Bible study during a Sunday school hour. Thabo is the youth leader. The Phoenix Fellowship beginning training for Biblical counseling and a midweek ministry to strengthen marriages and families. Following the service we got our bags at the Meekins and went to lunch with the Govenders. It was a special time to wrap up our visit with these wonderful people who serve in a difficult setting. Pray for them as they work to establish this congregation in the Word of God and as a witness to the gospel and a light in the darkness. Jason and I had an even longer flight and travel home, but except for an extra long security check in Dakar, Senegal, it was uneventful.

We felt so blessed and privileged to be able to see this city and its people and to hear from the missionaries and South Africans firsthand. Many have been asking us if this trip helped to confirm our plans and desires to serve there. After returning home and talking with Kim about it and praying over it, we believe that the Lord confirmed it to us. In particular, we were glad to see the strength and closeness of the ABWE Durban team, even though many serve in different ministries from one another in the city. In addition, the fact that the ministry role that is being offered to us fits exactly what we had been praying for gives to us a confidence that the Lord is leading us to serve there. The role with the college plays a vital part in the strategy for church planting in Durban and South Africa as a whole. As we have been saying for a year and a half, we intend to serve in Durban if the Lord will open this door to us.

This trip allowed us to strengthen ties with the missionaries and South Africans we will serve with and gave to us a greater vision for impacting and entrusting God's people for church planting ministry. Colossians 1:28-29 has been a key verse in my mind since the Lord orchestrated this survey trip to Durban. "Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. It is our hope and prayer that we can make it to this important ministry early in 2010. As always, we must place the timing and provision for this goal in the hands and plans of the Lord. Pray for us as we continue to try and raise a support team and reach full support status. Kim and I are so grateful for the team that the Lord has assembled for us so far and are hopeful that others will join us to send us out to this important opportunity in ministry.

SOME EXTRA SHOTS OF DURBAN SOUTH

Top to Bottom: looking north from the southern part of Durban, driving through Durban south, Jason and the Morris' pool (many baptisms have taken place here over the years), a nature reserve area at the end of the Morris' street.

DAYS 4 AND 5 IN DURBAN (part 1)

Pictures Top to Bottom: Durban coast, Jason loving the beach scene, South African women selling, Yes they do surf (I'm told there's a huge shark net somewhere out there), Visiting Grace Baptist Church in Amanzimtoti, Durban




Something that we really noticed right away in South Africa is the high level of security. It was everywhere with buildings, housing subdivisions and properties all having bars on windows and doors, high fences, high fences with wicked barbed wire, high fences with electrified wire, high fences with large dogs behind them and armed response signs to let everyone know that a security team is ready to respond. Wow! This is something we knew of early on in our decision to pursue this ministry, but it is a different thing to see it firsthand. All the Durban team of missionaries and South Africans have been effected by the crime. Cars stolen or broken into, "smash and grabs" at intersections (that's why I like traffic circles), homes broken into while missionaries are away, armed robbery and robbery in the middle of the night. Some missionaries have even lost garden chairs off their patios while they are sleeping. I asked who is it mostly committing theses crimes and I was told almost exclusively the black population. Still missionaries and South Africans have expressed that the way to handle it is to remain vigilant. Even with all the precautions, if someone wants to get in and steal, they'll find a way. One missionary told us that still the way to handle it is to get on with life in spite of it, but pray much about protection and security issues. Knowing all of this doesn't make it easier and we must also ask the Lord to work and use whatever necessary to help the missionaries evangelize with the truth of the gospel. We must pray for the Lord's provisions for the ministry and for the replacement of what might be lost to crime. There is truly a resolve in the hearts and minds of the missionaries we met to remain committed to serve and love on people for Christ's sake.

We met with Selvan and Darryl in the morning of the fourth day. It was great to hear of their heart of a shepherd as we prayed for members of The Phoenix Fellowship and the ministry among the Phoenix population. Please pray for Thabo who is the youth leader at TPF while working an insurance job during the day to help support his family and taking classes at the Baptist Bible College. His mother passed away last week after long illness. The memorial service was on the weekend. Pray for comfort and strength and that Thabo will be able to persevere in all that he is doing while grieving.

We visited with David and Virginia Morris for lunch. They have lived and worked in the southern part of Durban for over 20 years! He was a missionary pastor with Grace Baptist Church in Amanzimtoti. from northern Durban to Amanzimtoti is over 40 km! This illustrates how spread out Durban is. David and Virginia raised their children in Durban and their love for the people is obvious. They finished with Grace Baptist Church after 20 years and that church then called another pastor who is South African. We went on a tour of southern beach area, where there is lots of surfing. We also went to see Grace Baptist Church. David and Virginia are preparing for a new ministry role among seniors through Grace Baptist Church. Pray the Lord will lead them in this and other ministry roles, especially teaching classes at the college. Jason and I had a great time talking about ministry and life in SA with David as he showed us around.

Days 2 and 3 - Baptist Bible College and Durban Team

Pictures: Darryl teaching, Morne Morais (in beanie), Dan Willis on the left and Thabo on the right, Jason and Dan, the Richard's Bay missionaries (Davis, Farran and Ausfahl)

On the second and third days of our survey trip we were able to spend time talking through goals and obstacles facing the Baptist Bible College, observing classes, getting to know students, etc. We also spent time with missionaries both in prayer, meetings and over coffee. It was very helpful to find out more history related to the college. It began small with one missionary, Dale Marshfield, who began teaching theological courses. It eventually grew to be a degree program offering the equivalent of an undergraduate degree in Bible and a certificate degree that is the equivalent of the first year of a Master's of Divinity degree.

The ABWE Durban team desires to take it to levels offering higher degrees, but it has been difficult in recent years just to maintain what they have at the moment. In particular, there have been changes related to maintaining their accreditation. Especially the last couple of years the requirements of the government and the educational entity they are under have changed on them yearly. The college has been forced to comply with all expectations and goals of the educational entity that's over them and thus the relationship has changed enough to try and make BBC become their clone institution. It is forcing Darryl and BBC to investigate what is required to get their own accreditation and the puzzle pieces of figuring that out are hard to make fit. This area needs a lot of prayer.

Another difficulty has been 2 key leaders of the BBC and ABWE Durban family returned to the US two years ago. With their exit it caused the BBC to have to focus on maintaining the most important thing for their students getting a degree and that is making sure those courses are being offered. The difficulty is that one area that is also very important for the students' education and preparation for ministry is that of apprenticeship or internship. This is the focus on practical ministry preparation and training as well as character development. There has been no one to oversee this area. I was very encouraged to hear Darryl share with me about the great concern that the BBC has in providing this aspect of their training and education. Darryl sees that Kim and I can provide leadership in this area and he has asked me to be Dean of Students for BBC. His words were the answer to a very specific and long term prayer that the Lord would be able to use us in this way and in this specific role somewhere in the world with a Bible college, institute or seminary. Pray the Lord will provide for our support needs and bring us to full support status so that we will be able to get there and work with the ABWE Durban team and the students of BBC.

The BBC presently uses the Grace Baptist Church in Queensburgh (central Durban) as the sight for their Wednesday evening courses and for the college library. We were able to visit the evening courses and meet some of the students before and during the break. I spent time talking with a young man named Morne Marais. Morne is a very outgoing student who shared with me he plans to work as a missionary among Arab Muslims. The heritage of his family is Afrikaaner of French descent. Dan Willis is another student at BBC. We had spent a late afternoon lunch with Dan and his parents Vic and Nikki Willis. Vic has been serving as senior pastor at Fellowship Baptist church for 19 years. He and Nikki gave us some wonderful insights into life there. Interestingly, they shared with us that with all the problems of crime there, the surfing subculture is quite clean and healthy as opposed to what it tends to be in say California with drugs, etc. Dan has been the youth and worship pastor at Fellowship Baptist while he is working on his degree. He's engaged to be married and then he and his wife will be moving to Cape Town where he'll serve in a church in a similar role. Jason and Dan hit it off really well and I was so encouraged to see it because Dan's love for youth and leading worship was so evident. Jason has similar interests. We also met Thabo. He serves in youth ministry at The Phoenix Fellowship. He is a gregarious and focused student who works in insurance during the week and on his degree in the evening and weekends. Pray for Thabo as we just received word this week that his mother has passed away. While we were there she had been hospitalized and was not doing well.

As we sat in on the courses and listened to Darryl and others teach and the interaction they were having with the students. I remembered the passage in Titus 2:6-8 which says, "Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech ..." A complete education is so important and encouraging character and values that are in line with the Bible are equally important. It requires mentoring and discipling to the best of our ability to pass on to a new generation what is required when they are called to shepherd and expand the Lord's work. It can't just be academics and degrees. I could tell that Darryl and the others who teach with him at BBC desire so much to have students trained so that their character and practical aspects of ministry are growing along with their ability to dig into the word, defend the faith and preach and teach the Bible doctrines well. In addition, to these things we were able to spend time at a growth group for The Phoenix Fellowship. It was a special time to see the families have time in the Word together and especially I was impressed by the younger children who sat and listened well and even took out their pencils and dug into the Bible to answer the questions.

During the morning and afternoon of the third day we were privileged to be at a team meeting. The week before we had arrived one of the missionaries had experienced a traumatic event. All the meeting agenda items were moved to the afternoon so that the team could spend the morning and after lunch focused on prayer, looking into the Word and mutual encouragement. This was a great confirmation for us because Kim and I were concerned the team would be solid and demonstrating this kind of dependence on the Lord and one another. Vic wrote to me later about our visit coming at an unusual time and circumstance, but that it also reflects the realities that all of the team members serve under. Following this meeting we went out for coffee with the Ausfahls, Farrans and Davises. It was enjoyable to see the Farran and Ausfahl children enjoying one another. We spent most of the time fielding questions about ourselves, which was not a problem at all because I think it's beneficial for the other members of the team to feel they know us better. All of these missionary families serve 2 hours north of Durban in Richard's Bay. Kyle and Heather Farran serve in HIV/AIDS ministry and they will drive into the black townships on a motorcycle. I asked why and they told me it was because nobody will steal a motorcycle there because nobody knows how to drive them. The Ausfahls and Davises serve in a church plant in Richard's Bay and teach at the college when needed, which has been often enough in the last couple of years. They are doing other things I'm sure and Kim and I look forward to finding them out. Please be in prayer for these students and missionary families and that we'll be able to join them soon.

Day 1 - Time with Missionaries in North Durban and Ballito

Pictures: At the lighthouse looking towards Durban's port/central...Glenn Barnett and Robert, Jason and I, a poster/ad for The Community Connection (Bobby Hile preaching), Steve and Julie Thompson and family)
Our first day in Durban we spent with several missionaries. Glenn and Ame Barnett have been serving there for 3 years. They are presently serving with Fellowship Baptist Church and are involved in compassion ministry, especially HIV/AIDS hospice ministry. They've been planning and working towards providing a hospice care facility. Plans from last year to this year seemed to be coming to fruition in a leased facility and they were preparing to open the ministry recently. Just before the opening date they received word that the owner needed to live in that house, which meant the Barnetts would not be able to open that hospice after all. Needless to say it was hard to hear and since the Barnetts were living in that house, they are now looking for a new place to live. In spite of that they seemed to have a very positive outlook and are actively pursuing another home to rent a facility to provide the hospice ministry in. Please pray the Lord will provide a place for them that suits their family and ministry needs. Ame was unable to visit with us due to sick children and children in school, but Glenn took us to breakfast and we talked about South Africa and Durban and got reacquainted. We had spent time with the Barnetts in summer 2008 when we were all at a conference in Harrisburg, PA. Glenn took us on a walk along the northern Durban coast to the lighthouse. It was an extremely windy day as you can see in the picture. That slicked back hair look on my head is not from gel, it's because the wind was blowing so hard.

Following our time with Glenn we went to Ballito, which is north of Durban about an hour and a half. There we had lunch with Steve and Julie Thompson and got acquainted with their 4 wonderful children. Everyone lives in complexes with lots of security and in gated communities, due to the high level of crime. Ballito is no different even though it sits north of Durban. Following a great time of conversation over lunch, Steve took us to their church plant in downtown Ballito. It is called "The Community Connection" and they rent a former theater facility on the second floor of a store complex. This facility had two movie theaters and several office rooms. It is well situated to be called the Community Connection, because there is lots of community activity in the area, both positive and negative. On the positive side, the beach front and town center is nearby and they have a visible location. In the negative, though it might also be a positive, their facility is surrounded by 3 bars. Lots of activity there too. Steve and Julie work with Bobby and Sara Hile on this church plant with lots of ministry geared toward building bridges to the community to share the good news of salvation through Christ and to meet the needs of people. Pray for them as they work to plant this church body. We then went to spend time and have dinner with the Hiles. They had just returned to Durban within the last couple of weeks. We enjoyed getting to know each other over dinner and then we had the privilege of attending a growth group of the church. The Hiles shared about their recent home assignment in the US with the members of this Bible study group and we spent time in prayer and in the Word. The children were with us in the beginning and through our time of prayer and then they went across the street to the Hile's home. Jason just fit right in because he spent his whole life as a missionary kid. I was especially encouraged by the South Africans in the growth group because of their great concern for sharing Christ with the people they know in their community or at work.

Reflections on a Whirlwind Trip!

In the next number of posts I hope to show you sights and reflections on our trip to Durban. Jason and I had an amazing trip and it was certainly helped by the wonderful hospitality we received from the Meekins, plus the warm welcome we had from all the missionaries. Clearly the trip helped us to confirm our intentions to serve the Lord in ministry there.

To begin with it has been a very important thing for Kim and I to work with a team which is solid and supportive of one another and has an atmosphere of seeking the Lord's leading and direction. This is a high value for us and from what I saw and heard during my time there, I was very encouraged to see that this is true on the ABWE Durban team. The added benefit of a team that has American missionaries and South Africans serving on the same team and supportive of one another throughout the various ministries they are involved with is a wonderful advantage. We were very encouraged to learn that the college needs us to serve in a role that we have a special interest in. To be able serve as Dean of Students at BBC and to oversee the practical ministry of helping to shape the personal character of students, while they work on their degree and serve in a local church, is truly an answer to a long standing prayer. Working alongside quality missionaries like Darryl and Casey, and the others who teach courses at BBC will be great. In addition, BBC will begin to offer some courses online, the first of which may begin in January 2010. In conversations with Darryl, he is very interested in having Kim involved with this new aspect of the college ministry. Check back for further pictures and reflections... and check out our prayer requests list to the right.

Please pray for Darryl and Casey Meekins who are facing a very difficult time just since Saturday. Casey's father apparently had a heart attack while surfing and was rushed by air to a hospital. He has not regained consciousness, nor is he breathing on his own and they don't know how long he was without oxygen. Casey and little Emma (2 years) have flown to be with family in New Jersey. Please pray for her father's recovery and the Lord's wisdom and comfort during this very difficult time.

Darryl and Casey have a home assignment scheduled from June to December 2010 and it will be very important for us to reach Durban by May 2010 if possible. The World Cup of Soccer will be played throughout South Africa between June 11th and July 11th 2010 and so getting there before that time will be important so we can be involved in outreach activities.

Announcing "TEAM 200" - Many have shown interest in investing in our ministry in South Africa. We realize that not everyone can invest in large amounts like a church might, but both churches and individuals are important to us being sent to the field. We are launching "TEAM 200", because a team of 200 supporters each donating $25/month will surely help us to reach our fully supported status. The addition to our support team of these 200 committed monthly supporters should place us on the field in 2010. Of course, investors in our ministry can give more or less than that and we are always grateful for their donation. In the week since returning from our survey trip we have seen 3 new supporters join our team for $25/month to help send us to pursue this ministry opportunity. Would you prayerfully consider joining our support team through TEAM 200? If so, you can contact us by email or phone or click on the "ABWE" under "TEAM 200" on the side bar. Then click on "Give" and you can go to an "Automatic Support Program" or check the info on this page to decide how you'd like to donate. If you have questions you can contact ABWE or us to find out details. Thank you for your prayers for us.

Field Prep Seminar - Reaching the 85% level before November 9-20th, 2009, will allow us to attend ABWE's mandatory Field Prep Seminar (FPS). Please be in prayer that the Lord will build up our support team through TEAM 200 so that we can get to the FPS this year.

Blessings in Christ, the Clarks

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ... ~~ Paul in Colossians 4:2-3