Godson's Story

One of the reason I love being a Nazarene is that the Church of the Nazarene is a global church.  There are people all over the world that claim the tribe Nazarene.  

This week I had the opportunity to see our tribe being the church.   This week I had the privilege to meet via email Godson Mulisho Bahabwa who is a native of the Eastern Part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

I asked Godson if he was willing to share a little of his journey.   Godson and his family have not had an easy journey.  War started in South Kivu in 1996.  Even now almost 20 years later according to Godson there is not peace.  In 2003 Godson’s family was attacked by rebels, and his father, mother, and elder brother were killed.   With no other option Godson fled from his home country and ended up in Namibia.  He was then taken to the Osire Refugee Camp where he lived for 12 years.  Life there was not easy.  According to Godson, he lost almost everything including his hope for living.   There were some bright spots in the 12 years.  He got married in the refuge camp to Elinda Felisberto from Angola in 2011.  They had their daughter Sofia Rejoice and son John.  Also during his time in the Refugee Camp he met Rev. Domingo who was pastoring a Nazarene Church and who received him as his own brother.   Godson started helping out in several different Nazarene Churches in various roles including worship leader and youth leader. 

Then the UN Refugee Agency offered Godson and his family asylum in Greensboro North Carolina.  Which is where we got to be a very small part of this amazing story.  On Friday evening I received an email from Rev. Domingo who is now the DS of the Namibia District.  He was asking for help in connecting Godson and his family with the Church of the Nazarene in Greensboro, North Carolina.  I sent an email to the pastors of the Nazarene Churches in the Greensboro area explaining Godson’s situation and asking if one of them could connect and support Godson and his family.   

Pastor Will Fields who pastors the Southeast Church of the Nazarene in Greensboro responded.  The Southeast congregation is now helping Godson and his family get adjusted to the new place they find themselves in.  They have stepped up and helped them buy food and donated needed kitchen and household items.  There may even be the possibility that Godson may be offered a job at one of the congregants businesses.  Godson and his family have been welcomed into the Southeast Church of the Nazarene family.

Godson and his family have a long journey ahead of them.  He asks for continued prayers for them as they adjust to life in the states and as they seek to find ways to provide for their needs.  But in Godson’s words “God has been with us and His mercy is upon them.” 

This week I am proud to be a part of the tribe called the Church of the Nazarene., whose members welcomed a stranger from DR Congo and helped them to feel at home first in Namibia and now in Greensboro.   

Rhythms

There is new sheriff in town in the Heath household.  He has only been around for 11 weeks but he has changed our lives.  Parenthood has got us marching to the beat of a different drummer.   But we love learning this new rhythm.  It is not always fun or easy, sometimes quite honestly it is overwhelming, frustrating, and exhausting.  But there are other times when it is beautiful, heart warming, and amazing. 

Peter started out in life a little small but just yesterday I spotted a cute little fat roll.  Also at what point do fat rolls go from being so cute to being…well not so cute. 

Here are a few ways that our little man has changed our lives. 

We are now in bed by 9 o’clock unless the little man decides he doesn’t want to sleep after his 9 o’clock feed.  If that happens then one of us is trying to convince that he does in fact wants to sleep.

We are learning a new language…Peter-ize.  We have not yet found a Peter-ize to English dictionary but we are having fun figuring it out as we go.  We know we are doing something right when he talks to us and we talk back and he rewards with us a big smile. 

We get excited about things like burps and coos and smiles. 

We keep track of things like how much ate and when was the last time he….”processed”…said food. 

We used to be able to go on a 1-3 day trip with one bag for the both of us.  Now with the addition of mini-us we need to bring a pack-n-play, a diaper bag, a car seat, several wardrobe changes, blankets, pacifiers and back up pacifiers.  And we try to be minimalists when it comes to baby gear. 

Sometimes we make the mistake of going to the internet for advice on something.  Which usually leaves us more confused because no matter what we do we will either emotionally, physically, or psychologically scar our child beyond repair.   

Our life looks totally different than it did a short 11 weeks ago but we would not have it any other way.  We are learning to dance through life and learning these new rhythms and steps as we go.   We are also trying to learn a new rhythm when it comes to our ministries/jobs.  Each week will look a little different based on what is happening that week.  Over the next few months we will be with several different W&W teams, preparing for and attending District Assemblies, being a part of several trainings, a camp, and doing several site visits for upcoming W&W teams.  Our little man will log in a lot of miles/kilometers in his car seat.  So far thankfully he is a pretty good traveler.     

Hopefully our next blog post won’t take 2-3 months to write.  However sometimes our little one doesn’t like the rhythm of sitting so much. 

Until next time: If you are changing a little boys diaper make sure you cover the…fire hose…or you and everything around you may or may not get sprayed J 

Projects and preparing

These last couple of weeks have been filled with working on projects and preparing 

for our little guy’s arrival.   We have also been enjoying a week with not a whole lot 

going on in the evenings.  June will be a busy month with several W&W teams 

coming and going as well as a volunteer couple leaving.  

Last Thursday evening we attended our last baby class.  It is hard to believe that 6 weeks have 

flown by so quickly.  We are now able to count on one hand the number 

of weeks before “jelly bean’s” scheduled arrival.  We are as ready as two first time 

parents can be.  He has a place to sleep, diapers to wear, clothes to wear, blankets to 

stay warm under and some books to read (or have read to him.)  We have been 

praying for him since before we knew for sure he existed.  We have also been 

praying for each other as we transition to being not just husband and wife but also 

parents.  

There are lots of exciting things happening on the field.  Follow this link to read a 

story of one the churches on our field.  http://nazarene.org/article/swaziland-

churchs-building-project-inspires-field-leader  

We were actually traveling with Rev Mashangu Maluleka when we happened by the 

church in this story.  It was a blessing to hear the pride and thanksgiving in their 

voices as they shared about what was happening at their church.  It is amazing to 

see how God works through His people.  

Another exciting thing we are working on is a Work and Witness team from our 

district, the Gauteng District, to another nearby District, the North Central District.  

We will be going in December and will be doing some light construction, including 

working on a play ground for the neighborhood kids, as well kids outreach, 

community evangelism and working with the youth of the community.  We are very 

excited to be a part of a team of various people from different cultures and 

backgrounds coming together to encourage and uplift other brothers and sisters in 

Christ.  

Over the next couple of months there are several volunteers coming and going.  Each 

one will be involved in using the gifts that God blessed them with to build the 

kingdom in various ways.  There are also several work and witness teams that will 

be coming alongside various churches and ministries here on the field.   We will be 

busy but we are blessed to be doing what we are doing.  (Thankfully we are not 

team coordinators for any of the teams coming; they all are working with other 

volunteer couples in the country where they will be serving, so we will be greeting 

them at the airport but not traveling with them during the whole time they will be 

here.)

Life is Good; God is great; and we are enjoying the journey and ministries we are a 

part of.  

Until next time: When you forget about items in the office fridge for over a month, let your husband clean it out.

How long are you here for?

A couple of weeks ago we made several trips to the airport.  One trip was to drop off some dear friends and missionary colleagues as they headed back to the states for Home Assignment.  The other was to meet a W&W Team that will be working in Swaziland on the Southern Africa Nazarene University Theology Library.  The team had several retired missionaries and missionary kids. 

The question that we get a lot both from those visiting from the states and from the people we meet here is “how long are you here for.”  Sometimes the answer comes easily.  Sometimes it serves as a reminder of the transition that is a part of our lives here.  Other times it can be a bit frustrating, because we don’t know.  We hope we are here for a long time but at the same time we know that nothing last forever and we are committed to going wherever God leads us.   Sometimes the ever-present question mark looms bigger than others. 

In all reality if we were in our passport country we would not know how long we would be in one place either.  Transition is a natural part of life and even more so in the world we live in now.  However, in missionary life the transition is a little more in your face.  In the missionary community there is almost always someone coming and going either on Home Assignment to a new assignment or leaving their assignment for various reasons.   

Added to the mix is the transition that Joe and I are currently preparing for; the transition from a family of 2 to a family of three.  With the added third party being a little more needy for the first few months as he will be learning to live in a whole new world.  Joe and I are excited about this transition but we also know that it will mean a lot changes in our lives.  We are praying that we will handle these transitions in our lives with grace, humility, and wisdom. 

Transition is good, it reminds us that we cannot do this on our own.  Hopefully it helps to keep us focused on what is important.  It keeps us off balance; which is not always a bad thing but it can be tiring sometimes. 

In all of the transitions of life and lack of a set five-year plan (which let’s be honest I never really had anyway) God is with us.  He is walking beside us and if we will listen He is guiding us through the most important step; namely the next one. 

Until next time:  I was told in the same day that I was very small for the number of weeks pregnant and that I was very large. Later in the same week opposite information about what to expect when delivering by my doctor and in the birthing/parenting classes we are taking.  I decided that you don’t need to take all advice given with just a grain of salt you might need to take it with a whole salt shaker.  J

PS if you are reading this and wondering if we are moving; no not at all, we are happy and loving it here as we learn how we can best serve on the Africa South Field. 

Days Like Today

The water is dripping off the dishes.  The couch has welcomed me into its soft embrace.  My body is tired but my heart is full.  Today has been a good day.  We taught our class at NTC and then heading back to the office to do our part in the New DS training for a recently appointed DS on our field.  Then we had a great time of fellowship at our house with the new DS and another missionary family.  We talked about missions and ways that people on his district can get be involved.  Plans were made for a training time about missions on his district.  There is even talk of the district forming a team to go to another area on the Africa South Field.   Today we got to be a small part of what God is doing here on the Africa South Field. 

There are days like today in the life of a missionary.  Days when pieces fall into place; days when what you have been working for and praying for starts to come together.  Today is a day that it is easy to blog.  But I know; just as sure as I know that the dishes won’t magically put themselves away; that there will be other days where I will want nothing more than to crawl back into bed and sleep.  Which is another great reason to get today on record because, on those days when the “bed magnet” is stronger than my desire to be a responsible adult, I can be reminded of days like today.   Days like today are easy to forget when the not so great and fulfilling days pile up. 

I don’t know what kind of day you had today.  But I have good news and bad news; today will soon be tomorrow and before long, tomorrow will be yesterday.  For better or for worse time keeps marching on.  The to do list has things crossed off and things added to it.  Stressful moments get forgotten with the marching on of time; as do the fulfilling moments.  A verse that keeps coming to mind is in Luke 2:19 “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”  Take note of the good days in life; treasure them; ponder them in your heart.  Be quick to forget the stressful days. 

Tomorrow Joe and I have our first baby class.  We are excited about learning more about what to except and we are also hopeful about meeting some friends that are in the same time of life that we are. 

Until next time remember the toaster usually works better when it is plug in. 

To Do Lists; Work and Witness; and Upcoming Home Assignment

I (Beth) am working from home today; just the beginning of many changes in routine that are coming in our lives.  The washer and dryer and both going as we are washing some used baby clothes that we purchased this weekend.  (Funny side story- we bought the clothes off of OLX, the South African version of Craigslist, and the guy we bought them from was from Boston.  So while I was looking through all the clothes he and Joe talked about Boston.  It is a small world.)  Another change in life is I have become a "to do" list maker.  It is the only way I remember what exactly I am supposed to be working on.  I am also guilty of adding items I completed to the list so I can cross them off and feel like I have accomplished something.  :) :) We are researching things like getting all the needed documents for our little one to be a US citizen and starting to divide out the cost per diaper (or nappie as they call them here).   Each day brings us one day closer to our little one’s birth.  And so we continue to prepare as best we can as well as continue to carry out our responsibilities and ministries here. 

The last couple of weeks we have been at home and in the office.  It has been nice to have a couple of weeks of being in one place.  We have been able to work on several projects both at the office as well as home.  One of the exciting things we are working on are several Work and Witness trips.  There is a partnership/exchange in the beginning stages between Brazil and South Africa.  The hope is that a Brazilian Team will come in March of next year and later on that same year a team of South African’s will go to Brazil.  There is a team being formed from one of the Districts here in South Africa that is interested in going to another District within South Africa.   There are also several teams coming and going from the US.  If you are interested in being a part of a team that will be showing the Jesus Film and doing other outreach in September, please let us know.  The team is open to having other members join and we can put you in contact with the team leaders. 

We are beginning to work on our Home Assignment Schedule for our Home Assignment which will be from the beginning of April 2016 to the beginning of July 2016.  Send us a message at heaths.missions@gmail.com if you are interested in having the Heath’s come and share what God is doing on the Africa South Field.    Added bonus is that we will even bring our little one along with us so you can meet him.  :) 

This week whether you are working off a to do list or just getting things done as they come up; remember to have some fun in the midst of the everyday.  Remember to be mindful of those around you and ways you can be a blessing to them.

Until next time: If you own an Ipad and you accidentally drop it and then it won’t turn on but it will still take pictures.  Google how to fix it; laugh at the suggestion of turning it over and patting firmly on the back on your lap.  Have four people all try it softly at first and then more firmly in the process accidentally take a few pictures.  And laugh hysterically when it actually works.  Chuckle every time you see the owner of the now working iPad (a friend of ours).