For more than a month now I’ve been developing and teaching an advanced-level class at the computer school offered at the Powerhouse. The class is on web design, meets three times per week and will run through the end of November (for those interested, I am teaching Dreamweaver). All the students have graduated from the intro-level computer course where they started with the very basics (”This is a mouse,” etc.) as well as mastered the Microsoft suite, learning Word, Excel and Powerpoint and even some Access.  Near the end of the web design course, I hope to introduce them to blogging and perhaps even help them figure out a way to make some income from that.  Any of you out there with ideas, please share them.  Sometime in early 2009 I hope to start another advanced-level course in Photography.  I’ll be sharing more info with out on that soon, but start looking around for used digital cameras to donate!

Teaching the class has been a real joy.  Beyond just teaching web design, I also get the opportunity to encourage them as individuals with God-given talents and abilities.  Today we discussed their hopes and dreams and it was exciting to think this course will, Lord willing, help them in the right direction (most of the students are taking the web design course in hopes of using the skills they learn to earn income).  Some of their dreams include being a: gospel singer, flight attendant, McDonald’s franchise owner, designer, policewoman and salesman.  Some also shared that they hope they can provide for their families, own a car and be happy.

My dream? To see them succeed at whatever God has called them to on this earth.

Filed under: General by Nathan on October 6th, 2008, computer school, dreams, web design | 7 Comments

On Wednesday, September 24, the women of the Powerhouse Church gathered together to celebrate Heritage Day, a national holiday in South Africa, as the kick-off event for the newly re-energized Powerhouse’s Women’s Ministry. The day was a huge success! The sanctuary was beautifully decorated with African wares and festive centerpieces, and everyone came dressed in their traditional tribal attire. Gloria had arranged for me and Annie traditional dresses and headpieces to wear, which was a very fun surprise. By half past noon, the church was packed with more than 120 women, most regular Powerhouse-goers, but many new to the church. Amazingly we had enough food for everyone. We sang and danced into the evening, and it was obvious that the women loved being decked out in their respective Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi, Ndebele and Tsonga dress. What a way to return to Africa! Despite the various tribes/backgrounds/cultures/traditions represented, the message of the day was the celebration of a shared adoption in Christ. In fact, the keynote speech, you might call it, was on how God, creator of everything, surpasses culture and tradition as He is the very owner of all things cultural. The fellowship shared among the women on Wednesday was wonderful to see, and Annie and I are excited about the bimonthly women’s ministry that will get underway in October. Looking forward to more fun!

Siyakubonga - We Thank You Lord from Nathan Clendenin on Vimeo.

Filed under: General by Rebecca on September 27th, 2008, celebration, culture, dance | 1 Comment

Will arrived last Friday, and I returned from the States on Tuesday.  At long last, our team is complete!  Here we are last night celebrating the news of Africa Revolution receiving its long-awaited 501(c)3 status—great news given that AR’s IRS application has been in process for almost a year.  Let’s just say the song “Cel-ebrate Good Times” played on a repeat until we were exhausted.

Filed under: General by Rebecca on September 26th, 2008, celebration | 4 Comments

We had the privilege of serving the poor twice this week, due to a very large donation of food from one of the local stores we visited last week! There are tons of stories I could share about how those experiences affected me and the team, but I wanted to just share one story from church today. The boy you see below, Thabang (who is the brother of Maria and Koketso ) is one of the people we fed on Saturday. This Sunday after service, Thabang pulled me aside quietly and said, "Chicken." I didn’t understand at first what he was talking about, then he pointed to his stomach and said, "Hungry." Then he rubbed it and smiled and said, "All better now. Thank you for chicken." My heart melted… I reached out and hugged him and then reminded him how much God loves him, and how much He cares for him. I made him repeat to me, "God is my father," because at first he kept saying, "God, the father." After our exchange I stood up and tears poured out of my eyes. I felt the force of Jesus’ words, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:40)

For more stories from this week, check out Allan and Annie’s blogpost .

Filed under: General by Nathan on September 21st, 2008, feeding scheme, serving, Thabang | 5 Comments

Probably one of the greatest things about being here so far is worshiping at the Powerhouse Church. There’s no good way to express how wonderful it is, but I thought we could at least share some of the songs, with translations when needed. The first song I wanted to share really gets at the heart of worship. The lyrics are very simple, as with most of the songs sung here.

“When the praises go up, His glory comes down. We lift Him higher, higher, higher. When the praises go up, His glory comes down.”

Back home, at most churches I’ve ever attended, I felt like the praise team was like a an ox, hauling a big wooden cart filled mostly with sick people. Sometimes the cart would get rolling pretty well, and everyone felt something. But sometimes the ox was too weak to pull the cart at all, even when it encouraged the people in the cart to help out. At the Powerhouse, it’s more like all the people are meeting for a huge rally or some kind of celebration. There’s electricity in the air, and the praise team is just there to start the anthem. Everyone gets into it, making up their own ways to demonstrate their love for God. Some dance, some form a conga line around the church, some just move from side to side with their hands raised high. Sometimes the pastor has to stop a song or else it will just keep going and going like the Energizer worship bunny. This type of worship is so much more meaningful and I dare say glorifying to God because the people are putting their hearts out there for God—telling Him how worthy He is of praise. My hope is that back home we can learn to worship like this—to get out of the cart and start dancing without shame. I pray for thankfulness for all that we have, and for warm hearts eager to give God the glory for it all (I’ve got more thoughts to share on this, but I’ll save them for next time).

Click the button below to hear this song.



Download MP3

Filed under: Praise Songs by Nathan on September 19th, 2008, praise, worship | 1 Comment

I am tempted to think of productivity as setting out to accomplish certain tasks (a to do list), then eventually checking them off. The speed and orderliness with which those tasks get accomplished usually determines how I am feeling. For instance, back in North Carolina if I got into the car with Rebecca after a day at work where I knocked out a lot of items, I’d be in a cheerful mood.

"’My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord". –Isaiah 55:8

If I happened to have had "one of those days" where everything I set out to do was more complicated than I thought and I couldn’t reach down and check much off the list, then I’d go home frustrated. I eventually learned to repent from that, knowing that productivity for me is something I put in place of God—I care more about how much I get done than how much I am worshiping God through my life. Ouch.

As we were discussing productivity here this morning, I was reminded that God’s ways are not my ways. If the main overarching goal in my life is to glorify God, then all those little tasks, even the seemingly important ones (like blogging!), really aren’t all that important. So at the end of the day when I kick back and say, "Wow, look at all I’ve done today," God probably shakes His head and says, "Why were you playing in the dirt when I was calling you? I had great plans for you today." So far, I’ve learned that God doesn’t give us a to do list and then say, "Get ‘er done." He has much more care and concern for us, and after all He really just wants to share fellowship with us. While I certainly don’t know yet what God’s ways are, I think it has something to do with trusting him moment by moment. It has something to do with planning my day with the knowledge that nothing may get done, but that probably many other great and surprising things will come up that God had prepared for me in advance (Ephesians 2:10). And through those things God was able to be with me, to correct me, to ultimately make me more effective in His kingdom.

Filed under: Reflections by Nathan on September 17th, 2008, faith, productivity | 3 Comments

In about an hour we leave for the Jo-burg airport. I am headed back to the U.S. for the next 10 days to witness and celebrate the marriage of my dear, lifelong friend Shilo Groover in Little Rock.

While I’m excited to see and spend time with friends and family in Alabama and Arkansas, admittedly, I have mixed feelings about heading back to the U.S. Today I am finding myself already missing life here. This coming week will be a full one for my team: items arriving on a container from the U.S. will be unloaded; follow-up with the grocery store managers re: the feeding scheme will be ongoing throughout the week; the new computer room at the Powerhouse will be tiled and electrically fitted; the future food pantry will be cleaned out and work will likely begin on outfitting the room with shelving; planning for the the Heritage Day Women’s Brunch will continue in my absence; and most of all, good friend and final team member Will Brown will arrive on Friday the 19th—hooray!

Still, I am excited to see and visit with my mom and dad. I’m excited about calling people and catching up. I’m excited about driving a car. I’m excited about enjoying a cup of non-instant coffee with my sister-in-law at Boulevard in Little Rock. I’m most excited about the fact that four-out-of-four of my best friends and my parents will be at Shilo’s wedding—a huge relief since I’ll be without Nate.

Ah Mamelodi, I will miss you and your dusty roads. But as I keep saying to myself, it’s just for a few days. Habaningahle—bye and go well!

Filed under: General by Rebecca on September 13th, 2008 | 2 Comments

“As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!” —Psalm 40:17

Last Saturday, we joined the Powerhouse in serving a few families in the community who Vincent knew were facing many troubles. Armed with cleaning supplies, a washing machine, ample food provisions and even painting supplies, 15 of us—including many youth from the church, which was awesome!—set out mid-morning eager to help in any way we could. Vincent chuckled later as we learned a lesson that day: don’t give people a heads-up that people from the church are visiting—they’ll clean house in expectation of your arrival! So needless to say, we didn’t end up cleaning or painting anyone’s house or washing anyone’s clothes, but we did bring song, prayer and encouragement to the families we encountered.

We set out that morning thinking we would visit two or three families, but as the morning went on, momentum grew and we just kept on going. We visited an elderly woman and a wheelchair-bound man experiencing fighting among family members; Granny whose favorite grandchild had died earlier in the week from under-developed lungs; Selina whose father is critically ill; a sleepless elderly woman haunted by witch doctor curses and family issues; another wheelchair-bound man; and finally the family of a very special young man, Nicodema.

The most moving experience for me that day was walking into the last house we visited. For some reason, I had a sense that I was to see/experience something unexpected. In the garage was situated a bed, and on it lay a young man somewhat disoriented, but smiling and happy we were there. The smell of urine was fresh, yet old. Flies buzzed around. Vincent translated the man’s elderly parents: his name is Nicodema and they have considered him, since birth, a gift from God. Though he has never been able to walk and has been bed-ridden for nearly 30 years, he is their gift and their joy. As we had with the other families we had visited throughout the day, we sang praise songs and prayed aloud, all at once, petitioning God on this family’s behalf. Among the prayers we lifted up was that Nicodema would know that he is loved and that his life has a purpose. In making eye contact with him, my fear of experiencing an awkward moment was replaced instead with a sense of joy: Nicodema returning a big smile. God, you are so good, that this young man knows you and knows your love.

Last Saturday, we felt God’s presence among us. In one sense, surrounded by my brothers and sisters from the Powerhouse, singing and praying at the top of their lungs with great faith, I was humbled that day by how spiritually under-exercised I am and how small my faith can be. Why do I not pray this boldly always? Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that here, we are so close to need, poverty, distress, sickness and death. Or perhaps not. In fact, I was struck by how many of situations we encountered that day are no different than what we face back home: sickness, old age, family members fighting, grief, financial distress. Even the darkness of witch doctor curses manifest differently back home; it’s just that Satan has more subtle ways… And poverty is just as present at home, though less exposed. I thank God that despite my sin and inexperience in serving the poor—here or elsewhere—he used me and everyone that day to bring great light and hope into places of darkness. His Spirit was surely felt. You could see it on people’s faces. God was smiling back at us.

“I have waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.” —Psalm 40:1-3

Filed under: General by Rebecca on September 11th, 2008, feeding scheme, poor, poverty | 3 Comments