Posted in A Trip Update by Rachelle Canada on 7/5/2008
I don't think this day will ever escape my memory. The day we went to the Humansdorp Township. The day started off slow as we attempted to visit Mamma Felix but she told us to come back later, and also two ladies Mabel and Mamma Mango but neither was home. Then as we were walking down the dirt road we heard yelling for us to come back. So we went to see what they wanted. It turns out the families father was very sick. The man’s wife invited us into their small home held up mainly by cardboard boxes and wood. He was sleeping, so as he was lying in bed behind the curtain snoring my whole team stretched out our hands to pray for this man. At that moment I had never felt such compassion for a man that I had never laid eyes on before. As everyone prayed I felt God in the room. He was there with the family and there with us. I felt shaking in my whole body and felt the power of prayer. This man that I had never met was someone I wanted God to heal more then anything. I wanted the man to wake up and be 100% better, praising God for healing him. I can't even explain what a powerful moment it was. Never have I heard such passion in every prayer. My entire team was filled with so much faith that this man would be healed. As we left the house I was reminded that God will heal in His timing. That household was just the beginning to the start of an amazing day. We laid our hands and fervently prayed healing over three others that day. One woman came running toward us across the field because she wanted us to pray for her and this other man. What faith. God teach me to have faith like this. She believed with everything inside her that God would heal. As we left that woman I thought wow God what a day, but He wasn’t done yet. The next two are stories in itself the story of an old woman named Jane, and a man named Joseph who had a stroke and was paralyzed entirely on the left side of his body. Joseph was the man who did it for me that day. My heart was right there with him, for his wife, and for his friend Solomon that stayed by his side to wipe the drool off his face. As we began praying I was overtaken by a heart for this man like he was my own grandpa. I was on my knees in the dirt placing my hand on his leg crying out to the Lord for healing. More than anything I wanted Joseph to stand up and walk. I had more faith then I have ever had in my life. The lord was doing something inside of me for I truly believed that at some point during the prayers or perhaps afterward Joseph would be up and walking. Joseph never did get up and walk, but may be God healed him later on. Throughout the day God continually reminded me that His timing is not mine. As we left the house one of my other team members who stayed with Joseph’s wife Mamma Felix while we were praying told me that Joseph refused to go to church it reminded me of a rebellious teenager turning their back on God. Something then popped into my head. One of my team mates told Joseph the only way he would be healed is if he believed God could heal him, and Joseph said “I believe”. I can’t say weather he truly meant it from his heart, but I believe he did. His tone was so sincere. It was like there was no where else to go but to God. I believe that God did perform a healing on Joseph that day a healing in his heart. Remember the first house we visited. We did a follow up visit on that same house again about a week later. I was so excited to see the man we had prayed for healed. We walked up to the door and his wife told us he had died right after we left. I was crushed, but immediately realized that God answered our prayers. He took the pain away. I think it's amazing that God allowed the man to live until after we left. I didn't know anything about the family, or about their beliefs. I just pray that the family realizes that God hears prayers and that He was in their home that day.
God opened my eyes to see the Holy Spirit move in Humansdorp in ways that I have never seen or felt before, and I praise God for letting me see Him at work. He is truly a God worthy of all our praise. Please pray for the people specifically mentioned in this story along with the township of Humansdorp that God will move in ways that these people will know that it is no one but God.
Posted in A Trip Update by Alyssa Vanderslice on 6/24/2008
Her name defines her... Precious.
Last Wednesday we were doing VBS with a group of older kids. After a series of events a 13-year old girl, Precious, ran out crying. I followed, which ended up having a drastic impact on both of our lives.
As I followed her out, I began praying. I knew I had a great ministry opportunity, and prayed that God would speak through me. I quickly found out Precious' story. Her father was in prison when she was born, her mother abandoned her, and she was raised by her aunt and cousins. There was no love in her home and at times she just felt like dying.
After hearing her story, God began speaking through me. I was able to encourage her in her faith, give her some scripture (she loves reading the Bible) and love her. After talking for about 45 minutes, I prayed for her. A lot of things were said that I don't have room to write about, but after the conversation was done, I was shaking. I was shaking because I could see how God had spoken through me and I wouldn't change a word I had said.
That conversation has turned into a relationship. I give her scriptures to read everyday and she reads them. In our first conversation she told me she wanted to be a poet, and last Friday she surprised me with a poem she had written along with a note to me. The note read, "I will miss you really. I never had a friend who loves me so much. I love you too."
Posted in A Trip Update by Jennifer Nitsch on 6/23/2008
"You're the one who took the fall and it's bringing us together."
THE LETTER
- Acceptance
June 17, 2008
6:30am comes and goes with a tap of the snooze button but 7:00 arrives none the less and I'm standing int he gloom of a sunless morning. Cold and hungry with soggy cereal in my bowl. I drink my tea and begin my quiet time. I'm wresting with how to love Jesus with more than just my mind and where these thoughts of sin in my life come from, but the promise of another sabotaged day looms in the air as a distraction. I know God has me here for a reason but at the moment Satan is doing everything in his power to keep me from finding that out.
"TIA" all the time; that's what we say whenever the opportunity for discouragement creeps up. "This Is Africa" and we know that means things will never go our way. That in itself is testing for me. I am spoiled and American. I am always busy, but here we are never rushed. It annoys me. But finally we are on the road to our first township, Humansdorp, where we prayer walk for over an hour while we wait for the pastor who called and said he's "5 minutes away." We eventually end up driving to met him 30 minutes away in a nearby township called Hankie. He informed us that for the day we would be doing prison ministry. We get to the medium-security-prison and walk with our America-obsessed-pastor-guide to the guard post where we proceed to see everything (and more than we wanted) about the prison- from the lonely prisoners, right down to the two trees donated by the church (which were more bushes than trees).
When we finally escape prison we head to town and have some authentic South African grub from a white lady with a gold tooth. This is SO Africa. But with this frustration of our prison experience and cold weather we headed to see our precious children at St. Francis Bay. A long drive ended in laughter, smiles, and love from kids that, if I had the choice, would never leave my side. Those children have my heart and are the reason I came to Africa. I could write an entire entry on the simple way the broke my heart and put it back together again with their singing voices.
4:30 came too soon and we peeled them off us with cold hands and sad faces and piled 13 of us back in the 7 passenger van again and pulled away with about 50 kids chasing after us.
The point of this story is to make known that mission trips are not all smiling faces and hot days (I actually write this as I sit in one of South Africa's rolling blackouts where the entire city is powerless and we are locked inside our camp), but those singing mouths and sweet hugs make it all worth it. They are the flesh and blood embodiment of Jesus and He truly is all-loving and awe-inspiring.
Love,
Jen
P.S.- the electricity just came back on... we turned the lights off anyways.
Posted in A Trip Update by Megan Weinhandl on 6/21/2008
Hi again!
I cannot believe I only have one more week left here; the
time has just flown by! Every afternoon
we go to a township called St. Francis Bay
and put on a VBS for the children. I
have a lot of great stories about my experiences there, but I’ll just have to
tell you those in person. What I do want
to share with you is what the Lord is teaching me.
When I look into these kids faces I see desperation for
affection and love. Most of them don’t
have shoes and many of them wear the same clothes day after day. One little girl, Courtney, will not leave my
side, from the moment we get there to the moment we get in the van. The only time she will let me out of her sight
is if there is a possibility she could get some food. My heart breaks for these kids, the best part
of my day is when I get to hug them and spend time with them, but the worst
part of my day is when I have to say good-bye to them. Every time I close my eyes I see their smiling
faces or Courtney begging me to pick her up. I am constantly worried about whether or not
they made it back to their home or if they even have a place to go to. Questions like are they warm, are they loved,
are they hungry, are they safe, are they clothed, are they comfortable run
through my head all night long. Although
it is hard to see and will be even harder to leave these kids next week I know
with all of my heart that God loves these children. I believe with everything inside of me that He
is watching over these precious kids. This trip is strengthening my faith in
Him because all I have to lean on when I leave them is that they are in Gods
perfect hands. I don’t understand why
God chose to put these innocent children in these kinds of conditions, but God
is showing me that I just need to stop worrying and just trust in Him.
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers! Please continue to
pray that I will trust in Him and that His love is enough for these beautiful
kids. Also pray for the people in
Humansdorp and St. Frances Bay.
Monday morning we are doing our dramas
for the high schoolers at Humansdorp so please pray that the Lord will use us
to reach the school,. If there is anything you need prayer for please let me
know! Thank you again, I can’t wait to
tell you everything that I have seen and experienced and hear about what the
Lord is doing in your life.
Posted in A Trip Update by Ericka Bennett on 6/21/2008
We arrived at the Speel Clinic (which
means play clinic in Afrikans) around 1:00pm. I was not prepared for
what I found there. 200 children and just our team! They fought -
literally FOUGHT each other for our attention. They clung to us -
begged to be held - hugged us and wouldn't let go. So starved for
attention! I wondered, when was the last time these children were
hugged? Held? Kissed? Told "I love you"?
It was freezing outside - the wind was so strong it made it hard
to stand. The team was bundled in layers and big winter coats; the
children were in short sleeves, skirts, and shorts - many of them
barefoot - shivering in
the cold. I braced against the wind and cuddled 3 year old Ily closer,
trying desperately to keep her warm. Three more children clung to my
legs shivering. As I stood there with them in the street, more children
surrounded me- singing to me, asking my name, and reaching for my hand.
Feeling overwhelmed, I looked around...
Every team member looked the same. From five to twenty children
surrounding them, shivering in the cold, begging for attention. I felt
the tears begin to fall. "There are too many Lord!" I cried. "There
are too many that need to be hugged, held, loved! I want to call them
by name - to look them all in the eye and tell them they're loved and
valued. To teach them, to listen to them, to care for them. But how,
Lord? There are too many desperate children... and only one of me..."
I fought back tears as little Ily wrapped her arms tighter around my neck and kissed my cheek.
I pulled it together for a while, until meal time came. For the
kids it's usually just half an apple and milk. For most, that's their
only meal all day. Today, because of the cold, they had a little
chicken soup and bread. After everyone in the classroom (which would
only hold around 50) had been served a cup, Eunice asked who wanted
more...
Fifty hungry hands shot out fighting to get to the front, begging for more. It broke me. No child should ever go hungry! But for these children, hunger is a part of everyday. I stood there holding Ily, asleep in my arms, as the room full of children scrambled for food, and the tears began to fall...
"One child at a time." That's the voice of God I always hear when I'm with the children... one child at a time.
I was reminded tonight of the story of the starfish..."it made a difference to that one"...
Today was Ily's day. We cuddled in the cold until she fell asleep
on my chest. I prayed for her, whispered "I love you" in her ear, and
gave her kisses and hugs all day. I fed her lunch when she woke up and
held her tight when she wrapped her arms around my neck and snuggled
close again. Today, she was loved.
Posted in A Trip Update by Vanessa Murphy on 6/19/2008
The Bible says in Romans 10:8 " the Word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart..." Then it goes on to say in verse 14 " And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are SENT? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News!"
Last week, as my team and I were walking through the township of Humansdorp, it was a feeling of hopelessness. As we walked praying and waving to the people, God allowed us to meet a woman named Mable. Mable has two children but she lives alone. As we greeted her she began to ask us - could we come to her home? We followed her as she lead us to her home, which was a small run-down hut that was chained up with big locks on it. As she was letting us in, she explained that the "Gangsters" break in her home every night. My team & I sat there and listened with tears in our eyes and prayed in the Spirit as Mable spoke. It was then that she began showing us pictures of her beautiful children. With tears in my eyes and tears in Mable's eyes we looked at each other. That moment seemed like forever as I embraced her with Christ's love. Our whole team just hugged her and loved her.
She then started letting us know that she was HIV+. My heart was filled with empathy for her. I felt her sorrow, pain, hurt, and fear. My team and I began praying and I mean we prayed! We prayed for Mable with a sincere heart that God would protect her. Then when the team left, three of us stayed behind and we called on the name of Jesus asking that His angels would reside in her home. We prayed for God's healing power to remove AIDS from Mable's body.
When we got done praying, she said, "At last! At last I can feel God's love! He is here!" We rejoiced with her in gladness. I left believing that God would protect her and heal her body. I saw with my own eyes a miracle! The hurt, sorrow, pain, and fear I saw on Mable's face before we prayed had turned to JOY, PEACE, and HAPPINESS! She said "Jesus is here!"
I left there filled in the Spirit that God allowed us to meet His daughter Mable with the hope of Jesus in our mouths. That day He sent us to bring the Good News to her. If we would not have obeyed God that day, we would have never met Mable. God is doing a great work in His children that He sent!
Posted in A Trip Update by Micah Brooks on 6/17/2008
South Africa - Day 3
June 12, 2008
Lord, my heart is aching. I do not understand why I have so much and the families here have so little. At one of the townships we visited today the lady in charge of the SpillClinic (which is an after school program for kids) was telling us about the community. She said families here were so poor that parents would often offer their children cigarettes & beer when they asked for food. She also said that the single apple & glass of milk given to the children at the clinic would often be their only meal of the day.Why did you give me so much?These kids weren't only starving for food, the were starving for affection. The moment we stepped out of the van they came up to us & grabbed onto our hands and legs. Their little faces lit up when I simply gave them a high five. There were so many of them and only 15 of us! It was so hard to learn their names because there were so many; but I want to desperately to learn their names so they know they are important and important to God. Most of them spoke very little English but that didn't matter. Within a few minutes we were playing & making up games. They all wanted to be held and they all wanted to be hugged. They were so beautiful and innocent. The reason they live like they do has nothing to do with them. Why do they live like they do? Do the parents have a choice? Why was I put in a place with no worries?
I have a family that overflows with love and affection and I have a father that has bent over backwards to make sure our needs were met. Thank you Lord for blessing me. How could anyone look at the heartache here and then look away? Don't let me do that. Keep the pictures in my mind. Don't ever let me take advantage of anything You have blessed me with; my house, my family, friends, church, food, clothes, school, safety, Lord EVERYTHING! Why do I have so much? Lord You have pulled the strings of my heart; now please make my time effective. It may be hard because of the language barrier, but please provide opportunities for me to share the gospel. Loving and playing with these kids is fun but it's not going to save their souls. Make them understand.
Draw them to You. Let them know You are the ultimate provider & the Father to the fatherless and that Your love is unconditional. We don't have to beg for Your affection and we don't have to worry about anything because You promise to provide for us. Lord, there is so much to be done here! Make me sensitive to Your call and Your plan for me. Make me willing, make me able. Please direct my life because I want to live it for You. I want to be a part of Your work. I want to see lives changed & people saved. Use me! Amen.
Hey everyone...
I pray that the journey God has brought me on will cause you to begin one yourself. God is SO BIG and He desires to mold and use each and every one of His children. Be sensitive to His voice and redeem the time! Thank you for all your prayers and support. Please continue to lift up my team and me as we are growing and serving these next 2 weeks. I love and miss you all!
Posted in A Trip Update by Micah Brooks on 6/17/2008
Ericka here - sharing a blog from Micah. She wanted to let you all know what God has been doing in her heart. Here's a glimpse into her journal from the past few days...
Training Camp Day 1
June 3, 2008
Lord, give me the strength I need to be here. This is day one adn I'm very pumped & excited to see what I am going to learn & how I'm going to grow this week. Help me to soak it all in every day so that I may turn right around & share it with the people in Africa.
Training Camp Day 2
June 4, 2008
Lord God thank you for revealing Yourself to me in a way you never have befor. Lord, you broke me and made me listen to the words being sung, "Lord, though I'm dark You say I'm lovely & though I'm poor You say I'm beautiful." This was an amazing day & an amazing night of worship. I love you Lord. Please continue to reveal Yourself to me.
Training Camp Day 3
June 5, 2008
Eph. 3:20-21 "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever & ever. Amen."
Lord, you are not a sarcastic God. Don't let me confuse the meaning of Your words. When the bible says You are able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we coulud ask or think, you mean ALL! Don't let me restrain Your blessings to the expectations of man. You are God. You are my God.
Training Camp Day 5
June 7, 2008
Lord, thank You for growing my team closer to each other and closer to You. The unity and trust is growing everyday... Lord You are teaching me so much. Help me to listen for Your voice. Silence me. Again, I pray that you would demolish the pre-conceived expectations I have of You and Your power and will. You do have things to say to me; make me a listener first and then a speaker.
Plane ride to Africa
June 8, 2008
Lord, I have been overflowing with emotions this week. And I believe it's because for the first time I'm learning to be sensitive to Your voice. I don't have to be "strong" all th time. Thank you for softening my heart more and more.
South Africa - Day 1
June 10, 2008
Lord, South Africa is BEAUTIFUL! It is so amazing to see the work of Your hand around the world! The people are beautiful and the land is beautiful. I pray that everyone will give You glory when they simply open their eyes and look at this place.
Eph 5:15 - "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil."
Lord, help me to redeem the time. Help me to live circumspectly. Help me to live for You. Amen.
Posted in A Trip Update by Ericka Bennett on 6/10/2008
We're here! We don't have much time because the team is headed into town soon, but I wanted to post a quick blog from here in J-Bay to let you know we're all safe, sound, and healthy :)
We had a long but good trip and are adjusting well. The kids slept in this morning to rest from jet-lag and everyone is feeling great! We've had hot showers and a good breakfast - the place we are staying is wonderful! (I've been telling the team since we got here how spoiled we are!) The weather is absolutely perfect - in the 60's or 70's today with a great breeze off the ocean and cold at night.
The next few days we'll be getting briefed about the culture, language, and our ministries, and spending some time getting to know J-Bay. Please pray for us as we seek God's will for our ministry here - we are excited to see what He has in store for us!
Thanks for trusting Frank and me with your children. We love them all and are taking care of them as if they are our own. You have GREAT kids and we're blessed to be with them this month!
I just wanted to let everyone know that the team made it to J-Bay. They will give you more details soon but for know we wanted to praise God for their safe arrival. Pray that they would adjust to the time change and get a feel for the area quickly. God has alot in store for them!
n
the cold. I braced against the wind and cuddled 3 year old Ily closer,
trying desperately to keep her warm. Three more children clung to my
legs shivering. As I stood there with them in the street, more children
surrounded me- singing to me, asking my name, and reaching for my hand.
Feeling overwhelmed, I looked around...