Becky and I are back stateside for a short time, snuggled into our little cabin in the North Carolina mountains. Wrestling with the questions we all face in these days, ”Lord, what is going on here?”, I have come to a profound (that may be a bit too self-aggrandizing) conclusion, a word I must share with you in this Christmas/New Year season in which so much seems to be shaking. The advice, to use a mountain term, is to“Ride the horse what brung ya’.”
Now track with me on this. MeniscusInc, Becky and I are working in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, for one reason; we are ‘riding the horse what brung us’. In a time of much uncertainty, we remember that our ‘sending’ was powered by the story of Jesus’ sending out seventy-two of his followers found in Luke 10, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask th Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves… When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’… Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’… The seventy-two returned with joy and said,”Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
Those of us engaged in MeniscusInc need to remind ourselves that Jesus has been faithful in doing the same thing in our midst in Africa as he did with his disciples in Judea and Galilee. This is the ‘horse what brung us’ to the teeming townships of Mpumalanga. We are just following Him. As we have stepped out in faith God has done miraculous and amazing things.
We want to declare to you, and encourage you, that God is good, God is active, and God is working to extend his “Peace” and his “Kingdom” in all our lives, as we are willing to follow him.

Take a few minutes today to read Luke’s amazing account here; deeply spiritual and intensely practical. Your own ‘sentness’ may not involve Africa, but it surely does involve wherever you are and whatever you are doing. Regardless of your economics, education, or personal particulars, one sure way to find your footing in these days is to walk in His ways in ministering the “Peace” and “The kingdom is near” right where you live and work. Step out this season and“Seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be added.” These words, spoken by Jesus and recorded in Luke 12, are applicable to those who’ve been following Jesus for years and also for those just now seeking the Truth in troubled and uncertain times. True truth then and true truth now.

After all, on the first Christmas, in the greatest story of all time, isn’t this the just what happened writ large? And Mary said to the Angel of the Lord, “Here is your servant, may it be unto me according to your purposes.” And she, in faith and pregnant with Jesus, rode on a donkey to Bethlehem. She just rode the ‘horse what brung her’ to Bethlehem, into her destiny and role in God’s great, good plans.
As we all face a new year of challenges, may we all remember and be strengthened in our Father’s faithfulness, love and purposes, made manifest in Jesus’ coming, and present with us now by the Holy Spirit. May you come to “ride on that horse” with joy and confidence. Have truly joyous Christmas and an overcoming 2010.

Scott & Becky Lycan for Meniscus Inc. www.MeniscusInc.com
meniscushome@gmail.com

The Year in Review
Meniscus, Inc. works from the conviction that social, ethical and personal reformation depend upon spiritual transformation and the establishment of supportive communities. Toward that end we have been engaged in southern Africa nations since 2006, helping link community development efforts with the facilitation of self-sustaining indigenous discipleship growth.

In the second half of 2009, we have helped establish South African partnerships and efforts that:
*Glean from farmers’ fields and poultry farms, averaging 400-600 pounds of fresh produce and nearly 500 eggs per week.
*Gathered food is distributed by Swati and Zulu disciples within their neighborhood communities to those in the greatest need, typically widows and orphans.
*Meet weekly with self-replicating discipleship groups in the teeming informal township communities. As strategy coordinators our goal is to establish 200 communities of disciple-making groups or churches in two years time. We seek to help indigenous African disciples make disciple-making disciples who transform their communities in deeply spiritual and imminently practical ways. In the last six months we have helped establish five discipleship communities established in the Daanjte, Msogwaba, and Masoyi townships.
*Established a Memorandum of Understanding with a Swati tribal trust and two South African charitable works to open the Lithemba (Swati for “Hope”) Center, with the plan to provide key community development services; feeding programs for vulnerable populations, housing for young adult orphans, after-school tutoring, small business training and micro-financing, and life-skills training in sexual integrity, pre-natal pregnancy care, marriage preparation, and basic decision-making skills. The Lithemba Center will also serve as a training center for indigenous leadership development, house-based church development and basic discipleship. The Center is now undergoing renovation, available for occupancy in January.
*Serve as training partners to two South African church fellowships and an international ministry in their plans to establish disciple-making movements and church-planting bible studies.
*Continue partnership with “Hands of Grace”, a South African charitable work, in the work of growing a women’s sewing guild providing sustainable income growth, and providing an ongoing discipleship training group. The guild has been working since August, 2008, providing needed income for over one hundred people in the Masoyi township community.
*Provide training opportunity for five ministry interns in conjunction with Iris Africa and three other South African and Mozambican ministries.

Social indicators - Mpumalanga Province and South Africa

Poverty and Employment.
•Nearly 5 out of 10 South Africans still live in poverty, over 22 million people.
•One is considered ‘poor’ if one earns less than $100 USD per month, a family of four with income less than $440USD. A loaf of bread costs about $1, a gallon of gasoline costs about $3.85, the cost of most staple groceries, produce, meat, and dairy are comparable to US costs.
•Current unemployment nationwide is currently 26%, and estimated at 70% in the informal township communities.

Crime.
•South Africa is reported to have the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world.
•A woman is raped every 23 seconds in South Africa. Reliable sources estimate that over 1 in every 4 women will experience a rape, 5 times greater than the USA rate.
•One in four children will be sexually abused before they are 18 years old.
•Conservative estimates place spouse abuse rates at 25%.
•Johannesburg, SAis the “car-jacking” capital of the world, and the country has one of the highest levels of violent crime in the world.

Health and HIV/Aids
•Mpumalanga HIV rates are now estimated at 40% of those over the age of 18 years, second highest provincial statistics in the country.
•Mpumalanga adjoins Mozambique and Swaziland, with the highest AIDs rate in the world.
•Over 5.4 million AIDs cases are in South Africa, more than any country.

We encourage your involvement in the work of Meniscus, Inc., and we are in very real need of your support in prayer, finances, and friendship. Any contribution in any area will be greatly appreciated and applied efficiently. Meniscus Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization recognized by the Internal Revenue Service. All donations are tax-deductible.
Contact us at www.meniscusinc.com, or by mail at P.O.Box 5626, Cary, NC 27512 USA , and by e-mail at meniscushome@gmail.com

Street side view, Daanjke and Msogwaba, Mpumalanga, South Africa