Allison Callahan First Year Missionary - Serving The Kingdom

Tribute to Swaziland

Tue, 6 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

As I am reaching the end of my time here in Swaziland I have decided to take some time to appreciate the public transportation I have used for the last four months. Just about every day I have ridden on a Kombi which is a 15 passenger van. There are many interesting things about the Kombis here, but my favorite has been the names of them. I have ridden on or seen hundreds of Kombis with various names. I have taken my favorites and narrowed them down to what I consider the top ten best Kombi names:

10. Always on Time (this one is good because is anything ever on time in Africa?)
9. Trust No Body
8. Poison
7. Tribute to Zama
6. Cheese Girl
5. Gold Digger
4. Scorpion Heart
3. Latino Heat
2. Property of G-Unit aka The Godfather
1. Da Vibe Squad

One Among the Many

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

This has been a hard week for me. Not only is school over with and I do not get to see my kids everyday, but I have heard some very sad stories. One of my teammates and I have decided to support a few students from our school for the coming years so the head teacher wanted us to hear about the students' lives directly from them. We talked with one 14 year old girl in grade 7 for a while and it brought me to tears. This young girl, Sebenzile, lost her father in 2000, her mother last month, and is living with her 18 year old brother. Her mother left her 20 Emalangeni when she died, which is the equivalent of just under $3. She does not have any family members living besides her brother who is not in school and does not have a steady job. They have no money and therefore she has no money for food, much less school fees. As she was talking about her situation she started to cry, and the desperation of her situation hit me hard. What hit me almost harder than her story is the fact that she is not the only child in Swaziland in this situation. There are countless orphans in Swaziland who have no place to go and no way of acquiring food. The head teacher tried to encourage her and took some time to explain to her the importance of trying to be strong. The head teacher made sure to tell her not to resort to selling her body for food, because she will be approached by men for that reason. It's hard to believe that this is definitely not an uncommon situation in this country or in the world. I often feel like, well there is no way for me to help every orphan in Swaziland so is it really going to make a difference if I only help one? However, I have been called to help orphans even if it is just one. I have to trust that God is bigger than Sebenzile and her situation, as well as every other orphan's situation in Swaziland and He knows each one.

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction" James 1:27

The Need of the True Gospel

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

"There are thousands of people in Swaziland who are disappointed in the Jesus that has been presented to them."

The pastor of the church I attend here in Swaziland made the above statement at church a few weeks ago. It is a very powerful statement that many people may not agree with at first, but I agree wholeheartedly. At least with my experiences here and the people I have talked to I would say this is very true. About a month ago I was struck with the fact that what this country needs more than anything else is the true gospel. More than a cure for AIDS, or an abstinence program to encourage kids to wait until marriage for sex, or food for all the starving kids, the Swazi people (and many other people across Africa and the world) need to know the true and living Jesus Christ. Many people in Swaziland are presented with the Jesus of prosperity or a "quick fix Jesus" and then quickly become disappointed. Our pastor said in this same message, "Jesus is the answer, but not for what you want done, but for what He has done." This is so key in understanding who Jesus is. It's not about what He can do for us and how He can fix our problems. Jesus has already made the biggest sacrifice by giving His life for us and redeeming us from the pit of darkness, He owes us nothing. This concept is often hard for me to grasp and doesn't seem fair sometimes, but it is true. The need of pastors who receive good, solid Biblical training is crucial. The Swazi people do not need to be told to believe in a Jesus who will solve all your problems. Who will cure you and your family of AIDS and provide food in abundance for you at all times. They need to understand who the real Jesus is. They need to hear over and over again of the simple and true gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The sadness and desperation of people in need is extremely grave here. The way AIDS is ravaging this nation is outrageous and the number of children who have lost at least one parent is heartbreaking. This is why the people need to know who Jesus really is and this is why good pastoral training is in such great need in my opinion. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:1-2, "And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."

Supporter Email

Mon, 3 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

For those of you that missed it, here is the email I sent out this week to my supporters:

Hi Everyone,

Well, we have made it to the first week of March and I am missing, yet again, another birthday. Happy (early) Birthday Austin! This has been another good week. I showed up Tuesday morning to school and found out that the teacher Im working with would not be at school all week. So I had the class all to myself all week! I was a little worried at first, but I actually enjoyed it a lot. I was able to do whatever I wanted with the kids. I came up with different centers for English and I think the kids really enjoyed it! Wednesday afternoon Nicole and I walked a couple of our students home and briefly met their family. It was a lot of fun to see where they live and to meet their family. In Swaziland most people outside of the big cities live on homesteads. These are basically a large area of land with multiple little houses where the entire family lives. There is often a farm of some kind with maize and possibly other vegetables. The homestead we went to on Wednesday overlooks a game reserve so it was beautiful. The girls gogo, or grandmother, gave us some of their maize as a gift. Receiving gifts when you visit a family is the norm here as well, so that works out nicely for us:) We stayed after school this week for sports, or running. All of the fourth, fifth, and sixth graders have to stay after school to watch their fellow students run. Only the best students are chosen to compete in the competitions coming up in mid March and all the rest just cheer on their friends. Nicole was talking to the running coach and told him that she ran track in high school and he told her to come next week with a change of clothes ready to work with the girls. So Nicole is now the girls running coach for Mahlanya Primary Schoolpretty exciting. For family ministry on Saturday we went to our school to play with the kids. We made a slip-n-slide for the kids and they loved it! At first only two kids were brave enough to try it, but then they were lining up and were sliding down it for at least an hour. This week we are leaving on Thursday to go to South Africa for a prayer retreat. We will be gone from Thursday morning of this week through Monday night of next week. I guess March Madness will be starting soon, too bad American College basketball is not a big deal in Swaziland. Im sure my family will root extra hard for the Tarheels in my honor though;) I hope you all have a good week. Keep me posted on the basketball tournament:)

Love in Christ,

Allison

What to Say...

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I have been reading through 1 Corinthians over the past couple of weeks and have really been enjoying it. I do not have anything extremely profound to say, but decided that Gods Word is sufficient on its own. I found many verses while reading through this book that stood out to me and found them all to be reminders that it is God working in and through us to produce anything good. I pray that these verses will be as much an encouragement to you as they are to me:

For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

1 Cor. 1:17

He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption.

1 Cor. 1:30

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

1 Cor. 2:2

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

1 Cor. 3:7

Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.

1 Cor. 7:17

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.

1 Cor. 10:31-33

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

1 Cor. 15:58

A Little Girl Named Bongiwe

Mon, 4 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

My team and I do some form of ministry together as a team every Saturday morning. This Saturday morning we spent a few hours at the hospital in Mbabane and I spent my time in the abandoned baby ward. In this ward are all the children that have been abandoned by their mothers after birth. They range in age from one year to 10 years old or older. Most of the younger ones are fairly healthy except for one little boy who looks very sick and is extremely skinny. The older children all have physical and/or mental disabilities. The children stay in the hospital until they are adopted or are taken in by an orphanage. I spent the whole time playing with one little girl named Bongiwe who is about 3 years old. At first she was a little shy, did not smile, and didnt really know what to think of me. She started warming up to me and by the time I left she was pretty much clinging to me. I had so much fun spending my morning with her. She has such a great personality for a little girl. Bongiwe started talking to me non-stop which was so cute, but since she was talking SiSwati I had no idea what she was saying. It hurts me to think that this amazing and sweet girl could be stuck in this hospital for years. I am thankful that she has a place to sleep and someone to feed and clothe her, but I hate that it has to be in a small room in a hospital. She cannot run around outside and explore like so many other children. Praise the Lord she is still loved by God. Her mother and father may have abandoned her and it may seem like she will be living in the hospital forever, but she is still known and loved by the Lord so much. I pray that God will reveal Himself to her in the coming years and she will live a life that brings Him glory.

Ezulwini

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

My team and I made it safely to our house in Ezulwini, Swaziland on Saturday afternoon and have been busy getting our things organized. We have not had water or electricity all weekend, but it will hopefully be turned on today. Our house is very nice and in a nice town as well. Today we had our first experience taking public transportation to the mall in Mbabane. We are going to start visiting the various ministry options this week and will hopefully all pick have an internship picked out by next week. Please continue to pray for my team and I as we settle in to our new home for the semester.

We Made It

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Well I'm happy to say that I made it safely back to South Africa without any problems. All of my flights were on time, one even arrived early! It has been raining since I arrived at the airport at around 3:00 yesterday, but it hasn't been so hot so I can't complain. We are planning on leaving for Swaziland in the morning and are hoping to arrive at our house tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully I will be able to give you more information about my trip next week. Thanks for you prayers!

Semester #2

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Tomorrow I'm heading back to Africa. This semester I will be living in Mbabane, Swaziland. I do not know very much about where we will be living and what ministry opportunities there are since our trip was changed at the last minute. However, I am excited to be heading back to Africa and am looking forward to how God will use my team and me in the coming months. Below I have attached all the information I have received about my trip and a map of Swaziland. Thank you for your continued support. I will hopefully post another update soon from Africa!

Mbabane/Ezulwini Area

Mbanane is the capital of Swaziland. It is the Governmental center of the country. It has about 80,000 inhabitants. The US embassy, a full service mall, and the largest government hospital are all located in Mbanane. It is in the higher altitude part of the country with beautiful mountains and greenery everywhere. The climate is cooler than that found in Manzini.

Ezulwini means "Heaven" in siSwati. The Ezulwini valley sits below the city of Mbanane and is in some ways a suburb of the capital. There are tourist amenities in Ezulwini including the countries largest craft market.

The house is located in a new housing development and has good security with a guard, high wall, and electric fence protecting the whole neighborhood. The FYM program in Swaziland was actually housed in this same area beginning 2004 and there are still multiple ministry contacts in the area. The house is less than 2 years old, has 4 bedrooms and will have modern bathroom and kitchen facilities.

Transportation will involve primarily public transport - although the team will have an AIM vehicle as well. Public Transport is a 5-10 minute walk from the house. A "Kombie" ride up the road to Mbabane is about 20 minutes up (and about 10 minutes down!)

Ministry opportunities include:

Hospital in Mbabane - men's ward, women's ward, large children's ward.

2 high schools in Mbabane where we have done discipleship and abstinence groups in the past.

Teacher assistants in 2 elementary schools in Ezulwini.

3 vulnerable children care points located in Ezulwini.

English Teacher for a program designed for older kids who are unable to go to school but need English for jobs.

Street ministry in Mbabane.

A Mosque is located on the road behind the neighborhood where the team will live.

Several NGO's are located in Mbabane. With some networking, there may be some ability to help with some of their activities.

It's Not Up To Me?

Fri, 7 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I have been going to a coffee shop/bookstore with Carrie everyday for the past week and getting to know the owner and have been reminded of a very comforting fact.it's not up to me. God doesn't need me to accomplish anything, but He allows me to take part in what He's already doing. Carrie and I have been talking with this lady for a week and had not felt like we needed to share the gospel with her, but to just sit with her and show her that we care about her. Yesterday we got clear confirmation that we are not the ones that are going to make a huge difference in her life, but the people she lives around all the time will. We met one of her good friends yesterday and found out that she is a Christian and Carrie and I both feel that she will make the biggest impact in our friend's life. It was as if God was saying, "See, I don't need you. I'm already at work here." It was really encouraging and the reminder helped to take pressure off. I feel like the American church has put so much pressure on "evangelism" and it has become something that we often feel like has to have results that we can report. But to me, that limits what we expect of God. That puts all the pressure on us and then we feel like it's a job and if we don't get positive results we feel like a failure. Praise God it's not on us! If it were we would be in serious trouble. God is good and He is at work even when we can't see it. It's also more fun this way. We can just live life and share the love of Christ not just in "sharing the gospel" (which is still very important), but also in how we act around others. I love that the Lord always finds a way to remind me that it's not about me:)

Click Here to Check out our FYM program

God is Good

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

"Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you"

Psalm 31:19

This week the Lord has been teaching me of His goodness. In my head I know that God is good, but I have been trying to really study this to better understand what that means. "God is good" is a phrase that is often thrown around, but is much more complex than I realize. I have to believe that God is really good all the time. In the midst of hardship and confusion I have to know that God is good. When I meet a little girl in a township that gets beat by her mother's boyfriend every night, I still have to believe that God is good. It's not easy and does not always make sense in my mind, but He tells me in the Word that He is good so I have to believe that. I have been reading Psalm 31 over and over and am starting to understand the Lord's goodness little by little.

Amazing Grace

Fri, 2 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

"Indeed, it would be perfectly fair for God not to save any human beings who sinned and rebelled against him" (Wayne Grudem, Christian Beliefs)

As I was listening to Chris Tomlin's version of Amazing Grace I realized how often I forget about God's amazing grace. I get so caught up in what is going on with me that I dismiss the greatness of His grace. The truth of the above statement by Wayne Grudem in his book Christian Beliefs blew me away. Nothing about me, nothing I do, and nothing I can do would even come close to being enough for God to save me. If it weren't for His amazing grace I would be bound for eternal separation from Him. The enormity of God's grace is something that I will never completely understand and need to remind myself of daily. Grace was once explained to me as getting something I don't deserve. When I think about all the things I don't deserve that God has given me freely I am so humbled. How is it that I can continually keep asking Him for things when He has given me so much more than I deserve. Right now a huge picture of His grace poured out on me is the fact that I am in Africa and am able to spend my days with God's people here and to wake up each morning to an African sunrise. We went to Mamelodi for the last time yesterday and it was bittersweet. We have spent four weeks ministering to the children and yesterday we celebrated our last day with a party for Jesus. We sang a few songs with the children, which I think they know better than we do now, we encouraged them with scripture, and then just had fun with them. We made balloon animals, painted faces, and played music. It was so much fun to see these children enjoying the few things we had for them. I have been so blessed with my time in this township working with these children and was sad to leave. I know God is doing great things there and will continue to do so, even if I am not there to see it happen. A group of the boys in the after school program performed a dance for us before we left. Today they are performing this same dance at the American Embassy here! Below I tried to post a short video of the dance, but the internet is "Africa slow" today. I have also only been able to upload one picture from the party. Please continue to pray for the workers and children at Berakah in Mamelodi. God's grace really is amazing!

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith." (Romans 3:23-25)

Mamelodi

Sat, 13 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I have been spending all of my time in South Africa ministering in the town of Mamelodi. Our team works at a daycare and after school program every Monday-Thursday afternoon. I have been able to work with the school age children a lot and have gotten to know many of them pretty well. I had the privilege to walk one little girl home on Thursday and I got to meet her parents. It was so neat to not only spend time with this little girl, but to also see where she lives and meet some of her family. I am excited about how the Lord is going to continue to use me at this place and how He is going to change me through my interactions with the children. A few of the names of children you can pray for are: Joanna, Evidence, Flora, Nompumpeleo, and Amanda. They are all such sweet children and many of them are so hungry for the Word. Here are a couple pictures of the town of Mamelodi:

Swaziland!

Fri, 5 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

We have spent the past week ministering to the people of Swaziland and it has been an amazing week. We have seen and heard some horrific stories involving AIDS and the awful effects it has on this country, but we have also learned a lot. My team and I have ministered in the local hospital, a squatter camp (many, many people crammed together in a very small place living in small houses), and a care point (a place where local children come to receive food). Ministry has been great and the people are very willing to talk to us. I have really enjoyed being here. We are leaving on Monday to head back to South Africa. Thank you for all your prayers and comments!

We Made It!

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I do not have much time to write, but I wanted to let everyone know that we all made it safely to South Africa. We have been here for a week today and things are going well. We did not have any trouble with the flights and the two days of travel went fairly smoothly. I have been ministering in a town called Mamelodi this week doing children's ministry. Tomorrow we are leaving for Swaziland for about a week. I miss everyone at home, but am enjoying my time in Africa. I appreciate all the comments, emails, and prayers!!

The next update will not be for at least two weeks because we will be in Swaziland and the internet is much harder to get there;)

It's Almost Time...

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Well it's hard to believe that I only have one more day at home before I head out. My parents have a Bible study that meets every Monday night and tonight they ended their prayer time by praying over me before I leave. This is a very special group of people to me and I'm so blessed to have them all in my life. Also in the last week I have gotten to spend time with most of my family and some of my good friends. I am going to miss them all so much, but I know that God is in control of my life and theirs. If you want to send me anything by mail while I am gone you can do so using the following address:

AIM Johannesburg
PO Box 1284
Ifafi, South Africa 0260

I will also have some internet access so feel free to email me and keep checking my blog for updates. You can easily email me by clicking the "contact me" link to the left under my picture. The following quote from "Brothers, We Are Not Professionals" by John Piper is the short version of why I am leaving home and going to Africa in just a few short days!

"If we love God's fame and are committed to magnifying His name above all things, we cannot be indifferent to world missions."

Support Update

Sun, 19 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The Lord is so faithful! So far I have raised $6,080. This means that I have enough money in my account for my plane ticket and for the 60% of the total trip cost in one time gifts! Thank you so much to everyone who has been praying for me and who has given financially to help me. I still need to raise the rest of the money in pledges by September 12^th and I have recently found out that I need to raise an extra $800 dollars in order to take a trip to Kenya in the fall. The Lord has been so good to even allow me to have the opportunity to serve Him in Africa and has already raised up people to help me financially, so how can I not trust that He will continue to provide what I need for this trip. I have only 24 more days until I leave for training camp in Georgia. That both scares me and excites me so much. I have no idea what the Lord holds in my future, but I know He is faithful and I know He holds my future!

"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Lamentations 3:22-23

Christ...from the beginning to the end

Sun, 5 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

For the past year or so the Lord has really been showing me the importance of the gospel and in seeing Christ in the whole Bible. My dad posted an article on his blog a few months ago by Charles Spurgeon that I thought was a great illustration of the importance of understanding Christ being central in the Bible. I was reminded again tonight of this article so I wanted to post it.

From Phil Johnson's Spurgeon Archive:
Mr. Spurgeon related a story that I believe would be excellent for every preacher to read at least once a week. It is a story of a young English preacher delivering a message before a renounced pastor of many years. Upon finishing his sermon, the young man went to the old pastor to ask how he had done: "What do you think of my sermon, sir?" he asked. "A very poor sermon indeed," he said. "A poor sermon!" said the young man, "it took me a long time to study it." "Ay, no doubt of it." Why, then, do you say it was poor; did you not think my explanation of the text to be accurate?" "Oh yes," said the old preacher, "very correct indeed." "Well, then, why do you say it is a poor sermon? Didn't you think the metaphors were appropriate, and the arguments conclusive?" "Yes, they were very good, as far as that goes, but still it was a very poor sermon." "Will you tell me why you think it a poor sermon?" "Because," he said, "THERE WAS NO CHRIST IN IT." "Well," said the young man, "Christ was not in the text; we are not to be preaching Christ always, we must preach what is in the text." So the old man said, "Don't you know, young man, that from every town, and every village, and every little hamlet in England, wherever it may be, there is a road to London?" "Yes," said the young man. "Ah!" said the old preacher, "and so from EVERY TEXT in Scripture there is a road to the metropolis of the Scriptures, that is CHRIST. And, my dear brother, your business is, when you get to a text, to say, 'Now, what is the road to Christ?' and then preach a sermon, running along the road towards the great metropolis - Christ. And," he said, "I have never yet found a text that had no such road, I will make a road, I would go over hedge and ditch but I would get at my master, for a sermon is niether fit for the land nor yet for the dunghill, unless there is a savour of Christ in it."

Almost halfway there!

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I've been blown away at how quickly my support has been coming in! I sent out my support letters only 2 weeks ago and already I have just over $4,000 in my account. How great is our God!! I'm so thankful for all the people in my life who are willing to support what God is doing in my life. Here is an excerpt of a sermon by John Piper that has changed the way I think about missions and is one way the Lord has challenged me to do missions. The whole sermon is about 45 minutes, but is definitely worth the time!

"Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God."
- 2 Corinthians 3:5

Why Africa??

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth."
Isaiah 12:2-5

I often get asked why I have decided to go to Africa for nine months. Sometimes it is hard for me to explain why other than the simple fact that God has called me to go. That is why I love these verses in Isaiah. These three verses explain very clearly why I am going to live in Africa, to bring glory to God and make his name known in another country!

Jesus Paid It All from Passion '06

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

This is a video of the song "Jesus Paid It All" from Passion 2006 and I really like this version.