Love Bled to Death

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Greetings to friends and family and to all the people that believe so much in what Hands at Work in Africa is doing. It’s such a privilege for me to speak to you shortly after our Easter celebrations, and I’m sure as you’ve spent quality time with those that you love, that you appreciated these moments as you saw people that you love dearly. There’s nothing like that. It’s just one of those deep things in life that we can’t buy and we can’t hold on to them because it doesn’t belong to us. Coming out of Easter celebrations, we’ve been with loved ones and also we’ve been reminded of what love did for us. Maybe to summarize it in the shortest possible verse, when we look at Easter we say “Love bled to death”. What an incredible story that is for us all.

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The Wall of Nehemiah and History of Hands

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There is an amazing thing about the book of Nehemiah – we’ve been studying it in Hands for years, and still every time we talk about it and draw the comparisons, it becomes scary, it’s so close to what we do.

Here’s how it started, when Carolyn and I graduated bible school this is the verse they gave us: “the God of Heaven will give us success, therefore, we His servants will arise and build.”

When we got this verse I had no clue about orphans or caring for them, it wasn’t on my map. What did it mean? That’s the amazing thing about God, He gives you the promises long before. We got that promise years before Hands at Work started.

Nehemiah was a cupbearer. Nehemiah was not a missionary, a priest, or some weird religious guy, he was a cupbearer. In language today, he was a young professional guy; he was connected in high places; he had a good job. Nehemiah heard what was happening—and I just want us to catch one thing—he heard, he asked about the people that were not doing well and this is the verse that came out: “they are in great distress and reproach, and the walls of Jerusalem are broken down and it’s gates are burned with fire.” Guys, you cannot get a better description of what we talk about when we look at communities where we work that are ‘off the ladder’ their walls have been destroyed, parents, schools, anything that have brought safety and security have been ripped away. The gate has been burnt down – the gate is the entrance to the child. The children have got no protection, nothing. Now Nehemiah sat, very far away from that. He was in Australia, and this was happening in Nigeria. And he heard about it, that’s all. He wasn’t asked anything, he wasn’t connected to those people, he just heard about it. And this is what he did: “When I heard those words I sat down and wept and mourned for days before I went to God in heaven.” That’s our story, each one of us known by name; each one of us, through a team or walking through Africa or through living in a community, all of us experience that moment where we see and it cuts through bone and marrow. And can you remember how you wept? Can you remember that initial reaction? Going through that and then questioning God, asking God, “What is this?” Exactly the same thing happened to Nehemiah.

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Diamonds in the Dust

“Diamonds in the dust.” It’s a beautiful phrase that we have been using in Hands at Work right from the beginning of our history. It started off when I stood at the rubbish dump, just staring at children scrounging for food. God gave me a beautiful promise - “you will find diamonds in the dust.” Now after a decade of Hands at Work history, we look back and we see just how that word got fulfilled.

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KONY 2012

Last week we saw an amazing video going viral within days across the globe.  Of course I am referring to the “Kony2012” video. Though I don’t know Invisible Children and can’t comment on them as an organisation,  I want to use the opportunity to communicate something that excited us about the video.

Hands at Work’s message has always been a simple one directed at everyone who came to visit us in Africa and who met the children, grannies and care workers. Like these grannies and care workers, you can make a difference! You have a unique fingerprint and circle of influence. All you have to do is to use what is placed in your hands already. When I watched this video I was struck by this truth and the simplicity of it.

An apparently ordinary man from the US visited Uganda, and he met a specific child whose message challenged him to the core. When he heard the message he had no solution, and all he could say was, “I will not leave it. I will do something.”  He made a decision that it is not ok to just continue with his life as before. Each of us has experienced a similar moment of meeting children in Africa. We all know names and stories which have the power to change our lives and others around us.. The size of the impact you make is not the issue here, but rather the fact that you do something which what you’ve been given. If you watch the Kony video you will also see that he used ordinary things that were available to everyone. We were so encouraged by this video and want to encourage you also. We live in an age where communication is possible on many levels and we have amazing tools. The key tool you have is you know children by name!

The very first video we ever made at Hands at Work said this: “We want to reach 100 000 orphaned and vulnerable children and we want to reach them one by one.” Keeping that in mind, let this Kony2012 video be an encouragement to use our influence wherever we can. Thank you for standing together with us!

George Snyman

The House is on Fire - 10th Anniversary Thoughts from George

January 2012; yet another year with more challenges and more opportunities. It’s been a huge year for Hands at Work, and while it’s been an exciting year, we are realistic in understanding that 2012 will be tough and bring challenges.

We are celebrating our tenth anniversary this year. It’s just incredible when we look back over the past decade and reflect on what took place. Where can we start to describe this wonderful journey? How can we describe the story of different people from all over the world, from all walks of life from different cultures with different expectations all coming together and walking with the people of Africa? As we went into the poorest, most isolated places, our hearts changed.

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