Hand in Hand Global Mission Support Blog Digest

Jordan Muller is an ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) volunteer, who will soon complete his time in South Africa. The YAGM program relies on coordinators who facilitate the young adults’ ministry and provide mentoring and spiritual guidance. To support a YAGM coordinator, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

Jordan Muller

Although it’s hard to believe, I have arrived at my last 10 days at the Kwaz and my final two weeks in South Africa. On July 10 I will head to Pietermaritzburg for a few days … and (then) return to the States. I find myself filled with a myriad of emotions as the end draws near: sad, happy, proud, anxious, nervous, excited — to name a few. It feels like I’m coming to the end of a book. However, if this is the end of a book then it would have to be a part of a series because, just as my story didn’t start when I boarded the plane to Chicago over 10 months ago, my story does not end when I go to Pietermaritzburg or when I get off the plane in Lincoln, Neb.

The difficulty now will be to figure out what the point of this book was and how it fits into the series. What has it meant for me, my community in South Africa, my community in Nebraska, my role as a YAGM, as a church member?  I don’t know if I will ever be able to come up with an answer that anyone else will fully understand but I will try to head in that direction.

I didn’t come to South Africa to say that I’ve been to South Africa or to say that I’ve lived in another country for a year. I came to experience.  I came to accompany the people, to experience a new culture and customs, to learn about the struggles that others face, to grow in as many ways as I could and to be challenged by all of it. And to be honest, my time here was more challenging than I ever thought it would be but, at the same time, I know that the struggles I faced helped me to grow and to learn lessons I never could have been taught in a classroom or read from a book.

The reality is that this experience was never about just me. I do not live in a world that is isolated from everyone else. If you haven’t read any of my previous posts, Ubuntu is a Zulu/Xhosa word that basically says that a person is a person through other people. We are all connected to each other as humans and, because of this, we are called into a greater community. There are so many people that have made this experience possible and made it what is has been. For that, I am forever grateful. I was blessed with an amazing opportunity and I hope that I was able to be a blessing to those that I accompanied throughout my time here.

As this book comes to an end, I am eager to see what the plot of the next book will be.  Above all, though, I pray that I am able to continue to experience new things, to learn, to grow, to hope, to be grateful, to need less, to give more, to love much, to laugh often and to have a good time doing it!

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Jordan Muller is part of the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program. He is spending a year in Estcourt, South Africa. The YAGM program is reliant on coordinators who facilitate the young adults’ ministry and provide mentoring and spiritual guidance. To support a YAGM coordinator, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

At a taxi rank, or terminal, there can be hundreds of minibus taxis waiting for passengers.

There are two things that I really struggle with when riding the mimibus taxis here. The first is that the taxi doesn’t depart until it is full so you never know when you will leave. The other problem I have is that they are always so hot! For some reason no one likes having windows open no matter how hot it gets so I often arrive at my destination feeling sweaty and gross.

Last week, when I was going from Estcourt to Pietermaritzburg, my tolerance for the taxis was maxing out. After 90 minutes of waiting, the taxi was full but for some reason the manager decided we should go in a different taxi so all 15 of us had to get out and move to another taxi. I had been in the back by a window which was great because then I could control how hot it was by me. However, upon moving to the other taxi I ended up being the last one to have to squeeze into the back row. I got to Pietermaritzburg and told Elise, another volunteer, that I don’t know how many more of those I’m going to be able to handle!  Then, right on cue, my return trip to Estcourt was very different.

Because there are so many taxis in one rank (or terminal), it can become confusing and difficult to find the one that is going where you need. On my way back to Estcourt we had just gotten on the interstate when an older woman a few rows ahead of me started asking about where the taxi was going. I couldn’t understand most of the conversation as it was in Zulu but I did hear her saying, “Tugela” several times, which is another hour past Estcourt. She was realizing, too late, that she had gotten on the wrong taxi.

She soon began to cry as she did not have enough money to then make the trip from Estcourt to Tugela. Without pause, a girl sitting next to her began asking everyone to put some money together for her. Through everyone’s donations the woman was given  more than enough to make the next leg of her journey.

I watched the whole thing in awe and humility. God knew that this was just the thing I needed to renew my spirit as frustration and annoyance had begun to take over.  “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu” is a Zulu expression meaning, “A person is a person through people.” In other words, we do not get where we are solely by ourselves. There are so many people around us that make us who we are and help us along the way. The spirit of Ubuntu filled that taxi as a group of strangers were willing to help another stranger for no benefit of their own. Such a small but awesome experience to be a part of and one I will not soon forget!

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Brian and Kristen Konkol are nearing the end of their service as ELCA missionaries in South Africa, where they have been coordinators for the Young Adults in Global Mission program. To support any of the ELCA’s 230 missionaries, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

Kristen and Brian Konkol and their son, Khaya.

I have already begun to hear others speak of our departure from South Africa as the conclusion of our global missionary service.  I totally disagree with this assertion, for in many ways it is only the beginning. I believe wholeheartedly that God’s global mission through Jesus is about reconciliation, transformation and empowerment, thus a global Christian missionary is one who seeks to reconcile, transform and empower, by the grace of God, and for the sake of the world.  I cannot see myself stopping such activity at any point, as everywhere is the “mission field,” each day constitutes numerous “mission trips” and every local action has a global reaction.

In a world that possesses division and violence, I believe God is on a global mission of reconciliation, and I plan to participate fully within in. In a world were billions of people scrape through life in spirit-destroying poverty, I believe God is on a global mission of transformation, and I plan to participate fully within it. In the midst of a world that is thirsty for compassionate servant-leaders, I believe God is on a global mission of empowerment, and I plan to participate fully within it. And so, our global missionary work has not concluded, but it will transition to something new, and by God’s grace I look forward to this new, exciting, and challenging chapter.

Kristen, Khaya, and I will return to North America and always seek to learn about the joys and struggles of the people whom we are called to accompany. In addition, we will always discern who God is and who we are in the midst of such diverse settings, and we will always consider how we may contribute to what God is doing to and through an ever-changing and increasingly complex world. We will remain mindful of the lessons we learned in Guyana, South Africa and beyond, we will hold tight to the wonderful friendships formed, and we will continue to be shaped in the years ahead alongside whatever local and global community we are placed.

And so, as we enter into this process of transitions, decisions and additions, Kristen and I ask for your ongoing thoughts and prayers, for just as so many have loved and supported us throughout the past years, we trust that such encouragement will continue in the time ahead. We look forward to this next chapter of life and ministry. We thank God that so many will walk this journey alongside us, and we look forward to all that God will do “to us all” and “through us all” in the years ahead.

Pastor Brian E. Konkol
Project Co-Coordinator, South Africa
Young Adults in Global Mission

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The Rev. Philip Knutson is the ELCA Global Mission regional representative for Southern Africa. To support Philip, or another of the ELCA’s 230 missionaries, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

The Rev. Philip Knutson

Dear friends in Christ,

This year the African National Congress (ANC) is celebrating 100 years of existence as a liberation movement and recounting with great pride the history of the struggle to overcome colonialism and apartheid in South Africa. Much of this powerful story is captured in Nelson Mandela’s autobiography “Long Walk to Freedom.”

Reflecting on the ANC’s centenary year is a recent article in Time magazine, “How the ANC lost its way,” that is quite critical even pessimistic about the situation in South Africa  Referring to this article, someone asked me recently where signs of hope might be found.

All this reminded me of the bold statement by Anglican Archbishop-emeritus and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu: “I am not an optimist. I am a prisoner of hope.”

The recently published “Kairos Southern Africa” statement seeks to speak a prophetic and challenging word to the ANC and to South Africa at this time expressing gratitude for sacrifices made, concern over continuing injustices and grounds for hope. http://kairossouthernafrica.wordpress.com/

As I travel, meet and worship with companions throughout Southern Africa and meet brothers and sisters who teach and preach in rural and urban congregations and work to overcome HIV and AIIDS, poverty and malaria I continue to learn how, by God’s grace, we are called, gathered and sent to walk together as “prisoners of hope.”

As we move through Lent to Good Friday and Easter we are reminded of the 40-year sojourn of the Israelites in the wilderness and also of the disciples’ journey with Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem, Golgotha and beyond. There were times of doubt and hopelessness but also, when all seemed lost, unexpected signs of hope and new life.

Thank you for your prayers, continuing support through the ELCA Missionary Sponsorship program and for your participation in God’s mission locally and globally.

Yours faithfully,
Philip Knutson
Capetown, South Africa
February 2012

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Mary Borgman –  an ELCA missionary in Soweto, South Africa, serving in HIV and AIDS ministry — writes about an after-school program for young children. To support Mary, or another of the ELCA’s nearly 250 missionaries, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

Three children in the after-school program take a break from playing ball.

In late August we started an after school children’s program from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. We had been talking about starting a program since our kids’ week in July.

After much planning and preparation, the first day came and we had no children attend until just before 4 p.m.  Two children came and we explained the program and encouraged them to return.  I have to say this start was demoralizing.  I began to question whether the program was really needed, or if I had seen an opportunity to do something and then forced the implementation of a program.  This experience was humbling and called me to re-examine how I operate out of my culture and whether this fit with the context I am in. This certainly wasn’t the start with a bang that I had hoped for. My coworkers assured me that things start small and the program would grow.

Over the coming weeks we did grow. We grew from two children on the first day to three on the second and continued to almost double each week. We now have 40 to 50 children attending  regularly.

One of the benefits of the program is keeping the children off the streets. We try to have positive activities for them, including art and sports. Our resources for food are limited, but we have been able to feed all the children up to this point, and by God’s grace we will continue to do so. As time has passed we have a core group of kids who attend regularly and others who pop in and out, but we have had over 130 children attend along the way. I feel fortunate to spend time with these amazing kids.

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The Rev. Philip J. and Lou Knutson are ELCA missionaries in South Africa. Philip is the regional representative for southern Africa. To support the Knutsons, or another of the ELCA’s nearly 250 missionaries, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

Some of the seminary students who attended the workshop.

Cape Town, November 2, 2011
Dear friends,

There were emotions of doubt and excitement among 60 seminary students at a recent workshop entitled “Christian Education for Mission” held at the Lutheran Theological Institute (LTI) in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.   (The ELCA supports theological education at LTI and scholarships for graduate students in theology at the University of KwaZulu/Natal.)

What really got the students excited and talking was the discovery that the Triune God is a Missionary God revealed in the way of Christ’s incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection, and that it is not a plane ticket but our baptism that affirms that we are all, by God’s grace, claimed, gathered and sent to participate in God’s mission for the sake of the life of the world.

Some students did a role play at the end of the workshop to demonstrate what they will be saying when they return to their communities and home congregations over Christmas.

They responded to the question “What did you learn?” saying:

I learned that we are all missionaries through baptism and that we are all learners and teachers.  I learned that mission is the work of the Triune God.  I learned how to be a missionary in the mission of the Triune God.  I learned about the three dimensions of mission: transformation, reconciliation and empowerment.  I learned what I did not know, that we are all missionaries and do not need to wait for missionaries from outside Africa.  I learned that mission needs participants not spectators. I learned that Christian education is for the whole church and the way of evangelism.”

Thank you for your participation in the mission of the Triune God locally and globally.

Yours faithfully,
Philip Knutson
ELCA – Global Mission
Regional Program Assistant – Southern Africa
www.southernafricaconnections.org

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Philip Knutson is the regional program assistant for southern Africa for the ELCA’s Global Mission unit. He works with companion churches, companion synods and mission personnel throughout southern Africa. To support Philip, or another of the ELCA’s nearly 250 missionaries, go to www.elca.org/missionarysponsorship.

Philip Knutson joins a worship service in Zambia.

 Dear Friends,

 As regional program assistant for ELCA Global Mission I have the privilege of regularly visiting and learning from many different people and contexts across southern Africa.  In August I represented the ELCA at the annual council meeting of the Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa (LUCSA), which is the sub-regional expression of the Lutheran World Federation comprising 16 Lutheran churches in 10 different countries across southern Africa.

The conference was held in the town of Livingstone, Zambia, just a few miles from the Mosi-oa-Tunya Falls (“the smoke that thunders”), also known as Victoria Falls. The conference received and discussed reports from the member churches and the various programs of LUCSA focusing on HIV and aids, malaria, diakonia, communications, gender justice and theological education. On the Sunday all the delegates worshiped with a local Lutheran congregation, which meets in a small classroom in a public school nearby.

Despite ongoing financial constraints and other challenges, the LUCSA programs are playing a positive facilitative role in the member churches and related communities in the region.    

Most recently I spent some days in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, meeting with twelve young adults who have just arrived for orientation as participants in the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program. We had lively conversations sharing perspectives on church and society in the U.S.  and South Africa.  We talked about an understanding of mission as accompaniment, as “mutual conversion” and learning to walk together with others in God’s mission in a post-apartheid South Africa and a world where the gap between rich and poor is growing. 

Thank you for your continued prayers and support for the ELCA missionary sponsorship program and for your participation in God’s mission locally and globally.

Yours faithfully,
Philip Knutson

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Bishop M. Biyela baptizes Khaya.

Brian and Kristen Konkol are ELCA missionaries in South Africa. They are coordinators for the South Africa based Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program.

Friends:

On March 13, we celebrated Khaya’s baptism at the Lutheran Theological Institute in Pietermaritzburg.

I was honored to preach at the service, and the baptism was administered by Bishop M. Biyela of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa.

An additional blessing was the presence of all eleven of the South Africa-based Young Adults in Global Mission participants.

We thank God for such a wonderful experience of amazing grace!

With peace,
Brian

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Paula was in South Africa with the Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa where she worked with the HIV/AIDS program. She served July 2006 through June 2010. Prior to her service, Paula resided in Greeley, Colorado.

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