“We LOVE Africa!!! We love the people and we love the place. Go God!”

A missionary couple joined us for breakfast and gave an amazing presentation. They spoke on the extraordinary ways the Lord is moving in a Muslim territory where one can be killed for spreading the gospel. From a secretly Christian schoolteacher, teaching her students under a tree, to an Muslim Imam who discovered God’s love, my heart broke and leapt for joy as they told their stories. Remninders of how the body of Christ moving in concert can have a powerful impact on our world.

After breakfast, Chris Dyball, Jessica Pillay and I spent the afternoon enjoying a long coffee break and reflecting on the continually transformative journey that we’re on with the Lord – how He is revealing new things about ourselves, His love, provision, and unfolding plan.

That night, the team — along with some clients and guests — enjoyed a Big Night Out at Moyo, a fabulous restaurant with live African music and dancing. I had a great time hanging out with Chima and Eyo, producer Chris Brigg’s Nigerian ad-agency friends, and listening to Nigerian music on their Ipods (see photo of Chima and Chris above). The mussels were fantastic, flavored with “I don’t know what!” as was the great chickpea tangerine. I closed the evening with a huge papaya dessert drink and great conversation with Jan Marais, the inspired Christian bar-owner extraordinaire from our client group. I left early with the “ol’ fogies” - who will remain unnamed! – finding out the next morning that the night owls burst onto the dance floor and stage after our departure! In the words of the locals, “Oh Shame!”

The next morning we rolled bags out to waiting cars. The network connection closed down. Kisses and hugs all ‘round. Jessica van der Gaast, Ann Marie Ghigo and I set off for a three day excursion up the Garden Route. The equip Venture was an amazing experience- it will be good to settle down and process it all. Much love and thanks to all of our supporters out there!

Heather and friends

Today was Presentation Day—the culmination of efforts for this venture. Late into the night on Friday, the hallways were buzzing as consultants wrapped up their scorecards, wrote their client abstracts, and finished up final deliverables. All the efforts were certainly rewarded with an amazing series of client presentations. A few highlights:

For me, it was such a reward to see my clients present a radically new purpose for their business. When we first began the venture, they were a small partnership team working in video production for corporate clients. But now their vision has expanded to include producing documentary films about the problems that Africa is facing—HIV/AIDS, poverty, addiction, etc. More exciting yet, they are hoping to bridge these together by using video to educate and motivate corporations to take responsibility for their nation’s problems. Their presentation was wacky, entertaining, and energetic, which is also a good description of the two of them! (see Andy and friends at work in video below) This case in point also highlights some of the greater work God is doing in the media industry as a whole. All three media companies represented in this venture stood in unity and received prayer, committing themselves to work together to transform their industry. I am looking forward to seeing what God will do in the coming years!

The other presentations were filled with many personal accounts of God’s miraculous healing, provision of land and finances, and personal deliverance. Several men were in tears as they presented, from beginning to end!

We finished off the day with a long discussion and time of affirmation for one another. I personally have been touched by the vulnerability of the clients, the dedication of the consultants, and the fellowship between the American and South African teams.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support throughout this venture!

Michelle

We spent the entire day in visioning sessions with our clients, catching a cable car at the end of day and a beautiful sunset from Table Mountain.

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This was our last day of consulting with our clients, and we had a lot of ground to cover (still do, in fact). While new information and connections are slowly starting to come together, this is also a time when we realize that there is still much to be done. Some of the highlights:

• The weather has gone from cold and stormy to temperatures in the mid-70s in the short time we’ve been here. Today was so warm, by the afternoon we were all moving rather slowly.
• We hosted the equip alumni dinner at Bloemendal (the most AMAZING sunset and view that I have seen here ever!). Wonderful to see familiar faces and hear how God has been working through folks in great ways.
• We completed the last 2 (Place and Process) of the 10-P’s. I helped with the teaching on how we can display the presence of God in the places we live and work. I was happy to see many of our clients talking through new ways of transforming their places. Cool stuff.
• We are in the home stretch in completing our clients’ deliverables (a.k.a. the scorecards). The clients will be presenting their summaries of the past two weeks on Friday.

Although I am tired and somewhat homesick, I am grateful for the bounty of God’s provision here. I love the bed & breakfast we’re at, the people, the food, the natural beauty of Cape Town, and the opportunity to serve the Lord here and now.

Stacie Nishimine (hi Rooey!)

Unstructured day!

Today was one of the few days we went offsite with our respective clients. Since we are halfway through week two, a growing camaraderie between consultants and clients became apparent in the day’s activities. Some visited client offices to pray over the area. Others met the clients’ spouses and children. I got a drive along the mountain roads with views of the sparkling ocean below, houses nestled amidst the trees, and a clear sky that seemed to stretch on forever.

All of us plunged into the scorecard work. For ten areas of focus, we discuss the state of the current business and come up with either things have to be changed or things that have to be started, all in the interest of running a successful business that glorifies God. After an entire week of learning and discussing and scorecarding, you’d think that we’d figured out how to discuss and brainstorm and scorecard quickly. Instead, last week was like starting up a huge machine that hadn’t been used in too long. You flip the power switch, watch the gears slowly start turning again, hear the sudden screeching and watch the dust start swirling around and fog the whole area up. Especially in light of our impromptu Saturday night discussion (see post below), this week started out with us figuring out how to clear the dust away.

Things that confused us last week, clients and consultants both, are beginning to make sense and come together. We are also getting the sense now that we are standing with God and fighting for His people and His causes. There is an excitement, but there is also a bit of weariness creeping in from our long days and intense discussions. Your prayers for us are definitely appreciated!

~janet wu

Michelle working with Brad, on location at Vida e Cafe

Today we clustered clients into business spheres, brainstorming what each business owner had to share about their sector, while asking what those sectors would look like if they were operating according to biblical principles. The clusters represented were: 1) construction, housing and land and 2) media, entertainment and hospitality.

Getting back together with our clients we also focused on profit and planning. Two points that resonated with me were that everyone has some form of capital — that the human spirit is the primary source of the creation of wealth — and that God recalibrates our ideas of success in that financial gain should not always be seen the sole measure of profit.

Henry, one of the management people at the training, testified to how Equip has impacted his construction company. Henry told of a core group of Christians at the company who began praying for breakthrough eleven years ago. Over time, the company became more ethical in their business practices and, five years ago, the owner became a Christian! Since then, four of the company directors have attended Equip training. They’ve experienced a boom in business, but not without some challenges: Henry described one instance where the company managers prayed for a breakthrough in their cash flow situation; one day later, three lucrative projects came through! He emphasized that it’s not always that easy!

Back at the construction company headquarters they’ve built a prayer room, formed a prayer intercessor’s group, begun a bible study, started a Purpose Driven Life study, and tithed ten percent of the company’s profits to charitable projects… among many other things. They also started other non-overt Christian projects to include all their employee groups, i.e. a youth rugby club. Henry described how, over the last two years, they’ve needed to be willing to WAIT for God to work, adopting a “priesthood” mentality. They’re very clear to welcome and honor all faiths at their company, describing how their Muslim population is very different in their needs than the Christian population. Rather than striving to hire Christians, they focus on the most qualified people, emphasizing that talents and character are what most. How has Henry had such an impact on the people around him? “I don’t walk around with a bible under my arm,” he says, “they see what I believe through my actions.”

Bert Botta
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A beautiful Day in Cape Town and surroundings… a true Sabbath!
“This is the day the Lord has made – let us be glad and rejoice in it!” (Psalm 118:24)
At Heinveld Celebration Ministries we joined together for worship, song, dance and scripture. Each EQUIP consultant at the service (Eric, Brad, Janet, Michelle, Jared & Jessica vdG) gave their personal testimony with Jared sharing powerfully how God changed him through his marriage. Afterward we had a time of blessing & prayer over the married couples and singles where Jared received a special word & prayer from the Pastor to bring the gospel to the nations — GO JARED! We left feeling so blessed by the beautiful people at Heinveld Celebration Ministries who welcomed us with their warm smiles and loving spirit, praising Jesus all the way!

Next we were off to Cape Point (aka: The Cape of Good Hope) where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet! On the way we had an abundance of stunning “Kodak” moments: stopping to admire breathtaking vistas, beaches (always good for an impromptu GQ style photo shoot by our team photographer Chris) and saying “Hi” to the cute little “JackAss Penguins!” During the drive some of us enthusiastically chewed away on a local delicacy: Biltong — a dried meat similar to Jerky but made from Ostrich, Wildebeest, and many other species. This inspired a search for African wild life, before the “Biltong-stage,” awarding us successful close(!) encounters with Baboons, Ostrich & Zebra.

After admiring a beautiful African sunset in Hout Bay, Brett took us on a trip down “Memory Lane,” piecing together the roots of the Johnson family & ministry in the Hout Bay area — including a stop at the verychurch where Brett & Lyn got married many moons ago!

This is what God designed the Sabbath to be: At the end of this beautiful Sunday I’m totally refreshed and feeling so privileged to be here. Looking forward to the week ahead, I’m expecting great things in both our clients and consulting team!

Jessica “Wan-der-Lost” (formerly known as van der Gaast)

Another extraordinary day!

Today was a day of rest for us as we’ve been working from dawn to dusk all week. Sleeping in till 7:30 a.m., we charged up with Philippians at breakfast and dashed off to Stellenbosch, a northern town, for shopping and sightseeing. Driving through gorgeous rolling hills, the roadside was speckled with graffitied neighborhoods back-dropped by the primal-feeling Cape mountain ranges.In Stellenbosch the group toured the town on a fun scavenger hunt (see the band Chris and Michelle found >> ) while Brad, Bert, Janet and I bee-lined to the local coffee shop, kicking back and enjoying a great discussion on the gifts of healing and prophecy. It’s so exciting to be with peers who contemplate these matters! We continued with shopping, lunch, and a winery stop. The high point of the day came in the evening with the team gathering to reflect on the venture so far. As we discussed our clients, two things became clear: first, many of them are contemplating new businesses, secondly, our clients as a whole seem to represent two spheres of industry. The two spheres are in the areas of 1) construction, housing and land and 2) media, entertainment and the hospitality industry. We’re excited that this presents an extraordinary opportunity to re-purpose not just businesses, but to re-purpose two spheres of local industry! The question now is how to proceed with our clients based on what has been revealed to us. Please pray for us as we prepare for the coming week’s work- may the Lord grant us discernment, wisdom, and clarity as to the best course of action. God bless you all for your love, prayers, and support. Heather Volante

Howzit folks? The day began with Chris Dyball starting us off with a great devotion that encouraged us that as Gods’ appointed we are also anointed. Good way to get the day kicked off, knowing that we alredy have God’s annointing on us.
The consultants are already showing signs of wear from the long days and early risings, but being the good troopers that we are, we are ready to get on with the day!
The deepening relationships between clients and consultants, and consultants and consultants is very encouraging and I was looking forward to the day unfolding.

The Product session was a lively and creative session that included:

1. Jessica Van giving us a coffee smelling test that included the coffee from our client’s former cafe chain that he co-founded, Vida e caffe. Interestingly enough, about 80% percent (which included the South Africans) chose Starbucks. Unfortunately, a distant second was Vida e coffee.

2. A play on the Unmerciful Servant, created and directed by Heather Volante, in which I got to play none other than our fearless leader… Brett.
The Partnering session in the afternoon was an especially deep and interesting one as it touched on a very important aspect of all of our lives, our relationships.

In all a great day and I am looking forward to the weekend for some R&R.

Peace…Eric “Smiff” Aiyathurai

“Baboons!” My roommate, Brad, barged into the room collapsing breathless on the floor. Baboons? Were baboons on the property?

“Get this,” Brad said, “a friend of Brett’s drove his new car to the beach to go surfing. He wrapped a rubber snake around the antenna to keep baboons from the car – baboons HATE snakes.”

“Baboons and I have a lot in common.” I thought aloud.

“Stick with me now. When he got back to the car…” Brad started laughing hysterically, “when he got back to the car, the car was destroyed. Pelted with rocks — the baboons thought they could take it out. They were gonna kill that snake! His car was totaled.”

It’s been a GREAT week so far — we’ve been having a lot of fun working with new friends and trying our best to avoid snakes, baboons, and other wild creatures. Today we took the big step of venturing out into the wild, “on location,” visiting our client’s businesses and getting a feel for what they do first hand.

So who am I consulting these two weeks? I’m working with a media company, Destine Nation, producing television shows and local and international commercials. Here’s a bit of what they have to say: “One of the tragedies of apartheid in South Africa was the death of countless South Africans’ abilities to dream. Living in a country where many operate without hope — where it seems impossible to rise above the circumstances — the biggest gift you can give is opening hearts to see that EVERYTHING is possible. A leader in black empowerment issues, we provide the disadvantaged access to the film and video industry through mentorship and employment. Simply put, WE HELP THEM DREAM AGAIN.” Samuel, the development director of Destine Nation, has spoken to the state assembly and governor about just these types of issues; I believe he was asked to speak to the parliament of Nigeria as well. “I want a peaceful South Africa.” Samuel declares, “What I do, what WE do, we do with a passion for transformation – reconciliation not just for South Africa, but for ALL of Africa.”

Thank you for tuning in,
Chris Dyball, Film Producer

Today, our second formal day with our Clients, we started with prayer and some wonderful worship!! Always great to welcome in the Lord’s Presence with song…. The first item of the day was to review the Impact Assessment – 10 P’s. Then it was on to the incredibly inspiring testimony from our brother Louis. His company, Exact Patient Centric Software, was under great financial stress two years ago. Stress that would close down their business in twenty four hours due to a calling of their loan… After praying and seeking the Lord’s intervention, the Fed Ex’d bank notice never arrived… The Sheriff never showed up to issue the note…. And six weeks later, the debts had been paid or refinanced completely!!

The next encouragement was hearing about God’s work in the saints living in Vail, Colorado…. A vision and a challenge to repurpose the entire Vail region to the glory of God… Following that was a discussion by Brett on the ways that God repurposes His people.. • Revelation • Relocation • Multiplication • Replication • Persecution • Scope Expansion… From your person to your business, to your nation, to the nations. “Go and make disciples of all nations”. Next we heard a great story from Cassie, who moved in to Kayamandi for two nights to sleep amongst the people he was to minister to. God was not going to speak to him about his ministry/calling until he obeyed and slept in that Township. Finally we watched a great video of the miracles that God provided to the owner/inventor of Milo, where God miraculously changed the sugar content of his grape harvest from 14% to 16% so they could be shipped to markets overseas. Without this miracle, the financial losses and job losses would have been staggering… Thank you Lord! We all have a measure of faith. How do we use it? What weakens our faith? Factors weakening our faith include stress, financial pressure, worry, fear, doubt, rationalizing, etc. What creates an atmosphere where miracles will be likely? Tithing, giving, serving the poor and needy, humility, desiring God’s move, and the Holy Spirit. Galatians 6:7. It was a day of seeing those beliefs put to practice.

Brad Zielinski

It’s Worker’s Day here in South Africa – that’s similar to Labor Day at home.  An official South African holiday!

We spent the morning visiting Khayamandi – a poor townships about 20 minutes away.  There we went to a business / community development project, supported by Equip, called Kuyasa (which means light coming - as in the dawn).  Several small businesses are operated out of this location.  The biggest one is a bakery that has been established to provide bread to the people of Khayamandi.  There are ~30,000 people living in the Township and there is no market to buy food locally.  The bakery is able to produce and sell bread at a price lower than people could purchase it by traveling to Cape Town.  At Kuyasa they also sell locally produced clothing, baskets and other craft items.  There is an ESL lab (English as a second language) and an outreach program for young children with Aids. However, we learned that helping impoverished people start businesses in this environment is more complicated than you might think.  For Mavis, who runs the bakery, making a profit presents new challenges.  Culturally, everyone she knows may start coming to her for money.  She also has safety concerns keeping money on hand because there are no banks in the Township. Finally, bureaucratic requirements (such as health certificates etc.) are time consuming and add significant expense.  Nevertheless, Equip is committed to helping in the Khayamandi Township on a long term basis, and it’s encouraging to see the potential for transformation in such a disadvantaged community.

The afternoon was equally exciting - we met with our partners, the South African consultants, and were briefed on the clients we will be working with for the next two weeks.  There is a lot of enthusiasm in the group and we have a very diverse clientele! 

The businesses include a Christian business association, a bar in Cape Town (yes, a bar), a building supply company, a chain of coffee shops, several media / film companies and more.

Finally, the team enjoyed a nice dinner out and we celebrated Michelle’s birthday.  Happy birthday again Michelle!  Tomorrow, the hard work and long days begin bright and early at 7 a.m.!  

Anne Marie Ghigo