Month: April 2014

Back to School

On By Nicole Corlew CurtisIn Anglican Missionaries4 Comments
Got questions? Search for answers--our marketing campaign at the school. We posted red question marks throughout the school.
“Got questions? Search for answers”–our marketing campaign at the school. We posted red question marks throughout the school.

Tomorrow, I will begin working at a local high school for the next six weeks. I have been coordinating a Youth Alpha course for the students, and the course kicks off tomorrow afternoon.

The high school isn’t far from where I live. It’s located in what we Americans would call a “working class” neighbourhood, but most of the students come from the townships. Many come from extremely disadvantaged communities, riddled by gang violence, substance abuse, and impoverished conditions. The school has 900 students, 25 teachers, one principal, and a handful of support staff. In an American city, I think such a school wouldn’t exist because of the lack of staffing.

Yet, despite the school’s being under-resourced, you don’t get the feeling of hopelessness20140326_085330 you often sense when you visit an American inner-city school. You don’t have to go through airport-like security to enter the school, graffiti isn’t on the walls, and the students are very respectful. You can tell that the teachers truly care about their students and are trying their best to provide them with quality education. I feel so uplifted every time I visit the school. Attending some classes—English, Afrikaans, and maths— at the high school, in order to get a better feel for the school, has been one of the highlights of my year.

Months ago, the principal of the high school approached Growing the Church with a request for help. In his words, he felt like the school was meeting the academic needs of the students but not their spiritual needs. (Wow—can you imagine this happening in an American school?) At the end of last year, I started to put together a team from local churches, and we decided the best place to start was with the Youth Alpha course.

20140326_084225Please pray for us. Please pray for the students, the facilitators, and the caterer for the course. We are stepping out on faith, as we only have a little funding for the course; but we know that the Lord will provide. Please pray that hearts will be opened to the movement of the Holy Spirit.

I’m excited about this opportunity to serve the students at the school. I know that many lives are going to be changed, including my own.

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Cathy

On By Nicole Corlew CurtisIn Uncategorized2 Comments

Two and a half years ago when we first met, I don’t think the two of us ever dreamed we would be working together in the same community. Worlds and countries apart, we two friends are now working together for the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, my friend Cathy for Anglican Aids and I for Growing the Church.

tres amigas
Tres Amigas–Cathy, Lindsey, and me: Lindsey just returned to the States, and we miss her already.

When I started taking some of the first steps to move to South Africa, I kept hearing from my church friends, “You have to meet this lady named Cathy. She’s from Cape Town.” I kept hearing all of these wonderful things about her. When our paths finally crossed at St. George’s, I felt like we were kindred spirits; it was instant friendship.

It was such a blessing to get to know Cathy while she was studying in Nashville. I loved sharing my city with her. She got to meet my family. We had a ball and our friendship grew. She was a huge help as I prepared to move to Cape Town. She and her family welcomed me with opened arms. Cathy has helped me tremendously as I have adapted to my new life here. Her family and two more families, friends of hers, have become my family on the other side of False Bay.

Last week, Cathy joined us at the Braehead community to become the programmes director of Anglicans Aids. We were like two school girls, thrilled to be working together in the same community. It’s like being in class with your best friend.

God knows no distance and is not bound by nations’ boundaries. It’s amazing how God can literally bring people together from halfway across the world.