Today was the team's free day. We woke up bright and early, and were out of the house by 6 a.m. to avoid traffic. We got to take a boat out to Robben Island, where we got a bus tour and a tour of the maximum security prison where Nelson Mandella was held. Sadly, it was pouring rain and we all got soaked. (I guess we should all pray that none of us catch a cold.) Then we had lunch with some of the CHE's from Sweet Home. Afterward, we had a little bit of time left to walk around Cape Town and look around some of the shops. This country is really so lovely.
This evening when we got home we had dinner with the students from the Academy again, and watched the modern version of Romeo & Juliet (the one with DiCaprio in it.) Because, apparently, they are studying Shakespeare. They seemed to really enjoy it.
Looking forward to tomorrow!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Day 5: Oh, how He loves us.
A few quick notes before we get started.
1. Again, please feel free to post comments on our blog. They will be shared with the team during our debrief time, and I'm sure everyone here would love to get a note from somebody back home.
2. I realized tonight that every blog has been super long. (Tonight's included.) I'm sorry for the long-ness of all of them, but at least that means God is working and doing so much we don't know what to cut down, right?
So lets get straight into it. Two guest bloggers again tonight; Emily and Jessica:
"For many of us, in the last few days Sweet Home has become our home away from home. Crazy fun kids, who will push one another over to get love and hugs from you, CHE ladies who are invaluable vessels of light to the community, barely-controlled games, energetic bible memory times, and very silly, loud worship songs. It has been a ton of fun! But in addition to VBS, we've also been spending time walking around the community, praying and doing home visits. Yesterday, on our second home visit, a group of us visited a sweet older lady named Faith who was suffering from many types of pain, along with HIV and a fever. Erika wrote about that yesterday.....
Today, however, it got even better. In the midst of the craziness of the day, I was speaking to one of the CHE ladies named Nosizwe who had been at Faith's house praying with us. She said to me, "You know, that lady is walking around the community after being stuck in her home for a month. I stay on that side of Sweet Home and everyone is asking what happened to her. I told her that the Americans prayed for her. They were all amazed because no one would ever go in her house, it is small and smelly and has lots of flies. But what we love about you is that you don't underestimate people. You will go anywhere and pray for anyone. And I have learned something from you: you pray so boldly, you ask God to heal people, and God works. I can't pray that way, but I have learned from you that I want to try to pray that way. But I still have doubt, but I still think that God can not do what I ask him to." Through my tears (having been so blessed by what she was saying to me), I said to her, "Nosizwe, I had so many doubts about God. And I have never seen miracles the way I want to, or heard God speak, but God can handle our doubt. He does not think less of us because we have doubts, he welcomes our doubts and questions, and will still show himself to be loving and powerful." She got an enormous smile on her face, clapped her hands together, grabbed my hands and said, "Thank you, now I can pray that bodly, and can really help the people in my community." We cried together for a few minutes, laughing and rejoicing in the amazing gift that God had just given us in those few moments. I never in my wildest dreams would have imagined that I could have such a tender and transforming moment, in limited English, admist the energy and excitement of Sweet Home VBS, with a woman I met two days ago, in a country I've long dreamed to come to. As an Academy kid said to me the other day, "I am praising God for these moments."
One quick other precious experience from today. There was a 18month old little girl who wandered over to me within the first 10 minutes of arriving in Sweet Home on the first day. She had a severe cold, a snot covered face, and a full ripe diaper - at only 10:00 in the morning. I picked her up, wiped her nose, and she ended up being attached to myself or another team member for most of the day, leaving all of us snotty and smelly! It was heartbreaking know that she just needed a baby wipe across her face, a little bit of baby Tylenol, and a good warm nap to start feeling better. At the end of the day, we had no clue where she went, luckily a child pointed to her house. Yesterday, she was a little better, but today, I was determined to get a smile out of her. During one of our song times, as I was dancing around with her, a teammate finally got a sweet little smirk out of her (which was an amazing interaction in itself), and she pushed her face into my shoulder, laughing as she wrapped her arms around my neck. As I felt her sweet, quick little heartbeat, I felt HOPE....which is something that has been hiding from me while I've been here. It's hard to see light in a place as backward as Sweet Home......but we have all seen it this week....in the bright, smiley faces and strong, wild heart beats of the precious little ones of Sweet Home." -Emily
"Today the after school program held the first of a three day 'Choose to wait' (CTW) program. I admit to having anxiety about being a part of the academy team because I realize the seriousness of the topic of purity and abstinence. This morning before the Sweet Home crew left the academy, I confessed my fears and a few of my fellow teammates prayed for me. The prayed ardently and purposefully and I felt the effects immediately. I felt filled with the Spirit and can't even begin to express in words how supportive this team is of one another.
After some careful planning (I am very 'type A') and brainstorming with the academy team, we had a solid game plan for the hour and a half we had to kick off CTW! We began with a basic introduction; we have a question box available for the students to write down any questions over the next week, the shared that the academy team will be sharing their testimonies over the 3 day program and that we were always available to talk and to pray.
We began with a skit to capture the students' attention- a guy and a girl enter the room with beautifullly wrapped white gift boxes, one tied with a blue string, one tied with a pink string. They walk around the room and eventually bump into things, they progress in their carelessness and trip over their boxes, now filled with anger they bang their boxes on tables and even rip the others box out of their hands. Eventually, this stops and their eyes meet, they enact falling in love and end up walking down the isle. They turn to face one another and pull out their dishelved, ruined gift boxes and stare at the state of one anothers box. The skit ended there.
The skit is obvioulsy representing what happens when one makes poor choices regarding the gift of purity that God entrusts us with. It was powerful to watch even though I knew what would happen and helped our talented actors with the scene. The students seemed to be intregued by the performance. We had a discussion and then made a very strong point in saying that our God is a forgiving God and that when we ask for forgiveness, we are instantly forgiven. Our God is a God of hope and we can be made new in Him. We then pulled out two new boxes, both white, perfect, the way it was meant to be.
Our brave and talented actors were Miranda and Kenny; they have been dating for almost four years, are newly engaged and I am honored to state they have chosen to wait. The Lord somehow orchstrated Kenny's availability today (he was supposed to be off site) and he and Miranda shared their story. They spoke for at least 20 mintues- you could hear a pin drop in the room. The students were enthralled with what they had to say. They were honest about their personal struggles with pushing the limits of their physical relationship but gave everyone in the room hope. I was moved to tears during their testimony about how pushing the physical limits of their relationship hinders their closeness to each other and their closeness to the Lord. They shared how they were friends first and dated secondly. They shared how incredible their relationship is now and how they know their marriage will be blessed by God and that he is pleased with them. I feel honored and blessed to have heard their story and know these students will not ever forget it.
After the testimony, we discussed God's picture for marriage- that a man shall leave his family and be joined with his wife and the two would become one flesh. We broke into small groups and discussed bible verses and why we thought God's design was important. After this we discussed God's priniciples for sex inside marriage. We nicknamed the principles "The 7 P's," which are Physical, Pure, Precious, Powerful and Passionate, a Present, Procreative & Private. We discussed the meaning of each and how sex is viewed inside a marriage. Lastly, we did an activity with them using the keyword and it's defintion. Breaking into five groups, each group was given all 7 P's and their definitions but scrambled. The group that put all seven back in order was the winner. Each definition began with the phrase, "insdie the walls of marriage, sex is..." So the students were hearing that over and over again. It was meant to be a constant reminder that sex is good when in marriage as God designed it to be.
Overall, it was a great and powerful day because God was in it. He was with each and every one of us in that room and I know the Holy Spirit has begun to work in the hearts of the students already. Thank you for your prayers!" - Jess
1. Again, please feel free to post comments on our blog. They will be shared with the team during our debrief time, and I'm sure everyone here would love to get a note from somebody back home.
2. I realized tonight that every blog has been super long. (Tonight's included.) I'm sorry for the long-ness of all of them, but at least that means God is working and doing so much we don't know what to cut down, right?
So lets get straight into it. Two guest bloggers again tonight; Emily and Jessica:
"For many of us, in the last few days Sweet Home has become our home away from home. Crazy fun kids, who will push one another over to get love and hugs from you, CHE ladies who are invaluable vessels of light to the community, barely-controlled games, energetic bible memory times, and very silly, loud worship songs. It has been a ton of fun! But in addition to VBS, we've also been spending time walking around the community, praying and doing home visits. Yesterday, on our second home visit, a group of us visited a sweet older lady named Faith who was suffering from many types of pain, along with HIV and a fever. Erika wrote about that yesterday.....
Today, however, it got even better. In the midst of the craziness of the day, I was speaking to one of the CHE ladies named Nosizwe who had been at Faith's house praying with us. She said to me, "You know, that lady is walking around the community after being stuck in her home for a month. I stay on that side of Sweet Home and everyone is asking what happened to her. I told her that the Americans prayed for her. They were all amazed because no one would ever go in her house, it is small and smelly and has lots of flies. But what we love about you is that you don't underestimate people. You will go anywhere and pray for anyone. And I have learned something from you: you pray so boldly, you ask God to heal people, and God works. I can't pray that way, but I have learned from you that I want to try to pray that way. But I still have doubt, but I still think that God can not do what I ask him to." Through my tears (having been so blessed by what she was saying to me), I said to her, "Nosizwe, I had so many doubts about God. And I have never seen miracles the way I want to, or heard God speak, but God can handle our doubt. He does not think less of us because we have doubts, he welcomes our doubts and questions, and will still show himself to be loving and powerful." She got an enormous smile on her face, clapped her hands together, grabbed my hands and said, "Thank you, now I can pray that bodly, and can really help the people in my community." We cried together for a few minutes, laughing and rejoicing in the amazing gift that God had just given us in those few moments. I never in my wildest dreams would have imagined that I could have such a tender and transforming moment, in limited English, admist the energy and excitement of Sweet Home VBS, with a woman I met two days ago, in a country I've long dreamed to come to. As an Academy kid said to me the other day, "I am praising God for these moments."
One quick other precious experience from today. There was a 18month old little girl who wandered over to me within the first 10 minutes of arriving in Sweet Home on the first day. She had a severe cold, a snot covered face, and a full ripe diaper - at only 10:00 in the morning. I picked her up, wiped her nose, and she ended up being attached to myself or another team member for most of the day, leaving all of us snotty and smelly! It was heartbreaking know that she just needed a baby wipe across her face, a little bit of baby Tylenol, and a good warm nap to start feeling better. At the end of the day, we had no clue where she went, luckily a child pointed to her house. Yesterday, she was a little better, but today, I was determined to get a smile out of her. During one of our song times, as I was dancing around with her, a teammate finally got a sweet little smirk out of her (which was an amazing interaction in itself), and she pushed her face into my shoulder, laughing as she wrapped her arms around my neck. As I felt her sweet, quick little heartbeat, I felt HOPE....which is something that has been hiding from me while I've been here. It's hard to see light in a place as backward as Sweet Home......but we have all seen it this week....in the bright, smiley faces and strong, wild heart beats of the precious little ones of Sweet Home." -Emily
"Today the after school program held the first of a three day 'Choose to wait' (CTW) program. I admit to having anxiety about being a part of the academy team because I realize the seriousness of the topic of purity and abstinence. This morning before the Sweet Home crew left the academy, I confessed my fears and a few of my fellow teammates prayed for me. The prayed ardently and purposefully and I felt the effects immediately. I felt filled with the Spirit and can't even begin to express in words how supportive this team is of one another.
After some careful planning (I am very 'type A') and brainstorming with the academy team, we had a solid game plan for the hour and a half we had to kick off CTW! We began with a basic introduction; we have a question box available for the students to write down any questions over the next week, the shared that the academy team will be sharing their testimonies over the 3 day program and that we were always available to talk and to pray.
We began with a skit to capture the students' attention- a guy and a girl enter the room with beautifullly wrapped white gift boxes, one tied with a blue string, one tied with a pink string. They walk around the room and eventually bump into things, they progress in their carelessness and trip over their boxes, now filled with anger they bang their boxes on tables and even rip the others box out of their hands. Eventually, this stops and their eyes meet, they enact falling in love and end up walking down the isle. They turn to face one another and pull out their dishelved, ruined gift boxes and stare at the state of one anothers box. The skit ended there.
The skit is obvioulsy representing what happens when one makes poor choices regarding the gift of purity that God entrusts us with. It was powerful to watch even though I knew what would happen and helped our talented actors with the scene. The students seemed to be intregued by the performance. We had a discussion and then made a very strong point in saying that our God is a forgiving God and that when we ask for forgiveness, we are instantly forgiven. Our God is a God of hope and we can be made new in Him. We then pulled out two new boxes, both white, perfect, the way it was meant to be.
Our brave and talented actors were Miranda and Kenny; they have been dating for almost four years, are newly engaged and I am honored to state they have chosen to wait. The Lord somehow orchstrated Kenny's availability today (he was supposed to be off site) and he and Miranda shared their story. They spoke for at least 20 mintues- you could hear a pin drop in the room. The students were enthralled with what they had to say. They were honest about their personal struggles with pushing the limits of their physical relationship but gave everyone in the room hope. I was moved to tears during their testimony about how pushing the physical limits of their relationship hinders their closeness to each other and their closeness to the Lord. They shared how they were friends first and dated secondly. They shared how incredible their relationship is now and how they know their marriage will be blessed by God and that he is pleased with them. I feel honored and blessed to have heard their story and know these students will not ever forget it.
After the testimony, we discussed God's picture for marriage- that a man shall leave his family and be joined with his wife and the two would become one flesh. We broke into small groups and discussed bible verses and why we thought God's design was important. After this we discussed God's priniciples for sex inside marriage. We nicknamed the principles "The 7 P's," which are Physical, Pure, Precious, Powerful and Passionate, a Present, Procreative & Private. We discussed the meaning of each and how sex is viewed inside a marriage. Lastly, we did an activity with them using the keyword and it's defintion. Breaking into five groups, each group was given all 7 P's and their definitions but scrambled. The group that put all seven back in order was the winner. Each definition began with the phrase, "insdie the walls of marriage, sex is..." So the students were hearing that over and over again. It was meant to be a constant reminder that sex is good when in marriage as God designed it to be.
Overall, it was a great and powerful day because God was in it. He was with each and every one of us in that room and I know the Holy Spirit has begun to work in the hearts of the students already. Thank you for your prayers!" - Jess
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Day 4: Chugging right along.
This trip has truly been a blast. Yesterday (Day 4) we did the same things as Day 3. We split up into two groups; one going to Sweet Home for VBS, the other staying back at Bridges to teach classes and spend time with the students.
Sweet Home is always a difficult place to be. The whole place is just cardboard and tin shacks built on a pile of dirt and trash. Stray dogs line the streets. People essentially go to the bathroom wherever they please. There's nothing quite so awkward as trying to teach a lesson on Noah, only to have a student stand up, turn around, and go to the bathroom against the wall right in front of you.
However, God has personally blessed me with a nice turn around from my emotions yesterday. Whereas I was frustrated and angry yesterday, God totally replaced it with hope and joy today. During one of our house visits we stopped by an old woman's house who was suffering from HIV. She told us about how much pain she is, and the weakness she is experiencing, and asked us to pray for her.
We finished praying and went and stood against a wall without saying anything. My heart sunk as I began to feel the same frustration I felt yesterday. I started feeling a conflicting vibe of "Ask one of the CHEs to ask this woman if she felt anything while we prayed" and "Don't ask that, that would be stupid... and then if the woman didn't feel anything you'd feel like an idiot."
But the urge to ask got greater, so I did. The CHE asked the woman and with tears in her eyes the woman looked up and started to say "Yes! I feel like stones that were on my back have been lifted. I haven't felt this refreshed and energized in years!" And then she proceeded to dance. There is no way to know if she was fully healed today, but something in my heart tells me God removed the HIV from her. Lets continue to hope.
Here are two stories from guest bloggers, Deb and Mitch:
"Today I was spontaneously asked to lead the senior bible study. As I walked in, I prayed God would show me what he wanted me to say. Since being here I've been overwhelmed with the desire to show these kids that God has an amazing plan and purpose for thier lives. So, I taught on what God has been revealing to me over the past few days. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecreatd you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations...for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliever you, declares the Lord" Jeremiah 1:5,7,8. The kids eyes widened as I explained that before they were born God knew who they were, what they would be like, there is an incredible plan for each one their lives and that through it all God would never leave them.
After reading the passage the room was silent, so I suggested they all pray out loud what God was revealing to them. Their prayers brought me to tears as they said things like "Dear God, thank you for knowing me in my mother's womb and for having a plan for my life" "God, help me to stand up for my faith when I go home on the weekends and to boldly speak to my friends about you" "Dear God, I'm so thankful for my life and for the plan you have for me, please reveal it to me so I can live the life you want me to live." Tears filled all of our eyes as we finished praying. There was such a sweet spirit in the room no one could speak. We all sat there, starring at each other and smiling. We finished the hour with all of them telling me their dreams for thier lives and what they want to be: Politician, lawyer, nurse, teachers, social worker, and a hair stylist. I cannot begin to explain the look on their faces and the overwhelming joy in my heart. There sat before me our future, kids who had come from nothing, with no hope of a future who finally understood that God has a plan for each one of them and now they are so excited to live it. This is why we are here." -Deb
"[The Power of Children]
There I was, 5:30 in the morning, mind racing with the thoughts of children licking glass and stinky diapers; wondering what my day at Sweet Home would be like. If it were to be anything like the stories I had heard the night before, I was going to be in for a heart-wrenching experience. Thankfully, my day in one of the many impoverished townships here in South Africa turned out to be something all-together different.
"Hey Mitch....why don't you play some rugby with the boys." Sounded harmless enough, especially when rugby consisted of tossing a nerf football around a circle of shoe-less 8 year-old boys. As we began playing, children started appearing from the neighborhood and joined the game. What started out as a group of 7, quickly swelled to 15. Even though we were surrounded by utter destitution, the shear joy these kids were sharing with me was astounding. I was blinded by their energy and passion for just being 8....so I joined the party. I did not see the heap of trash being picked at by the dog and goose odd couple...nor did I smell the stinking "sewer" and outhouses; all I saw was beautiful smiling faces and all I heard was laughter.
"How about three flies up?" Michael (my RockHarbor teammate) grabbed the ball and the lead the charge. The rag tag group of kids burst into excitement over a game they had never played, let alone even heard of. All Michael and I could do was laugh as we began heaving the ball into the air and watching the kids dive to make catches in the rocky, glass riddled sand. Of course this kind of fun was infectious and Michael and I found ourselves surrounded by 30+ children, all itching (literally and figuratively) to join in the hilarity. Whenever a child made a catch, they got to throw the football until it was caught by another child. Naturally, some were better than others, but the joy was equally shared.
In between tosses, I remember stopping and taking a look at the sight that Michael and I had created. Shoe-less, clothe-less, empty-bellied, and unbelievably happy children were scurrying about all around us. We were their instruments of joy, their jungle gyms of delight and I was stunned at what was taking place in front of me. Was it something that we did or were they showing us how South Africa always does it? Unfortunately, it was days end, and Michael and I were being called back to help pack up cars with our gear and leave. Michael and I slowly made our way back, hugging and high-fiving the kids, in no rush to leave. Just before I made it into the building, some little guy jumped in front of me and tried to rip the football out of my hands. Of course I took the opportunity to play with just one more kid before I had to leave. Mistake???....You tell me. The next thing I knew, I had two children hanging onto my legs, one climbing up my chest and another spider monkey crawling up my back; all stretching their arms out to reach the football I had in my one free, raised arm. I was unaware of the power of children as 10 more came flying out of the bushes and soon enough, I lay face down in the sand, smothered by 30 giggling children. There was no escape and I had no choice but to cry uncle and be rescued by my teammates.
I went to Sweet Home worried about the sorrow I would see and I left energized and filled with Hope. It was my job to bring Hope and Love to the kids and yet, they ended up working in me. I have always underestimated the power of children, but the kids of Sweet Home have shown me otherwise. Their jubilation in the face of poverty and heart-ache is truly inspiring and I only hope I can bring back just a little of that positive outlook. South Africa is truly an amazing place and it's people are astonishingly beautiful. Thank God for bringing me here and allowing me to play a tiny role in the lives of these people." -Mitch
Thanks for reading, everyone! Continue to pray for us, please. Also, feel free to leave comments. Comments and affirmations left for the team will be shared during our debrief time.
Sweet Home is always a difficult place to be. The whole place is just cardboard and tin shacks built on a pile of dirt and trash. Stray dogs line the streets. People essentially go to the bathroom wherever they please. There's nothing quite so awkward as trying to teach a lesson on Noah, only to have a student stand up, turn around, and go to the bathroom against the wall right in front of you.
However, God has personally blessed me with a nice turn around from my emotions yesterday. Whereas I was frustrated and angry yesterday, God totally replaced it with hope and joy today. During one of our house visits we stopped by an old woman's house who was suffering from HIV. She told us about how much pain she is, and the weakness she is experiencing, and asked us to pray for her.
We finished praying and went and stood against a wall without saying anything. My heart sunk as I began to feel the same frustration I felt yesterday. I started feeling a conflicting vibe of "Ask one of the CHEs to ask this woman if she felt anything while we prayed" and "Don't ask that, that would be stupid... and then if the woman didn't feel anything you'd feel like an idiot."
But the urge to ask got greater, so I did. The CHE asked the woman and with tears in her eyes the woman looked up and started to say "Yes! I feel like stones that were on my back have been lifted. I haven't felt this refreshed and energized in years!" And then she proceeded to dance. There is no way to know if she was fully healed today, but something in my heart tells me God removed the HIV from her. Lets continue to hope.
Here are two stories from guest bloggers, Deb and Mitch:
"Today I was spontaneously asked to lead the senior bible study. As I walked in, I prayed God would show me what he wanted me to say. Since being here I've been overwhelmed with the desire to show these kids that God has an amazing plan and purpose for thier lives. So, I taught on what God has been revealing to me over the past few days. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecreatd you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations...for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliever you, declares the Lord" Jeremiah 1:5,7,8. The kids eyes widened as I explained that before they were born God knew who they were, what they would be like, there is an incredible plan for each one their lives and that through it all God would never leave them.
After reading the passage the room was silent, so I suggested they all pray out loud what God was revealing to them. Their prayers brought me to tears as they said things like "Dear God, thank you for knowing me in my mother's womb and for having a plan for my life" "God, help me to stand up for my faith when I go home on the weekends and to boldly speak to my friends about you" "Dear God, I'm so thankful for my life and for the plan you have for me, please reveal it to me so I can live the life you want me to live." Tears filled all of our eyes as we finished praying. There was such a sweet spirit in the room no one could speak. We all sat there, starring at each other and smiling. We finished the hour with all of them telling me their dreams for thier lives and what they want to be: Politician, lawyer, nurse, teachers, social worker, and a hair stylist. I cannot begin to explain the look on their faces and the overwhelming joy in my heart. There sat before me our future, kids who had come from nothing, with no hope of a future who finally understood that God has a plan for each one of them and now they are so excited to live it. This is why we are here." -Deb
"[The Power of Children]
There I was, 5:30 in the morning, mind racing with the thoughts of children licking glass and stinky diapers; wondering what my day at Sweet Home would be like. If it were to be anything like the stories I had heard the night before, I was going to be in for a heart-wrenching experience. Thankfully, my day in one of the many impoverished townships here in South Africa turned out to be something all-together different.
"Hey Mitch....why don't you play some rugby with the boys." Sounded harmless enough, especially when rugby consisted of tossing a nerf football around a circle of shoe-less 8 year-old boys. As we began playing, children started appearing from the neighborhood and joined the game. What started out as a group of 7, quickly swelled to 15. Even though we were surrounded by utter destitution, the shear joy these kids were sharing with me was astounding. I was blinded by their energy and passion for just being 8....so I joined the party. I did not see the heap of trash being picked at by the dog and goose odd couple...nor did I smell the stinking "sewer" and outhouses; all I saw was beautiful smiling faces and all I heard was laughter.
"How about three flies up?" Michael (my RockHarbor teammate) grabbed the ball and the lead the charge. The rag tag group of kids burst into excitement over a game they had never played, let alone even heard of. All Michael and I could do was laugh as we began heaving the ball into the air and watching the kids dive to make catches in the rocky, glass riddled sand. Of course this kind of fun was infectious and Michael and I found ourselves surrounded by 30+ children, all itching (literally and figuratively) to join in the hilarity. Whenever a child made a catch, they got to throw the football until it was caught by another child. Naturally, some were better than others, but the joy was equally shared.
In between tosses, I remember stopping and taking a look at the sight that Michael and I had created. Shoe-less, clothe-less, empty-bellied, and unbelievably happy children were scurrying about all around us. We were their instruments of joy, their jungle gyms of delight and I was stunned at what was taking place in front of me. Was it something that we did or were they showing us how South Africa always does it? Unfortunately, it was days end, and Michael and I were being called back to help pack up cars with our gear and leave. Michael and I slowly made our way back, hugging and high-fiving the kids, in no rush to leave. Just before I made it into the building, some little guy jumped in front of me and tried to rip the football out of my hands. Of course I took the opportunity to play with just one more kid before I had to leave. Mistake???....You tell me. The next thing I knew, I had two children hanging onto my legs, one climbing up my chest and another spider monkey crawling up my back; all stretching their arms out to reach the football I had in my one free, raised arm. I was unaware of the power of children as 10 more came flying out of the bushes and soon enough, I lay face down in the sand, smothered by 30 giggling children. There was no escape and I had no choice but to cry uncle and be rescued by my teammates.
I went to Sweet Home worried about the sorrow I would see and I left energized and filled with Hope. It was my job to bring Hope and Love to the kids and yet, they ended up working in me. I have always underestimated the power of children, but the kids of Sweet Home have shown me otherwise. Their jubilation in the face of poverty and heart-ache is truly inspiring and I only hope I can bring back just a little of that positive outlook. South Africa is truly an amazing place and it's people are astonishingly beautiful. Thank God for bringing me here and allowing me to play a tiny role in the lives of these people." -Mitch
Thanks for reading, everyone! Continue to pray for us, please. Also, feel free to leave comments. Comments and affirmations left for the team will be shared during our debrief time.
Photos from Day 3
Sorry! We had a bit of trouble uploading photos the past few days, but here they are...
The VBS team and some of the kids at Sweet Home.
This is one of the boys from our Sweet Home VBS. I love him and want to bring him home with me... I think he might fit in my luggage...
The performance the girls put on for us for Culture Night was awesome!
They did a little traditional dance for us. So rad!
Proof that we really ate chicken feet!!
The kids from Bridges practicing scenes from Romeo and Juliet.
The VBS team and some of the kids at Sweet Home.
This is one of the boys from our Sweet Home VBS. I love him and want to bring him home with me... I think he might fit in my luggage...
The performance the girls put on for us for Culture Night was awesome!
They did a little traditional dance for us. So rad!
Proof that we really ate chicken feet!!
The kids from Bridges practicing scenes from Romeo and Juliet.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Day 3:
Hey guys,
Today was yet another day of learning, hearing and experiencing God in new ways. One group stayed back at the Academy today and taught classes and spent time with the kids from Bridges.They taught everything from math, to prayer, to Shakespeare. (Such a diverse group, right?)
Here is a short blurb from Miranda about an ongoing conversation she's had with one of the Bridges students:
"Last night I had a conversation with 9th grade student about prayer; he said he didn't believe that people should pray for one another but only for themselves. I referenced the bible and stated the Lord asks us to pray for one another and that it's pleasing to God. He then stands up, walks to another table, grabs a bible and comes back with it. Pointing to the bible he says, "Show me." Another team member & I looked up verses on prayer and continued to discuss the topic, not really having convinced him that God wants us to pray for one another. This was my motivation for teaching my 3 classes on prayer today. His class was my first and he sat front row in the center. The first verse I asked the class to look up was referencing God's greatest commandments (Matthew 22:36-39)- that we should love the Lord our God with all our hearts and love our neighbors as ourselves. We discussed prayer using the acronym A.C.T.S (Application, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) including the concept if we love our neighbors as ourselves, we should pray for them. I was grateful that he was engaged in the conversation and I pray that God continues to work on his heart. It was encouraging for me to know that at least he is getting this information and knows our team from Rock Harbor comes here to speak truth and to love."
Then another group was sent out to serve at the first day of VBS in Sweet Home. A huge praise to God, it ran so much smoother than we expected. Today's lesson and all the activities centered around Creation/Adam and Eve/Sin.
We also got an opportunity to go with the CHE's to go on house visits. It was absolutely devestating to be in those run down little cardboard-and-tin shacks, and to see how these folks live day to day. Completely overwhelming. We had a chance to pray over them, which was a blessing despite how difficult it was.
For me personally, experiencing Sweet Home was just frustrating. On one hand, praying for the broken in Sweet Home was disappointing. I just wanted to badly to see God work and perform a miracle in that little run down town. It got discouraging to think of the ways that the early church saw miracles and healings happen regularly, and yet here we are praying our hearts out and... nothing. There is such a weight and heaviness in this town. In addition, the level of injustice that surrounded us, combined with children in absolute poverty was more than I could bear. I kept asking God why these sweet, innocent little children had to live in these conditions, where their parents were and why nobody was caring for them, or loving them like they deserved. It was such a challenge. None the less, I definitely felt God's presence surround me and comfort me and remind me that He is good. I will continue to pray for miracles and wonderful signs, but it was a good reminder that God's goodness is not dependant on the way He "performs" for us, or the things He does.
Tonight, the Bridges kids put on a cultural evening for us to experience some real South African traditions. The food was great, and the most interesting part was that we got to try eating chicken feet. Yes. Chicken feet.
We also ate Ostritch Eyes... but apparently this turned out to be nothing more than a joke. (They really just gave us lychee.)
The kids performed some songs, dance and skits for us. They are so wonderful and talented.
Another praise, Kristy seems to be feeling better today. Praise God!
Please continue to pray for us.
Today was yet another day of learning, hearing and experiencing God in new ways. One group stayed back at the Academy today and taught classes and spent time with the kids from Bridges.They taught everything from math, to prayer, to Shakespeare. (Such a diverse group, right?)
Here is a short blurb from Miranda about an ongoing conversation she's had with one of the Bridges students:
"Last night I had a conversation with 9th grade student about prayer; he said he didn't believe that people should pray for one another but only for themselves. I referenced the bible and stated the Lord asks us to pray for one another and that it's pleasing to God. He then stands up, walks to another table, grabs a bible and comes back with it. Pointing to the bible he says, "Show me." Another team member & I looked up verses on prayer and continued to discuss the topic, not really having convinced him that God wants us to pray for one another. This was my motivation for teaching my 3 classes on prayer today. His class was my first and he sat front row in the center. The first verse I asked the class to look up was referencing God's greatest commandments (Matthew 22:36-39)- that we should love the Lord our God with all our hearts and love our neighbors as ourselves. We discussed prayer using the acronym A.C.T.S (Application, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) including the concept if we love our neighbors as ourselves, we should pray for them. I was grateful that he was engaged in the conversation and I pray that God continues to work on his heart. It was encouraging for me to know that at least he is getting this information and knows our team from Rock Harbor comes here to speak truth and to love."
Then another group was sent out to serve at the first day of VBS in Sweet Home. A huge praise to God, it ran so much smoother than we expected. Today's lesson and all the activities centered around Creation/Adam and Eve/Sin.
We also got an opportunity to go with the CHE's to go on house visits. It was absolutely devestating to be in those run down little cardboard-and-tin shacks, and to see how these folks live day to day. Completely overwhelming. We had a chance to pray over them, which was a blessing despite how difficult it was.
For me personally, experiencing Sweet Home was just frustrating. On one hand, praying for the broken in Sweet Home was disappointing. I just wanted to badly to see God work and perform a miracle in that little run down town. It got discouraging to think of the ways that the early church saw miracles and healings happen regularly, and yet here we are praying our hearts out and... nothing. There is such a weight and heaviness in this town. In addition, the level of injustice that surrounded us, combined with children in absolute poverty was more than I could bear. I kept asking God why these sweet, innocent little children had to live in these conditions, where their parents were and why nobody was caring for them, or loving them like they deserved. It was such a challenge. None the less, I definitely felt God's presence surround me and comfort me and remind me that He is good. I will continue to pray for miracles and wonderful signs, but it was a good reminder that God's goodness is not dependant on the way He "performs" for us, or the things He does.
Tonight, the Bridges kids put on a cultural evening for us to experience some real South African traditions. The food was great, and the most interesting part was that we got to try eating chicken feet. Yes. Chicken feet.
We also ate Ostritch Eyes... but apparently this turned out to be nothing more than a joke. (They really just gave us lychee.)
The kids performed some songs, dance and skits for us. They are so wonderful and talented.
Another praise, Kristy seems to be feeling better today. Praise God!
Please continue to pray for us.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Day 2: Jesus is SO at work in South Africa.
Day two has wound down for us here at South Africa. We had another incredible day, and are just totally on a Jesus-high as we are in the middle of witnessing God's love, passion, commitment and work in this country.
Tonight I'd like to share with you two guest bloggers, as they share just a small glimpse of their personal experiences, to give you an idea of what we're knee deep in.
"Today was a reminder of past experiences that I have had on mission trips from previous years, and once again I found myself in awe of the people we are here to assist and a little disappointed in my own community. As I walked the streets of Sweet Home, I could not help but notice within the dirty, unpaved, and trash filled streets, among the shacks that have been constructed of whatever wood, metal, or debris that could be scavenged, were a people filled with joy and passion. Laughter and endless smiling filled the faces of the children and adults that walk the streets as they engaged in their daily lives. How could they be so happy living in such extreme poverty? Are they completely unaware of the world that surrounds them? This is all many of them have known and they have found a way to be content and even joyful with what God has provided for them.
Furthermore, we would always appreciate your continued prayer. Here are some specifics you could help us out with:
Please pray for:
-Kristy's health. She was slightly ill today. We're praying that she is fully recovered by tomorrow!
-Our team as we daily head into our partner community, Sweet Home. This can be a dangerous region (both safety and health wise) for us if we are not careful. Pray for our protection and health as we dive into ministry with them.
-As always, pray for the Sweet Home and Bridges of Hope Academy ministries. In addition, pray for our VBS as we kick it off in the Sweet Home community tomorrow. We will be in contact with hundreds of kids, I hear. Pray that we dispense the gospel well and that the Spirit moves from within us, and that the children receive it well.
-And of course, continued health, protection, intimacy with God, and team unity.
(Though we welcome most any prayers, gladly!)
Thanks everyone for keeping up with us. Love!
Tonight I'd like to share with you two guest bloggers, as they share just a small glimpse of their personal experiences, to give you an idea of what we're knee deep in.
"Today was a reminder of past experiences that I have had on mission trips from previous years, and once again I found myself in awe of the people we are here to assist and a little disappointed in my own community. As I walked the streets of Sweet Home, I could not help but notice within the dirty, unpaved, and trash filled streets, among the shacks that have been constructed of whatever wood, metal, or debris that could be scavenged, were a people filled with joy and passion. Laughter and endless smiling filled the faces of the children and adults that walk the streets as they engaged in their daily lives. How could they be so happy living in such extreme poverty? Are they completely unaware of the world that surrounds them? This is all many of them have known and they have found a way to be content and even joyful with what God has provided for them.
In sharp contrast to this world that I am now living, I find myself disappointed in my own community. Why is it that
"I woke this morning to a Beautiful country filled with amazing People! Today I had the opportunity to open up to the students in 8th and 9th grade and share a little about my own life and encouraging them in theirs. My theme for the class was WHERE is God in the mists of Pain / Trouble? Do you believe God is really there? For these students at the academy they know pain. Some like me have lost loved ones and some like me have grown up with not knowing one or both parents. It was an awesome experience to be able to focus on the good that comes from the hard times and to encourage them to “Just be”. I left them with this question, do you think that God can use your pain and would he change your current pain so that you can share and bless others?
Dinner tonight was also amazing and I got to sit amongst the beautiful children of
Furthermore, we would always appreciate your continued prayer. Here are some specifics you could help us out with:
Please pray for:
-Kristy's health. She was slightly ill today. We're praying that she is fully recovered by tomorrow!
-Our team as we daily head into our partner community, Sweet Home. This can be a dangerous region (both safety and health wise) for us if we are not careful. Pray for our protection and health as we dive into ministry with them.
-As always, pray for the Sweet Home and Bridges of Hope Academy ministries. In addition, pray for our VBS as we kick it off in the Sweet Home community tomorrow. We will be in contact with hundreds of kids, I hear. Pray that we dispense the gospel well and that the Spirit moves from within us, and that the children receive it well.
-And of course, continued health, protection, intimacy with God, and team unity.
(Though we welcome most any prayers, gladly!)
Thanks everyone for keeping up with us. Love!
Just a few photos from our first day!
Here we are in the airport. Look how joyful and refreshed we look!
(Mind you this is before we ever got on a plane....)
Here's Cassie with some of the girls from Bridges. Look how adorable they are!
We love them already!
Be jealous...This is totally the view we have to wake up to every morning.
We are so blessed to be here.
So rad!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Day 1: We've Arrived!
Hey everyone,
After many hours of traveling, we made it! The drive in was beautiful. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking. Each of us is super excited to be here and anxious and expectant to see how God is planning to move and work.
After arriving, we had some time to take a tour of the Bridges of Hope Academy grounds. After a short orientation we got to meet and get to know the kids. They're so dang cute and fun! We had a pretty relaxing day with them; simply sharing meals, talking and laughing, and in the evening we spent some time in worship. You have no idea how beautifully and loud these kids can sing!
We are having a great time so far! Thank you for your prayers, and please join us in continuing to pray. Tomorrow a team is going out to Sweet Home for the first time. Please pray for their safety, boldness, and love to overflow.
We love each of you!
After many hours of traveling, we made it! The drive in was beautiful. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking. Each of us is super excited to be here and anxious and expectant to see how God is planning to move and work.
After arriving, we had some time to take a tour of the Bridges of Hope Academy grounds. After a short orientation we got to meet and get to know the kids. They're so dang cute and fun! We had a pretty relaxing day with them; simply sharing meals, talking and laughing, and in the evening we spent some time in worship. You have no idea how beautifully and loud these kids can sing!
We are having a great time so far! Thank you for your prayers, and please join us in continuing to pray. Tomorrow a team is going out to Sweet Home for the first time. Please pray for their safety, boldness, and love to overflow.
We love each of you!
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Team arrives in london
The team arrived in London. The have a few hours to lay over there, but the flight to South Africa looks like it is on time and the will be on their way.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Team departs
We returned home from taking the team to the airport. There was the usual controlled chaos of getting bags checked-in and some extra gear that was received after the packing meeting last week lead to some extra shuffling, but all the bags were checked in. We prayed with the team and they headed to the gate. The plane was delayed two hours, but it looks like that will just reduce their layover time in London.
Jessica broke here leg in soccer practice (the Africa team soccer practice) last Sunday. She did not have to get a cast on her leg so she was still able to go on the trip with crutches. Our friends at Free Wheelchair Mission were able to supply her with a wheel chair for the trip and we will be leaving the wheel chair with Bridges of Hope in South Africa for someone to have more permanently.
Expectations: If you are watching this blog during the trip, you should expect only one or two updates. The teams always have a crazy schedule that goes from 6am to 10pm. Getting the blog updated is usually left for when the team returns.
Jessica broke here leg in soccer practice (the Africa team soccer practice) last Sunday. She did not have to get a cast on her leg so she was still able to go on the trip with crutches. Our friends at Free Wheelchair Mission were able to supply her with a wheel chair for the trip and we will be leaving the wheel chair with Bridges of Hope in South Africa for someone to have more permanently.
Expectations: If you are watching this blog during the trip, you should expect only one or two updates. The teams always have a crazy schedule that goes from 6am to 10pm. Getting the blog updated is usually left for when the team returns.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
More Bridges of Hope Prayer Requests
I just received the latest update for prayer requests from our partner, Bridges of Hope. Please join us in praying for them for the following:
Apparently they had an Orphan and Vulnerable Children Support Group Retreat this past week, and asked the kids to write prayer requests down. Here are some of the children's prayers:
*Please God I want to say protect me in my life and keep me very healthy because my health is not good.
*I want to have a good relationship with God.
*I want to pass at school.
Please continue to pray that God will clearly guide Mountain Life Church as they seek to partner with Bridges in a significant way in the coming years.
Also, Please pray for Susan as she travels back to the US today and tomorrow and for the health and safety of our ministry team and friends in Philippi, Lower Crossroads, Sweet Home, Samora, Franschhoek and Swaziland.
Thanks, folks!
Apparently they had an Orphan and Vulnerable Children Support Group Retreat this past week, and asked the kids to write prayer requests down. Here are some of the children's prayers:
*Please God I want to say protect me in my life and keep me very healthy because my health is not good.
*I want to have a good relationship with God.
*I want to pass at school.
Please continue to pray that God will clearly guide Mountain Life Church as they seek to partner with Bridges in a significant way in the coming years.
Also, Please pray for Susan as she travels back to the US today and tomorrow and for the health and safety of our ministry team and friends in Philippi, Lower Crossroads, Sweet Home, Samora, Franschhoek and Swaziland.
Thanks, folks!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
It is absolutely crazy to think about, but our trip is now less than a month away! Our training sessions have been absolutely amazing, and it is inspiring to see how God has been bonding our team together as a family.
In addition, we have been working on our soccer skills (thanks to our great coach and team member Mitch) and learning some dance moves for a talent show with the students we will be working with as we're there. (Props to Jessica for choreographing and demonstrating boundless amounts of patience as we learn.)
Here is a video of our "mad skillz."
In our past training we had a guest speaker impart a ton of information about HIV/AIDs upon us, and gave us time to have a little Q&A, which was awesome. Knowledge is power, right?
As we're preparing to head out and GO, please keep us in your prayers. Several of our teammates are beginning to feel the sting of the enemy's attack (as we know, doing God's work is like putting a huge target for attack on your back.) So please be praying for safety and protection. Furthermore, that His hand would be upon us each and that we would hear His voice much louder than that of the enemy.
Our fundraising is doing great, but some folks could still use support, so please also be in prayer for that.
And lastly, be in prayer for those who will be impacted by our visit in South Africa. Be praying for our partners, Bridges of Hope. Here are some ways that they've listed in their email bulletin that they could use your prayer:
"Please pray for Susan Wadley while she is in South Africa meeting with staff, board, leaders and as she hosts the team from Mountain Life Church from Park City, Utah.
Pray for the team as they adjust to the 9 hour time change, prepare for the Orphan Retreat and catch a vision for all that God is doing through the ministry of Bridges of Hope there.
Pray that God will clearly guide Mountain Life Church as they seek to partner with Bridges in a significant way in the coming years.
Please pray for the health and safety of our ministry team and friends in Philippi, Lower Crossroads, Sweet Home, Samora, Franschhoek and Swaziland."
Thanks!
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