Participant Blogs

Southbound 2011 is heading to India on Saturday 25^th September to finish off our one year journey and we are excited to experience another culture, with many opportunities for ministry. Four weeks of our time will be spent at an orphanage, which has about 400 children with a range of ages up to 18. There we will spend time with the children and also help with projects such as painting and repairing buildings.

At the moment, as a team we do not have the finances to cover the building materials to carry out the projects set out for us or bless the children with play equipment. To be able to support the orphanage we ask that you would consider supporting the ministry there. The main need is for paint and equipment, as well as the need to bless the children living in the orphanage.

Quick highlights of Cambodia: Noodles basically everyday for lunch or dinner in an effort to save on food money YAY noodles! Playing with children from orphanges and villages Seeing people wearing their PJ's during the day learning so much from Gods word and new ways of how to study it resting, relaxing and catching up on missed journalling   And the longer version: Ok and so by the time we were done with the challenge of Luke 10 it was very exciting to be reunited with the rest of the southbound team. In the time away I realized how much...

During high school I was invited to a friends baptism. Not having grown up in a christian home, I really had no idea about what it meant, but went along anyway. At the time I remember thinking that this friend seemed to be making such a huge commitment on that day and that it would never be something I would do.  But here we are in Brazil and last Sunday I was baptized in a pool in the middle of a beautiful forest. Thinking back on this helps me to realise how far God has taken me allready in the...

  As I write this blog, time is most definitely flying by. There is just over a day before I head away from home and on towards the start of this expedition. It is exciting to think that it really is time to pack up all the stuff I need into my one bag and say the last goodbyes! I had given most thought to this journey starting when I actually left NZ, but have realised that it really started a while back. God has already been teaching and challenging me, especially in trusting first in him! Rather than trying...

 

 

A while in the making….

 

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 You have no money, not really any plans, apprehension mixed with excitement and a huge hunk of uncertainty…it’s the start of Luke 10… what do you do? Well if your blue team and you have been sent out…. You GO! Leaving behind all the “baggage” we didn’t need and taking all God had taught us so far we said our goodbyes. After previously meeting together to share what God had told us about what He wanted for us to do, we met again and decided to trust and step into that....

Hello! So my name is Helen, I'm 21,  from Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand and I am super excited about joining global challenge for 2011. For the past three years I have been studying land planning and geography at the University of Otago and at the moment am in the midst of studying for final exams. While studying here I came to know God and have been challenged to live my life for Him. It has been a time of growing my relationship with Him and understanding what it means to truly be a follower of Jesus....

Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE n Still tired from 2 nights in Kuala Lumpur airport and missing home after a few days visiting my parents, I arrived in China. I was pleased to get off that Air Asia plane, as the lady next to me was not at all feeling well, if you know what I mean…. We all get through customs and into the Tianjin airport. As a part of the travel arranging team a few of us head out to find the way to the train station, a seemingly easy task until you are confronted...

  8 days, 8 flights, 8 countries, 8 airports, chicken buses, jeepneys and many hours of transit hearing about how we must watch our baggage! Oh yes it sounds a little over exagerated but it really isn't. That is exactly how we got from Panajachel, Guatemala to Lapu Lapu City, Philippines. Travel team always sounds so exciting but there is always a huge amount of time involved. Leaving Guatemala I was excited to step out in the new understanding  of the authority I have in Jesus Christ. My main expectation was to be able to testify of what God had done...

The 7 weeks of training have come to a HECTIC end with a huge amount of excitement, anticipation and expectation. It seems such a long time ago that I arrived in Jeffreys bay, rather nervous being across the other side of the world and not really knowing what to expect. There was nothing to be concerned about though, with the global challenge family being incredibly welcoming. A huge amount has been packed into this time and I really dont know how to describe it all let alone explain how it has impacted my life. So I am going to try sum it...