teaching mission in Elsies River

People sit bundled into their heaviest jackets in the frigid shell of the unfinished church...it is a July winter's night and the rain roars on the roof...as 30 serious students focus on the screen and the speaker and learn about... Mission

One lady smiles at me with tears in her eyes.  "I always hated my Muslim neighbours across the street from me", she whispers.  "Now I realise that God loves them, and that I am in a privileged position to befriend them and reach out to them.  I was afraid of them because they are so different - but now I realise that those are just culture differences".

Being on a team helping to teach the Kairos Missions course in Elsies River on a classicly dark and stormy night, once a week for 9 weeks, has been a great experience.  It has been a privilege to see people absorb the basic message of Mission, working hard at a demanding homework schedule of reading, and coming out week after week on the back of tough days at work.  It makes me really happy to be out there, very far from my usual teaching haunts, bringing my experience and skills to the service of those who are unlikely to ever get a tertiary qualification!

These are salt of the earth Christians - people who have lived tough lives in a tough environment.  Elsies River is not one of Cape Town's most elite suburbs!  And they are being equipped and empowered to live lives that have an impact beyond their church community.  One man in my group explained the change that this course has made in his life in this way:    "I have travelled to many countries in the world with my job - but I always just found churches to visit.  I never thought about the opportunities that my work gave me to reach out to people in some of the most closed coutries on earth.  But at least now I can take better advantage of the nations who come to me... my boss is a Greek, and I work with a man from Chad.  God wants me to learn about their cultures and speak about Jesus in a way that makes sense to them."