When God Comes Down

Kwasizabantu Romania - Prezentarea anului 2011

2012-01-24T17:23:00.001+02:00

My Africa 2011

2011-09-02T14:10:00.001+03:00

Kwasizabantu Romania - Prezentarea anului 2010

2011-04-15T20:31:00.002+03:00

Craciun Fericit

2010-12-24T16:02:00.002+02:00

In fiecare an pe vremea asta, ma intreb ce s-a intamplat cu adevarata semnificatie a sarbatorii Craciunului. Cumparaturi, globuri, sclipiciuri. Sarmale, savarine, salata de boeuf. Sunt asa de multe felurile in care ne-am indepartat de adevaratul inteles al Craciunului.
Stim cu totii povestea nasterii Domnului. Intr-o noapte de demult, intr-un tinut in care pastori stateau pe camp facand de straja imprejurul turmei lor, o raza de speranta a izbucnit peste o lume captiva in intuneric. Un inger a rostit cuvinte care au ramas oarecum celebre: “ Nu va temeti; caci va aduc o veste buna, care va fi o mare bucurie pentru tot norodul; astazi in cetatea lui David, vi s-a nascut un Mantuitor care este Hristos Domnul.” (Luca 2 :10-11). Apoi ingerilor li s-a alaturat o intreaga oaste cereasca ce lauda si slavea pe Dumnezeu. Iar pastorii, dupa ce i-au gasit pe Maria, pe Iosif si pe Prunc in ieslea Betleemului, au istorisit tuturor ce li se spusese despre Prunc.
Pe masura ce se apropie Craciunul, ma intreb ce au de-a face pastorii, ingerii, pruncul din iesle , cu bisericile opulente de sute de mii de euro si dolari, cu milioanele din conturile bancare ale bisericilor, cu comitiile si comitetele din conducerile bisericilor, care trag de sfori asa-zisii ...“amvonaci”.
Ma intreb ce ar spune pruncul Isus despre frumoasele cantece ce rasuna din toate colturile luxoase ale mallurilor, unde nimeni nu asculta si nici macar nu se gandeste care-i treaba cu mesajul acestui sezon.
Ma intreb ce-ar gandi pastorii daca ar sti ca si noi, ca si ei, am auzit cantarile de bucurie si viata noua, dar am esuat lamentabil in a le spune mai departe.
Ma intreb ce ar spune Maria – care stia adevarul despre pruncul de la sanul ei si se gandea la toate acestea in inima ei – daca ar vedea cum am ajuns sa idolatrizam ieslea si noaptea instelata , in timp ce sarim cu totul peste Cruce si ignoram adevarul mormantului gol.
Ma intreb ce ar spune Iosif – care si-a asumat riscuri uriase pentru a ajunge la acel moment al vietii sale, daca ne-ar auzi pretextele, scuzele… autocompatimirea sonora cand dam de un pic de greu.
Cand magii si-au inceput calatoria spre Pamantul Sfant, stiau ca Pruncul pe care il vor gasi intr-o zi in Betleem nu era unul obisnuit. Ei i-au adus daruri scumpe din tarile lor. L-au onorat ca pe un Imparat.
Ma intreb ce ar crede acesti pagani incarcati cu daruri despre obiceiul nostru ajuns la suprasaturatie a de a face cadouri . Despre pretentiile si vrerile noastre, despre cum ne impingem si ne inghesuim sa gasim cadoul perfect la pretul cel mai bun. Ma intreb ce ar spune daca ar putea auzi un copil cum – sub influenta televizorului sau traditiei familiei – bate din picior si ordona parintilor (sau lui Mos Craciun) sa mai primeasca inca un gadget , inca un accesoriu, inca o jucaria anului. Probabil ca pur si simplu nu ar intelege nimic.
De fapt, in acea noapte speciala de demult, Creatorul Universului a facut un dar lumii acesteia. Darul a fost infasat in scutece si culcat intr-o iesle. Era o raza de soare cald peste unui pamant rece si intunecat. Era un dar de speranta minunata intr-o lume pe o cale gresita. Era Dumnezeu care si-a pus piele si carne ca sa umble printre oameni.
Pruncul a carui nastere o sarbatorim nu a fost doar Isus din Nazareth , cum ar spune unii.
Un om bun…un invatator…poate profet… dar in tot cazul, cu siguranta un rabin intelept si drept.
Nu.
El a fost mult mai mult decat atat.
El a fost Mesia, Fiul lui Dumnezeu. Si inca este.

Un Craciun cu adevarat fericit tuturor!

A job to remember- English

2010-10-10T22:59:00.003+03:00

I work in the kitchen. I wash, clean, chop, cut. I sweep, I tidy, occasionally I stir the pots which are as huge as industrial boilers, with huge utensils, all to the amusement of the Zulu mamas. I didn’t really learn to cook. I don’t think I caught the secret of spinach with rice or of cabbage with phutu. But what I learn everyday is more precious than any cooking book.

I watch them working. Zulu mamas and zulu young girls, side by side, from morning till night. Here and there is a volunteer like me. When I go into the kitchen in the morning, they are already there. They all lovingly smile to me. They know me by my name and they ask how I’m feeling, how did I sleep. I look around for a knife, somebody hands one to me. I try to infiltrate into the wall of aprons lined up on duty next to the long tables, somebody moves away to make room for me. Even if this means giving up an area where access to the potatoes or peppers was easy and convenient and the subsequent exercise required for repeated bending and stretching toward the bowl.

I think what I would do in the same situation. I think of it every day. How I would hold on to the knife that I had carefully picked to suit me best, even a couple of knives - cause you never know what you’re gonna need. How I would have kept still when I found myself in the most convenient position next to the bowl ... or what a bushy argumentation I would‘ve developed if someone “wronged“ me in some way. The Zulu mamas sing and laugh. The old inner man has died. The new man is joyous, warm, peaceful. When they talk, I recognize expressions like “amandla kaJesu” (the power of God) or “Unkulunkulu uyasebenza“ (God works). If I shyly start a song they immediately sing together with me. I listen to them and I KNOW God has a special place prepared in Heaven for these giants of faith. Their only concerns are the things that are truly precious and eternal. If they care to know anything about me it is my walk with the Lord. All the rest will soon burn. We finish the bags of carrots or red beets. They are peeled, cleaned and chopped. Unseen hands constantly collect skins, pips, leaves, the water that is running all the way to the floor. Nobody holds back, nobody expects that the other should do it. Notions like “this I don’t do” are completely unknown. I can work an hour or five or ten. Nobody is counting, everybody works before God not before people. I sweep and I look around for a dustpan. It’s not an easy job because on the floor there are wet onion skins, pepper seeds and drops of white phutu. But by now I am motivated by them and I find pleasure in doing anything. Or more exactly I would have gladly done it, because as I couldn’t find the dustpan in the next moment a zulu girl rises as from the ground and lays down a plastic sack for me and helps me get all the garbage onto it. Her radiant face doesn’t need words. She is glad that she could help me. She is glad no matter what.

I laughed so much when I heard about a lady who - as she left Sizabantu- said: “I think they put something in the water that they drink, because they are all so….umm… happy…”It’s not the water that they drink, it’s a new heart, cleansed and attached to God.

We had weddings, birthdays, funerals, anniversaries together. I was with them - the staff and the guests. The anniversary of 25 years of marriage of a very loved couple ( Arno & Franzi) was a rich day and we all enjoyed it alongside each other, serving others and sitting in the hall of ceremonies in our turn. I hesitated until late to sit down at a table and when hunger helped me decide to sit down, I couldn’t see any free seat. Suddenly someone took me by my hand without a word and pulled me to a table in the middle of the room, the only remaining one which was completely unoccupied. Noyimanga – is a kind of chef in the kitchen. I said to her: “ I can’t sit here alone”. “I’ll sit with you” she said and she discretely took her plate from another table (from which she had already finished eating) and set it at my table . Then she brought all the delicious courses to my nose. And she served me. She then put some crumbles in her plate and pretended to be eating with me. From time to time she would turn to me and ask if I was ok. In the middle of a very important speech I choked with the rice. My airways revolted instantly while I desperately tried to avoid a noisy explosion. I turned bright red, anticipating with horror the grotesque noise of the donkey cough that was about to take over me in the silence of the fancy room. Uncle Erlo and the entire family were sitting at the table next to me. I quickly looked to estimate how far was the door, so that I could sprint out, but it was too late. A loud and spontaneous convulsion let everybody know that I was choking on the food. The next moment Noyimanga and a few others turned to me with a worried look on their faces, saying “sorry…. sorry…” and tried to help me. I am sure nobody laughed or even thought to themselves, “how embarrassing, I’m so glad it didn’t happen to me”. I am convinced nobody ever commented on the incident and did not even remember it.

I think: so many women, for months and years together every day, knowing no tension, no conflicts, no murmuring, no gossiping, no cheating, no resigning and looking for a better job… For so many years in the same job - serving others.

One night I watched Nokuthula, the one in charge of our tea. It seems simple, you pour water into a cup. But after a little while I humbly reassessed my opinion. I think would need at least a month of intensive training to be able to do what she does. Not only does she know what each of us drinks – some drink Rooibos tea, some English tea, some with milk, some without milk, some milk and water only, some only water, - but she takes about a second to look at the person in front of her and pour water into the cup with the right combination . And that’s for hundreds of people! I drink English tea with milk. When she sees me she pushes toward me the handle of the cup with my combination and smiles. For a while I uselessly still asked, “Is this my tea?” But now I know for sure she knows what I drink.

One day I misplaced my camera. It was a Sunday night around 7 o clock when I realized. As I reconstructed the filming of the day, I was more and more convinced it’s gone and I’ll never see it again. The place where I wanted to go and talk with someone was the kitchen. “Hau!” they cried looking at my long face when I told them. Then they talked together and I could hear in their voices how sorry they were, how they wanted me to find it. I felt so privileged to know them, to have them around me, to be accepted in the kitchen. I found the camera the same night, forgotten in the Auditorium, but they were happy for me for many days. Even those who were not in the kitchen when I returned with the camera in my hand came the second or third day to hug me.

Faith isn’t necessarily visible only in big things. There’s no need to give my body to be burned. I can clearly see Christ in the kitchen. The old man doesn’t die unless he is replaced. I am so grateful to the Lord for sending me there and I am so happy I obeyed. Because I can say it’s the most beautiful and profitable job I have ever had.

Some pictures (and the romanian version) HERE

A job to remember

2010-09-27T12:17:00.005+03:00

Lucrez in Bucatarie. Spal, curat, toc, maruntesc. Matur, adun, ocazional invart in cratitele imense ca niste boilere industriale, cu unstensile uriase, spre amuzamentul mamelor zuluse. Nu am invatat cine stie ce sa gatesc. Nu cred ca am prins secretul spanacului cu orez sau al verzei cu phutu. Insa ceea ce invat in bucatarie zi de zi este mai pretios ca orice carte de bucate. Ma uit la ele cum lucreaza. Mame zuluse si fete tinere zuluse, cot la cot, de dimineata pana seara.. Ici colo un voluntar ca mine. Cand intru dimineata ele sunt déjà acolo. Imi zambesc cu drag. Stiu cum ma cheama, ma intreaba cum ma simt, cum am dormit. Ma uit in dreapta si in stanga dupa un cutit, cineva mi-l pune in mana. Incerc sa ma infiltrez in zidul de sorturi aflate la datorie langa mesele lungi, cineva se da la o parte si imi face loc si mie. Chiar daca asta presupune renuntarea la o zona in care accesul la vailingul de cartofi sau ardei era facil si comod si exersarea ulterioara continua a conditiei fizice necesare aplecarilor sau intinderilor repetate catre vailing. Ma gandesc cum as face eu in aceeasi situatie. Ma gandesc la asta in fiecare zi. Cum as mai tine de cutitul meu, chiar de vreo doua – ca nu se stie- , cum as sta neclintita cand as prinde un loc langa castron sau ce argumentatie stufoasa as avea pe marginea faptului ca cineva m-a “nedreptatit” in vreun fel. Mamele zuluse canta si rad. Omul vechi a murit. Omul nou este bucuros, cald, plin de pace. Cand vorbesc, recunosc expresii ca “amandla kaGesu“ (the power of God) or “Unkulunkulu uyasebenza” (God works). Daca incep timid un cantecel mi se alatura imediat. Cele mai multe dintre ele canta in corul Kwasizabantu. Le ascult si STIU ca Domnul are un loc special in Cer pregatit pentru acesti colosi ai credintei. Lucrurile cu adevarat pretioase si vesnice sunt preocuparile lor. Daca le intereseaza ceva despre mine, este umblarea mea cu Dumnezeu. Restul va arde curand. Terminam toti sacii de rosii sau morcovi sau sfecla, i-am curatat, i-am tocat. Maini nevazute strang in permanenta cojile, cotoarele, frunzele, apa care siroieste pana la podele. Nimeni nu se da inapoi de la nimic , nimeni nu asteapta sa faca celalalt. Notiunea ca “asta nu fac” e total necunoscuta. Pot sa lucrez o ora sau cinci sau zece. Nimeni nu se uita, toata lumea munceste in fata Domnului, nu a oamenilor. Matur si ma uit dupa un foras. Treaba anevoiasa fiindca pe jos sunt coji de ceapa ude, seminte de ardei , picuri de mamaliga alba… si nu e usor sa le sui pe foras. Dar de-acum m-am molipsit si eu de la ele si fac cu placere. Sau mai exact as face, fiindca in urmatorul moment o fata zulusa rasare ca din pamant si imi asterne pe jos un sac – forasul- si ma ajuta sa sui tot gunoiul pe el. Fata ei bucuroasa nu lasa loc nevoii de cuvinte. E bucuroasa ca m-a ajutat. E bucuroasa orice-ar fi.

Odata am ras asa de bine cand am auzit despre o doamna care, plecand de la Kwasizabantu, a zis : “cred ca le pune ceva in apa aia care o beau, ca sunt toti asa… fericiti”.
Nu e apa pe care o beau… E o inima noua, curata si lipita de Dumnezeu.

Am avut nunti, aniversari, inmormantari. Am fost cu ele si angajat si invitat. La aniversarea a 25 de ani de casatorie a unui cuplu foarte iubit (Arno&Franzi), a fost o zi fastuoasa si toti ne-am bucurat de ea cot la cot, si servind pe altii si stand jos in sala de ceremonii la randul nostru. Am ezitat pana tarziu sa ies din bucatarie si sa iau loc la masa, iar cand foamea m-a impins, nu mai vedeam nici un loc liber. Deodata cineva m-a luat de mana fara nici un cuvant si m-a tras pana la o masa din mijlocul salii, singura ramasa libera si la care nu statea nimeni. Noyimanga - este ca un bucatar sef la bucatarie. I-am zis :“Nu pot sa stau aici singura”. “Eu o sa stau cu tine” mi-a zis, si si-a luat discret farfuria de la alta masa (din care mancase déjà tot) si si-a aranjat-o la masa mea. Apoi mi-a adus felurile de mancare delicioase la nas. Si m-a servit. Si-a pus si ei niste firimituri ca sa pretinda ca mananca cu mine. Din cand in cand m-a intrebat daca sunt ok. In mijlocul unui speech foate important m-am inecat cu orezul. Caile respiratorii mi s-au revoltat instantaneu in timp ce eu incercam disperata sa evit o expulzare zgomotoasa. M-am inrosit, anticipand cu groaza grotescul tusei magaresti care urma sa ma cuprinda in linistea din sala. Uncle Erlo si toata familia erau la masa de langa mine. M-am uitat cat de departe e usa , sa ma reped, dar a fost prea tarziu… O convulsie spontana si sonora a facut cunoscut tuturor ca m-am inecat cu mancarea. In urmatorul moment Noyimanga si inca cativa din jur s-au intors spre mine cu o privire ingrijorata zicand “sorry… sorry…” si au dat sa ma ajute. Am avut certitudinea ca nimeni nu a ras si nici macar nu au gandit in sinea lor… “ce penibil, bine ca nu mi s-a intamplat mie” . Sunt convinsa ca nimeni nu a comentat vreodata incidentul si nici macar nu si-l mai amintesc.

Ma gandesc : atatea femei, toate luni si ani impreuna zi de zi, fara sa se calce pe nervi una pe cealalata, fara conflicte, fara sa se barfeasca, fara sa triseze, fara sa murmure, fara sa-si dea demisia si sa-si caulte alt loc de munca, fara , fara, fara. De atatia ani in aceeasi slujba. In slujba celuilalt.

Intr-o zi am stat langa Nokuthula, cea care are sarcina ceaiului. Pare simplu, torni apa intr-o cana. Dar dupa o jumatate de ora langa ea, m-am uitat cu smerenie si mi-am spus ca mi-ar trebui cel putin o luna de intensive training sa reusesc ce face ea. Nu doar ca stie pe fiecare in parte ce bea – unii beau rooibos tea, altii English tea, unii cu lapte, altii fara lapte, unii doar lapte si apa fara ceai, altii doar apa. In final sunt combinatii de n luate cate k, iar ea are cam o secunda sa se uite la persoana din fata ei si sa stie ce cana trebuie sa apuce ca sa fie combinatia potrivita.
Si asta pentru sute de oameni. Eu beau English tea cu lapte. Cand ma vede , imi intinde toarta canii cu combinatia mea si imi zambeste. Nu trebuie sa ii spun nimic. Intr-o vreme mai intrebam inutil :“Is this my tea?”, dar acum stiu précis ca e ceaiul meu. Odata mi-am pierdut camera foto. Era intr-o Duminica seara, in jur de 7. Pe masura ce reconstituiam filmul zilei, eram din ce in ce mai convinsa ca e dusa si nu o voi mai gasi niciodata.. Locul unde mi-am dorit sa ma duc sa vorbesc cu cineva a fost la bucatarie. “Hau!” au strigat ele uitandu-se la fata mea plouata cand le-am spus. Apoi au vorbit intre ele si am auzit in vocea lor ce rau le pare, ce mult ar vrea s-o gasesc. M-am simtit privlegiata ca le am, ca ma cunosc, ca ma primesc in bucatarie. Camera am gasit-o uitata in Auditorium in aceeasi seara, dar ele s-au bucurat pentru mine mai multe zile. Chiar si cele care nu mai erau acolo cand m-am intors cu camera in mana, au venit sa ma stranga in brate a doua sau a treia zi.

Credinta nu se vede neaparat in lucrurile mari. Nu trebuie sa-mi dau trupul sa fie ars. Eu il vad clar pe Christos la bucatarie. Omul vechi nu moare decat daca este inlocuit. Multumesc asa de mult lui Dumnezeu ca m-a trimis acolo si sunt asa de bucuroasa ca am ascultat. Fiindca pot sa spun ca este slujba cea mai frumoasa si mai profitabila pe care am avut-o vreodata.

A CFT award

2010-09-18T23:08:00.004+03:00

CFT gave me an award during the Annual General Meeting 2010 that took place at KSB at the beginning of September. The whole conference. (which is a huge event), was from the first to the last moment a blessing to me. The CFT leadership didn't mention anything about awarding me though, so I wasn't even there when it happened. But I am very happy that people who heard a little more details about the World Cup outreaches, told me they were blessed by it.

The Ultimate Goal - a World Cup 2010 story

2010-08-17T16:49:00.017+03:00

Yes, it is over. The World Cup 2010, the way I experienced it in South Africa. The Lord called Christians for Truth and Doctors for Life to a certain work during the World Cup and for me it was an immeasurable privilege to be (sometimes) part of it. Our teams took the message of the Gospel to the big soccer fans, using tracts in English, Zulu, Portuguese and Spanish. The matches where I could go along were: South Africa- France (22.06.2010); Portugal –Brazil (25.06.2010); Semifinal Spain-Germany (07.07.2010) and the Final Spain- Holland (11.07.2010).
Two of the matches (Portugal-Brazil & Spain-Germany) were played on Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban . Therefore, we could be there, close to the very heartbeat of the event. But even though I’ve been around 4 major matches, I can’t tell much about the World Cup at this stage, except for how the message of the Gospel was received or rejected by the different nationalities we offered our tracts to.
Being around the stadium where the matches were played or in a fan park where people watched the game on a huge screen, sometimes waiting for hours for them to come out of the stadium, I could ask myself many times, what is it about that ball that is able to unite 70 thousands people’s hearts into one beat and one accord to shout loud with the same excitement, the same anxious desire and the same explosive reaction. That is to count only those on the Stadium and not the millions watching it in front of some screen all over the world. For about a month South Africa’s blacks and whites knew no segregation. When “Bafana Bafana” scored against France, even grandmas ran up and down the streets of South Africa. Blowing vuvuzelas couldn’t express it anymore. For a second I thought they were going to throw themselves into the ocean. When they scored again, I even ran and bought a beautiful vuvuzela with the southafrican colors and I blew it myself with enthusiasm. I was happy for my South Africans. The ball managed to enter twice the adversary’s goal and that meant victory over France. And? I can’t really grasp the real importance of it…. But it felt like a great unifying event.. a revolution of some sort… or Christmas… people were hugging each other, singing or shouting, all vehicles were hooting. I think even the horses that the Durban Police were riding, neighed. The guards that were supposed to do the body and bags search to enter a fan park closed their eyes when they saw the hundreds of tracts hidden in our bags and simply let us in. You are not allowed to hand out any advertising material in the fan parks and according to the explanation of the third policeman that escorted me out of the fan park, Jesus Christ was a product like any other. What difference does it make that I’m promoting life itself and for no profit of my own? Isn’t it what “Nike” used as a slogan too, when they launched their new line of shoes?

Some of the lines I received when handing out a tract:
- Thank you very much, muchas gracias, ngiyabonga, muy amable ,obrigado, etc.
- What is this?
- Que es eso? (Spanish speaking people asking what is this)
- Es esta su testimonio ? (a lovely Spanish lady in MontRose where my bus stopped for 30 min, asking if that was my testimony)
- Do you sell tickets? ( around the Stadium gates)
- Do you want a ticket?
- Sim, falo muito bem português (at the Portugal – Brasil match both teams spoke Portuguese and we could hand out Portuguese tracts) ;
- No thanks, we have our own religion ( Jehovah’s witnesses)
- But I am Muslim! (his face lightened up when he was told that’s ok, he can still read it);
- No thanks, we are atheists and this is Christian stuff (a white couple watching the Final on the fan park screen in Durban)
- Nah, I don’t need it ( young boys smoking on the beach)
- No thanks, I’m driving! (white foreign man – German or Dutch, trying to be funny - maybe at the expense of his eternal life. I insisted I wasn’t selling beer and he eventually took it);
- Thanks, I already got one ( many of those who already met others from the team)
- I’ll read it and call you tomorrow.
- Can we go have dinner and you will talk to me about it?
- Can I please have another one?
- I thought I told you that you are not allowed to do this inside a fan park! (Oh, sorry… am I inside? I thought I was outside);
- I’m not buying anything!
- You came from Romania to watch the soccer or to give me this?
- Is it from God? ( a Zulu boy who seemed to be in a middle of a scolding from the Police officers);
- Maam, my religion is none of your concern (same policeman who told me Jesus was a product like Nike and I wasn’t allowed to advertise Him without a license. I can’t help wondering now whom should I have gotten the license from , in order to advertise Jesus)
- Miss, the FIFA president orders are to clear this zone and I have a career to look after! ( a fine police gentleman, chasing me out of the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban after the Spain-Germany match. I asked if I could take a picture of his nice colleagues, then I kept going inside the Stadium).
- May the Lord bless you and the work you are doing! (This lady had to really scream this into my ear so I could hear anything).
- Will you marry me? I’ll give you 14 cows as a dowry (this generous offer was actually made by a Zulu man to Anita, a white beautiful girl from the team, who can speak Zulu; she told him: “no thanks, the price for me was paid by the Lord Jesus Christ”).

Some of these are fun, some led to more serious discussions. We don’t know the fruit of this now, but we did what we could as we asked the Lord to go ahead of us and send us the people who needed the message. I remember that during the match South Africa against France, we walked to Life Place to meet with the Doctors for Life team and I gave a tract to someone who was crossing the street right in front of me. Later that man was with us at Life Place asking to speak with a pastor. He followed us there after reading the tract in his hand. He said he knew about Kwasizabantu for years from his sister and that he lost track of it and was not able to find it again… He was from Congo, speaking French... his English was terrible. We simply could not understand much. Marius loaded the Mission website on his cell phone to show him a little about KSB and its location. Then Doctors for Life organized to take him to the Mission the next trip they went to Durban.
The Lord knows the needs of each one of us. We could see how some took our good news and mocked it, throwing it away. Some even brutally hit our hands offering out the tract in front of them because it was just an obstacle they had to surpass rushing for the soccer game. Some were too drunk to try and decipher what was written on the tract and we prayed that they would find it in their pocket when they would have a hangover next morning. For some it could take years of nurturing and watering that seed to start growing. And some just bloom in front of you and you get to see the fruit quicker than you expect. To me it was an honor to be found worthy of this job and do it together with a Christians for Truth or Doctors For Life team. Because I also had a lot to learn, sometimes I found myself acting as if the outreach was my own battle which I was losing. So I learned to walk by faith, trusting the Lord for both practical arrangements and the spiritual outcome. And He was always faithful not only in using me for His Kingdom, but also holding my hand to teach me to walk with Him, giving me the words or sealing my lips sometimes. And, I just realize once more that my life is worth nothing unless I myself follow that which could be read on our World Cup outreaches t-shirts:

"Our only goal is to please GOD "

(2Cor5:9)

Inapoi in Africa

2010-06-12T10:12:00.006+03:00

Incerc de cand am venit sa pun in cateva cuvinte ceea ce fac si traiesc aici, insa ma simt atat de nepuntincioasa in privinta asta. Sunt deja 9 zile dar imi par a fi cam o jumatate de ora. Seara adorm destul de brusc, dar ma trezesc la 6 dimineata cu o bucurie care imi inunda sufletul si abea astept sa inceapa ziua. Prima noapte sau doua m-am trezit de cateva ori doar sa ma uit la usa rondavei, sa fiu sigura ca sunt tot in Africa si nu am visat.

Drumul pana aicea a fost mai ok decat m-am asteptat. La check-in aveam la valiza cea mare 900 de grame peste greutatea admisa la bagaje dar nu au zis nimic. La bagajul mic aveam 2 kg in plus dar nici nu mi-au cantarit-o. Zborul cel mai lung, de la Munich la Johannesburg , a fost destul de lejer si, desi era cineva care primise loc langa mine, au ramas cateva perechi de scaune goale si m-am repezit pe ele de indata ce imbarcarea s-a terminat. Asa ca am avut doua scaune si a fost destul de suportabil. Chiar de la 2 la 6 dimineata nu imi prea amintesc mare lucru, posibil ca am si dormit. In Johannesburg a trebuit sa merg din nou cu bagajele la cantar si de data asta mi-au cantarit si valiza cea mica. Aveam 10 kg in loc de 8 si dupa ce o tanti neagra a cantarit-o si pe cea mare ( 20,9kg), mi-a pus in mana o eticheta pe care scria 21 de kg si mi-a zis sa iau 2 kg din valiza mica si sa le bag in cea mare. Am facut asa, incepand sa am oaresce emotii . Pe cand am terminat, surpriza , tanti care fusese la cantar prima data nu mai era acolo, iar in locul ei erau alti doi negri care m-au pus sa cantaresc din nou ambele valize. Acuma, unii dintre voi stiti, nu incepi sa te certi cu negrii daca esti alb si ai nevoie sa ajungi la destinatie cu toate lucrurile. Asa ca atunci cand mi-au scris o noua eticheta pentru valiza cea mare , de data asta cu 23 de kg, am aratat spre eticheta intiala , cu 21 de kg si m-am rugat in gand sa se intample ceva sa pot trece. Cu 23 de kg in valiza nu aveam cum sa trec de check-in. Vazand prima eticheta , unul din ei a zis “ah, ok” si mi-a intors spatele ducandu-se cu cealalta eticheta cu tot. Cu asta am depasit faza preliminara, inainte de coada de la check-in, pe cantarul din podea. La check-in, cantarul obisnuit, de pe care pleaca valiza spre avion. Ma gandeam ce ia in considerare omul de la check-in… ce vede cu ochii pe cantar , adica 23 de kg in valiza mare, sau eticheta din mana mea, cu 21 de kg, pe care i-o tot asezam frumos in fata ochilor, zambindu-I cat mai calduros. Dar el nu m-a intrebat nimic, decat unde vreau sa stau in avion, poate si pentru ca ma straduiam din rasputeri sa-I abat atentia de la cifre punandu-I tot felul de intrebari la care sa-I faca placere sa imi raspunda. In aeroportul din Durban inca nu aveam o sensatie prea acuta ca sunt in Africa, poate si de oboseala, poate si fiindca nu vedeam pe nimeni sa vina dupa mine. Sesizasem ca aeroportul nu mai este la fel, dar abea dupa o vreme am realizat ca este cu totul alt aeroport . Am intrebat pe cineva daca sunt doua in Durban si cand mi-a zis ca da, m-am gandit ah, am ajuns pe celalalt aeroport. Dar apoi mi-au spus ca cel vechi este dezafectat si a fost mutat cu totul in acesta nou si m-am linistit. Peste cateva minute a aparut David Green (un vechi prieten de la Misiune) si cand l-am vazut, mi s-a parut ca a trecut mai putin de o saptamana de cand l-am vazut ultima oara. Cu acelasi drum a mai luat doua persoane care veneau la Misiune din Cape Town. Afara – cald. Mult mai cald decat ma asteptam. Oamenii in maiouri si slapi. Eu- cu haine groase ,ciorapi , pantofi inchisi, peste toate o geaca de blugi si un poncho gros care nu au mai incaput in valize. L-am intrebat pe David : dar nu incepe iarna acuma? Ba da, dar inca este cald. Foarte cald.
La receptie, o persoana pe care nu eram sigura daca o cunosc sau nu. M-a intrebat cine sunt si a introdus numele meu intr-un calculator. Adresa cu care apari este “Kwazulu-Natal, Romania”, mi-a zis amuzat. Apoi mi-a intins un formular sa scriu adresa corecta si o cheie. E de la German Building? am intrebat resemnata. German building pentru cine nu stie, este o cladire a femeilor, cu camere mari , fiecare cu 6-7 paturi , iar gandul la zgomotul dinauntru ma cam ingrozea. Nuu, a zambit el, e de la o rondava. Brusc , toata oboseala mi s-a topit. Trageam dupa mine valiza ca pe un fulg, desi chemasera pe o fata zulusa sa ma ajute cu bagajele. Toate rondavele sunt frumoase, dar a mea este cea mai frumoasa din lume. Am o curticica cu gazon verde, un gard maro frumos in jur, numai al meu, o masuta si un scaun de piatra, si cele mai frumoase plante al caror nume poate il voi afla odata. Inauntru e zugravit alb , curat, tavanul e foarte jos fiindca mai este si al doilea nivel, chiar in acoperis, unde se ajunge pe o scara interioara din lemn, insa eu nu il folosesc. Draperiile sunt albastre cu irisi rosii si totul arata ca in povesti. Nu am o masa, dar poate voi gasi cu timpul una. O vreme am trait cu spaima, daca nu cumva inca o mai am, ca ma vor chema inapoi si vor spune ca a fost o greseala si sa ma mut in German Building. Dar sunt inca aici. De indata ce am lasat jos valizele in rondava, inainte de orice altceva, am alergat literalmente spre rondava pe care stiam ca o primise prietena mea Lydia cu familia , dupa ce Auditoriumul a ars acum 2 ani impreuna cu casa lor aflata in aceeasi incinta. Atunci, 7 oameni , dintre care 4 copii au ramas fara nimic, doar cu hainele de pe ei, si mult timp dupa aceea nu au avut un loc al lor. Casa mea e in Cer, imi zicea Lydia cand mai intrebam unde stau acuma. Dar de curand au primit o rondava frumoasa, cu etaj inalt, pe care o stiam si eu destul de bine. Asa ca ma indreptam naprasnic spre rondava aceea , ca stiam ca Lydia urma sa nasca al 5-lea bebe in urmatoarele zile si aveam asa de multe sa intreb si sa-I spun. Cand am ajuns, eram gata sa dau buzna inauntru si sa strig ca am venit, cand o femeie alba a rasarit ca din pamant si m-a tras deoparte, rugandu-ma delicat sa vin alta data. Mi-a zis ca Lydia tocmai a nascut in noaptea precedenta si acum se odihneste. Christiaan van der Walt s-a nascut pe 18 mai 2010 , in ziua cand eu am plecat spre Africa.

Da, au mai trecut inca vreo 9 zile de cand am scris mai sus… Este incredibil cum trece timpul aici, pe acest taram departe de lume… Au trecut 3 ani de cand am plecat de aici dar parca nu am plecat niciodata. Multora nu le vine sa creada ca sunt totusi 3 ani, cand le spun. Ma strang in brate cu o caldura si o bucurie care abea mai incap in bataile inimii. Oameni despre care nu mai stiu sigur cine sunt, imi ureaza bun venit cu fete radioase. Fiecare om cu care ma intalnesc are o vorba buna sa imi spuna. Fete zuluse de la magazin, despre care imi amintesc si nu prea, imi spun pe nume iar zambetul cu care ma primesc vine dintr-o inima plina de dragoste si pace iar nu de… strategii de marketing. Una din ele, care spala pe jos in magazin, nu e sigura cum ma cheama exact , dar nu renunta sa-mi arate ca stie o parte. Imi zice “hello Chris.. tin” iar ultima silaba e mai mult o soapta sovaielnica, pierduta intr-un zambet de inger. Ma intreaba “how are you today?” si asteapta cu interes raspunsul. Daca zic “am nevoie de…”, lasa totul ca sa ma ajute. Asa sunt toti.
Cam ce s-a intamplat de cand am venit:
- Uncle Erlo m-a chemat si s-a rugat pentru mine;
- Am pus in ordine cateva lucruri din viata mea;
- Am petrecut mult timp in partasie cu familia de romani care a vizitat Misiunea pentru prima data;
- Am fost in Safari – Umfolozi si Mtunzini;
- Am fost la minunatul-magnificul-superbul ocean ;
- Am vizitat Emseni – spitalul de SIDA al Misiunii, aflat undeva pe un deal din apropiere.
- Am tradus pentru vizitatori locul din Misiune in care inima mea bate cel mai tare : Doctors for Life;
- Uncle Friedel s-a rugat de ziua lui pentru Oltenia si satul bunicilor mei;
- Mi-am perfectionat tehnicile de spalat vase si calcat haine acasa la Lydia, in plus si de interactionat cu copii intre 0-6 ani;
- Am ascultat marturii incredibile, povestite direct sau inregistrate.
- M-am jucat cu nenumarati cameleoni, mai mari sau mai mici pe care copiii Lydiei mi-I aduc de prin copaci;
- Am facut si mancat sarmale romanesti la familia de rusi;
- Am fost la cumparaturi in cel mai mare mall din Durban, Gateway.
- Euro in cadere libera de cand a inceput World Cup.

Ce nu s-a intamplat:
- Nu m-am intalnit cu dr. Albu;
- Nu mi-am prelungit viza;

Frigul a venit brusc, intr-o sambata . Dintr-o data toate insectele inspaimantatoare care ma intampinau de indata ce deschideam usa rondavei, au disparut ca prin farmec. In locul lor au aparut cizme si caciuli in tinutele oamenilor. Intr-o seara veneam de la Doctors for Life si era deja intuneric si frig . Pe drum nu era nimeni fiindca toti se adunasera in dining hall la serviciul de seara. Intr-acolo ma grabeam si eu. La un moment dat dintr-un drum lateral mi s-a alaturat pe drum o femeie zulusa necunoscuta. A zis catre mine ceva in zulu, eu am raspuns ceva in engleza. Dupa tacerea care a urmat am realizat amandoua ca ea nu vorbeste engleza iar eu nu vorbesc zulu. Mergeam una langa alta. Eu fredonam un cantecel. Si atunci a fredonat si ea un cantecel. Zulusii sunt mult mai talentati decat albii, de fapt, sunt celebri pentru vocile si simtul lor muzical. Dar ea a cantat incet, ca sa nu ma acopere , in partasie cu mine. Si asa am vorbit pana am ajuns. Si am inteles perfect.

Nu pot sa spun totul despre Sizabantu, nici macar in parte. M-am resemnat sa mai incerc. Trebuie sa fii aici. Acum trei ani am scris despre Sizabantu ca mi se pare asa ciudat, sa existe doar o diferenta de distanta intre lumea de acasa si cea de aici. Cu alte cuvinte sa poti ajunge aici strabatand doar o distanta in kilometri, oricat de mare, cand de fapt, ar trebui sa existe o alta dimensiune care sa separe acest taram de restul pamantului. Dar acuma realizez ca de fapt, este o alta dimensiune… doar ca ne este ingaduit sa o percepem cu simturi omenesti, pentru catva vreme, pe frumoasa planeta albastra.
Cu drag,Cristina

Predica Voiteg 14.03.10 10h00.mp3 - Hans Koller

2010-03-21T16:37:00.001+02:00

Una din cele mai deosebite predici pe care le-am auzit anul acesta.
Predicator: Hans Koller.
zSHARE - 14.03.10 10h00.mp3

Micuta

2010-03-13T19:30:00.005+02:00

Ma plimbam cu Micuta prin Mall, cautand o geanta de umar pentru Africa, cu care sa ma pot plimba de colo-colo pe acolo, dar sa incapa si laptopul. Micuta stie mai bine ca oricine ca obiectul trebuie sa fie mai intai frumos si numai dupa asta sa fie eventual si practic.

Stand in fata unei vitrine, ma intreaba:
- Da' valiza mare ai?
- Pai nu mi-ai cumparat tu una data trecuta cand am plecat?
Acum trei ani m-am suit in avionul spre Africa de Sud cu un superb troller portocaliu aprins, primit cadou de la Micuta in vederea calatoriei ...dar care s-a transformat intr-un fel de maro-gri-murdar pana am ajuns la destinatie.

- Trebuie curatata cumva, adaug gandindu-ma cu oroare cum s-ar mai putea ajunge de la acel maro prafuit la portocaliul frumos de la inceput.
- Da, adu-mi-o mie s-o frec...
- (un pic mirata) Da' ce , eu nu pot s-o frec?
- Tu nu ai rabdare...

(dupa o mica pauza in care am vizualizat mental derularea sarcinii cu pricina):
- Pai mai bine vii si-o speli acasa la mine.
- Da, chiar! asa o sa facem...

Cata dragoste incape intr-un om micut? Se poate masura cu ceva? Eu nu reusesc.

Beware of Terrorist Groups in Church

2010-03-13T12:06:00.001+02:00

Latest news reports are that five terrorist cell groups have been operating in many of our churches. They have been identified as: Bin Sleepin, Bin Arguin, Bin Fightin, Bin Complainin, and Bin Missin.

Their leader, Lucifer Bin Workin, trained these groups to destroy the Body of Christ. The plan is to come into the church disguised as Christians and to work within the church to discourage, disrupt, and destroy.

However, there have been reports of a sixth group. A tiny cell known by the name Bin Prayin is actually the only effective counter terrorism force in the church. Unlike other terrorist cells, the Bin Prayin team does not blend in with whoever and whatever comes along.

Bin Prayin does whatever is needed to uplift and encourage the Body of Christ. We have noticed that the Bin Prayin cell group has different characteristics than the others. They have Bin Watchin, Bin Waitin, Bin Fastin, and Bin Longin for their Master, Jesus Christ to return.

NO CHURCH IS EXEMPT!

(However, you can spot them if you bin lookin and bin goin.)

Kwasizabantu Romania - prezentarea anului 2009

2010-02-07T20:25:00.002+02:00

Prezentare succinta a activitatilor desfasurate la misiunea Kwasizabantu in anul 2009

Craciun Fericit!

2009-12-17T20:41:00.002+02:00

Ce traim acum nu e viata. Isus cand l-a inviat pe Lazar a zis: "Eu sunt invierea si viata". Adica viata urmeaza dupa inviere. Ce traim noi acum e o lupta oarba si crunta pentru existenta. Serviciu, scoala, paine, medicamente, copii, masina defectata, un telefon, o cafea. Si iarasi: luni, marti miercuri, sambata, duminica la Biserica. Visam la concediu, la vacanta, dar avem tot mai putin timp. Suntem tot mai reci, mai indiferenti, mai egoisti. Fiecare in cochilia lui, cu visuri marunte, cu refulari zilnice. Iubim narcisist si in fuga. Ne este frica de propriile sentimente. Cerul are gust de pamant, spitalele sunt pline de bolnavi de cancer, suferinta, lipsa, saracie a mintii, a sufletului si a buzunarului. Ne-am risipit prin toata lumea, am vrut sa ne fie mai bine si la multi ne este. Dar sufletele au ramas tot pustii; am luat cu noi si napasarea, egoismul, tristetea, gelozia, neiubirea.
Trenul vietii ne poarta cu viteza spre ultima statie. Suntem atat de aproape de sfarsitul tuturor lucrurilor cum n-am fost niciodata. De aceea, acum, a te preocupa de maruntisuri este o nebunie, iar a cauta fericirea pe pamant este moarte sigura. Fericirea nu atarna de imprejurari. Fericirea are de-a face cu Dumnezeu care e invariabil asezat la capatul de linie al vietii noastre.
Va trece si iarna. De fapt, vor trece toate. Cine iubeste viata aceasta o va pierde pe cealalta. Priviti spre oameni si veti vedea necazuri mai mari ca ale voastre. Priviti spre pamant si veti vedea ca nimic bun nu poate sa va ofere. Priviti spre cer si veti vedea ca dincolo de stele e ceva ce-ati visat si mult mai mult.

Pamantul e ultima statie spre fericire.

Vladimir Pustan

CRACIUN FERICIT TUTUROR!

Scoala Domino Servite Romania!

2009-11-24T20:49:00.001+02:00

O scurta prezentare despre evolutia lucrarilor de constructie a scolii Domino Servite din Voiteg.

26 July 2009 - "Thankful or thankless"

2009-07-28T10:57:00.003+03:00

Summary of sermon by Rev E Stegen
Luke 17:11-19

KSB Auditorium resurrection

2009-07-09T21:33:00.007+03:00

When it completely burnt down last year, we thought we would never see it again. And yet, ten months later, it was standing right there, more beautiful than ever. Those who have rebuilt the Auditorium say it hasn't been an easy job. There were times when the fight seemed to be too much even for the strongest ones. But the songs of praise, the prayers and the smiles were always there, never to fade away. If anyone should ask them, even they don't know how they did it, but they built it back. Everything was there, in their songs of praise, in every single screw or stone they laid. Today, the Auditorium is a TEMPLE. God gave it back to us 10 times faster than the first one, and more beautiful than we could have ever imagined it."

..."Behold, I make all things new"!
Thank You Lord.

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him" ( 1 Cor 2:19)

Cand a luat foc si a ars complet, am crezut ca nu-l vom mai vedea nicicand. Zece luni mai tarziu era in picioare, mai frumos ca niciodata. Cei ce l-au reconstruit povestesc ca nu a fost deloc usor. Uneori lupta parea sa fie prea grea si pentru cei mai puternici. Dar cantecele de lauda, rugaciunile si zambetul nu au incetat nici o clipa. Daca ii intrebi, nici ei nu stiu cum au putut, dar l-au facut inapoi. Asa s-a ridicat, in cantec, in lauda, surub cu surub, piatra cu piatra. Astazi, Auditoriumul este un TEMPLU. Dumnezeu ni l-a daruit inapoi de 10 ori mai repede si mai frumos decat ni l-am fi putut imagina vreodata omeneste.
..."Iata, eu fac toate lucrurile noi"!
Multumim, Doamne.

"Lucruri pe care ochiul nu le-a vazut, urechea nu le-a auzit si la inima omului nu s-au suit, asa sunt lucrurile pe care le-a pregatit Dumnezeu pentru cei ce-L iubesc" (1Cor 2:19)

Nunta Andreea & Simon Stegen/ Wedding Andreea & Simon Stegen

2009-07-04T21:35:00.002+03:00

De la Videoclipuri exportate

17 May 2009 - "What drives you, your ego or Heavenly calling?" - Sunday sermon

2009-06-18T13:10:00.003+03:00

"What drives you, your ego or Heavenly calling?" ( Luke 10:38 - 42)

Summary of sermon by Arno Stegen

Otniel

2009-06-12T20:04:00.005+03:00

This is Casa Otniel, the ministry of my mother, home for 22 orphaned or abandoned kids. Some gypsy, some sick, or bad tempered , the Romanian authorities send there only the most problematic orphans... aware that this little homy orphanage receives them all with same love beyond understanding... and the kids develop and turn into little angels. Each of these kids are like extended family, and some of them are really the favorites of everyone, including my father and I. May the Lord take special care of all people who pledged their lives in the service of these orphans. My mom is the director of Casa Otniel, Pia (see her in the video). And she indeed is an example of being the selfless leader from the Bible, a golden vessel, the servant of all.

Florin Enescu - Calvary Chapel Bucuresti

2009-03-31T22:43:00.004+03:00

L-am ascultat azi dupa ceva timp si mi-a placut asa mult ca am simtit nevoia sa impartasesc mai departe.

A Doua Sansa

2009-03-14T10:35:00.005+02:00

Sceneta miniconferintei din luna martie 2009, prezentata de KSB Romania la intalnirea Dragostea Adevarata Asteapta (only in Romanian for now).

Personaje:
Inculpati : Izabela Flirtcuoricine si Rahav Adouasansa.
Procuror: Dl Lucifan Stietot.
Martori : Dra Vorbadulce, Dna Alexandra Brown, Dra Trustme, Dna Regret, Dl Sebastian, Dl Iuda Sagetatorul.
Complet de 2 judecatori, avocati, grefieri, jandarmi, public...
Scenariul : Lidia Veciunca si Andreea Stan.
Melodia de intro : "Emerald Coast Sunrize", compusa si interpretata de Kenneth Beck, un prieten pretios, (http://www.thebeckhouse.org/) care ne-a dat acordul sau. Mai puteti asculta cantece de-ale sale aici.

"Revival among the Zulu" in graphic format

2009-02-28T11:59:00.024+02:00

I dont know who Alec Stevens is. I never met him or exchange any words with him. But he read uncle Erlo's book "Revival among the Zulu", (being far away from the Mission) and - just like me - he realized the real dimensions of a true work of God at Kwasizabantu. And for this matter, I consider him a brother.

But unlike me, he is an artist and a musician, and he put the testimony of uncle Erlo into graphic format and named it "Erlo Stegen and the Revival Among the Zulus". !

These are the covers and two inside pages of the awesome job he did with his book. I made a paypal account a few days ago , only to be able to order my copy of the book and I am very happy about it. I am waiting for paypal to authorize something more about my account and then , Ill get it ! :-)

These days I also selected a few ideas that Alec publicly expressed about Kwasizabantu, the way he feels about it and how he decided to illustrate "Revival among Zulu". It was a real blessing for me to read his posts and interviews. Here are a few "samples":

"It was a pleasure to illustrate a story that is so pregnant with beautiful truth. I really want Erlo Stegen's testimony to sink deep down into the depth of my being as a life lesson ever to be mindful of. If we can get ahold of what he did, by God's grace and chastening, we can only expect similar results in our own lives and communities, and whatever we put our hands to would surely prosper, because it would unquestionably be of God."

"I do not despise the gifts of the Holy Ghost when they operate genuinely, but in the western world we see so many abuses and counterfeits that have shipwrecked the faith of many and left others hurt and confused (the false revival of Todd Bentley being a prime example). This is one reason that I illustrated the Revival Among the Zulus graphic novel, as a demonstration of a true work of God in a contemporary setting that has resulted in hundreds of thousands being saved, delivered, and empowered for Christian service"

"I didn't write these stories (he also illustrated the testimony of Sadhu Sundar Singh), I'm just the 'transcriber'---God has authored these segments of the beautiful tapestry that He is weaving into the hearts of Redeemed humanity. Long after these books have burned up with the rest of this present world, these testimonies (and those of other overcomers) will shine throughout eternity in the Kingdom of His beloved Son. "

I enjoyed alot the interview Alec gave to Jazma Online , I only link to it now cause I am in a hurry, maybe some time later Ill post it all here.

Enjoy it ! Its great.

And Alec, you MUST go to South Africa!!

Later edit:

I got my books in less than a week and I enjoyed them A LOT. Alec is very friendly and open to diallogue. One of the "Revival among Zulu" books I gave to the Mission in Voiteg as we did not have a copy yet, and one I kept for me personally. Its amazing how vivid Alec made it look adding his lifelike graphic images to uncle Erlo's words into a mixture having the clarity and freshness of pure reality . Its a book that I enjoy beyond words.

Uncle Hans suggested we should make another order to Alec and this time get a few more copies , to use in our School ( Domino Servite School in Voiteg - starting fall 2009!) .

I also ordered "Sadhu Sundar Singh" and I had tears many times reading through it.

Great great great work.

The skit for Valentine's Day was so much fun.

2009-02-21T21:06:00.005+02:00

Esti trist ca esti singur de Valentine's Day? Iti doresti sa fii sagetat de Cupidon? KSB Romania a prezentat aceasta sceneta la intalnirea "Dragostea Adevarata Asteapta" de la Conferinta de tineri - 6-8 Februarie 2009, Voiteg. Regizor : Andreea Stan .

Are you sour for being alone on Valentine's Day? You wish Cupid would strike your heart too? KSB Romania presented this skit for the " True Love Waits" meeting at Youth Conference - 6-8 Febr.2009, in Voiteg. Director: Andreea Stan

Engagement Andreea & Simon

2009-02-16T22:00:00.015+02:00

Yeah, we had an engagement in the meantime at KSB Romania... The first one, since I started to attend, 6 years ago ...and the most beautiful.

Now seriously, it was so precious and so beautiful that I kinda dreaded having to write about it... to not spoil something.. or leave something out... or getting the less excited reactions ..

Andreea & Simon.

When Lidia called me one Friday night to break the news to me ( it had just been announced in church), she was more shouting than using words. Have you heard the news, whoahaha??? Me (a bit worried) : the news? ...About the engaaagemeent aaaaaa!! My mind was completely blank but her enthusiasm stayed as high even after several big clues she gave me and endless wrong guesses from my side about who might have gotten engaged.

For the ones who dont know, the joy is unusually high whenever there is an engagement at Kwasizabantu because people dont get married cause they measured each other up and then entered a relationship that had to be eventually legalized into marriage. They have absolutely no romantic experience before marriage. Sometimes they hardly know each other. They do it based exclusively on their close relationship with God.

I already see the raised eyebrow of "normal people" ... including Christians... who, for some reason..., have to test the other one for themselves in a romantic relationship before marriage, because letting the Lord ... lead their lives, doesnt actually mean ...too much . When it comes to marriage, most CHRISTIANS believe the normal way to get married starts with "dating", ... working actively in finding a partner instead of ... pledging their lives to God. If you tell them God showed some guy and girl very clearly to marry each other and they go straight to planning the wedding from there , they give you a look saying "are you nuts? you must know each other at least a little before you get married". This blows my mind. What do I need to know more about someone, than that God Himself prepared him/her for me? What bigger guaranty can I possibly get for my marriage? My own senses and perceptions? That I'd be using to contra -test ...God? Wouldnt I, only then, be a complete fool in how Im living my "Christian" life? I simply can not understand why a Christian would need to get married any other way than obeying the will of the loving God. That and ONLY that is the winning ticket for THE marriage you always hoped to have.

I dont know how the Lord spoke to Simon about Andreea. But I know how clearly and in how many ways He spoke to Andreea to marry Simon , and it wasnt a week or two that she prayed about it. It was 8 months. She really made sure its God speaking , not herself or someone else. When I listened to the details of this wonderful union, it felt as if God was really determined and patient, beyond all insecurities and doubts of Andreea, to make clear that THAT was His will. Again and again.

I wish the Service were in English, but it wasnt. It was Romanian and German. I really dont know what to say about it. It was so simple and so huge in the same time. We were all so nervous and so excited. Andreea's father took the ring from Simon and put it on Andreea's finger. That moment the girls from the choir ululated the shouts of joy that the Zulu women shout out loud when a girl marries in absolute purity. Of course, this was only the engagement for Andreea, but being the first girl from the Eurochoir Romania that gets engaged, and to a southafrican boy... it was understandable ;-)

I asked Andreea's parents, after the Service if they could imagine a bigger blessing . They both said no (the father after some hesitations). I cant see one either... Andreea is so attached to the Mission in South Africa. She stayed there one year dedicating her life to God. If it werent to be obedient to her parents, she wouldnt have considered living in Romania an option anymore. But she returned and started to build a new life, applied for College, etc, as her father wanted her to, even though shortly after her return, one guy from South Africa ...asked her to pray about marrying him, as God had shown him Andreea was his wife.

Speaking about him, I cant imagine a bigger blessing for him either. Andreea is simply perfect. Uncle Hans said in the Service that from all kind of fish, the carp, the sheat fish, etc, Andreea is the trout. Those who know her know what he meant :-).

Atheist Holy Day

2009-01-29T23:19:00.008+02:00

Ive got in an email this excerpt from a letter of Fano Sibisi. Thank you Lydia.

"A friend sent me the following story. Whether it is fact or fiction I cannot tell but there sure is a lot of thought behind it.

FLORIDA COURT SETS ATHEIST HOLY DAY

In Florida, an atheist created a case against the upcoming Easter and Passover holy days. He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians, Jews and observances of their holy days. The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days.
The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring, "Case dismissed!"
The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling saying, "Your honor,how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, yet my client and all other atheists have no such holidays."
The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, "But you do. Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant."
The lawyer said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists."
The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fools Day. Psalm 14:1 states, 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.' Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day. Court is adjourned."

Kids Christmas skit

2009-01-10T05:20:00.002+02:00

The little ones at KSB Romania presented this skit for the Christmas party we had at Voiteg on Dec 6th 2008

KSB Romania 2008 - Christmas presentation

2009-01-09T22:40:00.011+02:00

The girls from Mission Kwasizabantu Romania created this slideshow presentantion of the Mission activity in 2008 for the Christmas party we had at Voiteg on Dec 6th. They did a wonderful touching job and I really want to find the time to translate and add English subtitles soon.

Noiembrie - cea mai frumoasa luna

2008-11-28T07:00:00.002+02:00

Lidia - ultimul email din Africa de Sud

2008-11-27T16:27:00.005+02:00

Va salut pe toti. Sper ca emailul meu sa va gaseasca bine.
Multe s-au intamplat de cand nu v-am mai scris..... am cautat o ocazie, cand am ceva timp liber sa va scriu. ...
Dar se pare ca nu mai am "timp liber" asa ca am sa va scriu pe fuga cate ceva.
In primul rand, luni voi pleca din Africa de Sud. Mai am doua zile ramase L
Duminica am avut party de Craciun cu studentii de la Cedar si tot atunci am avut si inaugurarea bibliotecii. Facultatea a fost infiintata de aunty Kay Stegen (sotia lui u.Erlo) care a trecut la Domnul in 2002. In memoria ei, am pus numele bibliotecii: Kay Stegen Library. Aceasta a fost idea noastra, a studentilor, si a fost bine primita de profesorii nostrii si de u.Erlo. Am facut un tort in forma de carte si am vorbit despe aunty Kay...etc. A doua parte din program a fost un program de craciun cu cantece, slide show, o sceneta,etc.
Marti am avut farewell (sarbatoarea de despartire a studentilor). Locul si programul a fost surpriza pentru noi, an 4. Doar data o stiam. Asa ca marti dimineata toti studentii si profesorii am urcat in autobuz si am plecat…. Ne-au dus la un campus. Locul era asa de frumos: cu un lac in mijloc si multe case rustice in jur. Acolo ne-am petrecut toata ziua.
Pana la masa de pranz, colegii din anul 1, 2 si 3 au cantat, au copus cantece despre noi, au facut scenete, ne-au imitat, au avut prezentare power point. ... Au facut jocuri pentru noi. Tinerii astia sunt foarte inventivi, nu am ce zice.
Dupa masa de pranz, ne-a dat noua oportunitatea sa spunem un cuvant de ramas bun. Am cantat un cantec si am avut 2 scenete.
Apoi am impartit cadourile. Fiecare student a primit cate un creon cu mine si o poza cu noi. Iar pentru colegiu, am dat un tablou, un fel de colaj.
Iar ei ne-au dat cate un FAR (lighthouse), si ne-au zis sa ne amintim mereu sa fim lumina in aceasta lume intunecata.
Iar la sfarsit, am primit din partea colegiului cate un prosop. Este o traditie (de cand s-a infiintat colegiu), ca fiecare student care termina sa primeasca un prosop care reprezinta slujire. Ne-a citit din Ioan, despre cum Isus a spalat picioarele ucenicilor, si ne-au zis ca noi suntem trimisi ca sa slujim in aceasta lume, sa fim de folos oamenilor in nevoie.
A fost o zi deosebit. Inca de atunci, avem doar party-uri de despartire si lacrimi….. hehe. Miercuri am sarbatorit cu corul de tineret. Iar zilele astea- cu diferite familii.
Ce a insemnat acesti 4 ani pentru mine?? As vrea sa va pot spune, dar inima mie plina de da peste… Ceea ce pot sa spun e ca acesti ani au fost CEI MAI MINUNATI ani din viata mea. Dumnezeu mi-a schimbat viata asta, si nu voi mai fi niciodata la fel. Iar daca vreodata voi avea bani, sau as vrea sa merg intr-o vacanta, as veni la Misiunea Kwasizabantu in Africa de Sud!!
Daca ati sti ce loc e asta, ati vinde tot ce aveti si ati veni aici. Nu e un loc obisnuit, e un colt de rai, un loc deosebit, locul unde Dumnezeu se coboara si este trezire spirituala, nu doar basme sau povesti.
Chiar daca as uita tot ce am invatat aici, dar un lucru l-as avea mereu in minte: calea catre Rai e o cale stramta. Trebuie sa te lepezi de TOT ca sa poti sa inaintezi pe cale.
Aici am invatat cum sa imi curatesc inima si sa o mentin curata, cum sa aud vocea lui Dumnezeu si sa umblu calauzita de Duhul Domnului, cum sa caut pacea si sfintenia, sa am biruinta asupra pacatelor, sa umblu smerita si sa am pasiune pentru sufletele care sunt in drum spre Iad. Lectii pretioase…. Care nu doar le auzi sau faci un Studiu Biblic, ci am vazut-o in pratica- in viata altora si in viata mea- si stiu ca e posibil.
Diavolul inseala pe multi crestini in ziua de azi. Ii face sa fie implicati in activitati bisericesti, dar el ii tine inca legati de un pacat sau altul. Mare va fi supriza lor in ziua judecatii- pentru ca au crezut ca merg in Rai, dar ei erau in drum spre Iad.
Prin harul lui Dumnezeu vreau sa merg pe calea lui Dumnezeu pana la capat.
Planuri de viitor. Asta e intrebarea care multi dintre voi mi-ati pus-o deja. Noi facem planuri dar Dumnezeu indreapta pasii.
A fost pe inima parintilor si bisericii Kwasizabantu din Voiteg sa aibe o scoala crestina la misiune. Eu nu am stiut de asta cand am venit la misiune si la Colegiu aici. Dar in anul 2 Dumnezeu mi-a vorbit clar (poate va zic altadata cum), si am inteles ca Dumnezeu ma cheama sa ajut sa deschidem o scoala si sa predau.
Asa ca prin harul lui Dumnezeu, vom incepe demersurile pentru scoala Domino Servite (asa vrem sa o numim), unde vom avea standarde crestine foarte inalte. Vom merge pe o cale sfanta si nu vom acepta nici un fel de compromis. Cam atat pot sa va zic pentru acum.
Dl sa fie cu voi. Sa aveti un weekend placut.
Si ne vedem saptamana viitoare J ………..It's so unreal!!

-- Lidia Veciunca

Kwasizabantu Mission, South Africa

23 Nov 2008 - "Sin's grief" - Sunday Sermon

2008-11-27T16:10:00.002+02:00

Summary of sermon by Michael Ngubane

1Sam 15:10-27

Johan in the Auditorium

2008-10-29T15:27:00.005+02:00

Precious Johan Becker usually gives the tour of the Mission to the many visitors of Sizabantu and at the end of it, he presents them the story about the Revival and sometimes his own testimony, in the Auditorium. I had the priviledge to hear it too... unfortunately I ran out of space on my camera so this video is not complete. But I trust I will have the opportunity again :-), and then Ill be more careful.

Its a wonderful testimony .

Two Kwasizabantu Sunday services

2008-10-28T23:08:00.008+02:00

AND

Saturday 25 Oct 2008 - "Consciously set the Lord before your eyes" - "Wedding of Andrew Muller & Jerusha Olsen"

Just a few pictures

2008-10-24T19:29:00.003+03:00

Heading to the Mission

2008-10-24T02:02:00.008+03:00

Nicky drew these 2 hobos heading to Kwasizabantu, a place where they heard "people are being helped". Clearly they are in need for help too, and one of them can even justify the mess he is in : "my mother kicked me out when I was in my twenties..."(its writen in Afrikaans).

I enjoyed this drawing so much that Nicky gave it to me.

Botswana Outreach 2008 - email from Lidia

2008-10-24T00:12:00.027+03:00

Last Tuesday we returned from our trip in Botswana. The Lord has been with us the whole time, from the beginning to the end. So many things happened in this trip that I pray to God to guide me to only share with you what is most important to you.

We had been praying that the Lord would show us where to have our outreach, having a heart for Botswana, Malawi or Mozambique. The Lord revealed to us that we should go to Botswana.

So we left on Saturday, 21st of June, in a van, 7 girls and tannie Ilsa with her husband- Tobi. Tannie Ilsa is the vice principal of our Cedar College. Saturday , we traveled nonstop and by evening we arrived in Pretoria, at our Kwasizabantu Mission and we spent the night with them. Sunday we attended the Service and we left very early the following Monday and continued the rest of our journey to Botswana.
Sunday night Dries and Oom Jan Piennar, who were in the second vehicle from the mission caught up with us. Dries had not been able to come with us on Saturday because he was getting engaged on Sunday here at the Mission.
Oom Jan is the one who used to live in the little apartment inside the Auditorium. He is the one who lost all of his belongings from the recent fire and his entire house burnt down with the Auditorium. All he was able to salvage were the clothes that he was wearing at the time.
Looking at them both preaching in Botswana and how they cared about the lost souls, I realized that …"nor tribulation, nor poverty .. nor lack of clothes, or joy or engagement .. can separate us from the love of Christ".

When we reached the border, uncleTobi realized that his passport was expired so he and tannie Ilsa had to go back to the nearest town to get a temporary extension for it while the rest of us continued our trip to Rakops, in the van. They arrived in Botswana only Tuesday night. For four days I wore the same clothes because our bags were in their car :-) .

Our host in Rakops was John, an Englishman who sacrificed his life for the people in Botswana. He went there when he was young, about 25 years old. Today, almost 20 years after, he is still there, alone. A man whose life and example touched many. When he was very young he was an atheist, but later when he pledged his life to Jesus he said, "If God really exists, then the greatest thing that anyone can do is to go and tell people about the Saviour Jesus". So he left everything behind and went to Africa not knowing exactly what country he had to stop in to complete his mission. So, one day driving through Rakops, the Lord spoke to him to settle there. He has a round little cottage and in time he opened a small leather workshop, a bakery where they bake 200 loaves of bread daily and a kindergarten for 40 kids. I vaguely knew him. He visits our Mission in South Africa, and believes and teaches the same path of holiness as we do. He has about 5 co-workers, all wonderful and trustworthy people; true pillars for his mission.

Rakops is a very dry and sandy place (close to the desert) and the powers of Satan are at work here; there is much witchcraft and prostitution. It didn't rain at all the whole time we stayed there. It was very hot, a lot of dust and the water was yellowish... Most people are skinny and ill with AIDS or malaria. They live in round cottages with hay roofs and make fire out of cow manure. John told us that half of Botswana population are children under 15 years old, it goes without saying that adults generally die very young.

John speaks slowly with a low voice but from all his heart. He speaks and preaches in the tswana language. In the first 2 days he taught us a little tswana then he sent us out in pairs to invite the people to the service. He taught us how to say "Hello/goodmorning, how are you?" (Dumela Ma/Ra, Utohile Jang?); "Numele meu este Lidia" (Lina La miki Lidia). "I am from South Africa" (Ghe toa co Afrika boroa). "I want to invite you to the service at "x" o'clock. ...Make time for God, etc". Some of the old people would ask us where should the sun be when the service begins. And we would point to the sky about where the sun would be at the service time… it was very interesting.

I was paired up with Bawinne. At one hovel that we reached, there was a little girl standing out next to it. We greeted her and asked how she was doing… She ran inside shouting something. Bawinne told me she told her mother :" Mother, I spoke with a white girl!" But many times the kids from the kindergarten would start to cry when the 3 of us white girls would walk in, especially if we wanted to get close to them.

The service is every night. Right before it, John goes outside and shouts : "People , enough with the work… the Service begins". And people around his rondawel would hear and come. For the service we girls had to cover our heads.

The first week we helped in the crèche, went to church and to the women gathering. Saturday we had Sport Day with the children from the village. Had outdoor activities and we fed them a lunch consisting of water and bread. Then we had a puppet show and a sermon at church.

Every morning we would have "devotion" and we prayed that the Lord would guide us for the day. It was really special how He could speak to us and we could share with each other.

During our second week we were called to different schools in the Rakops areaspecifi cally to the primary schools and highschools. One day we had 5 meetings : 3 schools, a Police station and a church. But in general we weren't so busy. We typically only had about 2 meetings a day.
In schools we would usually perform a puppet show and talk about "True Love Waits".

We introduce ourselves singing a song :

"We're forth years, we came from different nations
God called us to come here, to serve Him in His Kingdom
Choir:
All together we stand, differences aside
All together we stand as friends,
Together we will walk as friends
South Africa, Romania, Botswana and Lesotho
America, the Indian, what a splendid cocktail mix"
( We sing it on the Osana, Osana tune )

Indeed our 4th year from the college is very special as we are only girls, the rest of the years are boys and girls. Another special thing is that we are very few, just 8 students, but coming from 6 different nations. This song was created by the students.

We also visited a bushman community twice. They are 18 km away from Rakops where John preaches on Sundays. Our hearts were simply broken when we saw the conditions in which human beings can survive. They have absolutely nothing except for a ramshackle hut. There we visited their king, played with children and assisted in the service under a tree – John's church.

Two crippled women from that community were healed since they were coming to church and making their lives right with the Lord. We got to meet one of them. John told us that when he started to come to the bushman community that the crippled woman was literally crawling on her hands; she hadn't been walking for years and her muscles were already atrophied. We saw her walking without any help.

Before we left, John shared with us that the last 2 months before we arrived there, things hadn't been the best at the Mission and he was disheartened like never before in 20 years of serving the Lord. So he cried out to God and He spoke to him through a verse: "From this day things will change". And he said that truly, our visit there strengthened him and people started to confess their sins again as if God started to work again in their hearts and everyone was willing to admit their part of guilt. …
There are 2 people I really want to tell you about. One of them is Dane. He is a 21 year old young man, living close to Rakops. He knew John but he hasn't decided to serve the Lord. John invited him to Rakops. He came Saturday and left Sunday night. We attended the service together with him and the rest of the time he spent with us. The Lord worked in his life and he spoke with John about his sins and they prayed together afterwards. Dane experienced such a joy in his heart. He told us he was so happy to have found it, he had always known there had to be something more. John told us that God really started to work in Dane's life, as he went very deep and confessed everything. A few days later he brought his brother too. I heard that soon they will join us here at the Mission in South Africa.

The other person I wanted to tell you about is a girl from England. One Tuesday while we had a meeting with the children in Church, a group of 4 English people arrived. They were two couples, I don't know whether they were married or just dating. They had rented a car in South Africa and intended to go all the way up to the North of Africa. But they ran out of gas in Rakops and someone directed them to the missionary's house. John helped them but they had to stay over night. The next morning when they were about to leave, their car broke down. John fixed it for them and then he invited them to the Service. They stayed about 10 min inside and then suddenly one of the girls ran outside bursting into tears. Tannie Ilsa spoke with her. As we learned later, the Lord had called her to be a missionary as a little girl. But she ignored and resisted her calling, and decided to go her own path. Her heart broke at that moment and she repented with many tears. They promised that on their way back from that tour they will come to the Mission in South Africa to spend a little time before returning to England.

We also had a "day off" and spent some time relaxing. John took us to a diamond mine in Orapa. It was really interesting to see how they extract and refine diamonds..

In closing, I just want to say something more about the wonderful uncle John. He was actually a headboy at some very famous school in England and went to Engineer School at Cambridge University. He left his position and humbled himself all the way to the ground for the cause of the Gospel. What an example! May we experience the same fire that is inside him, the same passion for the lost souls. To not value celebrity or wealth or high worldly standards but rather, to give our lives for the precious Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The morning before we returned to South Africa, I read Psalm 63 and the first verse says: "O God, you are my God; I will seek you eagerly. My heart thirsts for you, my body longs for you in a land parched and exhausted, where no water can be found".
When I read this verse I said to myself :"Yes, Lord, I want to long for you as I longed for fresh clean water and a cool breeze in Botswana."

May the Lord be with you!

All the best
Lidia Veciunca
Mission Kwasizabantu, South Africa.

Botswana Outreach 2008 - email de la Lidia

2008-10-23T22:11:00.005+03:00

Marti ne-am intors inapoi din Botswana. Dumnezeu a fost cu noi de la inceput si pana la sfarsit. Sunt asa de multe lucruri ce s-au intamplat in cele 18 zile, dar ma rog ca Domnul sa ma calauzeasca sa va zic doar ce e mai important pentru voi.
Ne-am rugat ca Dumnezeu sa ne arate unde sa mergem in misiune. Aveam in minte: Botswana, Malawi, sau Mozambique. Dumnezeu ne-a aratat sa mergem in Botswana.
Am plecat sambata pe 21 iunie, cu un microbuz in care am fost 7 fete si tannie Ilsa cu sotul ei –Tobi. T.Ilsa e vice directoare la facultatea noastra. Sambata am caltorit toata ziua iar seara ne-am oprit in Pretoria, ( la o alta misiune Kwasizabantu), unde am ramas peste noapte. Duminica am ramas la predica acolo, iar luni foarte devreme ne-am pornit spre Botswana. Duminica seara ne-a ajuns si a doua masina- cu Dries si u.Jan.
Dries nu a putut sa vina cu noi sambata pentru ca duminica a fost logodna lui aici la misune. Uncle Jan (cum il numim noi), e cel care a locuit in apatamentul de langa auditorium- lui i-a ars casa si a ramas doar cu hainele de pe el. Cand m-am uitat la Dries si u. Jan cum predicau in Botswana si cum le pasa de sufletele pierdute, mi-am dat seama ca: "nici saracia, lipsa de imbracamainte, nici bucuria, logodna.... nu ii poate despartii de dragostea lui Dumnezeu".
Cand am ajuns la granita, u.Tobi a realizat ca pasaportul lui e expirat. El si t.Ilsa au trebuit sa se intoarca in primul oras sa isi faca un pasaport provizoriu, iar noi cu am plecat mai departe spre Rakops cu microbuzul. Ei au ajuns in Botswana numai Marti seara. Am purtat 4 zile aceleasi haine pentru ca bagajele erau in masina lor J
Gazda noastra a fost u.John, un om din Anglia, care si-a jertfit viata pentru oamenii din Botswana. A venit in Botwana cand era tanar, vreo 25 ani. Acum, dupa aproape 20 ani, el e inca acolo, singur.... Un om care, prin viata si exemplul lui a schimbat multe vieti. Cand a fost tanar,a fost ateu, dar mai tarziu, cand si-a dat viata Domnului Isus, a zis: "Daca Dumnezeu exista, atunci lucrul cel mai maret care poate sa il faca un om este sa merga si sa spuna despre Salvatorul Isus. Si asa a plecat spre Africa nestiind exact in ce tara va fi misionar. Dar intro zi, pe cand mergea cu masina prin Rakops, Dumnezeu i-a vorbit sa se stabileasca acolo. Are o coliba rotunda, si cu timpul a deschis un atelier de prelucrare a pielii, o brutarie unde fac 200 paini pe zi si o gradinita cu peste 40 copii. Pe u.John il cunoasteam din vedere: deseori vine la misiunea nostra in Africa, el crede si predica aceeasi cale a sfinteniei ca si noi.
Are vreo 5 lucratori tineri, niste oameni minunati, de incredere, care il ajuta pe u.John, ei sunt ca niste stalpi pentru misiunea lui.
Rakops e o localitate foarte uscata si nisipoasa (e aproape de desert), unde puterile Diavolului sunt la lucru: in special multa vrajitorie si prostitutie. Nu a plouat deloc cat am fost acolo.... Era foarte cald, mult praf, iar apa era galbena. Multi oameni sunt slabi si bonavi de Malarie sau Sida. Stau in case rotunde cu acoperis de paie si fac foc cu balegar de vaca. U. John a zis ca jumatate din populatia Botswanei sunt copii sun 15 ani, cei adulti mor foarte tineri.
U.John predica incet, calm, dar cu toata inima. Vorbeste si predica in limba tsoana.
In primele doau zile, ne-a dat lectii de limba tzwana. Dupa aceea ne-a trimis doi cate doi prin sat, sa invitam oamenii la predica. Ne-a invatat sa spunem: Buna ziua, ce mai faceti ? (Dumela Ma/Ra, Utohile Jang?) Numele meu este Lidia (Lina La miki Lidia). Sunt din Africa de Sud (Ghe toa co Afrika boroa). Va invit la predica la ora cutare...Faceti-va timp pentru Dumnezeu, etc
Unii oamenii batrani intrebau: "unde trebuie sa fie soarele cand incepe biserica??" Si trebuia sa le aratam cu mana cam unde e soarele la ora cutare, cand e predica…. A fost foarte interesant.
Eu am mers impreuna cu o colega Bawinne. Cand am ajuns la o casa, era o fetita langa cocioaba. Am salutat-o si am intrebat-o ce face. Ea a fugit in casa strigand ceva. Bawinne mi-a zis ca i-a zis la mama ei: Mama, am vorbit cu o alba! J. Dar de multe ori si copii din gradinita plangeau cand noi trei albe intram in camera, mai ales daca ne apropiam de ei... he he
In fiecare seara e predica. Inainte de predica, u.John iesea afara si striga: Oameni buni, lasati lucrul. Incepe predica! Si oamenii din apropiere il auzeau si veneau. La biserica trebuia sa ne punem batic sau caciula in cap- fetele.
In prima saptamana am ajutat la cresa, am fost la biserica si la seara de femei. Sambata am avut zi sportiva cu copiii din sat. Am avut activitati afara, la pranz le-am dat mancare: paine si apa. Apoi am avut teatru de papusi si predica in biserica.
In fiecare dimineata aveam devotion si ne rugam ca Domnul sa ne caluzeasca in ziua respectiva. Era foarte special cum Dumnezeu ne vorbea si impartaseam unii cu altii.
In a doua saptamana am avut chemari la diferite scoli in zona Rakops: clase primare si licee. Intr-o zi am avut 5 intalniri: 3 scoli, o statie de politie si o biserica. Dar in general nu eram asa aglomerati, cam doua intalniri pe zi. La scoli, de obicei aveam teatru de papusi, scenete, vorbeam despre Dragostea Adevarata Asteapta si cantam. De obicei ne prezentam pe noi cantand un cantec:
We're forth years, we came from different nations
God called us to come here, to serve Him in His Kingdom
Refrenul: All together we stand, differences aside
All together we stand as friends, Together we will walk as friends
South Africa, Romania, Botswana and Lesotho
America, the Indian, what a splendid cocktail mix
(se canta pe melodia: Osana, Osana)
Intradevar, anul nostru e foarte special, pentru ca suntem doar fete, in ceilalti ani sunt si fete si baieti…. Un alt lucru e, ca suntem putini studenti, doar 8. Si venim din 6 natiuni diferite. Acest cantec a fost compus de studenti.
De doua ori am fost intr-o comunitate de bushman, la 18 km de Rakops, unde predica u.John duminica. Inimile ne-au fost frante cand am vazut in ce conditii pot unii oameni sa traiasca: nu au aproape nimic. Doar o cocioaba stricata. Acolo am vizitat pe regele lor, ne-am jucat cu copii si am avut predica sub un copac- acolo e biserica lui John. Doua femei oloage din acea localitate au fost vindicate, de cand vin la predica si isi pun viata in randuiala. Am cunoscut una dintre ele. John zicea ca atunci cand el a inceput sa vina la Bushman, acea femeie se taria pe maini, nu umblase de ani de zile iar muschii ii erau atrofiati deja. Noi am vazut-o umbland pe picioare fara nici un ajutor.
Inainte de plecare, u.John a impartasit cu noi ca in ultimile doua luni, inainte de venirea noastra, lucrurile au mers rau la misiune si el a fost dezamagit, cum n-a mai fost niciodata in cei 20 ani de slujire. Si s-a rugat lui Dumnezeu, iar Domnul i-a vorbit printr-un verset din Biblie: "De azi inainte lucrurile se vor schimba". Si el zicea ca intradevar, cu venirea noastra, l-am intarit pe el, iar oamenii au inceput sa vina si sa isi marturiseasca pacatele din nou, parca Dumnezeu a inceput sa lucreze in inimile lor si fiecare a venit sa isi recunoasca partea lui de vina….
Sunt doua persoane despre care trebuie sa va scriu neparat:
Unul este: Dane. El e un baiat de 21 ani, alb, care locuieste langa Rakops. Il cunostea pe u.John, dar el nu era hotarat sa il slujeasca pe Dumnezeu. U.John l-a invitat in Rakops. A venit sambata si a plecat duminica seara. Am fost impreuna la predica duminica iar in rest a petrecut timp cu noi… Dumnezeu a lucrat in viata lui, si a vorbit cu u.Jan despre pacatele lui, s-au rugat la urma. Dane a avut asa multa bucrie in suflet si a zis ca: Ma bucur ca am gasit aceasta cale, intodeauna am stiut ca trebuie existe ceva mai mult…. U.Jan ne-a zis ca Dumnezeu chiar a inceput sa lucreze in viata lui Dane, el a mers foarte adanc si a marturisit tot. Dupa cateva zile, si-a adus si fratele. Se pare ca in curand vor veni aici la misiune in Africa de Sud.
Cealalta pesoana este: o fata din Anglia. Intr-o marti, pe cand aveam program cu copii la biserica, a venit un grup de 4 engleji: doua cupluri, nu stiu daca erau casatoriti sau prieteni. Ei au luat o masina in chirie din Africa de Sud si vroiau sa mearga pana sus in Nordul Africii. Dar li s-a terminat benzina chiar in Rakops si cineva i-a directionat la casa misionarului. U.John i-a ajutat, dar au ramas acolo peste noapte. A doua zi, cand trebuiau sa plece, li s-a stricat masina, asa ca u.John le-a reparat-o. Apoi el i-a invitat la biserica. Au stat cam 10 minute in biserica dupa care una din fete a iesit afara izbucnind in plans. T.Ilsa a vorbit cu ea. Mai tarziu am aflat ca de fapt Dumnezeu o chemase sa fie misionara cand era mai mica, dar ea nu a ascultat si mergea pe calea ei proprie. I-a parut rau…. Au promis ca la intoarcere din tur, vor veni la misiune in Africa de Sud sa stea o perioada inainte de intoarcerea in Anglia.
Am avut si o zi de relaxare. U.John ne-a dus la o mina de diamante in Orapa. A fost foarte interesant sa vedem cum se extrag si prelucreaza diamantele.
In incheiere, as vrea sa va mai spun un lucru despre miraculosul „uncle John". El defapt a fost headboy la nu stiu de scoala renumita in Anglia, si a facut facultatea de inginerie la Cambrige. A lasat toata pozitia lui si s-a smerit pana la pamant pentru cauza Evangheliei. Ce exemplu de urmat! Fie ca noi sa avem acelasi foc care e in u.John, aceeasi pasiune pentru sufletele pierdute. Sa nu punem pret pe faima, bogatie, ci sa ne dam viata pentru pretioasa Evanghelie a Domnului nostrum Isus Christos.
In dimineata inainte de plecare spre Africa de Sud, am citit Psalmul 63, si primul verset spune: "….Doamne, sufletul meu inseteaza dupa tine…. pe un pamant uscat unde nu este apa…" Cand am citit acest verset mi-am zis: Da, Doamne as vrea sa insetez dupa tine asa cum am tanjit dupa apa curata si aer racoros in Botswana.
Dumnezeu sa fie cu voi.
Numai bine
-- Lidia Veciunca

Kwasizabantu Mission, South Africa

Some online articles about the Auditorium fire

2008-10-20T23:12:00.006+03:00

Hear, O Israel - 18 June 2008 (Fano Sibisi's letter about Auditorium)

2008-10-19T01:19:00.008+03:00

My dear friends
God knew how much I needed to hear Uncle Erlo's Sunday message.
That morning I was in tears before the Lord, praying for a divine perspective to the shocking events of Saturday morning. The burning down of the KwaSizabantu Auditorium by an uncontrollable fire, whose cause is yet to be determined, shook me to the core.
As the details of the fire's progress filtered through to me tears welled up from within. For a time I was successful in suppressing my tears but when our dear fathers, Uncle Erlo and Uncle Friedel, entered my room - well- the dam-wall gave in.
Here before me were two men whose ministry was instrumental in introducing my father and the family to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, 38 years ago. For the last 31 years I have had the privilege of labouring alongside these men of God in the Lord's vineyard. I know that they hold back nothing in their dedicated service unto the Lord. The Lord has granted them faith, vision, courage and perseverance which have seen the work grow constantly over the years. The Auditorium was a 10-year project that was born, sustained and completed in that spirit.
Saturday's raging fire reminded me of the uncontrollable MND 'fire' that for the last 7-8 years has done great damage to my body. There I was, wishing that I could go up to the Auditorium to see what was happening and to express what I felt but I was locked up in a paralysed body.
In spite of the immobile body, past memories of activities in the auditorium filed through my mind at the speed of lightning; blessed services, conferences, engagements, weddings and funerals.
The last time I walked (with the help of a walking-stick) into the auditorium was in 2002. How could I forget the last time I was in the Auditorium? It was in September 2006 during the CFT Conference. I was wheeled into the conference in my sickbed and I enjoyed the fellowship.
Through the years of my physical confinement I have often dreamt of walking into the Lord's house again. When my wife leaves for the service I rejoice; it is as if part of me goes along.
On Sunday, Uncle Erlo's introductory remarks about the burning down of the auditorium gave a clear direction. He emphasised that what had burnt down was the building, not God and not the gospel. The real tragedy would be the burning down of our faith. Uncle Erlo said nothing changes; we will strive on in serving our God. He then challenged us to a deeper spiritual life.
Significantly, Sunday's powerful sermon was a continuation of the message which Uncle Erlo preached in the Auditorium the previous Sunday.
On Monday morning it occurred to me that Saturday's fire was one of those 'Hear, -O-Israel - moments.'
Recently I was captivated by an interview with some Jewish hostages who were part of the 100 Israelis that were targeted by hijackers in 1976. An Air France plane which was on its way from Israel to Paris was hijacked and forcefully diverted to Entebbe Airport in Uganda.
One man recounted the experience calmly, until he came to the part where in the midst of their dilemma they were reminded of 'Hear, O Israel.' The man sobbed as he recited in Hebrew,
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (Deut 6:4-5)
There are times when the Lord steps into a crisis and seems to disregard our distressing circumstances, instead He concentrates our minds on who He is and what He wants us to be.
Ultimately, it is not about us, our sentiments, memories and dreams.
Ultimately, it is not even about the Lord's work or the Lord's house; but it is about the Lord and our personal relationship to Him.
Hear, O Israel.
Have a blessed week.
Pressing on!
In His love Fano Sibisi

Fano Sibisi has been a co-worker at Kwasizabantu Mission since early 1977. He is a great preacher, musician (he's composed a number of songs), and, until MND took his voice, sang in the Kwasizabantu Choir. When he was diagnosed in 2000 with Motor Neuron Disease (known in America as ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease) he was given 6 months to 2 years to live, by his neurologist, which is the normal time for this condition to kill its victim. But, as you can see from his poem, Fano does not allow himself to live under the power of MND but under the power of God. Now, almost 8 years later, he still walks (though paralyzed) with the Lord in victory and joy. He writes regular newsletters using his eye aimed at his computer as he painstaikingly points out each character on the keyboard. His wonderful wife and family have surrounded him with love and care. And, very importantly, he has a team of "nurses" who watch over him day and night. These dedicated souls have given up so much (even careers) just to nurse Fano. We thank God for them and pray that they will receive special crowns in heaven.) <---- from the Mission's site

Lidia - about the Auditorium, a week later

2008-10-18T05:24:00.007+03:00

"BEHOLD I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW"
"God does not dwell in buildings made by human hands but in blood washed people, filled with His Holy Spirit" (Erlo Stegen).

Last Saturday we simply couldn't stop our tears. Every time we think about what happened, we would look toward the Auditorium, and we could only weep. I wished so hard that I would wake up and everything would be just a nightmare. Sunday, after uncle Erlo 's sermon, it was as if our tears were wiped away for good. I will tell you only the beginning of the sermon because I recorded it.

Sunday morning the Service was held in the School dinning hall. Only a few hundred people fit inside, the rest stayed outside, on each side of the building. We arranged chairs and sound outside. It was a very warm winter day – Ill send you a picture that I took right before people came for the Service.

Before sermon, uncle Friedel stood up and said, " Gods ways are perfect, even when we do not understand. The Lord gave and He has the right to take away . In all situations, we have to glorify His Name".
Then uncle Erlo held the Service. He started like this : We gathered in this place because our church burned down yesterday. People ask me what do I have to say about this. I am very refreshed. I can taste the sweetness of the Lord, I feel His peace and I am joyous. I feel that God's work continues. The Bible tells us we will go through various trials. And these trials have to make us stronger and cause our roots to go deeper, to grow and progress.
If an event like this would make me weak and depressed, then my faith is dead. A building burnt down. What is a building? The Gospel didn't burn . It goes on.

Paul went through a lot of sufferance. Our pain now doesn't even compare to his. In the history of Church we read how people themselves were incinerated, not just their churches. But the Gospel didn't stop but carried on full of power. Auditorium was built with human hands. But our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. If we would fall out, then that would be terrible indeed.
When my wife died, that was a bigger loss than the burning of the church, but that didn't stop me from preaching either. On the contrary, I experienced, that the Gospel carried on with even more strength. When they got my wife's dead body out of the house, we sang " We have the victory". The same song we can sing now for the Auditorium.

We must see this event as a new beginning, not an ending. The Gospel must go on and that is all that matters.

Then he preached about the Falling of the Holy Spirit ( Acts 2). It was the 4th time that he preached from the same passage and the Lord reveals to us more and more awesome things about His Holy Spirit. Last time he spoke to us about how a person filled with the Holy Spirit must look and act. This time he preached about "...when the day of Pentecost was fully come". The Lord set a time for everything. And uncle Erlo told us how to seek His will and not get ahead of His plans. How to have patience and not speed things up.

Now they are leveling the place where the auditorium was and they will install a tent and we will meet there Sundays for services. During the week the services will be in the dinning hall. In two weeks we will have the opening for the Youth Conference and we will have about 5 thousands kids for a week at the Mission.

We are getting ready to go in Botswana. We started praying and preparing for this since last year. The departure is tomorrow! We plan on staying for 3 weeks, but it takes 3 days only to get there. I'll tell you all about it when we get back.

So far, we have seen the hand of the Lord helping us and opening the doors for us. Money, visas, transportation and a lot of other necessary things (tents, isolation, etc).
Pray that the Lord goes with us. We live in dangerous times and maybe you heard how people here hate the foreigners.
I leave you all in His hand.

Lidia Veciunca
Kwasizabantu Mission, South Africa

Lidia - the day Auditorium burnt down 14th June 2oo8

2008-10-18T04:57:00.008+03:00

Lidia Veciunca is our first Romanian student at Cedar College of South Africa and although I only met her in Africa for the first time 2 and a half years ago, we share a strong frienship and alot of what Im posting here its going to be from her, about her or with her.

Today is a sad day for people at Mission Kwasizabantu, South Africa. Our church, the Auditorium, a building with 10.000 seats, has completely burned down.
This morning when we woke up , the sun was shinning and I thought it was going to be a warm and beautiful winter day. A common day. We had no idea what the Lord had planned for today.
Around 9 o clock we received the news :the auditorium is burning down. I thought it was a joke and I ran to the window. What I saw were clouds of smoke covering the sky and the auditorium in flames. Then I took this picture I'll attach later.
We ran there along with all the people at the Mission and everyone was getting what they had at home to put the fire out. Us , the girls, took the fire extinguishers form the hostel but on the way there people told us it was too late. I didn't listen to them and I ran with that big bottle, now when I think of it I do not understand how I could carry something that heavy – but I thought they were going to put out the fire with it.
Sadly, there was nothing we could do. We all stood there and watched how that awesome building where so many people heard The Word of God was burning. People wanted to bring water, but the water was cut off , there was no running water at the Mission that very hour. That isn't very unusual here, water and power are cut often.

It all started with a short circuit in one of the tiny wooden apartments on the side of the Auditorium, where Lydia and Archie live with their 4 little kids. All they could take out of the fire were the children. When Archie went to get something else, he got burned and had to come out. He only hurt his hands.

Everyone was present there. On streets, people wept, women were holding their heads sobbing and crying. Some were praying out loud… It seemed like the end of the world. The strongest men at the Mission, were crying watching how the work of 8 years was burning down.

When it was built, in the 80's , there weren't so many people at the mission, nor much technology… so people built it with their own hands. In that sorrow on the streets I could see uncle Robert, now in his 80s , he did all the wooden side of the building…. I saw uncle Jack, who did the cement part. People worked so hard for the Auditorium.
Uncle Erlo was there too with his brother, uncle Friedel. We all stood there astounded and nobody could go near the building. In half and hour the fire destroyed EVERYTHING. A few men managed to take out 10 or 20 benches from inside. But all the rest, the pianos, sound installation, and hundred of benches turned to ashes. When the building finally crashed it was a big moan and cry outside….
Of course they called the fire station, but they took an hour to come , to remind us we were in Africa…
Uncle Erlo came there and went to Attila to ask him about his health. He didn't make a fuss or blame anyone. He was concerned about the health of the others. His brother, uncle Friedel was supposed to fly to Europe last week but he was bit by a poisonous spider and the doctor advised him to postpone the trip for a week. This way he could be with uncle Erlo and the rest of the co-workers today.
Every day at 11 o clock we have a service in the Auditorium ( 11 am and 7 pm ) but today the Auditorium was smoking ashes. We gathered in the school hall and the sermon was about Job. The Lord gave, the Lord took away, blessed be His name. And we were told that God is in control and we don't have to ask "why, Lord?". We don't know what dialog He had above.
In situations like these one could see what matters most. Is it God? Is it the world with its things? Maybe you think "but Lord, it was for Your glory, here people turn to You and so many found peace with You and joy here… how could you allow such a tragedy??" No! We must be thankful that nobody died. A building can be rebuilt. But a life doesn't come back. And the preacher said that Job didn't question God and he had taken 10 children along with herds , servants and everything. But he knew God was in control and He could do whatever He wanted.
We don't know the future, but maybe the Lord has something in mind and will make a new Auditorium. We want to help clean the huge mess and any other thing we can help with… while staying united and grateful that nothing worse happened.
I was very encouraged by Lydia's attitude. Her 6 yo, Cobus, was crying : ooooohhh, all my shoes burnt inside… and his mom told him that the Lord will take care of everything and he didn't have to worry about a thing.
At Prayer, we prayed for everyone who heard the news about the Auditorium; that the Lord will comfort them and they will trust Him, cause He is in control.
God bless you all,
LidiaVeciunca.

Lidia -mail la o saptamana dupa ce a ars Auditoriumul

2008-10-18T04:23:00.010+03:00

(primul mail, din ziua cand a ars Auditoriumul, este postul de mai jos)

Sambata trecuta nu ne puteam opri lacrimile.... de cate ori ne gandeam la ce s-a intamplat sau ne uitam spre Auditorium, doar ne venea sa plangem.
Asa imi doream sa ma tezesc si incidental acela sa fi fost doar un vis... Duminica, dupa predica lui u.Erlo, parca ni s-au sters lacrimile pentru totdeauna. Am sa va scriu doar incepututl predicii lui, ca mi-am inregistrat-o.

Duminica predica s-a tinut in sala de mese a scolii. Au incaput cateva sute de persoane, restul au stat afara- pe o parte si pe alta a cladirii. S-au pus scaune si sonorizare. A fost o zi foarte calduroasa. (va trimit o poza- care am facut-o inainte sa vina oamenii)
Inainte de predica, u.Friedel s-a ridicat si a zis: "Caile lui Dumnezeu sunt desavarsite (perfecte), chiar daca cateodata noi nu intelegem. Dumnezeu a dat si El are dreptul sa ia. In toate situatiile noi trebuie sa glorificam numele Domnului".

Apoi u.Erlo a tinut predica. El a inceput asa: Ne-am adunat in acest loc pentru ca biserica nostra a ars ieri. Unii ma intreaba ce zic de aceasta intamplare. Ma invioreaza foarte mult. Simt dulceata Domnului, simt pacea Lui si sunt inviorat din nou, si simt ca lucrarea lui Dumnezeu merge mai departe. Biblia ne spune ca vom trece prin felurite incercari. Si aceste incercari trebuie sa ne faca mai puternici iar radacinile noastre sa se adanceasca mai mult, sa avansam si sa progresam. Daca un eveniment ca si acesta m-ar slabi si m-ar face sa fiu dezamagit, atunci credinta mea este moarta. A ars o cladire!! Ce este o cladire? Evanghelia nu a ars. Ea merge inainte.

Pavel a trecut prin multe suferinte. Suferinta noastra nici nu se compara cu suferintele lui Pavel. In istoria bisericii citim cum oamenii insisi au fost arsi, nu doar bisericile lor, dar Evanghelia nu s-a oprit ci a mers mai departe cu si mai multa putere. Auditorium a fost facut cu maini omenesti. Dar trupurile noastre sunt templele Duhului Sfant. Daca noi am cadea de pe cale, atunci intr-adevar ar fi teribil.
Cand a murit sotia mea, aceea a fost o pierdere mai mare decat arderea salii de predica, dar nici acel lucru nu m-a oprit sa predic Evanghelia ci din contra am experimentat ca Evanghelia a mers mai departe cu si mai multa putere. Cand au scos trupul mort al sotiei din casa in sicriu, am catat cantecul: Am biruit, suntem victoriosi!
Acelasi cantec putem sa il cantam si pentru Auditorium.

Trebuie sa vedem acest eveniment ca si un nou inceput, nu ca si un sfarsit. Evanghelia trebuie sa mearga mai departe, asta e tot ce conteaza.

Apoi a predicat despre Pogorarea Duhului Sfant din Fapte 2. E a patra oara cand predica din acelasi pasaj, si Dumnezeu ne descopera tot mai multe lucruri minunatedespre Duhul Sfant. Data trecuta a vorbit despre cum trebuie sa arate si sa se comporte o persoana care e plina de Duhul Sfant. Iar de data asta a vorbit despre: "cand s-a implinit vremea Cincizecimii". Dumnezeu hotaraste o vreme pentru fiecare lucru. Si ne-a predicat despre cum sa cautam sa aflam voia Domnului si sa nu o luam inaintea planului lui Dumnezeu. Sa avem rabdare, sa nu grabim lucrurile.

Acum se niveleaza pamantul unde se va pune un cort, si acolo se vor tine serviciile de duminica. In timpul saptamanii predica va fi in sala de la scoala. Peste doua saptamani va incepe conferinta de tineret, cand vor veni in jur de 5 mii de tineri pentru o saptamana.

Noi ne pregatim sa plecam in Botswana. Am inceput sa ne rugam si sa facem pregatiti inca de la sfarsitul anului trecut. Maine e plecarea!!
Planuim sa stam 3 saptamani. Dar facem 3 zile pe drum. Nu stim exact ce ne asteapta dar este cineva care organizeaza timpul pentru noi. Va povestesc cand ne intoarcem.

Pana acum am vazut mana Domnului cum ne-a ajutat si ne-a deschis usi: ne-a dat bani, am primit viza, transport si alte lucruri necesare (corturi, izolare, etc)
Sa va rugati ca Domnul sa fie cu noi. E o vreme periculoasa, poate si voi ati auzit de ura care o au oamenii fata de straini....
Va las in mana Lui.
Weekend placut!
--
Lidia Veciunca
Kwasizabantu Mission, South Africa

Just in case somebody wonders, the first pic is yes, Bill Bathman at the Youth Conference at the Mission. held in a tent this year.

Lidia -ziua in care a ars Auditoriumul

2008-10-18T03:16:00.012+03:00

Lidia Veciunca este prima noastra studenta romanca la Cedar College in Africa de Sud. Desi am cunoscut-o numai in Africa, ma leaga de ea o prietenie aparte. Mult din ceea ce voi impartasi aici, va fi de la ea, desprea ea sau cu ea.

Mai jos este mailul scris de ea in ziua cand a ars Auditoriumul - 14 iunie 2008

Astazi e o zi trista pentru cei de la misiunea Kwasizabantu, Africa de Sud. Sala de predica de zece mii de locuri a ars complet.
Azi dimineata cand ne-am trezit, soarele stralucea frumos si se parea ca va fi o zi calduroasa de iarna. O zi obisnuita. Nci nu stiam ce avea Domnul in plan.
Pe la ora noua, am primit vestea: Auditorium is burning down!! Am crezut ca e o gluma, dar cand m-am uitat pe geam am vazut un nor de fum si auditorium era in flacari. Atunci am facut poza aceasta care am sa vi-o trimit. Am alergat acolo, impreuna cu toti oamenii din misiune, si fiecare a adus ce a putut sa stinga focul....Cateva dintre noi fetele am dus stingatoarele de foc de la noi din camin. Dar pe drum oamenii ne-au spus ca e prea tarziu. Eu nu i-am ascultat si am fugit cu butelia aceea, (desi acum nu pot sa imi imaginez cum am putut cara asa o greutate mare), pentru ca am crezut ca vor stinge focul cu ea
Dar nu s-a putut face nimic... Toti am stat si ne-am uitat cum cladirea aceea frumoasa in care multi oameni au auzit Cuvantul lui Dumnezeu ardea… Oamenii au vrut sa aduca apa, dar apa era luata. Adica nu era apa la robinete. Lucru asta nu e neobisnuit aici, deseori de ia apa sau curentul...
A inceput cu un scurt circuit in casa lui Lydia si Arch. Ei au 4 copii mici si locuiau intrun apartament micut in cladirea salii de predici. Focul s-a extins la clipeala ochiului (apartamentul lor era din lemn), dar a putut sa scoata copii si atat! Cand a mers sa mai scoata ceva, s-a ars si a iesit. Are cateva arsuri la maini doar.
Toti oamenii din misiune au venit acolo…. Pe strada, oamenii plangeau, femeile se tineau de cap si plangeau si strigau. Unii se rugau cu voce tare… Parca era sfarsitul lumii… Oamenii cei mai puternici, barbati, plangeau cand vedeau cum se darama acea cladire la care ei au muncit timp de 8 ani de zile.
Cand au construit-o (in anii 80), nu erau multi oameni la misiune, si nu aveau technologie ca in ziua de astazi, asa ca oamenii au lucrat cu mainile lor… In jalea de pe strada am putut sa il vad pe u.Robert, care acum e in varsta de 80 de ani, el a facut toata partea de lemn a cladirii, am vazut pe u.Jack care a facut partea de ciment. Oamenii care au lucrat din greu. A fost si u.Erlo cu fratele sau (u Friedel). Toti am stat inmarmuriti… nimeni nu s-a putut apropia de cladire. In jumatate de ora a ars TOT. Cativa barbati au reusit sa scoata vreo 10-20 banci, in rest: doua pianuri, instalatia de sunet, si toate bancile au ars scrum. Cand cladirea a cazut, a fost un urlet si jeamat mare….
Binenteles ca au chemat pompierii….dar au venit dupa o ora, ca doar suntem in Africa .
U.Erlo a venit acolo si s-a apropiat de Attila (sotul Cristinei), si l-a intrebat: Cum stai cu sanatatea? El nu s-a agitat, nu strigat! Nu a dat vina pe cineva! Ci era preocupat de bunastarea altora. Fratele lui, (u.Friedel) trebuia sa zboare miercuri in Europa la predica, dar nu i-a fost prea bine si doctoral i-a zis sa mai amane o saptamana. Asa ca acum a putut sa fie alaturi de u.Erlo si ceilalti lucratori.

LA ora 11, trebuia sa fie serviciu de predica (in fiecare zi e predica la 11 si seara la 7), dar auditorium fumega. Ne-am strans sala de mese a scolii, si s-a predicat din Iov: Domnul a dat, Domnul a luat. Binecuvantat sa fie numele lui. Si ne-a spus ca Dumnezeu e in control si noi nu trebuie sa intrebam: Dne de ce? Noi nu stim ce sfat a avut Domnul in cer…
In situatii ca si astea se vede ce conteaza pentru noi…. Este Dumnezeu? Sunt lucrurile din aceasta lume? Zicea in predica- poate va ganditi: Doamne, dar a fost pentru slava ta, aici oamenii se intorc la tine, multi au gasit alinare si impacare cu tine…Cum s-a putut intampla asa o tragedie? Nu! Nu! Nu! Noi trebuie sa fim multumitori ca nimeni nu a murit. O cladire se poate reconstrui dar o viata umana nu mai vine inapoi.
Si zicea ca Iov nu i-a pus intrebari lui Dumnezeu, iar lui i s-au luat 10 copii, turme, slujitori, tot. Dar el a stiut ca Dumnezeu e in control si El face tot ce vrea.
Noi nu stim viitorul, dar poate Dumnezeu are ceva in minte sa se faca o alta sala de predica. Noi vrem sa ajutam sa curatam arsurile si orice altceva mai trebuie…. Trebuie sa stam uniti si sa ii fim recunoscatori Domnului ca nu a fost mai rau.
Am fost foarte incurajata de atitudinea Lydiei. Copilul ei de 6 ani, Cobus plangea si zicea: O, toti papucii mi s-au ars in casa…. Iar mama lui i-a zis ca Domnul va purta de grija si el nu trebuie sa se ingrijoreze.
La rugaciune s-a rugat pentru toti oamenii care vor auzi vestea, ca Domnul sa ii mangaie si sa se increada in El, pentru ca Domnul e in control!
Fiti binecuvantati!

-- Do not fear! Jesus is in control!
Lidia Veciunca
Kwasizabantu Mission, South Africa

David at Reception

2008-10-17T04:28:00.010+03:00

David was on duty at Reception one day while I was hanging around taking pictures. He was pretty overwhelmed with requests and yet keeping calm and concerned with everyone's needs. At a certain point he was on the phone with someone wanting to know more detailes about the Mission to send a person who was recovering from drug addiction , as I figured. I filmed what David was saying about the Mission and when he was done I asked his permission to publish it on the internet . So here it is

Google Earth

2008-10-17T03:50:00.014+03:00

This is what Google Earth info says about the Mission:
"KwaSizabantu (KSB) is approximately 3,100 feet above sea level and 25 miles inland from the Indian Ocean. The Mission station covers almost 900 acres of rich farmland previously used to raise sugar cane. It is the epic-center of revival among the Zulu. There is a commercial radio station, an air strip (with night landing approach), plus a community of buildings to house and feed several hundred co-workers. Over 25 agricultural projects provide a variety of foods, fruit and dairy products that are shipped to chain-stores across South Africa and abroad. The center piece of the mission is a 10,000 seat auditorium which is packed for special meetings and frequent conferences. There is no fee required to attend the meetings. Money is never mentioned. Food and hospitality are provided for all guests, free of charge. There is a hospital without doctor, nurses or medicine. The Gospel is preached twice each day to the patients and there are some remarkable healings. There is no anointing with oil or laying on of hands. Those who are healed are not paraded out for inspection by the astonished masses. There is no 'ego-trip' for the one who preaches. It's the Great Physician who heals in response to the proclamation of the Word of God. For more info please visit www.ksb.org.za"

And an aerial picture of it. Sadly, the majestic Auditorium is not there anymore. It entirely burned down this year in June, due to an electrical short-circuit.

Revival among the Zulu

2008-10-16T01:47:00.003+03:00

Can be read in English here

Si in romana aici

The image above is the content of the book into a wordle at http://wordle.net/. Isnt it beautiful?

When God Comes Down

2008-10-15T23:38:00.008+03:00

I will not even try to describe it. How do you describe something that God Himself does in front of your eyes? I know of people who hear about it for years and even though it does sound nice, they cant understand why would anyone cross the world for it. And when they eventually experience it themselves, it changes their lives forever. Others , on the contrary after growing up at the Mission, turn against it in anger. And some people who from the first minute are so in love with it that the eyes of their love dont even blink... and the Lord not only allowes them to experience it directly, but also makes them a part of it. Yes, I am one of these.

My testimony has yet a few chapters to be lived. But here is a priceless movie about the Mission and the Revival, told in Zulu by uncle Erlo. They did this movie of presentation for the 40 years of Revival celebrated last year. There is nothing I need to add to this. Except maybe, that their testimonies and words are not even half of what they live.

The most beautiful story ever.