Since our last update, we've had quite a few exciting experiences. We've been able to serve in a community center, work with kids at Kid Stop, and even learn how to surf! We spent a nice restful day at the beach which was much needed. As I am writing this, the team is playing cards with some of the staff here at OAM and our new friend Sarah who is from Virginia. She's a really fun girl and it's been great getting to know her. The team is much closer now after a rough week of team building activities which proved to be hard but in the end, turned out to be quite an amazing experience for us all.
Words cannot express the amazing amount of effort and love the team has put into the last two days of activities. Earlier this week we were told that we not only had to attend a youth service at Parkdene Baptist Church, but we were in charge of running it. That was a curve ball that we were not expecting. However, this seemed to be the perfect opportunity to let the kids try and fly out on their own. Dan and I decided that we were going to let them plan the activities for the service on their own - we weren't going to do anything. The itinerary was completely their idea and the activities were all things that the group came up with together. They decided that they wanted to do a skit to Lifehouse's "Everything" which they worked very hard to practice all week long. The skit itself had to do with temptation and how Christ died for our sins in order to save us through grace. This was the topic of the evening as well...how to find our strength from God and combat the temptation that the world is constantly throwing in our faces.
First and foremost, it should be said that we, as leaders, are so proud of the team. They worked very hard to plan out the youth service and I think I can speak for both Dan and myself when I say that they did a tremendous job. The skit was amazing and the service could not have gone better. The youth at Parkdene seemed to get a lot out of it and the team was able to experience a great amount of success as they worked together in order to make that night happen. After a tiring evening, the team was also able to plan out an itinierary for the following day. We were back at Outeniqua House on Saturday, which is a youth prison. The team was all exhausted and worn thin but they really dug deep to make that day a success as well. Planning out games and dancing makes the experience fun, but sharing the love of Christ with the boys in that house is what makes it all worth it. I'm definitely a proud mama!
Strength through Christ is getting them through the tiring days and I am consistently impressed by their perserverence and determination to show God's love through their actions even when they are tired, hungry, or sick. (Not that anyone is sick! All moms can be reassured! :) ) As leaders, it is very exciting to see God working in and through each member of our group. I have seen a tremendous amount of growth in the team and they are teaching me so much. I can't wait to see all the great things God is going to continue to do in them during our last week here at Makani.
I can't wait to tell you all the amazing stories of our team - they are all so beautiful. Moms and dads should be very proud - you've got an amazing group of kids. It's been a blessing to share this experience with them and I can't wait for you to see the transformation that Dan and I are seeing. A little over a week to go. Keep us in your prayers as we finish up our ministry. We really want to make this week count. We miss you and love you all!
Valerie
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
In the jungle! The mighty jungle!
Matthew Ward reporting for blog duty!
I am excited to update you on our mission trip so far as we have passed our halfway mark sadly and the reality that our time here is coming to a close is becoming apparent. We make the most of our remaining time and serve to the fullest! This has been quite an exciting week to say the least. On Monday May 24th we went to Life Community Center which is a place that is intentional about educating and spending time with kids who do not go to school but who hope to be placed back into the schooling system. There the guys worked hard doing some yard maintenance. We also washed their vehicles and did a lot of moving for them etc. The girls were busy in the kitchens and also worked inside and played with the kids. In the afternoon we went to Kids Stop which is similar to Life Community Center in that it caters to the needs of those who don’t have the privilege to go to school. There we played balloon stop which was absolutely crazy and the place became a madhouse. But nonetheless it was a great time. We also had the most epic soccer game with kids that were super talented and energetic. Unfortunately my team lost but that is beside the point.
Tuesday the 25th was absolutely an amazing day. I can say with confidence that for me personally it was the most eventful and spirit led day so far. Many members of the team have been waking up at 5:50 a.m. to workout and finally I decided to join them. So it was with sore an aching body that I joined my fellow team members to evangelize on the streets of George at about 8:30. Obviously I can’t speak for everyone else because we each had different encounters with the people there. But to say the least God really spoke through the poor and the oppressed. It was crazy. We got into small groups and started out into the streets. I was with Tyler and Emily. We met individual after individual and each one seemed like a divine appointment that the Lord had orchestrated with his own hand.
First we met a man who showed us around and introduced us to all of his friends and took us to a part of town that we did not even know existed. He introduced us to gangsters and drug dealers and countless of homeless and jobless people who were suffering. We were able to encourage and pray for many people. One man was a believer and wanted so badly to feed his family and kids so we bought him and others food etc. God just kept directing us to people who desperately just needed to be reminded that He loves them and that there are people that care for them. Almost everyone we met were just roaming the streets looking for a job. Out of know where a young poor black man probably about 28 came out of know where and told us he say us praying and just wanted to encourage us. He didn’t ask us any questions but told us to keep working for the lord and recited several passages of scripture to us. It was almost as if he was sent as a messenger from God because when we turned back to see if he would take a picture of us he was already long gone.
There I also saw members of our team being so generous to those in need. Two people even gave up their own jackets to a couple of shivering men. This is what I love about participating on a mission trip. You are surrounded by like-minded people united by the bond of Christ who use the opportunity to not give any excuses but to live out their faith. This has been a great way to jumpstart what I pray will be a lifetime of service for all of us.
There was also a great experience that our team got to share together as a whole. After speaking to people from the particular block we were at, we stopped to go to the bathroom at a building before heading to another part of town to evangelize. But instead we found a white homeless man who later told us he was about to commit suicide before we arrived. He poured out his heart and was so encouraged that we would take the time to talk with him. He really showed us that South Africa is not just hurting in the black communities but in the white communities as well and that we shouldn’t bring those kind of biases to ministry.
Later that day we went to the surfing ministry and cleared out a backyard for one of the child’s families. We were able to then minister to many in the neighborhood as they came out to play jump rope and soccer on the street. When Africans see a bunch of white Americans serving the black community they automatically are intrigued and want to see what’s up.
Later that night Steve, the OAM director, gave a bible study about hearing God’s voice and it was encouraging to see how God speaks to us. Then Steve shocked us by telling us that we were going to “bush camp” that night. He told us we could not bring anything with us but a sleeping bag and whatever we clothes we had on right there. So literally 3 minutes later we were in the truck and on our way to a Safari type of animal reserve where we were going to rough it for two days. We slept under the stars after hiking to the location he had directed us to and saw the silhouette of 20 Zebras running against the night sky. In the morning Steve woke us up at the crack of dawn and had us do a number of tasks that made us feel like we were on a reality show. He made us roll around on the grass to “wash”. The first competition involved a frantic race around the camping area and the winning team got a roll of toilet paper. Our next contest was to come up with a song and make a pyramid. We had to make our own fires with barely any supplies it was more challenging than it might seem. The next contest was called nightline where we had to follow a rope blind folded. We also competed on a ropes course that was pretty difficult. But the most difficult thing was the eating contest in which we had to consume a raw egg, spoon full of coffee, a lemon with the peal, goat testicles, flaming hot sauce, a pickle, cookies, and marsh mellows. I was surprised no one threw up! All in all it was a great time to spend time with God in his creation and bond as a team.
On Thursday the 27th we went to an old person’s home where we did gardening with them and pushed those around who were in wheelchairs. In the afternoon half the team went to the ocean with the kids from the surfing ministry to catch some waves while the rest of us made musical instruments and worshipped with the kids. Both times were amazing.
Many of you have been praying for the unity of our team. I can sense the blessings of those prayers tangible. We are developing deeper friendships and care for each other as we begin to communicate openly. In fact I’d say that is the most challenging aspect of ministry; communication.
We have about two weeks less and we know that the end is going to come much too fast. We want to make the most of every minute we have left here. We don’t want to have the feeling at the end of the day where we did not take advantage of the opportunity that God has given us. It is a good kind of urgency. Just as we know our trip will soon be over we also know that the Kingdom of God is at hand and the rest of our lives must reflect this same strong purpose.
I am excited to update you on our mission trip so far as we have passed our halfway mark sadly and the reality that our time here is coming to a close is becoming apparent. We make the most of our remaining time and serve to the fullest! This has been quite an exciting week to say the least. On Monday May 24th we went to Life Community Center which is a place that is intentional about educating and spending time with kids who do not go to school but who hope to be placed back into the schooling system. There the guys worked hard doing some yard maintenance. We also washed their vehicles and did a lot of moving for them etc. The girls were busy in the kitchens and also worked inside and played with the kids. In the afternoon we went to Kids Stop which is similar to Life Community Center in that it caters to the needs of those who don’t have the privilege to go to school. There we played balloon stop which was absolutely crazy and the place became a madhouse. But nonetheless it was a great time. We also had the most epic soccer game with kids that were super talented and energetic. Unfortunately my team lost but that is beside the point.
Tuesday the 25th was absolutely an amazing day. I can say with confidence that for me personally it was the most eventful and spirit led day so far. Many members of the team have been waking up at 5:50 a.m. to workout and finally I decided to join them. So it was with sore an aching body that I joined my fellow team members to evangelize on the streets of George at about 8:30. Obviously I can’t speak for everyone else because we each had different encounters with the people there. But to say the least God really spoke through the poor and the oppressed. It was crazy. We got into small groups and started out into the streets. I was with Tyler and Emily. We met individual after individual and each one seemed like a divine appointment that the Lord had orchestrated with his own hand.
First we met a man who showed us around and introduced us to all of his friends and took us to a part of town that we did not even know existed. He introduced us to gangsters and drug dealers and countless of homeless and jobless people who were suffering. We were able to encourage and pray for many people. One man was a believer and wanted so badly to feed his family and kids so we bought him and others food etc. God just kept directing us to people who desperately just needed to be reminded that He loves them and that there are people that care for them. Almost everyone we met were just roaming the streets looking for a job. Out of know where a young poor black man probably about 28 came out of know where and told us he say us praying and just wanted to encourage us. He didn’t ask us any questions but told us to keep working for the lord and recited several passages of scripture to us. It was almost as if he was sent as a messenger from God because when we turned back to see if he would take a picture of us he was already long gone.
There I also saw members of our team being so generous to those in need. Two people even gave up their own jackets to a couple of shivering men. This is what I love about participating on a mission trip. You are surrounded by like-minded people united by the bond of Christ who use the opportunity to not give any excuses but to live out their faith. This has been a great way to jumpstart what I pray will be a lifetime of service for all of us.
There was also a great experience that our team got to share together as a whole. After speaking to people from the particular block we were at, we stopped to go to the bathroom at a building before heading to another part of town to evangelize. But instead we found a white homeless man who later told us he was about to commit suicide before we arrived. He poured out his heart and was so encouraged that we would take the time to talk with him. He really showed us that South Africa is not just hurting in the black communities but in the white communities as well and that we shouldn’t bring those kind of biases to ministry.
Later that day we went to the surfing ministry and cleared out a backyard for one of the child’s families. We were able to then minister to many in the neighborhood as they came out to play jump rope and soccer on the street. When Africans see a bunch of white Americans serving the black community they automatically are intrigued and want to see what’s up.
Later that night Steve, the OAM director, gave a bible study about hearing God’s voice and it was encouraging to see how God speaks to us. Then Steve shocked us by telling us that we were going to “bush camp” that night. He told us we could not bring anything with us but a sleeping bag and whatever we clothes we had on right there. So literally 3 minutes later we were in the truck and on our way to a Safari type of animal reserve where we were going to rough it for two days. We slept under the stars after hiking to the location he had directed us to and saw the silhouette of 20 Zebras running against the night sky. In the morning Steve woke us up at the crack of dawn and had us do a number of tasks that made us feel like we were on a reality show. He made us roll around on the grass to “wash”. The first competition involved a frantic race around the camping area and the winning team got a roll of toilet paper. Our next contest was to come up with a song and make a pyramid. We had to make our own fires with barely any supplies it was more challenging than it might seem. The next contest was called nightline where we had to follow a rope blind folded. We also competed on a ropes course that was pretty difficult. But the most difficult thing was the eating contest in which we had to consume a raw egg, spoon full of coffee, a lemon with the peal, goat testicles, flaming hot sauce, a pickle, cookies, and marsh mellows. I was surprised no one threw up! All in all it was a great time to spend time with God in his creation and bond as a team.
On Thursday the 27th we went to an old person’s home where we did gardening with them and pushed those around who were in wheelchairs. In the afternoon half the team went to the ocean with the kids from the surfing ministry to catch some waves while the rest of us made musical instruments and worshipped with the kids. Both times were amazing.
Many of you have been praying for the unity of our team. I can sense the blessings of those prayers tangible. We are developing deeper friendships and care for each other as we begin to communicate openly. In fact I’d say that is the most challenging aspect of ministry; communication.
We have about two weeks less and we know that the end is going to come much too fast. We want to make the most of every minute we have left here. We don’t want to have the feeling at the end of the day where we did not take advantage of the opportunity that God has given us. It is a good kind of urgency. Just as we know our trip will soon be over we also know that the Kingdom of God is at hand and the rest of our lives must reflect this same strong purpose.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Time to Reflect
Hello hello my American friends!
This is Emily and Megan, giving you the scoop on what is going down in George, South Africa!
Since our last post, we have been busy with many new experiences. Friday, we got the opportunity to go into town and street evangalize. This was an amazing experience, and it really took each one of us out of our comfort zone. We were each paired up (boy and girl), and walked around the town, talking with different people, hearing their stories, and praying over them. A few of us even got the chance to share our own stories and how God is working in our lives. Even though we all had the same purpose for the day, we came back with different stories and experiences to share with one another. It was awesome to see God's Holy Spirit working through each person on the team. Later that day we went to an after school program called Kids Stop. This program takes kids off the street and provides them with a meal, and fun activities. Our team performed a skit for the kids, did some arts and crafs, and played a game of rugby. At night we went to a youth service at a local church, where we interacted with a group of teengers through discussion regarding peer pressure. We were blessed for all the opportunities we got to experience on Friday and God helping us each step of the way!
On Saturday, we had our BIG adventure. Valerie and Dan planned a big outing for the whole team and actually kept it a secret. We all left Makani around 8 AM and started out going eastward. We first stopped at a farmer's market and arts and crafts fair. It was awesome! We all got some cool stuff and got to look around at what they sell in South Africa. Then we headed towards Knysna and had lunch at the beach. It was amazing! We got to sit on the rocks by the surf and have tuna sandwiches and just have fellowship with one another. After that, we started out again and went to Knysna Elephant Park, which was great. Most of us have never touched an elephant let alone stand by it's mouth and behind its trunk. It was an amazing experience that we will never forget. Then we went into town and looked around the shops and played some card games until it was time to head back to George to have dinner at an Italian restaurant. They had some fantastic food. Most of us got pizza or pasta.
On Sunday, we went to the Thembalethu Church and had service there. We were able to meet a lot of people there and also have fellowship with our other brothers and sisters in Christ. The church was in a shack and it was very crowded but it was amazing to see how they could utilize such a space to still continue to worship the Lord. After church, Stephen, the director of OAM, took us on a hike up a huge mountain, which included no map or trail and brush, dirt, rocks, snakes, and galore. When we reached the top of the mountain, we were able to see all of the townships in the city and all of George's beauty. At that time, our leaders gave us each a letter from a loved one that were able to read. It was an emotional time at the top remembering what God has been doing for our team and this city. After coming down, we took a little dip in the creek, which was frigid but nice to cool off after a warm day. It was at the base of the mountain, so we had to do another hike to reach it. Today was a great day for reflection and praising God for bringing us to George!
Well, it is currently 11:10 pm and exhaustion is taking over! Thank you all for your prayers and support! We love you all and miss you dearly! Continue to follow us as we finish up the next week and a half on our amazing journey with God! Cannot wait to see what He has in store for us next! Blessings!
This is Emily and Megan, giving you the scoop on what is going down in George, South Africa!
Since our last post, we have been busy with many new experiences. Friday, we got the opportunity to go into town and street evangalize. This was an amazing experience, and it really took each one of us out of our comfort zone. We were each paired up (boy and girl), and walked around the town, talking with different people, hearing their stories, and praying over them. A few of us even got the chance to share our own stories and how God is working in our lives. Even though we all had the same purpose for the day, we came back with different stories and experiences to share with one another. It was awesome to see God's Holy Spirit working through each person on the team. Later that day we went to an after school program called Kids Stop. This program takes kids off the street and provides them with a meal, and fun activities. Our team performed a skit for the kids, did some arts and crafs, and played a game of rugby. At night we went to a youth service at a local church, where we interacted with a group of teengers through discussion regarding peer pressure. We were blessed for all the opportunities we got to experience on Friday and God helping us each step of the way!
On Saturday, we had our BIG adventure. Valerie and Dan planned a big outing for the whole team and actually kept it a secret. We all left Makani around 8 AM and started out going eastward. We first stopped at a farmer's market and arts and crafts fair. It was awesome! We all got some cool stuff and got to look around at what they sell in South Africa. Then we headed towards Knysna and had lunch at the beach. It was amazing! We got to sit on the rocks by the surf and have tuna sandwiches and just have fellowship with one another. After that, we started out again and went to Knysna Elephant Park, which was great. Most of us have never touched an elephant let alone stand by it's mouth and behind its trunk. It was an amazing experience that we will never forget. Then we went into town and looked around the shops and played some card games until it was time to head back to George to have dinner at an Italian restaurant. They had some fantastic food. Most of us got pizza or pasta.
On Sunday, we went to the Thembalethu Church and had service there. We were able to meet a lot of people there and also have fellowship with our other brothers and sisters in Christ. The church was in a shack and it was very crowded but it was amazing to see how they could utilize such a space to still continue to worship the Lord. After church, Stephen, the director of OAM, took us on a hike up a huge mountain, which included no map or trail and brush, dirt, rocks, snakes, and galore. When we reached the top of the mountain, we were able to see all of the townships in the city and all of George's beauty. At that time, our leaders gave us each a letter from a loved one that were able to read. It was an emotional time at the top remembering what God has been doing for our team and this city. After coming down, we took a little dip in the creek, which was frigid but nice to cool off after a warm day. It was at the base of the mountain, so we had to do another hike to reach it. Today was a great day for reflection and praising God for bringing us to George!
Well, it is currently 11:10 pm and exhaustion is taking over! Thank you all for your prayers and support! We love you all and miss you dearly! Continue to follow us as we finish up the next week and a half on our amazing journey with God! Cannot wait to see what He has in store for us next! Blessings!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
9 days later....
This is kyle here, going to give you a quick update of the things that have happened in our life.
So since the wonderful experience at the Church, we were blessed to go back to the wonderful city of Waboomskrall twice. This time we went to two different schools deeper into the mountains but still where surrounded by a wonderful and loving group of kids. For the group of older kids we made bracelet's but put the colored beads on the yarn and told the story of jesus' love and faith fullness. That seemed to go over really well and they all seemed to love it. With the younger kids we got foam crosses and had them write Jesus loves me on it and draw there favorite thing. Lets just say some of the kids went really crazy with the glitter. We then taught them the game "heads up 7up", we all had a blast reliving our middle school days. After lunch both days we went back to the Waboomskral center and brought out some rugby balls and soccer balls and just had a good time loving and playing with the kids. It was really tough saying goodbye to them on Tuesday and telling them that it was our last day.
On Wednesday we got to stay around the home base Makani and help out around here and get this place looking sharp. We helped with the keeping up of the gardens and the trimming of the grass. Dan was given the task of taking out 3 large palm tree looking stumps. About 45 minutes into it Dan removes the first stump and BAM! busted pipe and water spraying everywhere. Needless to say the pipe took about all day to fix and it didn't seem like they were very happy with us.
Today, Thursday , for me was a very interesting and very God moving day. We went to a hospital for the first half, to just see if anyone needs prayer and to just see how God wanted us to move there. A group of us went to the children's wing and got to go and color and talk to kids with broken legs and knees. I think that just having us there showing them love and attention lifted there spirits. Some of these kids have been in the hospital for like a month and no one has come to see them. Another group got to go to the cancer ward and pray with people who are fighting cancer and going through chemo. That group there said that they had some pretty powerful stuff happen and could feel God moving. The last of our group went to the out patient area and talked to people that were just sitting there and waiting. Some people have been waiting for hours in there and you could just see the pain on there faces. That group prayed long and hard with people and did Gods will and even when people didn't want personal prayer, our team stepped away and prayed for them on there own. After that we went and met up with a surfing ministry called Alephi. There we met a group of kids that were amazing, they have such a joy for life and a want to fix there community and tell everyone about God and his way. It was very heart warming to see a group of kids that are willing to fight to help there community and at such a young age.
Well that is all for now, we will keep you posted as much as we can and as fast as we can. We just have a lot of opportunities going on right now. If you are reading this and you are taking prayer request please pray for a boy named Darryn, he is fighting meningitis and is having a hard time. His family hasn't come to see him once and every time he gets a headache he goes blind. The Dr. thinks that it has spread to his spinal chord but they don't know. Please pray from healing and if its God's will then just comfort as he is in pain.
We love and miss you all.
So since the wonderful experience at the Church, we were blessed to go back to the wonderful city of Waboomskrall twice. This time we went to two different schools deeper into the mountains but still where surrounded by a wonderful and loving group of kids. For the group of older kids we made bracelet's but put the colored beads on the yarn and told the story of jesus' love and faith fullness. That seemed to go over really well and they all seemed to love it. With the younger kids we got foam crosses and had them write Jesus loves me on it and draw there favorite thing. Lets just say some of the kids went really crazy with the glitter. We then taught them the game "heads up 7up", we all had a blast reliving our middle school days. After lunch both days we went back to the Waboomskral center and brought out some rugby balls and soccer balls and just had a good time loving and playing with the kids. It was really tough saying goodbye to them on Tuesday and telling them that it was our last day.
On Wednesday we got to stay around the home base Makani and help out around here and get this place looking sharp. We helped with the keeping up of the gardens and the trimming of the grass. Dan was given the task of taking out 3 large palm tree looking stumps. About 45 minutes into it Dan removes the first stump and BAM! busted pipe and water spraying everywhere. Needless to say the pipe took about all day to fix and it didn't seem like they were very happy with us.
Today, Thursday , for me was a very interesting and very God moving day. We went to a hospital for the first half, to just see if anyone needs prayer and to just see how God wanted us to move there. A group of us went to the children's wing and got to go and color and talk to kids with broken legs and knees. I think that just having us there showing them love and attention lifted there spirits. Some of these kids have been in the hospital for like a month and no one has come to see them. Another group got to go to the cancer ward and pray with people who are fighting cancer and going through chemo. That group there said that they had some pretty powerful stuff happen and could feel God moving. The last of our group went to the out patient area and talked to people that were just sitting there and waiting. Some people have been waiting for hours in there and you could just see the pain on there faces. That group prayed long and hard with people and did Gods will and even when people didn't want personal prayer, our team stepped away and prayed for them on there own. After that we went and met up with a surfing ministry called Alephi. There we met a group of kids that were amazing, they have such a joy for life and a want to fix there community and tell everyone about God and his way. It was very heart warming to see a group of kids that are willing to fight to help there community and at such a young age.
Well that is all for now, we will keep you posted as much as we can and as fast as we can. We just have a lot of opportunities going on right now. If you are reading this and you are taking prayer request please pray for a boy named Darryn, he is fighting meningitis and is having a hard time. His family hasn't come to see him once and every time he gets a headache he goes blind. The Dr. thinks that it has spread to his spinal chord but they don't know. Please pray from healing and if its God's will then just comfort as he is in pain.
We love and miss you all.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
A few days into the journey...
Hey everyone! Tyler here.
So, yesterday was a very exciting day for us. We were able to actively live out Jesus' call in Matthew 25 by visiting a boy's youth prison, not far from where we are staying. The boys we ministered to were mostly ages 15-17. We started off the time with arts and crafts, where we let them draw either their most favorite place on earth, or something very dear and special to them. We also made paper airplanes and a few of our tables taught them how to construct paper tanks as well (thanks to Jake). I also got to share the gospel with the boys in my group, using colors to explain the message of Jesus to them - black = sin, red = Jesus' blood, white = we are now clean and white as snow, blue = baptism in Christ, and green = new growth as believers. It was great! After that we all went outside and played intense games of rugby and soccer. These kids were good! It was amazing being able to talk and fellowship with so many of them. Our time was ended by a long session of dancing. Learning that most of their favorite music comes from Akon, it was exciting being able to bust out some new dance moves while laughing and playing with the boys. We all had a terrific time!
Waking up this morning, we attended an amazing church service in the middle of one of the townships of George. This group of believers were on fire for the Lord! It was evident that the Holy Spirit was alive and moving in this congregation! Worship and celebreatin lasted for at least an hour. Everyone was so excited that we were there and made a big deal out of it. All of us were so humbled to be in the presence of such noble, upright people. The pastor had a moving sermon as well, and the service ended with communion and more worship, alltogether being over 2 hours long. None of us wanted to leave! We then got some lunch back where we are staying, and spent a nice afternoon at the beach, relaxing and re-charging our batteries for this next week to come. Seeing the Indian Ocean was incredible! The waves were huge! At 5:00 we attended another church service held by the leaders of the Life Academy, an organization that we're working with. This was another profound service filled with the Spirit of God and compelling worship. At the end, we talked with a guy who heads up a surfing ministry here in George, and he laid out the details of when we'll be working with him at the beach ministering to kids. We should be with him Tuesdays and Thursdays, which we are all excited for. After that, we had dinner at our home base and started planning for tomorrow's session.
We are so excited for the next couple of weeks that God has for us here! We love and miss you all. Keep us in your prayers, as you are in ours, and especially pray for the people of George and South Africa as a whole. Pray that God will continue to shine His light on them as we serve as His hands and feet. Much love.
So, yesterday was a very exciting day for us. We were able to actively live out Jesus' call in Matthew 25 by visiting a boy's youth prison, not far from where we are staying. The boys we ministered to were mostly ages 15-17. We started off the time with arts and crafts, where we let them draw either their most favorite place on earth, or something very dear and special to them. We also made paper airplanes and a few of our tables taught them how to construct paper tanks as well (thanks to Jake). I also got to share the gospel with the boys in my group, using colors to explain the message of Jesus to them - black = sin, red = Jesus' blood, white = we are now clean and white as snow, blue = baptism in Christ, and green = new growth as believers. It was great! After that we all went outside and played intense games of rugby and soccer. These kids were good! It was amazing being able to talk and fellowship with so many of them. Our time was ended by a long session of dancing. Learning that most of their favorite music comes from Akon, it was exciting being able to bust out some new dance moves while laughing and playing with the boys. We all had a terrific time!
Waking up this morning, we attended an amazing church service in the middle of one of the townships of George. This group of believers were on fire for the Lord! It was evident that the Holy Spirit was alive and moving in this congregation! Worship and celebreatin lasted for at least an hour. Everyone was so excited that we were there and made a big deal out of it. All of us were so humbled to be in the presence of such noble, upright people. The pastor had a moving sermon as well, and the service ended with communion and more worship, alltogether being over 2 hours long. None of us wanted to leave! We then got some lunch back where we are staying, and spent a nice afternoon at the beach, relaxing and re-charging our batteries for this next week to come. Seeing the Indian Ocean was incredible! The waves were huge! At 5:00 we attended another church service held by the leaders of the Life Academy, an organization that we're working with. This was another profound service filled with the Spirit of God and compelling worship. At the end, we talked with a guy who heads up a surfing ministry here in George, and he laid out the details of when we'll be working with him at the beach ministering to kids. We should be with him Tuesdays and Thursdays, which we are all excited for. After that, we had dinner at our home base and started planning for tomorrow's session.
We are so excited for the next couple of weeks that God has for us here! We love and miss you all. Keep us in your prayers, as you are in ours, and especially pray for the people of George and South Africa as a whole. Pray that God will continue to shine His light on them as we serve as His hands and feet. Much love.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Day ien (one)
Jake and Ashley here after our first day on the field...
The plane ride as exhausting to say the least. Our first flight was 9 hours to London, flying British Airways. Cheers! The time spent in London was well worth the long flight. We got to see many of the staples of London, England. Such as: Big Ben, Parliment, Globe Theatre and even the Queen of England. Yes, thats right. We saw the queen of England! Well all this was just a nice treat the Lord blessed us with. We successfully made it on to our flight to Capetown ( 11 hours) and then our next flight to George (35 minutes).
So after about a 11 sleep we woke up to head out to our first day out on the field in rural George. We came to a small school headed by a friendly energetic Pastor, who thankfully spoke good English. During our time at the school we worked with kids from ages 4-13. The things we did were fairly simple, drawing, dancing and playing games. At their recess, I think everyone became exhausted from kids climbing all over you, throwing them up in the air, playing rugby, or getting your hair restyled by South Africa's finest 3rd grade stylists.
The amazing thing about today was that we were ministered to by the Lord's favorites: children. At home things that supposedly bring us happiness come from money. On a friday night we will ponder if we should see a movie, putt-putt golf, go out to dinner, play video games, go shopping or a slue of other things that fill our time and energy. All you need is some real joy, a field of torn up grass and a rugby ball...maybe not even the ball. The material things cannot satisfy the soul like a night spent alone in the word growing intimately with God or playing with children that have the simplest joy. You cannot purchase love, or true joy, something everyone can learn from children with only the simplest of things. This is the way Jesus would have it
The plane ride as exhausting to say the least. Our first flight was 9 hours to London, flying British Airways. Cheers! The time spent in London was well worth the long flight. We got to see many of the staples of London, England. Such as: Big Ben, Parliment, Globe Theatre and even the Queen of England. Yes, thats right. We saw the queen of England! Well all this was just a nice treat the Lord blessed us with. We successfully made it on to our flight to Capetown ( 11 hours) and then our next flight to George (35 minutes).
So after about a 11 sleep we woke up to head out to our first day out on the field in rural George. We came to a small school headed by a friendly energetic Pastor, who thankfully spoke good English. During our time at the school we worked with kids from ages 4-13. The things we did were fairly simple, drawing, dancing and playing games. At their recess, I think everyone became exhausted from kids climbing all over you, throwing them up in the air, playing rugby, or getting your hair restyled by South Africa's finest 3rd grade stylists.
The amazing thing about today was that we were ministered to by the Lord's favorites: children. At home things that supposedly bring us happiness come from money. On a friday night we will ponder if we should see a movie, putt-putt golf, go out to dinner, play video games, go shopping or a slue of other things that fill our time and energy. All you need is some real joy, a field of torn up grass and a rugby ball...maybe not even the ball. The material things cannot satisfy the soul like a night spent alone in the word growing intimately with God or playing with children that have the simplest joy. You cannot purchase love, or true joy, something everyone can learn from children with only the simplest of things. This is the way Jesus would have it
Monday, May 10, 2010
SOUTH AFRICA BOUND!!
Well everyone...the big day has finally arrived! We are leaving for South Africa tomorrow afternoon! We are so excited for this trip to finally be under way and cannot wait to see all of the amazing things God is going to do in and through this team. Thank you SO much for all of your constant prayer and support. We definitely could not do this without you! Please continue to keep our team in your prayers as we set off on this journey to serve the Lord and His people in Africa.
Please pray for:
-safe travels
-team unity and strength
-for our leadership team
-that we do nothing out of selfish ambition but stay humble in the Lord's good will
-that God would prepare the hearts and minds of those we will be serving in Africa
-for team development; that we handle conflict with grace and love, that we remain encouraging to one another in times of trial
Keep checking back for our updates - we will keep you posted as much as we can! We love you all and can't wait to tell you all about our trip when we get back!!
Many Blessings!
Team Uthando
Please pray for:
-safe travels
-team unity and strength
-for our leadership team
-that we do nothing out of selfish ambition but stay humble in the Lord's good will
-that God would prepare the hearts and minds of those we will be serving in Africa
-for team development; that we handle conflict with grace and love, that we remain encouraging to one another in times of trial
Keep checking back for our updates - we will keep you posted as much as we can! We love you all and can't wait to tell you all about our trip when we get back!!
Many Blessings!
Team Uthando
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
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