South Africa Picture Log (#2)

 View of Joberg from the Apartheid museum.

 Freedom Square in Soweto.

 An area of informal settlement still remaining in Soweto.

 Relaxing at the guesthouse.

The ladies cooking dinner at Nieu Communities.

 Planting grass at the orphanage.

South Africa Reflections (#5)

Today is Wednesday and we leave in 2 days. Honestly, I wish it were more like twenty. The first conversation we had with Pure Hope discussed real communities and relationships, and I feel like I am just now starting to have real relationships with not only the team from America but also our friends we’ve made in South Africa like the Pure Hope team and the Nieu Communities families. Regardless of our short time left, I am glad that we met these people and the experiences we have shared.

These past couple days have been filled with some pretty intense situations, but in a good way. Yesterday, we went back to the Juvenile prison and sat in on the weekly Bible Study led by Pure Hope. Last week, Katie and I joined Wihan and Dian for the art class, but since it was a holiday (Women’s Day!!), only the team from America, Maxi and Chris were present. We discussed our identity in Christ and what that meant for our purpose in life. There was some pretty intense discussion in our smaller groups, and Conrad (one of the inmates) even led the group in discussion and song. It was very inspiring and Jennifer even took notes on the South African hymnals he sang. I was very glad we were able to go and visit the boys again.

Today, after sleeping in an extra 30 minutes (such a blessing!!), we went with Curtis and Braam to visit the Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg, and Soweto. After taking a few courses on South Africa and the Apartheid regime, I was not much surprised by what was presented in the museum. However, I was very pleased with the presentation of the Apartheid era and its affect on the nation and surrounding areas. It was unbiased, objective, but also had a personal feeling about it that allowed you to connect to the stories of individuals who experienced Apartheid and the fight against it. Everyone absorbs the information differently, but there is no way anyone could twist the presentation to be for or against anyone – just cold, hard facts. Then we drove through Soweto, learned a bit about its history, saw Mandela’s house and soccer city. We drove through downtown Joberg and returned home. Later tonight, we are going to see Bang Bang Club, which is a movie about photographers/journalists who documented the terrors and violence in the fight against Apartheid. I’ve heard it is graphic, and I am honestly concerned that I’ll be able to stomach it. We’ll see how that goes, and hope that it’s good.

Thank you to all who have had us in our prayers; we have certainly felt them and enjoyed our time here.

- Kristin.

South Africa Reflections (#4)

We have officially been here over one week and still love the country, the people and of course, the coffee. I think we go to coffee shops at least twice a day, not to count when we drink coffee or tea at breakfast. To recap this weekend, we woke up early on Saturday morning and went to the Boeremark, which is a farmers market, but with more crafts, food and it is a lot bigger than just a farmers market. We had something called a ‘fatcake’, which is bread dough fried like a donut. There were spices, jams, wire/bead crafts, food, coffee, puppies, scarves, etc. Then we spent the rest of the day planting grass at the Yabana Village, which is a part of Good Hope Orphanage and Preschool. They just got a new playground and the grass we planted will eventually be a soccer field. The kids loved trying to help us, even though the shovels were usually bigger than they were. We then had a braai with the children and families from around the area. We were going to stay the night at Mama Mary’s house in Mabopane, but our plans changed and we ended up back in Pretoria for the night. We were able to sleep in and just hang out today and rest, which was very needed after doing so much this last week. We are going to a church called Third Place tonight, and then waking up really early tomorrow morning for a safari! We have been so busy while we have been here that it feels like we have been here for much longer than a week. The country and the people have left big impressions on all of us. I think there are a couple of us that could definitely see ourselves coming back in the future  J

 - Julie

South Africa Reflections (#3)

It’s our fifth day here and so far, the experience has been amazing.  Between missionary work, sight seeing, meeting new people, and networking, it has been a great experience so far.  The day before yesterday, we went to Mabopane for the second time.  The kids race towards the van as soon as we pull in.  They instantly grab our hands and want to be held.  Some of the girls would play with our hair and try to style it.  One little girl wanted to be picked up and fell asleep in my arms for over an hour.  The children just want to be played with, held, and paid attention to. 

In the evening we went to Maxie’s parent’s house for a braai.  The food was SO good.  I love the style of the houses here with the oven/grill to cook inside.  It was a great time with good company.

Wednesday, we went to the preschool at Moreletapark Church.  The kids were learning about houses and furniture.  We each got to help a child individually with their colors, numbers, drawing, and cutting with scissors.

Thursday, we did some sight seeing- Voortrekker, the Union Buildings, and Paul Kruger’s house.  Voortrekker was beautiful and had so much history of early South Africa between the Dutch and the Zulus.  The Union Buildings are like the White House of the United States.

Tomorrow we are going to a “farmers” market and then Mabopane again in the afternoon and night. 

Overall, we’re all having a great time and can’t wait to come back!!

- Katie

South Africa Picture Log (#1)

South Africa Reflections (#2)

Yesterday, we woke up to the loud screeches of what we decided to call the “pomegranate bird” (It looked like the kiwi bird of Australia, but the kiwi is not native to South Africa), we were more adjusted to the freezing morning. The space heater probably helped. After breakfast we headed over to the Dutch Reform Church (do not ask me how to spell it in Afrikaans) and had a conversation with the good folks of Pure Hope. We discussed the differences between pseudo community and real community, and how God’s opportunities and trials allow us to develop genuine relationships. It was in that conversation that many of us shared personal stories. That honesty and communication helped us to begin to develop our real relationships with each other and the Pure Hope.

After lunch, we headed over to Mabopane. Finally, after years of praying and planning and saving for this moment, I was in Mabopane. When I first stepped out of the van and the children ran up to us and the Pure Hope team, I felt alone, but in a good way. It was serene, unreal. Reality rushed back and I had one girl who clung to me. She was about 4 and spoke very little English. She couldn’t tell me her name, but she could count to 10, tell me body parts, and point out colors and shapes. She called me “Sessi” which means “sister” in Tswana. She also new the word “up” which she used every time I would put her down. Both Katie and Julie had 1 or 2 girls that clung to them as well, and it was then I realized that our purpose was to show these children love and affection. They may not receive it at home or their parents may not be in their life at all. It is our duty to show them the love that Christ shows us. I realized that we are to develop real and not pseudo relationships with these children, because that is what Christ did and called us to do.

- Kristin

South Africa Reflections (#1)

After 35 hours of traveling with very little, incremental sleep, we finally arrived in Johannesburg. Driving out of Johannesburg into Pretoria, the highways and cities didn’t look too much different from the U.S. We learned that the highways were in such good condition because of the World Cup last year. Much of the city of Pretoria is well-developed with really nice malls, coffee shops and restaurants. It was not exactly what I was expecting to see, even though I was aware of the economic disparity in South Africa (lots of wealth, but very unevenly distributed). One of the craziest things was going to the church that Pure Hope is connected with, called Moreletapark. It is about the size of Willow Creek Church in Chicago, can hold thousands of people and is basically really beautiful. Right next to the church is about 800 families living in plastic shacks with no electricity, running water, etc. Some of them are international refugees from Zimbabwe and Lesotho, but most are South Africans. The government controls who comes out of this group of shacks and has been saying for years that they will do something to help these people, but they are still there. Pure Hope has built some better shacks for some of these people when there shacks burnt down, but the government support for helping these people is minimal. At the church, we listened to a service through headphones that translated from Afrikaans into English, although the music was in English. They did songs such as ‘God of the City’ and Hillsong songs. They also had a children’s choir of orphaned kids from Uganda called the Watoto choir. A church in Uganda started this choir as a way to care for all the children orphaned by AIDs, and now care for around 4000 orphans. Those kids can dance too. The sermon itself was incredible. It was a simple message, but very true and relevant to the congregation. He brought up how many orphans are in South Africa, along with the poor who live in shanty towns outside of the wealthy cities and how it is our duty and responsibility as the church to be the hands and feet of God that reach out to the distressed and give them hope. We all have the capability to do something, and it is God’s commission to us to use whatever we are given to help others and share the gospel through words and action.

Joe is now quoting Shakespeare quite seriously to us, so I’m going to go. We are leaving soon to spend the day in Mabopane with a ton of kids. Should be great!
 - Julie

South Africa Team Update

Our team of 6 arrived here in safely in South Africa last night around 10:30 (South Africa time).  By the time we settled in to our apartment it was near midnight and we were all ready for bed.  It's cool here, which is a welcome change from the heat that we have been experiencing back home.  I'll post more later, but wanted everyone to know we are here and doing well!
- joe

Beyond Borders Road Trip: SOUTH AFRICA August 7-20, 2010

Join the Beyond Borders Road Trip: SOUTH AFRICA August 7-20, 2010!

What is a Beyond Borders Road Trip? It’s a chance for college age students to step beyond the borders of their life and discover a world beyond their own. It’s a chance to encounter God through the eyes of another culture. It’s a chance to experience what it’s like to live on mission.

Don’t just go to help people, come to be with people.
Don’t just go to speak, come to listen.
Don’t just go to see the world, come to better understand the world.
Don’t just go to accomplish something, come to be transformed.

Because we set out to give you a holistic missional experience, we will take pieces of what Pure Hope & Nieu Communities (two cutting edge ministries reaching out to the least of these in South Africa) naturally experience throughout the year and bring as many of those pieces together as we can to provide a compact, integrated experience.

Three currents of Communion, Community, and Context will be obvious throughout the trip. So there will be times of spiritual reflection, worship, or prayer each day. We’ll do some exploring together and we’ll engage the culture through acts of service, kindness, conversation, and prayer. We’ll also throw some adventure into each trip and take you out to see and experience more of the country.

At this point you may be wondering if this is really a fit for you, or you may have specific questions about a road trip – whichever it is feel free to contact Joe Neill, Director of Simply Missions, at info@simplymissions.org.

Come join us on an adventure … an adventure that might just change your life.

Heading Home

Since my last update there has been lots going on with little chance to connect to the internet and make additional updates. We had a great time up at YWAM Kruger and were able to help with a feeding program, assist in digging a trench and with building a home, and got to meet some great people.

We have now been in Cape Town for three days ministering at Kensington Worship Center. Friday night I taught at the youth service and today, Dave and I taught workshops focused on helping church leaders work with volunteers. Kim was sick on Friday but is feeling better now, and Dale has been sick today. Pray for both of them to get healthy for the 24 hour trip home, and pray that the rest of us stay healthy. Tomorrow Dave will preach at the morning services, we’ll have lunch with the pastors here, take the afternoon to visit Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was held prisoner), then we catch an evening flight back home.

This will be my last chance to update you all before our departure so let me say thank you for your faithful prayers while our team has been here in South Africa. The trip has been outstanding.

Peace,
Joe

P.S. My back is almost fully better. Sleeping on a real bed the last few days has helped. Keep praying that it will improve in spite of the long flights ahead of us. Thanks!

South Africa Update #2

It's day 8 of the trip and things continue to go well. Thanks to all of you who are praying for us. Here is a quick recap of some of the things we've been up to...

Monday the team visited the Sisters of Charity home (a place for severely disabled kids). I missed that portion of the day as I was seeing a doctor about my back, but many of the team members were moved by what they experienced there. I met up with the team later at another children's home run by a woman called Mamma Mary. We served the kids lunch there, played with the kids, spent some time with Mamma Mary, and then headed home.

Tuesday we went to the prison in Pretoria and worked with the 13-17 year old kids in the morning. Dave gave a short message and then we just hung out, played games, and talked with the kids. In the afternoon we headed to Danville (an inner city area) and worked with an after-school program for a few hours. We also got a tour of one of the "apartment" buildings there. The living conditions were astonishing. In the evening we attended a bible study at 3rd Place (the small church plant that meets in a storefront down the road).

Wednesday we met some folks that wanted to talk to Dave about twitter/church, then we walked around downtown to meet the folks who run a ministry called PEN (Pretoria Evangelsim and Nurture) that runs down there, and to get a view of some of the inner city needs.

Today was a day off for the Pure Hope team (the group we have been working with each day) so we went hiking at Hartbeepoort Dam and had a picnic lunch up on a peak.

Tomorrow we head back to Mabopane to spend some more time with Mamma Mary and the kids at the children's home. We'll also go to Plasticview, a township (or shanti town) where Westwinds funded two shack builds in 2008. We hope to meet and spend some time with the people who recieved those homes and find out how their lives have been impacted.

Please keep praying for our team as we continue to serve alongside the Pure Hope team. And, keep praying for my back, I am finding some slow improvement. Thanks!

South Africa Update #1

Our team arrived safely here in South Africa on Friday evening. Saturday left us no room for jet-lag as we got up early and headed to Mabopane for our One Life shack-build day. We partnered with a team of folks called "Pure Hope" from Moreletta Park Church. Together we built two One Life shacks. One was for a young man named Sello, and the other was for an HIV+ widow mother of three (the youngest being a 10 month old baby). All were extremely grateful for the help we have provided for them. The Westwinds team paid for the building of one of the shacks and the Pure Hope team paid for the other. These were shacks number 6 & 7 for the One Life program that was started by Pure Hope with the intention of simply changing one life at a time.

Sunday (today) was a day off of the work for us. We attended church at 3rd Place this morning (with lots of our new shack-building friends), and Moreletta Park Church this evening. We've met lots of wonderful South African people along the way.

Tomorrow we head back to the community of Mabopane and will meet a woman named "Mamma Mary" who runs an orphanage there for neglected and disabled children. I anticipate it will be a pretty intense day.

The team is doing great. Everyone is enjoying the time here. Please continue to pray for us as we seek to minister the love of Jesus to all we meet. And please pray specifically for me. After the 16 hour plane ride my back began acting up. Some of you know that I have had recent issues with my back. Our whole time here my back has been in spazam and it has been difficult for me to do any work and ride in vehicles. I see a physiotherapist tomorrow. Pray that the kinks will get worked out and that I will be able to keep up with the activity planned for the team.

Thank you all for your love and prayers!