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| Standing, the team: Hannah, Thomas, Abiola, Tatiana. Sitting: Chris, Doug who lead pre-trip meetings and planning. |
Park Street Church's 2018 Short Term Team to South Africa
Hello from Cape Town South Africa! The team safely made it here late this morning are are happily enjoying the Mays' fantastic hospitality. We were sent here by our church to serve with Hope Prison Ministry and hope you enjoy following our journey.
Abiola
Hello everyone! My name is Abiola and I will be serving as the
traveling leader of the short term team again this year. I am eager to
return to prison ministry for my third year alongside my new and
returning teammates. I'm excited to go out and witness the work of the
Holy Spirit in the lives of men the world has condemned, to encourage
those men as they seek and encounter the liberation of the truth, and to
share the story of their lives to those outside.
Professionally, I work in Boston as a software engineer at a technology company. I also
serve on the hospitality team at Park Street, and consider church
hospitality and overseas missions and ministries different
manifestations of the same responsibility - to invite others into
further and deeper relationship with one another and with God.
Thomas
I work for Park Street Church as a front desk receptionist. I also am a media specialist for the church and help facilitate the radio broadcasts and online streaming. I'm a huge fan of Boston sports. In my free time I volunteer with the Friendship Bible Study, a study that goes at a slower pace to help people with disabilities to connect with God's word and fellow believers. I am also involved in the homeless ministry the church has.
I am excited to be returning for a second time to South Africa this summer, especially because it will be winter there and I am glad to escape the worst of the Boston heat. I am going back in part because helping to facilitate the Restorative Justice Program was so meaningful last year, and I want to be part of another. I also look forward to reconnecting with my students from last years class and seeing how they are doing now. I look forward to seeing how God will use and grow me through this. This year I will be returning with eighteen years of continuous sobriety. I hope that sharing my story will encourage the guys and be a positive example.
Hannah
My name is Hannah Rose. I am a college student and I double major in Painting and Apparel Design. In my free time, I like to connect with God through art- creative writing, painting, and sewing.
The
past few years, I’ve sat in the congregation at Park Street Church and
watched the commissioning of the past South Africa STM teams. Honestly, I
judged them based on my personal trauma history.
As
a survivor of rape and abuse, I couldn’t understand why anyone would
voluntarily agree to visit a prison. I counted it an insult that
Christians were sitting in the midst of offenders. Rapists and murderers
lived in prison. Who wanted to be around them? Not me. I believed that
they belonged there forever- without a question. Offenders had no
feelings. At the time, I believed that they were careless,
inconsiderate, unredeemable beings. I strongly believed that it was
solely God’s responsibility to change them and that I had no part in the
process. I was not obligated to help, but I was very wrong. Very.
God really pressed upon me the topics of forgiveness, closure, and obedience. I can say that my eyes have been opened.
The
Holy Spirit has helped me realize that God is not a secret to be kept.
He can handle the absolute ugliness in our lives. He can redeem and
craft beauty out of destruction. This world is His.
Tatiana
I am a full time college student studying Human Services (which is closely related to social work) I also work two part time jobs. One is being a personal assistant to a retiree, the other is supporting a young adult with disabilities. When I am not at work or school, I love to be active outdoors. My favorites are hiking with my dogs and going to the ocean.
There are many reasons I am excited to be going back to South Africa. One of the big ones is because working in the prison ministry last year with Hope was the time I most clearly and dramatically saw the power of God to transform lives. I want to see more of this, and get to know the life changing aspect of the Holy Spirit. I also am excited because last year I was very impressed with a local woman, Auntie Charmaine, who I wrote about more extensively here. From when I met her, I felt strongly that she had (an) important lesson(s) to teach me and I would need to spend a lot more time with her to learn it. I am thrilled that after the rest of my team heads back to the states on August 24th, I will be moving in with Auntie Charmaine and staying with her until November 1st. You can follow my extended stay and more personal aspects of my trip at my blog TatianasChildren.blogspot.com. Thank you for all of the ways you have supported us!
Chris
If it wasn’t for my children, I would have been too afraid to venture into a prison. But love takes you where you are too afraid to go, and then Love, as in Jesus, surprises, by causing you to feel peaceful in prison instead of afraid. Andrew has felt a call to prison ministry since he was in middle school and heard David Bliss, a now retired PSC missionary, talk about his work in South African prisons. After a couple of years of marriage, Anne bravely embraced his call when they decided to stay in South Africa after a year in Cape Town studying with a Rotary International Grant. For more than twenty years, Doug and I have committed ourselves to being supportive parents and fellow Christians even in the midst of fear for and missing of them. It has been a privilege to hold the paradox of love that sends and love that misses.
This year we will not be traveling with the team, but rather “remaining with the supplies” here in the States (see 1Samuel 30:1-25 for the context of the quotation). It has been an honor and a pleasure to meet weekly with this group of committed men and women, most returnees, giving of their time, energy and resources to serve “the least of these” as Jesus commanded (Matt. 25:31-46). Pastoring an STM team is a new adventure for Doug and me, proving that even after almost 50 years serving in the same church, God can still create new adventures! And the fact that the team will be ministering to and alongside of our children and grandchildren, makes the adventure all the sweeter!
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| Abiola, Thomas, Tatiana, Hannah at the airport in Boston starting out on the grand adventure. |
Prayer Points:
- Praise that the team made it safely to South Africa and are now enjoying the Mays' hospitality.
- For health and safety.
- For protection from spiritual attack, especially during the Restorative Justice intensive starting Monday.
- That we would be a blessing to the long term workers.
- That we would function well as a team, supporting and loving each other with lots of patience and understanding.
- For Hannah: That she would have wisdom and peace while finishing up her testimony that she will be sharing in prison. Also, that God will reveal more of himself during this time.
- For Tatiana: That she will have success in managing her health (she has some digestive issues and food allergies) That she will take the time alone that she needs to refresh her spirit.
- For Abiola: That he would have both the opportunity and the right words of encouragement to share to all of his former students who remain in prison.
- For Thomas: That he will find more peace and be blessed on this trip. That he will rest well and get over jet lag smoothly.
Financials:
The team is still fundraising to cover our travel costs and support the ministries we are working with. We are about $2,000 short of our base goal at the moment. If money beyond our goal comes in, it will go directly to Hope Prison Ministry for their life changing work. You can donate by going here and selecting "STM South Africa" from the drop down menu. Thank you very much if you chose to support in this way!
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