Valerie here to wrap things up!
This day marks the first ten days of our lives back in the US. Back to the culture we came from. Back to the lives we left behind for that month in George, South Africa. Things seem to be moving the way I remember they always had before. Nothing has really changed since we've been gone, but somehow it all feels so different. The busyness of LA should be nothing new to me and neither should driving on the right side of the road. Still, I must admit that getting on to the freeway to go home was quite an interesting experience. I had just gotten used to driving on the left side!
Getting on the plane back home was one of the hardest things in the world for me. Leaving SA behind was difficult. Saying goodbye to the new friends we had made was heart-breaking. I miss them all so much. I miss SA so much. I miss my team so much. This last month I was able to share this amazing experience with 8 of the most amazing people. We have all grown so close. We've had trials with one another. We've laughed, we've cried, and we've suffered the wrath of Stephen McKenzie together (jk Stephen!). God used us, He blessed us, He worked in and through us, He broke us. We've shared some life-changing experiences with one another and that is something that I will never forget. I really could not have asked for a better team! The way I have seen them interact with each other as well as the way they have interacted with the people we have served has been an encouragement to me. This was definitely God's team and I have seen Him work in and through it, more than I am aware of I'm sure. He has shaped and molded us. He has taught us tough lessons and has has stretched us. He is still growing us. He is still changing us. I've been encouraged by each member of this team and I have been changed by them. It has been such a privilege to be one of the leaders and I could not be prouder of them.
Now, as we are continuing on with our lives here at home, I would ask that you continue to pray for us. Pray for us as we process through our experience in George. Please pray that we be open to God continually teaching us those lessons. Please pray for strength as we seek Him out in the next steps of our lives. Pray that we remember what we went through. I know I don't want to forget it.
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"
~Jeremiah 29:11
God has big plans for each and every member of this team. I am excited to see what is in store for each of us!
Thank you all so much for everything you have done for us. We definitely could not have done this without you. Thank you all for your encouraging words while we were overseas. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for being supportive of us. It all means more than you will ever know. We appreciate you! Our love goes out to you!
Valerie
Team Uthando
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
We're leaving on a Jet Plane
Over the course of this month I have seen this team do some amazing things. I have seen them walk into scary (but safe) situations with confidence. I have seen them laugh with the homeless and cry with the dying. There have been moments of tension and many moments of joy being with one another. The team has been challenged to love more deeply and to worship more faithfully. There have been times where the faith of Christians who have nothing showed them what it means to have everything.
The greatest joy that I have had on this trip is seeing this team give glory to God for what they have done. I have seen personal spiritual growth in the students. I have seen growth of wisdom. I have seen young people come together because they are united in a singular purpose. Be joyful in your young people because God has worked and is working through them and what they are doing is for the glory of God!!
What we did these last few days.
Friday- The team began its last day doing ministry in George. In the morning we spent time in the hospital praying and talking with people. In the afternoon the team went to Kids Stop for the last time. In the evening we went to the old age home and watched an extremely educational film called “Miss Congeniality,” starring Sandra Bullock (we laughed and cried, it was a moving film).
Debrief
Saturday- On Saturday we left for our team debrief. We went to a national park about 15 minutes away. It was a beautiful and relaxing setting. That day we went canoeing and spent some time at a waterfall. Did a little cliff jumping after we made sure the water was deep enough (Safety first!!). That night we had Braai and grilled up some lamb and chicken legs, and spent the night playing games and enjoying each others company.
Sunday- We woke up and had a great breakfast of eggs, bacon, sautéed mushrooms with tomatoes and toast (amazing). After which we had a worship service and spent some time debriefing the trip. In the afternoon we went to the beach, made a sand castle and properly buried a penguin (I know sad).
Monday- Was just another great relaxing day. We reach the summit of a mountain. Got to ride a camel and enjoyed an ostrich steak. After eating the ostrich most of the team took turns riding a live one, which was class!!
What we need now.
Now we find ourselves leaving after a great time in South Africa. Thank you for your prayers and support. Please pray for us as we spend the next two days flying and travelling back home. Also pray for Matt as he is staying on in Joburgh for an internship.
God is Great and to Him be the Glory!!
Dan
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Last week in George...
Hey all! Tyler here.
Sadly, things are coming to a close in George, South Africa. We are very excited to see all of our friends and family, but the work that God has been doing these last few weeks has been spectacular! We've seen him move in so many ways, in so many lives. It's going to be hard to say bye to everyone we've met - the kids, adults, students, workers, volunteers, and many more. Still, God's hand is thriving here, and we'll be praying for the people in this area long after we've left.
I want to let you guys know what's been going on the last couple of days here. Monday morning started out at LIFE ministries, where we helped clean up their facilities and spent time with the adorable kids there. Then we had lunch and made our way over to Kid's Stop, a local kid's and youth ministry site in the area. We played a big game of soccer, as well as letting some of the kids partake in the arts and crafts we had set up. The day was full, but good. Tuesday was intense! We made our way to downtown George, set up an area in the middle of the morning chaos and business of life, and performed our team drama "Everything" by Lifehouse. This drama explains the gospel in a compelling way, and opens up opportunities for conversation afterwards. I spoke to the crowd when it was over, explaining what the drama means for them and everyone, and invited them to stay and chat with us. The next hour was spent praying with anyone we saw and came in contact with, and sharing with them the love of Jesus. It was fantastic! The afternoon was great as well. We worked with Alif ministries, a surfing ministry in George, by helping clean up a home that belonged to two brothers in the group, Stuart and Leroy, who are 17 and 14-years-old. We did yard work, played some soccer in the street, performed our skit again in the middle of the road for anyone watching, and had a blast. Wayne lead us in a Bible Study later that night. He heads up the Sports Ministry with OAM. All together an awesome day!
Wednesday was phenomenally wrecking, in a good way. Dan and Val surprised us by taking us back up in the mountains to Waboomskraal to visit the school we had worked at the previous couple of weeks. We didn't think we were going to go back, and were very happy to be doing so. On the way, however, we stopped in a township called Blanco to visit another team here with OAM from Northern Ireland that was helping build a house for a woman with tuberculosis, and set up an art station on the street corner. We had about 20 of the local children come to color. It was really fun! Then two woman came to our station, a grandmother and her daughter. The older woman was 54, and the daughter was probably 35. The daughter's left arm was permanently bent out of shape. She could barely move it at all. It was obviously very painful. As we found out through translation, she had an accident nine years before that left her in this dreadful condition. Not only that, but both woman said they were hungry. They hadn't eaten in a few days. Our hearts broke. We prayed for them and their baby they had with them right then and there in the street. Tears rolled down their faces and onto their shirts. It was devastating. We didn't know what to do, so we grabbed some food we had, and Emily and I met them down the road as they were walking back to their house. They invited us into their home, which was very small, but clean. Emily and I were speechless as they opened up their cupboards and refrigerator, only to show us that they were empty. They literally had no food. We gave them what we brought, and through many tears, while holding onto each other in a circle, we cried out to God for healing and restoration. (I am not one to cry easily and couldn't, as much as I wanted to, but my heart was broken - all of ours were). They asked us when we would return. Emily and I looked at each other with guilt, knowing we probably couldn't before we left, but told them we wouldn't forget them and would pray that God would perform a miracle in their lives. Their address is 2530, in Blaco. I know you guys don't know them, but if you can, please pray for this grandma, her daughter with the broken arm, and their baby. Please pray for the city of George.
Man, I'm sorry. That was very difficult, for all of us. The afternoon was more joyful as we met with the kids at the school in Waboomskraal. We hung out with them, colored, played rugby, and even gave some of them a new pair of shoes that we had bought for them, (we noticed a lot of them needed shoes the weeks before). It was a great afternoon, but we are all still affected by our encounter with the women on Wednesday morning, as it should be. The night was very fun, too, as the people here at Mackani with OAM hosted a "braai", (their word for b-b-q), which was absolutely delicious! We had lamb, sausage, and multiple side dishes...amazing!
This morning was spent helping clean and do yard work here at Mackani. After lunch, we made our way over to hang out with the boys from the Alif ministry. We were going to go surfing and play music, but the weather wasn't the greatest, so we ended up having a great time playing soccer, rubgy, and praying with each other after we watched a surfing documentary about Liberia. Liberia is a country in West Africa, near Ivory Coast and Ghana. This documentary talked about their civil war that ended about 7 years ago after the rebels killed and harmed many people, driving countless refugees out of their homes with no place to live. It was extremely eye-opening as we realized that so many people go through this type of lifestyle everyday! We ended the time by splitting up into groups with the kids and praying for one another's needs, as well as restoration for the continent of Africa. We prayed that God's Spirit would continue to bring light into the darkness, and that people would come to know Him, even in the most dire of situations. Please be in prayer about this as well! Other than that, we came back to home base, ate dinner together, and had a Bible Study lead by Brian who heads up the Living Hope Homes ministry here with OAM.
We look forward to the rest of our time here in South Africa, and can't wait for what else the Lord has in store for us before we fly home. I'm not going to lie. At times, it has been very discouraging. The things that so many people have to go through everyday - the hurt, the pain, the brokenness - it doesn't seem fair. Why are they in so much pain while I'm not? Why was I born in America, a place of plentiful opportunies to become whatever I want to be, while most people around the world were not given that chance? It hasn't been easy to cope with, but God is faithful. That is something I am strongly reminded of every single day. I can't worry about fixing everyone. God doesn't want me to. If I do that, my efforts and struggles are for nothing, because sooner or later I'll hit rock bottom and give up because I've been relying on my strength and not God's. All I can do, all any of us can do, is love the people we come in contact with, even if it's just a few. I may not be able to make a difference in everyone's lives, but if I can show the amazing love of Jesus Christ to a few people, then I did my part. And if everyone can do their part, then the world, the entire world, will be affected. Our team has been doing an amazing job at just that. I am so unbelievably proud of all of them! God isn't asking us to cure all of Africa. He's asking each of us to simply give Him our 5 loaves and 2 fish. He'll do the rest.
Much love,
Tyler from Team Uthando
Sadly, things are coming to a close in George, South Africa. We are very excited to see all of our friends and family, but the work that God has been doing these last few weeks has been spectacular! We've seen him move in so many ways, in so many lives. It's going to be hard to say bye to everyone we've met - the kids, adults, students, workers, volunteers, and many more. Still, God's hand is thriving here, and we'll be praying for the people in this area long after we've left.
I want to let you guys know what's been going on the last couple of days here. Monday morning started out at LIFE ministries, where we helped clean up their facilities and spent time with the adorable kids there. Then we had lunch and made our way over to Kid's Stop, a local kid's and youth ministry site in the area. We played a big game of soccer, as well as letting some of the kids partake in the arts and crafts we had set up. The day was full, but good. Tuesday was intense! We made our way to downtown George, set up an area in the middle of the morning chaos and business of life, and performed our team drama "Everything" by Lifehouse. This drama explains the gospel in a compelling way, and opens up opportunities for conversation afterwards. I spoke to the crowd when it was over, explaining what the drama means for them and everyone, and invited them to stay and chat with us. The next hour was spent praying with anyone we saw and came in contact with, and sharing with them the love of Jesus. It was fantastic! The afternoon was great as well. We worked with Alif ministries, a surfing ministry in George, by helping clean up a home that belonged to two brothers in the group, Stuart and Leroy, who are 17 and 14-years-old. We did yard work, played some soccer in the street, performed our skit again in the middle of the road for anyone watching, and had a blast. Wayne lead us in a Bible Study later that night. He heads up the Sports Ministry with OAM. All together an awesome day!
Wednesday was phenomenally wrecking, in a good way. Dan and Val surprised us by taking us back up in the mountains to Waboomskraal to visit the school we had worked at the previous couple of weeks. We didn't think we were going to go back, and were very happy to be doing so. On the way, however, we stopped in a township called Blanco to visit another team here with OAM from Northern Ireland that was helping build a house for a woman with tuberculosis, and set up an art station on the street corner. We had about 20 of the local children come to color. It was really fun! Then two woman came to our station, a grandmother and her daughter. The older woman was 54, and the daughter was probably 35. The daughter's left arm was permanently bent out of shape. She could barely move it at all. It was obviously very painful. As we found out through translation, she had an accident nine years before that left her in this dreadful condition. Not only that, but both woman said they were hungry. They hadn't eaten in a few days. Our hearts broke. We prayed for them and their baby they had with them right then and there in the street. Tears rolled down their faces and onto their shirts. It was devastating. We didn't know what to do, so we grabbed some food we had, and Emily and I met them down the road as they were walking back to their house. They invited us into their home, which was very small, but clean. Emily and I were speechless as they opened up their cupboards and refrigerator, only to show us that they were empty. They literally had no food. We gave them what we brought, and through many tears, while holding onto each other in a circle, we cried out to God for healing and restoration. (I am not one to cry easily and couldn't, as much as I wanted to, but my heart was broken - all of ours were). They asked us when we would return. Emily and I looked at each other with guilt, knowing we probably couldn't before we left, but told them we wouldn't forget them and would pray that God would perform a miracle in their lives. Their address is 2530, in Blaco. I know you guys don't know them, but if you can, please pray for this grandma, her daughter with the broken arm, and their baby. Please pray for the city of George.
Man, I'm sorry. That was very difficult, for all of us. The afternoon was more joyful as we met with the kids at the school in Waboomskraal. We hung out with them, colored, played rugby, and even gave some of them a new pair of shoes that we had bought for them, (we noticed a lot of them needed shoes the weeks before). It was a great afternoon, but we are all still affected by our encounter with the women on Wednesday morning, as it should be. The night was very fun, too, as the people here at Mackani with OAM hosted a "braai", (their word for b-b-q), which was absolutely delicious! We had lamb, sausage, and multiple side dishes...amazing!
This morning was spent helping clean and do yard work here at Mackani. After lunch, we made our way over to hang out with the boys from the Alif ministry. We were going to go surfing and play music, but the weather wasn't the greatest, so we ended up having a great time playing soccer, rubgy, and praying with each other after we watched a surfing documentary about Liberia. Liberia is a country in West Africa, near Ivory Coast and Ghana. This documentary talked about their civil war that ended about 7 years ago after the rebels killed and harmed many people, driving countless refugees out of their homes with no place to live. It was extremely eye-opening as we realized that so many people go through this type of lifestyle everyday! We ended the time by splitting up into groups with the kids and praying for one another's needs, as well as restoration for the continent of Africa. We prayed that God's Spirit would continue to bring light into the darkness, and that people would come to know Him, even in the most dire of situations. Please be in prayer about this as well! Other than that, we came back to home base, ate dinner together, and had a Bible Study lead by Brian who heads up the Living Hope Homes ministry here with OAM.
We look forward to the rest of our time here in South Africa, and can't wait for what else the Lord has in store for us before we fly home. I'm not going to lie. At times, it has been very discouraging. The things that so many people have to go through everyday - the hurt, the pain, the brokenness - it doesn't seem fair. Why are they in so much pain while I'm not? Why was I born in America, a place of plentiful opportunies to become whatever I want to be, while most people around the world were not given that chance? It hasn't been easy to cope with, but God is faithful. That is something I am strongly reminded of every single day. I can't worry about fixing everyone. God doesn't want me to. If I do that, my efforts and struggles are for nothing, because sooner or later I'll hit rock bottom and give up because I've been relying on my strength and not God's. All I can do, all any of us can do, is love the people we come in contact with, even if it's just a few. I may not be able to make a difference in everyone's lives, but if I can show the amazing love of Jesus Christ to a few people, then I did my part. And if everyone can do their part, then the world, the entire world, will be affected. Our team has been doing an amazing job at just that. I am so unbelievably proud of all of them! God isn't asking us to cure all of Africa. He's asking each of us to simply give Him our 5 loaves and 2 fish. He'll do the rest.
Much love,
Tyler from Team Uthando
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