February 9, 2011

Our last day of official Regent business in South Africa begins with a breakfast meeting with Reverends Fred May and his wife Lucille, who lead Shofar Ministries in South Africa. Fred May is among the brightest men I have met over these ten days, and it is clear that he values the intellectual and spiritual excellence that Regent brings to the critical discussions occurring in Africa. God has particularly called him to reach out broadly to Africa, and work with scholars and church leaders to ensure that the transforming power of Jesus Christ has full sway upon the country he loves. Fred and Lucille have endured fierce opposition as one of the few biracial couples ministering in South Africa. (Later in the evening, we meet members of their congregation at Stellenbosch University, and their deep love and respect for both Fred and Lucille is evident. They are the kind of spiritual leaders who instantly impress you with their lack of guile and deep faith). We commit to bring more opportunities to the townships, which are in desperate need of leadership.

We have a nice break in the afternoon, and Dr. Bekker, Karen and I take a drive to Cape Point, where the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean meet at the southernmost point on the continent. Driving along the jaw-droppingly beautiful coast, we marvel at seascapes that would draw double-takes from Malibu residents. Yet, as has been true during our entire stay, we are shocked by the abject poverty just across the roadway, where numerous squatters’ camps blight the landscape. Children push a broken shopping cart, a dog runs through a filthy rivulet of water, passing from shack to shack, a man peddles a sack of grapes, his bare feet impossibly scarred with years of exposure to the indifferent elements. The squalor is so jarring that we cannot bear it, and as we look across again at the glittering sea, its beauty is somehow dimmed. We wonder aloud how faith survives in such degradation and misery, but we know that God is there among them, perhaps more vital than elsewhere. Mercy, dear Lord.

The evening ends with Dr. Bekker delivering another command performance, this time to students and business leaders at the prestigious Stellenbosch University. They have been invited by Shofar ministries and nearly 100 sit in rapt silence as Dr. Bekker tells them that they have the opportunity to fulfill God's very plan of salvation to the continent of Africa, as he expounds on the "Sign of Jonah," urging us to use the past and the future to inform the present--and be present as leaders.

As we drive up the hill one final time through Devon Valley, I look back over my shoulder at the black expanse of Southern Africa. I realize that the need here can be seen as a cavernous abyss, ready to swallow up the best intentions of anyone who would offer help, as much of Africa has done for centuries. Yet, there is a steady light of hope growing stronger thanks to the many people who will not stand idly by and watch Africa sink into destruction. As Beryl Markham has written, "Africa is the last vestige of a dead world or the cradle of a shiny new one." Lord God, by your mercy and in your strength, give us the wisdom to help transform this rich nation through your resurrection and power.

Thank you to the Regent community for your prayers, for we have sensed them time and again, thank you to Dr. Bekker for his friendship, leadership and love for this nation, thank you to Dr. Bruce Winston for sowing life into this country for years, and thanks to the African people for making Karen and me feel so welcomed and blessed.