Participant Blogs

On the first day of the new year my prayer for our team "Northbound" is that we will be Salt and Light to the nations! The Sermon on the Mount "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are...

1 Corinthians 4:20 "For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God's power."

As I sit sipping my Turkish apple tea and ponder on the last few weeks, I cannot but rejoice in the Lord! After visiting SA for six weeks due to pneumonia I rejoined my team and for the first time this year without a cough. I only realised once I was healthy again how long it has been that I have been sick... It is similar to when we live in sin, we never see how deep we are in it until we are free from it and look back to see how far we've come. God's intention for us,...

 

To describe the odours, visuals, sounds and tastes of India would keep me busy for the rest of my life, however when I am faced with the question, what did I feel in India, there are no words to describe.

After two weeks in Malaysia, I can honestly say that if anyone were to tell me the rest of the year's program has been cancelled and that we had to stay there until the end of the journey, I would not have minded! My heart is full of praise as sit here and try to put in words what I am currently feeling, so instead of giving a low down on our daily activities, I thought of sharing a bit of where my heart is at...

 

A magnitude of 8.6 earth quake struck off Indonesia yesterday and sent people scurrying to higher ground. Tsunami alert warnings went out, people were evacuated from all the beaches in Phuket and the airport was temporarily shut down.

Doing Global Challenge has been a dream of ours for a very long time and after more than a year of preparation and planning it was time for that dream to become a reality. 2012 was going to be the year in which we take our step in faith and say “Yes Lord, we will follow!”

 

Watching Survivor on television has always been entertaining, seeing the good and bad of the people come to front and seeing how they survive within their natural surroundings, not knowing what their next meal will be or where it would come from, living in the bush with people they hardly know. The moment I was placed in the same situation all the fun and entertainment suddenly seemed to disappear.   During the last week we finally got to meet our team/family for the next year and  we were taken to the bush just outside of town for some teambuilding, at...

Looking around me I see so much hurt, so much hunger, so much poverty and so many people reaching out for just a little bit of help and I cannot but feel the urgency to address their immediate needs. However, what I have learned during my time in India is that there is a difference to responding to the need and acting on the calling.

This past weekend we as the 2012 participants had our briefing weekend to prepare us for our seperate journeys next year. We got to meet the 2011 participants and they shared how amazing the Lord has touched their lives in the past year. Continuing the good work that He has started in them! It was a bit overwhelming, realising that next year this time it will be us sharing our experiences with the next generation of challengers when I do not know whether we will ever be prepared. This weekend I found immense peace in knowing that God does not need me, but He wants me. There...