Focus Partnership: South Africa – 2009 Mission Trip

	Part of the trip we were able to route through Kruger Park. This impala is my favourite animal picture – what a graceful yet durable creature.
	Jonas Motsomane is planting New Creation Baptist Church in Dequipe, South Africa, near Pilanesberg Game Park. Virginia Baptists in the Concord Association are sponsoring him. Before the sponsorship enabled him to work full-time for the church, he worked in a nearby platinum mine. It wasn’t unusual for him to work bent over in the mine for over ten straight hours.
	Brian Jardine is the Director of Missions for the Baptist Northern Association in South Africa. Jonas Motsomane is a church planter in the BNA.
	Virginia Baptist churches and associations are sponsoring 14 indigenous church planters in South Africa. Ten of them are in the Free State Province, three in the Baptist Northern Association, and one in Kwazulu-Natal. It has been a great joy to become friends with them.
	This buffalo is one of "the Big Five". I wouldn’t want to get stuck in an alley with one of these.
	In 2010 the FIFA World Cup takes place in South Africa. Under the banner "the Ultimate Goal" churches all over the country will reach out to World Cup guests and enthusiasts. Virginia Baptists will send at least two volunteer teams (two weeks/$3000) to help. They will leave VA on June 9th and June 23rd, respectively. We’re looking for 1) soccer enthusiasts, 2) worship arts volunteers (drama, music, etc.) and 3) volunteers for children’s sports ministry. Naturally anyone with a willing heart and hands is welcome!
	All over South Africa stadiums are being renovated or built. Building materials are in high demand as there are so many construction and road projects. This is the Greenpoint Stadium in Capetown. All the major cities will host playoff games, the semi-finals and final taking place in Gauteng Province.
	Pastor Riaan Niemand (light shirt) and the Eastside Community Church in Pretoria have set up an infrastructure for volunteers during the World Cup. The umbrella organization for church projects is "the Ultimate Goal". Riaan will come to Virginia this Fall to talk with student groups and churches. We’ll have an info/orientation meeting with him at Chancellor Baptist Church, Fredericksburg, on November 16th at 3:00 p.m. No reservation necessary. In the same place at 6:30 p.m. we'll have a missions volunteer appreciation dinner. ($10, RSVP Jeannette Hildebrand)
	This is the World Cup table at the Annual Assembly of the Baptist Union of Southern Africa, September 25th-29th, 2009. This was a chance to hand out materials and allow churches to sign up to host volunteer teams.
	World Cup outreach teams will also go to locations where people cannot attend the games or even get close to the venues. Eastside Community Church has organized trailers which are packed with all a team needs to hold a sports outreach event in a park or other informal location. Each trailer will have a set of goals, balls, marker cones, children’s club materials, literature etc.
	We met some Brazilian missionaries in Johannesburg – Roberto (l.) is from the Parana Province, where we have had a partnership for years. They work among the Portuguese-speaking people in Johannesburg. Roberto and Diego hope to have over 300 Brazilian missions volunteers during the World Cup in 2010.
	Kimiad Retreat Centre is not far from Johannesburg and Pretoria. Eastside Community Church acquired the property and is developing it to house and orphanage, a training centre and volunteers.
	Before: This hall could house volunteers on a very basic level.
	After: Virginia Baptists contributed $3000 toward a renovation that turned the space into separate rooms joined by a conference area.
	This is not a referee for the World Cup games – it’s a zebra.
	This year's Assembly of the Baptist Union of Southern Africa took place in Polokwane, Limpopo Province. Here General Secretary Angelo and Naomi Scheepers pose with Jeffrey and Gladys Fololo, in their traditional dress.
	Credo and Esperance Mangayi coordinate Deeds of Love Ministries, the social arm of the BUSA. DOLM has many ministries, including HIV/AIDS education and treatment, orphan care and microbusiness development. Here they pose in their traditional dress from their home in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
	Owen Motlhabane is the pastor of Sasolburg Baptist Church in Sasolburg, Free State Province. He is also the moderator of the Free State Baptist Association. Pastor Owen has spent some time with us in Virginia and is a good friend.
	Many hundreds of South African orhpans are able to go to school and be fed regularly because of donations through Deeds of Love Ministries. These orphans sang at the Assembly, representing the many who could not attend.
	The cultural banquet is a highlight of the Assembly. The dinner was a combination of cultures, too. Many South Africans rely on mealy pap (ground corn, maize) as their diet's main staple. Our pap was prepared in traditional iron pots over wood fires. It was great!
	Johan Jansen pastors Bloemfontein Baptist Church in the Free State Province, and coordinates the work of the Free State Baptist Association. Here he smiles with his wife, Velma.
	On another night we had venison stew for dinner!
	There were elephants everywhere in Kruger Park.
	During the Assembly I got to go to Venda, which is close to the border with Zimbabwe and Mozambique. This tea farm is an economic development project.
	On the way to Venda we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn. It was noticably hotter after that point.
	Pillars like this mark the Tropic of Capricorn.
	We drove through Thoyondou, which is home to the University of Venda.
	Pastor Edson and Sarah Magoloi serve in the Ngwenani Baptist Church in Venda. He’s coordinated the planting of seven churches in the area, many of which are in need of a well. “Change Matters”, a clean water initiative of Virginia Baptist youth, will fund a well at Ngwenani Baptist Church next year.
	The members of Ngwenani Baptist Church are congratulating Pastor Magoloi on his election to First Vice President of the Baptist Union of Southern Africa. Next September he will be the President.
	Sunset in the bushveld – on the way home from Venda.
	These poisonous centipedes can grow to over one foot long.
	During the Annual Assembly I also got to see Philemon Maleka (red tee shirt). Philemon is a church planter sponsored by the Victory Boulevard Baptist Church in Portsmouth, Virginia. Grace Global Church is located in Seshego, on the outskirts of Polokwane, Limpopo Province. In this Seshego picture, l. to r., General Secretary Angelo Scheepers, BNA Coordinator Brian Jardine, Pastor Philemon Maleka and Norfolk Area Associational Missionary Roy Smith.
	The waterbok with its characteristic white ring.
	After the Annual Assembly we drove to the Qwa Qwa region in the eastern part of the Free State Province. There we visited Revelation Baptist Church, the church plant of Godfrey Phanyane. Godfrey is being sponsored by the Portsmouth Baptist Association and the Blackwater Baptist Association.
	But for the finishing touches, Revelation Baptist’s new building is finished. The funding came from the Lynchburg area’s Roger Roller Evangelistic Association.
	It’s great to meet up again with old friends! L. to r.: Godfrey Phanyane, Bernice Moji, Shirley and Bob Foster and Pastor Chris Moji. Bob and Shirley are from Mineral Baptist Church in the Goshen Baptist Association. They’ve been in South Africa four months, helping coordinate volunteer teams from Virginia. They have also helped Deeds of Love Ministries register local children in the orphan care program.
	The kudu is a beautiful animal. It’s also quite tasty. (Oops - Did I say that out loud?)
	Meshack Sinxesi is planting a church in the Thabong area of Welkom, Free State Province. He is sponsored by the Peninsula Baptist Association. He is also assisting with a ministry called Restore Church, in the mining area of Welkom.
	Don’t forget the wildebeest!
	Harmony Baptist Church has been replanted by Hans Zinyonka. He is being sponsored by the Richmond Baptist Association. This is the worship service on October 4th, 2009. The church has an active youth group!
	Hans and Winnie Zinyonka and their two girls.
	“On the road again ...”