Global

We're on our Way!

In December Pastor Rick, Jerry Heffel, and I (Ken Morris) visited several possible ministry partners in Africa with our hosts from African Leadership.  By the end of that journey we all believed that God was leading us to partner with Capital City Baptist Church in Lilongwe, Malawi. 

Today, I am in route back to Lilongwe, this time with Kyle Wall, Next Gen Pastor, and Troy Madge, mission volunteer extrordinare.  Our goal is to meet with Capital City Baptist Church leadership and the African Leadership, Malawi board and work out details to our partnership for the next several years.  We will also work out as many of the logistical details as we can in preparation for at least 3 TPC teams coming over later this year. 

We are overnighting in Johannesburg tonight and will arrive in Lilongwe tomorrow.

The First 2 1/2 Days in Malawi

We have been in Malawi for two and one half weeks days.  The time has been full, tremendously informative, heart-wrenching, inspiring. . .

After arriving on Wednesday afternoon we unloaded our things at the Korea Garden Lodge in the capital city of Malawi – Lilongwe.  After a quick stop for local currency and bottled water we went to dinner with several board members and wives of African Leadership, Malawi (African Leadership, headquartered in Franklin,TN, are hosting us on this scouting/vision trip).  We had a very enjoyable time meeting these local residents of Lilongwe and hearing about their ministry and vision here in Malawi.

On Thursday we met with the pastor of Capital City Baptist Church, Henry Joseph.  He gave us some background on the church and showed us some of the ministries through which they serve the community.  This included a youth center close to the central part of the city and Kauma Village, a housing/agriculture community that houses families who have taken in several AIDS orphans.  I can’t even begin to explain or describe.

In the afternoon we drove to a refugee camp where refugees, mostly from The Congo and Burundi, have been placed by the UN after fleeing war in their countries.  Some have been living in this “temporary” refugee camp for 15 years!  At the camp we met with a group of pastor’s who have been going through a 2 year discipleship program sponsored by African Leadership. Rick spoke a brief message of encouragement to them.  They were thrilled to have visitors from so far away.  This camp is one of the most bleak and depressing places I have ever visited.

From the refugee camp we went to a juvenile prison where 29 teenage boys are serving time (many for stealing from their own family members).  African Leadership helped them start a farming initiative that now provides food for them and a prison with 1500 prisoners.  Visits are also being made by some of the local pastors.

That evening we had dinner with David Walker, an American businessman who first came to work with a micro-finance bank.  He is now a consultant with local businesses and trying to learn more about how to do business as mission.

Today, we drove south for just over an hour and went to a village where there is a food and Bible program for AIDS orphans living with extended family throughout the village.  The kids cane today (Saturday) just to see us.  There were about 100 of them and a group of 5 teenagers sang a couple of songs.  The oldest boy was playing a home-made “guitar” put together with a large, square cooking oil can with 4 wires stretched along a hand-carved neck.  It sounded great!  I was asked to give a message to the kids.  It was deeply moving to speak to these kids who are so young and yet, have been placed in a situation where they must exercise such strong faith.

We drove back to Lilongwe for a quick lunch and then on to another village for a Pastor Training Graduation Ceremony.  It was a group of 9 (some teachers and wives) who had finished the 2 year discipleship training program.  WOW! The praise and worship was a wall of sound and emotion.  Rick gave a charge to the graduates.  Two of the graduates had husbands who got up and were dancing as they received their diplomas. The mother of another graduate stepped out and was dancing as he received his. After they were all pronounced graduates the place exploded with singing, clapping and dancing.  Rarely have I seen such spontaneous joy and celebration.  This was a very significant moment for the graduates and their families.

In between these highlights have been numerous conversations and meals with other persons serving here.  God continues to expand our understanding and, little by little, is helping us focus in on some ways we might be able to serve alongside some of His people here.  Many we have met are openly talking good news of Jesus Christ and compassionately doing good works of the Kingdom.  Pray that we would discern how God might have us join what He is doing in Africa. 

(I have pictures, but the internet is too slow to send them just now.)

Khayelitsha – Daycare, Sports, Learn to Earn

This morning (Wednesday) we went to Khayelitsha, a black township of 1,000,000, which is a mixture of wood and tin one-room shacks and some very small recently built homes.  Twenty years ago it did not exist.  In order to shift the voting majority in the Cape Town province from white to black tens of thousands of black Africans migrated into this province over the past two decades.  Kaleitsha is where the majority of them settled. 

We visited with a Korean missionary named Kim who helps oversee a large ministry to the children of Khayelitsha.  They have 14 buildings scattered throughout Khayelitsha that offer daycare for working moms. One of the impressive things about this ministry is that there is strong community buy in and support for these centers.  The local community provided land for many of these centers. On Saturdays they do a Saturday “Sunday School”.  They kids come from 2-3 hours of Bible stories and activities.  They also have a sports league that works with hundreds of teenagers throughout the week.

We spent the afternoon at Learn to Earn.  This is a jobs training center in Khayelitsha begun by Roche van Wyk along with several local churches and African Leadership in Franklin (The People’s Church gave him $15,000 about 10 years ago to help build his main facility.  The uniqueness of this 10 – 15 week program is that in addition to job skills training the individuals also attend a Life Skills class that addresses issues of dignity and self-respect.   Roche believes this class is key to addressing some of the root issues that contribute to a person’s unemployment. He practically guarantees that if a person comes through his job training program that they can get gainful employment in addition to new perspective on life.  Every Wednesday morning they have an optional worship service on site.  The program has an exceptionally high rate of employment and has begun to open similar programs in other communities. 

I have been extremely impressed with the balance of good news and good works that is being lived out at Learn to Earn.  It is a wonderful model of business as mission. 

In Khayelitsha we have seen how the Kingdom is coming to pre-schoolers to adults.  The compassionate initiatives of the Father's love are wonderous and overflowing with hope.

Africa Delayed - Arrived

The journey to Africa started for 6 out of 7 of us on Friday, Nov. 30.  I (Ken Morris) was the lone member left behind.  At the airport I found out that South Africa started a new policy in October that required all persons entering their country must have two consecutive blank visa pages in their passports.  I had one and was refused by the airline to board the plane to South Africa. 

After a flurry of phone calls, emails and faxes, I had a letter from Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn and was headed to Washington DC to expedite the addition of pages to my passport. I was at the passport office Monday morning as it opened and, only by the grace of God and some very sympathetic government workers, had my extra pages within two hours.  Then after an hour and a half working with a ticket agent at Washington Reagan Airport I had my Friday tickets reissued for Monday.  I flew to Atlanta and was there less than 1 hour before boarding my flight to South Africa. 

In spite of the dissapointment of not boarding the flight this past Friday, I ended up having some unexpected time with my wife and kids (we went to the Christmas parade in Franklin on Saturday) and I saw, once again, how God quietly slips into my day and graciously provides.

I am writing from the hotel in Cape Town (having arrived at 9:00 last night, Tuesday).  Rick said the time so far has been overwhelming.  The beauty of the country, the contrast between wealth and poverty, the faithfulness of those serving here to extend good news and good works that declare the Kingdom. 

Today, I will see some of the ministries and meet some of the people the rest of the team has already been interacting with.  Tonight we will fly to Johannesburg where we will overnight and then fly to Malawi tomorrow morning.  I'll try and have pictures on my next entry.

From Bangledesh to Kosova

On Thursday morning we visited the main office of the Grameen Bank in Kosova.  This is the bank that originated in Bangledesh and has provided some 3 million loans over the last 25 years to women who are among poorest of the poor.  WE began the morning by meeting with two Bengali men who have been with the bank for over two decades.  They were sent to Kosova to help keep the bank true to it's mission.  They were most gracious and explained that since 2001 the Grameen Bank here has worked exclusively in the villiages and currently has 10,000 clients.  All of whom are women, with most of the loans going to help them with agricultural projects.  Less than 1% of their loans have been defalted.

After our visit in the offices we loaded up in vehicles and headed out to one of the villages where a meeting of women were having thier fortnighly (every two weeks) meeting to make a payment on their loans. No amount of reading about the bank could substitue for the hour spent visiting some women who are experiencing the lift their loans have bought.  Since the women are too poor to put up collateral, Grameen requires the women form into groups of 5 and they, together, guarantee the loans of each other.  They, in effect, become the collateral for each other. If one cannot pay the others are committed to pay for them for that period.  It is a system that shows respect and demonstrates trust to a segment of society that often is not trusted outside thier circles.

We then went to the European Vision Univesity where we meet with the rector (president), Edmond Beqiri.  He is a long time friend and man of peace with whom I have been associated for over six years.  Last year was the first year of his new private university.  They had 200 students.  This year they have added 500 more!  He truly cares about the students and is helping lead Kosova into a future where higher education will catch up with European standards. 

That evening we had dinner with some good friends who have been here for 3 years.  They are preparing to move back to the states with their 4 children.  However, he intends to return at least 3 times a year to continue economic develpment work that he has has been doing with a Kingdom heart.  The grace of God comes into this world in such varied and beautiful ways.  How overwhelming/humbling to be swept up in it's transforming power and enlightenment.

Camp friend and Cows

The moring started early with a 7:30 visit over pastries and coffee with a Albanian friend who helped us with the Leadership Camps last summer.  He is assisting some collegues with English classes funded through USAid. 

We drove to the eastern border of Kosovo and visited two micro-finance clients who both began with initial loans of $500.  One of them used the money to rent a small kiosk in the outdoor market and buy some things to sell there.  Five years (and 6 loans later) he has three stores on the main thoroughfare in his town.  The other man used his $500 to buy a dairy cow.  He now has 60 cows, is helping others in neighboring villages get dairy cows and hopes to have 100 dairy cows and start a dairy plant where all the neighboring dairy farmers can have their milk processed.  We are moving rather rapidly down the micro-finance learning curve. 

On the visit at the dairy farmers home, they prepared a traditional Kosovar meal.  It included the one food that is native ONLY to Kosova.  It is "flia" - a batter, similar to that used for crepes, is spooned into a large round pan in a very thin layer.  A lid, piled with coals, is then set over the pan and bakes the batter for about 5 minutes. The process is then repeated at least 10 times until the pan has a large multilayered delight.  That was served with other traditional foods such as pickled peppers, fresh cheese, yougurt, roast, soup, etc.  I slept in the back seat on the way home.

When we arrived in Prishtina, we packed up and headed to Peje.  It was 4:30 and already almost dark.  I told the guys that one of the most frightening things about driving at night here are the people wearing black and walking on the side of the road. Sure enough, it was lightly raining and before I knew it there were 2 people on the road (to stay out of the mud next to the road).  I swerved at the last second and we all took a deep breath and gave thanks.

We are now in the place that is my second home.  Tomorrow we will visit with the people at a branch of the Grameen Bank.  It's founder, Muhammad Yunus, one the Nobel Peace prize last year for the unique approach taken by this bank in Bangladesh.

Full day with Micro Finance Bank

(Written at 1 in the morning by a very sleep confused individual)

This morning I woke up to the call to prayer from the mosque that is about 15 yards across and down the street. Today was our day to lead meetings for Besledhja/Zavet Micro Finance. They reserved a nice conference room in a local hotel. This morning William and I led a workshop for the managers on the BZMF staff(about 20 men and women - two Serbs and the rest Albanians). We dialoged about leadership and supervision with some good opportunities to share our worldview.  Carl and Mike joined us during the question and answer time. 
We sat at various tables with the staff for lunch.  They were a very impressive group of people with a real heart to help their people. At 2:00 a group of about 20 clients came for a workshop on personal and business finance.  Mike led the first workshop and Carl led the second one.  They did a great job and were very well recieved. Manny, the director was very pleased with the day. 

There are so many memories that resurface as I am walking the streets and visiting among the people who have captured a part of my heart.  This evening, I met with one Albanian friend and two American friends living here. It was so encouraging to visit with them and hear the many ways in which God continues to be working in this part of the world.  There were a couple of conversations that revealed how some initiatives that we were a part of 5 years ago are continuing and expanding in influence.  Our God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly beyond all we ask or think.

We Leave Today

It all started six months ago with a few of us talking about how we, living in a community of resource might make a difference in a community of need.  There was mention of  Kiva.org  and the accessibility it gives a person to directly help make a micro-loan to an individual you get to know by name.  After several discussions more than talk was needed.  We decided to jump in somewhere and learn by doing.  And so, here we are at Nashville Airport getting ready to board a plane and head to Kosova (ethnic Albanian spelling).  There we will learn from two different micro-enterprise banks who are seeking to help the poor help themselves.  More to come. . .

Team Leaves Today

A team of seven leaves today, October 13 for two weeks in "Sunset Beach", a village in SE Asia where we have been assisting with disaster relief and redevelopment since a massive natural disaster in 2004.  The team will assist with ESL and business development among a beautiful people who are one of many "Unreached People Groups" in the region.

Kosovo Summer Leadership Camps

Please pray for everyone involved with the two camps in Kosovo this summer:

July 5-18 = High School Leadership Camp
     Chandler Farmer, Chris Garmon, Ken Morris, Ivy Readhead

July 19 - August 1 = University Leadership Camp
     Mark Bryant, Josh Hayden, Anna Hayden