Taylors spend six months serving in South Africa

The Call

It was a late life journey for Rodney and Patty Taylor, and it had been two years in the making. However, they got back in July from what would be a memorable short-term mission trip to Cape Town, South Africa.

Rodney originally went on a mission trip to Cape Town in 2008. Initially, John Thomas who was on the International Mission Board (IMB) found out Rodney was proficient in Greek. John told the seminary about Rodney.

Dr. Ronnie Davis taught New Testament Greek at Cape Town Baptist Seminary (CTBS) in South Africa. Since Ronnie was never able to go visit his family, John spoke to Rodney about helping out so Dr. Davis could go on a 6 month sabbatical. “We began discussions about my replacing him for a semester because I had the skills and background to teach Greek,” replied Rodney.

Rodney and Patty left Nashville January 11, had a 26 hour flight, and arrived in Cape Town late night on January 12. Then, they left Cape Town July 14 and were there almost 6 months to the day. During that time, they experienced a lot.

Cape Town Baptist Seminary

“So this tour to Cape Town was to allow me to join the faculty of CTBS and teach Greek, both elementary and advanced. As a part of my responsibilities, I also taught a course on Ephesians,” explained RodneyTaylor.

During Mission Week at the seminary, the students went out into the townships to perform various ministries. Both Rodney and Patty joined the students for a couple of days to observe and participate in the activities.

Rodney talked about one of his best memories. “I watched in amazement as one of my students, Mzamo Stuurman, went through a township stopping everyone he met on the street and asking them if they knew Jesus. If not, he would take time to stop and share the Gospel and witness to them. I personally observed him lead three or four people to the Lord in the matter of a morning.” The experience made Rodney long for the same kind of excitement and dedication among people here.

Living Hope

Patty worked with a Senior Adult club of men and women which met weekly for Bible Study. In addition, the group provided support for those grieving and suffering from illnesses. This particular group wanted someone to teach them crafts. Therefore, Patty also helped the students with hand-made crafts.

Patty's own Bible Study group and Sunday Life Group donated supplies for her trip. She used the supplies to teach the people there how to do simple tasks such as threading a needle and embroidering on cloths. Each of her students completed a dish towel and decorated washcloths with buttons and trim. She also taught them how to make a greeting card, a name bracelet, and a cross necklace.

“I was intrigued by the fact they wanted to do their best, wanted me to “approve”, and acted like little children when they had accomplished their project. The group leader told me that many of them probably had never had anything with their names on it or made anything like we had done,” replied Patty.

Ministry Impact

Rodney was impacted by his seminary students. “They are all so dedicated to their purpose in the Kingdom and to leading the African continent to the Lord. To them one’s relationship with God is utmost, and they have dedicated themselves to preparing their heads, their hearts, and their hands to do the work to which God has called them. I was extremely impressed by their willingness to “out it all on the line” for Jesus.”

Most of the students attend seminary under extreme financial conditions. Some come from the townships where poverty is a way of life, but they do whatever it takes to break that cycle and get an education. They recognize that education is their ticket out of poverty, and they acknowledge that God has provided for them.

Rodney also had a great impact on the students there. “I considered it a privilege to teach students who will be going out and impacting many others. It was a way that I could multiply my contribution to the Kingdom of God many times over and over multiple generations.”

“Most everyone whom we encountered impacted us. The humbleness of the people in the townships is hard to ignore. They so greatly appreciate whatever you do for them. The people generally are friendly and want to know about America,” explained Patty.

Patty said, “At the end of my time when I was going to be leaving, they planned a lunch and asked me and my husband to come. They fed us, thanked us, hugged us, and gave us a card they all had signed.”