In the Presence of Goodness and Forgiveness

During a recent visit to San Diego from South Africa, Bishop Lazarus, Pastor Abel and I had the pleasure of meeting with one of San Diego's most respected pastors- Bishop George McKinney.

















Pastor Abel(left), Bishop McKinney(center), and Bishop Lazarus(right)

Bishop McKinney is most known as the founder and pastor of St. Stephens Church as well as for his amazing work on racial reconciliation. He is also known world-wide as a speaker/preacher and author. The church that Gayla and I were a part of starting in our home in 1989, Community Christian Church of San Diego (now known as Fairmount Community Church) was blessed to have had one of Bishop McKinney's right hand pastors as well as his long time devoted friend, Pastor Charles Clark.

I felt it was important to tell you about this, especially as it relates to how our recent meeting began. If you recall in a previous blog that I wrote about Bishop Lazarus, I discovered only recently that I had seen him some ten years ago in South Africa. Bishop Lazarus was the first black pastor who ever shared the pulpit of a white pastor in South Africa after Apartheid was dismantled. This world class event occurred at the Global Conference on World Evangelism in 1997 in Pretoria, South Africa. Gayla and I were there with more that 5,000 delegates from all over the world.

Bishop Lazarus was present at the very opening of the conference- when the lights were turned off. We heard sounds of a distant drum. Then the song of a local African. Then a drum. Then the call of a native bird. Another drum. And then a huge lion roared. And the lights came back on. Before us on the long stage was a black African dressed in an elegant white robe. He proceeded to stretch out his arms and say, "Welcome to South Africa." Shortly thereafter a white African pastor and Bishop Lazarus shared words of reconciliation, forgiveness, then tears, and then a huge embrace. All to the standing applause of 5,000 delegates. It was a moment in our lives we will all never forget.
























Bishop McKinney and Myself

I have shared all this to prepare you for what happened in our meeting in Bishop McKinney's library recently. Bishop McKinney came into the library to meet with us and when he sat down Bishop Lazarus proceeded to apologize to Bishop McKinney for what he said was, "The reason you are here and not in Africa." He said that it is widely known, that African families and neighbors had sold and abandoned their relatives during the slave trade that enabled the slavers to ship them to the United States. Bishop Lazarus said that he was there to say, " We are sorry for what has been done." There was barely a pause when Bishop McKinney leaned over close to Bishop Lazarus and said. "All is known, and all is forgiven."

This was another moment in time I will never forget. The power of God's grace and reconciliation is an amazing and humbling thing to see in action. It was not all that different the day Nelson Mandela was released from 27 years of prison during Apartheid and shared a message of forgiveness and reconciliation. As Nelson Mandela himself once said, "If there are dreams about a beautiful South Africa, there are also roads that lead to their goal. Two of these roads could be named Goodness and Forgiveness. "

As we embark for South Africa in nearly a week, these meetings and experiences have been keen reminders that God's love and grace are essential ingredients of our vision for Africa.

Facing The Dire Effects of AIDS in South Africa

I just finished reading a book called, "Shades of Difference" by Padraig O'Malley. Its a fascinating, but very detailed read about South Africa's struggle for freedom from once imprisoned and ANC activist Mac Maharaj's perspective. What really caught my eye was the stunning statistics about aids in South Africa.

"Within the next ten years, an estimated 4.4 million people will die of HIV/AIDS- more than ten percent of the current population. One in four people is HIV positive. Life expectancy, sixty-three years in 1991, is now fifty-one and will drop to below forty, perhaps as low as thirty-six years, by 2010. "

If this doesn't break your heart, I don't know what would. And to think that South Africa has the best economy of any African country. They also have the most cases of aids of any African country. No doubt, we will be building homes for many families who have been drastically affected by the consequences of aids... loss of a parent, parents, or grand parents.

Did Your Light Shine Today?

I have often been amazed at how God uses what we might consider to be insignificant events to bring forth very significant changes. I was reminded about this during my recent reading of the book entitled "God's Golden Acres". As we continue to make plans for expanding our work to South Africa I have been reading many excellent resources about this amazing country. God's Golden Acres is a children's home in South Africa for children who are affected by the HIV virus which is devastating the African continent. The founder and director, Heather Reynolds, tells a tremendous story about a incident in her life before she was walking with God.

Heather accidentally ran through a stop sign on the way to a meeting when her automobile's brakes began to fail. She was pumping the brakes but it didn't slow the vehicle down and she ran through a stop sign. With her son ,who was just a toddler in the back seat in a child's seat, she collided with a brand new silver jaguar sports car. When she and the other driver checked to see that everyone was alright, the only concern the driver had was that everyone was fine. Heather said she was fine. "Anyone else in the car" he asked. "Just my son in the back and he's OK", Heather responded. "Then let us thank God that no one was hurt", and he placed his hand on the shoulder of his friend and together they bowed their heads in prayer.

Heather began to cry. He probably thought she was crying, she thought, because of the shock. However, what she was really thinking was, this is how I would like to be. This is the sort of Christian I would like to become. She whispered to God, "From this day on I will seek you. in truth, with an open heart and with an open mind."

Some 22 years later one of Heather's board members recommended an outsider to take the Chairman's role for God's Golden Acres. It was the very driver she had crashed into 22 years ago. This was also the very person she had called to tell that she had given her life to God one night at Deep Valley, and whom she phoned the next day to say: "I just want you to know that I am the woman who crashed into you all those years ago, and I want to tell you that it was your Christian behavior that turned me again to God."

Never underestimate when God will use your small and even insignificant comments, acts of kindness, and when you shine your light shine.......let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

South Africans/Welsh Leave Rosarito, Mexico

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South Africans Have Arrived

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Eleven South African young adults and ministers arrived in San Diego this weekend. They are a part of a team consisting of British, Welsh, Canadian, and South Africans who have joined Amor in Rosario, Mexico this week to plan, do, and learn how to build homes in South Africa in 2008. This team of one hundred will build five houses and participate in training meetings and discussions with Amor staff covering nearly every aspect of organizing, planning, and facilitating a mission trip.

On Saturday, March 31, the South Africans learned all about Amor's history, Mission, Values, and projects. A highlight for me was a live broadcast that was done from our conference room to a South African radio station called FM 90.7. One of the members of the South African team, Humphrey Birkenstock, is a radio broadcaster for this station. He called South Africa on his cell phone as several of us were interviewed and we listened to the broadcast via audio streaming on his laptop. It was a truly exciting and amazing experience that was aired by a radio station that has an audience of over 200,000.

This radio station has also set up a web page on the radio stations home page to share regular updates on the progress of their trips. You can view this journal at the link below and look for "Five Nations Mission: Trip Report":

FM 90.7 SOUTH AFRICA