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 Sojourning in Distant Lands

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	Les and Linda Maydell
	Les and Linda Maydell continue to work in South Africa and Zimbabwe.  Linda writes a newsletter, African Antedotes which included the folowing article and pictures from their October, 2011 work.  Cindy

@  @      This is not the first time I have been to “The House of Broken Dreams.”  I love the shade tree in the front yard, but the house haunts me and so I am writing about it again. It was once the home of the ----family.  I have never met the family, but I know many things about them: they had grit and determination to carve a living out of a harsh land. They loved animals, and provided for them in times of drought. They loved beauty, and the flowering shrubs they planted bloom to this day. And they loved their home so much they didn’t walk away from it during the terrifying years of civil war. But one day, that all changed. Forced off their land without remuneration, they have, no doubt, used that same grit and determination to carve a new life for themselves. Meanwhile, broken furniture stands on the front stoop, and the broken windows of “The House of Broken Dreams” stare vacantly at a heap of broken animal bones and horns – the animals which died when the new owners failed to care for them.      The new owners did not have the same amount of “sweat” invested in their new home as the ----s did, and they soon walked away. The government then resettled people of an even drier area to this place. The ---s are still remembered: their house is now a Primary School. The animals are also remembered: their bleached bones lie untouched by the school children and residents alike – a constant reminder of “the way of all flesh.”      Amazingly, right next to this ugly heap an Impala Lily dares to unfurl a single beautiful bloom -- even though it has not received a drop of water in several months, and even though the temperature is soaring above 100 degrees. That’s how I feel about the children who attend this school – as if it is impossible for them to dare to bloom in such a disadvantaged environment.      But the Impala Lily gives me hope that even though these children receive scarcely a drop of educational supplies – no desks, chairs or text books – and even though these children live in a culture where poverty, disease and SIN are rampant, maybe, someone, some day, will become that amazing flower. After all, the gospel is THERE!     SO...thirty women and I sat on the porch of the House of Broken Dreams and here is a partial list of what they wanted to know:   What is faith? Is birth control scriptural? May a woman put braids in her hair? Explain 1 Cor.11:4ff. May women have the Lord’s Supper if no men are present? Is my child allowed to go to circumcision school? (Circumcision is not the issue, but ancestor worship.) Should a Christian woman submit to her non-Christian husband if he asks her to brew beer for him? Why do I still get angry, even when I pray? Why is there sickness in the world? Why is life more difficult for Christians than non-Christians? Why do men want many wives? May a woman choose not to marry?     These women DREAM of a better life – both now and for eternity. May this dream not be broken!     Everywhere we go, I find Christians in roles of service to others and making a positive difference in their communities. In the first picture (below), a group of Christian women are   building toilets for their local Primary School. They work once a week and other women in the community work on other days. <Next column>

@  @      The Christian on the left in the second picture is a trained village health worker (volunteer). She studied with her colleague on the right – who obeyed the gospel while we were there! It works both ways – a person with a heart for God has a heart for others, and a person who has a heart to help others has good fertile soil in her heart where the seed of the gospel can grow!      Life in Africa is not all famine. Last Saturday we went to a feast! When times are bad, as they were for this South African family 34 years ago, the husband and wife married without the feast. Now they are doing well financially and they “finished” their wedding. They bought new wedding rings, matching gold watches, and had a “white” wedding with all the trimmings.      The wedding was due to start at 10 am. It started on ultra-African time at 1 pm. Until that time guests relaxed under trees, drank tea, ate stiff maize meal porridge and African cookies (small cakes that are not very sweet), and had their ears bombarded with LOUD African music. None of the family members or neighbours were Christians, but they were very well behaved – and there was no alcohol.       At 1 the bride came out of her brother’s house on her brother’s arm preceded by 6 flower girls. Behind her came members of her family and friends, rows of men and then rows of women gradually joining the line with the bridesmaids at the end. They all did what I call “the shuffle”: three baby steps forward, two steps back, two steps right, two steps left, etc.  Even the three year olds can do it. At the same time, across the street, the groom started his shuffle with his family and friends. The two lines merged in the street and came back to the wedding hall – two borrowed tents decorated for the occasion.       There was an MC (a Christian) who directed who would pray, lead a song, etc. There were two lessons (one done by Les), and a ring ceremony with renewing of their wedding vows. There were long speeches by the bride and groom and groom’s older sister, all giving the “story” of the marriage. A lot of glory was given to God in the speeches for how He had helped them. The sister related how she was so very proud of her much younger brother who overcame his disadvantaged childhood (he was an orphan) and his drinking problem, and now he is even preaching. All of these things were very informal. The audience, who were mainly seated outside the tent were very interactive in typical African fashion. They shouted “amen,” and other exclamations of encouragement when someone made a good point. They laughed at humorous stories, and clicked their tongues and made exclamations of distress when sad events were related. Les’s lesson was on 5 “T’s” of a good marriage, and when he asked them to name the “T’s” they did so, all together in unison. If he asked a rhetorical question, they answered! The wedding ceremony lasted three hours!        Finally came the feast! The food was traditional African fare, orchestrated by their daughter, and it was delicious: stewed beef, fried chicken, stiff sorghum porridge, stiff maize porridge, rice, gravy, beet salad, potato salad, carrot salad, bean salad, spinach and mashed pumpkin. We did not stay for the cake since we wanted to get home before dark, but we enjoyed the day! It was wonderful to see people who had overcome difficulties and were now doing well. More wonderful was to see how they gave God the glory for it! It would be so wonderful if our Zimbabwe brethren could also be so blessed. As Les also said, we do earnestly ask that you pray for rain – but even more so that God’s will be accomplished in the hearts of us and them.  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~ And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:15-16) ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

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1.   Louis Trichardt  •   Dave & Joanne Beckley •   Ron & Carole Chaffin •   Samson Musandiwa                                                                     2.   Nylstrom       •   Les and Linda Maydell 3.   Pretoria Area • Fred & Pearl Liggin 4.   Johannesburg Area • Alan & Sylvia Fox • John and Lyn Scholtz 5.   White River • Robert and Cheryl Buchanan 6.   Eshowe (in KwaZulu Natal) • Paul & Helen Williams •   Joel Williams (grandson of Paul & Helen Williams) • David & Velepi Ngonyama 7.   Durban Area • Doug & Sheila Bauer • Scott & Shara Tope •   Stephen & Wendy Buys 8.   Port Elizabeth Area •   Ashley Goosen • Norman & Emmie Saayman • Brian & Loraine Allan 9.   Cape Town Area •   Robin & Lynn Bauer • Hennie & Martha Visser • Eric & Sharon Reed (Please notify us of any corrections or additions to this list.  Thanks.)

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