South Africa HS Mission

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2009-07-20T14:41:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone!

We are finally home...after a few minor snafus in Johannesburg with the airport fueling system, we made it back safe and sound in good old ATL. But I think I can speak for the entire team when I say we all arrived home completely changed. The people of Southpoint Church in Cape Town have made a lasting impression on all our hearts, and the ways in which God moved while we were there was indescribable.

It is our prayer that this trip goes beyond the 10 short days that we were there, and that the bonds that have been formed will last a lifetime. It's our team's desire to continue to support and pray for the awesome things that Matt & Rachel and all the team with Inside Out Cape Town are doing...God is up to some amazing things in their ministry!

We also want to send out a HUGE thank you again to all of our supporters who made this entire trip possible...we are so humbled and thankful for your partnership on this journey!

For His glory,

Jamie

Day 8: A little fun!

2009-07-18T17:55:00.006-04:00

Now that the big event has been successfully executed, today was a day for a little rest and relaxation...and some sightseeing at some of the most beautiful places in the world! For our final blog on location, we have a quick update from one of our students, Patrick Kelly!

Today we went to the Stellenberg church and shared our experiences with all of the volunteers and leaders. It was a very heartfelt moment because everybody got something different out of the whole trip. It was an amazing experience for all of us. After that we went and visited the penguins on the beach, they were so cute. We then went for lunch at cape point to see the historical lighthouse, which was so beautiful because we could see the Atlantic and Indian Oceans from so many different views. This whole trip has been a life changing experience for all 14 of us. We leave tomorrow for the states at about 3:50 pm. We are all looking forward to coming home but we will miss the place we have come to know very well in a little over a week.

Patrick

That's it for now folks...we will post again once we return home with more pics/videos/summaries of this amazing journey!!

Day 7: Inside Out Launch!

2009-07-17T22:37:00.000-04:00

Hey there!

Words almost can’t express the amazingess that was today…we had a great morning of exploring some of the most gorgeous sights in Cape Town, followed by the culmination of all our week’s worth of work: the launching of Southpoint Church’s Inside Out. It was incredible to see how all the hard work of the staff, volunteers & our team came together so perfectly to create an awesome environment for the youth of this town. We were blown away at the impact the night had, not only on the students we were trying to reach, but on our team as well. From a leader’s perspective, it was so great to see the lifelong bonds that were forming between our students and theirs…we were so proud of our students for coming into the night with such energy and enthusiasm, even after a long and exhausting week. God certainly showed up last night in a mighty way, and we are SO very thankful!

Below are a few shots of the day/evening as well as a brief highlight from another one of our awesome students, Kendall Lege!

The day started with us going to the church and having breakfast. Then we want to Table Mountain. To get to the top of the mountain we had to take a cable car and, since I do not like heights I didn’t not enjoy the mountain as much as every one else. On the mountain was saw some cute little animals called a dussie (which is some kind of mountain rabbit I think). After we got of the mountain we ate lunch at the church and helped out. Then the gang and I got ready for the Southpoint churches’ first Inside Out. It was perfect we all danced and bonded with the kids from South Africa. It was the perfect end to a perfect day.

Kendall

The view from atop Table Mountain, and our whole team...

Some shots from the first ever Inside Out at Southpoint Church!

Updates from Kelly...pics to come soon!

2009-07-17T01:12:00.001-04:00

Hello Loved Ones,

Today was another beautiful, but cold day in Capetown. We were all a bit exhausted from our camp with the Southpoint high school students, but it felt great to sleep in central heating again! This morning we worked on the upcoming InsideOut building, trying to prepare it for tomorrow night’s grand opening. We all did various jobs from painting to hammering, so the place is coming together beautifully. After lunch the team headed out to the townships, which are the extremely poor areas of Capetown, to work with some of the Metro Kids team. We all got to see life a little differently today. These areas are covered with tiny shacks made of wood or metal, pretty much whatever they could find, though somewhere fortunate enough to have concrete. We all heard and saw some incredible things, things I know will stay with us forever. We meet lots of people there, but one family really captivated me. It was a family of ten living in a tiny wood shack, that was about a forth of the size of our hotel room. As soon as we walked through their door we were embraced with their welcoming affection. We were strangers walking in, but felt like friends walking out. They showed us happiness and compassion we’d never seen before. For a family struggling so terribly, God shone right through it all, from the holes in the walls to their hungry kids on their floors. It really makes you wonder why you ever question God, or his abilities.

Two fantastic qualities about the townships are there language and the food. On our tour around, Heather and I were asked if we had ever had chicken feed, or so we thought. We said no, but that we were willing to try. So our guide went into a small hut that was a kitchen and came back with paper towel full of our taste of Africa. It wasn’t chicken feed but FEET. Yes, we got suckered into eating chicken feet. I know your wondering how you would even begin to eat that, so you must start by ripping off the toenails, then you can pluck off a toe and chow down, but beware of the bones. They weren’t too terrible, but I’m pretty sure I speak for both of us when I say I wouldn’t recommend them. The language is much more enjoyable. It is filled with clucking and all sorts of sounds, Heather and I are practically fluent so we can’t wait to share our awesome skills with y’all when we get home.

After the townships we went to the Waterfront and got to see a seal. He was right in front of us, posing and everything. He wasn’t very nice though, thankfully there was glass between us, or he would have attacked us all. We all went to dinner afterward at a great seafood restaurant. It’s been a long day, and we all glad to be back to relax a little before a hike up Lion Heads Mountain tomorrow morning.

We are all missing everyone like crazy and can’t wait to see y’all so we can tell you all about it.
Sending Our Love,
Kelly Lain

Days 4 & 5: Inside Out Camp!

2009-07-16T03:47:00.004-04:00

Hey y’all!

I am so impressed with the students on this team! Last night, as each one was talking about his or her camp experience, the one thing I heard each one say was, “God called me out of my comfort zone, and as hard as it was to do what He was asking, it was really the best thing I could do because I got to experience Him in a new way!” This really challenges me, and honestly, I was convicted. Yes, these young people are saying “Yes” to God, when it would be so easy to say, “I don’t feel like it,” and walk away. What amazes me about these students is that I have yet to experience a bad attitude from anyone. Everyday, they are excited about the next task or challenge, no matter how tired they are. I am just so grateful that I get to serve with this team of students who are shining a bright light for Christ, and I couldn’t be more proud to call them my brothers and sisters! Below is an update from another one of our awesome students...Rebecca McManus!

Grace and peace, everyone,
Beth

Hey there, everyone! I hope you’re all doing well and aren’t too miserable without us!

Well, the past two days have been the busiest yet for us. We went to InsideOut camp with about 50 members and friends of members of Southpoint Church. We drove about two hours from our lovely heated hotel into the mountains surrounding the city and stayed at a fantastic site with gorgeous views and beautiful cabins. There’s so much to say about our time there that I can, unfortunately, only give you all a brief overview or risk running Jamie’s computer into the ground…

I first need to give props to those of our group who had special additional roles in the camp. The worship team (band) at the camp was made up entirely of members of our team. Spencer, Patrick, Heather, and Tony worked hard trying to do what they could with the little bit of rehearsal time that they had; and may I say, guys, it turned out awesome! Also, four members of our team were called to give testimonials: myself (to tell about my personal relationship with God), Evan and Molly (to tell about their experiences in small group), and Kyron (to tell about his experience in being an invitee to Inside Out). Each testimony led Matt into his talk and, afterwards, led into individual conversation between us and students at the camp. It was a unique and invigorating experience.

Of course we played tons of games in freezing weather but enjoyed ourselves nonetheless. We made tons of friends and our list of Facebook friends will give us plenty to do when we get back (as one of us said in the car after camp, “Whoa! We have African friends!!!”).Another unique, if not particularly mission-focused thing that we did was spend about half an hour in the largest mall that I think exists in the universe…ever. We ate at an Italian restaurant (yes, I know, Italian in Africa seems a bit boring, but it was fantastic) and we spent a couple hours enjoying good food and indulging in a Q&A style culture dump that left my perspectives spinning.Afterwards we had a mini debrief in the hotel restaurant and decided that God challenged each an every one of us at the camp. For some it was mixing with other personality types, for some it was giving up sleep to share a testimony, and for some it was subtler than even that. From what I heard and experienced, however, I am proud to say that we all gave God a chance to lead us and it sure does feel good!

As for what’s up next, I’ll be brief as the next blogger will tell you more, but today (Thursday) we are doing construction work on the new InsideOut building and finishing it up for the launch on Friday, then going into a township to walk around and have a different kind of culture experience.

Rebecca

Day 3 Update: Thoughts from Heather

2009-07-13T17:56:00.005-04:00

Today's updates will be coming from none other than Heather Hilterbrandt!

Hey Everyone,

Today was a crazy awesome day! We began by going to Stellenberg and going over all of camps preparations for tomorrow: Skits practice, worship practice and spiritual preparation.Later on we left Stellenberg to get some dinner. We drove to a mountain and found out that we are eating in a huge tree house...an African tribal restaurant called Moyo that served foods such as Gazelle, and Ox. The really cool thing about it was the feeling of how much we ourselves felt like tribal people, when we got our food, a lady walked around and gave us all tribal face paint while we ate our Gazelle kabob and other tasty treats.
Then later on live entertainment is shown right in front of us. We all took a chance and went on stage to learn some traditional African moves. Today was a great day and we can’t wait to see what God has in store for us tomorrow for the first day of camp!!!!

We all love you and miss you like crazy,
Heather

P.S. Mommy I love you and miss you “Guten Aben!”

Day 2: Updates From Evan!

2009-07-12T16:51:00.010-04:00

Here's a recap of today's events from one of our awesome students, Evan Lege!

So the day started nice and early at 6:00 am. For those of you who don’t know this is Midnight, Georgia time. We went to help Stellenberg Community Church, now named Southpoint Church, set up for their Sunday morning church service. Needless to say, we were all a tad bit exhausted. However as soon as we got to the venue where they held service and witnessed the dedication of all of the volunteers, we soon forgot about our exhaustion. The volunteers of Southpoint get up every Sunday at 6:00 am to set up for their 9:30 am church service. We soon joined this routine as we went to work on lighting, sound, room set-ups and more. Some others and I were put to work in Waumba Land while the rest were spread throughout the church. At the end of the service everyone (attendants included) convened for tea and coffee. It was so cool socializing with all of these amazingly unique people.

After the service we traveled to the venue for the soon-to-be high school ministry of Southpoint Church. There we talked, had lunch, and played some pretty intense games of foosball and air hockey. It was easy to see all of the hard work that was put in to renovate the building for a cause that meant so much to all of the Southpoint volunteers. After the activities of the afternoon, our team went back to the hotel for some much needed rest. We had a huge “brie” to prepare for.

A “brie” is the South African version of an American barbeque. This had to be the best part of the evening for me. About 30 people were in a room and that room had an indoor grill/oven where the meat would be cooked. It was an extremely warm and friendly environment where we all talked, laughed, and played a fun yet slightly dangerous game of switch around/never have I ever. The best part of the night was that all of the Southpoint Church members made us feel like family, like we truly belonged. They were so excited to have us there and we felt the same way about being there.

As I sit here writing this and eating my M&M’s, I know that there is so much more yet to come tomorrow and it makes me excited for the rest of the week. God is truly blessing our time here. See you when we get home!

Love,
Evan

We're Here!!

2009-07-11T15:44:00.003-04:00

Well we made it! We arrived safe and sound in Cape Town this afternoon after two uneventful, but VERY long flights. There was not much sleeping to be had amongst most of the team on the journey here, so we were all excited to have a free evening at the hotel to get settled in and acclimated to the time change. After dinner and a quick team meeting, it is off to bed for the crew to get rested up for our 6am call time tomorrow!

Tomorrow our team will head out bright and early to help setup for Sunday services at church (they are a mobile church meeting in a temporary location who must set up and tear down ever single Sunday) Once we help get everything ready, we will get to experience our first South African worship service…and we are all very excited about that! Be sure to check back on the blog daily, as we’ll have one of our students re-cap each day’s events for you all!

Alright, it’s off to bed for us here, but we’ll leave you with a few pics from the day…

Our team in the ATL airport, just before takeoff!

Joe survived his very FIRST flight ever...20 hours is a heck of a way to start flying!

Waiting for the rest of the luggage...

Our sweet ride...KidStuf in South Africa!!

Thanks for all your continued prayers!
Jamie

In awe and so grateful!

2009-07-08T14:02:00.002-04:00

OK, I'll be even more excited after I pack, but right now, it's all I can do to sit at my desk as I anticipate our departure on Friday! We had our last team meeting last night before we meet at the airport at 1p.m. this Friday to depart for Cape Town, and I could not be more impressed with our team, especially these students! There is so much talent on this team, and what's so cool is that we didn't know exactly what we would be doing on this trip when we first came together, but God did, and He hand picked each one of us for this trip, for His purpose. He gave each one of us unique gifts, and we each glorify Him in a unique way. How cool is that?!? By the way, on our team retreat, we did a "Spiritual Gifts" assessment, and I believe it was the first time the students had done that. I think they were pretty fascinated by what was revealed to them. I'm also impressed by the maturity of these young people. I know I will learn a lot from them, and I'm excited to get to know them more and form lifelong friendships!

Well, it's back to work. Thank you for supporting our team and making this all possible! We are praying for you, and we thank God for you!

Almost time to go!

2009-07-06T14:55:00.006-04:00

We are just 4 short days away from departing for Cape Town, South Africa...and I think I speak for the entire team when I say we are SUPER excited! Our team retreat we had just a couple weeks ago was a success..we had a great time bonding and just preparing our hearts for the mission at hand. I think our students are going to have a great time connecting with the South African high school students once we get there...please pray for some great friendships/bonds to be formed between them!

Here's some pics from our retreat...

On Friday, we will all meet at the airport to head out...we would LOVE your prayers and support here at home while we head out on our big journey! We're also still working on reaching our financial goal, so if you're interested in supporting us financially, there's still time! Simply go to http://www.GOglobalX.org and click on GIVE at the top right side of the page. Fill in your contact info & under the globalX Trip information, select “Short-term Mission Trip,” then select SOUTH AFRICA as the country and SOUTH AFRICA HIGH SCHOOL SERVICE PROJECTS 7/10/09-7/20/09. All donations are tax deductible.

We'll be trying to blog as much as possible on the trip so that all of our supporters can track with us..so be sure to check back here often!

All glory to His name,
Jamie

What Will We Be Doing?

2009-04-04T18:11:00.001-04:00

We will be working with the Stellenberg Community Church high school group to plan and conduct a retreat for a ministry in Cape Town called “Metro Kids”. Many of the leaders of this ministry are high school students themselves. This ministry serves around 1500 underprivileged and vulnerable children in the area of Cape Town called Guguletu. Part of our purpose will be to provide a place and a space for them to be ministered to and encouraged.

Raising Mission Trip Funds

2009-03-29T09:12:00.003-04:00

Today we are having our first fund raiser meeting! We are planning two very cool fund raisers for this trip. One will be a Movie on the Lawn type of event which we are planning for late April. How cool is that? The other is partnering with Coffee House Expressions to raise funds at their event in May.