Preparing to go

The day before leaving is always a tough one as we brace ourselves to say good-bye. Despite the stormy weather, we had a good day here at the Academy with some activities that allowed us to have some more time with the students this afternoon. They really seemed to enjoy the ribbons they received at the closing ceremonies of the "2012 Bridges Olympic Challenge". This evening at devotions we were blessed to have the students pray for us; it was a really special experience. We thank you for keeping up with the blog during our trip! As we come back home we are trusting that God will reveal more and more to us about our time here so please continue to keep us in prayer and be sure to check back for more updates! Please pray for our safety, health, and "on-time" flight as we travel (the weather is supposed to be all stormy again tomorrow). Thank you! ❤ keira
P.S. Praise report...the house Emily visited today was a fit & she's moving in with her new roommates this weekend!

4th place- Long Island

Tied for 3rd place- Afrimerica

Tied for 3rd place- La Dolce Vita

2nd place- Kung Fu Land

1st place- Zulu Nation

Where two oceans meet!

Today was our "day away" from the Academy & Sweet Home, so our little team took a road trip to Cape Point & the Cape of Good Hope (where two oceans meet). We made our way around the Cape and came through Cape Town from the backside of Table Mountain. We were all so thankful that the weather was picture perfect (literally) for our day out and about to enjoy God's creation! We wrapped up our day with devotions back at the Academy with the students. 

Unfortunately we are not able to go back in to Sweet Home tomorrow due to more rioting in the townships. We will however be spending our last "full day" with the students. Please pray for us to "end strong" and really be in tune with what God would have for us here as the last few days can be tough especially as we anticipate leaving and begin to say our good-byes. Emily, who will be transitioning in to her year-long position here at Bridges is on the hunt for a house to live in and will be checking one out tomorrow; pray that God would bring her to the perfect place. Thank you for keeping us in prayer as we head in to our last couple of days here in South Africa! ❤ keira

Some of the wildlife we saw on our road trip & in National Parks...baby baboon, whale tail, penguins, & ostrich.

Cape Point...where two oceans meet.

Blame it on the rain...

Just a brief update on another full day at the academy! Kim shared a message on prayer today at our "church" service with the students. There have been some really great conversations with the students about the topic and I'm sure each of us could share something specific, but not tonight as we are all a bit on the tired side (maybe we'll share more details about the message tomorrow). After church and lunch we thought we had a reprieve from the rain, but boy were we wrong. Our continuation of the Bridges 2012 Olympic Challenge had to be moved inside once again and some events were postponed due to massive rain delays. This evening we were once again fortunate to go in to Cape Town and attend an evening church service at Common Ground (which we all seem to find surprisingly similar to RockHarbor). 

Please continue to pray for unity, health, and wisdom for us all! Thank you. ❤ keira

Today's events included the 3-legged relay race, whiffle ball shot put, & standing broad jump.

Let it rain!

Today was the Paarl 5k Fun Run…only thing that put a damper on our morning were the strong winds and torrential rains.  Myself and Keira, along with Mr. Pedersen (Academy Principal) and 28 Academy students
braced ourselves against the cruelty of Mother Nature to complete the race. In the end it was a “fun” run as we cheered on those that crossed the finish line and then celebrated with a free cheeseburger at the local McDonalds.  

The wet & wild Paarl Fun Run.

Later in the afternoon, the students were visited by Roger, Becky, Jacob and Khera Tirabassi. The Tirabassi’s
were guests at the Retreate Center for the weekend and were gracious enough to stop by for an hour and visit with the students. Becky shared her compelling testimony and spent some time afterwards talking with some of the Academy girls. It is always great to include more of the ROCKHarbor family in what God is doing at Bridges Academy and we are definitely grateful for the time the Tirabassi’s spent with the students.

The weather has definitely been on the erratic side the last week or so with today reaching the crescendo as pea-sized hail fell from the sky causing an eruption of screeches from the students as they all ran outside to see the “snow” on the ground.  Soon all the students had to get a handful of the stuff to either eat or throw at each other.  Now there is some good old fashion fun!!!

The "nations" participating in the 2012 Bridges Olympic Challenge.

This weather distraction was a great segue for our afternoon activities – Bridges 2012 Olympic Challenge.  The students were broken up into five teams and their first challenge was to create their own country, flag and motto (a few teams went above and beyond by creating their own national anthems). It was great to see how each team worked together to complete the challenge. The second challenge was to create the Olympic Rings using modeling clay and correctly align the rings by color. The last challenge of the day was Straw Javelin Toss, where each team member got an opportunity to toss a “javelin”. After three challenges no team has pulled ahead so stay tuned for updates tomorrow as we finish off the Bridges’ Olympics.

Our day ended with the RH Open Mic Coffee House Take 2. About ten Academy students signed up to show off their talent and these students never cease to amaze me with their talent. Singing, poetry reading and dancing were among the talents displayed. Most of the songs and poetry shared were original works – AMAZING!!!
I feel tremendously blessed to have been given the opportunity to be here with these students after only 6 months! It is a gift to just BE HERE with them, doesn’t really matter what we are doing.  Coming here is like coming home to certain degree…I always come here prepared to serve but I am served beyond my imagination by the love and joy bestowed upon me by the students here.  With only a few days left in South Africa, I am excited for what else is in store for me here and I definitely have a feeling that it is something BIG!!!
Blessings!!! Claire

 Coffee House/ Open Mic Night at the Academy.

Hello, all!!  Emily here filling you in on a few of today's events....

My job for the day was to play co-host (along with Di and Peter - Academy Director and Principal) to a group of leaders from Common Ground - a local Cape Town church (and my home church here!) with growing ties Rock Harbor.  Rigby Wallace - Common Ground's lead pastor - played host to a group of RH pastors a few months ago, and is very excited about the burgeoning relationship with RH, as well as our ministry partnerships here in South Africa.  Steph Cowell - another long term RockHarbor-ite serving here at Bridges Academy - has been attending Common Ground for a couple years and approached Rigby a few months ago, inviting him to come see the ministry at Bridges Academy.  So today, Rigby came for a visit with a few of the local outreach staff from Common Ground.  It was such a pleasure to show them around the Academy and Retreat Center, brag about our kids, and talk about the in's and out's of doing ministry here.  Di and Peter gave amazing perspective and history of the Academy, and I got to speak to Rock Harbor's partnership with Bridges and the experience of short and longer terms RH missionaries here.  The conversation was fluid, easy, and natural, and many ideas for partnership were discussed.  My prayer is that Common Ground, along with other local churches, begin to feel a pull to the Bridges ministry, seeing the many opportunities that there are here to invest in the lives of children and youth.  In addition, Rigby and the others are excited to visit the community development staff in Philippi at some point to see that side of Bridges' ministry.

Overall, it was an incredibly encouraging time of meeting and growing, sharing vision and heart, and spurring one another on with love and encouragement.  Please join me in praying that more relationship is birthed out of today, and that ministry partnering with Common Ground can soon become a reality!  They are definitely the sort we want on board here :)
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Bridges Staff appreciation luncheon.

Also today we put on a luncheon of sorts for the Bridges Staff at the Academy. We just wanted to take a little time here to show the staff (administrators, teachers, house parents, grounds keepers, the ladies in the kitchen, etc.) that we appreciate how much they do for the students here on a daily basis. Often times we come with the idea in mind that we are here to serve just the students, but we have tried to make an effort to serve all those we come in to contact with and bless them, even if only in a small way. We were able to use Steph Cowell's classroom and with all the tables pushed together for the staff to sit in one space and be able to enjoy each others company for a little while. We were also able to share kind words the students had written about each of them in an effort to show that although the feelings are not always vocalized by the teens, they really do appreciate what each of these  individuals do for them. Please pray for the Lord to continue to bless these individuals (the staff at Bridges)!
 

There's a storm coming...

We're trying to get to bed a little earlier tonight since the vast majority of us (our team and the students) will be participating in a 5k Fun Run in Paarl tomorrow morning. There are only two concerns we have....we have to leave at 6:15 am & it's a 100% chance of rain tomorrow at race time. We'll fill you in tomorrow on how things go. Thank you for praying for us...it really does mean a lot to have your support! ❤ keira

Oh Happy Day...

I used that title because for some reason I overheard some one singing or humming that song or some version of it at least 3 different times today. So I figured it might be fitting to tell you why this was a "happy" day for us:

1. Even though it was a South African National Holiday (Women's Day), we were able to go in to Sweet Home. We were grateful that Sisanda and 2 other CHEs gave up some of their day off to host an OVC (Orphan and Vulnerable Children) meeting. It was also great to have Matt and Kristy Andre join us again this week (as they will be making Thursday trips to Sweet Home a part of their regular routine during their time here in South Africa).
2. We were able to meet with the OVC group of about 21 children (between that ages of 6-16) in the building that is currently being used by the creche (preschool). Please be praying over this building, and those who use it, as there seem to be many points of contention over who has the right to use the building and when then can use it, etc. The time with the OVC group was a really great! We only were able to be with them for a couple of hours, but I would say it was quality time. We started of with a couple of Xhosa worship songs led by 9 year-old, Akhona and then I was able to share a verse with them (1 Peter 5:7 "Casting all your cares on Him, for He cares for you.") and talk a little bit about what it means to know that God cares for each of us as individuals; not only that He cares for us, but he also cares about what we might worry about or have anxieties about. We took time to break in to small groups and pray with and for these children before having fun with a craft and a game. It was some precious time that we had to be spent with this group of children and we are so grateful to have the CHEs , like Nelly & Mkulie, who work with Sisanda to keep this group going. As always one of the hardest things for me is saying goodbye and leaving Sweet Home, but I am so appreciative of the time we had there.
3. Back at the Academy I might have been in "hog heaven". We split the students up into 6 teams and had an Olympic Trivia Challenge. I was so impressed with how well they did and how seriously they took the task (and I didn't even promise prizes, although I am getting prizes for the winners)! After our Olympic Trivia Challenge we had a little time to dance the Cha-Cha Slide and play Big Booty, as well as a few other games that the students taught us before dinner.
4. At evening devotions with the students, after worship (where Emily is going gang-busters with teaching them all sorts of new worship songs which they love & pick up amazingly quickly), Kim led the students in lesson on Breath Prayer. Once again I lucked out and had a great discussion group when it was time to talk about Breath Prayer. I was with Aphiwe, Thandile, Kanyo, & Lusanda and we talked about how this type of prayer, although different from what we might be most familiar with is really great for when you just don't know the words to say.



Trivia Teams

5. It was a gorgeous day so we were able to be outside in the sunshine without the chilly wind today. I think that the students are enjoying this nice weather as well...it is helping to alleviate some of the "cabin fever" type feelings they might get being inside all the time during the rainy season.

 Thank you for your continued prayers! Specifically we would ask for you to pray for our health and also a couple of different meetings that are coming up.  Tomorrow some representatives from Common Ground Church in Cape Town will be coming out to Bridges Academy; please be praying for discernment in regards to this potential partnership. On this coming Tuesday Sisanda has a meeting in regards to the location of the informal school in Sweet Home, ask for the Lord to bring resolution to this situation. ❤ keira

OVC Group in Sweet Home

1, 2, 3...say CHE!

We say "CHE" instead of "cheese" when taking photos at the CHE retreat! :) Speaking of photos...here are some the Emily took of the children at the CHE retreat.

Check out the post below for an update about what we were up to today!

What a BEAUTIFUL day!!!

Hi Friends...Claire here. Absolutely gorgeous day here at the Academy! Today was my first full day here and it was spent doing some fun activities with the Academy students. I was leading an activity on "hunting for clouds" a much cooler way of saying "cloud identifying". I always find so much joy teaching the students here! Each group had fun trying to figure out which clouds were cirrocumulus or altostratus but what really struck me wasn't there impressive cloud identifying skills but more the willingness of each of one them to help each other and be involved with the activity. Getting a group of teenagers who have just spent the last 5 hours in classes to get excited about MORE learning AFTER school is a daunting task...to say the least...but they were all engaged and excited to know that they were identifying them correctly. This is my 4th trip to South Africa and my 2nd this year (I was here back in January) and to see how united the students are, more so than I have seen in previous trips has been a great thing to witness. I'm definitely looking forward to see more of how these students have been transformed over the past 6 months as well as how things are going in Sweet Home. We are heading in tomorrow to lead short "camp" for the OVC kids as they are off from school tomorrow for the federal Women's Day holiday. Prayer for safety as we head into the townships and  for healing, we are all succumbing to the much cooler temperatures here with cases of the sniffles and sore throats.

Instructions on cloud hunting from Claire.

Evening worship before devotions led by Emily.

After samp & beans at lunch...Nwabisa, Keira, Emilie, Sive (the boy ...as he writes), & Zintle.

Finishing up a craft in the sunshine.

CHE Retreat

As promised (and it's very important to keep your promises here in South Africa), I (Kim) will be sharing a few more details and stories from our 2 day CHE retreat here at the Retreat Center at Bridges Academy. The overall focus for the CHE retreat was to encourage the CHE's in their spiritual development. On the first day, Emily kicked things off by speaking about the foundations of faith. Her vulnerability in sharing about her own experiences in her faith created a depth to the words she shared. When we finally passed out the notebooks and pens, the CHE's were definitely ready to write down what they had learned. Emily even had a little surprise for the end of her time with the CHE's. All of her final discussion questions about faith were posted in IsiXhosa. Throughout the room, you could hear, "Yho!" coming from all of the table groups. ("Yho" is basically yes with surprise and enthusiasm.).  It was a hit.

I was up next after a short break. I had the opportunity to speak to the CHE's about why and how we pray. We had an opportunity to delve into the Bible by examining what God says about prayer as well as discuss how God answers prayer. The main point I kept coming back to with them was how prayer connects our heart with God's heart. Like Emily, I was able to share some of the personal experiences I have had with prayer regarding how God has answered them and how He has changed the heart of my prayers, so that they align more with His heart. At the end of our time, the CHE's were able to practice two different types of prayers, intercessory and centering, before we headed off to dinner.

That night, the CHE's and their kids had a movie night complete with popcorn. When we came back from devotions to check and see how they were doing, we found that more of the kids were still awake than the adults. You wouldn't know it today. Those kids were ready and energized as soon as they came to breakfast this morning.

After breakfast, the CHE's lead us all in a time of worship. I'm always amazed at how rich and deep worship feels when they lead or the students at Bridges Academy do. I feel like every time I've left South Africa, I've tried to capture a piece of what it's like to worship this way and incorporate it into my own time of worship. Baby steps. It's pretty legit, and I've already put in a request to Andile, one of the students at the Academy, to give me a very basic lesson about how to play their drum before I leave. (I've gotta start somewhere). 

Today, Chris Kamalski joined us and spoke on who the Holy Spirit is and how the Spirit speaks to each of us. He gave a great illustration of how to explain the simplicity and the complexity of the Holy Spirit. He described it like a baby. They too are simple and complex as we all saw demonstrated throughout our retreat. This illustration and the content that Chris shared about what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit set the stage for our afternoon experience with the Holy Spirit. The CHE's spent an hour engaging with the Holy Spirit for one hour. During this time, they were writing down their thoughts and trying to discern if they came from the Holy Spirit, Satan, themselves, or their culture/family/school. There was a lot of chatter that took place after about 30 minutes of silence. I was honestly kind of nervous that they weren't taking this too seriously. When I started to pray about what to do about it, I just sensed that God was telling me that it's about one. Maybe this exercise was done for just one person. When we came back together, I was pleasantly surprised to find that they all had a lot to say to their groups what they had heard during this time. When I asked them to spend time praying for each other regarding these thoughts, I just sensed the movement in the Holy Spirit in the room. I especially felt it from the back of the room where the 3 men were praying for each other. 

There were a lot of encouraging things that came from the retreat. These 3 men were one of them. They technically weren't involved with the CHE program yet, but have been actively involved in the Men's Bible Study that just started in Sweet Home (this Bible Study was started in response to the Men's Event that took place in Sweet Home with the RockHarbor pastors back in June). Men have so much influence here in a township. We are praying that they continue to seek God and rise up as leaders within this community. With the women at the retreat, many of them were able to learn about new opportunities to serve in the community such as with the OVC (Orphans and Vulnerable Children) program. As we said our good-byes to them, they all commented how in addition to everything they learned, the retreat was a great opportunity for them to get to one know another better and enjoy a time of rest from their regular routine. 

We're definitely feeling a bit exhausted from "being on" for the last two days. Continued prayers for endurance as we enter into this second stretch of the trip are appreciated. 

Love,
Kim

P.S. Emily will post some of her photos tomorrow. :)

Our group photo at the end of the day.

Arrival!

Claire made it here safely! More details about the CHE retreat to be posted later today! :)

Domestic Day

I could sit here and give you the dictionary definition of domestic, but I feel pretty confident that you all get the picture of what domestic means. We had a domestic day of sorts because we did not leave the Retreat Center all day (except for Jared who is flying back to the U.S.).  Today we hosted some CHEs from Sweet Home for a mini-retreat focused on spiritual development. We've got quite a full house with 16 ladies, 4 men, 8 children, and 3 babies. It might not be the quietest retreat, but we know God is working in this time! Check back tomorrow for more details about how the retreat wraps up. :)

In other domestic news, I had a lesson on how to make lamb stew! Thank you for your continued prayers and support!
           ❤ keira
P.S. Saw a full rainbow today just after the CHEs arrived.
P.P.S. If that rainbow comment didn't clue you in...yes, it rained again today!

Growing...

Today was another rainy day (I'm thinking that you might be hearing that from us a lot in the coming week if the forecast is correct). 


We had our own "church" service here at the Academy today for the students, complete with a worship (led by Emily & the Bridges Worship Team), a message (given by Jared), and a time of response followed by extended worship in Xhosa (we even knew a couple of the songs from our previous times here). 


After church was lunch, where we continue to "learn" from the students here. In addition to getting to sit with the students and just have conversation we also grow in our knowledge about their culture and habits. Today the girls I was sitting with insisted that I must chew on the chicken bones after I ate all the meat. I told them I didn't think it was such a good idea, but I did appease them by making it look like I tried to chew a bone. I was also reminded of how you think you may have eaten all the chicken off the bones, but the students will soon show you just how wrong you are. Waste not, want not!


After lunch we had a couple of activities for the kids before they were required to do prep time (a.k.a. studying). We were able to use the shed (think oversized garage) to have a little runaround room without being in the rain. Kim led us in a game of "Do you love your neighbor?" that was of course a smashing success. There was running around, chair stealing, strategic maneuvers, and of course LOTS of laughter. It was a lot of fun and kept everyone moving around and sitting next to new people all the time.

This evening Emily, Jared, and I went in to Cape Town to pick up Sinethemba (a graduate of Bridges Academy who is currently a student at the University of Cape Town) to go to an church service at Common Grounds. When our pastors' team was in-country back in June they were able to connect with Rigby Wallace (leader at Common Grounds) to talk about the different ministries we are involved in here in South Africa; we had the opportunity to meet Rigby after the church service which was great since he and a few other members of his church will be visiting Bridges Academy this coming Friday. 


Interestingly enough the message shared at Common Grounds tonight totally overlapped with what Jared shared this morning at our own little church service from 2 Corinthians 11. The major focus of tonight's sermon was about David and how he got back "on track" with God and I really felt compelled to share with you the major points of the sermon because I think that they really resonate with where I am at (and maybe some other members of the team as well, especially as these points might pertain to our trip). So here it goes:
  
YOU KNOW YOU ARE GROWING WHEN:

• you lean more on God's sufficiency than your own abilities.
• you seek God first for faith and guidance on every major issue.
• your weakness deepens your trust in Jesus.
• you're willing to work hard at anything in obedience to God.
• you practice big hearted generosity

I really do feel as though I (and our team) is growing. Please pray for us to continue to lean in to God! I would also ask you to pray for our health, a few people have been feeling a bit under the weather due to allergies (and maybe lack of sleep); additionally pray for Jared and Claire as they are traveling. Jared is headed back to the US tomorrow evening & Claire will be arriving in South Africa on Tuesday.

       ❤ keira

A break in the rain produced another beautiful view here. :)

Photos, plus some Bombin' & Ballin' from Jared

Hello...Jared again!

Just a quick update cause it's late but had a great day with the academy students.  After connecting so deeply over Justin Bieber songs last night, I felt a new level of trust with the students today.  Everyone was extra chatty today and were sweetly and manipulatively trying to convince me to change my flight and extend the trip.  One of the students, Nontando (12 years old - also an amazing singer), told me about a "vision" she had from God. 

Nontando:  "Jared... God gave me a vision that if you left on Monday an A-Bomb would be dropped on Bridges!"

Me:  "Nontando, you know what they say about false prophets right?"

Kristy Andre (Teacher):  "She must have been listening in my history class!!"

Earlier this week we got to watch the Bridges boys play in a basketball match and let me tell you... there is room for improvement.  I was a high school benchwarmer on the basketball team and they think I'm some sort of all star (I love it).  Taking full advantage of my newfound status, I did some one on one basketball lessons with a few of the boys.  Sibu learned to shoot a fadeaway, Aphiwe learned how to shoot a jump shot, Nathi learned a crossover and Sive learned to shoot a basketball, not throw it.  I'm embarrassed to tell you that I'm very sore as I type this.

Today I  also got a really vivid picture of how blessed we are.  There was a "clothing sale" today where the students could buy clothes for 5R (little more than 50 cents).  Each year for their birthday they each get 50R (about $6) that most of them save to use at the sale or buy some chocolate.  The sale consists of old used clothes that have been donated and then some basic items like underwear and hand towels.  Everyone was so excited; it felt like Black Friday (no pun intended).  As I watched the kids excitedly sorting through lots of clothes that mostly didn't fit them it really hit me how these kids are the lucky/privileged kids of the township and how enormously blessed I am.  

A great day here filled with some great conversations.  It feels like I'm just starting to break through with some of them before I have to leave.  Signing off now because I get to teach at church tomorrow!  

P.S.  I'm still holding out on the haircut cause the price keeps dropping.  

P.P.S. Mom and Dad - the kids said you looked like you were 30 years old.  Dad - you look like Jackie Chan.

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We hope you enjoy a few of our photos from today! Our small team got to spend the morning together and then our Saturday afternoon was spent at the academy with the students. It was great to have the sun come out and be able to spend sometime outside enjoying the sunshine with the students. Jared's prepping for his sermon as I type. We're in charge of the church service tomorrow. Thank you for your continued prayers! ❤ keira

Compelling Purpose

Today had our small team going in several different directions. While the Emily, Kim, & I spent most of the day at the Academy, Jared was in Sweet Home again (more on that below). 


Time at the Academy has always been special to me. To be honest we could be doing homework with the students and I would love it. Today was full of activities with the students. I think we had what might be considered the ultimate dodgeball match today! They took the game very seriously and we played outside for well over an hour in the chilly winter weather. I'm always amazed at the exuberance these young people bring to all they do! There were some very "Bring It On"/"Stomp the Yard"-esque moments in this game, with all sorts of coordinated dance moves and chants. I've never heard Tears for Fear's "Shout" used as a taunting song before today, but somehow they made it work. After the dodgeball mania finally toned down we headed in doors for a more mellow activity where the student had a the chance to exercise their artistic creativity. It was a great way to wind down a bit after the intensity of the outside games and it was also a great time for us to be able to talk and connect with students.


Another fun thing that happened at the Academy today was that seven student from Sweet Home were able to come in for the day and shadow Bridges Academy students. This morning Emily got to drive in to Sweet Home to pick up these students for their outing to Bridges Academy. Some of the students had been to the property before for OVC (Orphans and Vulnerable Children) camp, but never in the capacity where they got to be in the school setting. They had the chance to sit in on classes, interact with other students, eat a delicious lunch (Vetkoek a.k.a Fat Cakes...believe me, these things are amazing), and learn more about what they would need to do to apply to the Academy for next school year. Emily said that one of the best things was seeing how relieved the Sweet Home students were to see some familiar faces at Bridges Academy because the students knew each other from their previous schools in the townships. The Bridges students were great ambassadors for their school and many were sad to see the other students leave at the end of the school day.

Time with the Academy students did not end once dinner rolled around! This evening we had a "Open Mic Night/Coffeehouse" for the students. Yes, coffee was served (decaf only for them) along with tea and hot cocoa. The evening event kicked off with a truly rocking Did party (DJed by none other than out very own Jared with the evening being emceed by Kim) and after beverages were served the performances began. There were six different sining acts from solo artists to trios. If you could only hear these kids sing....honestly the talent still overwhelms me. When we have these types of evenings here it just makes it so much easier for me to see how God has truly gifted each of us with different talents and we have the opportunity to use our talents for His glory! 


The past couple of days have been a struggle for me as I have questioned my role and what my place is in this trip. I was reminded this morning after reading a devotion by Oswald Chambers that it's not about me & my plans for what I can do, but it is about God's purpose "The work we do is of no account when compared with the compelling purpose of God. It is simply the scaffolding surrounding His work and His plan. God takes us aside all the time. We have not yet understood all there is to know of the compelling purpose of God."


Please continued to keep us in prayer as we trust that God has a compelling purpose for all of us being here in South Africa at this time! Thank you for your continued support! ❤ keira




Hello...Jared again!

Today I had the pleasure of spending most of my day with Chris Kamalski.  Chris and his wife, Maxi just moved here from Pretoria to join the Bridges staff and we've had a great time getting to know them!  Turns out Chris and I both went to Biola, ROCKHARBOR and lived in Costa Mesa all at different times.  

About 7 weeks ago all the campus pastors from ROCKHARBOR came out to South Africa and held a men's conference in Sweet Home.  About 30-40 men showed up (way more than expected) and many made decisions for Christ that day.  In response to that, a men's bible study was established for follow up and community.  This morning I got to come to bible study with Chris and the male CHE trainer, Thobela.  Six guys all arrived around the same time; 1 hour late (Africa time is a real thing).  Three of the six were at the original men's event and the other three had been invited by others.  Our study for the morning was 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.

"⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Chris shared about the struggle that all of us men face in finding our identity in strength and power and how we try to hide our weaknesses rather than resting in Christ's power.  These verses are so counter cultural for all of us and we all began sharing about what that meant to each of us.  It was amazing to watch EVERYONE open up and share about how God has been changing their lives.  Thobela explained that it is very rare to see African men open up and show vulnerability like they all were so willingly doing.  One man shared about how he was HIV+ and had lost all hope.  He had started robbing people and carjacking because he felt like he had nothing to lose but then God changed his life.  He "felt the power of God".  Another man shared that he constantly pictures the pastors from RockHarbor and thanks God for that day.  Another shared how he had vowed never to come to church but his friend convinced him to come to this bible study and he felt the "power of God in the room".  As we concluded there was such an incredible sense of unity among all the men and you could clearly see that there was real transformation happening.  When Thobela, Chris and I were driving out of Sweet Home we all shared how encouraged we felt and how it really seems like God is starting to stir something big in Sweet Home!  What a privilege it was to join that community today!

Due to some logistical issues Chris and I spent the next hour or two hanging out with Sisanda and Thobela before heading into town for lunch.  As someone very new to the international mission field it was so helpful to be able to just sit and ask questions for an hour - I even got a lesson in Xhosa (their native language).  Chris also had a lot of helpful insight that I soaked up on our couple hour drive and lunch.  Topics included: Xhosa culture, American politics, long term missions, short term missions, fine coffees, and Andrew Richards.

All in all I learned a lot today and was very encouraged.  I felt very thankful for faithful people like Sisanda, Thobela, Chris and Maxi who have given their lives to these communities and I was humbled watching God transform hearts this morning.  

To top off this amazing day I got to come back to the academy and DJ a little dance party for the students!  

In the wise, poetic, inspiring words of Rihanna: "We found love."

What a great day!

Finally. A day in Sweet Home. :)

Now, this is a story all about how our plans got flipped, turned upside down...yes, that line has become a bit of an anthem for our trip so far. I, for one (this is Kim speaking/writing) am incredibly thankful that they have changed. (Yes, I really did just say that friends and family). This morning during our team devotions, many of our prayers were focused on asking God to help us embrace a posture of simply listening today. Simply being content to just observe our surroundings as we went into Sweet Home. Today, our prayers were answered.


The first thing we did when we went into Sweet Home was split into two groups. One group stayed in Sweet Home and attended a CHE training, which went really well and was insightful into how they are conducted by Bridges staff. I was a part of a group that took the caregiver of a student who might be attending our "shadow" day tomorrow at the Academy to a nearby township school. The reason why we had to take her to the school directly was that she had to ask permission from the child's teacher to miss school tomorrow. The teacher gave us the "okay," but throughout the course of this meeting, other concerns about the student arose, which landed us in the principal's office. (No joke. I was kind of excited about this. Who would have ever thought I would end up in a principal's office in South Africa?).


The main concern about this student was the fact that he did not have a birth certificate. To give you a little bit of context as to why this is an issue, in order to go to school in South Africa, children need to have a birth certificate. For some reason, at this school, exceptions are made for some children because the lack of a birth certificate is such a common issue for so many children living in the townships. The teacher and principal were quite concerned because next year, the child will not be able to attend grade 7 since a birth certificate is required for attendance at the high school. The encouraging piece of all of this is how in a school of 1,000 + students and a classroom of 60 students (more or less), this teacher, principal and another staff member were open and willing to assist this caregiver in tracking down this boy's mother, so they could obtain her ID in order to get him a birth certificate. The fact that they offered to go above and beyond what we would consider their normal work hours to help this student further his education was such a beautiful reminder to me of the importance of how a community can work together to make a difference in the life of one child. So much of what we do in our work here at the Academy is just that. Finding our "one" and spending time with them and encouraging them in their faith and studies. while we are and even when we back home in the States. (Yes, when we came back to the Academy today, I felt compelled to go and spend time with my "one").


After the training and school visit, we were all able to go and take a quick tour around Sweet Home before returning to the church for a CHE meeting. Since one of our main focuses on the trip is to understand more about what the CHE program is all about, this was a truly valuable experience for all of us. Our prayers this morning were especially valuable during this time as we relinquished our own agenda for what we wanted to say and experience at this meeting. I think we all found it far more insightful to be there observing and listening as they talked about their home visits and the needs in the community than what we had planned to ask them. Again, so thankful for our time of prayer this morning and for God's voice to help guide our day instead of our own.


Continued prayers for discernment, strength, and unity are greatly appreciated and very welcome. :)
Love,
Kim

busy days....blessed days... :)

Good evening from South Africa – this is Emily bringing you the nightly update!  Today was a busy day, full of lots of learning, fun, and laughter – and with much ground taken for the Kingdom, we all hope. 

As Jared mentioned yesterday, the “civil unrest” in Sweet Home early Monday morning made it impossible for us to go into Sweet Home yesterday or today.  Luckily, today there was plenty for us to help out with in Philippi for the job training that that Bridges is doing for a group of seven young people who are involved as OVC (orphan and vulnerable children) group facilitators for Bridges.  The fantastic part is that four of them are Bridges Academy alumni who many of us know from previous years:  Nomafili, Nono, Sinazo, and Pretty are all part of the Jumpstart job training program (which will hopefully result in their employment with Mr. Price – a local Target-like chain here in SA).   

 

What a joy to get to see these girls again, and to spend some real time discussing important topics like customer service skills (taught by Jared) and personal finance (taught by Keira).  We also got to hold mock interviews and resume consultation with them one on one, helping them refine their skills as they prepare for real interviews!  Please join us in praying for these young women, as well as the young men in the program (Yongama, Yanelisa, and Chumani), as they prepare for interviews – please pray that their real skills and personalities would shine through in these intimidating interviews, and that they would soon be on track to long term employment with Mr. Price! 

When we returned to Bridges Academy this afternoon, a mini-basketball tournament had started, featuring Rock Harbor’s own Matt Andre as head coach of the boys basketball team!  It has been such a pleasure to watch Matt coach these boys, with his consistent, caring, yet firm demeanor, his patience and skill as a coach, and his ability to keep the boys in line (which is not always easy with Bridges boys, we all know :)…they boys are loving basketball and today’s teamwork and consistent play on the court showed how far they have come.   It’s always so fun to hang out with the screaming fans (Bridges girls) who so enthusiastically cheer on our team (and often the other team!) – it was a great afternoon of investing and building relationships with these awesome kids :) 

Finally, we ended the evening with our usual devotions with the Academy students.  After much enthusiastic worship (which is always incredible – a special blessing that God graciously gives me in particular is the privilege of leading these students in worship – it NEVER gets old, and almost always makes me cry - much to the delight of the students), Jared shared a devotion from Proverbs 3:1-6, encouraging the students to keep their eyes focused on Jesus through tough times.  We then had the students split up into small groups and had them pray for each other….the idea for this came from my amazing experiences over the last three weeks of friends gathering around to pray for me and my upcoming year here in South Africa.  It has been the biggest blessing, and a practice that I realize should be so much more a part of how we live out the gospel together.  We should pray for one another – and we should do it often.   I absolutely love stretching our Bridges kids a bit during devotions (or other spiritual development times) – they trust our staff and our teams to lead them in these sorts of activities, and we take our spiritual shepherding roles very seriously.  Tonight I was holding back tears as I saw them laying hands on one another, praying blessings and praises over one another, and holding hands in unity as they lifted one another up before our loving Father.    These kids know how to go all in with God at times, they know how to engage in deeply spiritual practices, and my overwhelming prayer for them is that they are continually drawn ever closer – like moths to a flame – to Christ and to life with him, and that they get new glimpses each day of His incredible love for them.   

 Keep us in prayer, friends…..we feel their full effects.  Things are going well for us, and we are feeling good and energized by all the work we are getting to do here.  God is at work and we are listening and discerning how to best engage with it.  Please pray that the Spirit would speak ever louder….

Much love from all of us,

Emily :)