Participant Blogs

South African soil is our home for not much longer... It's crazy to imagine what we' ve been through these 7 weeks of training! God has been so amazingly faithful!  It's with an amazing joyful spirit that we charge into the nations!

February has really been a teaching filled month. After our time in the Transkei, we appreciated the little things so much more, a carpet, flushing toilets and butter with your bread! If one thing, this challenges you on simplicity living – this is a lifestyle I want to adapt in every area of my life. Global Challenge is not just a gap-year.

Time flies when you’re having fun – with that we’re ending off our time in Ubatuba.  What a blessing it has been!  From the Brazilians I have learned that it’s important to make time for people and that building relationships is a big part of ministry.  O yes, on the picture with us is Elaine´s grandmom, she is 100 years old and still walks alone to the beach every day!

We all know, whether we’re parents or not, the need for our children to have a safe and secure place to learn, play and just be kids.  We take this for granted and think that a basic need such as this is available everywhere.  On Olango Island, in the Philippines, this is not the case.  But with your support, it can be!

 

We just came back from an Indian tribe in the forest, just outside Ubatuba.  What an experience!   As Gehta said:  “They all look like Pocahontas!” We played soccer with the boys in the rain, told the creation story to the kids – for the first time – and helped bake bread.  But a story shouldn’t start at the end, so let me jump back a few days.

 

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While working on the ship, I always knew that I loved the Pilipino people, I just never realized how much, until I got to spend 2 weeks with them.  What I experienced pierced my heart so deeply that I couldn’t spend a single moment in prayer, without tears streaming down my face.  This was also the time that Clara and Anthony came to visit us.  What a blessing!  We just sat like little sponges around Clara all the time and tried to take in all the wisdom we can from her!     Our time with them was so incredibly blessed,...

Signs, wonders and miracles.  Miracles.  Yes, we saw many of those!  Being in a country where the cheapest hotel costs R1 500 a night, per room, camping is illegal and prison ministry isn't something we want to attempt - yet. (For any parents reading this, don't worry, your kids are still happy, safe and in very good, responsible hands!)  So yes, our Global budget isn't able to stretch that far, so what do YOU do then??  Well, it's simple.  You pray!  And God works.  Oh man, and He did!  God provided in so much abundance!

 

When we prayed for Luke 10, I asked not for the easy way, but for God's way.  I want to grow in faith...  So, when the rest of Southbound headed north, Yellow team made our way down south, and what an incredible journey it was!   Okay, so from Takuapa (Thailand) we as Yellow team headed for Vietnam.  Receiving many confirmation that that’s where we have to go.  Many of the words we got, involved boats, so we felt lead to go down to Songkla (Thailand) and get a boat from there.  From leaving the house, we were blessed by...

In the race of life, specifically this year of GCEX, we start off with so much excitement and enthusiasm. You’ve prepared for this as best as you could.   The trigger of blessings is pulled and you give your first step. Hey, this tempo is quite comfortable, even thought the route is not always so clearly indicated. While running, you get some forks in the road and make your choice. Sometimes you’re down, sometimes you go up. Sometimes, many times after a long downhill, you hit a dead end and all you can do is turn around – run back...

221 days after leaving South Africa, visiting almost 10 different island nations, we found the rural islands we thought this whole year's journeys would be like!   Welcome to the Philippines!   Since this was my second visit to the Philippines with Global Challenge (and it was my favourite country in 2011), I had extremely high expectations!   To be honest, I was actually anxious of our 3 weeks of ministry there, because what if it's not as amazing as last year?   What if we don't raise the funds needed for our project in Olango?   What if we...