Mission is accomplished - THANK YOU!!

Mission to South Africa and Swaziland

October, 2014

The mission:

To help with the IT needs of 2 educational institutions and a mission group. These schools are: Union Bible Institute Zion Bible College ; Durban Bible College and the SwaziLand mission group is CrossRoads. All 3 institutions are committed to training ministries in the areas of servant leadership, missions, and AIDS prevention. These colleges are training ministries to develop servant-leaders, prevent the spread of AIDS, and encourage the sending of missionaries. They create caring communities in Africa, seeking to promote a family spirit and love for people of all races and cultures. The task is setting up a database Crossroads ministry, providing and deploying a network of computers and fixing / refreshing existing computers. The goal is that the system will increase the overall efficiency of the school administration. The computer systems and databases will improve the schools ability to enroll students and to keep track of certifications. There’s a need to provide 5 modern computer systems as well as perform system troubleshooting, system optimization on existing computers. Durban Bible College also need to connect the new and existing computers to the Internet, enabling the students to be more globally aware.

Daily journal and summary of my traveling to the field and my days spent with the local missionaries:

Day1

Praise God; the day has arrived for me to start my trip to Africa.

Arriving to SFO I found out that my carry-on luggage was too large for carrying it on and I had to pay $200 on the top of the overweight cost of $150. Praise God for brother Bruce who immediately stepped up and covered the fee as a service to God.

I am feeling a little sick with flue-like symptoms but pressing on and praying for healing.

I just received a very nice email from Roni (TEAM) who is praying for my safety and successful mission. I am very blessed to be part of TEAM.

I also started reading very interesting book that was authored by a neurosurgeon who went into coma for 7 days with a deadly E Coli virus infection and in his out of body experience he was aware of Heaven and what life is all about. Life is about Unconditional LOVE and without sharing this LOVE with others we’re missing out on the biggest gift of all. The book is titled ‘Proof of Heaven’ by Eben Alexander.

Day 2,

My flight from SFO to Johannesburg via Atlanta was a very long 20 hours journey. The flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg was full with missionaries and youths attending a Bible boot camp in Africa.  The leg between Atlanta and Johannesburg was 14 hours and it made it somewhat easier that no one was sitting in the middle, so I was able to stretch a little.

God was with me as I did not need to pay duties on the 8 computers that I brought into the country. However, the airline said that more than likely I need to pay the weight excess fee again tomorrow when I check in my luggage on the


South African Airlines. I was praying that somehow God would arrange things so that I wouldn’t need to pay so much money again.

Upon my arrival to Johannesburg, the driver (Lewis) from the Sunrock Hotel was waiting for me. In South Africa people are driving on the left side of the road. He took me to the hotel where I finally was able to take a nice shower, have dinner and mingle with other travelers. I met people from the UK and Canada doing safari and adventure discovery.

Day3

I didn’t sleep very well at night, probably because I was very tired. I woke up at 6AM local time (9 PM PT) without using alarm an clock .  I went in to the main guest house for a breakfast and met with the same travelers with whom I had dinner the previous evening. A little hesitantly I had a glass of orange juice that contained tap water. Usually I am very careful not drinking tap water in Africa; however my fellow Canadian traveler said that he had some the previous night and was still holding it down.

At 7AM Lewis drove me back to the Johannesburg Airport to catch my 8.45AM flight to Durban. This was a short, approximately 1 hour flight.

Durban (Zulu: eThekwini, from itheku meaning 'bay / lagoon') is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. It is also the second most important manufacturing hub in South Africa after Johannesburg. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa and Africa.

 As I was exiting the Durban airport, Marcie ( biography https://team.org/about/profile/384 ) was waiting for me whom I recognized from our Skype meetings as we’re organizing the trip. Marcie, originally from South Carolina  is a TEAM field missionary in Africa for the past 20 years and helping with organizing short term missions and also teaching in the Union Bible Institute where I am assigned to setup 5 of the computers I brought over. Marcie drove me to the Union Bible Institute in Pietermaritzburg; about 1 hour drive from Durban.

At UBI, I met Eric and Suzan Binion (biography https://team.org/about/profile/28 ) originally from Texas  who are the leaders of the College and the South African TEAM mission field. They welcomed me with great kindness and warm food. They shared the great news with me that the Union Bible Institute just gained accreditation from the South African government and that will allow the school to grow and recruit more students. They have been working towards this goal for many years. Eric walked me around the campus that is expanding on a 14 acres of land. There are several classrooms, dormitories,

one administration building and a chapel. On our way around the campus, we met Richard who until recently led the IT department and told me about some of the tasks I will need to perform starting on Monday. 

For dinner I got invited over to Margo and David Patricks who have been a long-term missionaries in South Africa since 1992. The remarkable thing about Margo and David is that they’re African Americans from Illinois who heard Gog’s calling voice for ministry to South Africa before the Apartheid regime ended in 1994. 

They literally risked their lives by coming to this country to serve, yet they’re so sure about God’s calling that they stepped out in faith despite the opposition from their family back in the US. They’re now leaders in the Union Bible Institute serving God and raising the next generation of faith-based leaders in South Africa.

Day 4

Eric and Suzan took me to a local Zulu church to experience the Sunday service. Today was a special day as the church had a mission focus day when the pastors talked about the importance of serving others and doing mission work. The topic was very timely as the pastors introduced me to the congregation as a short term missionary and encouraged others to use their talents to serve God and people.  

I made a friend who translated to me from Zulu to English. He is the youth pastors at the church.
 

This was the longest Sunday service I ever attended (4.5 hours in length). A very sharp difference from the U.S. standard 1.5 hours.  Generally, people in Africa don’t have strong sense of time and hurry. People generally show up late for everything, and sometimes they don’t show up at all.  We had a welcome lunch after the service then came back home. I had a nice nap as I still had jet leg from the long flight. When I woke up, the family and I talked about the huge change in South Africa that took place in the past 20 years. There is no open sign of anything left behind from the old apartheid system.

In the evening, I worked on Eric and Suzan’s computers that they very much appreciated.

Day 5

Today, my new friend, Paul who is a teacher at the Union Bible Institute and also the IT administrator setup the 5 computers that I brought over. These computers will be used by the students for preparing their homework assignment and to research using the Internet.  We also started configuring a server that will be used for file sharing, printing and for Internet access control. Paul was born in South Africa and studied in the US for electrical engineering.  We had a great conversation about the South African history and changes since the end of the
apartheid system.       

For lunch, I was invited over to Richard and who are also working at the Union Bible Institute for the past 20 years. They were very hospitable and served me the best chocolate cake I ever tasted.

Day 6

 I said ‘good-bye to my hosts Eric and Susan Binion and headed out to the Petermaritzburg airport to catch my bus in Johannesburg to Swaziland. David Patricks took me to the airport and we had a nice conversation on the way.

I consolidated my 2 remaining suitcases into 1 therefore it became very heavy. I had to pay overweight fine at the airport but nearly not as much as the penalty on international flights.

I had to wait 4 hours at the Johannesburg airport for my bus and I took advantage of the waiting to relax at the restaurant of the Hotel Intercontinental that is right next to the airport. I used to work at the Hotel Intercontinental in Toronto, Canada for 5 years, so spending time there was like coming home. The lunch was served by a friendly waitress.

Day 7 

Today, I helped setting up the database for Pam Widerman ( biography: https://team.org/about/profile/392 ) who is the lead organizer for Crossroads in Swaziland.. Crossroads’ programs address the emotional, mental, social, physical and spiritual dimensions of a person while teaching the truth of Salvation through Christ. To train and equip people in Swaziland to develop character in themselves and subsequently in children and young people, which will result in wise choices in the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The database was built by my precious friends, Gay Virginia Nelson and Frank Buxter, both of Venture Christian Church in Los Gatos.

The Database will enable Pam to keep in touch with the local folks who have taken the Crossroads’ seminar and to build many of them up as leaders of the community.

For lunch, I met a couple of awesome new missionaries to Swaziland from the U.S. . Brett and Evelyn left the U.S. and their high paying jobs and committed to help raising the Christian leadership of Swaziland for the next 10 years of their lives. Such an admirable step and a witness that with God everything is possible. Brett used to be a V.P. of operations for a well known U.S. fast food chain and he traded his well paying job for serving God in Africa. So many of us missing out of our life’s real meaning that is serving God and serving people regardless of the locale.

In the afternoon, I visited the local Mantegna Falls (courtesy of Wayne and Pam Widerman) and witnessed the traditional ‘war dance’ with some extraordinary performance.
Swaziland derives its name from a later king named Mswati II . Mswati II was the greatest of the fighting kings of Swaziland, and he greatly extended the area of the country to twice its current size.

In the evening, my hosts, Pam and Wayne Widerman took me to a local restaurant for dinner; the restaurant is serving authentic Swazi food. We had a great fellowship together discussing how God is working through their ministry in Swaziland. Pam and Wayne have came to Swaziland in the 80’s to help raising a new generation of Christian leadership in Swaziland.  Since 2009 CrossRoads has partnered with World Vision – Ngwempisi Inkhundla. That year CrossRoads facilitators taught part of the Life at the CrossRoads curriculum to community members.

Day 9

After saying my ‘good-byes’ to Pam and Wayne in Swaziland, I started my 4-hour long bus ride back to Johannesburg and then I took a flight to Durban.  At the Durban airport my hosts Brian and Joyce Flickner ( biography https://team.org/about/profile/387 ) were waiting for me. They are very kind people with great sense of humor; we were able to connect in a short period of time.

Brian and Joyce are teacher-missionaries at   Durban Bible College.  Brian and his team is making a huge impact in the local community in the fight against crime, HIV/AIDS Pandemic, poverty and unemployment, racism, sexism, violence, abuse and helping families in crisis. 

Day 10

Today, I attended another uniquely South African Sunday service; at this time in Durban's Indian community. The pastor of the church is a graduate from Durban Bible College. After the service my hosts Brian, Joyce and the pastor of the church enjoyed great fellowship over lunch with some of the College's students.

The first Indians arrived during the Dutch colonial era, as slaves, in 1684. In the decades 1690 to 1725 over 80% of the slaves were Indians. This practice continued until the end of slavery in 1838. They made up the majority of slaves that came from the Far East and were by the 1880s totally integrated into the Cape White and Colored communities. Under the Apartheid system, until 1994, the Indian and other 'Colored' people were forced to live in their own areas and

by law were not allowed to move into 'white' areas.

Day 11

I had the most amazing experience by visiting the Hluhluwe Game Reserve in South Africa where we participated in a Safari. Brian (my host) and I had a great time spending a full day together and the animals in the wild were magnificent. It was amazing to experience what I have seen only on TV before. Brian and I spent 20 hours together as we left the house at 3AM and came back home at 11PM. We got lost a little but at the end all turned out to be a wonderful experience.

On the long journey, we talked about our faith, our lives, we shared laughter and we formed a strong brotherly bond.   It was a very memorable day!

                                                                                  
Day 12

Today, I worked with a local IT service provider and connected the computer lab to the Internet and to the networked printer.  The computers at Durban Bible College are rather old and not able to serve the needs of the students.

We had a delicious traditional lunch in the middle of our day.

I also had the privilege to participate in the morning devotional-hour that the college student’s hold every week. I was able to share my testimony on how I became a Christ-follower.  I hope that I was able to provide encouragement to the students that any obstacles we can overcome with God and no mountains are too high for blocking our success in Christ.

Day 13

Today, we continued our work and finished setting up the student computer lab. We also celebrated Pastor Brian Flickner’s birthday with the school getting together for cake and ice cream that was prepared by Joyce.

Day 14

Today was my last day at the Durban Bible College. I finished setting up the lab computers and configuring the internet connection. I also helped setting up the new laptops that I brought over for Marilyn and Joyce.

Summary

The tasks and goals of this mission trip were achieved. However, beyond delivering technology-based solutions, this adventure provided much more, especially for me.

The past two weeks was an amazing experience. I was able to get a glimpse to the sacrificial life that the long-term missionaries live in South Africa in order to bring blessings and positive changes to the local communities.
The missionaries’ lives are a testimony that “there is no greater joy” than giving one’s life for God and in service to others.  These missionaries in Africa are appreciating any gift through support, prayer and love.  US Tax deductible financial donation can be provided to any of the above listed missionaries at https://secure2.convio.net/team/site/SPageServer?pagename=donatenow&did=132

Special thanks for making this missions’ trip a success:

- Jesus Christ for His continuous blessings in my life and providing me health

- LinkedIn.com (my employer) for allowing me to leave for an extended time

- TEAM for organizing the trip and standing behind me throughout my trip

- Venture Christian Church of Los Gatos, CA, USA for donating some of the computers and providing financial support

- Ebislogic.com, San Jose, CA. for donating some of the computers

- Virginia Nelson and Frank Buxton for building the Access database

- My small group from Venture Christian for praying for my safety and success

- My friends for keeping me in their thoughts and encouraging me throughout my journey

- My friends who contributed financially

My very special thanks go to the extraordinary missionaries and my hosts I had the blessing to meet with:
      -     Marcie Gustafson  (TEAM)

-       Eric and Susan Binion   (Union Bible Institute)

-       Pam and Wayne Widerman  (CrossRoads)

-       Brian and Joyce Flickner   (Durban Bible College)

Lajos Koppanyi

October, 18, 2014 in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa