Peace & Rehabilitation {Nigeria}

Salaam Aleichum from Alexandria, Egypt. After a long flight from New York, a couple days in Cairo, and a short drive up to the coast we have reconvened safely with the track community in Alexandria. Egypt is a hazy desert or mixed cultures, familiar smells, and crazy drivers. It kind of feels like we are back in our comfort (i.e. discomfort) zone. The Muslim call to prayer rings through the streets five times a day bringing back fond memories of Afghanistan and ushering in a reverence for God in us all. The track community is doing well and we are excited for a month of sharing in fellowship, helping to facilitate things for the team here as well as for the rest of their time throughout the middle east. We feel it is so important to transition well before we head back to Kona to join the leadership there in February. Again we are so thankful to you all for your support & prayers these past months. We need them now more than ever!

So an amazing opportunity has approached us the last couple days which we desire to share with you. When we arrived in Egypt our friend Geeta who works all across the world with our "Family" invited the two of us to join her for a week long survey trip to Nigeria (January 22nd - 29th). Let us give a little history before we go on -

Nigeria is the most populated country in all of Africa with nearly 150 Million people. It is also one of the wealthiest countries in the world in terms of natural resources, primarily in oil, and yet over 70% of the population lives well bellow the poverty line. For decades multinational corporations have done crooked business with the government stealing land from the people and exploiting these natural resources. It seems ridiculous that a country so naturally rich would be a land of such dire poverty, and so the people took up arms. Over the last decade dozens of militias (mostly young men ages 16 -30) have decided to fight for their rights to their land, resorting to violence out of a state of poverty & envy. Our "Family" has had a presence in Nigeria since 2001, often involved in the mix of this violence and attempting to create outlets for education of the youth. Here is where things get amazing. Last year through a long effort of dialog between NGO's, "freedom fighters", and the government over 200 members of various militias decided to lay their arms down and live in rehabilitation camps (remember most of these "freedom fighters" are only in their late teens and early twenties). After the camp was established the government approached our "Family" and asked if they would be willing to be involved in the rehabilitation work of ex-fighters seeing a deep need for spiritual renewal as much as psychological. Our "Family" agreed and has since been involved in the process. Over the last year of the 200 ex-fighters over half have become believers and starting last month 60 of these once vengeance seeking militia kids, now young recovering believers, are partaking in one of our Discipleship Training Programs in Nigeria! How amazing is that!!! Well the peace & reconciliation & rehabilitation effort continues on as sure as the bullets continue to fly and it's at this point that Geeta comes along and asks us if we would like to come with her to this camp to document the work and see how PhotogenX can get involved in the future.

As soon as Geeta mentioned the trip to us we felt a stirring in our hearts. As we discussed it with our leaders, they too were excited about the possibilities and thought the timing was perfect, as this is a transitioning period for the whole team. They are encouraging us to go. We have entered into prayer and ask for you to pray for us as well. With us being in Egypt it is only a five hour flight to Lagos, Nigeria and this short trip could open a ton of doors for PhotogenX (not to mention our wider "Family" in Kona) to come along a support an amazing effort that God has birthed. There is so much need for new creative and non-violent efforts for justice in Nigeria. There is so much need for conversations and the stories of these kids to be told. There is so much injustice in the dark that needs to be brought into the light.We believe our Father is moving...

NEEDS {SUPPORT & RESPONSE}

There are a couple major needs we have for this trip to Nigeria to happen - Prayer & Money (sound familiar). We need a lot of prayer as this is only two weeks away. We are trying to apply for visas within a foreign country working with the Nigerian Embassy in Cairo. Pray for favor! We need a stamped entry visa in about a week! We also need to get some special vaccinations and figure out flight details. So much prayer is needed!

We also need to raise about $2000 total ($1500 for tickets, $300 for visas, $200 for food & housing) to cover the cost of the trip as we don't have the income to cover everything. Every bit will help. If you or your community feel led to make a special one time contribution towards this effort, you can do so by donating at the PAYPAL link below. All the finances will go directly towards this effort. If the doors close because of visa rejection, we would be happy to return dontations given or you may specify if you would like the money to be used toward future work with PhotogenX.

Thank you for always walking with us. Pray for us this week as we wrestle through this process. Pray God's favor would be upon us and that all the governing officials that have to check "yes" boxes will put their pens to the papers and do so quickly. Pray also for safety and wisdom as Nigeria isn't always the safest place to be. We love you and hope that in February when we head back to Kona we can have a multitude of amazing stories to share with you all!!!

We would love to hear from you.

Blessings from Egypt,
Steve & Diane Schallert

Merry Christmas!

What In The World Is An Anabaptist?

So I was perusing about many of my favorite websites and blogs the other day and came across a great little article on the Young Anabaptist Radicals website about the traditions history and beliefs. It's kind of an interactive article actually as it asks for input from other Anabaptist's. I wouldn't have thought much of it, except that earlier that same day I had a long discussion with some friends about the Anabaptist Tradition who had never heard a thing about it. To their eyes it was just some relished folk tale of mid 16th century reformation fall out with the Amish & Mennonite communities (bonnets and all) as a modern result. So with that in mind I thought perhaps it's time we shed a little light on the subject, not simply because I profess the tradition as my own, but more importantly because I actually think there is a strong misunderstanding of who the Anabaptist's were and are and the fact that history seems to have dismissed us all together. The article is in no way comprehensive, but it's a good place to start. If you are interested in the radical reformation or the Anabaptist tradition the link to the article is bellow.

{Dirk Williams - Anabaptist Martyr & Saint}

- QUICK STORY -

"No story of an Anabaptist martyr has captured the imagination more than the tale of Dirk Willems.
Dirk was caught, tried and convicted as an Anabaptist in those later years of harsh Spanish rule under the Duke of Alva in The Netherlands. He escaped from a residential palace turned into a prison by letting himself out of a window with a rope made of knotted rags, dropping onto the ice that covered the castle moat.

Seeing him escape, a palace guard pursued him as he fled. Dirk crossed the thin ice of a pond, the “Hondegat,” safely. His own weight had been reduced by short prison rations, but the heavier pursuer broke through.

Hearing the guard’s cries for help, Dirk turned back and rescued him. The less-than-grateful guard then seized Dirk and led him back to captivity. This time the authorities threw him into a more secure prison, a small, heavily barred room at the top of a very tall church tower, above the bell, where he was probably locked into the wooden leg stocks that remain in place today. Soon he was led out to be burned to death.

Some inhabitants of present-day Asperen, none of them Mennonite, regard Dirk as a folk hero. A Christian, so compassionate that he risked recapture in order to save the life of his drowning pursuer, stimulates respect and memory."

Chances are if you read my blog it's because we already share some similar sentimentality about the world and if that be the case there is a good chance you already read and hold to a lot of Anabaptist thought perhaps without even knowing it. But this is a history we should never forget as it reminds us that throughout all of Christian History, no mater how off the straight and narrow the church has run, there has always been a ragtag group of outcasts forming communities of love and hospitality declaring Jesus Christ as Lord of ALL. We are not alone and we never have been!!!

HERE IS THE LINK

A Visual Update

Just click on the pages bellow to view them larger.
I hope the pictures can give you all a little glimpse of our lives at the moment.

The Dirty Quiet Jesus

As the sun rises and a brilliant display of reds, pinks, and dark blues pierce the darkness, we are welcomed into another day. South Africa is awakening to the sounds of ocean swells and exotic birds singing songs of liberation, it’s a change our little community can smell in the air morning by morning. Thus as the massive sun engulfs the horizon we sense another baptism, another chance for love to give birth to hope and yet another fresh start for us all...


It’s hard to believe how fast that huge African sun moves up and down the horizon lines. We have been in South Africa nearly a whole month already and each day has shed more light on what the coming year will hold for us. We have spent much of the past month building into our own community - working on vision, strategy, prayer, fasting, healthy rhythms of missional life and the logistical shaping of the next year spent in the margins of society. God has been moving and speaking clearly and it’s been beautiful to witness his heart for the poor and needy.

We have also run headfirst into our witness and work here in Cape Town. Great connections have been built and are continuing to grow among a number of organizations and communities in the area. Having a long term Voice for the Voiceless office here in Cape Town has also really helped, seeing as much of the relational building blocks are already established. We mentioned in the last update that much of our effort these months will be focused on a township close by called Capricorn. We have spent much of the past month walking the trash filled streets, playing with street kids, starting bible study groups, praying for people and building relationships. Last Monday we also started what will be a weekly prayer vigil in the middle of Capricorn. It was a beautiful night of sharing, singing, and praying for the end of racism, poverty and HIV.


That night Diane meet a woman named Margaret who wandered by as we were singing. She joined our fellowship, sang and cried with us, and shared her story with Diane. Margaret is so alone. Her entire family has either left the area or passed away. Loneliness surrounds her life. When she stopped by our humble gathering she was on her way to find a place to sleep, along side the thousands of other homeless individuals in Capricorn making the migration, but she felt the need to stay and linger for a moment - the need to pray and love and share and live. Her presence directed our meager effort back to it’s purpose, for in Margaret we all met a Jesus few of us ever dare to meet. A suffering, loving, humble, quiet Jesus who sleeps in the dirt and welcomes us all to the Kingdom of God. As Diane held Margaret’s hands that night and prayed with her, the tears on both of their faces pointed the way to a common humanity. A common connection to the love of Christ witnessed in this little moment. Let us all pray for more and more moments like this...

{INVITATION}

We invite you all to join us in prayer for Capricorn every Monday morning. The six hour time difference should bring us to prayer at roughly the same time. Your prayers for the Voiceless of South Africa really make a difference. We invite you to pray on behalf of the thousands homeless individuals facing the chilling ocean winds every night. We invite you to pray for the end of racial segregation that breeds hatred and violence. Specifically, pray for the thousands of Zimbabwean refugees in Capricorn who face constant racial discrimination and live in daily fear of violent attacks by white and black South Africans alike. We invite you to pray for the end of drug abuse, domestic violence, and the rising HIV rate. We invite you to pray for the thousands of children who wander these streets parentless - easy prey for the Traffickers and Pimps. We invite you to pray for the brothels and exploitation of women and children to come to an end. We shall be meeting every Monday to pray as a witness to God’s love for this community. Let us make it a global cry. Come and join your voice in prayer for the Voiceless of Capricorn.

Life Together

"We prevent God from giving us the great spiritual gifts He has in store for us, because we do not give thanks for daily gifts. We think we dare not be satisfied with the small measure of spiritual knowledge, experience, and love that has been given to us, and that we must constantly be looking forward eagerly for the highest good. Then we deplore the fact that we lack the deep certainty, the strong faith, and the rich experience that God has given to others, and we consider this lament to be pious. We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet not so small) gifts. How can God entrust great things to one who will not thankfully receive from Him the little things? If we do not give thanks daily for the Christian fellowship in which we have been placed, even where there is no great experience, no discoverable riches, but much weakness, small faith, and difficulty; if on the contrary, we only keep complaining to God that everything is so paltry and petty, so far from what we expected, then we hinder God from letting our fellowship grow according to the measure and riches which are there for us all in Jesus Christ."

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Life Together

The End of the Beginning

So it´s very hard for us to put into words these last two months.
Where we have been...what we have seen..how we are doing...where we
are heading. It´s amazing how fast time moves. Yet one thing we can
indeed say is that our God, who persistently loves us, has walked with
us, hand in hand, this whole way...His perfect hope has been in us and
His presence all around. What a beautiful God we serve...

We are learning that leading a team of 20 some people around the world
(both practically as well as spiritually) is no simple thing. It takes
a consistent capacity to give and give and give. We need more love to
overflow. Sometimes we make mistakes, but grace seems to always be
with us to lead us back to a path of hope. And it´s such a blessing to
serve together as a couple. The more we push forward in this life of
missions the more we can see what a privilege it is to live life this
way. We may not have a proper wedding bed or a home, in fact we may
have actually lived in 21 different ¨rooms¨ - in 10 countries - in
just 14 months of marriage...but we know the will of our Father and
feel His peace. Home is in His hands.

Our little community of ¨hopeful vagabonds¨ has learned a lot during
our time in Panama. It´s been a crazy couple months of faith lived in
love for those cast to the edges of this concrete (and sometimes
actual) jungle. We are learning what it will take to actually be a
community of faith and hope. A people set apart for the sake of the
Gospel. A community setting out to transform other communities with
love.

We have been involved in a lot over these short two months. I´ll list
a recap, not because I typically prefer listing much of anything, but
simply because when I think about the depth God has moved here it
blows me away...

- Together we have -

- Lived together ( 39 of us!) in a tiny Church in Gamboa, Panama.
- Walked the streets of Panama City sharing love with the poor, the
needy, the prostitute.
- Visited clinics to pray for prostitutes and minister to their broken hearts.
- Trekked to the far reaches of this country to share the love of
Christ in tiny mountain villages of the remote Ngobe people.
(By the way we made a mini documentary about our time with the Ngobe.
Its currently up on Facebook, so if we are friends on FB check my page
to view it)
- We started a Church, Cultural Heritage Center, Primary School and
YWAM base on 15 acres of land on the top of a mountain in a remote
mountain village.

- Joined a medical team and saw over 2,000 people in just three days receive treatment and prayer.
- Made lots and lots of friends.
- Baked brownies to demonstrate the simple love of Christ for the
Smithsonian Scientists who also call this part of Panama ¨home¨.
- We slept in Orphanages; played, bathed, and fell in love with a
zillion kids and felt provoked to respond.
- We made a 128 page book about Orphans Rights Issues in Panama for
Hearts Cry Ministry! It was printed TODAY! Matt & Misty from Hearts
Cry now have a meeting set up to share the book with the Government
and further their proposed changes to the Orphan-Adoption System...

I know it just sounds like a bunch of random moments...maybe because
in reality they really were. But every moment is full of PEOPLE.
Indigenous communities afflicted with HIV getting treatment and being
empowered to hold onto their languages. Kids getting hugs and laughing
for a few hours as a lost glimmer of hope sparkles in their once
again. Women downcast by poverty who resort to selling themselves to
feed their kids listened to, prayed for and given shoulders to lean on.
How can we share these experiences of love with you all? You are all a
part of this journey! Your prayers and financial support carry us. We
can´t say thank you enough...perhaps thats why every update we ever
send ends with THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. 

We really mean it.

Tomorrow morning we fly back to the US Mainland for a few weeks of
sharing and family time. We will be in Michigan from Aug 27th - Sep
4th & New Jersey from Sep 6th - 10th. Many of the days are filled with
meetings and speaking engagements, but if you would love to get
together for lunch or just some fellowship while we are around we
would love to. Our main purpose in coming back to the states for these
few weeks is to try and raise the remaining support we need for the
coming year. We currently need another $1,200 of monthly support in
order to continue this work. We shall head on to South Africa
September 11th regardless of where we are financially towards this
goal.

This is only the end of the beginning. The next year will hold much of
the same as our community continues on in hope and love. South Africa,
Egypt, Sudan, Israel, Palestine, Turkey, Germany, India, Asia (and
many more in between) here we come with open arms. Christ be
glorified...

PRAYER REQUESTS:
- Pray for this book we are leaving behind with Hearts Cry. Pray that
it can bring some heart back to the issue of Orphans in Panama.
- Pray for all the people we have come in contact with while in
Panama. Pray they would come to know Christ and hold fast top His
redeeming love.
- Pray for our financial need. That the right individuals, families,
congregations and communities would partner with us.