Mission SA 2016 Recap

Mission SA 2016 Update Video

Flee market & time to fly!

Rhino & Lion Park

Saying goodbye

Today Cody, Kathryn, Beth & McKenzie had the opportunity to share with students at Maranatha school. Then the team went to the Ngwempisi village to deliver some supplies to the safe house, minister to the care worker there, and also visit some of the houses in the village. 

It's hard to believe that the team's time in Piet Retief is coming to and end. This has been a very fruitful mission trip, and everyone will have many great stories to tell and many great memories to carry with them forever. 

Please play for the travels back to the Johannesburg area on Wednesday to visit the Rhino & Lion Park. 

Face painting at Uzwelo

Sunday service & soup fellowship

Last night the team received a treat. Each team member got a snack pack with some of their favorite American candies, snacks, and drinks, and then they read some notes and cards of encouragement from friends and family back home. Thank you for everyone who took the time to write them a note. This was another great expression of God's agape love, and the team greatly appreciated it!

This morning we attended the worship service at Wellspring, and each team member had the opportunity to tell the church what this mission trip has meant to them so far. Steve shared in his message that we are all missionaries and that we are called to be "Jesus-in-skin", shining His light everywhere we find ourselves this week. 

After service we joined the church members for a wonderful time of soup and fellowship. This afternoon the team went back to the ARC to get so rest before the final two days of ministry. 

Please pray for the team to finish well on Monday & Tuesday, and for the travel back to Johannesburg on Wednesday.  

Update Video

https://youtu.be/DVbuSlbvXFk

Rugby & Rest

- Rugby

This morning we got up early and hopped on the van at 6:15am to drive to Ermelo in support of Piet Retief Highschool's under 14 rugby team who were playing in the Mpumalanga regional finals. The game was broadcasted on live television, and at one point the commentator announced that there was group from North Carolina in the crowd, and he welcomed them to their first ever rugby game. The team really enjoyed the atmosphere at the game, and everyone tried some of the good South African snacks like boerewors rolls (hotdog with a beef sausage), vetkoek (fat cake), simba chips, jelly tots, etc.

- Items for Uzwelo

When we got back to Piet Retief the team spend some more time at Uzwelo, and since it is weekend all the children were present so we got to see the whole group together. We've given all the tshirts, shoes, soccer balls, legos, etc. to the Uzwelo staff to sort through it and to distribute the different items to the children who needs it most. On Monday we'll be taking some of these items to the children in the Ngwempisi village. This is the same safe-park that the 2014 team renovated when they came over last time. 

- Rest

We had some beef-liver for lunch (most of us liked it), and this afternoon the team is having some down time to get our batteries recharged. We got back late after Friday's youth night and got up early this morning, so everyone is a little tired. 

- Youth night

The youth night was very good, but the guest speaker, Rikus Botha, kept switching back and forth between Afrikaans & English, so the team only understood about half of his message. It was very encouraging to see all the teenagers & youth leaders from 4 different churches come together for a night of worship & fellowship. Unity in the Body!

Prayer requests:

- Steve will be preaching at Wellspring Ministries on Sunday morning, so please pray for him as he prepares his message, and for everyone's heart to be open to receive a word in season from the Holy Spirit. 

- After service we'll join the church for soup & fellowship. The last few days have been pretty intense physically & emotionally, so please pray that the team will be refreshed over the weekend so that we can finish well during our time of on Monday & Tuesday. 

- So far everyone has been doing well, so please pray for continued health & strength for everyone. (So far we've been enjoying the wonderfully warm weather during the days, but the weather forecast is predicting some chillier weather, so it's a good thing we packed some warm clothes!)

- Agapes

Each day two team members are selected to experience an "agape day." On their agape day the rest of the team does special things for them to flood them with unconditional love. They get to sit up front in the van, go first in line for lunch & dinner, and the team will buy them special things (like a coffee from Kebar or a Cream Soda from Pick-n-Pay). That night the team takes time to share what they appreciate most about those two individual, and then they flood them with some more prayers & affirmations. Please pray that each team member will get a greater revelation of God's agape love towards them during their time here in South Africa. 

OH, HOW HE LOVES US!!!

Finishing at Iswepe

Today the team went back to Iswepe to finishing painting & renovating the safe-house. Lots of kiddies showed up so while some where painting and mounting bulletin boards, the others learned some Zulu songs, dances, and games. 

4 youth groups from different churches in Piet Retief have combined and they all meet together on Friday nights, so the team will be joining the youth meeting tonight. 

New day... New opportunities...

Today we had a very eventful, productive, and eye opening day, and we were also exposure to various aspects of the unique the South Africa culture. Here are some highlights:

- Beth, Cody, Kathryn, and Griff were almost stampeded by a herd of cows as the leading bull came charging at them. (Maybe it's because Beth wore a red shirt... but thankfully... no people or animals were hurt during this close encounter. Everyone survived!)

- Bonita's bed broke in the middle of the night, but thankfully the ARC staff fixed it for her today. 

- Beth's electric heater started throwing sparks. (Again, no people or animals were hurt... phew...)

- Steve gave a pep talk to Piet Retief Highschool's Under 14 rugby team who will be playing in the Mpumalanga regional finals on Saturday, and then the team prayed over each of the players. 

On a more serious note, the team was exposed to the devastating needs that this country faces when we split into groups and went into the local township with the Uzwelo Youth Community Enpowerment. 

- First the team prayed for and ministered to the UYCE workers, and then went out into different areas. 

- Beth, Cody, Kathryn, and Griff walked several miles (4miles total!) to go into the house of a lady who's baby just recently passed away, and they were able to pray for her. They were all very touched by the ladies' loss, so Beth tried to tell her "Unkulunkulu Ikubusise" ("God Bless You" in Zulu), but Beth says the way it came out actually made the lady laugh. So at least they provided some form of joy in the midst of her sadness. Then they prayed for a boy at another home who had a cancerous tumor the size of a soccer ball growing on the side of his head. Sadly, it is not uncommon to see people with very large tumors like this because they're aren't able to receive any form of treatment. 

- Steve, Robin, and McKenzie went into a home where a 17 year old girl named Lucia lived. She hadn't been able to go to school at all because she doesn't have an identity document, and she cannot get her ID because her mom, who has her birth certificate, left home several months ago and has since never returned. They asked her if she would be willing to ask Jesus for help, and after and good conversation and some time of prayer, Lucia gave her life to the Lord! They then asked if they can take photo with her, but Lucia said she first needed to go change her outfit before she can get her photo taken! (Guess some things are universal... typical 17 year old teenager!)

- Bonita, Craig, and Cora visited a clinic in the township, and they were very impressed with the cleanliness and efficiency of the clinic. 

- Lasandra visited the township school and she got to meet and interact with several students and teachers. 

- Beverly, Stephen, and Ryan also prayed with some people who were sick, or who can't work or go to school because they don't have their identity documents. 

During our evening devotion time everyone shared what they experienced today, and we discissed the question of what ministry could look like in the face of such overwhelming need as we witnessed today. We realized that the hope for all these people truly can only be found in Jesus, and that Jesus is represented through the local church, so the hope for these people is found in the local church. That's why we are grateful forbthebopprtunity to add fuel to Wellspring Ministries' lamp, because as a local church, they are doing everything they can to meet these needs in various ways. 

We were reminded of the Matthew West song Do Something, that basically says that often times we see the overwhelming need around us and we ask the question, "God, why don't You do something?" And His answer is: "I did... I created you!" So wherever you are, let your light shine!

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.”

Matthew 5:14

The journey continues...

The journey continues... and so far we are having a very fruitful time of ministry.

- Salvation!

During our time of ministering to the people in the street market, Beth spoke to a man called Happy, and Happy ended up giving his life to the Lord! PTL!!!

- Prayer

We were able to pray over several children & adults in the Piet Retief hospital. We'll be going back next week. 

- Renovations

We started renovating & painting one of the Uzwelo Rural Orphan Care (UROC) safe-houses in the Iswepe village, and we spend some time playing with the children under their care. We'll continue this project on Friday. 

Prayer Requests:

- Pray for us on Thursday as we'll be going into the township to minister to people there. 

- Pray for divine connections and that the people we will meet will be open & receptive. 

- Pray for divine protection for our team. 

- Pray for continued health & energy for the team. 

- Pray for the team to continue to grow closer & closer in unity. 

Siyabonga / Baie dankie / Thank you!

Birthday Cake, Prayer, and Steak!

Happy Birthday Bonita! We're celebrating Bonita's special day in a special way. This morning Sibongile and all the staff at the ARC sang happy birthday in Zulu. Beautiful voices! Great taste of Arican culture. Sibongile also baked her a carrot cake, so we all enjoyed that over lunch. We've already had several ministry opportunities on day 2:

- Devotion

Cody lead us in an awesome time of worship during our team devotion, and Kathryn shared some powerful thoughts on living by faith. 

- Bible Class

When we got into town we sat in on Sheldon's bible class with students from Maranatha school, and Beth shared with them how she got on fire for Jesus, and told them that they are world changers, and that seeing their joy and happiness is inspirational. The students then sang happy birthday, and prayed over Bonita. A moment she'll treasure forever!

- Uzwelo Staff

We then went over to the Uzwelo office and ministered to all the staff and careworkers (they're called "moms"), and we took some time for one-on-one prayer and encouragement. They are our heroes, because they're on the ground ministering to and loving these children on a daily basis, and our goal was to flood them with affirmation, and add some fuel to their lamps. 

- Prayer Walking

After that we did some prayer walking, anointing the Uzwelo property with oil, and praying over all the children's rooms.

- Witnessing

This afternoon we'll be going into the local street markets, interacting with the vendors, looking for some opportunities to witness, pray, and encourage. 

- Hospital

After that we'll do a hospital visit, handing out some gifts and praying over some children in the hospital. 

- Spur Steak House!

We'll finish our day celebrating Bonita's birthday at the Spur! (We figured that since the ravens brought Elijah meat to regain his strength, we'll be getting some steaks to fill up our tanks!)

Thank you for your continual prayer support. We can feel it on this side!

Mandela Day

"Mr Mandela has spent 67 years making the world a better place. We're asking you for 67 minutes. Nelson Mandela's birthday is on 18 July, and the call is out for people everywhere to celebrate his birthday by acting on the idea that each person has the power to change the world."

Today, as part of Mandela Day, several local businesses from Piet Retief spend their 67 minutes serving & supporting Uzwelo in various ways, like donating shoes, Tshirts, food supplies, cleaning the orphanage, etc. The team had the privilege of witnessing and celebrating this great day with the kids at Uzwelo. 

This evening we stopped at Pick n Pay and everyone stocked up on their favorite South African snacks & drinks. Anthony & Sibongile had a delicious dinner ready for us when we got back to the ARC, and now everyone's ready for a good night's rest. Sweet dreams from Africa!

Day 1: Get going! Get coffee!

Everyone got some rest. Good breakfast  at the ARC. Meeting with Sheldon & Pastor Len to get an overview of the plans for our time here. Getting some coffee from Kebar Coffe Shop to get us going! This morning we'll take a tour of Piet Retief and see the different ministries that Wellspring is involved with in the community. This afternoon we'll meet the kiddies at Uzwelo and spend some time with them. 

Prayer request:

- Thank you for all the prayers for safe travels. God answered those prayer and gave us a smooth journey to get here. It was a long travel time, but it was all worth it! 

- Everyone is healthy and in good spirits. Pray for continual physical health & strength for the team. 

- Our theme for this outreach is "Jesus-in-skin." Pray that we'll be seeing & showing Jesus in us, through us, all around us. 

- Pray for our every team member's heart to be prepared to receive everything God has for us during our time here, and for our hearts to overflow as we show forth God's nature of love, kindness & compassion with everyone we meet.

We made it! Touchdown Johannesburg!

Well, the 19hrs on the airplane was pretty brutal, but we all made it. Now for the 14hr drive to Piet Retief. Everyone's ready for dinner, a shower, a few stretches, and a bed. (And Beth needs some caffeine asap!)

Time to fly!

Made it safely to DC. Leg 1 completed. Now for the long stretch. 18 hr flight!

Leaving Raleigh. Here we go...!

We got the van!

It's the final countdown...!!!