We Have Arrived in South Africa

We Have Arrived in South Africa!..in fact we arrived on the 16th of December, so we are almost 4 weeks in, but Internet has been even less available than we expected but now we have gotten familiar with the surroundings we are hoping to keep you all up to date more regularly…well, at least we are trying!

There is so much to say, too much than we could really convey just in words, but to give you an idea of our first few weeks we made this short video below, enjoy!

We Have Arrived in South Africa from Liam Byrnes on Vimeo.

Simple Churches All over Africa – Projects Community Transformations work with

Everything we as Christians do, should be directed towards the goal of knowing God and making him known to the people around us who don’t know him. We will be working with a local church planting movement to help pioneer and encourage some small church plants, known as ‘Simple Churches’. They are focused on making disciples and sending out trained leaders to start simple, reproducing, Jesus focused churches.

Floyd and Sally McClung who head up All Nations, the main ministry Community Transformations partners with in South Africa, have written an inspiring article on their vision for South Africa here, below in a short extract relating to Church Planting:

On the large scale, our dream is that Jesus would be loved, worshipped and obeyed in every village, every city, every university, every tribe, every business, and every nation in Africa. We believe Jesus deserves nothing less than the love of Africans in all fifty-four countries on the continent.

Our mission is simple and focused: we are called to make disciples, train leaders and plant church planting churches. There are 800 million people in Africa, most of whom suffer every day from poverty, war, injustice, and preventable diseases. 6,500 people die every single day from malaria and other causes. That is the equivalent of a worldwide disaster every month!

Our strategy is to train and send people who are equipped to start new churches where ever they find open hearts: in the schools and universities, in businesses and government offices, in art studios and coffee shops, in the farming fields and in people’s homes.

We believe in holistic church planting and leadership equipping. Because of the huge needs of Africa, we believe the gospel must be given with two hands: one hand giving practical hope in the form of farming, micro-enterprise, and medical care and with the other hand sharing the good news that Jesus is the son of God who died for the sins of the whole world.

Please click here to read a more in depth discussion of the concept of simple church planting and why it seems that it is so applicable for the context in South Africa.

Human Trafficking – Justice Acts – Projects Community Transformations work with

“Lord I know you know the hopes of the helpless.
Surely you will listen to their cries and comfort them.
You will bring justice to the orphan
And the oppressed,
So people can no longer terrify them.”
Psalm 10:17,18

An estimated 40,000 to 100,000 people will be trafficked into South Africa for the 2010 World Cup!

Trafficking Stats

• 27 Million people have been victims of Human Trafficking
  - Bales, 2004 and www.notforsalecampaign.org
• 1 to 2 Million Per Year
  - US. Dept of State and Unicef
• Most Trafficking Victims are Girls between 5 to 15 years of age
  - Unicef
• 1.2 Million Children are Trafficked Annually
  - Unicef
• 1/2 of those Children are African
  - World Hope Int’l, 2008
• It is a $33.9 Billion (U.S.) or 257 Billion Rand Industry
  - Belser, 2006

We are a network of believers working in practical ways to combat human trafficking in South Africa. Justice [ACTS] is a YWAM (Youth With A Mission) headed mission that is networked with many other organizations and local churches who are actively involved in the more “at risk” communities within South Africa. In our group we have trained counselors, social workers, an in-house media production company, journalists, and photographers. We have discovered that as far as human trafficking prevention, Traffick Proof seems to be the only tool of its kind in South Africa.  Organizations, individuals and churches of all kinds are contacting us to train them to present Traffick Proof and get involved in fighting human trafficking.  Our network expands daily, and is beginning to reach across the nation.

Justice Acts’ strategy to combat human trafficking is made up of three phases: Human Trafficking Prevention through Traffick Proof, Victim Assistance, and World Cup Mobilization. Currently we are well into phase one and are laying foundations for phase two and three by developing strategies and networks, doing research, recruiting and raising monies, and involvement with the “at risk” and traf?cked persons, etc. Clickhere for a more complete breakdown of our three phases plan.

Baby Safe – Projects Community Transformations works with

Baby Safe is located in Sun Valley, ( near Cape Town) which is home to thousands of African refugees and South Africans struggling to survive in the midst of poverty, unemployment, HIV/AIDS, addiction, domestic abuse and broken families. We have discovered that one of the consequences of the poverty in our area is that new born babies are literally being thrown away. Baby Safe was birthed out of the compulsion to rescue unwanted infants and also out of a desire to help women who may find themselves in such desperation.

“Whoever welcomes this little child in my name, also welcomes me.” – Jesus

Click here to see the design concept of the baby drop off system

Please note you may find the following article upsetting but despite that we think it is important to portray the reality of life in these communities:

Baby Safe for Baby Dumping by Floyd McClung – Original here

When the storm drains are cleaned twice a year in our area, the city’s waste management reports seeing small, dead, baby bodies. This is traumatic for the city workers, and its reported that a psychiatrist is on staff to debrief the workers. “Baby Dumping” is officially undocumented by officials, but it is not uncommon.

What is more alarming than mothers literally throwing their newborns away, is that no one is doing anything about it in our area. Until now. “Baby Safe” is a ministry to rescue unwanted babies. A team working under the auspices of All Nations has come together from various ministries and churches to make the project a reality – including caring for the mothers who are struggling with poverty, fear and abuse. We have prayed, done “due diligence” research, and now we ready to launch the ministry. Through Baby Safe we will be able to help mothers who choose life over death for their babies.

One baby’s life was radically changed when he was found in Masiphumlele, one of the poorer communities where we work. He was tossed aside, still in his mother’s placenta, abandoned in a black garbage bag. He was left for dead, but thankfully found by a group of children. This little boy is now a thriving 5 year old. He was adopted by a wonderful couple found through a local church. Through Baby Safe we aim to save other baby’s lives like little Luke.

Baby Safe is committed to presenting an alternative to abortion, and we hope to prevent children from being abused and severly neglected by presenting mothers with an alternative.

Children rescued through Baby Safe will be placed in loving, Christian adoptive families. The precious hope of Jesus will also be presented to women in crisis as well as other social service resources meant for women and children in need.

When the little boy mentioned above was rescued and brought to his new home, this verse was read over him: “On that day you were born, your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean…no one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather you were thrown into an open field, for on the day you were born, you were despised. Then I passed by and saw you kicking in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood, I said to you, “Live!” (Ezekiel 16:4-6 NIV).

We believe that God will rescue the helpless through Baby Safe and make a life long covenant with the children who will be saved.

Community Transformations Ministries

The DTS we have enrolled in is part of YWAM (Youth with a Mission) Ministry called Community Transformations. Community Transformations train and send out missionaries to focus locations (currently Cape Town, South Africa, Boulder ,Co.  and New York City), engaging with long term missionaries and churches to see transformation in the communities we work in. It is run by good friends of our Jeff and Bethany Reid who are full time voluntary staff members with YWAM, to find out more about them and ways to support them head over to their website here.

We will be working in a township called Masiphumele, Cape Town, South Africa:

• Population:30,000
• Average Life Expectancy: 45 years
• Percentage of population known to be living with HIV AIDS: 40% (this is a low estimate)
• Meaning of the word Masiphumele: ‘We will arise’
• Positioned at the tip of Africa, this Xhosa township is ready for transformation!

Community Transformations DTS works alongside long-term ministries in the area to ensure that the engagement with the community has long term impacts. The key long term group Community transformations work alongside are “All Nations“, a ministry in Africa focused on house church planting led by Floyd Mclung and Youth With A Mission, which has a local base up the road from our township.

All ministries which students join or start must be transformation focused and must share Jesus. This means that instead of building a house, Community Transformations will find locals in Masiphumele and teach them how to build a house, sharing Jesus and discipling them as they go.

This enables them to multiply what they learned, provide for their families, and understand that Jesus is not only going to church but is every part of life.

In this one township alone, missionaries on the ground planted 5 churches in the past year, are building a safe house for abused women and children, revolutionizing the school system, teaching principles of business to relieve families from poverty, bringing positive change through sports.

Teams are working with local government to bring solutions to violence and crime. Outreach teams have freedom to build new creative and sustainable initiatives, while partnering with amazing long-term missionaries.

Below is the Vision of Community Transformations:

“Imagine a reversal of AIDS statistics in South Africa or a dramatic drop in crime in New York City. Imagine communities stepping out of poverty because they have been taught how to farm and grow their own food.  Imagine major corporations closing child-r sweatshops because of a newfound desire to treat employees with dignity, no matter what their age or race.”