About A Week Ago

It's crazy to think that at about this time last week, we were all boarding a plane to South Africa. Technically it's only been five glorious days here for us (because we landed Sunday morning: hence the 9 hour time difference and 20 hour plane ride) but it has been some of the most amazing, God driven, illuminating, beautiful, tiring, broken and Christ focused days of our lives. I say tiring and broken with intent. Going into the township of Sweet Home daily, whether you are on the VBS, Sweet Home or Academy team, is a very hard thing to do. There is extreme poverty, disease and a sadness that consumes us because we can't take home every child we pick up. Leaving here will be very hard. Each day, the roots of our hearts, dig deeper and deeper into the soil here. We are becoming one with South Africa and along side all of this, we are becoming closer to our Father. Now put aside all of the sad thoughts about Sweet Home and just imagine all of the things we are seeing our Lord do there. He is working in and for these kids through us. Among bible stories, crafts, lunch and the love we pour out onto them, we are also teaching the CHE volunteers (Community Health Evangelists) the tools to launch an educational system in the township. If that isn't the Lord than I don't know what is.

Stephanie: South Africa could not be more full of God's love for the little ones in Sweet Home. The day was spent hearing a story about David and Goliath during VBS, making snakes, dinosaurs, balls, and other interesting things out of playdough, singing old favorites like "This Little Light of Mine" and "Father Abraham", hearing Jess give her testimony at the OVC meeting, and praying for a group of women during an AIDS/HIV Support Group. In the midst of this heavy and broken township, God's joy and peace is abundant in this place. He is right there, in the middle of it all. I could not help but smile and begin to cry whenever I held one of the children in my arms. I have a hard time putting my thoughts into words, as my heart breaks for each and every one of them. However, there is a hope that He instills in my heart that compels me to want to serve Him as I pray and let Him work in the middle of this broken and beautiful place. Please keep these children in your prayers, that God will use us so that He can make a home in each of their hearts someday.

"Listen my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised to those who love him?" James 2:5

Matt: Today was a busy day for those of us at the Academy, as we each taught between 4-6 classes throughout the day. This meant that we were all able to spend some extra time working with all the students at the Academy and really trying to invest in their lives. Our classes included topics such as Dealing with Fear, Finding Your Passion in Life, and How to Share Your Faith. It was so cool to talk with the students about each of the classes and hear how much they enjoyed learning all the new lessons. Based on conversations with the students, it sounded like they all really enjoyed Erin's CPR class, especially practicing on the practice dummies (just try to imagine a class of 15 African students tapping the dummy on the shoulder and saying "Excuse me sir, are you breathing?" Pretty awesome if you ask me, haha).

I was fortunate to be able to teach a lesson on Leadership to each of the grades from 6th Grade to 10th Grade. We examined different stories from Jesus' life, and identified how he demonstrated various leadership principles and how we can apply those principles to our lives. We looked at different principles such as encouragement, empowerment, and mentorship, but the main idea that I wanted to focus on was the idea of Servant Leadership. Whenever I take the time to think about it, I find it so amazing that Jesus was willing to humble himself, give up his place in heaven, take the form of a man, and ultimately give his life on the cross in order to save all of us. I shared with the students that Jesus' purpose for coming to earth could be summarized by the verse Mark 10:45: For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. One of my favorite parts of each class, was that at the end of each lesson, the students made a list of practical ways of how they could serve each other, their teachers, and their family/friends on a daily basis. I was just blown away to see how excited some of them got when we started putting the list together. They would get so excited and raise their hands and say "I can write my teacher a note to say thank you" or "I can help one of the younger students' with their homework" or "I can tell my classmate that they did a good job when they get a good score on an exam". It was so incredible to see their willingness and desire to serve others and carry out Christ's mission. Every day these students continue to amaze me with their maturity, sincere hearts, and desire to grow closer to God