Day Three: "A Visually Beautiful Day"

Ben Maxson here, apparently Sweet Home has a best actor of the day award and it appears I have won it! Best supporting actors were Abby and Ellen Taylor. VBS today was about forgiveness which was conveyed through the story of Joseph and the technicolor coat and it was indeed a technicolor coat until Joseph's (Ben) brothers (Abby and Ellen) ruthlessly ripped it off. After the story we helped each little tike to make their very own technicolor coat. Afterwords we blew colored bubbles into the air for all the tikes to catch on white paper, in the words of Jarebear,"It was a very visually beautiful day". We were all taken aback at how the kids could be so enthusiastic and excited about something that we thought was so ordinary for over 30 minutes. The whole experience really put the cultural differences into perspective and I think we all feel incredibly grateful to have all that we have back at home. I was personally shocked at how the little tikes held onto every word of God's story as it was acted out and then translated into Xhosa. The power of worship was clearly evident in Sweet Home today as we all sang Father Abraham and many other classics. With each song that we sang more kids poured into the small shack wide-eyed and ready to experience God, maybe even for the first time.

It was a great start even before we headed out for Sweet Home with Jared leading morning devotions. His message was focused on being the salt of the earth and the light of the world. It reminded us all to step out of our comfort zones, to not lead double lives and challenged students and staff alike to be examples of Christ. By the end of the night we had amazing conversations with the students that the message resonated in their hearts and in their minds. (Happy 7 months Kiana! ok you can go on reading now)

Hey y'all it's Sarah here! Being able to spend the past three afternoons with the Academy kids after school has been such a blast. They bring loads of energy for every activity that we drag them through and we exchange laughter the entire time. One thing that we have been praying for as a team is that God move in these kids' hearts to feel comfortable to share with us as strangers. And man has He! It's easy for us, or anyone on a missions trip, to go with the expectancy that we will minister to them but today was a sweet surprise. During dinner time I sat with a 12th grade boy named Sibu, who was interested in hearing about my family and all the names and faces of my siblings. As I began talking about my family, thinking that I would be speaking into his life, Sibu jumped right in and spoke about his culture. He shared how they have to do absolutely whatever it takes to make their relationships work. Hearing him phrase it just that way hit me hard and caused me to take a look at my own life. It challenged me to evaluate my relationships and ask God to help me pursue restoration and forgiveness. Sibu continued to talk and ask me if I felt that any broken relationships were hindering my walk with God. Boy, was he asking all the right questions haha! Sibu told me that he would be praying for me and my relationships and that he couldn't wait until tomorrow to spend more time talking about God. It's crazy to think that I walked into dinner ready to be a listening ear to someone, but yet God had other plans, and this amazing high school boy was challenging my own faith.

Hey everyone, it's Ellen T. now (hello to my loved ones out there)! Tonight after I dinner I was able to share my testimony and how God has been my strength these past few years with the students at the Academy. At the beginning of the trip I was scheduled to share my testimony on this particular night, but God revealed His perfect timing in a way I didn't expect. In high school I lost someone close to me, and this difficult time pointed me to Christ. I've grown to trust that God is sovereign in all situations, even when we can't always understand why bad things happen. Today, only 3 or 4 hours before I was to share my testimony, our team learned that one of the 12th grade girls just found out her brother passed away. Finding this out and knowing that each of these kids have experienced some sort of tragedy at a young age compelled me to spend a couple of hours praying and preparing to share how God is our refuge and strength during times of heartache and struggles. After I shared my testimony, the students broke into small groups led by the team members. Some of the groups shared that we wouldn't need God is everything was perfect and easy, and that we have to trust that God has a perfect plan for our lives, even when we don't understand why bad things happen. After the small group time, the girl who lost her brother today came up to me and quietly said, "Thank you for sharing". It took everything in me to not cry! She was there at the devotion time and even through the pain, she praised God through singing the worship songs. It was one of those simple, yet powerful moments where I felt that God was using a very difficult time for a greater purpose.

Everyone on the team is looking forward to the rest of our time both at Bridges of Hope Academy and in Sweet Home! It has been incredible to to see these kids and students push forward in life with smiles on their faces despite all they've been through. Please keep Yanga, the student who lost her brother today, in your prayers.


We love you all, thank you for the continued support!!

Day 2: First Day in Home Sweet Home

Hello all! It's Chalane here :)

Good news...we survived our first day in Sweet Home! Thank you all so much for praying over this day, it was definitely a blessed day! For starters, the weather forecast for today had predicted a high of 60 degrees but after a prayerful night and cold morning we arrived in Sweet Home to blue skies and warm sunshine! It was awesome to see nearly 60 kids pour into a small, one room shanty house eager to sing and play at the Vacation Bible School we put on.  Ellyn did a great job telling "The Big God Story" of creation to the kids while Jeff got super into the sing-alongs.  Even though most of the children don't speak English (we had the help of a translator to tell the story) the entire team jumped into the madness as kids laughed, jumped and climbed all over us.  Since we were severely out-numbered by the army of little ones we each had three or four children hanging on us at all times.  You could really feel how desperate the kids were for attention and affection.  One little boy in particular made me his best friend! This cute little 2-year old boy with busted shoes and tattered clothing had the most joy and energy! Though he left my side a few times to jump on the other team members he always seemed to come back to me, melting my heart. Even when my arms were dying and I put him down, he would sit on my feet and just lean against my legs. I'm not the only one, though. We all had kids literally cling to us, refusing to let us leave. It's my prayer for these children that even in their poor living situation and unstable households, they would know that they have a Heavenly Father who loves them so much. We may not be able to fix all their problems but I pray we can communicate the hope of Jesus to them.

Later, back at the Academy, I had the pleasure of teaching a Latin dance class! The students and I had SO much fun being silly while gettin' down! It felt so great to have a love of dance in common with the kids. All the while Kim led a baking session, Julie led dodgeball and Jan ran bunco with the students (Bunco was a surprisingly huge hit!). After dinner, Kate headed up devotions. Her vulnerability in sharing her testimony heeded great discussion and openness from both the students and our team. Needless to say, we all bonded :) I have to take a moment to brag about God because He totally pulled me through a potentially awkward conversation with a student: the student expressed to me how he felt bored in his faith. He was honest about not feeling blessed and feeling like his prayers are pointless. At that moment the Holy Spirit brought encouraging words and one of my past situations to mind to share with him. I recently attended a conference where they spoke on boredom in your faith - crazy God coincidence! I just felt so blessed tonight by how God has prepared me for this trip - He is SO good!! Thank you again for all of your prayers! Love you all!
PS - To those of you who know how much I love the outdoors - the mountains here are GORGEOUS!! (You know how happy that makes me:) )


What's up guys, it's Julie!

I was really hesitant to write on the blog but we had such a great day I decided I had to share some stories!  As Chalane said, all the kids were jumping and climbing on us and I loved every minute of it even the minute when a kid got so excited he pee'd on my lap!  And I know Chalane was too embarrassed to share it earlier but I HAVE to tell you that she was a victim of a toddler's excitement as well!  But in all seriousness it was so good just to sit and pour our love into each and every one of these children.  It seemed like these kids were just really starved for affection and we were all so happy to share God's love!

Later that afternoon Jared pulled Jan, Abby, Ben, Ellen and me to go do some home visits and pray for people.  As we were leaving the first house a woman started shouting at us in Afrikaans and honestly I thought she was crazy.  After we passed her we asked one of our translators what she was saying.  He said she was asking why we were visiting other people and not talking to her, so we decided to turn around and asked if she wanted prayer.  She immediately started opening up and shared her requests and problems that she wanted prayer for.  Her main requests were her son who has been missing for 8 months, needing a job and how miserable she was dealing with her struggles.  As we laid hands on her and started praying she fell to her knees, started wailing and collapsed in our arms.  We all held her and I was literally weeping with her in the middle of the street.  We affirmed her of God's love for her and I kept telling her how she is God's beautiful daughter and that He would never leave her or forsake her. My heart broke hearing her story and seeing how she owned nothing. It was so amazing to see how she was so overcome with joy just from being comforted and prayed for.  I know that God placed us in that exact place just to be with her in her pain. I would love for you to keep her in your prayers.
Mom and Dad, I love and miss you so much! <3


Hey it's Sarah here!!! Just wanted to say a quick HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my baby sister Molly!!!! I hope you enjoyed your SWEET 16. Love you to death :)

Day 1: Travel Bloopers and Purity Rings

Hey Everyone

Jared here!  First off, let me apologize to all you parents who have been anxiously looking to hear how your kids are doing!  After 38 very long hours, a delayed flight and a missed flight... we made it!  In our exhaustion there were some pretty funny things done and said.  Julie asked her travel buddy, Danielle if "people still make fake passports?" in front of the TSA.  Kate took over handling Julie's passport after that.  Taylor fell asleep on Russell's tray table.  Julie cuddled her non-english speaking stranger seat neighbor lady.  Ellen was almost the middle of a luggage cart sandwich.  Kim ran over a large sign with her luggage cart that then fell on a man.  Jan fell on the luggage scale.  Kate and Sarah were practicing their "tripod headstands" and "downward dog" IN THE TERMINAL (Yoga Moves).  I made the poor decision of watching "The Call" on the flight and had to take a few laps (I hate scary movies and home invasions).  Jeff left his guitar at every airport; sometimes twice (taking bets on if he comes home with his guitar or not).  Chalane tried to force her coloring book onto a crying child.  Not interested.  Some people eat when they're bored; Ben shops.  At Muji (great Japanese goods with gel pens).  Karissa watched SEVEN movies.  Ellyn's water bottle exploded at 30,000 feet (think fountain) all over Rachel.  All the while Abby had a great couple nights sleep and feels quite rested.

In reflecting on it, we actually had a great time traveling!  The team is in great spirits and the kids have really embraced everyone right away.  My favorite part about coming back is getting to build on relationships that I've made over the last few years and I've been blown away at how much they remember from my last visits.  One girl at dinner asked me how my brother Kenny was?  I was really confused and asked how she knew my brother and she just said she remembered me telling her about my two brothers last year!  Very excited to be heading into Sweet Home tomorrow!  Handing the keyboard over to Ellyn now to share about some ways we've begun to see God move!

Airport Shenanigans.

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Hi everyone! It's Ellyn. (Dad, I am safe!!) So, we've finally made it to Bridges. The country of South Africa is so beautiful and totally not what I expected of Africa. It is very green, there's no smog, and so far we haven't seen any lions (haha!). One funny moment so far was when we were walking back to where we are staying from the school and we looked up at the stars. Most of us haven't seen that many stars before and some people were thoroughly convinced that some of the stars had to be satellites (Southern California people).

Anyways, this morning during our devotion time, the counselor at the Academy shared with us that because of the culture in South Africa, sexual promiscuity is common and it is almost unheard of to save sex for marriage. The Academy has enforced strict rules with the kids about maintaining sexual purity, but they have still had a few issues arise, especially in the past three weeks. So, the counselor asked our group to look for opportunities to share with the kids about sexual purity. Our group began brainstorming of ways we could incorporate this important issue into the programs we had planned for the students. We did not expect, though, that the topic would come up so naturally in conversation.

As many of the girls on our team do, I wear a purity ring on my left ring finger to symbolize my commitment to maintaining sexual purity. I have worn this ring since I was thirteen and I cannot recall someone ever asking me what it meant. However, today, I was asked about its meaning twice! As I was sitting at lunch with three of the academy students, one of the oldest boys randomly asked me, "Ellyn, why do you wear that ring on your finger? What is it for?" My jaw almost hit the floor. I was absolutely shocked that I did not have to do anything to bring up the issue of maintaining sexual purity! From there, I was able to share the reason behind my ring and my heart behind it - I have made a commitment to the Lord to stay sexually pure until marriage. The same thing happened at dinner - this time I was sitting at a table with five girls. Although the rules at the Academy encourage the kids to stay pure, I could tell that they were touched by my commitment and I pray that it would motivate them even more to refrain from sex before marriage. This is just a sampling of how we have seen God working through us here. If this is day one, just imagine what He is going to be doing by our last day in country!

Also during our devotion time, the counselor shared with us how all of the students ended up there. Every student at the Academy is considered an "orphan or vulnerable child", meaning both of their parents have passed away or they were abandoned by their parents. She also told us that every single child here has been a victim of some sort of abuse. Obviously, hearing this broke our hearts and opened our eyes to how important our time in South Africa had the potential to be. Please pray that the Holy Spirit would give us the words to say as we help these children cope and listen to their stories. Because of the focus on academics and limited staff at the Academy, the staff shared how difficult it can be to program fun activities for the kids. As a result, many of the students have complained that they don't have enough fun. So, as a team that loves to have fun, this has been a great way for us to support the staff and students. Oh, the fun we have had so far with these kids!!!

Last night and today we have had such a great time connecting with the students at the academy. Thank you for your prayers in that area and please continue to pray for those relationships to grow! We quickly bonded over Justin Bieber, celebrities, and imitating each other's accents. We started our first day of after school programming with the kids today and had a blast. Rachel taught a Zumba class (I wasn't there, but I heard that the kids were MUCH better than us leaders, surprise surprise), Karissa led the kids in a craft, Kate helped the kids decorate their own personal frames, and I was in charge of field games. One of the highlights of the day for everyone at the field game station (but not me), was watching me run around when I was "it" during link tag. I could not catch anyone for 5+ minutes and one of the girls even told me that I should wake up and run laps tomorrow because I was so slow (embarrassing!!). Needless to say, it was so much fun getting to know a little bit about these kids' lives and loving on them for the day.

Tomorrow, we start VBS in Sweet Home, a township in Cape Town. This will be the first time most of the kids will ever hear the Gospel, so pray for the Holy Spirit to move supernaturally in that place!

Please comment on our post - show some love!! We would love to hear how you are praying for us and what the Lord is doing in your heart as you support and pray for our team. Also, most of the girls (and Taylor) are dying to hear about what happened on the Bachelorette tonight.  :)

We love South Africa!!

Classic "girls picture"

Jumping for joy!

The team arrived

We received a text at 7:17PST from Jared that said the team arrived safely.  We know there were some travel delays which isn't abnormal, but it looks like it was only a few hours late.  They will be met by Bridges of Hope staff and begin the final drive to the Academy which takes about 45 minutes.  The first blog update from the team can sometimes take a whole day for them to get settled so be patient, an update is coming.

Wood

Salani Kakuhle (Goodbye) We're Off to ZA!

Hi everyone! Our countdown is now over and tonight we will begin our journey to South Africa! This week as we prepared to leave, our team spent time in prayer and reflection. We prayed for good health, restful sleep, that the enemy wouldn't bring us down, and asking God to provide in every way during our time in South Africa. We can't thank everyone enough for the constant support, through prayer and financially. We all feel God is going to move us in radical ways and bless the people we encounter.

As we head to the airport tonight, here are some prayer requests:

-Safe travels
-Good health
-Freedom from anxiety associated with traveling
-Patience and flexibility

We can't wait to share the stories, praises, and prayer requests along the way. Thank you again for your support!

Commissioning Weekend

Hey again! It’s Ellen from the summer team. We head to South Africa in less than two weeks and the reality of it all is really beginning to set in! This weekend Rock Harbor blessed us in a huge way by carving out time in each service to share a glimpse of what we will be doing in South Africa and to pray for us. Andrew Richards, the Reach Pastor, led the congregation in prayer as a way of sending us out as ambassadors of Christ and representatives of Rock Harbor.

As a team we feel so supported and cherished by the amazing family that is Rock Harbor. It is incredibly encouraging to be part of a community that seeks to partner with God in what He is doing both locally and around the world. Our team felt so loved by God and our church family, and we are thankful for all the support we’ve received. We are expectant and excited for what God is going to do in South Africa because He has been faithful and has already been moving!

Some things to pray for as our departure date gets closer and closer:

-Safe travels and good health

-Financial provision

-Strong unity amongst team members

-Freedom from anxiety associated with traveling

-Discernment and wisdom in our trip planning

Thank you!!

July and January team trainings

On the first morning of our first meeting, we all gathered around the table with coffee cups and newly filled binders on it, anxious and excited about this journey we were about to embark on called “South Africa”. As anyone who has been on a mission trip knows, the journey begins long before you first step foot on the plan, but starts months before in the planning, learning, preparing, fundraising, and praying for the trip. As we sat in our chairs, we began to learn about each other; each other’s names, who was the youngest team member, who had been to South Africa before, why we felt called to go, etc. We learned about what the community is like in Sweet Home and about “Africa Time”, which means that things take a little bit longer over there and it was one of the many things we would need to be able to adapt to. We all left that Sunday ready and excited for what God has for us on this mission, and how we are going to be used to carry out his special and intricate plan.

Since that first meeting, we have met many times as a group, memorizing God’s word together, learning about South African culture, delegating duties, discussing our purpose, and learning how to be better servants of Christ. For me, some of the most impactful moments we have had together have been during the prayer training and the HIV/AIDs information session. In both situations, our Winter team was joined together with the Summer team. 

For the prayer training, Nick and Ben, the head of the prayer team for RH Costa Mesa, came in and walked us through prayer—its purpose, how God wants us to pray, and how to live prayerful lives. After we had learned the steps, we were all invited to practice them right then and there. Being in a room of people that you do not fully know and letting God lead to you to pray for them was a very intimate and scary thing—but God used that time and did big things. Nick announced a few things that had been put on their hearts about the team members. He asked if these things had resonated with anyone, and if they would stand to receive prayer. Slowly but surely, one by one, people began to stand. Hands were laid on them, and the people surrounding them began to be led by the Spirit to pray. With each word that was spoken, the tears began to flow. Deep and festering wounds of the heart began to be called into the light and cleansed with the disinfectant that is the power and truth of Christ’s love. Prayers began to be said for each person in the little pods that were created, and as we prayed for one another, the Holy Spirit filled the room to brim with His compassion, healing, and overwhelming peace. That day, just like all the other days we have spent together was such a blessing and incredible testament to the ability of God to bring people together for his purpose.

In our HIV/AIDs information sessions, both teams watched a movie about a previous team that had gone to Africa to help the victims of this disease. As we watched, we saw the devastation and heartache it has caused in the people there, and our hearts became more committed to this mission than ever before. Staggering statistics and the heart-breaking reality that was captured the film had us more passionate than ever to come to the help these struggling people without hope. After the video, a woman came in and began to tell us her story—one than none of us could have predicted the ending to. This sweet and joyful woman who was standing if front of us, so full of passion and hope, was living with AIDs. The more we learned about her, the more the realities of the disease became to each one of us. We walked away from that session sobered by the reality that is HIV/AIDs but more determined than ever to help and share the message of the cross in whatever way we can to the people we come in contact with—both at home and when we our in country.

            Other than our formal meetings, we have had one of many team bonding nights; our first one was a bonfire at the beach. The day was absolutely stunning, not a cloud in the sky. Most of us arrived around 6, with blankets, sweatshirts, and grocery bags of food in our hands. We roasted hotdogs and marsh mellows as the sun was setting, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. We joked about proper wire hanger-reassembly-into-a-skewer techniques and tried very interesting yet delicious variations of the S’More. Towards the end of the night, we began to ask each other questions, and ended up going in a circle. At first starting with where we were from but then going into hobbies and passions we had. It was the first time we all truly just got to simply just hang out as a team, and it was both needed and very much so enjoyed. As the night continued, we shared our pit with another group, and then walked each other to our cars—lingering in the parking lot to say our last few humorous comments before we got into our car and headed home.

            As a team, we enjoy one another and are excited for all of the things that are yet to come. We have already seen God move within us in a multitude of ways, both as a unit and individually, and we are all extremely excited to see what else God has in store for us. Being apart of this mission and this team is such an incredible blessing, and we all feel honored to be apart of it. 

-- Natalie