MORE pictures! 

check pages 3 and 4 for new stuff...

south africa.

trees.

Even though we've only been in South Africa for a week, it feels like we've been here forever.  We've settled nicely into our routine.  Wake up at 7:00.  Eat.  Drag trees up a hill all morning.  Eat.  Drag trees up a hill all afternoon.  Wait "patiently" for supper.  Eat.  Internet.  Crash by 9:00.  Wake up.  Eat.  Drag trees up a hill...

We've been clearing brush away from the river, and working on building a new fence in the same area.  These projects are both for security reasons, because there have been some break-ins.  The brush offers cover for people who are trying to sneak in, so we've been clearing it.  The fence is self-explanatory. 

Last night we had dinner with Jaco, the man in charge of Refilwe.  It was very encouraging to hear about some of the new projects they are starting.  They are beginning to plant orchards, and they are launching a company called Wormcycle.  All the profit from Wormcycle will go towards supporting Refilwe programs.  Refilwe advocates sustainability in all their projects, and they are excited to be able to take a step towards supporting themselves financially through Wormcycle.

This week, members of our team have continued to go into the community.  On Monday, Amanda, Jaclyn and I visited the man who we prayed for last week.  As soon as we walked into his house, the change that had come over him was obvious.  His eyes were bright and he was smiling!  Some of his pain had returned, so we prayed for him again.  We prayed for some other members of the community as well. 

Other members of our team got to go into the informal settlements with Home Basic Care, a program where they assess the health needs of the community and provide care and education about problems such as high blood pressure, TB and HIV/AIDS.  The informal settlements are completely different from anything you will see in America, Canada or England.  It's like what you see on TV.  People live in tin shacks that barely fit a bed and a couch.  These shacks are really close together.  The biggest informal settlement in the area had a population of around 150, 000 the last time they checked, which was two years ago.  

There are more than ten of these settlements in the area around Johannesburg.  It's hard to comprehend.  There is a silence that hangs over the place.  The squawk of a chicken, the sound of children in the distance...they pierce the silence, then fall dead.  At times our footsteps are the only noise.  The road we walk along looks more a boulder field than a road.  Broken glass and bottle caps litter the ground.  Little children run around in bare feet.  One little girl - she can't be more than two - plays with a handsaw.  Our eyes take in these images, but do they really register?  Each person who lives in the informal settlements; this is their life.  Every day of every year.  I see it, but it doesn't sink in.

That's why seeing Mama Sanette and Mama Thandi at work is so inspiring, why walking around with the Home Basic Care team is so encouraging.  They are actually making a difference in these settlements.  One of the women on the Home Basic Care team lives in the informal settlement that she is working in.  We ate lunch at her house after doing the assessments.  Refilwe is educating people and teaching them skills so that they can break free from the cycle of poverty.  It is inspiring to see.

-Grace

sawubona!

our first week in south africa was amazing!

click HERE to see some pictures...

healing.

a quick little update, due to the face that we have limited internet access, and because the power keeps going out:

today our team split into 3 groups: some went back to the day care, some continued manual labor on-site, and two of us went out into the surrounding community. grace and amanda were asked to visit an old, sickly man in order to pray for him. doctors had been unable to diagnose exactly what his ailments were, but they included abdominal pain and an injured leg. he was restricted to a chair in his small tin hut.

before leaving new zealand, leaders prayed boldness and healing over our team. many prophetic statements were made about the wonders we would see, and the spiritual warfare we would face. after team intercession time this morning, and a prayer sending them out with the authority of Jesus Christ, amanda and grace prayed for this man's healing.

during the prayer, his eyes became brighter. the spirit of death left him, and he started praising Jesus! he told the girls his pain was gone, and began thanking them and Christ for his miraculous new health. amazing.

there are many others in the community who need healing and prayer. we will be sending others back into the township to visit with people, and possibly pray for them as well. continue to keep us in your prayers!

arrival.

we're here!
we arrived in johannesburg, south africa on monday night. may 18th was the longest day of our lives. we left at 4am from oxford, and traveled for a full 24 hours. we arrived in africa at 4pm the same day. and then drove for over an hour to get from the airport to the refilwe base. like i said, longest day EVER.

refilwe is a fairly large organization that includes schools for kids of all ages, day cares, farming, trade school, accommodations, orphan-care, community building, health care education, and more. we had expected to be living in tents here for the next few weeks, but to our surprise and delight we were given a house to stay in! three bedrooms, one bathroom, a small kitchen and a little living room is ALL OURS. so nice.

the beds are especially appreciated, since most of us have been participating in hard physical labor for the past two days. our projects so far have included day care, going into townships with health-educators, and helping the maintenance crew construct a new fence around the perimeter of the base. the majority of us have been raking, hauling trees and digging holes. it's dirty, sweaty work. and we're tired. but it's great to see the progress we're making! refilwe has been having trouble with break-ins and theft, so we are assisting in the effort to make the place more secure.

our computer time is limited, but we will try to post updates as often as possible. please continue to keep us in your prayers. we hope to support the full-time staff here at refilwe by being an encouragement, and really getting some work done for them! pray for team unity, Christ-like attitudes, and strength to get our work done.

well, the computer room is about to close, so farewell for now.
-love from africa-

flying.

our bags are packed (sort of). 

the base is clean (sort of). 

we've said our goodbyes (sort of). 

and now it's time: at 4am - exactly 1 hour and 25 minutes from now - our team will be leaving the ywam base in oxford, and heading for the christchurch airport. our flight leaves at 7am. 

south africa, here we come!

this afternoon we had our last team meeting prior to departure. the mood was a mixture of excitement, anticipation, and a little bit of sadness. after three months of intense community building, splitting up is proving to be difficult. this morning we said our first goodbyes as team afric-asia left for thailand. let's just say there were tears. lots of them.

the uplifting truth is, we're going where God has called us! as we prayed a final blessing over our teams' time in africa, i felt tremendous peace. there is an overall confidence that we are going to the right place, at the right time, with the right people. 

after months of planning and preparation, our outreach is finally here! please pray for safety as we traipse the globe. pray for team unity. pray that the Holy Spirit would permeate our meeting places, and fill us up as we go out to bless others. pray that we would be open to God's leading. pray for selfless attitudes, and a burning desire to spread truth wherever we go. pray that the love of Christ would be revealed in life-changing ways to the souls we meet along the way. pray for growth.

thanks for your support and love. none of us would be here without the friends and family we have standing behind us, holding us up, pushing us on. you are appreciated. we can't wait to share with you the adventures and experiences God brings us during these next few months!

<3>

us.

so. you know a little about WHERE we're going, and WHAT we'll be doing, but you're probably wondering WHO is doing all this stuff. i'm here to answer that question. 

here are pictures of the people you're praying for.(that we HOPE you're praying for! seriously. we're going to AFRICA for 3 months.)

ok, here goes:

trevor elste - 24, illinois, usa.

kelly meyer - 22, nebraska, usa. 

tanah neumann - 19, canada

grace macewan-19, canada.

amanda richards - 22, england.

heesuk shin - 26, new zealand/south korea

jaclyn visbeen - 24, michigan, usa.

lindsay wood - 18, canada.

kayla stewart - 19, oregon, usa.

joshua talbot - 19, south korea

i'll be posting a little bio on everyone soon. probably after we've packed up and headed off to johannesburg...goodbye new zealand, hello africa!

going.

to our friends and family, all around the globe:

hello from oxford, new zealand! as we prepare to set out from the ends of the earth, we wanted to say hello, introduce ourselves, and share with you the bits and pieces we know about our upcoming outreach adventure.

in less than one week, our team of 10 heads to africa for almost three months... 4 americans, 3 canadians, 1 brit, 1 american/korean (it's complicated), and 1 koriwi (short for korean-kiwi). 7 girls. 3 guys. what a team.

here's a little break down of where we're going and what we'll be doing:

south africa- we arrive in johannesburg next week, and will be working with a relief organization called Refilwe. (http://www.refilwe.org/) we will be sleeping in tents and helping with projects and ministry on the base.

kenya- after flying into nairobi, we're heading to the ywam base nearby to work and stay. our goal is to relieve the full-time staff of their duties for awhile, and hopefully visit some schools in the area to hang with and minister to the kids!

uganda- this is going to be intense. we are taking a bus from nairobi to kampala. after that we'll be heading by boat out to the islands of lake victoria. we'll be staying at an orphanage, and taking day-trips to visit more remote villages on surrounding islands. we'll be joining local african missionaries to hold church services. as guests, we might be expected to preach and lead worship! word on the street is that we'll be eating a lot of boiled fish there. prayers please. :)

morocco- from uganda, we're flying through cairo to casablanca. we'll be staying with a contact there, and assisting them in their work. morocco is a closed nation. those striving to share the love of the Father are not welcome, so they enter the country with alternate means of income. the goal is to blend in. the culture in morocco is very similar to that of the middle east, so the girls in our group will be wearing traditional head wraps and tunics! it should be an interesting transition from uganda to morocco, and from there on to...

ISRAEL- we'll be having a HUGE reunion with everyone from our dts! we'll be touring the holy land for a few weeks and then graduating on the mount of olives on august 13th. YES.

so there's a short synopsis of the next step we're taking on our journey as God's kids. thanks for your support and prayers. we're taking all of you with us into africa...