Collage

Settling into our new half-house home has been good.  We love being on hand for Martin's mom and dad.  We think Mom has adjusted to having a smaller space and people so invasively close; she definitely enjoys having someone on hand and a little help with some of life's responsibilities.  We want to make sure she gets to church every second week while someone stays with Dad.  We need wisdom when to help and when to leave.

In December I (Lesley) had the privilege of going to a big Engineering Education Forum in Dubai where I received an award in memory of my brother Duncan and his awesome contribution to the field.

Martin's latest leisure project is puppet creation.  One of his work projects is his PhD - he has completed his pilot study and is ready to interview a large number of Methodist ministers.

Lesley's latest "leisure" project is masters studies.  This means giving up painting and writing for now!

Lesley still works at UCT part time.
Martin teaches at three (sometimes four) different theological organisations.
We work on our "Outsiders - Urban Spiritual Life" project which is integrating more into the life of Claremont Methodist Church again.

Joanna and Adam live next door and we do a lot of community living.
Charis lives in the UK and has had a very hard year.

Hopefully I will be better about news ...

getting out (a little)

We love the people of the Claremont Urban Hub!
There are so many people; each one is so interesting; every person is so special.
Many of them experience the love of Jesus, and love him and serve him.  We pray for them.
Many of them still wait to hear the good news in a way that they can understand.

The balloon man is sharing the good news with the Hari Krishna man ... how nice that we are not the only people who care!
We pray for people who can't hear the "church" way.  We pray for God to show his love to each person in a way they can receive.

Thank you for praying for us.  We have made small steps in getting back into "Outsiders" ...

See our page on Facebook!  If you like it you'll see it.  If you share it other people will see it too.

being and insider is easier

It is so hard to do something so simple.
As we become tired or stressed or busy, the thing that gets neglected first is serving the outsider!

Nobody has noticed that I haven't written an outsiders blog for six months.  Nobody has complained that I haven't been systematically walking prayer into the Claremont Urban Hub.  The businesses around this centre don't rely on my prayers.  The workers don't know whether I pray for just behaviour on the part of their employers.  Lonely people don't care whether I am there to notice them or not.  Nobody wants to know whether I have had the peaceful energy to write a poem about the city.  None of the people who can't do church even know that I care about them and wish I could find a way to touch their spirits.

So, it's hard to re-energise.  It's hard to let the call of God take my life by storm when there is nothing else.

Today I have sat in the urban space again.  Sit with me by praying for God to bring about his work in me. Please.

Discipling Nations

Martin has been working several awesome people since Willem Conradie started an organisation several years ago.  It is called "Discipling Nations" and the aim is to offer training in cross-cultural missions at a grassroots level.  People who can't afford training in churches that can't afford big-time sending meet together weekly for a few months.  At the end of the course there is a weekend conference - often with several groups together.










These conferences are lots of fun and totally exhausting.  They are held on a beautiful apple farm in the mountains.  The owners have built a special mini conference centre for Christian groups to use.

What they are doing in the training is gradually evolving.  They have been using some material from franchised courses. But they also give their own lectures.  These are gradually developing as the cover more topics.  Martin often get the job of sorting out other people's PowerPoint presentations because he does really good ones.

Now they are at the place where they want to take the next step in development of the unique "Discipling Nations" material.  It is our winter break for colleges so there are no courses at the moment.  Martin is spending this time tasked with organising the material into a more harmonised form, and producing a work book for the weekend conferences.  From there they hope to begin to be less dependent on the franchised course.

... and (simultaneously) there's marking

So Martin is not frantically making puppets today, nor was he frantically making puppet yesterday.
He is frantically marking!
And I have no nice picture for this because I am writing it just before I start work at UCT ... sorry to be boring.

entranced ...

hundreds of tents, peg to peg

 thousands of people, shoulder to shoulder

 noise, light, noise, colour, noise, substances ripe for abuse, noise

some rather nice music

and us

Andrew went to shower.  

One of the young men in the bathroom, incredulous: "Are you brushing your teeth?"

Andrew, taken aback: "Well, yes."

Silence

Young man: "Ur.  Could I have some toothpaste on my finger?"

Several others:  "And me!"

This is ministry.

more when we get pictures from the proper photographers ...

Right through the BIble

... in about 75 minutes!  

Trying to help everyone make sense of each bit as they read it.

Hey! January happened already

We preached at churches: Claremont, Lansdowne, Hanover Park, Ottery, Wynberg ... bottom line, God serves us, strangers to his grace, so we in turn should serve strangers. Martin gave a paper at a Missiological conference in Pretoria....bottom line, Academics should spend some of their time working with those "strangers" who cannot qualify to attend their universities. And Martin got official training to facilitate a grass roots mission training program (Kairos)... bottom line, he can now help his friend Willem Conradie to train people under the university radar in - guess what - serving strangers! A keynote January if ever there was!


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Charis is soldiering on...although contracting glandular fever was a disaster. She has spent an exhausted month, although she has managed also to work on writing a humorous play which is already in production for performance later this year. And she worked on another film shoot for a student movie-maker. She is getting requests for more gigs but thinks that unless they are actual friends they ought to pay her more than pizza.

And Lesley and Martin turned 52 and 53. We had a big party with our Monday crowd on Lesley's birthday, and a small family dinner on Wednesday. And bought each other some books and framing materials :)

2011 into 2012

 

For those who missed it: Charis started 2010 really ill and missed her last year of school.  Joanna and Charis visited Thailand for three weeks in July 2010.  Joanna and Adam got married on 24 September 2010. 

2011 started off quite difficult:  After falling off a ladder, Lesley was flat on her back for 8 weeks and continued in the brace for another 5 weeks.  Life continued tough:  Martin's dad has been in hospital six times this year and had four operations.  In between he managed to turn 88!

Lesley had a small op, which was a bit tricky to recover from!
We have managed to "serve strangers" as well!


Martin leading a weekend workshop on using street art.

Martin had a huge teaching load this year: part time at two colleges and some weekends with churches. 

Lesley has worked mainly in our urban-hub project.  The big innovation there being the advent of a blog aimed at not-yet and not-anymore and not-at-all-sure Christians and others! see link below  We both have many privileged opportunities as "life coaches", formal and informal.

Right now, Martin has been painting a nativity scene on the pavement outside a shopping mall; he has spoken to witches, a JW, secularists, Christians and a Muslim, apart from the very angry shop-keeper and the dozens who have looked, enjoyed and commented. Lesley has been blogging about the Festive Season. 

We hope that you enjoy celebrating Jesus.  May God guide you as you reflect on living.

getting there

slowly ... very slowly.

But we feel cautiously encouraged that the annual renovation of space will be effective. We have worked out what we can aim to complete before Friday, and we hope to contain the remaining mess in two areas (a small office-room and a piece of work-space outside).  We have even managed to completely tick some items off the list - those who know us well will be aware that actual completion often eludes us.

 

 Lots of sorting of stray stuff has happened, a small amount must still be done this week, but several cubic metres will remain to be dealt with post holiday.  Two huge boxes of stuff went off to the charity shop, and several black bags full departed this life.  Some painting has begun, the water features are being cleaned, and a piece of our back garden is starting to realise more of its potential as a place for work and nurture.


The trouble is, there is a tension between this work and the work of being out in the urban hub.  Tension can be creative, but this just feels tiring!  Still, we trust God to use what we can manage "out there" and what we can achieve "in here". 


We also incidentally have a whole bunch of admin which MUST get done ...
for example, we have sorted out our internet connection (thanks Rory) and written a nasty letter to someone but we still need to sort out our cell phone contracts and Martin's dad's medical accounts, among others!   Of course, we are trying to be good children to Martin's parents next door: his dad came home a week ago tomorrow after his sixth stay in hospital and fourth operation in 2011.

taming the chaos

About once a year even we cannot cope anymore with the mess in our house.  The time has come to TRY to tame it.  We are not aiming for a house that looks like yours (stay with me here), just for ... well, maybe piles of stuff that aren't in imminent danger of collapsing on our heads.

Our house is used in lots of different roles (see the "At Home" page in the tabs along the top) and when things get busy we are inclined to move from one thing to the next without much thought (and usually no action) for what has been left behind after whatever we were doing. 

Right now I'm really glad the weather is allowing us to eat in the back yard:  I'm trying to sort out an accumulation of stuff and the dining room table is the place!  We will be making some new shelves as well as repacking old ones, and hopefully supplying Friends of Valkenberg Charity Shop with several large boxes of stock.

We are really bad at housekeeping - it is our ungift, if there is such a thing.  So we need prayer for this - if you are the praying type, we appreciate your help in this!

We hope to come out of this with more space and less tension, without losing the creative serendipity of reasonable mess.  Our house is a place of service, and the most important thing is that it is a space filled with the Holy Spirit.  Our prayer is always for people to experience Jesus here.

We also want to be faithful in making this gift (a beautiful house in a lovely place) something that Jesus can use - for us and everyone else. 

Right Now ... Graffiti and Sudan

Graffiti artists are a tribe ... you've probably never thought of that, unless you are an anthropologist or were at a church youth group in Bellville last night!
Martin is the speaker for a mission weekend, involving a total of six sessions (four today) ...

If you were to attend, you would find out that it is quite possible that the Irish were originally told about Jesus by Berber Africans!  SO ... a Irish missionary telling a Berber about Jesus in North Africa today would be risking their life to give back what was given 16 centuries ago!

You would also be treated to the South Sudan National Anthem ... a new song for an ancient country, with a history of people following Jesus longer than most European countries!

Pray for Martin to communicate lovingly and effectively God's heart for the people of his world!

What is it?

When the Israelites saw the food God had sent in the desert they said "What is it?" and that become its name "manna"; we even use the word in English!

A lot of the things we do are like that.  Difficult to describe, impossible to name!  I want to tell you about one of these today; it happened to me twice in the last few days.  But I can't think what to call it. 

I will give some images from what many of my friends irritatingly call "real jobs" - I don't think you guys mean to be cruel, and I know my 'job' is really a vocation, I know I don't get a salary for it, I know no one really wants what I do, I know there is no title for it, I know there is no measurable product ... but

Perhaps I should try the answer "Who wants a real job when you have an authentic, genuine and true whole-life calling to an all-encompassing task of eternal multi-dimensional significance."  Maybe not, it doesn't fit the bill for a catchy reposte to "real job".  Never mind.  I know you are actually (really!) on my side.

Life Coach.  Pastoral Counsellor.  Personal Trainer.  Spiritual Director, Mentor or Companion.  Journey Guide.  Career Guidence.  Alas, what I do is none of these, and all of them.

Martin does a lot of this too; I used to think that this was his gift only, but God seems to think otherwise.  I am never quite sure why it happens, but somehow people come into our lives needing loving listening.  Sometimes they specifically seek me out and I still find this a bit surprising, but it is one of the things that God just does.  Martin spends a lot of time with random strangers talking to him, I'm more often with strangers-who've-become-friends.


So what happens then? 
I listen:  not just to sounds, but to something deeper; not just to the person who I am with, but to Jesus who is with us too.
I ask:  sometimes questions to help me understand better, sometimes questions to help the person who is with me explore more deeply or widely, sometimes it turns out to be a God-question.  Notice how often Jesus asks questions!  He was frustratingly uninclinded to give answers.
I think:  one of my weak-strong-nesses is continuous involuntary fast analysis and synthesis, so I find myself seeing things, unravelling and weaving; sometimes what I see turns out to be God showing something.
I speak:  not advice, I try never to tell people what to do or think; but sometimes I end up picking out good things to show them, or reminding them of past conversations; sometimes what I say turns out to be words or wisdom from God.
I pray:  during the conversation as part of the conversation-with-Jesus that is going on simultaneously, usually with the person before we part or join others; and over the days and weeks following or between conversations.
It is really about loving the people in my life.  I see all of them/you as part of his grace to me.  When he/they/you let me into your space that is grace too.  I have had to learn to hold precious people and moments lightly - some stay in our lives for a long time, some move on when a particular time of need has passed, some are with me for a single conversation.  But God is the one who is actually their life companion, just letting me share his joy.

I don't know what to call it. 

In lots of ways it is nothing that everyone else isn't doing all the time.  I know I am not naturally gifted for it.  I'm not formally qualified for it, though I have had lots of training, done lots of reading and read lots of books.
But God is doing it in me (with me, for me) and I am grateful for this grace.

the Francis principle ...

I was chatting to someone a few weeks ago about relating to people who don't know Jesus yet, especially people of other faiths.  He said:  "Well, you know, St Francis of Assisi said, 'always preach the gospel, when necessary use words.'  I can live with that."

I wonder how many time I have heard this quotation? 
(Incidentally it appears in slightly different forms on different quotation websites, sometimes several forms on the same site.  However the meaning is as above!)
It is nearly always in the context of explaining why one shouldn't really be talking about Jesus with people, but granting that there may be situations in which one absolutely has to say something.  I usually feel rather as it I have been reprimanded for wanting to speak about Jesus. 

On Saturday I was reading the Bible (Luke) an became overwhelmed by how amazing Jesus is.  As I experienced the thrill of his love I was so aware of people for whom he is still a stranger.  How exciting to talk about him; I felt a sense of overflowing.  I thought: I should be so eager to praise Jesus to other people, that the only thing that can stop me speaking is an instantaneous conviction that in a particular situation I need to be quiet.  I should be always seaching for the opening to point to Jesus.

This is the most magical book
about a beautiful person.

So, what about Francis?  But, then my conversation companions often don't know very much about Francis, who was an amazing person and really worth knowing a lot about.  For one thing, he said quite a lot; for example:

It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.

and
While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart. 
and the famous
Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.
There is much more, that is truly worthwhile to invite one deeper into the spiritual journey.

There is more that my companions are neglecting.  When Francis spoke his gentle sayings, he was speaking as one who travelled extensively, with the express purpose of preaching, of speaking about Jesus.  In fact he travelled to Egypt specifically to speak with the sultan about following Jesus; those who were part of the Little Brothers were encouraged to learn the languages of countries where Jesus was not known, in order to communicate more deeply when talking about Jesus. 

In fact words of Jesus from Matthew 10:7-10 were a key part of his conversion.  The first sentence is:  "As you go, proclaim this message: 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.'"  Francis was a wonderfully humble and gently charming man; he loved solitude in nature, however, most of his life was spent living, helping and preaching in the teeming and poverty-ridden cities of his time.  His experience of Jesus was so profound, and so continuous that he lived intensely to share the life of Jesus with others.

So, in spite of the many who try to use Francis to argue against telling people about Jesus, I find him a forceful inspiration for seeking to know Jesus more and in the privilege of that hourly experience to delight in serving people who haven't begun the journey yet.

children are important (part one)

Like everyone we love our children and think they are wonderful ... although they no longer qualify as children in any other sense, by any stretch of the imagination, they are still our children.

I'll tell you about Charis (right at right) in this post ... more about the others another time.

Charis still lives at home with us, which is very nice for us, and mostly quite nice for her.  She is nineteen and her main activity at present is frantic study for self-taught/correspondence AS levels.  This has meant studying even on holiday ... and also always being tired!

  
However Charis is a passionate actor, and can't survive without being involved in the dramatic arts (though she also provides us with more than her share of drama).  She has a job as a drama teaching assistant, is helping a friend with a production of poetry for high schools, and is preparing for Trinity Guildhall associate diploma.

This means she is extremely busy ... we are very glad that she is old enough to have her own drivers' license! 

The big question is not what she eventually wants to do.  The answer to that one is "act, help people, live a life that reflects Jesus" (please note, these are my words, but checked with her).  The big question is what next piece of education/training does God have in mind for her. 

Charis is an awesome young woman with fierce opinions, especially about justice and kindness.   She has a deep spiritual walk with Jesus, and is often a good reminder to us of how to live well.  We try to be helpful parents-of-an-adult for her, especially given the challenges she faces of living with a lot of pain (fibromyalgia).  How amazing to be parents!

Charis still participates in some of the things we do in serving strangers; she is an essential part of who we are, as well as giving us good advice (how else would we understand the latest dialect, or know some of the strange sounds of current music?), and her creativity (painting, flute, flowers, singing, wrting a novel ...) is a crucial part of home.

blog experiment

With the kind of work we do, there are no definitive pathways and no trails blazed.  In a way that is the point ... we are trying to serve those who are strangers to the gospel, or strangers to the church.  That means we need to

• have millions of ideas (no problem there)
• work out what God wants us to try (listening to God is tricky and we need other people)
• be willing to keep going without measurable results
• be willing to fail
• work out when to stop trying something

One of the trials this year is blogs ... not, I hasten to add, trial as in burden but as in exploring or assessing. Now. That means that I am trying to construct each blog well, professionally.  I am trying to write about appropriate things, in an accessible style, with interesting bits and bobs and good pictures.  Oh well ... we have to rely on God for everything anyway, so why not attempt the impossible occasionally, or frequently for that matter!

BUT more challenging still, we have to get LOTS of people to click on the blog - because if people don't see it at least once, they won't even know whether it is interesting to them or not. 

• The aim of this blog is that people who are interested in what we are up to (either because they like us, or because they like what we do, or even both) will become followers and visit often.  We hope that this will help you guys to be more part of our life and service.
• The outsiders-urbanspirituallife blog, has been created for people we don't even know. or at least only know a little, or don't know yet.  We hope that it will enable them to pursue the quest at the heart of being human, that it will help some people to discover Jesus.

So here I am tracking how many people have visited a blog.  (Don't worry about my list of other things I plan to do on the whiteboard under my notebook!)  Of course, I can't tell whether people found the blog interesting or helpful ... so I shall have to keep doing this for a long time before I can decide whether I am supposed to keep going, or whether it is another failure in the matrix of brilliant ideas!

SO ... Outsiders has a facebook persona which people can join to see whernever there is a new post.  I put the outsiders blog on my facebook wall too, and I keep hoping that other people might pass it on.  (BTW the day I had the most 'hits' was when I put up a picture of a mime with a 'prostitute' in it!!)

AND if you know anyone who knows us and doesn't know about this blog, please pass on the link!

Introducing ...

Martin and Lesley Mostert:  that's us!

We follow God into the places of service he takes us to ... and we do it along with a whole bunch of people who think this is what God wants, and help us to do it.   Many of these people (and other friends) like to keep up with what is going on in our life and work.
We have tried different news formats over the decades ...so let's try a new one!

Parents are Important

We are so fortunate to have Martin's parents, Cynthia and Philip Mostert, living next door and part of our lives at the ages of 82 and 88 respectively.  They are an example, an inspiration and a support to us.  Obviously at times they are also a worry!

 

Philip Mostert          and       Cynthia Mostert

Martin's dad was in hospital for three weeks in February for an operation and its aftermath, now he has been in hospital again for several days.  It reminds us of the frailty of our parents, and of how precious they are to us.