Missions

Haymarket Baptist Church seeks to practice the way of Christ, which means we cannot keep our relationship with God to ourselves. We are called to share the hope and love of Christ with others. This happens in many ways – through our relationships, through our commitments, through our giving, and through our doing. Haymarket seeks to involve our congregation in active mission involvement in our community, nation, and world.

HBC recently sent a Mission Team to serve in South Africa (Oct. 2 – 16).  Below is a summary of their experience.

Click on the devotional guide below to download and use it as a way to pray for the team while they are away!

Devotional Guide

10/02/09

Somewhere over the Atlantic…

We are well into the first leg of our trip as I type this – somewhere over the Atlantic.  This moment has been well over a year in the making.  The group is excited and anxious about what lies ahead.  As has been the case since the beginning, we are confident that what lies ahead of us will be meaningful and formative.  God will be at work in us as we open ourselves to his moving in the lives of those we will encounter in South Africa.

We know some of the tangibles of our “work,” the itinerary of some the things we will see, and something of the people we will meet.  What we don’t yet know is just how God will use our presence in the lives of the people we meet.  Likewise, we are sure God will be using these same South Africans to grow our faith and knowledge of the will of God.  It’s this “ministry of presence” that Revs. Jon and Dawn Barnes, our missionary contacts, believe is the most meaningful and important parts of such trips.

Please pray with us that our hearts, minds, and eyes will be open to the many movements of God in this diverse and beautiful world.     

Update – Wednesday, October 7th

We have been very busy taking in God’s creative work here in South Africa – both in nature and in his people.  A quick summary:

Monday we visited with Wendy Ryan and the ministry she works with – Living Hope.  It is connected with the Fish Hoek Baptist Church in suburban Cape Town and serves the many who live in the Masapumalele Township.  We toured their health center and also met the students in her sewing class.  There, we were able to share words of encouragement with the students.

We also visited Cape Point – the Southwestern most point on the continent.  Quite an incredible sight to behold!

On Tuesday we flew to East London and went through orientation with Jon and Dawn, the missionaries we are working under.  Jon accompanied us in Cape Town but we were able to meet up with the rest of the family, including their two children, in East London.  We were treated to a traditional South African Braii (BBQ) that evening.

On Wednesday we were taken into the second largest township by our guide, Vallele.  There, we saw incredible poverty but amazing people.  These people had suffered under a government that surpressed and seperated groups of people based on the color of their skin for many generations.  Since only 1994 have things begun to become “equitable.”  There is a very long way to go but we see hope.  We were most impressed with a kindergarten there that has 350 children.  These children have a chance their parents and grandparents did not have – a chance to learn in a nation that will reward them based on their work and not their skin color.

It is very hard to put into words what we are doing and have experienced.  We have been blessed by the people of South Africa and by Jon and Dawn.  We have many stories to tell and pictures to show – and we are not even half-way through!  Tomorrow we go to a “colored” township and will split up to stay a night with families from the church there.  It may amaze you to learn that our willingness to stay with them and to learn from them is probably the best gift we can give.