From A2D

My last Ocean View post talked about the next level in Ocean View.  Well, it appears their is not limit to the levels that God has left as He moves in Ocean View!!!  As a result of my weekly time training the social workers, I have begun to get referrals every week.  These have now been coming from all 3 townships in the valley: Ocean View, Masiphumelele, and Red Hill.  Praise God as He continues to move and grow the ministry here!  He is truly laying the foundation for a wide variety of ministry for people to walk in as they come here to be trained to take this ministry into addictions back to their own countries and communities.

As an example of God's moving, I have begun to be very busy with family interventions in Ocean View.  I'll share 3 from this week.  The first person I'll call Jane.  She is a young woman and single mom who has been caught up in addiction and the victim of human trafficking.  As I have been working with her she has stopped using drugs and the seeds of hope have begun to bear fruit in her.  She has grown in her desire to be free from the whole scene of addiction and on Thursday God opened a door for her to be able to move into the S Cape House in Muizenberg.  This is the same house that I go to minister to the ladies who reside there.  I ask for your prayers as I take Jane to begin her time of healing and restoration of faith in Jesus Christ at S Cape House on Monday.

The second person I'll call Gene.  I met his dad on Wednesday at the social workers' office.  He came to say he desperately needed help with Gene, his 20 year old son who was caught up in addiction to tik (crystal meth).  As we talked he shared his genuine concern for the safety of the family and Gene as he was getting into more and more dangerous behavior in the midst of his addiction.  A plan was set for Gene's dad to go to the police station and file a Section 21 (302 in the US) which says that Gene is a danger to himself or others and needs to placed somewhere immediately.  On Thursday I met with Gene and his family at their home where Gene agreed to go away to a rehab for a few months and to begin regular groups with From A2D upon his return.

The third person I'll call Mary.  She is a 22 year old single mom living with a drug dealer in Ocean View.  I praise God that she got the courage to come and ask for help!  She is the victim of regular physical abuse as her boyfriend, the dealer, beats her whenever he uses mandrax (methqualone, like qualudes of a generation ago in the US).  As a result, even though she was not an addict, Mary has begun to take drugs whenever she sees a beating is coming so she can numb the physical pain before it starts!!!  Mary is afraid to leave the dealer for fear of being hurt worse.  I have begun to set a plan in motion to rescue her from that home and take her  and her young child to a safe house in another town as soon as she says okay.

I ask for your prayers for Jane, Gene, Mary and the hundreds of others caught in the snare of addiction in Ocean View.  I also ask for your prayers for wisdom and discernment for me as I seek God's leading and direction with each person He brings my way.

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

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I'm sitting in the OR Tambo airport in Johannesburg waiting for my delayed flight back to Cape Town.  I have just finished a truly incredible week of ministry and reconnecting with friends at Acts Christian Church and in Krugersdorp and Leeuwkop Prisons.  Here's the play by play of my week.

I arrived in Joburg on Monday 26 September and settled into my room at Rod and Sharon Shiers house.  Tuesday morning was admin time at the offices at Acts Christian Church in Midrand to outline the week.  By Tuesday afternoon things kicked into high gear and stayed that way nonstop for the next 6 days!!

Rod, Vusi Tshabalala and I went to see Vusi's parole officer just after noon.  I had prepared a packet of paperwork to share the reporting that we have done with probation and parole in the states, not sure if he would even see us or give us any time, but going forward faithfully in prayer.  Well, God had paved the way and we were on His highway.  We were welcomed into his office with Vusi and as I shared what we would like to do as From A2D, the parole officer's eyes and mouth lit up with a huge smile.  He was amazed and excited about the opportunity to refer clients into groups utilizing our curriculum. No one had ever offered him such a program!  Within minutes he excused himself to go down the hall and inform his supervisor.  The next thing we knew we were ushered into his supervisor's office!  After a brief time of explaining our idea to the supervisor he agreed to open up 2 parole office substations in the Tembisa township to us to begin a pilot program with men on parole!

Wednesday morning it was off to Leeuwkop Prison for a group in Medium C.  Just as we got on our way we got the call that the group was cancelled due to a lockdown in that section.  So we went off to a cafe for a meeting with a man who does health/wellness training in the prisons for inmates and staff.  As we waited he called to say he was delayed in traffic.  Then he called later to say he would not be able to make it.  At this point we knew the war was on and the enemy was trying to derail God's plan for the week.  So we went back to Acts for a staff meeting and regrouping in prayer for the rest of the week.

On Thursday morning we were on our way back to Leeuwkop Prison for our group in the maximum security section.  This was the graduation day for a couple of dozen men who were finishing the From Addict to Disciple book.  I taught the last two chapters with focus on chapter 17.  The focus was 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 and sexual immorality.  God's presence and power was there as I shared a teaching on those verses and we went into discussion, questions and answers.  It is not unusual  for men in prison to have fathered one or more children with one or more women.  So the first question asked was "I have a baby with a woman I'm not married to and I really want to go back to her after I'm released, but how do I tell her that I love Jesus now?"  Needless to say that led to a fabulous discussion with all of the men for about 15 minutes.  The next question was from a man from Angola who said "I have several children from several different women.  How can I know which one God wants me to marry when I get released?"  Now the discussion was really going and you could almost touch the Holy Spirit as He rested on each man.  We talked 1 Corinthians 6:16 and what it means to become one body with a harlot and in this man's case with several "harlots."  God did some deep heart work in all of the men as they realized their battle between the flesh and the spirit to be more than they had ever imagined.

On Friday we went to Krugersdorp Prison.  This is the first prison that opened its doors to us 3 years ago and I still remember that first group with 6 men.  Pastor Rod has continued to faithfully minister at Krugersdorp and God has added to the number daily.  I was blown away when I walked into the same chapel I was in 3 years ago to see 130 men waiting for the group meeting!!!  Again it was a graduation day as the men had finished The Heart of an Addict and the E1 evangelism course Acts Church uses.  The men shared testimonies of how God had changed their lives through The Heart of an Addict.  Tears were running down my face as shared words like: "God has not created me to be an alcoholic"  "Only God can forgive you, take you from the pit and give you life" and "I learned that I needed to stop worshiping drug dealers, stop being interested in the drug scene and stop my habit of selling drugs AND turn all of that worship, interest and lifestyle into loving Jesus!"

Then Pastor Rod stood up and invited anyone who was a gang leader that wanted to now join God's army and be a leader for Him to come forward for prayer and anointing.  Two men came forward!  After that prayer I felt stirred to extend the invitation. So I shared "Some of you may not have come forward because you didn't consider yourself a gang LEADER but you know you were a gangSTER.  So I invite any of you gangsters who want to stand up now and join God's army against drugs, gangs, prostitution."   All 130 men stood up!!  Well 2 men didn't because they were in wheel chairs but they made it known to us they were standing also!  Praise God for His heart to give men a new heart for Him!!!

Friday night was the beginning of the 10 hour training which I led for people who wanted to be trained to lead groups in the FromA2D curriculum.  We had 9 people plus Pastor Rod going through the training and I was blessed and humbled that Sherry, a media person from Acts Church, would video and edit the entire training. Before the end of the year we should have this 10 hour training available for sale on our website for anyone or any church who wants to start From A2D groups.  This is a huge answer to at least 4 years of prayer and several aborted attempts to produce training videos during those 4 years.

To cap off the week, Acts Christian Church had a Prison Ministry weekend for their services.  So I preached at all 4 services, one on Saturday nite and 3 on Sunday morning.  God moved powerfully in each of the services as we had testimonies in person and on video of how God had changed lives in prison with the From A2D curriculum.  We had a table for people to sponsor inmates by purchasing books and also to sign up to be involved in the ministry into prisons through Acts Church.  We haven't done the final tally but a good estimate is that over 60 inmates have been sponsored and over 50 people have said they want to get involved!  In addition several people have said they want to make a large donation and will be praying this week for how much.  Also one man talked to me after the last service to say that he is involved in some work utilizing government funding for work in rehabs and is interested in utilizing us.  So he and I will be chatting this week to see what God has in His vision!

I left out several other meetings we had with rehabs and church run support groups in the Joburg area who all asked when are you coming back to Joburg again.  Also with the number of people who expressed an interest to get involved there will be a need for more training workshops before the videos are finished.  I ask for your prayers for funding so I can fly to Joburg as needed.
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During the past couple of months things in Ocean View have been shifting.
1)  Almost every man who has been coming regularly on Wednesday mornings is not only clean and sober but has gotten work!
2)  Two women from our local church have been faithfully joining us and expanding our impact among the women.
3)  At least half of our time on Wednesdays now has been outreach among the flats and visits with people in their homes.
4)  The number of churches and pastors in Ocean View who are aware of what we are doing grows weekly.
5)  The social workers office in Ocean View has asked me to begin training the social workers on addictions and family interventions.  I will start that on 5 October and it will continue every Wednesday afternoon.  In addition, every person who comes to them and asks for help getting into rehab or detox will need to meet with me before the social worker proceeds with their case!
6)  Nearby in Kommetjie, I will be starting Tuesday evening groups on 4 October for people from Ocean View and around the Fish Hoek valley.

So much for a list of stuff that is going on.  I'd like to share what happened last week when I was in Ocean View.  After meeting for our normal Wednesday morning we went out for our outreach among the flats.  God clearly showed me and Pastor Freddy that this was the day to visit one of the top dealers in his home.  This is the same dealer that I shared about 6 months ago and have been praying for God's timing to talk to him.

When we approached his house their were two of his guys standing guard at the front gate.  We asked if we could go in to talk to the dealer, let's call him Van.  After checking with Van the guards opened the gate.  Just before we got to the front door we had to pass the next guard...a large pit bull with teeth bared barking as if to say "I would love to eat you!" 

As we walked into Van's lounge (living room), he was sitting on a chair counting a pile of money on his lap.  I don't know how much it was but the stack of bills was at least 3 inches thick (about 7 or 8 centimeters).  Van thumbed through the money slowly as if he was counting it, but you could tell it was all for effect.  He was making a show of the rewards of his power in Ocean View.

After he put his money away we began to explain what we do in Ocean View every Wednesday and that I was really in Ocean View sometime several other days each week.  Van asked "Why Ocean View?"  I shared how God had put Ocean View on my heart as it is devastated by addiction and poverty.  My heart was to see men begin to walk as men in Ocean View.  I shared how someone had given me his name as the key drug dealer six months ago and that I had been praying for him ever since.

We had a pleasant exchange and Van listened attentively and I could feel God's passion stirring in me.  Here's what I said then:
              
 As you know Van, Ocean View was founded out of injustice.  Colored families were forced to move here as a relocation settlement and that injustice was compounded through the generations of poverty since.  But now the addiction to drugs and alcohol have kept the people of Ocean View in bondage.  Van, YOU are the new apartheid in Ocean View!  YOU are the one keeping the people in Ocean View in bondage!  And these are your own people! 

At this point tears began to form in Van's eyes and he used the edge of his hand and his shirt sleeve to keep them from falling!!!  I continued:
               
God is reclaiming Ocean View.  He is going to restore Ocean View as a place where people want to live, as a place for families.  God does not want His creation devastated by drug dealers who spread addiction, poverty and prostitution.  I have seen God come in and clean up areas of Philadelphia and He is going to do the same thing in Ocean View.  That puts you in a tough position with God.  I know that you were on fire for the Lord Jesus but something happened and you turned to the life of a drug merchant. I am praying for God to touch your heart and bring you back to Him.

At this point Van said "I'd have to forgive Him first!"  I concluded our chat by telling Van I saw several options for him.  Turn to God, leave Ocean View and set up business somewhere else or risk going to Pollsmoor Prison.  I promised Van that if he wanted to give me his house I would set up my offices there.  Van said "You've given me a lot to think about."  I asked if we could come back regularly and he said he would like that.  Then he asked if he could buy my books.  I dropped them off with his wife the next day and asked her to tell Van I would come back when I return from my week in Johannesburg.

I ask for you prayers as God leads us in Ocean View.

Today is 5 July 2011 and I feel it is time to reflect on the first 6 months of 2011 and look ahead to the next 6 months and beyond.  This will be a personal reflection of the realities of our life and ministry in South Africa at this point in time.  In many ways God has been teaching me patience as everything in South Africa moves at a much slower pace than in the US.  In the natural there have also been major challenges which have slowed the pace of the growth of our ministry.  Shortly after we arrived one of our 3 partners in ministry was diagnosed with cancer and in a very short time died.  Another of our partners has not been able to follow through on opening the promised 50 prisons to our ministry.  So we have had to continually pray and refocus on each step God wants us to take. 

As I write this update I am sitting in my "office" in our garage.  That's a good place to start this update.  Much of my prayer during the first 6 months of this year has been for God to show us the place and the base that He has for us and for our ministry.  We continue to wait on God's timing for the fulfillment of His promises in this regard.  Finally I felt it was time to not use the lack of an office or a base as an excuse for what wasn't happening in our ministry.  So after moving a desk and rug to the garage and converting the workbench into bookshelves.... I'm now functioning in my new office!!  I ask for your prayers for His wisdom as I'm not sure how much sense it makes to hold groups or one on ones in my garage?!?

Many doors have opened and moved forward for our ministry in recent months.  I have been amazed what God has done in Ocean View.  This is a community that was set up as a forced relocation community for colored people (this is the correct South African terminology) in this area as the whites took over their land during the time of apartheid.  It continues to be a community of poverty, crime, drugs, alcohol, prostitution....  It is a community that many people avoid as unsafe.  It is a community where unemployment is high and you can find families where unemployment has become a generational way of life.  It is a community where dreams and hopes have been robbed from the youth and the adults alike.  It is a community where families have been destroyed through addiction.  It is a community where Satan seeks to kill a generation.  IT IS THIS COMMUNITY that God has laid on my heart!  After months of walking the streets of this community God has created awesome relationships for me with 3 local pastors from 3 different churches.  These pastors walk with me and one has made his church building available to me to start groups.  So every Wednesday we have been holding men's group at 10AM and women's group at noon. 

Already God has done amazing things!  For starters the groups are growing every week as men and women invite their friends who are still caught in addiction to come.  Just this past week two women from our church have volunteered to come and help with the women's group.  As growth continues we will soon need to add another day or time for new groups!  One fabulous testimony as an example of what God is doing in Ocean View....  On the global day of prayer I met a man who had been hiding out in another township to avoid arrest.  His wife had heard me preach the week before and told him to come to the service on this day.  As we prayed for him, I asked God to give him wisdom and courage to face what lies ahead.  He knew that he would be sent to Pollsmoor Prison and he was concerned about how much time he would get.  The next week he was in group with a testimony!!  He shared that he and his wife prayed and felt God urging him to go to the man he stole from and face the consequences.  So he, his wife and their little son went to the man.  He confessed and said you can call the police I will wait for them.  Instead the man called the police and told them he was dropping all charges!  The case against the man was dropped and he was praising Jesus as his deliverer, his redeemer, his savior!  I ask for your prayers as we seek sponsors who could pay $50 US for books, materials and 6 months of meetings for the men and women who cannot afford it.

In the town of Muizenburg I have been working with a ministry reaching out to woman who have been caught in prostitution and/or human trafficking.  I hold a group there every week with the women and the staff.  Again I am awed at how God has touched the hearts and the lives of the women in that program.  One woman recently returned to the house after fleeing back to her pimp for a week.  In the group meeting her first week back we were on the chapter dealing with forgiveness.  She tearfully shared that she could not forgive herself for what she had done.  Slowly and painfully she shared the abuse she had endured at the hands of the pimp and how he had paid her to go out and recruit a younger girl.  This young woman herself will only turn 16 later this month.  I ask for your prayers as God continues to heal hearts with His unconditional love, forgiveness and acceptance.

As word continues to spread about our ministry new opportunities are opening up in other communities.  I ask for your prayers for wisdom as we pray through each opportunity.  Two key areas of future opportunity would be the expansion of the ministry that is already happening at Pollsmoor Prison and the development of a link with the Parole departments in South Africa.

The ministry in the Johannesburg area continues to grow by leaps and bounds!  The fruit of 3 years of faithful ministry by our partner Rod Shiers has been astounding.  He continues to get calls from new prisons every month.  This year alone 1000 men in the Krugersdorp Prison will go through the From A2D curriculum and 15 inmates will be fully trained to lead groups inside the prison!!  Praise God for this model and pray for the expansion of this model throughout the country.

We are in the process of designing a new website for the ministry.  This website which will be www.froma2d.com will have 3 levels: public, client, and group facilitator.  Included will be FAQs, resources, a community section similar to facebook, online groups, a bookstore and online training workshops.  Launching the new website is now targeted for August as we have experienced numerous delays in design, development, loading of information and accessing a link for online payments and donations from anyhwere in the world that will work in South Africa.

In closing, to keep up with our family activities be sure to friend us on facebook and to keep up with ministry become a subscriber to our blog at www.froma2d.posterous.com.  When our new website launches we would appreciate your becoming a sponsor member.
Thank you so much for your ongoing prayers, friendship and financial support of our ministry.

In Him,

Dave, Shawn, Jordan & Isaac Hain

Masiphumelele or Masi for short is a township that was designed for only a few thousand but is home to an estimated 40,000 people. There are some brick houses but many of the houses are shacks made from a variety of corrugated metal, wood and stuff from the dump. An average shack is 3 or 4 metres square sitting on the dirt. Around 1AM on Monday a fire broke out in one shack and before it was put out 1500 shacks were totally destroyed! That's 1500 families already dirt poor who lost everything they own!

I am friends with one of the pastors in Masi, Pastor Ronald. Tonight our family went out to his church in Masi to help feed families devastated by the fire. Shawn, Jordan and Isaac put rice and beef/veg curry into styrofoam trays and Dave served the people as they found seats. Around 100 men, women and children were fed. As the meal time was winding down Jordan, Isaac and Dave handed out fresh fruit and bread while Shawn and another woman washed the trays and utensils.

Mixed in throughout the evening was awesome fellowship, prayer, words of hope and encouragement. We were truly blessed to be able to serve and more blessed as the lady from Pastor Ronald's church shared that we were the first outsiders to come and help by serving. We are all excited about serving regularly and making many more new friends in the coming days and weeks. Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Today was our first really rainy day since we arrived in South Africa. It was also a Wednesday, so it was my day to head to Ocean View, my new "hood". Every Wednesday I walk through this township with two pastors who live there. Our purpose?...as God leads...rescue & reclaim the men & the land that the devil has claimed through addiction.

When I arrived at my friend's house he said "I was wondering if you would come because of the rain.". Then he asked if we would drive around in my car since it was raining. My reply was "No. We will walk as ususal. It will be better because the addicts are more visible on rainy days! People not looking for their next high will stay inside."

After only a few steps it felt like I was back in Kensington, Philadelphia. Dealers doors were open and many were visible just inside the doorway. Addicts were huddled here and there talking and trying to stay as warm & dry as possible. My mind went back to thunderstorms in Philly & I wondered how many addicts in Ocean View could use a dry T-shirt today if I had them to hand out when the rain stopped.

It ended up being an awesome day! A few addicts ducked us, more talked with us & asked when we would be back & several addicts and dealers invited us in to talk. I ask for your prayers as God had shown us His plan, His design to rescue & restore the men in Ocean View. He wants to take this land & community that looks cursed and to transform it into a land & community that looks blessed. Please pray for us every Wednesday morning (or Tuesday night when you go to bed in the USA).
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I am currently working with Sean Grant of Slingshot to create a new website. It will be a totally new look and have awesome functions including:
- membership site with
- facilitators' guides
- online FAQs
- group member community care and communication
- resources for training, ongoing education & certification - public site with
- paypal book purchase
- paypal donations
- family resources AND MUCH MUCH MORE! If you have any ideas for what you would like to see or have access to on the website PLEASE COMMENT and pray for wisdom for us as we set it up. Thanks, Dave
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God has truly been taking me to a new and different place with Him. He is not interested in me "adjusting to" or "tolerating" the differences in South Africa. He is not pleased that I stopped complaining and simply chuckle now.

Early on He impressed upon me that I cannot separate myself from "those Americans" that people have seen on the news or on TV or in the movies. I cannot separate myself from "those Americans" who have walkes this land in American arrogance or ignorance. I cannot separate myself from "those Americans" who have come before me as countless short term missionaries or businessman. I CANNOT JUMP OUT OF THE NUMBER!!! I am an American and Africans will always view me as one of that number. My choice as Jesus did for us, is to be numbered with them. (Isaiah 53:12)

Next He has impressed upon me that I am here as a "sent one." I have been sent by the Lord's House of Prayer and I have been sent by Him. The Scripture He gave me as a "sent one" an "apostle" is 2 Corinthians 12:12 "Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds."

My role is the perseverance part. To walk faithfully how and where He sends me. One of those places is the township of 0ocean View. It is about 25,000 people and was started as a relocation place for the blacks and coloreds during apartheid. It is riddled today with poverty, unemployment, crime, drugs, alcohol, prostitution, hopelessness, despair, etc.

God sent me there a couple of months ago to begin to prayer walk for His heart to reclaim and transform Ocean View. In the first week one Ocean View pastor joined me and we have met every Wednesday. Soon God began to put men by name on this pastor's heart. He shared that 99% of the men who left his church did because of addiction!

We began to visit with men in their homes, to encourage them as the man on the mat in John 5 to get up and walk. We promised to walk with them if they wanted to stand. As I prayed in one man's house I asked God to poke him in his sleep so He knew God was after Him, noy just us. The next Saturday he was at the pastor's house early in the morning responding to that poke!!

So as we continued to persevere I asked God to add to our numbers daily. Today another pastor from Ocean View met us on the street and committed to joining us every Wednesday!! Then we visited 2 men in addiction and they both agreed to meet with us every Wednesday!!

Please join us in prayer for signs & wonders as we persevere and God restores the prodigals and draws men & women to Himself to choose to be His sons & daughters. Join us in prayer for their healing and wholeness. Join us in prayer for God to make Ocean View A place that brings Him glory as a place of reconciliation, repentance, restoration and revival! These are the signs and wonders I am asking Him for and expecting as I walk in perseverance.

Thanks for your prayers,
Dave
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So today was a crazy day of running around getting stuff for our new place. The foreigners here have an expression for days like this it is T.I.A. (Which stands for This is Africa)

After having success at Makro (a store like Costco) getting kitchen stuff, folding chairs, laundy basket, etc we went looking for patio furniture. It is the end of the summer so we thought we could find a deal, but no stores really have season end sales like the US. We stopped at a place with a clearance sale sign. Everything we looked at, when we asked the price the guy said "1000 rand" (about $143). When I asked if it was all the same price because that was the "American price" the guy laughed and said no. When I asked the price of the next thing he said 995 rand!! So we'll be looking on Gumtree which is South Africa's version of Craigslist.

Then we were off to shop for a TV. After several stores we found one we liked at the right price. BUT before we could buy it we needed to go to the post office with our passport to get a license to own a TV. So off to the post office, wait in queue (line) for 20 minutes, fill out the proper form, pay 250 rand and we are now licensed to own a TV for a year!

My next stop was the bank. I had received an SMS (text message) that I could pick up the debit card and sign for online banking for the new account we opened up for From A2D. After waiting in queue for 15 minutes and talking to 3 different service reps over the next 45 minutes I got the card but could not get online banking since the rep who opened the account with us last week wasn't there and no one else could figure it out!

My final stop was back to the store where we bought the TV so they could make a copy of my brand new TV license. The first copy machine the sales guy tried was out of paper so we walked over to the tills (cash registers) where he asked a clerk to make a copy for him. This took a couple of minutes and the sales rep passed the time by asking what brought us to Fish Hoek. I told him about our work in addictions and prisons. As we said goodbye his parting words were "welcome to the hood!" That made all of the mini frustrations fade away as we chuckled at his "American" comment.
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