We're Here!!

Hey Everyone!

Thank you so much for your prayers regarding our travel as we arrived in Cape Town safe and sound on Wednesday afternoon! On Tuesday we were laid over in Germany for the day so we were able to go into Frankfurt and walk around. The team really enjoyed the time we were there as it had beautiful architecture and we were even able to go up into a high tower and have a view of the whole city. But we were all ready to go from the 20 degree weather to the 70 degree weather we are experiencing now!

It has been nice to have some down time as we've been experiencing the effects of jet lag. On Wednesday, we met some of the staff including Alicia who advises the team, Kendra, who is also working with us, Sondiso who is our cook (and a great one at that!), and Priscilla, who is taking care of cleaning and laundry. The rest of the day we took time to become oriented and move into the team house.

On Thursday, our team was able to tour the different branches of the ministry. To clarify, we are working with Living Hope, which is the umbrella organization for 5 different ministries. Living Care is the health care center that looks after HIV and AIDS patients within the community. Living Grace provides meals, devotions, and lockers to the homeless as they help them get back on their feet. Living Way is a job creation program that looks to provide life skills to the community which then allows them to better find a job. Living Right is the organization we will be volunteering with the most as it works with the children of many different townships in seeking to provide them with meaningful relationships, Biblical truths, and preventative teachings. Living Services is the HR and public relations branch that works behind the scenes to make the other programs possible.

One cool story I'd like to share is how much this organization is truly reaching their community. One building currently being used for Living Right was once a very prominent drug building within a neighborhood. The people of this community finally had enough of the dangerous activity and burned it down. Living Right was then able to purchase this building and the land it was on for what would be the equivalent of $15 US dollars. The building that once haunted this community and brought so much crime and violence is now one of its greatest sources of hope.

Today, we were going to begin construction with Living Way, but Molly had a surprise for us last night. Life Skill Educators are the people within Living Right who are making crucial relationships with these children who desperately need older mentors in their life. We will be working closely with the LSE's throughout this trip, and today we had the opportunity to get to know them more and bond with them...at an amusement park! While riding a roller coaster and getting soaked on water rides, we were able to exchange stories and really begin to connect with the people who have devoted their lives to this ministry. They are genuine, truly in love with the Lord and positively hilarious...aka they are incredible people!

Well, that's about all for now! I want to personally thank each and every one of you who are praying for us individually and as a team. I know that I have felt your prayers as we have begun to settle into the community. I humbly ask that you would continue to keep us in your prayers as we unite 12 people into one team with a sole purpose in mind (that of serving Jesus Christ!), for humility to allow God to work in ways that we cannot even imagine at this point, and for the strength and focus as we begin to serve alongside the community.

In Him,
Christina (and the team!)

PS. Hi mom!

Just Checking

Wanted to make sure that this works

South Africa Service Trip: And we are off!!!

South Africa Service Trip: And we are off!!!

Check out Living Hope's Website:

http://www.livinghope.co.za/

And we are off!!!

Friends and family- the time has come, we leave tomorrow, January 4, for South Africa! We are so excited to head out. We wanted to give you an overview of what we will be doing and we ask that you hold us in your prayers!

There are 12 of us on the team and we leave January 4 and return February 2. We will be spending the month partnering with Living Hope's ministries in townships 40 minutes outside of Capetown. Living Hope is made up of three parts:

Living Hope- seeks to bring the hope and compassion of Jesus Christ to the chronically sick and dying in a holistic way and do all they can to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS. They do this through their free health care center, home based care, support groups, prevention programs, health care counselors, and life skill educators.

Living Way- is a job creation program that works to provide free job training and education in order to create opportunities and employment with the hope that individuals and entire communities might be empowered.

Living Grace- seeks to play a vital role in the motivation, treatment and support of people who are without basic necessities by providing meals, health care, and education.

We will be working in collaboration with these ministries, in order to provide both physical and spiritual aide for many people in need.

Every day our team will show God’s love as we work together to run an after school Kids Club for children in local townships. We will be working alongside Life Skill Educators who are people from the community who work with the ministry and in the schools to teach Bible lessons, play sports, lead music, perform skits, and make crafts with the kids. We will also spend time in the heath center spending time with patients suffering from HIV and AIDS. We have 3 girls on our team who are nursing or pre-med students who will get to spend extra time in the health center. We will go to Living Grace on Fridays to serve meals to those in poverty and build relationships. We will also run a sports and discipleship camp for older youth and help with construction at Living Way, the ministry’s job creation program.

South Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV and AIDS in the world as over 5.3 million people are infected. Over 27 percent of the population is unemployed and the average life expectancy is 44 years old. The facts are unsettling and the need is great. However, the love and grace of Christ has the power to penetrate this devastation and I look forward to sharing that hope with the people. Educating, helping, and challenging orphans and children to pursue an education, make wise decisions, and dream about the future will help to raise up a generation of new leaders. By meeting both the physical and spiritual needs of the people, change can occur and I was so blessed last winter to see the countless ways in which the ministry truly was impacting the people.

As we leave for this trip, please keep us in your prayers! I ask that you would pray for the Kids Club, the health care ministry, the Life Skill Educators whom we will be working alongside, and that our team would be unified as we work together. Please pray that God would prepare the hearts of those we will come in contact with. I would also ask that you pray that God will guide us as we step out of our comfort zones. And please pray for safety for us as we travel many miles and while we are in South Africa!

We love you all and appreciate your support!