Category: Anglican Missionaries

Keeping It Real

On By Nicole Corlew CurtisIn Anglican Missionaries2 Comments
One Junior group delves into scripture (All Saints Belhar, Cape Town)
One Junior group delves into scripture (All Saints Belhar, Cape Town)

One thing the Rooted in Jesus Junior programme does is encourage children to memorise scripture. The idea is that the Word of God gets off the page and takes root in the child’s heart. Memorising the memory verse is a key element of the Junior programme, and it is one that I like.

Another group's Memory Verse Corner
Another group’s Memory Verse Corner

As a child, I hated to memorise scripture. I used to think, Why do I need to memorise this verse? I have a Bible, or I could ask Mom and Dad. However, the few scripture verses I did memorise as a child have come to mind at times when I really needed them, and I know it was the Holy Spirit using these verses to minister to me. I regret not memorising more scripture, so I can appreciate the importance the Junior programme places on the memory verse; and I strongly encourage Junior leaders not to skimp on this but to make sure each child memorises the verses.

Mom and Dad modeled the importance of knowing scripture and of having devotional time with God. When I was growing up, before school each day, we would have a short time of prayer together as a family, and each week we would have a family devotional time. I hate to admit it; but at the time, I didn’t really value these times together. I was always rushing before school to get ready on time and could have used the extra minute or two. Our family devotional time didn’t take much time, but it seemed to cut into my evening routine. However, I did think it was kind of cool that we had this weekly time together as a family.

Now as an adult, I realise how formational to me were these dedicated times of prayer and scripture reading together as a family. I realise how powerful it was for my parents to pray over me and my siblings each day before we went to school; those prayers of protection, guidance, and wisdom went a long way—more than I will ever know.

When I have a family of my own, I plan to carry on these two traditions of family prayer and devotional time. I plan to teach my children the importance of reading and memorising scripture, as we do it together, keeping it real.

Compassion

On By Nicole Corlew CurtisIn Anglican Missionaries2 Comments

SunkissedWhen I told my mom that I thought God was calling me to be a missionary, she wasn’t that surprised and mentioned something about my always having a compassionate heart. She told me the story again about when I was a child, I would always put my coins in the little charity boxes for kids with disabilities, for people fighting disease, or for abused animals.

I do think that God has given me the gift of empathy and compassion, but these traits didn’t develop naturally; they were learned and cultivated. It was my mom who taught me to be compassionate, and it was through her deeds, her lifestyle, and not merely through words.

When I was around 10 or 11, there was a tragedy in our small town. A drunk driver hit and killed a person; I don’t remember the details at all, but I believe it was a young person he killed. This drunk driver became the bogeyman of our town; he was reviled and hated for what he did. Mom’s heart went out to the family who lost their beloved member, but Mom felt God was also calling her to visit the man, this murderer, in jail. She was obedient and did so and started ministering to him in jail. This started my mom’s jail ministry that continues to this day, and my dad joined in years ago too. Together, they have been ministering to inmates in the local county jail for more than twenty years.

In our society that is more or less compassionate and Christian, inmates are a forgotten group and are thrown away. But our Lord loves them just the same, and my mom was opened to being a vessel of this love. It’s not a “sexy” ministry; nobody really applauds those who ministers to people in jail, but it is an important and vital ministry. Did not our Lord tell us not to forget those in prison?

Through mom’s actions long ago and through a lifestyle of giving and showing compassion to others, often to the forgotten of society, Mom has taught me to have a compassionate heart. I still strive to be more and more like Mom in this regard, as I have a long way to go. But I thank you, Mom, for your example of faith, obedience, and compassion.

Praying Pains

On By Nicole Corlew CurtisIn Anglican Missionaries1 Comment
Back-in-the-day: Dad & Nicole
Back-in-the-day: Dad & Nicole

It was my dad who taught me to pray. When I was little, Dad and I would kneel beside my bed and pray together, Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. God bless, Mommie, Daddy, Phillip, (the twins, when they came along), Grandma, Auntie, Benji (my pet rabbit), Spot (my dog), and a host of other animals and things on my child’s mind. I remember feeling like such a big girl when Dad taught me the Lord’s Prayer.

When I became a teenager, prayer became something I did at church or with my family. Occasionally, I would pray on my own—when I needed something from God. I did not find much meaning in prayer, although my parents modeled a lifestyle of prayer for me.

As a young adult, prayer confused me: How to pray? Does God really hear me? Why should I pray if God knows what is on my mind anyway? Why doesn’t God answer my prayers? At times, prayer made me angry. Why pray, when God doesn’t listen—or even worse, doesn’t care?

In my early 30’s, I went through some bad relationships and some awful break-ups. I was angry. Was I doomed to have a broken-heart? Why didn’t God do something? Didn’t he care? I was annoyed with well-meaning people who tried to make me feel better with comments, such as: God knows what is best for you. Don’t worry, God has the perfect man for you at the perfect time. Maybe God wants you to focus on him right now. Make God the center of your life.

Those comments seem to discount my pain. I was hurting. Where was God in the midst of my pain? Then over the years, three people said some simple things that caught my attention:

Robin, my friend and former boss, assured me that God feels my pain and cries with me. God, my Creator and God, feels my pain and cries with me too? He is present in my pain? Wow. Now this is something to which I can relate, something onto which I can latch.

Fr. Leigh, my rector, said in one of his sermons that God was not despondent to our pain. Seriously, I thought—is that true? God truly cares about my pain? He emphasizes with me?

My friend Agatha once said in a passing conversation (I think with someone else, not me) that she prays to God and expects him to respond—why not? It was like I heard her comment in my mind, saying, Duh. If I pray, why wouldn’t I expect God to answer? She wasn’t saying that God would answer our prayers always with an affirmative but that God would answer our prayers, that we would always get a response. (My mom used to tell me this, but I never listened her. It took a person from outside the family to get this truth across to me.)

Now I am on the other side of young adulthood. Prayer is still a mystery to me. I still don’t get it or fully understand it, but it has become an integral part of who I am. I thank my dad for teaching me how to pray, my parents for modeling prayer for me, and my friends and priest for revealing some important elements of prayer to me.

Reading Time

On By Nicole Corlew CurtisIn Anglican Missionaries3 Comments

I can’t remember my life without books. Reading has always been a huge part of me, and I have my dad to thank for that. When I was little, Dad always read to me. Even though I had books of my own, he would take me to the library each week so that I could pick out new books and get used to the smells, stacks and system of the library. I loved our weekly adventure.

Poky PuppyBefore reading a storybook to me, Dad would read me a Bible story. I didn’t like them that much. I found the stories boring, but I would bide my time so that we could get on to the old lady with the house full of rabbits, to The Poky Little Puppy, to Danny the Dinosaur, or to any of the Richard Scary stories. I was patient back then.

But there is one Bible story that I vividly remember; it was about the four friends who brought their paralyzed friend to Jesus for healing (Mark 2:1–12). I remember the blue-striped robe Jesus was wearing, the smile on his face, the four friends digging through the thatched roof to get to Jesus, and the happy faces of all the friends, especially of the one who was healed.

I don’t really know why this story touched me or why I remember it so well. I think in my child’s mind, it was the first time I had an idea of who this Jesus was—he was a happy and caring man. I could go to him; I could take my friends to him. I liked the friends who were so determined and the digging through the roof. This story has always made me happy, and it still does today. Thanks, Dad.

Childhood Reflections

On By Nicole Corlew CurtisIn Anglican MissionariesLeave a comment

Over the past two months, I have been doing a lot of reflecting on my early life. During Lent, I spoke at my church on the discipleship of children. It was my first such talk on this topic, and I drew a lot from my personal experience as a child.

Palm Sunday: Church of the Good Shepherd
Palm Sunday: Church of the Good Shepherd

When I first moved to South Africa, my role at Growing the Church was to be the youth coordinator, but it quickly evolved into doing children’s ministry as well, as I ultimately became responsible for Rooted in Jesus Junior (a small-group discipleship course for children) in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. Over the past two years, this has reshaped my attitude towards children and ministry to them.

I am by no means an expert in this area, and I believe that the church in both my countries has fallen short in the discipleship of children. But in reality, discipleship begins at home. I believe that the church should play a secondary role in a child’s faith formation, reinforcing and building upon what a child is already learning at home about God and about living life as a follower of Christ.

Over the next few weeks, I hope to blog about some of my faith experiences as a child and how they have shaped me into the person I am today. I think this will help me to process my reflections and, hopefully, will inspire readers along the way.

Rooted in Jesus Junior: 3 Stories

On By Nicole Corlew CurtisIn Anglican MissionariesLeave a comment

I have talked a lot about Rooted in Jesus Junior, but there is nothing like hearing personal stories to get a micro view; so I wanted to share a few with you. I met these three amazing people at our recent training for the Diocese of St. Mark the Evangelist in Limpopo.

  • Ouma wanted to be trained as a Junior leader so that she could use the programme in her church’s feeding scheme.
    Ouma as the serpent in Adam & Eve drama
    Ouma as the serpent in Adam & Eve drama

    Her feeding scheme serves 150 children, ranging between the ages of 5 to 18. She wants to use Junior with the children who fall between the 8-12 year-old range.

  • Rendani is the youth leader at the cathedral of Polokwane. During Friday night Youth, many little ones accompany their brothers and sisters to the church or they just come by themselves. Rendani wanted to provide something formative for these children and thought that Rooted in Jesus Junior could meet this need. Rendani started using Junior with the children the Friday after he was trained, and
    Rendani
    Rendani writing memory verse

    he is using it for Sunday school with the children who come on Sunday mornings. He says that the children are enjoying the sessions so much that they can’t wait until the next time they meet.

  • Frank, a teenager who was trained, led one of the best practice sessions I have ever seen. He told me that he had stayed up the whole night preparing, and I believed him! His session was amazing, like he had been leading Junior for months.
    Frank
    Frank in the middle

    No doubt with this passion and dedication, he will make a brilliant Junior leader for the children at his church.

 

 

I hope these stories gave you a glimpse into the Rooted in Jesus Junior programme and how it is being used to disciple our children.

11251583_700088233434996_557583677_n
Rendani’s Junior Sunday School Group

 

A-Team

On By Nicole Corlew CurtisIn Anglican MissionariesLeave a comment

Recently, I worked with an amazing team of youth leaders to oversee the youth track of the Western Cape Anglicans Ablaze conference. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed working with such a wonderful group of folks. All of us had different skills and talents, bringing different gifts to the table. It was like God brought us together. We enjoyed being together—even our meetings were fun!

Eleven people served on this team, and together we planned and shaped the youth side of the conference. We had a marvelous array of speakers who spoke on everything from transformative discipleship to overcoming gangsterism. We had

St. Nicholas Band
St. Nicholas Band

two worship bands that provided the music, along with a Marimba band that was a huge hit too. Because we had a deep desire to help young people think differently about worship, we designed something called “creative worship stations,” in which we provided opportunities, facilitated by a leader or teacher in the field, for young people to explore worship through art, dance, spoken word and music.

More than 160 young people attended the conference, and I believe that everyone had a blessed time. I, unfortunately, missed the event because at the same time, I was overseeing another conference in Polokwane. Going into the planning of the youth track, I knew that I would miss the whole thing because I would be overseeing a Rooted in Jesus Junior training in which I needed to be present, being the primary trainer of this small-group discipleship programme for children.

11182299_585612958208301_722576631217646161_nI didn’t find it difficult to put so much work and effort into a conference that I could not attend, but I had wondered how I would feel about letting go of the work and planning and releasing my team into the oversight leadership of the conference. When I left for Polokwane two days before the Western Cape AA conference, I was a bit nervous, wondering how everything would go in Cape Town at the other conference. However, by the next day, I had such a sense of peace. I knew that my A-Team would be just fine. Actually, I knew that they would be brilliant, and I didn’t have a single worry about their leadership. They gave me such a gift to have this peace of mind. And with this gift, I was able to concentrate on my task at hand, the Rooted in Jesus Junior conference.

I am so grateful for my A-Team—for their ministries, for their passion for young people, and for the lessons they taught me about leadership; and I look forward to working with them in the future.

So here’s a big shout-out to my A-Team:
Amanda
Nigel
Wayne
Abigail
Havelyn
Brad
Auriel
Zoltan
Janice
Keegan
Henrietta

You guys are amazing and simply the best!

Toad

On By Nicole Corlew CurtisIn Anglican MissionariesLeave a comment

ToadThis past weekend, my hubby and I had an unexpected visitor in our flat. Wayne was at a local missions conference, when I woke up Saturday morning to a subtle thumping underneath the bed. At first, in my half-awake, half-asleep state, I thought I was dreaming. Then, after a few seconds, I realised that something was under my bed. I grabbed a flashlight, looked around the room and noticed something camouflage coiled up in the corner. I got a fright, thinking it was a snake (South Africa has some of the deadliest snakes in the world), but then it gave a little hop. It was a frog!

I gently climbed out bed and closed the bedroom door. When Wayne came home in the afternoon, we caught the frog and put him underneath the palm tree in our garden. The little guy just stood there, stock-still. Our garden is enclosed, so “Frogger,” as we affectionately called him, would be confined to a small space. Changing our minds, we decided to move Frogger to the canal bank outside our flat. He was content to stay in Wayne’s hands for several minutes. Eventually, he hopped off. Then Wayne and I began to worry, hoping that the guinea fowl and ducks, which roam around the bank, wouldn’t attack our frog. We worried about that little guy for the rest of the weekend. I even found myself praying for the frog, asking for God’s protection. (I caught myself, thinking, That’s stupid—to pray for a frog. Seriously. But no—God loves this frog much more than I do; and of course, he cares about the frog too.)

Recently, through a Facebook friend, I found out that our frog was a toad—the endangered Western Leopard Toad.

I keep thinking about our little visitor; how beautiful he was. His camouflage was utterly amazing, an incredible work of art. He is such a wonder of creation; and in him, in his beautiful limbs and colouring, I got a glimpse of the beauty and majesty of GodIMG_0159. Just to think that our Creator took the time to create something so simple and beautiful, a host of toads throughout the world, each one unique and beautiful in its own way. And if the Creator spent so much time creating toads into a thing of beauty, how much more time did he spend on us? And if Wayne and I worried so much over the safety of a toad, how much more does our Creator think about us?

I am grateful for this little toad, which gave me a glimpse of God, the Creator of us both.

Thankful

On By Nicole Corlew CurtisIn Anglican MissionariesLeave a comment

Throughout my life, God has blessed me so much. Sometimes I feel like King David, when he sat before the Lord, saying, “Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?” (2 Kings 7:18)

Here is just a sampling of the many things—both great and small and in no particular order—for which I am thankful:

  • My new life with Wayne (I thought I would marry earlier in life, but you were truly worth the wait.)
  • Work with meaning and purpose and with a great work family
  • A good morning cup of Joe (Yes, I am still a coffee addict.)
  • Family and friends on two different continents
  • The basic necessities—food, clothing, and shelter. I live in a country where these aren’t a guarantee for many.
  • The bear necessities (Can I get an amen from Baloo Bear)—the little things in life that make me happy: the rainbow over the mountain, fish and chips from my favourite fishery, running into one of my Alpha kids at our local mall
  • My parents and siblings. Divorce and dysfunctionality are the order of the day for many American families, so I don’t take
    Dad and His Girls on Christmas Day
    Dad and His Girls on Christmas Day

    for granted the happiness, stability, and closeness of mine.

  • My new family of in-laws. Along with my hubby came his awesome family, including his grandparents who are both in their 90’s. I now have grandparents again, and I love them dearly.
  • My donors. Many missionaries struggle to raise support, but my donors have been so generous and faithful that I can focus all of my energy on my work instead of on support-raising. What a blessing!
  • A wedding of my dreams (and within my budget!), being surrounded by people from various aspects of my life who love me
  • Puppy kisses from the best fur-nephew in the world. (Joey, your auntie misses you!)
  • Summertime
  • Good health
  • Technology that allows me to stay in touch with family and friends

Questions

On By Nicole Corlew CurtisIn Anglican Missionaries1 Comment

Ever since the wedding, I have been inundated by a sea of questions. That’s to be expected during the first few weeks of marriage, especially in a situation like ours, where many of the basics (for example—where are we going to live long-term) haven’t been determined. But sometimes I find myself saying inside, Can we just ease into married life, please?

There are three questions I am asked a lot and would like to address:

  • What is my new name? Legally, I’m not changing my name—at least not now. It’s just too complicated to change my Abstract Bridename, when my visa and South African paperwork are all in my maiden name. Socially, I will style myself as Nicole Corlew Curtis. We’ll see how long I can keep that up since it is a bit of a mouthful.
  • Am I still a missionary? And if so, can one still donate to my missionary account via SAMS? Yes, my status as a SAMS missionary with Growing the Church isn’t changing. Everything remains the same, including my ministry work and my need to raise my own support. And yes, people who want to support my ministry can still donate to my missionary account through SAMS. (Thank you!)
  • What is married life like so far? This is a hard question to answer! It is wonderful and full of joy. It is a transition to be sure, especially when you marry later in life as we did and have been used to doing life on our own. I am rather surprised to find the joy and challenge in the detail—getting used to sharing a bed with another person, having extra help around the house, traveling together to church, making meals for each other, coordinating schedules. I am reminded of what Fr. Leigh Spruill said in his homily for our wedding: A wedding is like the incarnation of Christ. It is only the beginning. And it is true—our wedding is only the beginning of our marriage, and it takes time for two lives to weave into one.